Faith in Action

I heard the car speeding down my street. Then I heard the tires screech followed by the dreaded “BANG!”

I ran outside to see the cars mauled and dented. One car spun up a small hill in between the fire hydrant and stop sign. The other slammed into a neighbor’s parked car. The sister in the brown car had deep cuts in her head, but walked on her own strength to the gourney when the ambulance arrived. The driver of the speeding car got out immediately after the crash and ran away.

I’m glad no one was seriously hurt.

I think I already have a heightened sense of appreciation for the blessing of abundant life, but incidents like these raise my awareness of how blessed I am even higher.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of one more day. Please provide healing for the sister that was hurt in this crash and deep conviction for the man who hit them and ran.

(I lowered my weapons aimed at BET for 1 minute and 25 seconds for this.)

(For my Feedburner Family click here to view the video)

Video done? Good. Truce over.

Sorry I have been away for a minute folks. Usually January is a slow blogging month for me given my hectic work schedule. Things should calm down soon and I should be back in the saddle consistently before you know it. Lord knows there is a lot to talk about.

One of the things that has me excited these days is the fact that I have converted from PC to Mac….finally!! I’ve been looking at trying to get a Mac for years now. I’ve always admired these machines from afar. Now I can admire one up close and personal. I picked up the imac earlier this week.

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I received a funny text message from one of my best friends on December 30, 2007. In the message, he says that he is going to start a “Wackest 2008 Church Motto” contest. For those not famililar with the church motto practice in the traditional Black church - it goes like this. A preacher looking to excite the congregation toward the end of the year begins thinking about words/phrases that rhyme with the coming year. S/He then jumps at the opportunity to incorporate this phrase in the sermon or throw it across the upcoming church conference banner. Before you know it, members of that church are going around saying this phrase as if it was divine revelation from God while totally discounting the fact that their preacher just created a pseudo-religous nursery rhyme for their quick consumption.

My boy texted me the list of mottos that he feels are coming down the pipe this year. His guesses are:

We’re sure that these will make an appearance this year and sadly many more wack church mottos are yet on the way.

His text did get me to thinking though about a motto that I hope to put into practice this year. It goes: “I must lose excess weight in 2008.” Okay - besides the general “wackness” of the statement, it does speak to something that I am actively doing already on the second day of a new year.

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Customarily, at the end of every year I purpose to change things up on my blog. I believe that I have to keep things fresh to keep folks coming. It’s also a great way for me to learn more web design skills. (I’ve learned so much about web languages, servers, and such just by tinkering around with this blog over the years)

The newest change that is already up and running has to do with “blog monetization“. Vegan Momma really inspired me to start thinking about ways that I could make money via my blog. Considering the amount of time and energy that I give to this site, it made sense for me to explore ways that the blog could give back to me - besides, of course, providing engaging dialogue and the worldwide platform that I enjoy. Comparatively, I’m a little late on the blog monetization train. Many bloggers writing about various topics are making somewhere in the ball park of $200 - $2,000 dollars per month with the many ad programs out there.

So now, as you’ll notice, on the right sidebar I have ad space which is available for corporations, organizations, and entrepreneurs that provide a service or product that aligns with my ideals. Don’t worry faithful Faith-in-Actioners. You’ll never see ads for alcohol, sex enhancers, or other unsavory way out in left field products. I won’t sell out for the dollar. Hopefully, you will see a parade of Black-owned businesses like Urban Profile - a Detroit-based African American clothing company and other companies that provide valuable services like Lunar Pages - the web hosting company that I utilize and can vouch for.

I’m doing research into how much I should charge for the ad spaces and once my research is complete I’ll let you know the rates for advertising. I imagine that I’ll offer an introductory rate for a defined period of time in early ‘08.

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Ok - my mother just sent me an email telling me to get back on the ball with my blog.  Sorry folks, I’ve been out of the loop for a minute.  I had to take care of some things.  Namely, I had to preach this past Wednesday and I had to write an article for the Baltimore Examiner.  All that writing requires a lot of creative energy and time.  Something had to give so the blog was put on hold.

I preached at the Baltimore County Ministerial Alliance Advent Service at my church.  It was a platform service with 5 associate ministers from various churches preaching on some aspect of John 3:16.  (The scripture was cut up into 5 pieces)  I’m always a bit leary of platform services because they can turn into competitions between preachers and that type of stuff nauseates me.  But the spirit of last week’s worship experience was pure and God blessed us.

The article I wrote for the Baltimore Examiner was about Darfur and the recent divestment legislation passed in Baltimore City and DC.  “The Black Eagle” Joe Madison from The Power (WOL 1450AM in DC & channel 169 on XM Radio) forwarded an email that I sent him to about 60-some odd people.  One of the people who received it was an editor of The Examiner in DC.  They forwarded it to the editor of the Op/Ed pages of the Baltimore Examiner and she emailed me requesting an article.  The article should run sometime soon in the Baltimore Examiner.  I’ll let you know when they publish it. 

