Knock Knock these United States of America
There’s a package that’s waiting for you
On your doorstep, go ahead take a look inside
Because what’s in there, you never expected to find





Weeping, anguish, and anger from the marginalized
While you were away making all your possessions personalized
That package bears many faces
Of diverse cases and races



Faces of black men and women dipped in gold
Of the richness of the country from which they were sold
Sold and stole-n, only to get to a place where they were then lynched
Yet now today, the gift you never wanted to see stares through your own TV screen
A light skinned brother who is caught in between
The hate he had hoped you had forgotten
From the times when those who looked like him picked cotton
And the reality that he is as much of you as he is of me



Yet you have reared your ugly head
Saying the fate of America you have come to dread
So you claim you desire a nation divided
Even though it is this same nation that has provided
You with the wealth, status, and power you hold
From the many tragic stories that go untold



Like the church that sat upon a hill
As Congress passed plenty of bills
To keep those who Jesus himself died for
Indebted by taxes so they forever remain poor



Or The church that was positioned in the valley
So one would think that it would rally
For those in the area unable to speak up for themselves
Yet drove in and out of that neighborhood because it was only concerned with itself



Or better tragedies to speak of may be
The many black and brown men who sit in prison without a plea
Or the woman scarred by lies and abuse
The less than status she carries as she is induced
Yet gives birth to your ungrateful ass



Knock Knock Ms. America
Because a package awaits you
Waiting for you to chose life over death
A future when all men, women, and children are given a breath
A breath of fairness, equality, and justice…
Because we are all still waiting for You to let justice ring!



Reference: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/peacefully-grant-state-texas-withdraw-united-states-america-and-create-its-own-new-government/BmdWCP8B

What is to be said of a land that claims democracy, but challenges democracy when profits are at risk? What is to be said of a government that allows banks to rob the majority of its citizens blind over and over again after bailouts, but fails to implement legislation that will protect its citizens? What is to be said for a system that is inheritably flawed, that from its foundation has ceased to be what it declared, a place in which “all men are created equal”?

But more so, the Declaration of Independence goes on to say “that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their JUST POWERS from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principals, and organizing its powers…”

So then, I ask, what is to say of the capitalistic society which has arisen from that foundation? What is to be said for a people who organized their powers to end predatory lending so that people can borrow money without losing their cars, homes, dignity and respect? What is to be said for a people who organized their powers to raise the minimum wage a mere dollar?!? A dollar which still leaves people below the poverty line and working for a lifetime with the hope that the next generation will be better and have more opportunity than they themselves have. What is to be said when banks flex their muscles to prevent the peoples voices from being heard…not just 10 people, not just 100, not even 1000 people…over 350,000 people upfront, in which I believe millions more would also support if given the chance. What is to say for politicians who have failed to change these issues through legislation?

I do not have faith in our government and judicial system as it stands. But what I do have faith in is us, people! I believe that we all have the right to live a life that is not only filled with struggle, but also success. I believe that together, ultimately, we do make the difference. I believed so much so that Dr. Jaggi, the head of the physics department, a wonderfully smart, brilliant and compassionate agnostic was as much of a mentor, friend and important person in my life as was Stephanie, the janitor who cleaned the dorm I lived in for my last 2 years of college. And I so much so also believe in the people of Missouri who came together across boundaries to form a coalition that now is strong enough not to bow in defeat, but continue on as a united force. Organizing is no easy career path, but it is a just one. It is a lifestyle choice that says I will fight for the rights that I believe should be granted to me and to others. It is my opportunity to act and take risks which in the end, I believe, works to create a better society for us for all. 

Does love really conquer all?

Does it conquer the pain of a broken heart
Does it conquer the hurts of abandonment
Does it conquer the feelings of depression, inadequacy and doubt that lies within
Does it conquer the evil thoughts that haunt us at night and our daydreams during day?

Is love really unconditional?

Is it able to see past all the lies and deceit
Is it able to truly be unrestricted, absolute,  and unreserved
Is it able to be limitless, infinite, and all places at all times?

Is love able to be the force that allows for one to love the unlovable
To hold the unholdable
 to become what once never was?

If love is able to take a broken down, scarred, shattered and fractured spirit and allow for it to know something more than its brokenness 
then it is worth the hype

If love has the ability to become the unimaginable, unthinkable, greatness that radiates within to the outside 
that its so contagious all are able to catch it from the littlest of us, 
then it is more powerful than any weapon known to man

If love never fails, 
then we are all champions 
and 
that in itself is worth exploring for a lifetime!

(Let the above song play if you'd like while you read the following post)

Invictus- Latin for invincible or unconquered

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Invictus, William Ernest Henley

The first time I heard Invictus, I thought William was a black man. When I first read Invictus I was definitely convinced he was a black man; for whom else could talk of the night that covers as black as the pit from pole to pole? Who else knew of holding their head high in face of circumstances? Who else but a black man could look beyond a place of doom and horror and who else but a black man could stand proud and still say after all that, that I am the captain and master!?!

Well, we all know that William Henley is not a black man, but a white one, an Englishman to be exact. But William, having suffered with pain early on in life understood what it meant to be in the pit. But more than the pit, William understood that victory must always come from within. 

For the longest, I loved and hated this poem all at the same time. While the literary genius of the poem captivated my soul, the last two lines left me conflicted. Was not God the master of fate and captain of my soul? Who then am I to take that authority and power from Him and make it my own? 

But I am the master and captain I came to accept. Yes, God is the author and finisher of my faith... and in being the Creator, he gave me what was His. In making me, he gave me the same power and authority that he has. So while he is in control, so am I. 

