Some-days its hard to find the fight to keep on fighting. Some days its hard to find the strength to get up just to keep on going.

gdavisplays.com

I have been in some what of a funk the last week not sure why but then again maybe its when you put your all and all into something and you don’t get the return that you expect or its no where near what you expect.

This entertainment business can be cold hearted sometimes. There are no guarantees at all. You can only do what you can do and hope for the best. Thus the saying “only the strong survive.”

I said it several times to folks in my inner circle and to certain family members, I don’t want success on the next level for me, I want it for all of the people who have stood by me, behind me, gone before me. Those that have prayed for me and with me, those that have sacrificed so much in order that I may the opportunity to pursue my happiness.

I was thinking about that passage that says life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I wonder why did Thomas Jeffrson say the pursuit of happiness?  He must have known that if we wanted happiness then it would have to be something that we would have to pursue.

When I get in funks like this I think of those before me that found the strength like Dr. King I”m sure didn’t feel like getting up and facing the crowd day after day but he found the strength.

Spike Lee

Closer to what I do I’m sure there were days Spike Lee thought, is doing this all worth being broke and not having a dime and owing everyone? But his breakthrough came and those days are a distant memory.

When its hard for me to sit at the computer and type at the keys I think of my friend and college mate Darrel “Sky” Armstrong who played basketball at Fayetteville State Universityduring the time I was Sports Information Director and how the two of us would dream of HIM playing in the NBA. He was so determined. I remember the day Coach Jeff Capel bought him a suit for drat day of the  Expansion Developmental League Team the Raleigh Bullfrogs. He was the first player chosen that day.

Years later, not only would he make it to the NBA but he was named 6 man of the year he would also be featured by Amad Rashad on Inside the NBA .

Darrell Armstrong

When he played with the Orlando Magic, he also got a chance to play in the NBA Finals. I’m sure he had days when he said  “why am I playing basketball for little or nothing is it worth it?”

Closer to home I can only imagine what my mother went through at times working in a textile mill in Henderson NC being the bread winner for 3 kids, herself and a husband. How did she find the strength to get up and do what she had to do?

So as I fight this funk I think about those that I know on a  personal basis who have a story to tell that may never get shared with the world but I know it and as I reflect on their stories I find the strength to keep moving until my breakthrough comes.

Me & My Mother

So if you find yourself in a FUNK just look around you. There are family members, friends and loved ones that have overcome odds and lived to tell about it. What got them through? They are no different than you and me. They have cried, they have been hurt and they have lost sleep staying up trying to figure out how to make it all work.

So like them we too shall survive and this too shall past and we only need to look around us to find the strength to keep going.

Gdavis

www.gdavisplays.com

As I await for life to return to normal speed I am starting to get a little anxious about what is in store. In the other blogs on this subject I stated how life was in slow motion as God has started to pour out the blessing on on me and that I could see it coming my way.

For the most part phase 1 is complete and the presentation to the WOG is about to take place. I anticipate life starting to speed up once we get to this phase of exchanging how each side thinks the foundation of our project should be laid.

Yesterday was  one of those hard days were we found out on another project things are not moving as fast as we would like them to be, at the end of the day its all about making the right decisions and being able to know that you have done all that you can in spite of the outcome.

I think I am in a season where God is saying this is the one that is going to bring you out and no one will be able to take the credit accept me.

So as I get closer to feeling the rain fall down on me I ask those that follow Gdavisplays to pray my strength and to keep us in your prayers as we are about to enter a new season and do a new thing that is going to be a blessing to the world.

Gdavis

gdavisplays.com

As promised I wanted to blog about something that I saw last Friday as I as having dinner with wifey, my sister and brother in law at TGIF in Raleigh.

It was a beautiful night so I wanted to sit outside and eat and enjoy the cool breeze. All of the seats were taken in the outside seating area but the waiter told us that we could just stand take the first table that came available. We were not in a hurry s“o that’s what we decided to do.

