Obstacles

I truly believe that any obstacles we have before us is meant to be conquered.  Difficulties are not put in place to stop, discourage, or prevent you from obtaining your goals.  They are the opposite.  They are there to remind you of the fact that you are traveling in the right direction.  They are also there to deter you from getting off track and remaining focused.  And lastly they are there to give you a preview of the power of the spirit that is inside of you.

So the next time you are at the foot of your mountain and contemplating whether or not you have the fortitude, endurance or faith to reach the other side, just remember the battle has already been won, you just need to collect your prize.  Your goal is to get to the other side, whether it is over, around, under or through.  You have the capacity, capability, and authority to reach the other side of your mountain. Do not ever forget.  Be stubborn about your goals, not about your method.

Life is arduous, unfulfilling and discouraging, but once you equip yourself with purpose, vision and faith, in not just your God but in yourself, you would find greater meaning and greater sense of self.  Remember obstacles are a testament to your accomplishments, not your defeats.

Trust The Process

This year has been a particularly challenging one.  Whether the challenges came personally, professionally, spiritually or emotionally, this was a trying season.  But if I were to summarize it all the phrase, "Trust The Process", is a perfect fit.

I was blessed to have people strategically placed in my journey by the creator who helped me get to the next step either through kind words or not so kind words, but three lessons stood up.

The first lesson was purpose.  Everything that has life has purpose. Our goal is to find that purpose and spend every moment actualizing that purpose.  There are no wasted steps on this journey.  The issue is we tend to think we know it all, but we do not.  Allow God to order your steps.  He holds an elevated perspective of the journey.  Where we only see our next step, God already knows the destination.  Not every detour is a deterrent.  Trust His judgement, wisdom and guidance.  He has not failed and will not start now.

The second lesson was pursuit.  It is fine to want to improve the quality of your life and want to live out your dream, but a big step we miss is we do not specify our wants and needs.  I equate it to a wive who tells her husband she is hungry.  When he asks her what she wants her constant response is "I don't know". Nine out of ten times with that approach she is going to go home hungry.  I am very guilty of doing that. I pray and pray for breakthrough but when something comes up that doesn't fit what I think is right I reject it. But when I reflect on what I specifically want I cannot plainly say. I learned to be direct and intentional in my goals.  All these dreams and feelings were placed in us to be acted on not suppressed.  But we must lean on He who placed it in us for direction to better maximum it.

Lastly I learned patience.  I was told to embrace the bad vibes for they are the support system for the good ones.  Mornings are brighter after the darkest of nights and life is the same.  This period has been a refining period and even though it has been seemingly long and arduous it has its purpose and I must be patient.  If I was not valuable then I would not be undergoing such change.  The purpose to refine gold, or any fine gems is a similar purpose.  The old has to be strip away to give way to the beauty of what is underneath.  But we cannot fight the process because it has its purpose.  Yes it is uncomfortable and at times unbearable but it will all make sense in the end and benefit us immensely.  We must just Trust The Process.

Daily Devotional - August 12th, 2016

The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
 (John 4:49-50 - NIV)


In this passage we read about a man who requested Jesus healing power while in Galilee.  He heard Jesus has just arrived and needed his son to be healed who was closed to death.  At the request, Jesus told him to go because his son was healed. The official did not debate whether or not it actually happened, nor did he insist Jesus enter his home to see his son. He took Jesus at His word and the  report came back the son was healed the moment Christ spoke.


How many things has God spoken into our lives that we just need to take His word for.  Too many times we need to see mountains moved, or sky open up, or the sea part into two for us to acknowledge the workings of God.  I have found that as soon as a question arises in our spirit, the answer is there as well.  It is our journey to find the answer and apply it.  Once we make our request, depart the throne and embrace the blessing He spoke over you.


Yes God can come down and intercede on every matter, but we must prove ourselves worthy through our faith.  If we can not understand His working in the small, we will not appreciate His work on a larger scale.  He has spoken healing over your life and the life of your loved ones. Take His word for it, trust His wisdom and lean on His own understanding and go back and live your life.  Do not rest on the hurt, be motivated by the healing. God wishes to do extravagant wonders in your life, but you will never see them if you cannot learn to appreciate the small, simple everyday blessings.  Be bold in asking for blessings and be bold in believing it has already came to pass.


