Black HIStory, my HIStory, our HIStory!

Come and hear, all you who have respect for God.
    Let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth.
    I praised him with my tongue.
18 If I had enjoyed having sin in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God has surely listened.
    He has heard my prayer.
20 Give praise to God.
    He has accepted my prayer.
    He has not held back his love from me. (Psalm 66:16-20)

As I complete my studies and reflections upon Black HIStory for this month, I cannot help but praise God that it is indeed a part of my HIStory. I am grateful to have been grafted in to such a vibrant, strong, faithful, caring, challenging, and accepting culture! I am better for it, as a man, a husband, a dad, grandpa, and most importantly, as a follower of Jesus Christ! 

Today, I celebrate my youngest son, yes, my black son! God gave Michael Gerard to us long before he was born as we asked for another child. We named him while he was yet unborn, yet growing in his birth mother's womb. Michael Gerard . . . a gift from God and mighty in battle. Since birth, he has been an indelible piece of our family. He has travelled with us on the mission field since he was six, from New Orleans, to St. Vincent, to South Carolina and Puerto Rico. I asked God to indeed prepare Him and use Him and God has been faithful!

I began asking God to send Michael to college over four years ago, knowing it would have to be by His grace and provisions . . .  hopefully to our alma mater, Liberty University. God has provided for Michael to attend Liberty, providing for him is so many ways! He is still providing and I know He always will.

I say this to let you know God still provides! He is Jehovah Jireh. He is the God of HIStory . . .Black HIStory, my HIStory, our HIStory!

You cannot judge a book by its cover . . . on any day!

 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” . . . Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.  (1 Samuel 16: 7, 12-13)

You cannot judge a book by its cover . . . namely William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimke', Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown. All CHRISTians, all abolitionists (against slavery), and all white!  They were men, women, writers, businessman, militants, some even gave their lives. To tell HIS-tory correctly, we must tell the entire story . . . even today. (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/abolitionists-films-principal-characters/)  

It is important that our young people know all of HIS-tory, not simply the white or black version. We must know and teach HIS-story . . . the TRUTH. You see, as with all reports, there are three sides . . . mine, yours, and God's. Let every man be a liar and God the Truth! (Romans 3:4)

As when God chose David to be Israel's king, we too must be careful to look deep inside a person before we place labels. I remember the 60's and being taught and witnessing racism, indirectly and often openly. I heard the words and labels. Yet as I matured and experienced a different kind of world than my parents, thank God, I was able to change!

I often want to make a t-shirt with the following statement: "I am white and you can trust me!" Sadly, many of our children are once again being taught to make decisions based upon physical appearances. As believers, that cannot happen within our circles and we must correct it . . .boldly! We must talk, confront, convict, and correct!!!!

What lies have you learned and believed? Are we willing to do whatever is necessary to be one? (John 17)

Overcoming odds . . . .

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Our past is full of heroes who did not allow the past or present to influence their lives. They pushed through harsh circumstances and not only persevered, but set new marks for themselves and others. Frederick Douglass Pollard was such a man . . .

Did you know?

Frederick Douglass Pollard was born in an affluent neighborhood in Chicago on January 27, 1894, to John William, a barber, and Catherine Amanda Hughs Pollard, a seamstress. The seventh of eight children, he was affectionately called Fred, but later nicknamed "Fritz" by neighborhood residents, a name that stuck with him throughout life. He was, however, named after civil rights leader Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist whom his parents had heard speak the preceding year. Pollard attributed much of his success in life to his ancestors, who—through tremendous hard work, courage, and a pioneering spirit—thrived and prospered during the era of slavery. Even though his grandparents and great grandparents had been Virginia slaves, the family became free yeomen farmers after the Revolutionary War and through hard work overcame tremendous odds.