While waiting it looked as if one of the groups would be leaving soon because they had asked for their check. So of course, our attention was in this table waiting for them to leave so that we could claim it as ours.

While we were waiting, we noticed that their party consisted of  3 African American ladies probably in their late twenties with what appeared to be their daughters. The oldest appeared to be no more than 10, and the youngest I would say 5 years old.

Like any restaurant background music was being played and everyone seemed to be enjoying the g0od weather, friends and food.  This particular group seemed to be having a good time behind loud but not disrespectful to the other patrons in any way.

The door swung open and a white female walked outside and asked to sit with this group of ladies who was celebrating a birthday. You could easily tell that she had already had a little too much to drink. As she flopped down into the chair she started talking to these ladies as if she had known them all her life. The ladies around the table laughed at her while I’m sure Ms Drunk thought they were laughing with her.

Anyway, back to the group that was occupied that table that we were waiting  to be seated. A song came on and the next thing I know this 10 year old is standing up and doing that popular dance called the “JERK”.  The adults at the table started chanting her name “go tina, go tina, go tina” while they held their drinks high in the air.

That’s right their drinks. Margarita’s seemed to be the drink of choice for those glasses were all over the table coupled with Heineken Beerbottles. As this young child danced and the adults screamed in approval, I thought to myself “please don’t do this out here in public like this” I mean what you do in your house or your own backyard is between you and whoever, but outside in the open?

Just as I thought this that I saw (2) older couple looking throug the window form inside the restaurant at her dance and these adults hold up their drinks. If you could have seen the the looks on their faces, it told it all.

There was a look of disgust and embarrassment from the older African American couple who looked on and the older white couple had a look of embarrassment as well but the look of the night is when the older African American female and the older white female made eye contact. You could tell they were both uncomfortable being a witness to this event.

As they got up and left Monty and I took their seats. There was so  many beer bottles and Margarita glasses n0t to mention the ash trays were filled with cigarettes.

As the waiter begin to clean up our table I along with everyone that was sitting outside watched this group go to their car. One adult opened up the doors and turned on the music loud and the headlights of the car and these young girls started dancing again with headlights on them. Dances that would put teenagers on punishment. It made me sick to think at age 10 this young girl knew how to move like this, what had she been exposed to?

After this continued for about 2 minutes, they got into their car and drove off. That’s right those same adults who were shouting “go tina, go tina.” now put Tina into their car and drove off. (2) adults who had been drinking  put their kids or kids under the supervision into 2 separate cars.

I thought no designated driver? I also thought what type of attitude does these young kids have in a classroom setting? It seems that these kids are around adult behavior from people they respect so when a teacher or someone tells them they can’t do something they feel as though they are being treated wrong.

As a African American male I could care less about how they acted in public to embarrass themselves and me what I am upset with is the fact that as adults they chose to act like that in front of their kids and urge on the fact that they(kids) should act like that too.

What messages are we really sending to our children? When babies have babies then this is the result if there is not a responsible adult somewhere in the picture to explain to them that this is not the way you ACT in public or behind closed doors because the message that it sends to our children is this behavior is acceptable.

Gdavis

Ready to Receive HIS Blessing

A couple of days ago I blogged about being in a place where God was pouring out blessings and I was going to watch it in slow motion.

Well yesterday was my first meeting with a party that I can’t mention at this moment about a project that we will be working on together.

God continues to blow my mind HE is so amazing. The principal person that this project is centered around I did not expect to speak to on yesterday but they were apart of our first meeting. I got so much more from that meeting than I anticipated.

gdavisplays.com

I have been in awe of God based on what HEis currently doing in my life right now. Once we are able to reveal this and you hear the complete story you will join me in giving God all the praise and honor and it is my prayer that my testimony will inspire anyone who is destined to stay on their path of believing God for their vision.

