But this past Monday, I was invited to a meeting with my friends from Baltimore Food & Faith. I couldn’t pass it up. The meeting was with a ministry out in West Baltimore called The Samaritan Women. I’d heard so many great things about this group that I had to go.

I drove out to West Baltimore through pretty familiar stomping ground and eventually started traveling through an unfamiliar part of the city off of Edmondson Avenue. Driving through a bustling side neighborhood, eventually the way cleared and I pulled up on the grounds of a voluminous estate.

I was late to the meeting so I was in a bit of a hurry, but I couldn’t miss the beauty of the land around me. I eventually found a place to park and was ushered into the already in progress meeting. I was glad to see another African American pastor in the room. My dear colleague, Pastor Derrick DeWitt from the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church was there as well. Unfortunately, I have become accustomed to being the only person of color in meetings set around issues of the food system, food policy, land, and agriculture as ministry. It was great seeing him and hearing about the wonderful things God continues to do in the midst of him and those whom he serves.

After introducing myself, we all began to hear about this wonderful ministry, The Samaritan Women, from the Board Chair, Jeanne Allert. I must say that she is a warm, hospitable, and extremely generous woman. I was so blessed by her enthusiasm and the apparent joy that she takes in blessing others. (I was the recipient of a major blessing & “hook up” from her after being in her company for all of 15 minutes!)

In a nutshell, this ministry offers rehabilitative housing for women, a retreat center for groups looking for havens of rest, prayer, and planning and six acres of cultivated land for farming.

We left the table and went outside to explore some of the features of their ministry which is supported in part by AmeriCorps volunteers who funnel through the organization very regularly and live right on the grounds.

Walking outside, I was immediately greeted by the site of a cross off in the distance. The Samaritan Women is an organization that proudly (but not arrogantly) embraces their Christian Faith. The cross was raised on Easter Sunday morning and the area around it is a place for reflection, devotion, and sharing.

Farmer Roy (left) shows his greens

I’ve never personally met someone whose body contorted in uncontrolled excitement as they talked about carrots, cabbage, and peanuts until I met Farmer Roy. With eroding “city boy” sensibilities, I walked along with Farmer Roy as he picked vegetation straight from the soil and offered us a taste. I’m so glad that I ignored the dirt on his hands and on the vegetables because my taste buds were treated to a delightful sampling of God’s choice delicacies. Almost embarrassingly, I must admit that I hadn’t even heard of some of the greens that he had us taste. I ate a handful of mizuna – a green with a slightly peppery taste and was introduced to my new favorite leaf vegetable – sorrel. Sorrel has that tangy, citrus taste that I love.

Samaritan Farm

I so enjoyed walking the farm with Farmer Roy that I left him pledging to try and find one day out of my week to work the farm by his side. (while trying not to get in the way!) Agriculture has become almost therapeutic for me and given the intense nature of my vocation as a pastor, I’ve found that I need to search out not only sanctuaries for respite, but other activities that help exercise other parts of who I am. (I’m quick to tell folks that yes, I’m a pastor, but that does not encapsulate the fullness of my identity.) I think Farming is the way to go for me.

I had to leave the group before the full tour was complete, but I had already seen, heard, and felt enough to know that The Samaritan Women provide a necessary sanctuary and place of healing that will help all who enter to step into a more harmonious understanding of what it means to be alive in this world. Not only do I pray for their faithfulness to their stated mission and pledge support toward its fulfillment; but I also look forward to showing up on the grounds to be ministered to by all that God has allowed to be birthed in their midst.

I’ve been doing a lot of hiding in my office for the past two weeks while trying to digest my perception of pastoral duties during the Holy Season. As my friends over at Working Preacher reminded visitors not long ago, this is a season that in many ways speaks for itself. Oh how I wish I would’ve heard that message back in January when I attempted to speak sermonically to the magnitude of our current president’s inauguration. The Sunday after the swearing in I approached the microphone and being utterly overwhelmed by the historical implications of the moment, I stammered and struggled through a sermon before returning dejectedly to my big chair. (Thank God for grace and the people for patience.)

The inauguration of President Barack Obama pales in comparison to the immensity of the Holy Season. This is my first Holy Season as a pastor, and I must confess a yearning in me to lead the people to meaningful worship and reverence in light of it, but exactly how to get there – I can’t say I’m certain.

What I am certain of is my desire to leave the traditions that have lost some value for me over the years. One of the great things about a blog is that it gives one the opportunity to see how they have evolved, grown, or in some cases regressed over a period of time. It was interesting for me to revisit a post about Easter that I wrote way back in 2005. It was full of frustration and poignant questioning as I was in the midst of my seminary journey standing on the rubble of what used to be my theological grounding. Then 2 years later, I was invigorated by a chance to celebrate Resurrection Sunday at a Juvenile Detention Center. It was life changing and in a sense it gave me “permission” to celebrate the holy days of my Faith in nontraditional contexts.