A highly successful football and track athlete, Fritz Pollard became the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl when he played for Brown University in 1916 and the first African American to coach in the National Football League (NFL) in 1922. During the early days of professional football, Pollard was an energetic promoter of integrated rosters, recruiting prominent black players to the NFL and organizing exhibition games to showcase their talents. He assembled and coached the all-black Chicago Black Hawks football team, which became one of the most popular teams from 1929 to 1932. After retiring from his successful coaching career, Pollard founded a number of businesses and established a weekly black tabloid. He then became a successful casting agent, producing videos and a film that featured African-American entertainers. Among his many honors, he was the first African American to be elected into the National College Football Hall of Fame as well as the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Brown University. Along with his own amazing athletic ability and accomplishments, Pollard was a courageous advocate for confronting racial barriers and creating opportunities for African Americans, both in the athletic and business world.

Read more: Fritz Pollard Biography - Football, African, American, and Brown - JRank Articles https://biography.jrank.org/pages/2817/Pollard-Fritz.html#ixzz6nO65wZ59

Your role in HIS-tory?

 And it shall come to pass . . . that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy . . . (Joel 2:28)

In my quest to learn and teach my students about the lesser known heroes and sheroes of Black HIS-tory, I came upon Jarena Lee. She has an interesting story! As you read below, I hope you recognize the call God may have upon your life. While the role of women in the Church has changed over the years and regardless of your position, women . . . most especially black women . . . have played a major role in the development of our nation and our church. We must honor that fact. Thank God for women!!!!

How has God called you? Do not miss out on your role in HIS-tory!

Minister Jarena Lee was the first authorized female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. Lee, whose family or maiden name is unknown, was born to a poor but free black family on February 11, 1783, in Cape May, New Jersey. In 1790 at the age of seven, Lee was sent to work as a live-in servant for a white family named Sharp.

Lee moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a teenager and continued to work as a domestic servant. One afternoon, Lee attended a worship service at Bethel Church where Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the A.M.E. Church, was scheduled to preach. After hearing the powerful sermon delivered by Allen, Lee became filled with the Holy Spirit and converted to Christianity.

In 1807 Lee heard the voice of God commissioning her to preach the Gospel. She was initially reluctant to pursue ministry, given the male-dominated nature of the church. However, she decided to confide in Bishop Allen and revealed to him her call to preach. Allen told Lee that he could not grant her permission to preach because he was required to uphold the A.M.E. Church’s ban against female ministers. 

Allen was so impressed by Lee that he officially gave her authorization to preach the Gospel. Allen asserted that God had called Lee to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, Lee began to travel to various cities for preaching engagements and was highly praised for her powerful sermons.

In addition to her work in ministry, Lee was also heavily involved in the abolitionist movement and joined the American Antislavery Society in 1839. 

For more information see (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/lee-jarena-1783/)

Patience . . .yes, even wait by faith!

 Then Jesus told a story. “A man had a fig tree,” he said. “It was growing in his vineyard. When he went to look for fruit on it, he didn’t find any. So he went to the man who took care of the vineyard. He said, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree. But I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’“ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it and feed it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ” (Luke 13:6-9)

Here is a somewhat little known story as we celebrate Black HIStory month . . . It is based upon faith. 

Harry Hosier (1750–May 1806)

He was known as Black Harry and heralded to be one of the best preachers around. Born in North Carolina and freed in Maryland around the end of the Revolutionary War, Harry would be the first to preach to a white audience, in part because his delivery was so impressive. The fact he was illiterate makes his ability all the more striking. He traveled with Francis Asbury, the notable leader of American Methodism, preaching to great applause and with great conviction. His famous sermon, “The Barren Fig Tree” (Luke 13:6-9) is considered the first formal sermon given by an African American in America. He summed up his work this way, “I sing by faith, pray by faith, preach by faith, and do every thing by faith.” (https://www.sharefaith.com/blog/2017/02/black-history-month-10-african-american-church-leaders/)

You see, as with Mr. Hosier, we as CHRISTians must do everything by faith. As we walk by faith, we do so without always seeing the outcome. Many times we must wait . . .patiently! Though things may seem wrong, unfair, unjust and not right, we must wait upon God. He will have His perfect way, in His time! As with Mr. Hosier, we must endure hardship and wait on God . . .by faith!

Things will get better . . .the bible says so! 