Not only was the principal partner in this project on the phone but I could honestly feel a connection between us. I could also feel a bond between my company, (gdavisplays) Hosea Productions and this principal person who from this point forward I will refer to as “WOG”

I made it clearly how humbled I was just to be apart of a project that I feel will reach, touch and inspire MILLIONS.

Its nothing that I have done and its nothing that I deserve, but its clear that its all a part of God’s plan for me and this “WOG”.

HEhas been preparing me for such a time as this and emotionally I was  a mess yesterday after our first meeting.

I took a step back and said, I have been waiting for sucy a time as this all my life and here it is right here and I can HONESTLY say I had nothing to do with putting this together.

Before yesterday I’m not sure if “WOG” had ever heard of me. However, an hour and a half later, all parties on the phone had laid down a foundation that I believe God is going to birth some things from that is going to SHOCK  the world.

I promise to forever keep HIS praising in my mouth. HE is so good to me and is forever proving to me that this is bigger than me and not about me and I am just the vessel that he is working through along with “WOG” and more of a reason for me to remain broken and humbled.

No being able to sleep good last night still floating off of what God is doing in my life as I see the water getting closer and closer to me as it falls from heaven.

It continues today as one of my theater students gave me a note she said took off her ipod and wanted me to have and this is what it said after I read it I said to myself “God, I see the water falling, I promise not to move and I promise to share with the world this gift that YOU has blessed me with for the rest of my life”.

This is the letter I received today from my theater student.

Life is too short to  wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the ones who treat you right and forgive the ones who don’t.

Believe everything happens for a reason. So if chance comes, take it. If it changes your life, let it.  Nobody said it would be easy, They just promised it would be worth it.

It took all I had in me not to cry as I read this letter that she made for me. God is amazing and this is just another confirmation of my life being in slow motion right now as I await the blessing that is on the way down from heaven.

Gdavis

Growing up in school I was not a popular guy but I was known for being in the band (drum major) and playing basketball.

El DeBarge got sick of Janet

It was not until I graduated from college that I started dating the young ladies that I really saw a interest in from first glance. (lol) Until then I was told no alot or G I think of you as a Lil brother.

I remember saying to myself, why didn’t she go out with me when I was a freshman, heck a senior in college ? Why does she give me time now that I am working and driving in the first car I ever got for myself (BMW #1) lol

Life is funny I heard my grandfather tell me once that there is somebody for everybody no matter what they do and what they look like and that is true. No one should  be alone I do believe that there is someone for everybody.

However, on the flip side of that over the years I have also come to realize that no matter how good they look, how much money they have, how popular they may be and that includes movie stars and rock stars, millionaires and billionaires, yes and even Oprah Winfrey.

No one person is excluded from this statement I am about to make, what is that statement?

Somebody somewhere is sick of them!!!!

Its true, look at Michael Jordan with all his promise, fame and fortune

Michael & Juanita

Juanita got sick of him. Halle Berry as lovely as she is Eric Bennett got sick of her, as pretty as Jay Lo is Puff Daddy got sick. Priscilla told the King (Elvis Presley) she was through. Bobby and Whitney, well not sure what that was at all.

 Janet Jackson, Mr. DeBarge said I’m tired I can’t take it. Miss America Vanessa Williams, Rick Fox said gotta go gotta go.

Rick Fox and Vanessa

Now, it could easily have been the other way around in any of these cases I am not passing the blame on all the women I am just making a point that no matter how much you think a person has it going on, while you dream of desperately wanting  to be in their shoes, just know somebody somewhere is sick of them.

Halle Berry and Eric

The greatest of all times Muhammad Ali has been married more than once somebody got sick of the champ. How did Mike Tyson get sick of Robin Givens? Was 50 Cent crazy for dropping Vivica Fox?

It just goes to show you that we are all human and we all have faults. When you find that person that truly makes you happy its best that you enjoy their company as opposed to wondering about the grass in other fields.

