love is an offering

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.

Thank you... For each and every voice that spoke life into me In and out of season For family who became friends and friends who became family In and out season For those who gave their all, so I could give it right back In and out of season For the love, the hugs and the cussing out when I needed it In and out of season For the brothers at the barber shop who never let me get out of that chair without reminding me that I was more than a haircut In and out of season For that old man who learned how to read so he could fulfill his calling to preach In and out of season For the king who became a slave because He wanted to set me free In and out of season Thank you.  

It’s finally night. My children are sleeping peacefully. My beautiful bride is reading by candlelight and I’m pacing the floor. Can’t sleep.   I just can’t sleep.   I don’t believe I deserve sleep.   The stars are quietly calling out to me, but I’m not ready.   I’m not ready to face …him.   I wouldn’t know how to start the conversation. “What’s on your mind?” My wife walks up behind me as I look out of the window.   She wraps her arms around me and gently lays her head on my upper back. “…I don’t know. I don’t know how to answer that.” I stare up in the night sky wishing it would give me an escape from my guilt and shame. “You know what you need to do.” “Yes. I do.” “But?” She turns me around to face her. Her eyes sparkled against the night’s light. “I’m not ready. I don’t know what to say to him. I need time to think.” “Then go think.   Get your mind right again.” “I should.” “Take your friends with you.” “Lis...

The fear, the anger, the lust, lure and abuse of power, the thirst and hunger for violence, the socialism, classism, the racism and humanism doesn't just fester in "foreign countries" or in science fiction movies, but in our safe places, gated communities, places of worship, strong holds, even in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. I have to do more than hashtag my anger or cut and paste a famous quote or Scripture out of context.  I have to be more than a nice guy in a mean world. I honestly have no fast acting pain reliever for these open wounds. All I have is a soul that is tired, so to my Heavenly Father I surrender. I surrender my personal, my parental fear, my comfort zone, my pride, my biases, my lust, my social anxiety every time I'm in a place where my race is out numbered and even when I'm in places where my race is the majority, and yes I surrender even my own selfish desire to live in a world that I can rule and control. I surrender all. Bu...

In life, there are both hard and easy things that must be done in order to grow as a person.  Now, we do the hard things in order to overcome life's challenges and experience growth, maturity and freedom. Hard things like having tough conversations while speaking the truth in love, apologizing with sincerity and humility, blessing a person who can't stand you.  However, equally as important, is knowing when to do the easy things.  What are the easy things?  Those small things that take minimal effort and are relatively inexpensive, but make huge differences in your life and in the lives of the people that you love and serve. Things like listening before you speak, giving your time and attention to someone in need of a listening ear, caring enough to ease the burden of someone in need of a break. I've discovered that peace, joy and contentment is found between the tension of the doing the hard things that must to be done as well as the easy things that mustn't be ...

 A teacher doesn't just teach students.  He teaches the future.  Future mothers and fathers.  He teachers the children of his students, because those students will teach their children what he's  taught them.  We shape worldviews.  Our challenges forges destinies.  We are called to be true and real, because false teachers damage the tomorrows.  False teachers don't just fail students. They fail the future.  Crush dreams. And only God can repair the damage... Teachers don't just teach a subject, they share their souls. They filled minds with visions, possibilities and hope.  We are not gods.  We are not perfect. We take risks. Some soar. Some crash.  We fall. We fail. We get back up. We persevere. We are tools in the Master's hand, shaping His clay to resemble His image.  The best of us contribute to humanity and build legacies.  To teach is a calling that we don't ...