Blessed is the person who keeps on going when times are hard. After they have come through hard times, this person will receive a crown. The crown is life itself. The Lord has promised it to those who love him. (James 1:12)

Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks . . .

From the beginning, God has made it clear . . .we are ALL made in the image of God. We ALL bear His likeness!  

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

As we celebrate people of color in our HIStory, yes American HIStory, I read some very stinging words that could be echoed within the walls of the White House, Congress, State Capitals, schools, churches and our homes today. No matter what people may say or do, we cannot deny what God has done and to do so is an affront to Almighty God! He will have the final say, whether our justice system complies or not!

No man or woman can call themselves a child of God and think themselves better than anyone else! 

But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. (James 3:8-9)

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

 Here is some convicting HIStory threatening to repeat itself if we, His children, continue to sit quietly. Thank you Mr. Henry McNeal Turner!

Henry McNeal Turner . . . .Turner was also public theologian. His oratory, writings, publications, letters, and editorials display a figure who was not limited to the walls of the church but saw the need for public engagement of God-talk in the public arena. His faith followed him from the battlefield of the Civil War to the halls of Congress to the offices of the AME, faith that led him to challenge America to live up to the ideals of freedom, justice, and democracy.

During Reconstruction, Turner became a Republican Party organizer, recruiting black voters throughout Georgia. He helped establish the first Republican state convention, assisted in drafting a new state constitution, and served as a Georgia state representative. However, his victory was short-lived; in the fall of 1868, white members of the state legislature voted to disqualify blacks from holding elected office. Before leaving, however, Turner delivered a speech for the ages. In his opening remarks, Turner thundered: I wish the members of this House to understand the position that I take. I hold that I am a member of this body. Therefore, sir, I shall neither fawn nor cringe before any party, nor stoop to beg them for my rights. . . .There are no two men alike, no two voices alike, no two trees alike. God has weaved and tissued variety and versatility throughout the boundless space of His creation. Because God saw fit to make some red, and some white, and some black, and some brown, are we to sit here in judgment upon what God has seen fit to do? As well might one play with the thunderbolts of heaven as with that creature that bears God's image, God's photograph . . . . You may expel us, gentlemen, by your votes, today; but, while you do it, remember that there is a just God in Heaven, whose All-Seeing Eye beholds alike the acts of the oppressor and the oppressed, and who, despite the machinations of the wicked, never fails to vindicate the cause of Justice, and the sanctity of His own handiwork.

Turner left behind a rich legacy. He saw the need for public engagement of God-talk in the public arena. His faith followed him from the battlefield of the Civil War to the halls of Congress to the offices of the AME, faith that led him to challenge America to live up to the ideals of freedom, justice, and democracy.

For more information see this link (https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2017/september/henry-mcneal-turner-church-planter-politician-and-public-th.html) 

Lent . . . .Giving up and Giving Back!

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6)

Many give up something of value during these forty days leading up to Resurrection Day. Why? Many do it ritualistically only to go back to the habit on day forty-one! It is intended as a time to get closer to the Lord and also to serve others. Question: What am I wasting time and money on that I could be using to help someone else?

Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness preparing for ministry . . .to serve. How can we better prepare to serve in the coming days?

Listen to this story . . .

https://youtu.be/-P1CcRphVnM

When African American businessman Robert F. Smith declared during a Morehouse College commencement speech that he would pay off the student loan debt of the entire 2019 graduating class of about 400 young men from the historically black school, he provoked a frenzy. Footage of the jubilant graduates immediately went viral, with an outpouring of hot takes on what the news meant.

As a historian of philanthropy, here’s what caught my eye: Smith said that he was making this roughly US$40 million gift on behalf of eight generations of his family with American roots.