RDB

Daily Devotional - August 10th, 2016

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
 (John 4:23-24 - NIV)


In this passage, Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well.  He tells her of a water that will never have you thirsty again, one that will give you everlasting life.  He then compares how the Samaritans worships and how the Jews worshipped.  The Samaritans worshipped what they do not know, whereas the Jews worshipped what they do know.  The Samaritans worshipped on the mountains of the forefathers, whereas the Jews worshipped in Jerusalem.  The Samaritans searched for salvation, whereas the Jews believed it is theirs.  However Christ came to tell us about the kind of worshipers The Father truly seeks, those who worship in spirit and truth.


What Christ is teaching us is simple, where you worship is no longer important, that traditions used for worship is no longer important, who you worship with is no longer important.  The most important way to worship is with sincerity, spiritually, and love. 
We must be sincere in what we say.  No longer is it suffice to just recite a prayer, but we must pray and confess from our hearts.  We must say what we mean and mean what we say.  He knows the hearts of men, He knows what troubles us, He knows what drives us because He placed them all there.  To not acknowledge that is to ignore The Hand of God moving in your life. 


Also, we must worship in spirit, acknowledging that there is a spiritual warfare against us, and that we are unequipped to win that battle.  We must call on the Spirit that rose the dead, healed the sick and feed the hungry to intercede on our behalf.  When Jesus died He destroyed the "temple" and it was restored in three days.  Whereas He was referring to His body, the shroud that separated the Holy of Holies was torn.  This symbolized that the presence of God no longer only resided in Jerusalem with the ark of the covenant, but with all of us.  That is why we each must take up this spiritual journey to find the purpose God has placed in all of us, harness it and display it for the world to see.


Lastly, worship must be done out of love.  Far to often we worship out if obligation or tradition. But, if we look at the sacrifice Christ made, it was out of love of us, not obligation to us.  He owed us nothing, yet He gave us everything.  All He wants in return is love.  For God is love and if we were made in the image of God that means were are love ourselves.  Manifest your true self and put that on display everyday.  Release fear, jealous and doubt as they are spirits of the world.  Harness the love that is within you.  Let you light shine, so that others will see and let their own lights shine.


Once we remember the true purpose of worship, to give honor and glory to God through love and spirituality, as well as remember God is a part of every person we see, we will understand how to truly worship.  Worship is not limited to a few hours on a specific day, at a specific place.  Worship is loving your neighbors, loving your enemies, helping those who cannot help themselves, guiding , mentoring teaching and most importantly loving.  For God is love and we were made in His image, therefore let us greatest form of worship be the level of love we show ourselves, our fellow neighbor and ultimately our God.


RDB

Daily Devotional August 9th, 2016

But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.'"
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."
 (Judges 13:7-8 - NIV)


In this passage, we learn about the origin of Sampson, a man known for his strength and ability in battle.  He was born to parents who were unable to have children for years, however an angel of God came and told them of the child they would bear.  They also received strict guidelines on how to keep the child pure and dedicated to God.  Manoah, Sampson's mother, prayed for guidance on how raise the child in the way instructed in order for him to reach his full potential.  God sent the angel, he taught them, and the applied the lesson to their child and the rest became legend.


This story can be used to describe a pivotal part in our lives.  You are Manoah and Sampson represents the talent you have inside of you.  For years you worked unfulfilled, accepting the fact that you are barren and will not birth dreams, will not birth ideas, will not birth purpose and passion in the world.  You accepted the fact that you were just meant to survive.  But a man of God came and told you that you are meant to thrive and you are to expect a child.  He told you that there is something working on the inside of you and it is meant to do great things.  However there are stipulations.  You must protect it against the vices of the world.  You cannot allow it to be intertwined with the unclean.  Lastly it must be dedicated to God.  But once you do that, like Sampson, your purpose will bring great glory and honor to The Father through herculean feats that only can be attributed to God.