As long as I stay in God’s will then my will be his will and thus I can take ownership of the decisions I make.

I am king! 
If I don’t take control of my life, then who will? Even when God is in control, I must push the pedal, step on the gas, and steer the car. God is just the ignition. If not, if I entrust the most precious thing I have, my fate and soul into the hands of someone else then I am no longer king. 

To be king is to be more than in control. To be king is to be responsible and dedicated. Hardworking and willing to change. Able to see the greatness within while recognizing the areas of life that need attention; the lowliness within. To be king is to ruler, dictator and sovereign. But to be king is also to be accountable, liable, and chargeable. to be king is to be royalty but to royalty is to be set apart and being set apart may at times mean being alone, lonely, forsaken, left alone, deserted, desolate, and destitute.

See to be king is the greatest and most horrible thing to be all at the same time. 

Are you ready to be king in your life?

Today, I thought about the fable ,“The Boy Who Cried Wolf“. While the most apparent moral of being truthful is in the story, I believe that there are other themes in the story which are important to draw out. Yes, it is great to teach children about not lying, or even a good analogy for how our government is ran, but lets look at the motives of the boy.

The story says that he was bored and for entertainment wanted to frighten the towns people. Was he not the shepherd boy? Was it not his duty and responsibility to watch over the sheep and keep them safe? Why then did he need to call the townspeople when a wolf came?

I believe a bigger theme of victimization is at the root of the story. The little boy for entertainment thought it would be nice to play the role of the victim, helpless, child who needed rescuing or help. When in actuality he was given responsibility and took part in deceiving those whom trusted him and in return created a tension between him and the townspeople that otherwise didn’t need to exist.

As adults, we too often like to play victim, but how disgusting of a concept is that? We have all had life experiences and gained knowledge of how to handle situations. When in life did someone teach us that playing as though we have been harmed or hurt by someone or a situation was okay to get what we want? Even in the face of the actual victim, we find it okay to also become one? 
Most people who cry victim are not the victim! 

Such an absurd concept for me to grasp, yet we see this playing out in our lives daily. America says that we will never forget 9/11...In Chicago, there are buildings throughout the city that say “we will never forget”, but how pressing is slavery in the minds of Americans. Now that injustice, one from within, that should be forgotten. If 9/11 was so important and an event we all should remember, then why is it that 99% of white people I know have no idea what Juneteenth is? Is not the struggle of Blacks important, apparently not if whites can’t play victim. In 2012 we are still debating about equal rights and immigration? Americans are the ones who are at jeopardy, safety is breached by immigrants????? Everyone here is an immigrant except black people who had no choice in coming  here! Yet, somehow new immigrants, non- European immigrants pose a threat.

For America to rid itself of the cancer of racism and the victim mentality, it must begin to take responsibility for its actions! 

A decision made often by absence of a choice or lack of an alternative by definition, we all have a default.  What's yours?

My default is simple, becoming very internal, isolated, in solitude often. It is not always a bad place to be, for in that alone time, I find myself able to think clearly about what I want in life, not what others want for me or even for themselves. However, staying in default often leads me to selfish behaviors and inconsiderate actions. 

Default for me has meant more. It has often meant running away from my stresses, as if they simply do not exist, as if when I decide to come back to reality, they wont be there. It has often meant growing distant from God rather than closer to him.

I am in a stage of life, where that default can no longer work. I believe that our defaults are a starting block, a way to begin, redo. But in order to have a fresh start, default has to be a place of integration, of growth. I now seek for my default to be God. Where when I no longer can see clearly or think clearly to make sound decisions, I turn to God. I look for God to guide me and be my compass; 

for the Bible in the 37th Psalm tells us that 
                       "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord"  
and Proverbs 3:6 says that 
                        "in all thy ways acknowledge him,
                                and he shall direct thy paths" 
and again in Proverbs 16:9 the Word says 
                      "In their hearts humans plan their course,                                  
                                 but the Lord establishes their steps."

It is now, that I submit my will to the Lord's and allow for Him to not only be my default, but my all. Have you named your default?

eekkkk, ekkkk….Plop!!!! 

Down the bird goes as it throws its body into the water for a few seconds and I sit waiting intensely.

1 second.

2 seconds..

3 seconds…



Awwww, Awwwwk!!!! 

UP! the bird comes flying out of the water and then lands on the rail a few feet from me.

As I sit at the waterfront on a bench on a cloudy day in front of a misty and foggy river… or lake (not sure what body of water this is lol), I read about young President Obama as a junior in college discerning his future. 

I sit here wondering if I am too in that same stage of life at this very moment?

Never having learned how to swim and having had near death experiences with water more than once, I am always amazed at how much I love to be by the water. How calming the ripples are to my soul, how clearing the wind is to my senses of feeling, both internal and external. How my mind, spirit, and soul all become one unit, connected with God’s creations around me. I am not concerned with the ants in the grass or the birds in the tree directly above my head. I am not concerned with the jogger or the father and his son eating lunch beside me. I am only at such peace when I am completely tuned in to God’s voice and creation. 

It is here that I sit and listen. Sit and look. Sit and let God speak. 

Listen.

Listen..

Simply listen…

Just listen… for the voice of God.

Have you sat and let God speak to you lately???

In a follow-up 1:1 with my coworker, he asked how had I changed since I began organizing,, and I admitted it was a question I needed to reflect upon. After being at National training around congregation renewal and a series of 1:1's focused on the work I had done in the past 9 months, I finally had an answer for Michael.