love is an offering

My journey to Montgomery Alabama actually began unexpectedly.    Last Spring, I was preparing my lesson plans for my eighth graders.   The subject: “What is the purpose of government?”   The sub topic for that day was Justice.   From a biblical perspective and in light of our nation’s history, how should a Christian define justice?   As a Black man teaching predominately white students at a Christian school, God has called me to teach my students not simply from the text, but from a more culturally diverse perspective; to offer insight which opens dialog as well as provides a window into a world that is starkly different from their own, my world. So, in my search for depth of understanding the meaning of justice, I discovered a Ted Talk by Bryan Stevenson entitled “We need to talk about an injustice”.   In it, Mr. Stevenson shared a number of things: “We have a system of justice in (the US} that treats you much better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent.   W

I am no longer patient I'm tired of the basement Looking up at the floor Reaching for more The disenfranchised Used by the franchise But who understands when man cries? Or profits when man dies? The pie in the sky Is sold by the slice Cause freedom never comes  At a reasonable price So you can make your statements You can have your patience I want more from the nation than low expectations

http://edwardblaqrose.bandcamp.com/track/take-it-away-2

Purple Rain in Haiku Prince's Lyrics in Haiku Let’s Go Crazy Dearly Beloved Let’s go crazy.   Let’s get nuts Electric word life Take Me With U Don’t care where we go To spend the night in your arms Just take me with u The Beautiful Ones Baby, Baby, Bae Is it him or is it me? What’s it gonna be? Computer Blue Where is my love life? Till I find the righteous one Somebody please, please Darling Nikki A girl named Nikki I woke up the next morning Nikki wasn’t there      When Doves Cry Don’t make me chase you Alone in a world so cold Even doves have pride I Would Die 4 U I would die for you Make u good when you were bad I’m your Messiah Baby I’m a Star Hey, look me over! I ain’t got no money Baby, I’m a star! Purple Rain Only want to see u Bathing in the Purple Rain C’mon raise your hand

Please don’t tell me You don’t see color   Don’t worry I ain’t mad at you I’m just confused Why don’t you? Would you look at a sunset and say “Oh I don’t see its radiance” Or feel the breeze of a Colorado summer morning and say “Oh I don’t feel that cool breeze on my face”? Now I’m not delusional I know I’m not a sunset or a morning breeze But I am a man A black man And I see you, brother So please don’t tell me You don’t see me Ignoring our diversity Is not bringing us closer together It’s creating an invisible wall of silence Acceptance because I assimilated is not acceptance And pretending that I “fit in” when I don’t creates suspicion and ignorance Fear and tension The Enemy uses these weapons to create the borderlines between us So talk to me I want to talk to you Listen to me I want to listen to you We don’t have to agree on everything Believe it or not I don’t agree with every black person I know either But the

Chores I never thanked God That I could clean Doing chores like mopping floors Never apart of my dream They never made my prayer request I cannot lie Until I learn the difference Between what and why “What” is the task you do with your hands But “why” is the part that few understand The reason behind your dreams and plans See, scrubbing floors can change a man So the answer to why I’m wiping stains Is not that difficult to explain It’s something deep inside, engrained See my mother was willing to do the same So the legacy of sacrifice Was passed down to me Why am I doing chores at night? Cause I love my family I love my family.