However, like Manoah, we must realize that we do not have all the answers.  In our humility we must ask the Father for guidance on how best to complete this assignment.  He will then send persons to help us along the way to keep us focused.  They may not be in the form of angels, but they will be in the form of mentors, teachers, advisors, friends, family and confidants.  He will strategically send persons to guide us through this journey. once we admit we cannot do it alone and ask.  Therefore, are you going to believe the messenger when he tells you God has a higher purpose for your life?  Are you going to follow the guidelines laid out?  Are you going to admit that you cannot do it alone and need guidance?  Are you ready for the magnificent work that is to be born, be great and bring honor to God in your life?  If this is so, then begin to walk in your purpose and allow God to work through you.


Rodney D. Bain

As though they are...

One of my favourite verses is “Speak things that are not as though they are”.  There is a great deal of power in our words.  It is said that life and death are found in the power of the tongue.  Which of these are you speaking on your life daily?  We look for a positive life, yet we unceasingly speak negatively about the situation, our abilities and our circumstances.  In the progression of life, the biggest obstacle we face on a daily basis is ourselves.

Our words are seeds that are planted into the world for us to reap the harvest.  Your harvest is based on what you planted.  In the natural if you plant mango seeds, you will bring forth a mango tree that bears mangoes.  However, if your mango tree bears apples, you would question it.  The same thing applies in the spiritual realm.  When we speak positive things, positivity comes into fruition and the same is reciprocated with the negative thinking. 

Yet negative people are constantly confused when they are unable to experience positivity.   Think of most positive person you know, they are normally happier than most because their words are more positive than most.  Now think of the most negative person you know, they would be more miserable than most and the same is reflected in their words.  Now think of the direst situation imaginable and place both of them in it.  The positive person will have a positive outlook and the negative person will have a negative outlook on the exact same situation, regardless of the outcome.

What does that mean?  All this simply means is that the situation is not important, but how we look at it is vital.  Now which of these people are you?  How do you view the world?  A person with rose Colored glasses on will naturally only see the world in hues of pink, regardless of it true colour.  The same applies to positive and negative thinking.   If your spirit is clothed in negativity, regardless of your circumstances you will be unhappy.  However, if you clothed your spirit in positive, then every situation will be a blessing and worth praises.  When we sing praises, and plant positive seeds, blessing will indeed fall and new life will bloom.  But which hue is your vision?

One way to determine your vision is to listen to the words you speak daily.  What are you constantly speaking on? That is your area of focus.  Is your tone negative or positive?  That is your feelings towards it.  Do you speak with confidence or do you speak with defeat?  That is the possibility of it happening.  We are all made in the image of God, the same God who spoke the world into existence.  That same speaking power is within you.  He used his words and created this world we are living in.  What type of world are you creating with your words?  His world is what you see.  Your world is what you feel.  Are you speaking success or failure into existence? Are you speaking discipline or inaction into existence?  Are you speaking prosperity or defeat into existence? You constantly speak things that are not into existence, therefore always speak responsibly.

Start and Stop

Many things in my life have fell prey to procrastination, inconsistency, laziness overall failure to complete.  Even this blog came in that category.  However, one thing life teaches is that if you want something different, you must be prepared to do something different.  And today that one thing is "starting over".

There are many justifiable reasons you can give as to why fail.  I did not finish school because I had a child.  I did not apply for that job because I had a sure position already.  I did not write that book because no one would want to read my story.  You can give thousands of reasons not to do something, however, you only need one reason to do everything.

What is your one reason?  What is that one thing you can use to motivate you to be all that you dreamed of?  Joel Osteen said that a ship only sinks because of the water on the inside, not because of the water on the outside.  What is on the inside of you that is holding you back?  What negative comments are you telling yourself daily as to why you cannot accomplish your goals?  When will you start grabbing the bucket and emptying out the waters.

Each and everyone has a particular purpose you must fulfill.  God has entrusted a talent to you to uncover a treasure in your life during a particular time.  What will your report be when the master asks, "What have you done with that which I entrusted to you?" Work in a way that your treasure will be double, your talents maximize and your time use efficiently.  Remember our days are numbered. Let us make the best of each second.

- R. D. Bain Jr.

Endangered Species

Endangered Species

In the world today there are many species that are no longer in existence and a great deal which are on the verge of extinction.  In The Bahamas, we too are suffering from this epidemic.  We have in our country a species that is on the precipice of obscurity.   This dying species has no protective habitat or laws in place to preserve its survival.  There are no civic groups raising awareness.  There are no fund raisers coming to aid in the protection.  There are no programs in action plans in place to counteract the depletion.  This species is experiencing a daily decrease in numbers and if something is not done all will be lost.  The extinction of this species will not only affect food sources or the environment, but it will also affect the homes, the churches, the government and the community.  