On top of paying tribute to his ancestors, I see this generous act as an extension of the under-appreciated heritage of African American philanthropy that began soon after the first enslaved Africans disembarked in Virginia in 1619. Robert F. Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. He directs Vista’s investment strategy and decisions, governance and investor relations. Vista currently manages equity assets under management of over $73 billion and oversees a portfolio of more than 65 enterprise software, data and technology-enabled companies that employ over 70,000 people worldwide. Since Vista’s inception, Mr. Smith has supervised over 480 completed transactions representing more than $160 billion in aggregate transaction value. In 2017, Mr. Smith signed on to the Giving Pledge, the only African American to do so. In his pledge, Mr. Smith committed to investing half of his net worth during his lifetime “to causes that support equality of opportunity for African Americans, as well as causes that cultivate ecological protection to ensure a livable planet for future generations.” That same year he was named by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds.

https://theconversation.com/400-years-of-black-giving-from-the-days-of-slavery-to-the-2019-morehouse-graduation-121402

https://www.vistaequitypartners.com/about/team/robert-f-smith/

No fear . . .What can we learn from the past as we begin Lent?

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) 

When God leads, He provides. What can we learn from the past as we approach Lent? 

Despite challenges, closed doors, uphill battles and more, God can use each of us to make change. We must not allow fear to hold us back! When God leads, chains can and will be broken. There is much to be done in our society today. We must lead as a Church, as a Body of Christ, as ONE!  As we prepare to lead up to Resurrection Day, let's pray for God to use each of us for change!

Here is another HIS-tory lesson . . . .

The Lord was pleased to strengthen us, and remove all fear from us, and disposed our hearts to be as useful as possibleRichard Allen

Minister, educator and writer Richard Allen ((1760–1831) was born into slavery. He later converted to Methodism and bought his freedom. Fed up with the treatment of African American parishioners at the St. George Episcopal congregation, he eventually founded the first national Black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was also an activist and abolitionist whose ardent writings would inspire future visionaries. 

In 1794, Allen and several other Black Methodists founded the Bethel Church, a Black Episcopal meeting, in an old blacksmith’s shop. Bethel Church became known as "Mother Bethel" because it eventually birthed the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Helped by his second wife, Sarah, Allen also helped to hide escaped enslaved people, as the basement of the Bethel Church was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Then, in 1816, with support from representatives from other Black Methodist churches, Allen founded the first national Black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Today, the AME Church boasts more than 2.5 million members. Understanding the power of an economic boycott, Allen went on to form the Free Produce Society, where members would only purchase products from non-enslaved labor, in 1830. With a vision of equal treatment for all, he railed against slavery, influencing later civil rights leaders such as Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr.                                                                                                                   For more information see (https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/denominationalfounders/richard-allen.html).

It's OK to have a good time . . . just keep it God-honoring!

 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8: 9-10)

After the wall in Jerusalem had been rebuilt, guaranteeing the safety and flourishing of the city, the people gathered together in order to celebrate what they had accomplished by God’s power. On that day, Ezra the scribe stood on a tall platform so that he might read the Jewish law to all who had gathered. As he read, learned Levites helped the people understand the meaning of the text.  When the people heard the law and grasped its meaning, they were struck to the heart and began to weep. But then their leaders did a most surprising thing. They urged the people to stop crying and start partying!  

Today is Mardi Gras. Many of us associate Mardi Gras with lavish and lascivious celebrations in places such as New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro. Actually, Scripture encourages us to set aside special times for celebration, even doing that which is at the core of Mardi Gras. No . . . I’m not saying that there is any biblical warrant for the excesses of many Mardi Gras festivals, which look rather like what happened in Exodus 32 when the Israelites worshiped the golden calf. But the phrase Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday.” The name is derived from the classic Christian practice of eating fatty food on the Tuesday before Lent, in preparation for the Lenten fast from rich, sweet cuisine. (Some people actually refer to Mardi Gras as Pancake Tuesday because of their tradition of eating pancakes on the day before Lent.)

It's ok to have a good time . . .just keep it God-honoring! In fact, the Bible reveals that God created the good things in this life to be enjoyed . . . within limits. There is a time to eat the fat in celebration even as there is a time to fast in repentance, and plenty of times in between.

The Jews had many celebrations . . .the one written of in Nehemiah was leading up the Feast of Booths. Jesus in deed took part in such celebrations! These events would sometimes last weeks. . . . family, friends, and food and drinks. (remember the wedding feast!) Even some of their feasts got out of hand! 