Take this into consideration. The person that you truly love and that truly loves you, loves you beyond your faults and they choose to stand beside you and support you. They could have easily joined that group that got sick and tired of you and let you go or turned their back on you.

We all have people that we have hurt and no matter what we do they will never ever forgive us and in their eyes we will always be bad and nothing good will ever fall from their lips about us.

Jay Lo and Puffy

Being in the entertainment world coupled with making some bad decisions early on in my career as given me a few of those people that are sick of Garrett Davis but I choose to use them as motivators and a chance to exercise the love that Christ says we should have for all people.

We have all done things that we regret and wish we didn’t and want to forget the problem is those that we hurt will never forget and all we can do is pray their strength.

So the next time you are wathing tv or in the park or at a function and you see that lovely lady who knocks you off your feet or that guy that walks into the room that causes you to loose your breath, remember this:

Somebody somewhere is sick of them!

Gdavis

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is stand still until HIS will is clear. Lately, I have been in a place where I can actually see God lining things up where there is no way in the world that no one other than HIM can get the GLORY.

Its amazing how the word of God says I will open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you will not be able to receive.

www.gdavisplays.com

I am in a place standing in a beautiful garden looking up towards a mansion in the sky and suddenly the windows open and I see God’s hand stretched out from the window towards me with a large bucket marked Blessings on the side. I see the bucket tilted towards me and all of a sudden Life is in slow motion as the water begins to fall down towards me.

The birds are flying in slow motion, I can see the leaves move as the wind blows them from acorss the meadow and land in a small stream. I continue looking up towars heaven and can see the clearest spring water starting to fall down towards me.

In the natural when someone throws water at you the natural motion is to run out of the way but this is that blessed water from heaven and I am going to stand still until it rain down on me.

Rain Down on Me

I thank HIM for allowing me to stop and smell the roses and see what is happening and enjoy from where I am I know once it hits me I will never be the same, those around me will never be the same those I come in contact with will never be the same.

This is where I am today Friday April 23, 2010 12:56pm and when its time to reveal what he has for me I know  you will be just as excited as I am so the reason for his blog is for me to reflect and for you to know that it is nothing that I did to deserve or nothing that I did to obtain, it was all HIS favor, HE and HE alone will get the credit and my praise for HIM will continually be on my tongue.

Follow this blog over the next few weeks as I reveal to you piece by piece what God has planned for me and how he orchestrated it and once you read just like me  you will say God is truly amazing.

Stay tuned!

Gdavis

As a playwright I am closing in on 20  years of producing, touring and writing stage plays with the purpose of changing lives while bringing real life situations to the stage.

The last month or so Hosea Productions and I have been working Tyler Perry’s play Madea’s Big Happy Family.  Much love goes out to this brother who has done a fantastic job of branding his name and business in the entertainment word.

Tyler Perry as Madea

He has opened the eyes of so many in hollywood with his plays, films and marketing of the Tyler Perry name. In  Greenville, SC he played the Bi-Lo Center for 2 days and sold out each performance.

What is so  amazing  is that plays don’t normally do venue’s that seat over 3,000 unless its a special showing Tyler is doing these large venues and selling them out night after night after night.

This past weekend I was in Atlanta promoting my show “The Lord Will Make a Way” at the Fox Theater during Tyler’s run of Madea’s Big Happy Family at the Fox Theatre downtown Atlanta.

I got a chance to meet the staff of the Fox and talk with the backstage people who will be working my show. I was very impressed with their presentation and the love they showed me. I got a chance to speak to the 200 usher’s that will be working  my show in May.

Playing the Fox Theatre May 30th

I was so moved by Tyler’s fanbase and his following. Bus after Bus after Bus from as far as Florida to Birmingham, Tennessee all came to get a glimpse of Tyler Perry on stage as Madea.