This species I am speaking on is the good, strong, Godly man. 

What makes a man?  The number of children you have, the amount of wealth accumulated, or the positions obtained does not define you as a man.  Simply because women have found ways to achieve and compensate for all those things.  What truly makes a man is his ability to be a leader, a protector, a provider, a priest not only in his home, but in his workplace and his community.  A man is not measured by his size or stature, but by his influence on those around them.  So how do we revitalize this depleting stock?  How do we take the few and turn it to many?  How do we take this species off the endangered list?   

Firstly we have to highlight the problem.  In our society today, oppose to a century ago, men are no longer the leaders.  Men were the breadwinners of the family, the leaders in the society and active in the homes.  Due to various reasons the roles have now been adopted by the female counterpart.  Some persons trace back the lack of men to slavery days, where black people were seen as cattle and the family unit was not respected, therefore in turn passing down through the generations.  Some even trace it back to more recent history during the Contract.  During this time Bahamian males went to Florida to work and only sent back funds, with some men never returning.  This resulted in a male figure not in the home; therefore no one was around to teach the boys how to be men.  Whereas the women did an exceptional job with what they had, with a great deal of success stories, the average home suffered.  It is difficult for one person to properly raise children and lead a home.  Children need their fathers and wives need their husbands, ultimately society needs its men.   

Next we have to revitalize the stock.   A simple way to do this is by following the Wolf Credo.  The Wolf Credo penned by Del Goetz in 1988 used the habits of wolves and applied it to the successes of life.  The first stanza, if applied correctly, will help grow our species and it reads; 

“Respect the Elders, Teach the Young, Cooperate with the Pack.”  

Respect the Elders simple means respect those who come before you.  Respect the men who place the ground work that allowed your paths easier.  We must learn from our elders, for they are far wiser than us.  Proverbs 19:20, "Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise."  Therefore seek out elders to absorb their wisdom.  Learn from their mistakes and improve on their successes.  We should not look at the old generations as relics of a life that once was, but herald them as forefathers of the greatness that is to come.  Legends oftentimes die with the hero and unless we take pride in our past from whence we came, we are doomed to have to no future.  And this ties in with the next line, “Teach the young”.  This is important for succession leadership.  Seeing that we are only promised 3 score and ten, we must put measures in place that greatness will not only be capped at a generation, but will run through future millennia. We cannot look at the younger generation as competition that needs to be snuffed out, but as young men who will take the society far beyond where we brought it.  Proverbs 22:6, train up a child in the way they must go and when they are old, they will not part.  The last line is “Cooperate with the pack” which means to learn to work with those around you.  Conflict resolution is key.  Too many males are losing their lives because they do not know how to speak to one another.  It was once said the 90% of daily conflicts are cause by not what is said, but how it was said.  A great deal of men do not know how to act around other men, because they were never around other men.  It is one thing to be a man amongst women, but to be a man amongst men is vital.  We must not contribute to the black crab syndrome, for when one fail we all fail and when one succeed we all succeed.  

A body of like minded men is a juggernaut that will mow down all societal ills and set us back on the right course. 

Finally, if we do not settle down and acknowledge this epidemic then we are doomed.  If the men are lost, then the people are lost.  If the men do not set the standard then anything will do.  But society does not need just any type of man to step up.  We need quality over quantity.  A hundred sheep is no match to 10 lions, however if there are no more lions, then only the sheep will be left to rule.  W E B Dubios wrote, 

"The Negro race...is going to be saved by its exceptional men...first of all deal with the Talented Tenth...developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from contamination and death of the Worst." 

We are the top 10 percentile that needs to lead the country.  We are the top 10 percentile that need to lead the community.  We are the top 10 percentile that needs to lead our homes.  A true leader is not measured by the number of followers he creates, but by the number of leaders he creates.  Therefore we need to make sure that we create quality leaders who will take this country to the next level.  We are already here.  We need to think of the men of tomorrow.  We need to do what we can do to make sure they are prepared with adequate tools to face this ever changing world. 