I’ll be needing more of that creative energy tomorrow morning because I have a BIG opportunity.  Tomorrow morning I’ll be hosting the Larry Young Morning Show on 1010AM from 6AM - 10AM.  I’m doing the full morning show - 4 hours on 1010AM.  For those of you not in the Baltimore Metro Area or not familiar with the show; it’s one of the most popular morning talk shows targeting Black folk in this area.  I remember when I first started listening to the show and now I’m hosting it!  God is doing some amazing things in my life.  Please pray for me. It’ll be me and Coach Butch McAdams.  (Coach is like the “bad guy” on the show.  I’m time enough for him though:)

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I think it was Dr. Na’im Akbar who, in one of his books, makes distinction between being “informed” and being “aware” (or conscious).  To be informed means at the very basic level that you’ve been exposed to a body of information. Not necessarily that you really grasp the meaning of what you’ve been exposed to - most times it just means you can regurgitate it upon request - or at least that’s one of the goals of the american public school system.  To be aware or conscious means that you possess the tools and faculties to thoroughly engage information, examine its context, analyze the symbols therein, and apply the deeper truths to your existential reality.

I, like thousands of other Afrikans in this country, spent 16 years trying to regurgitate facts, stats, and figures in order to get pieces of paper that would prove that I am “smart.”  During this 16 years (k-12, 4 years of undergrad), I was unknowingly conditioned to embrace the ideals of white supremacy and socialized to find my “proper place” as a cog in the wheel of the White Power Structure.

It was during seminary that my “eyes” finally began to open.  I credit my professors for totally dismantling almost everything that I thought I knew about God.  During the process of demolishing my theological foundation, they shook loose the psychological chains on my brain as it related to Afrikan inferiority.  In my second year of seminary, I was undergoing a major transformation which was cultivated by the renewing of my mind.  During that second year, I agreed to take a class in Ghana, West Africa on African Traditional Religions and that month-long learning experience tremendously accelerated my thinking as it related to my place in this world.  We visited the slave castles in Elmina, I stood under a waterfall in the Volta Region, we studied the Akan culture, and we visited the last earthly home of W.E.B. DuBois - even enjoying a time of meditation next to his casket.  I learned of my Ancestor -Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah.  I waded to the middle of the waters of Assin Manso - the last bathing place before enslaved Afrikans entered the slave castles and I stood in the Door of No Return…the doorway that led to the slave ships destined for the West.

It is difficult for me to articulate all that I felt and experienced back Home in Ghana, but suffice to say it was the place where I was Born Again.  I left the U.S. as an African American, I returned to the states as a Afrikan in America.  Since that experience in 2003, I have been on a Sankofa Mission - going back in history to study my Ancestors and Elders - their stories, their struggles, their lives, their sacrifices and coming forward to examine where I am in order to live a life which honors Almighty God and my Great Ancestors with hopes that I’ll one day join that Great Cloud of Witnesses. 

The 45 books below, listed in random order, have been essential reading in my journey.  This does not by any stretch of the imagination represent an exhaustive list of “must reads for Afrikans”.  These books (and some DVDs) have simply helped me to find and keep my righteous mind.  There are many many more that deserve prime placement on our shelves.  Feel free to add books that have been impactful for you as well.

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…a line that sometimes makes men cringe as their lady friends test them on their ability to notice new details to their physique or apparel…

But don’t worry, I’m not asking anyone to check me out…just check out the new feature to this blog.  The podcast media player located on the left sidebar is an exciting addition that will allow me to give you the sounds of my world.  Now - not only can you check out the pictures of my travels via my Flickr Badge on the right sidebar, but now you can hear the latest speech, sermon, song, or discussion that feeds the revolutionary spirit via my podcast media player. 

This is the type of stuff that I’ve always dreamed concerning this blog.  My utter distrust of mainstream corporate-sponsored media made it necessary for me to create my own communication platform.  Just like the Panthers created their own newspaper to reach the people with messages contrary to the “King’s Propaganda“; I along with many other bloggers are well on our way to building our own instrument of mass information and mobilization.

You can read the text, hear the words, and see the pictures.  I want to engage all of your senses and uplift those of you who are active in bringing about social justice in this world (Amos 5th Chapter) and for those of you who are still on the sidelines, I want to draw you onto the field of active participation.  At the rate that technology is going, I may one day be able to engage your sense of smell as well.  Time will tell. 

Enjoy the new podcast feature!

This got me right this morning…I thought I’d share…HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!

(sorry to my Subscriber Family - i know you all can’t see youtube vids in your e-blast so if you would like to enjoy some cool jazz click here)

I’ve been quite active over the past couple of days.  On Wednesday night, I spoke at a Back to School Rally in Turners Station.  There was a good sized crowd out at the Fleming Center to hear motivating words about school and to receive school supplies.  I received the invitation to this event on rather late notice, but I feel it important to take advantage of these types of opportunities.  I consider it a blessing to be able to make positive investments in the lives of youth.  All things being equal, they will see days that my eyes will never see.  So it’s almost like I’m impacting the future by speaking in their “now”.  Not only do I attempt to give them something of worth, but I receive something so much more valuable.  Engaging youth gives me an opportunity to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world as they see it and hear it.  Young people, like Master Cedric who posted his comments in a previous post, have much to say and should be given the opportunity to say it.  It’s up to the adults to have the wisdom to listen.

On Thursday afternoon, I was blessed to be invited to be on the “Pause for the Cause” Radio program on 1010AM WOLB.  The theme of the show was “Where are all the Black Men?” 

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