Last week the black church world was in yet another uproar due to Facebook Live. In this installment, infamous gospel, Leandria Johnson goes on a smoke filled rant that included some content worthy of a Parental Advisement sticker. She goes in on the ecclesiastical establishment about hypocrisy, elitism, and the damage it causes people; punctuating … Continue reading Johnson vs The Church: 5 Things About Church Respectability Politics
I haven't completely figured out the official cutoffs, but it's generally accepted that I am a late Generation X'er. There are many things that differentiate us from other generations but I believe one of the greatest differences is that we are a passion driven generation. Before us, the Baby Boomers and the Silent Generations were … Continue reading Passion & Purpose
The three words I have often uttered to describe where I am in my ministerial career: "ministry is hard". Lately, I'm coming to learn that these words may actually be "full of it". While it is true, for me at least, the ministry was not a career move. I never chose ministry: ministry chose me. … Continue reading Two Things That Make Ministry Hard
In the world of social media, there is a lot that my "friends" are passionate about. From #BlackLivesMatter to #OscarsSoWhite, and let us not forget about #KanyeAndKirk. Then there's the presidential election and water for Flint. There is so much for all of us to be outraged about, or at least worked up. We live … Continue reading Pick
I am a pastor, and as a pastor, the single most popular question that people ask me is "How is the church going?" Different people ask for different reasons, but they all say the same thing: "How's the church going?", as to inquire about its size. I'll be honest and say, depending on who asked … Continue reading The Danger of The Christian Cliche
In the wake of tragedy, we can always be found discussing what happened, why it happened, and who is at fault. It's human nature to examine problems and find causes. But the key component that we don't always include are solutions. There is a lot of needed discussion around the topics race relations and police … Continue reading From Rhetoric to Solutions
So here we are, almost exactly 5 months past the non-indictment of Darren Wilson, and there is social unrest in the streets of Baltimore. Unfortunately, lesson have still not been learned, and another unarmed black man is dead at the hands of police. I wrote a piece called, Not Like This, back on December 1, 2014, … Continue reading (Still) Not Like This
Youth pastor and church culture analyst, D.K. Hammonds wrote that Good Friday represents someone being "committed to a cause when others are not". Jesus was so committed to you that He endured the most gruesome and horrible death known to man in that day. He saw something in you, YES YOU, that He had to … Continue reading What Are You Willing To Die For?
I can remember very vividly, my daycare school. It's not too far from where i live now, so every time we pass by, I'm taken back. I remember getting into it with this boy; Sidney! He and I were both pretty husky boys and I guess we battled it out for playground dominance. We didn't … Continue reading God Still Wants You
Thanks to Tupac Amaru Shakur, we have an entire generation of people who use this single phrase to justify their poor behavior and bad decisions: "ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME." To be sure, no one likes a judgmental person. By definition, someone who is judgmental is one who is excessively critical, offering opinions where none were … Continue reading Only God Can Judge Me
