A Year in Review... (Part 1)

So, I told you it would take me a bit before I told my stories from the past year as a consultant and now I have decided to create a series of blogs to discuss my year. I feel that this will be a better way to depict to you how my year has flown by from scary first moments until preparing for my last days as a fraternity consultant.

I began back in May 2009 with a few weeks prior to my first national convention as a consultant. As I prepared for this first exposure, I worked hard to understand Chi Phi Fraternity as well as its membership. In addition, I worked to grasp the functionality and purpose of the convention and all of its entities. It would be the first time I traveled to another state that was further away than Indianapolis, Indiana for various fraternity activities.

In June 2009, I packed up my suitcase met with the staff at the Atlanta airport and headed to Chi Phi 144th Congress in Denver, CO. When I landed, I saw amazing things surrounding the "Mile High City." Little did I know that I would face my first taste of being a professional at this annual event.

I never felt overworked in various ways and would go to bed each night exhausted. However, it was hard to fall asleep at night with alumni challenging me because I am not a Chi Phi but an Alpha Tau Omega brother. The undergraduates were reluctant but they saw an opportunity to have someone new advise them, especially since I visited more than half of the fraternity this past year. It was hard to see that people did not accept me but I did let me hinder my efforts as a consultant for making Chi Phi something more than what it was recognized as among campuses.

Hence, we begin my year as a consultant...

Carry On...

As many of you know, my life has been filled with music from the time I was born until present day. Whether I was singing in a church choir or playing my saxophone in an ensemble. Through music notes and words, I can express myself for any situation that I am faced with on a daily basis. Today as I drove into work, I was listening to 104.7 The Fish in Atlanta and heard one of my favorite songs by Chris Rice. The song, Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus), truly inspires to seek God in what you do. At times, we are like a child who is learning to crawl in our walk with God but understand we are not perfect. Sometimes, we do fall down but we need to learn to let the ways of the world not get to us and follow God's purpose. Seek His Truth. Just because one falls we are not to stop and turn back. I had a fraternity brother ask me yesterday why does God's armor not cover our back and I thought to myself, "...because God has our back" but he stated, "it is because we are not to look back." I could not agree with him more. The past is the past and we must move forward. It took me so long to realize that God wants me to move forward and the fight worth fighting is ahead of me not behind me.

So, when you feel like all is lost and you are in your darkest point in life, cry out to Jesus. He will listen. He is waiting for you to speak. Of all your friends, He never left you. As Jeremy Camp sings, I will walk by faith even when I cannot see it. Faith and believing for a Christian it is what helps us make it through life. Believe it what the Lord is doing in your life and pray that you can continue to humble yourself before Him (I know I do that alot more now) daily. God is Love.

Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus) by Chris Rice

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus

Fly to Jesus and live!

I Still Believe...

As Jeremy Camp sings in "I Still Believe," I hear the words reach out to me and speak to me as though God is talking to me face to face. Since Saturday, I can tell a difference in my life. God is bringing me back to the place I have so long to be. I am giving up everything to focus on him. I know right now that it seems like a dream and I do not want to wake up. However, I know I will struggle but it is by God's grace that I will remember his love and mercy to step in the direction of His plan for me.

Aside from my religious walk, I want to reflect on the loss of an amazing woman that I met during my time at Mercer. Although I knew Whitney Davidson for a short while, every time I interacted with her, whether in class, on the Phi Mu porch, or at various Mercer activities, she was always smiling or saying something funny to have me laughing and smiling. She was a true beauty and had such a close connection with her sorority, Phi Mu. Phi Mu holds a special place in my heart and I love each of those women for different reasons but will always cherish my times with each of them.

I know Whitney's legacy continues to live in each of us that she touched. She also has left an impact on those students that she worked with for Teach for America. She loved what she did and we love her for what she did to make a difference in the lives of others.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Davidson family, Phi Mu, and all others who were closely connected to her.

Changing my Heart...

Often times in life we find ourselves seeking guidance and searching for fulfillment. I remember growing up and thirsting for knowledge in God's word and now I realized that I had strayed away in various forms of my life. Yesterday, I attended a wedding and saw two of my close friends get married. They seemed to truly be filled with God's love and I yearn for that. I never understood it until yesterday watching them and then having a great faith based discussion with my best friend, Elisabeth. Our discussion focused on where I had strayed as a Christian and where I need to re-center my life... GOD. In this world, our faith is one that can be shaken so many times and we fear to return to it only due to societal norms in certain surroundings.

Well, I have decided to return to find what made me happy so long ago. God's abundant love and His will for my life. This morning I have sat in my room reading and listening to music and scriptures about God's word and the words from Jeremy Camp's "There Will Be A Day" sticks with me:

"I try to hold on this world with everything I have but I feel the weight of what it brings and the hurt that tries to grab the many trials seem to never end. His word declares this truth that we will enter this rest with wonders anew but I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings that there is will be a place with no more suffering..."

So thus, I stand at a crossroad praying and seeking God's guidance through His word. I ask that whoever reads this will pray for me as I work through this time. I am excited and renewed to know that God is still out there hoping for me to come back to Him.

Let this be the beginning...

And the Winner Is...

Like I stated on my Facebook status, I will have to back track a lot in the next coming months so I can talk about my stories as a consultant and the lessons I have learned. Honestly, I can say (with my one year with Chi Phi coming up) that I have grown so much as a professional and person in various facets. However, I know that I have faced some major trials and tribulations this past year and look to the future to see what God has in store for me. Anyways, today's topic is...

And the Winner is...

I remember in December 2009 working with the SEIFC (Southeastern Interfraternity Conference) Awards Committee and my advisor, Buck Cooke, as we were preparing to evaluate and analyze the councils most deserving from across the Southeast. Now, I am repeating the experience with Chi Phi; however, I have had a great hand in making this as stress free as possible. Although it is to be stress free for the evaluator, it tends to make me think too hard and stress. Yes, I know many of you reading this will say "Dominy, nothing has changed with you." My response, however, is that want to leave something better on this organization than when I began. I guess with me leaving staff in 2 months it is the least I can do.

When the awards applications arrived, I felt like it was a Christmas excitement because we will recognize some of the best and brightest chapters, alumni, and individuals from across the country. I am excited for the process to begin but the finding the volunteers and figuring out the logarithms and equations to make sure that the process and points all add up. I know the excitement is building for all people and I am excited to make sure the best and brightest are recognized. Boston, you better get ready for a great 145th Congress for Chi Phi Fraternity.