So we as CHRIST-followers have much to celebrate, especially in such challenging times. So take time to celebrate the things of God. Celebrate all He has done and is doing . . . salvation, family, friends, memories, and all that is to come. Then tomorrow, when the Lenten Season begins, take time to fast, repent, and examine our lives seriously as we ponder the work of Jesus upon the cross! 

Wise Solomon would write about  "a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance . . ." (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

Lord, help us to know when it’s time to celebrate, and when it’s time to be solemn. Teach us how to enjoy good times with You and Your people. Keep us from excess that dishonors you and misuses Your good gifts.

So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

Let your gifts shine!

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.(Psalm 89:14)

 

Many of us are now familiar with this expression of tremendous talent. (https://youtu.be/Jp9pyMqnBzk) Ms. Amanda Gorman wowed us all on Inauguration day 2021! It reminded me of another young poet from the past . . .Phillis Wheatley!

“Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan
land, taught my benighted soul to understand That there's a God, that there's a Savior too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.”
― Phillis Wheatley, Poems of Phillis Wheatley

She (Ms. Wheatley) was born in Gambia, West Africa, stolen from her parents at age seven enslaved, and brought to America. Boston tailor John Wheatley purchased her as a personal servant for his wife, Susannah. Phillis displayed a ready intelligence, learned English quickly, and soon began reading and writing poetry.The Wheatleys were members of the famed Old South Meeting House in Boston, where Phillis attended church and was baptized at age 18. She achieved some renown with the publication, in England, of her Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral (1773). Though she had been examined by "18 of the most respectable characters in Boston" (to prove that she, a black women, really wrote the poems), no American publisher would publish her. Only with the help of evangelical philanthropist Selina, Countess of Huntington, did her poems come to the public's attention. As a result of her obvious gifts, her owners eventually gave her freedom.

Her poetry reflects the neoclassical style of the day but also reveals the circumstances of her life, especially her race and her faith. Perhaps her most famous poem was "On Being Brought from Africa to America," quoted above. Later she won the notice of General George Washington with a poem she dedicated to him. She also memorialized the work of evangelist George Whitefield, a pioneer in preaching to blacks. (https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-62/black-christianity-before-civil-war-gallery--fruit-of.html)

What is your gift? What is holding you back? Let your gifts shine despite the circumstances!

An ongoing story of HIStory being lived out. . . yet TODAY!

An ongoing story of HIStory being lived out. . . . yet today!

My first mission trip as a believer was to serve with Voice of Calvary in Mendenhall, MS, founded by John Perkins in 1962. I must say, that trip lit a fuse under me that still burns brightly and hot today! 

You can read his story here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/final-charge-john-m-perkins/ . 

This is the verse he loves by: Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, because it did not know Him. (1 John 3:1)

Here is his challenge to the younger generation today . . .and I must agree!

“Our job with them is to teach them not just to do life with each other, but to have the love of Christ,” he said. “Let’s get past working together and partying together and playing on athletic teams together, and let’s confront sin together. Let’s grow in faith together.”

For this generation, John Perkins’s message of forgiveness is just as crucial as it’s ever been.

It’s a gospel that’s leading Perkins, after nearly nine decades of working on civil rights and equal education and access to health care, to spend his last years on biblical reconciliation.

“The Bible says God made all people from one blood,” Perkins wrote in One Blood. “This tells me that he intended that humankind would be a people that were spiritually connected despite their cosmetic variations.”

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.(John 17:20-21)

Who are we leading today and where are we leading them?

“I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.” (Harriet Tubman) These words by Mrs. Tubman were based upon the following psalm:

20 

I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times. (Psalm 119:19-20) 

To this day Harriet Tubman is still remembered as “the Moses of her people” for good reason. From 1849 to 1860, in seventeen dangerous missions to the Confederate South, she helped more than three hundred slaves escape to freedom in the North.

Harriet’s selflessness and disregard for personal safety, along with her deep faith in God, enabled her to help family members and many others to escape the chains of slavery. She continues to inspire countless Americans more than a century after her death.