Now 2 years from that wonderful experience in 2007 here I am again – now as a pastor who has decidedly steered the Faith Community of which I am a servant, away from some of the informal baptist distinctives that have defined this season for decades: 7 Last Words Services, fish after church, and new easter clothes on parade.

And while I knew that I didn’t want to return to those traditions that for me have lost some value, I didn’t – and don’t know exactly how we will reverence the Risen Lord this year. Here I am hiding out in my office (trying to keep quiet so that those in the church don’t hear me) on the eve of Good Friday and I don’t have the program set for this weekend!

But in some strange way – in the midst of my utter bewilderment I’m beginning to find some comfort. I thought it was because of this 10ft tall wooden cross in my office or the ceramic Jesus staring at me on my desk; but no – it’s more than that. In a position where the expectation from everyone is that you should be “in control” and in some ways manipulating the flow of worship and manufacturing the presence of the Spirit (in partnership with the organist of course); I’m beginning to feel truly liberated by not having to define this Holy Season for others. Somewhere in the midst of the cross, my ceramic Jesus and the holy music playing through my desk radio; God has reminded me today and even leading up to today that Jesus speaks most eloquently for himself this weekend. While the other 51 weekends in the year are characterized by well-intentioned orators who through the foolishness of preaching attempt to “speak a word for the Lord”; this weekend – like no other weekend – the Lord speaks a word for Himself!

Therefore I am free. Like Matthew’s donkey and colt (or just Mark’s colt), the Lord has demanded my release for He has need of me….and he needs me not to bear the burden of drawing anyone toward him, but like the beast that carried him into Jerusalem – he calls me just to lift Him!

And while I’m still not sure what “lifting Him” will look like in a practical way come Good Friday Noonday Service or Easter Sunday Worship; I think I’ll follow the example of two eyewitnesses to Christ’s crucifixion. Mary and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” stood on Golgotha’s Hill on that dreadful Friday not knowing what to do either until Jesus gave them some instruction for living in and past that moment. I think I’ll wait at the base of Calvary as well listening intently for directions from the cross. With that desire in heart, I have a hunch that I’ll be joining the women as we run from the empty tomb full of hilarious joy aching to tell the good news.

Do you mind if I close with the words of that beautiful hymn of the church?

At the cross
At the cross
Where I first saw the light
And the burdens of my heart rolled away

They sure did.

Have a blessed and meaningful weekend.

This past Resurrection Sunday, I joined about 4 other brothers in going inside the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center to lead a nontraditional worship experience for the young brothers who were incarcerated.  Spearheaded by Rev. Russell St. Bernard (who’s now serving as a Youth Pastor in FL), we had a wonderful time taking the gospel of Jesus Christ behind the bars of juvenile lockup.  Since that time, I’ve been itchin’ to get back behind bars to reconnect with young men in that situation.  I knew that though a one time visit was nice, if we were going to make a major impact we needed to establish a program that included weekly visits.

Thee one and only Ezekiel Jackson of Soul Cannon (SIDEBAR:This brother has a serious gift from God as an MC and musician.  Soul Cannon’s sound demands an international audience and I’m sure that a much larger platform is coming.  Support my Brother!) and I have been mulling over how we bring greater permanency to the idea of mentoring incarcerated youth since we both walked behind those bars on Easter Sunday 2007.  Then Anjelene Branch, Case Manager Supervisor from the Charles Hickey School called me looking for mentors.  Hickey is a state-owned facility operated by the Department of Juvenile Services providing alternative education options to detained youth ages 12-18.

God worked it out so that the same week that she called me with that request I was scheduled to go on 1010AM for the Pause for the Cause Radio show.  I made the request public over the mic and challenged men listening to pick up the phone and call me.  Larry Brown heard the interview and remembered that we had met each other on the basketball court last summer.  He called my God-Brother and got my number.  David Overton a.k.a. “O-V” had just completed mentor training with a mentoring organization that I’m connected to so when his college classmate from Coppin State – Larry Brown – called him telling him about me and the challenge to mentor at Hickey, he was all for it.  God really orchestrated our steps and tightened the loop on brothers that were already loosely connected.

After weeks of planning and preparation, the day finally came for us to begin our weekly mentoring sessions at Hickey.  This past Saturday, November 2nd was our first day.  I was excited and a little anxious not knowing what to expect.  The brothers and I had been praying and planning – thankful that God would use us to reach out to young brothers behind bars, but how would they receive us? 

We gathered at 9:30AM at the front gate and proceeded to make our way to the classroom.  Ms. Branch met us there and we had a short talk about what our plan was.  We are going to do weekly sessions every Saturday morning for 90 minutes.  Half of our time, we’ll focus on some topic to engage the brothers on and the other half we’ll spend playing basketball, working out, or doing some other type of physical activity. 