Something must be done.  Maybe then we can take back our community, our homes, and our country.  If we continue to sit on our hands, if continue with to be passive aggressive with the growing problem men will be second class citizens.  Men will be the dependents and burdens to their families, opposed to blessings to them.  The Real Men will be as the dinosaurs are today, once larger than life creatures that are now relics that are only displayed in museums or spoke about in history books.  The true being of a man will be extinct.  But there is hope ahead, hope for equality, hope for self-actualization, hope for a better tomorrow.  Hope that men will be men...

Tomorrow is Still Friday...

If you were to lose your job today, what will happen? If you were to lose a loved one what will happen? If you were to right off your car, what will happen? There is a plethora of things that once, could and will take place in our lives, that affect our circumstances, belief system, our bodies and our minds, but through it all there is one thing that is constant. This given factor in the equation of life will help you not only focus on the positive instead of the negative; it will give you incentive to go on. This idea needs to be planted deep inside your thoughts, let it get underneath the fears, anxieties and doubts that are rooted in your mind.  Allow this sink into your subconscious and apply the teaching in your life. Whenever you are faced with an issue, and you are feeling overwhelmed or stress from its weight, just remember this simple phrase, tomorrow is still Friday!

What this phrase is simply that tomorrow will still come. Regardless of what happens today, God’s willing, the sun will still rise tomorrow and the next day will still come. Worrying does not add hours to your days nor length to your life.  If anything, spending time worrying takes away energy and time away from solving the actual problem. When I was in high school, a friend saw me disturbed by something and she gave me this simple piece of wisdom. There are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day.  Life is too short to waste a second being unhappy, so learn to let it go.  Ever since then I have been looking to just let it go.  When we worry about things, we stress ourselves.  If you let the stresses of life get you down, then you will never enjoy the beauties of life.  We oftentimes stress over things we have no control over, co-workers, people’s opinion, wayward family members, lack of finances.  Worry does not make people like you, worry does not add money to your pocket, worry does not add days to your life. The Serenity Prayer teaches this same principle, “God Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”  Another word for Serenity is tranquility or peacefulness. That peace is of God, the frantic and worry is of the world. Remember tomorrow is still another day, regardless of what happens to you today.

Stress tends to affect people in different ways.  Stress can cause poor mental, physical and spiritual health.  It can also cause heart disease, asthma, obesity, diabetes, headaches, depression and anxiety, accelerated aging, premature death.  Most severely, someone who is considerable stressed out is dreadful to be around.  Nobody wants to live or work with someone who is always stressed out about something.  A few years ago, my daughter drew a picture of the family.  In the picture there were nice drawings of people, with something that looked like a monster in the background.  When I asked her to explain me the picture, she told me that thing I thought was a monster was me.  When I asked why she drew me that way, she replied, “Because you are always upset….”  From that day I promised myself to stop bringing the stress of my work home and to let go of things I cannot control.

Ultimately, no matter how hard or long you stress about a situation, nothing will be solved by just stressing about it.  When we worry about a situation we are not adding years to our life, in fact we are missing out on happy moments doing things that are important with those that truly matter.  When we worry, we do not add hours to our day, in fact we are wasting time that could have been used to find some resolve to the problem or relaxation.  When we worry we do not conserve energy, we are actually wasting energy that could have been used elsewhere.  Therefore I had to learn to cope.  And the way I choose to cope with stress is trusting in God’s will, grace and love.  Matthew 6:26 ask a simple but important question… “Are you not of more value than they?” Our Heavenly Father takes care of the birds, the bees, the flowers and the trees aren’t we more valuable than these?  Do not worry beyond what you can do, for there is someone who ensures that all of your needs are met.

So what you need to do instead of worrying is enjoy the moment.  The present is a gift from God which should be treasured and enjoyed fully.  Joel Osteen, in one of his sermons said, these are the “Good ole days when everyone is healthy and alive.  So enjoy them.” These are the days we will be looking back on missing.  So why not enjoy the day before you have to miss it.  We need to look forward to the new opportunities each day brings with it.  But reminder, even if you did not get all you can out of today, there still is tomorrow.   Today’s ending is tomorrow’s beginnings.  Each day is a chance to be better and improve, on the next previous one.  Release the failures of the yesterday, let go of the anxiety of tomorrow and make the best of your day right now.  At the end of it all, each moment is all a part of God’s master plan for us.  Good or bad, happy or sad, ups or downs, it all has a purpose.  Remember our stint in the valley will only make the mountain top more glorious.  Without the negative you will not appreciate the positive.  Without the night, you would not appreciate the day, without the rain, you would not appreciate the sunshine.