Who are we leading today and where are we leading them? Many need to freed from the bondage of sin. Many are chained to habits that have them trapped. As Mrs. Tubman heard from God, she moved in obedience, leading hundreds to freedom. 

As we keep our ears focused upon His Word, I pray it will open our eyes to see where He is leading us and to whom. We could use a Moses today! 

Will we obey His voice as Harriet Tubman once did?

As it is said: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. (Hebrews 3:15 HCSB)

it is time for the CHRISTian to speak up and act today!

 As Frederick Douglass looked out on the boisterous crowd that had gathered to celebrate America’s independence, he thought of Psalm 137.

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars

we hung our harps,

for there our captors asked us for songs,

our tormentors demanded songs of joy;

they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How can we sing the songs of the Lord

while in a foreign land? (v. 1–4)

The Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society had invited Douglass to deliver the keynote address for their Fourth of July celebrations in 1852. Fourteen summers earlier, Douglass had escaped from slavery. Now, at only 34, he was America’s most famous abolitionist.

Yet there’s a side of Douglass that’s not often remembered or celebrated: his radical Christian faith. Douglass was a kind of prophet crying in the wilderness of Christian slaveholding America. It’s no coincidence that in the most famous speech of his life—“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”—Douglass quoted the prophet Isaiah at length. He aspired to speak to America as biblical prophets once spoke to their people: with words of warning and rebuke, grace and hope.

In honor of one of my wife's forefathers, I say it is time for the CHRISTian to speak up and act today!

There is more to life than championships and talent!

But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. (1 Timothy 4:7-8)

During a 2015 interview with The New York Times’ Mark Leibovich, Tom Brady explained he was open to different belief systems. “But I think we’re into everything. . . . I don’t know what I believe. I think there’s a belief system, I’m just not sure what it is.” 

Many people will argue that Mr. Brady is the G.O.A.T. , especially after winning Super Bowl LV (his seventh) and another M.V.P. Comparing trophies and titles, he probably is! At 43 years old, he is indeed special! However, there is more to life than championships and talent!

A talent is something that you are instinctually born with that gives you unique skills and abilities. Talent is set apart from knowledge in that it is not a learned behavior, although it can be strengthened and practiced. The Bible tells us that we are all born with distinct talents and gifts that set us apart from each other. When you discover the talents that God has given you and you use them to glorify Him, you will experience a full life!

Though Mr. Brady has achieved so much, there is always a desire for more. He seems to never be satisfied. There has to be one more . . . When one is seeking worldly acclaim, there is always going to be one better, another accomplishment to achieve. Nothing is ever enough! Yet the one who is working and living to bring glory to God can find inner peace in knowing they are pleasing God, if not man!

The world demands more . . .God provides peace and contentment! 

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. (1 Timothy 6:6-7)

Fear anything? Where is YOUR Faith?

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” (Luke 8:22-25)

Fear anything? Where is YOUR Faith?

When asked by the Baltimore Ravens News if he was afraid of anything on the field, Jackson responded by shaking his head no. But surely something must scare him like heights, snakes, roller coasters or 300-pound defensive linemen?

"I fear God," he told the publication, adding that he prays before every game. (CBN News: 12/30/19) “I give Him all His praise, the glory, the honor ... When you feel like you’re bigger than the Lord, that’s when all that success die. It goes away.” Ravens QB Lamar Jackson @Lj_era8 talks about how God keeps him humble. (12/18/19)

As we approach the "big game", I can appreciate the many top athletes who not only know Christ, but are not afraid to say it and live it out in their daily lives. As a Ravens fan, I love the fact that many, from the coach on down, express their faith publicly, not for show but as a genuine lifestyle. Many athletes do in fact!

In a day when many are in fear in real life, not because of a 300-pound man chasing them or a 100 mph fastball bearing down on them, but real life fears such as Covid-19, social injustices, and job securities, we need the example of believers living out loud for Jesus Christ!

Do you fear anything today? Where is YOUR faith? In WHOM is your faith?