Dante Optimism

Fearless Friday: Taking on a burning bus

When an elderly woman was trapped on a burning bus a bunch of people sprang into action. They fought the blaze with water and fire extinguishers. Ultimately, a man, one of the local shop owners, went into the bus and pulled the elderly woman out.

We don’t know the cause of the fire at this time.

It’s a Fearless Friday simply because the man went into the flames to save the woman. There’s video of the entire thing, including him going into the bus. He was later interviewed and essentially brushed it off saying that anybody in his situation would do the same thing. If he were on the bus, people would do the same thing to save him. “It’s natural”.

Powerful words. That’s how society should be. In the face of chaos, we should be trying to help people because it’s natural. What a world to live in.

Thursday Thoughts: Dante and Virgil

The secret of getting things done is to act! Dante Alighieri

Confidence cannot find a place wherein to rest in safety. Virgil

Heaven wheels above you, displaying to you her eternal glories, and still your eyes are on the ground. Dante Alighieri

Trust not too much to appearances. Virgil

Wednesday Word: Good Deeds in Disobedience

Wednesday Word makes a cameo appearance. In case you don’t know what this series was about, it was me presenting a short sermon video and then giving some thoughts on it. Uh…yeah, that’s about it.

I enjoyed this series because it kept me engaged with the word in some form. I would hear some words, let me tell ya. It helped me grow from a spiritual aspect. Would I bring this back one day? Probably not. But, this was one of my favorite posts.

Anyway, here’s the video:

This happens a lot. We think because we’re doing good, it equals doing the right thing. That’s not quite true. We must do what God says. There’s a reason why He says to do something at a certain time. You can’t substitute or exchange God’s demands. There is such a thing as doing good deeds in a state of disobedience.

Tuesday Testimony: From Prisoner to Minister

This testimony is from Truth Saves. Enjoy the good stuff.

I’m blessed to confess that JESUS called me out of the dark to serve in the light! Part of my testimony is shared on the 700 club at CBN.COM (Brandon Duncan Finding Freedom In Prison). Of course that is only a six-minute brief and God has been working miracles and wonders since then that are worthy to share. JESUS gets all the glory for I am able only in Him.

I become an addicted alcoholic by the time I was in my early teens and started robbing and stealing to support my habits. At twenty years old I was captured by law enforcement, convicted of armed robbery, credit card fraud, burglary and drug possession, then sentenced to more than thirty years. For fifteen years I was shuffled from prison to prison seeing the inside of more than a dozen bloody institutions where for the first thirteen years I lived a violent, hate-filled, vicious life.

Continue reading →

Monday Motivation: Get more organized

Sometimes, life can get a little overwhelming if you’re not careful. I encourage you to take control of your schedule. Get more organized. It might mean you gotta cut some things out. Set your priorities, ya know?

For me and a writing perspective, I gotta get more organized and think about where I’m going. I got my struggles with my book and publishing platform. I’m a writer for multiple sites. Is that too many for me when included with other things in my life?

That’s what this month is mainly for. Me getting a chance to refocus on the writing that’s important to me instead of just writing to write.

Maybe that’s your story. Maybe you’ve been meaning to start or continue a project, but can’t seem to get the details together. Sit down. Set some time aside. Figure out a gameplan. Don’t worry about how long it takes; just make sure you know it’s going to get done. Organize your thoughts on it, instead of being some fleeting thought like “Yeah, I gotta do that sometime”. Let’s work on getting there now.

The first new Dante’s Optimism featured post!

In my letter to Dante Optimism’s followers, the Optimists, I said I would introduce a new series on the blog dedicated to you all.

Well, here it is: The Optimist’s Boost.

Being an Optimist isn’t always easy; but it’s important. Somebody needs your optimism. So, each week, I will give out some materials you can use. I’m giving you, and me, a boost to help us get through our week. Once I get comfortable with it weekly, I will do it daily.

Use it for self motivation, or share with someone who is feeling down and needs that dose of optimism. The Optimistic Report will continue to focus on news while the Optimist’s Boost will focus on inspirational, positive, motivational, and more kind of quotes.

This series is more of a photo friendly type so expect my Instagram account to become a little more active. Follow me @dantewrites (same for Twitter). But yeah, we need a boost to start the day off right. Let’s go!