The moment finally came.  We were sitting in the classroom talking amongst ourselves when the brothers began to file in.  We greeted every brother – and every lil brother looked just like us.  And I shouldn’t say “lil” – some of the brothers were taller than us – well taller than me anyway.  We had young men ranging from 14 – 18 years old.  For the next 90 minutes we had our orientation and introductions.  We wanted the brothers to get a feel of who we are and we wanted to see who they were.  The session went far better than what I expected for a first encounter.  Usually, brothers are a bit slower in connecting to other brothers, but as things progressed everyone really seemed to open up.  One brother who is scheduled to be released this week even made sure to let the group know how much he appreciated us taking time away from our families on a Saturday to come and reach out to them.  He said, “I may never see ya’ll again because I’m about to get out, but I can tell this is going to be a good program and I appreciate ya’ll coming out.”  I could’ve broke down right there.  It’s amazing how quickly I became attached to the brothers.  About two of them are scheduled to be released this week so I made sure that they have access to my cell # so that I can link them to job and educational opportunities once they get out. 

That’s one of the features of our mentoring program.  We are going to stay connected to these young men even after they are released or transferred so that we can continue to provide support for their transition back into society.  An overwhelming number of them had multiple arrests and had been detained numerous times.  Larry, Eze, OV, and I plan to put a brick in the revolving door so that these young men find the path that will lead to them embracing their fullest potential.

I really look forward to next Saturday.  We have a great group of young men and I’m hopeful that God will continue to use us to be true mentors to them.

Kudos to Larry Brown, David Overton, Jr., and Ezekiel Jackson.  I really enjoy serving alongside these committed brothers.  We have a special chemistry and I’m honored to know men that are serious about reaching out to others despite the fact that they have families and many other responsibilities of their own.  So if you’ve read this far down the page, take a minute to let Larry, OV, and Eze know how much you appreciate them BEING (not talking) the change that they wish to see in the world! (Also, support David Overton, Jr. who has started a Christian clothing line called “Sons for Christ“.  Get at him for more information.  Support my Brother!)

Brothers, let’s MAN UP and be good fathers to our own and strong mentors to those young brothers who need our support!

You want to be a mentor?  Holla at me. (only serious inquiries please)

Yesterday, I experienced a drastic departure from the routine of Resurrection Sunday.

After attending my church’s sunrise service at 6AM; I made my way to the Department of Juvenile Services facility in downtown Baltimore for a special Resurrection Service for young males who are currently incarcerated.  One of my brothers in ministry was spearheading this effort which was initiated by his church and requested by his pastor. He called and invited me and asked if I knew of any other good brothers who needed to be in the room.  I contacted a couple of other brothers and we all showed up on Sunday.

The nontraditional Resurrection Service was amazing – utterly amazing…more powerful than any words that I could use to describe it.  While standing in the gymnasium and helping the brothers and administrators set the room; I didn’t know what to expect.  I didn’t know what these young boys would look like – be like – speak like – or how they would perceive us. I immediately realized how much I had allowed mainstream media to make these boys “monsters” to me. 

On the contrary, the boys who walked through those doors were boys like any others.  They walked in with white tees, grey pants, tube socks and flip flops on.  Their baby faces were decorated by tattoos and flat facial expressions.  They probably had as many questions about us as we had about them. 

I walked over and greeted some of them, making sure to look them dead in their eyes and give them a firm man handshake.  Adrenaline and excitement rushed through my body like I wasstrapped up on my high school football team awaiting kickoff. 

I sensed God in the room.

I started things off with prayer and the next 90 minutes was an amazing worship experience complete with testimonies, spoken word, and sermon.  While the brothers had to keep their tough outside demeanor in tact; they were hearing the message.  They were responding. They were hungry for more.

Brothers raised their hands requesting salvation – they requested assistance with employment and funding for college.  One brother in particular came back for prayer and counsel.  Awaiting trial for a drug distribution charge; he wanted us to help him – not just for his own sake, but for the sake of his two small babies at home.  During prayer he broke down and tears escaped his eyes like he hadn’t had a good cry in a long time.

Another brother motioned for me to come over to him. 

He said, “Remember me? I was in your XX class back at XX Middle School“.

His name immediately came to my mind and fresh memories of him clowning around in my class came to my brain.  I remembered how I used him as my assistant in the class as a way to keep him engaged.  We spoke briefly and I hugged him….almost wanting to cry because I felt like I failed him.  Did I put him in there? No, but if I would have given him more time perhaps he wouldn’t be locked up.  But then how many young brothers would I have to give my time to?….there are thousands of young boys just like him that have all the potential in the world, but don’t have a strong family base or mentors to help steer them clear of the system that is just waiting to chew them up and never spit them out.  (I can’t tell you how many calls/emails that I receive from female relatives requesting assistance with their son, grandson, or nephew.  Not because I’m so great, but because the need is extraordinarily great.)

After the service, the administrators asked us to come back on a regular basis and we eagerly accepted the invitation.  The young brothers were already asking when we would come back.  We’re in the process now of assembling a committee of men to regularly reach out to young brothers in custody of the Department of Juvenile Services.  As I just told a pastor-friend of mine last week; I feel God more in those types of settings than I do in traditional church experiences.

I can’t wait to go back to that facility and reconnect with those young brothers.  If I had my way, I’d be going every Sunday.  Then I would experience the true spirit and meaning of Resurrection Sunday every week.