Our staff was able to move more than 30k post cards at his shows alone due mainly to the fact that the Fox Theatre seats 4500 seats and all 6 shows by Tyler were you guessed it sold out that’s over 27,000 people in 4 days.

Simply amazing. He has transformed and brought light to the urban theater world like no other. However, I am more impressed with his fan base and his following and how the people just love that Madea Character.

Being on the inside the last couple of days has really afforded me the opportunity to see first hand that when  its your season there is nothing that no one can do to impede the blessings that God has for you.

Gdavis

Coach Dino Gaudio

I live in Winston Salem, NC so that means Wake Forest is huge in this area. When I speak and teach kids I cant’ tell you how many WF shirts I see they are loved here in Winston Salem.

Not that I am a Wake Forest fan  or anything because I am one of those crazy people who believes in following the school that you graduated from and gave you your college education. I owe so much to Fayetteville State University for accpeted  me into their university when I was a struggling high school student who did not have my priorities in order but being in that environment gave me confidence and strengthen my academic skill to graduate with honors with a degree in Speech and Theaterconcentrating in radio and tv broadcasting.

Working as sports information director and appointed program director for WFSS are 2  major accomplishments in my life.

I love ACC basketball and from time to time you find me cheering for the Tarheels only because of the connections I have there but I always pull for my dear Fayetteville State University Broncos, CIAA Womens Basketball Champions and Football Supremacy.

That being said WF recently fired their Mens Basketball Coach Dino Gaudio after just months prior giving him an extension with a winning record and replaced him with Jeff Bzdelik with a loosing record. 30 wins and 60 plus times he came up short at his last job. However, he was named the Head Men Basketball Coach at a prestigious ACC School.

Coach Jeff Bzdelik

I am not going to say anymore, I await your response on this from the stand point of what does this look like to you?

I am looking  forward to hearing your response. In the meantime I am going to see how many qualified head mens basketball coach’s with records of .500 or better are out there of African American decent who have earned the repect of so many that have the title on them that says “they are the next great college basketball coach and some univeristy is going to be rewarded big time when the get him.”

Gdavis & Maurice

Working in radio over the years has afforded me the opportunity to meet a lot of people from various backgrounds. While serving as Program Director for WUKS Kiss 107.7 FM in Fayetteville I met former heavy weight boxing champion Bonecrusher Smith.

At the time he was having a golf tournament to raise money for his mentoring program. Similar to how I helped out Coach Jimmy Raye former Assistant Redskins Coach who does his football camp for youth in Fayetteville, NC free of charge and does a great job of exposing them to Hall a Fame Players and Coaches. I got to admit being a loyal redskin fan that is where I was able to meet Joe Theisman and Darell Green up close and personel.

This past weekend my golf team Team  Gdavis participated in the Champion for Kids Golf Tournament hosted by former heavy weight boxing champion Bonecrusher Smith.

It was held in Myrtle Beach South Carolina and even though the golf was good I enjoyed being with friends even more.

I guess the older I get the more I cherish friends and friendship. It was good being with Walter Sturdivant whom I consider a mentor from my radio days in Fayetteville as well as a close friend. Walter is an example of a man who will always do what is right and give you the best advise for any situation. Maurice and I have been friends a long time. We were at Fayetteville State University together back in the day. 

I consider Maurice a brother I never had and always wanted. He has always been there for me during the good and bad. I guess the thing that I will always cherish about Maurice is when things were not going good for me and people seemed to express their opinions he always stood up for me when he could  have easily walked away.

As we watched various golf teams play over the weekend as we supported the efforts to assist kids getting the mentoring the need to prpare them for a better future. I felt blessed not only to have Walter and Maurice on Team Gdavis but to have them in my life is far more special.

As stated before, friends mean more to me at this point in my life than they ever have and those two have played an  intrical part in my development not only as a business owner but as a man.

It is real easy to prefer to be by yourself especially when you set high goals and you are so focused that all of your attention is pointed at your passion.

