Category: Christianity

Spoken Word – Year of Jubilee

Johnny Cash's “When The Man Comes Around” was a huge influence for this piece. That song moves in the expectation of The Man’s judgment and (I gather,) payment or punishment for sin. With such great injustice in the world, we can long for the same. And there is Biblical allowance to do so, but as followers of Christ I feel there is a fine line between our anger and sinning not (Ephesians 4:26). Sinless whip-snapping and temple-table-flipping is probably not natural. In this broken world, where injustice and pain and violence is rife, the tension is real. I believe that we, as believers are called to bear witness to, and to cry out against evil. But witnessing and speaking out against injustice and brokenness can weigh us down. This piece calls our focus back to the Lamb, Slain and Risen for us, even in a world of brokenness. It calls us to long for love, over vengeance.

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February 23rd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Heaven Feels Far

On February 23, 2020 I had an amazing worship experience. Heaven felt so close. I really felt like I was not far from my true Home. The experience brought tears to my eyes. About 3 miles from his home, Ahmaud Arbery was killed. On February 23 I felt like heaven was so close. Then I see what happened on February 23, and what didn't happen for two plus months, and heaven feels so far. But I realize, again, that God is not only found in our joyous moments. Looking at the Holy Place in the Tabernacle of Moses leads me to believe, again, that God also invites us to meet with Him in dark days of lament and mourning over violence. There is a space for us before the Lord in our pain.

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Of Love and Our Lion and His Love

The Lion of Judah, He cameThe Son set down in our world,and still He reignedOur infatuation with killingextended to HimHe was slain All that He made will get this redemption, it's finally reclaimed, we'll sing Somebody told me,I won't need a shoulder to weep on,no more tearsSomebody told me,I ain't gotta hold no heatain't no... Continue Reading →

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Of Faith, And Prophesied-Over Image Bearers

In my previous post “If (Primary) Justice Was Done”, I looked at a form of justice that, if practiced with earnest and self-sacrifice by the Christians who were in the early and adolescent United States of America, could have preempted the creation of highly racialized laws which have contributed to the Laments in Midlothian. In this post I'll revisit an earlier post about fear. In the original post I considered how fear (as a tool of the lowly lion) will likely be used to justify the killing of Jemel Roberson. This week, I will consider how a prophetic lens of faith and honor may have brought a prophetic letter of love to Midlothian, rather than a lament.

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The Sound of Grace

This is a piece prepared for Easter Sunday church service, today April 12, 2020.

In it I contemplate the love and confidence of Father Son and Spirit in their planning to redeem humanity (did They laugh?), and wonder if there was wavering on the way to the Cross. I look at how far heaven may have seemed as Christ moved closer to death for us.

And I celebrate the beauty of the Resurrection, even as we still wait for the fullness of it to be revealed.

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God, As Healthy Oxygen Saturation Levels Fall Too Far, Weeping.

"But neither infinite power nor infinite wisdom could bestow godhood upon men. For that there would have to be infinite love as well." Walter Miller Jr., A Canticle For Leibowitz. As of this posting we are under the pandemic. Covid-19 is ultimately an icon of creation post-fall. As we live in the tension and long for redemption, let us take time to mourn with those who mourn over loss and suffering. I believe that that number includes our God.

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The Law, Veneration, Condemnation

The Laments in Midlothian circle around the question “will justice be done?”.This question is asked because of the looming shadow of a legal system that has historically dehumanized one segment of the population while venerating another. In part three of the Laments commentary I touch on some of the history of discrimination based on race in the USA and how that has trickled down to the present. From the Dred Scott decision of 1857 to Law Enforcement Officer's Bill(s) of Rights today, the lowly lion has roared Condemnation of one group and Veneration of another into our atmosphere for generations. This has led us to Laments.

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Full Worship Set with Spoken Word from 11/24/2019 (Audio)

This is the full worship set from 11/24/2019 which features the previous two spoken words I posted here on March 15th and March 22nd. Set list: I Am Loved, Consider... As If, Canvas and Clay, My God Uses Things to Make Things, Canvas and Clay. Honor to the entire Light leadership team and family for providing the space and opportunity to break new ground in our worship experiences.

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Spoken Word – My God Uses Things to Make Things

This spoken word is about redemption, restoration, and purpose. It sort of picks up where the previous word left off and crescendos in rejoicing over how God sees us and has always seen us. Forget rose tinted lenses, our God sees us through the brilliant blood of the Cross.

We as human beings are highly esteemed by God, and marveled over by angels.

This spoken word reminds us of that again.

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Of Fear, and Feared Men

Part two of the Laments commentary. We touch on how fear and the excuse of fear contributes to violence against citizens and plays into the killings and justifications of the killings of Jemel Roberson and Botham Shem Jean. I attempt to trace the pronounced fear of these black men up to the fear that ungodly principalities could have had of them… I draw out how these men were a threat to depraved systems and how spiritual wickedness may have rejoiced at their killings and at the Laments in Midlothian.

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