Shepherds

While reading Paulo Coelho’s infamous novel The Alchemist I was struck by a line in his literary masterpiece that forever change my view of the way God uses shepherds. Coelho writes, “It was shepherds who were the first to recognize a king that the rest of the world refused to acknowledge. So, it’s not surprising that kings would talk to shepherds.” With Christmas this week, I am reminded of these lines and how they apply not only to the story of Christ’s birth, but also to our lives today.

A shepherd by definition is: a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. I believe we can all name at least one person who has tended to us when we were in need, one who has herded us back into the flock when we strayed away into “wolf territory”, one person who has fed us, and yet another who guarded us from the attacks of the wolf.

God has always used shepherds to symbolize obedience. David, who God considered to be a man after His own heart, was a shepherd. God used David’s life to demonstrate His ability to awaken the strength within us, His ability to empower us through leadership, and His limitless grace and mercy. Through the life of King David, God reveals that while we are sheep to Him, through obedience we can become shepherds to others.

God uses every single person on this earth for His glory whether they believe in Him or not. We are all here to be used as instruments by God and He can speak to you through your atheist co-worker, just as well as He can speak to you through your pastor. Think of all the conversations you have with both believers and non-believers. Didn’t all of those conversations grow your faith in some way shape of form? Maybe a believer reminded you of the promises of God while a non-believer challenged you to quote scripture to defend your faith.

Proof that shepherds come in just as many various forms as the sheep they tend.

Who Is James Gatz?

The first time I ever heard the name Jay Gatsby I was a junior at Pace High School. I cannot recall the teacher’s name that assigned Fitzgerald’s literary masterpiece to us, nor can I recall whether the course was considered English or Literature, but how I handled the assignment I can recall vividly. I waited until the day of the quiz that was designed to test our comprehension of the literary work, to read it, and by read it I mean skim Spark Notes on the computer in the library during my lunch period. I am willing to admit this scandalous act, because while I also cannot recall what I made on the quiz, I do remember my grade mirrored that of my interest in the assignment, which was very little.

I began longing to revisit the infamous work as I began to live it. I dived in and let the eloquent words of Fitzgerald consume me. I came to realize that I could easily identify with both Gatsby and Carraway. To my friends and family back in Florida I had become Gatsby, mysterious, reclusive, and oddly successful. To the New Yorkers I am Carraway, shy, observant, and eager to learn. I also realized that New York has not changed much since the 1920’s. The businesses come and go, the buildings undergo extensive renovations, but the way society behaves is forever changeless. Which is why Fitzgerald’s classic novel still captivates audiences today.

Aside from those revelations, I became enamored with the story of Gatsby’s life prior to his mysterious success. Gatsby was born James Gatz in a limited vision farm town to parents who had very little aspiration. At a very early age, James Gatz knew his dreams and aspirations stretched farther and wider than the farm life would permit. James ran away at the ripe age of seventeen to fulfill his unknown destiny and along the way changed his name to match his new life and mentality. Where he went wrong was denying his past as James Gatz. He crafted a story that he peddled around to anyone who asked which was filled with lies and half-truths that he came from a wealthy family, went to Oxford, owned a line of drugstore, etc. all things that are easy to do when you are born into prominent society life. But, what Gatsby really did with his life was far more impressive than the story he fabricated.

When I was in college I decided to change my name. I changed the spelling from Jamie to Jayme because I thought it was “cooler”, but that is not a legitimate reason for a name change. I found the legitimate reason while I was sitting across the desk from an acting consultant two years later. We were discussing stage names and she told me that the sole purpose of a stage name is to spark a conversation with casting directors. She began asking me what I could come up with that would be both unique and personal and would give a casting director something to remember me by. I sat and pondered for a moment, then it hit me. I am named after my grandfather, who was raised in Jay, Florida. Jay D. Ramsey it was. Obviously, Jay is an odd name for a girl, so that prompts casting directors and the common person alike to inquire about it and when they do, I am able to share both the origin of my name and the origin of my lineage with them. While I am striving to keep Pensacola in my rearview mirror, I would never deny it as my hometown. I have broken my family’s cycle and there’s something to be said for that, but to forsake them would enable my expansive vision to become a weapon against me.

