Thoughts on God’s love and redemption through conscious and Christian hip-hop
I know that some take Jesus quoting Isaiah 61 to be more metaphorical or spiritual when it comes to declaring release for those in prison (or for that matter the recovery of sight for the blind) but I wonder why can't we go literal and metaphorical (or spiritual) at the same time? Almost half a million people every night do an overnight in jail just because they can't afford bail in the land of the free. The Bail Project is working to change that.
As we recently commemorated the life of Martin Luther King Jr. I thought I'd bring that quote from this spoken word back to the fore. What I did with the quote may be a little out of context (and I realize now that even then I misquoted it a little), but I think that King’s... Continue Reading →
The Cross is unearned and unearnable advocacy. I think that that beauty frees us to not have to justify our valuing and advocating for the value of human beings made in the image of God. There are some specific names and faces and stories from the last few months that come to mind: Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, Elijah McClain. You could add Patrick Warren Sr. No proof of worthiness or value for them as Image bearers should be required. No proof was needed when Christ purchased our freedom and advocated for our value.
There was a person Who looked at a woman While he was killing a man She recorded it on a cellphone camera It was seen around the world On the internet and TV
Ruler serve, servant KingSuffering servant, sit with that...I hold inside a balance, a sort of paradox That my greatest strengthis strengthening othersIs being in awe and wonderSeeing in the iris of others,my King and my kin all over me …Influence Music & Propaganda - "Soil and Sky" But worth, value, and beautyIs not determined by... Continue Reading →
A policeman makes reverse 911 callsinstructing residents to take to the streets.A patriarch reports for duty.She is wearing an orange jumpsuit,and holding a picket sign.She is ashamed of her birthplace,but retreat is not an option.Flobots - "We Are Winning" She never thought things would ever change but,She always knew there was something wrong.Flobots - "Anne... Continue Reading →
A quick foreword: Image via The Washington Post Last week was quite a week. Old, untreated wounds have caused a massive fever in the US. It's gotten so hot that even those who are not sick are taking notice around the globe. There have been outpourings of pain and hurt in protest. There have been... Continue Reading →
Erica Garner’s birthday was May 29. She would have turned 30. In honor of her birthday, and her tireless striving for justice, I wanted to share this spoken word in its entirety, my thoughts on God’s heart as life ends. Weeping. Doubly so when life ends because of an abuse of power by those in authority. The word was originally written her father. Unfortunately, it can easily apply to George Floyd who died in police custody this week. The pre-existing condition that took Eric Garner, and Philando Castile, and George Floyd, and Erica Garner and the grossly overrepresented percentage of African Americans who have contracted and died of Covid-19 and who have become slaves of the carceral state, the same pre-existing condition that was weaponized by Amy Cooper to threaten the life of Christian Cooper, was, and is the condemnation of blackness in a society steeped in white supremacy, and the extreme vulnerability that belongs to poor and low wealth communities in America. I explore these pre-existing conditions and some of their outcomes.
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.
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.
Festival of Booths 