When you look back over your life, what have you accomplished? What legacy have you left embedded into the minds of others? Have you done anything meaningful or worthy of God saying well done? Have you left your children something that will make them have high standards, or were you just the life of the party, that mostly no one remembers? Seriously, where do you stand? Have you changed the lives of others around you? Have you impacted your community? Have you ever fed the homeless, donated to a shelter, or fight for the rights of others? Have you stood up for what is right? When will making a change become your responsibility? There is more to life than you and your world. Everything around you affects your lively hood, whether it's directly or indirectly.
Will you answer the call when God has chosen you for the people? Will you answer the call when called to do the right thing in the lives of the people around you? Will you answer the call when it is time to stand and make the shift, to do something different and meaningful? What will you dash mean on your obituary? Your dash is what everyone will be reflecting on. It's the dash for me! The dash won't lie.
Let's look at the dash of David:
David- King David was a shepherd boy who became Israel’s third and most important king. David is described as a man after God’s own heart. David’s line ruled in Jerusalem for about 400 years. David was frequently the vehicle God used to display his compassion and redeem his people. David was God's anointed one. David cites his experience as a shepherd to convince Saul why he can defeat Goliath. David used his experience as a shepherd to create one of the most powerful portrayals of God’s relationship with his people. David’s biggest claim to fame was his legendary showdown with the Philistine giant, Goliath. David was Israel's greatest king. David wrote half of the book of Psalm.
James E. Clyburn
Black History/ Facts/ My family
James E. Clyburn is the Majority Whip is the third-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives. He previously served in the post from 2007 to 2011 and served as Assistant Democratic Leader from 2011 to 2019.
When he came to Congress in 1993 to represent South Carolina’s sixth congressional district, Congressman Clyburn was elected co-president of his freshman class and quickly rose through leadership ranks. He was subsequently elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Vice Chair, and later Chair, of the House Democratic Caucus.
As a national leader, he has championed rural and economic development and many of his initiatives have become law. His 10-20-30 federal funding formula was included in four sections of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Congressman Clyburn is also a passionate supporter of historic preservation and restoration programs. His efforts have restored scores of historic buildings and sites on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities. His legislation created the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor and the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, elevated the Congaree National Monument to a National Park, and established the Reconstruction Era National Monument in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
Congressman Clyburn’s humble beginnings in Sumter, South Carolina as the eldest son of an activist, fundamentalist minister and an independent, civic-minded beautician grounded him securely in family, faith and public service. His memoir, Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black, was published in 2015, and has been described as a primer that should be read by every student interested in pursuing a career in public service.
Jim and his late wife, Emily England Clyburn, met as students at South Carolina State and were married for 58 years. They are the parents of three daughters; Mignon Clyburn, Jennifer Reed, and Angela Hannibal and four grandchildren.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.” Psalm 23:1-6
* I do not own the rights to this image or the passage on James Clyburn*
"When you know how good of a stock you come from, it is your driving force to measure up." - Alston Shropshire
