Tampa Florida "My Journey to Exodus" and "Openly Broken" Book Review! September 5th 2015

On Saturday September 5th 2015 I held my first book reading and review.  It's always gut-wrenching doing things for the first time.  It took a lot of time and planning and of course there were a few bumps in the road but such is life.  I enjoyed every second of it.

We started at exactly 5pm with a welcome by yours truly.  After that the Creator of The Exodus Project and "My Journey to Exodus: How my pain produced promise" Xaviera "Zay" Bell

took the front to talk about how she got started with the project, her reason for inviting others and the future. 

Next up was author Latoya Perry another Exodus Pioneer.  She was a little nervous (we all were) but she quickly warmed up and began to speak about her story and what it entails. 

I'm sorry but there will be no spoilers.  If you want to know more you will have to buy and then read your own copy! LOL!

Last but not least it was my turn.  I must admit I had been nervous the entire week leading up to the event.  It's something about knowing you have to stand in front of a crowd.  I felt butterflies every time I thought about it.  But you know what, when my time came the words just flowed.

After we all had spoken we enjoyed a great dance by one of my fellow church members at Kingdom Bible Christian Church.  This young lady is very talented and blessed by God.  The first time I saw her dance on Easter Sunday I was in tears.  I was very glad to run into her again a few Sunday's ago and very pleased she decided she would dance for this event.  She did an awesome job to Jessica Reedy's "Better". 

There is so much more to come.  Right now, an event is in the works for St. Petersburg, Fl. and Jacksonville, Fl. dates to be announced.  If you have any questions or would like me to come speak at your event please email me at openly.broken@gmail.com or if you would like to learn more about The Exodus Project you can reach Xaviera Zay Bell at exodus_project@outlook.com.  You can find links on this page to purchase your book.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Upcoming Events & Announcements

Happy New Year!!! I am so excited about everything that is in store for Openly Broken for 2016.  Please stay tuned because there is so much more to come.  You can now view my video blog or vlog on YouTube.  Just type "Openly Broken" or you can go to Phatmag09.  You can also go to my Facebook page for all video's and other posts.

OPENLY BROKEN PROMO VIDEO

The Thin Line Between: Faith & Fear Part 1

Part 1

For so long my life has been an emotional roller-coaster for what I thought was a lot of different reasons.  But during this time in my life of self-examination I have come to discover that it has all boiled down to the fight in my life with my faith vs. my fear.

At times I realize my faith can be so high and at others my fear levels peak.  This has created a somewhat bi-polar type lifestyle and attitude that has left me drained and often times very confused.  One example that comes to mind are the times that I have gone to church and heard a great word of encouragement given by the pastor.  I leave church feeling so excited about life and ready to take on any and every challenge that may come my way.  But by mid-week I am like a totally different person.  I realize that like the body that can be on a sugar-high so can my mind and my spirit.  But like all sugar highs you can and will come crashing down.  It is only with a well-balanced and nutritious  diet that you avoid these highs and lows.  

So how do I avoid these highs and lows of experiencing extreme fear and faith?  I can honestly say that I am still in search of this answer, but lately I've noticed a difference in my life.  Even recognizing that I experience these highs and lows has somewhat helped.  It's impossible to fix a problem when you don't even recognize that you have one.  So, the first step in solving this problem has been in just recognizing that I have an issue.  

The next thing I noticed is the things that trigger the highs and the lows.  I noticed that there are certain things that happen in my life consistently that gives me a high feeling and that is "expectation".  For example when someone new walks into my life promising to be this or do that I am filled with so much hope for whatever they are promising I don't even allow myself to recognize that I could get disappointed.  So when I am disappointed the disappointment is so great I am extremely low.

So, how do I avoid this?  Well, I have come to recognize that NO ONE can be my "all" or fulfill my "all" in my life.  Recognizing this or the fact that they are human and can disappoint me helps me not to be so disappointed if they do let me down.

The one thing I never want to do is lose hope. I love being and feeling hopeful.  I cannot imagine life without hope.  But I have noticed that life and certain disappointments has a way of sucking the hope right out of you.  I'm trying to find a balance these days between remaining hopeful and being cautious.  

I want to keep my faith and I don't want to allow fear to stop me from doing this.

Tampa, FL. Book Signing and Reading Event!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!