This is why we must not lose site of our James Gatz past once we become Jay Gatsby.

James Gatz was a boy from a limited vision farm town, Jay Gatsby was a young man who overcame the odds set against him and fulfilled his vision to it’s most expansive capacity in the big city. The same will be said of Jay D. Ramsey.

The Reason Why You’re Not a Billionaire

A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting on a park bench next to a fellow struggling actress. While watching the boys we baby-sit play basketball, we began discussing the exuberant tuition required by the boys’ elite private school. During the discussion, she stated, “I cannot fathom having that kind of money! I was thinking the other day that this is what is wrong with my life. I cannot imagine being more successful than I am now and I’m not that successful.” I had a previous conversation with this sitter in regards to her recent twenty-ninth birthday and her short stint on Broadway, which left her with more disappointment than fulfillment. Obviously, we’re both caught up in the same means to an end now, but unlike her I believe I will make it in the arts and already have a date set, on which, I will eliminate my “means to an end job”. This conversation made me think about the difference in our mindset. Mine with vision of prosperity, hers lacking improvement beyond where she is now.

I concluded after our conversation that our success in life is determined by two things:

1.    You are what you believe you are.

2.    You will succeed as far as your vision expands.

You are what you believe you are.

Have you ever met someone who believes they are less than what they are? They might be the CEO of a company, but they have the attitude of a part-time sales associate at Wal-Mart. On the flipside, have you ever met a part-time sales associate at Wal-Mart that thinks he’s the CEO of the company? He takes your question of, “What aisle are the Clorox wipes on?” and turns it into an opportunity to tell you how well Wal-Mart stock is trading and suggests that you invest in the company if you haven’t already. Then he convinces you to open a Wal-Mart credit card upon checkout.

If you do not believe you are making a difference as a CEO you won’t. If you believe you can make a difference as a part-time sales associate you will. With faith, the part-time sales associate, with the CEO mentality, will go on to run the company or better yet start his own. You will continue to rise above and climb up the career ladder until you believe you are no longer making a difference. For at the moment you stop believing in yourself, your career will philander.

Who we believe we are is based on the vision we have for our life, which brings me to my second point…

You will succeed as far as your vision expands.

Richard Branson supplies us with the ultimate example of expansive vision. He has pioneered the Virgin group for several decades and has no set retirement date. Branson, 63, started a magazine by the name of The Student at the ripe age of sixteen and since has founded over 400 companies and is worth $4.6 Billion. If Branson’s vision only stretched as far as The Student, I wouldn’t be using him as an example today. He did not view the magazine as an accomplishment of destiny, but rather a springboard to a limitless career that is leading him into the infinity of space and beyond.

Many people have said to me, “You’ve already done so much in the arts, even if you stop now what you have done is more than most people will ever do in their lives.” This back handed compliment sickens me. One, because it’s suggesting that I limit my vision, two because it’s a reflection on our society’s lack of vision. If at the threshold of my career I have done more than most people will in their lifetime that is pathetic.

God didn’t put us on this earth to waste oxygen. He is the ultimate Creator and His vision is more expansive than we could ever fathom. He instilled that same creative vision in our souls and if we choose to utilize it, we will surpass the odds set against us, and transcend the confines of this world through our vision.

To be a billionaire or not to be a billionaire? The answer lies in your belief and vision.

Puzzles

The subway system in New York City is both a masterpiece and a puzzle. I am amazed at how fast and efficient it can be and puzzled by the detours it creates when not all trains are running according to schedule.  

Last night, I waited at a stop for over twenty minutes while three trains came and went that were of no use to me. While waiting, a silver haired man, who I assumed to be a seasoned New Yorker given his thick Brooklyn accent, asked me if I was waiting for the train that had not come. When I told him I was, he said he had been waiting for over twenty minutes before I even made it to the station. After he made that statement, another train came. It wasn’t the right one, but I chose to take it to the next stop and wait there. He chose to stay at the original stop.

Once I got to the next stop I watched yet another train come and go that I didn’t need, then it dawned on me, there was another subway line at that stop that I could take to advance my trip and I could transfer to the train I needed later on in the commute. I kicked myself for not thinking of it before, but that's when I realized what a puzzle the subway system is and what a puzzle life can be.  