As a result, if you were to adopt this thinking that tomorrow is still Friday or tomorrow is a new day, you will see a turnaround in your life.  But do not be selfish with this, challenge everyone around you to change there thinking.  This change in thinking would lead to a change in living.  If we all were to live our lives with more love, fulfillment and hope, then all of our days would be a little bit brighter, longer and more productive.  The method to make the change is simple;

• ·         Stop stressing
• ·         Smile more
• ·         Trust God
• ·         Enjoy the moment
• ·         Remember your worth
• ·         Make the best of every opportunity

And always keep in the back of your mind, 

“Win lose or draw, regardless of outcome today, tomorrow is still another day.”

6 Simple Words

When someone thinks of you what words are associated with you?  For me Rodney, Rodi, Rods, Rod, De’Gregory, Big Rod, Rayna Daddy, Rawson Daddy, Nadia Husband, Mr. Bain.  All names associated with myself.   Christian, Father, Brother, Frater, Hard Worker, Friend, Confidant.  All words associated with myself.  However, I want there to be six simple words used for me.  This words will summarize all the positive uplifting words that I just mention. These words will encompass all these and more.  The words are, 

“There goes Rodney De’Gregory Bain Junior!” 

My name is Rodney De’Gregory Bain Jr.  I am husband, a father, a son, a brother, a speaker, a mentor, a friend and a Christian.  From a young age I always wanted to make a positive, lasting impact on The Bahamas and the world at large.  I always appreciated the life lessons I picked up along the way.  These help shape me into the man I am today.  Whether positive or negative, all of them had a purpose.  

Growing up helping my mother lift things around the yard, I truly appreciated the saying, “a man must carry his own weight”.  And always being a big fellow, I knew I had a great deal of weight to carry.  Quickly I learned it was not the physical weight that was the heaviest, but the emotional and spiritual weight that was often the toughest to bear.  It is in my early years too where I found my love for God.  During tough times I looked to the Father for guidance and one thing that always stood out to me was, “He will never put more on us than we can bear.”  So I would square my shoulders, plant my feet and keep pushing.  

As a youth, I always was looking for a good example of a man to fashion myself after.  In my early years I did not have the civic heroes of yesteryear, there were no Marcus Garvey’s, no Malcolm X’s.   There were no political heroes in my day.  All the men, outside of those in my family, were not becoming of a young man’s role model.  The leaders were either corrupt, immoral or non existent.  The positive male was scarce commodity during my youth.  Therefore I need to be that role model for the youth of today and also encourage my peers to be the same. 

One thing I stress is the importance of family.  It is because of them that I will do all within my power to provide for them.  They are my first ministry.  If I save all the families in the world but lose mine then I have failed.  As a father and husband I am no longer just responsible for myself, but for the well being of my wife, my daughter and my son as well.  I thank God everyday for blessing me with them.

It is because of my family, I aspire to be greater each and every day.  A quote from one of my favorite books, The Alchemist, is always in the front of my mind.  “When you want something, the whole universe conspires together for you to get it.”  And I fervently believe this.  My God is an amazing God, who does great things and He tells me all I have to do is ask, so I will ask for great things and the most He can tell me is no, but I am comforted in knowing that no matter the answer I know it is for my best interest.  I want to be known for great things from the right people.  I want that at the end of my life, my God and my wife can unequivocally state that I was a good man.

At the end of it all, what will be said about you?  Will those who matter, have the best to say?  Or will those minor characters be the only ones singing your praises?  I made a pack with myself years ago, I do not care who speaks highly of me, if my wife and my children cannot stand tall and say Rodney was a good man, then I have failed.  If I cannot go before my God and show the wonders I have done with the treasures He has given me then I failed.  If I cannot leave the world better than I met it then I have failed.  I look to have my name synonymous with great, positive, prosperous things that my epitaph will just have just need six simple words to perfectly encompass it all. 

“Here lies Rodney De’Gregory Bain Junior”