However, if you have one person that you can count on or that you can call a TRUE FRIEND, then its important to spend time with them not to catch up, no to discuss business matters,  but just to enjoy and reflect.

Take it from me a WORK a HOLIC for REAL with a type A personality-lol- It is important to stop and share with friends. It makes all the hard work and sacrifices that much more enjoyable.

Walter & Bonecrusher Smith

When I first met my wife I thought it strange that everyone of her friends she introduced me to was her BEST FRIEND. I was thinking how can you have some many. Then I looked at my life., I could hardly name one friend that was no associated with working for me.

Sadly I had become THE BOSS who loved to work and work was what I loved but friends were far and few between.

Being married to Monty has made me take a look at the other side now I know there is more to life than Gdavisplays. Who would have ever known – lol-

In closing, mark the calendar to spend some time with a friend or friends to reflect and make sure its not a business meeting make it fun it will add some years to your life and  help you enjoy where you are now.

Gdavis

Gdavis & Monty

Just yesterday a question was put to me that I wanted to ask the Gdavis Family about to get your thoughts on so please take a few minutes to repsond.

It was said that every man has a dream for his family, the question that was put to me was did I have a dream for mine and did I think it would come to pass?

Honestly, I said no that I did not have a dream for my family. So I guess I don’t fall into that every man catorgory. But then I thought for a moment was it wrong for me not have dreams for my family?

I grew up in a small town and to me family was doign what you had to do for others to be comfortable. I watched my mother work hard to provide for me and my sisters as her husband was unable to work due to health reasons. I saw my grandfather do what he had to do by working several jobs to make sure that all of us had somethig for Christmas.

I witnessed my Aunt who was unable to have children take care all of her neices and nephews one after the other as if they were hers and that cotinues to this day.

Every Christmas our family gets together for breakfast 50 strong now and growing. We’ve had some good times, some bad times but for the most part we are still stong.

I thought was I wrong for never dreaming of a family? For some reason I have never been a dreamer I have alway been a person to set goals. Family has never been high on my priority list and that is not a strick against anyone in my family but the fact that I have been on my own since leaving for college and I have been away from my family for quite sometime.

It was only a few years ago when I moved back home for  a while to do a HARD  RESET of  LIFE that I got to know my family members more and that has remained and I am loving that fact that my relationship with my MOM, Aunts, cousins and Uncles are better and stronger than they have ever been.

When I got married I was accepted into a Calasal Family -lol the Montague’s are indeed the example of what family is all about they are alway there for one another in the good and bad and they have a genuine spirt of Love where no one is a stranger.

So to me I never took the time to dream about MY family in the sense of the Garrett Davis Family because I never really thought of having one of my own.

Today Monty and I enjoy each others company in our different fields and I guess those that are apart of the Gdavis Company Family I consider Our Family. Those are the ones that I work so hard for so that they can enjoy life a little better.

Do I have dreams for them no, but I have set goals. I want Devonte Wells who plays Scottie in my production to get a FULL SCHOLARSHIP  to a 4 year university because he has been dedicated to Gdavisplays while maintaiing a 3.0 as a senior in high school. I consider him a son who never ask for anything even when he needs but is always giving 110%

I want Asia Hargrave who has been with me now for 3 yeras and is blooming into a great actress to be in a postion where Gdavisplays can assist her with her education.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I want to be in a position so that I can be BLESSED to be a BLESSING to others. So instead of dreaming I’m striving, working and doing all I know how to do after all that’s all I saw growing up from Uncle Punkin, Charles Brown,  Uncle Alonzo, Uncle Edward and my grandfather Jessie.

I don’t knock dreamers becuase that’s what some people do, Dr. Martin Luther King had the greatest dream of all and I respect that but for me I’ve been too busy to dream, working to many hours to get a good night sleep maybe one day I will dream but in the meantime I’m tyring to make dreams come true for others.

Gdavis