As soon as I got to the transfer stop, the train I needed was at the station with doors wide open to receive everyone that needed to transfer. When I got on the train I was greeted by the man who had been waiting at the original stop, he said, “The train came as soon as you left.” To which I replied, “If I hadn’t left, it wouldn’t have come.”

Everyday we are faced with puzzles that stump us. When they arise, we have two options, sit and wait until the solution comes, or choose to walk away, and solve another puzzle that will provide us with a newfound clarity. A clarity that will enable us to solve the initial puzzle.

Both the man and I ended up making it home on the same train, but we each chose different journey’s to get there. One of overt patience, the other of explored opportunities in the meantime.

The next time you are stumped by the puzzle of life, which path will you choose? 

Worth More Dead Than Alive

You were born

You will die

You will be loved

You will be hated

You will give

You will lose

You will experience joy

You will experience sorrow

But, none of these things will ever separate you from the blood of Christ and because of Him you will experience all of these things for He was beaten, mocked, and crucified more than He was worshiped, loved, and praised.

It was only after He was raised from the dead that people wanted to know what His life was all about. It will be the same with you. You will encounter people on this earth who will love you, praise you, and invest in you, but they will not consider your earthly character as a whole until you are six feet under. That’s when the inventory of the fruit of your life is taken. Out of Jesus’ death and resurrection came the salvation that sustains His presence today. What have you done on this earth that will supersede your life span? If you play your cards right, you will be worth more dead than you are alive.

The Good, The Bad, The New Yorker.

When I tell people that I am a writer/actress residing in New York City, they are immediately impressed and think I am filthy rich.

The truth is I have been forced to work in an opposing industry that requires me to channel the majority of my focus and energy toward something other than my ultimate “calling”.  This other industry is baby sitting for Manhattan’s Elite.

As I write this, I am laying in my bed at a decadent townhouse in the Upper West Side of Manhattan where I baby-sit a minimum of six hours a day, four days a week. As soon as the highly successful parents get home from working at their multi-million dollar careers, I hand the kids off to them, then go to my room, and use all of the energy I have left over to put towards the steps I need to take in order to acquire my multi-million dollar career.

While I have booked a few acting and modeling jobs that paid my rent in the past, there is no way to predict when I will book the next one or when the paycheck will clear the bank.  I am also beginning to receive sales from the eBook I published this summer, but with my eBook retailing at $2.99 I have to sell a lot of copies for it to benefit my checking account.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am incredibly happy in New York and I have had several experiences here that I would not have otherwise, and that’s what keeps me going. But, I do wish someone had sat me down and told me that while New York City is filled with opportunities I will never have elsewhere, I have to work those opportunities around making a living.

As soon as you get off the bus, train, car, plane, motorcycle, spaceship, or Learjet, that transported you here, you are immediately granted four forms of freedom:

1.     You can wear whatever you want to wear. The 2am Wal-Mart dress code is acceptable in broad daylight here.

2.     You can do whatever you want to do. The NYPD are actually quite lenient, they care more about arresting protesters and catching financial criminals than they do your marijuana possession.

3.     You can be whoever you want to be. That includes your sexuality. I swear a new brand of sexuality is born on a daily basis up here.

4.     You can say whatever you want to say. This goes beyond free speech. In New York if we don’t like you we tell you straight to your face; unlike those snobby west coast and southern folk that treat you like gold then talk trash about you behind your back.

However, while the idea of the city’s immediate liberties can be intoxicating, there are two downsides that the city leaves out when it solicits you to make the move.

1.     You have to make the money you need to make, in order to take the time you need to take to turn your dream into a reality. It becomes an internal battle between your stomach and your soul. Your stomach cries out for food to survive while your soul cries out for the initiative that drove you to purchase the one-way ticket. September of 2011 I experienced this war first hand when I went the entire month only eating bananas, peanuts, and free gold member coffee refills at Starbucks, as an effort to save money on food and put more money toward my modeling portfolio. At the end of the month I was not a pretty sight just ask my former roommate.

