Good Friday #616: Beautiful Destinations (Friday, October 26)

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

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“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations”... #IG family & friends, I would like to introduce to you, Ms. Brenda! Ms. Brenda is a friend of my fathers who has watched me grow & evolve over the years. Ms. Brenda has been struggling with being morbidly obese and has been eagerly seeking help after Medicare gave up on her. My father called me and asked me to do him a favor and help a friend of the family who wants to live! After meeting with Ms. Brenda, she was only working with a specialist 1x a week, I repeat 1x a week and after a short period they gave up, quit and never came back. She asked me could I help her, I asked her can she help me help her? She simply said, “I’ll do anything you ask because I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT MY BED, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO WALK & I JUST WANT TO LIVE”! Now here’s where Ms. Brenda thought she was gonna lose me, she said “if Medicare won’t pay for you how can I pay you? I told her this and I quote... “excuse what I’m about to say Ms. Brenda but F🖕🏾ck medicare”, I’m not hurting for $ and working with you a few days out the week won’t hurt me and we sure as hell won’t be training just 1x a week, I need 3-4 days a week up out ya. After this process, we’re gonna go Medicare office here (wherever they may be) and show them otherwise. Overall, look at this picture, Ms. Brenda has the most beautiful spirit and like most people who struggle with weight loss, she just needs someone to help her, not give up on her and be with her every step of the way! This is a challenge not only for her but for myself as well. I’m looking forward to starting Day 1 with her today! All she wants to do is being able to get out her bed, be able to walk, lose weight so she can have the necessary surgeries needed for her and overall, she just wants to live! Ms. Brenda doesn’t have social media but you guys do me a favor and wish her luck along her journey. I will be sharing her progress and workouts along the way so that she stay uplifted and motivated. 🙏🏾 ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

A post shared by Dashaun Johnson (@theguruofabs) on Aug 22, 2018 at 5:08am PDT

Good Friday #615: Seeds (Friday, October 19)

They tried to bury us but they didn't know we were seeds.

In 2005, Jane Mukunilwa was brutalized and obscenely tortured by Congo soldiers who raided her village. They left her for dead. She was driven to the nearest hospital (350 miles away from her village), where the doctor admitted he thought she would die before the night was out. But she didn't die that night, or during any of the nine surgeries she had to undergo to put her organs back in place.

Instead, she turned her torture into triumph by first learning how to read, then becoming a member of staff at the City of Joy, a transformational home for women of violence.

Watch Jane's story and the stories of far too many other women in the film, now on Netflix.

Good Friday #614: Defying Gravity (Friday, October 13)

"April 16th 1980. I became me. None of you are me. Some of you are richer, smarter, and more handsome ... but you will never get what’s mine because it was meant for me. My job is not to compete with you. My job is to make my mind smart enough to see what’s mine, My reach long enough to claim it, and my grip strong enough to hold it as long as I want. I’m dedicated to my betterment, not your subjugation, so it’s a waste of time not rooting for me. It’s all been decided. I’m just claiming it." - Van Lathan, TMZ Senior Producer

What is meant for you will be yours...Here's a great story of one person who defied to the odds to live his dream: https://purpose2play.com/2017/11/02/defying-gravity-meet-55-professional-dunker-porter-maberry/

Good Friday #613: When Your Heart's In It (Friday, October 5)

When your heart's in it, you overcome all objections.

When your heart's in it, you never waver in your passion and you persist anyway.

When your heart's in it, it shows.

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Three years ago I was trying to direct a movie that no one believed I should/could do. Resistance at every turn. @chrisp1363 was supporting me in a way I can never thank him for. Then my dude @jelanijohnson said “I think @datariturner would fuck with this.” I wrote this movie about bbq/wine where @wineauxdlynnp was a giant inspiration. When I met Datari we both talked about why we wanted to make this movie and come to find out @wineauxdlynnp was his brother. That’s when I knew God ordains steps we will never control. For three years the three of us me, Chris, and Datari supported, believed, and pushed this rock up the hill together. I remember filming the first season of #insecurehbo and telling Datari that I refuse to sell this movie. I know I can do this. He believed! To be here after the THIRD season of Insecure but on the cusp of directing my first feature with everyone at @argentpictures @renbenzo @skimansteamboat and everyone at Mandalay I feel so extremely blessed and grateful to ALL of them. And for two black men to be at the place where MLK was killed and know he died so we could bring art about our people in a positive way to the screen is humbling in a way that can’t be measured. I know people see @insecurehbo and think I’ve achieved so much, and I have. But it’s a reminder that you should never stop having and reaching for your dreams. There’s always more mountains to climb. I’m excited nervous and everything in between. Don’t let anyone ever derail you from what you want in life. If you want it, the road can be difficult but you don’t get there getting off. I’ve ever grateful to my church home of @universitychristianchurchla and my kids and most importantly my wife @mz_money_penny - none could be done without her. Ever. G’nite.

A post shared by Prentice Penny (@the_a_prentice) on Aug 22, 2018 at 8:39pm PDT