2.     Your best is often not good enough. Whether it’s something as miniscule as making a Usain Bolt dash for the bus that still leaves without you or belting your lungs out the best you can at a Broadway audition and still getting turned away, the city of dreams will make every attempt to diminish yours on a daily basis. This is why you must overcome the onset of depression that easily creeps in and hold your head high above the others. This is also why New Yorkers become cenacle over time.

So this is why New York City is the city that never sleeps. It’s filled with people working forty hours a week to feed their stomachs and another forty hours a week to feed their souls. It’s the only island that you will feel all alone in a sea of nine million people and the only place where you will feel complete creative freedom while feeling trapped in a concrete box.

Many people applaud my bold decision to drop out of college, quit my job, and buy a one-way ticket to New York City at twenty. What I did was incredibly brave and very few people have the courage to do what I did, and I applaud myself for my efforts along with them. They say if you can make in New York City you can make it anywhere, and I am living proof that, that statement is true. There’s six billion people in the world and only nine million of them live in New York City, which means, most people cannot and/or choose not to make it here and I count myself blessed to be one of New York’s chosen ones.

One subway car in New York City is filled with more diversity, culture, and art than the entire state of Florida. With that said, despite the downsides, I will never regret leaving the orange state for the apple city. It only took me two decades to squeeze all of the juice out of the orange, but it will take me much longer to eat my way to the core of the apple. 

The Opinions of Others Are The Enemy’s Line of Defense

Think of a time you broke a rule to help someone or told a white lie to keep your friend from finding out what you got them for Christmas. Now, think of all the times you threw a few dollars in the tithe bucket because “that deacon” was collecting the offering or you showed up to the Habitat for Humanity site not to work, but to be seen. God’s favor will likely go better towards the white lie you told your friend to keep their Rolex a surprise until Christmas day, rather than the three hours you spent “impressing” people at the expense of Habitat for Humanity.

We care what people think when we do something that is considered to be immoral and we care what people think when we do something that furthers the kingdom of God. We don’t want to be thought of as despicable, nor do we want to be thought of as too religious. We tend to forget that God knows our motives better than we do and doing the right thing for the wrong reason is worse than doing the wrong thing for the right reason. Paul certainly wasn’t afraid to break rules. His jail time was a result of his willingness to do the wrong thing by law for the right reason by God. Had Paul not broken the laws of his society, the Gospel would not have spread like it did. Paul did not allow the opinions of others hold him back, nor did he let the laws of society hinder him. God knows if the motivation behind our action is to please Him or to please others and when our motive is to please others we are not honoring Him. God judges us by the motivation behind the action, not the action itself.

Proverbs 29:25 (NIV) says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe.” Snares are the line of defense of the enemy and he places them in many places throughout the earth to trip us, stops us, and entangle us. If we are not aware of his snares, they will overtake us. God intended for us to find liberation in following Him. Not constraints on how we demonstrate our faith to a world full of critical men and women.  This Proverb warns us that the greatest snare of the enemy is found in our fear of man. Why should we fear man when He neither created us nor sent His Son to die for us? What is there to be gained in the favor of anyone other than our Father in Heaven? When we are setting out each day to seek His favor through our actions, the snares the enemy places in the opinions of others will no longer hinder us. We will live freely and fully striving to please God and God alone. We will no longer be held back by what our boss’ expectation, or our classmate’s snide remarks. If we overstep the snare of the opinions of others, we will enable our faith to move in mighty ways. We are the ones who have placed a stigmatism on the opinions of others and we are the ones that must overcome it. 

Faith

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those that earnestly seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Our faith comes to us through receiving salvation. Salvation, by definition, is the deliverance from the power and effects of sin. The Lord promises this deliverance to us when we allow Him to come into our hearts and invite the Holy Spirit to transform us from within. Once we have received salvation, we must learn how to develop our newfound faith in God. We must realize that our faith is a muscle. If we want to increase it’s endurance we must exercise it daily. If we do not use it everyday it will grow weak and then when we face trials, it will not be as strong as we need it to be to face them without defeat. How do we ourselves know how strong our muscle is until we test it outside the gym? How can we know that our faith is in God and not in the fleeting things of this world without putting our faith to the test? That’s where the trials that test our faith come into play. As we strengthen our faith muscle in God we in turn greater our trust in the Lord.God knows how strong our faith muscle is and He will not give us a task that our muscle cannot handle.