The Christmas Dawn: An Interpretive Prequel

The following video is a montage of Bible scriptures adapted from the NKJV and set to the music of Red Rider, The Moody Blues, Mariah Carey, and Kirk Franklin. The Christmas Dawn is my interpretation of a prequel to the story of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his eventually birth at the appointed time in a little town called Bethlehem. Photographs were shot mostly with our smartphones or other digital devices over time.  Following the embed feed, you should find the scriptural references to the video.  Merry Christmas, and may the Lord bless and keep you in the new year.

The Christmas Dawn (of Light and Darkness)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1,2)

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3)

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  (John 1:4)

[Accordingly], in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1)

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1:2)

Then God said, “Let there be light;” and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.  (Gen. 1:3,4)

[Because] God is light, in Him is no darkness at all.  (I John 1:5b)

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  (John 1:5)

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world [of whom John bore witness].  (John 1:9)

Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb. 1:3)

[However,] He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  (John 1:10,11)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  (John 1:12,13)

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren.  (Heb 1:10,11)

[For He declares,] “Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14)

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we many know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ [who is the Word of life].  This is the true God and eternal life.  (I John 1:1, I John 5:20)

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  (II Pet. 1:19)

[That] born to you this day in the city of David [is] a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11)

Civil Disobedience

Tiffany and I have been trying to retrain our dogs Diego and Salaye to stay off of the furniture.  We hope by doing this that we can some day get new furniture to keep nice; to invite guests into our home to sit and not walk away “hairy-fied.”  “How is that working,” you might ask.  Well, as you can see “someone” is not minding me.

Salaye only tends to disobey when it seems fitting that she can sit closer to me.  She yearns that connection because she seeks my comfort and companionship.  She hates not being near, and being on the floor next to me is not near enough.  I can feel her diaphragm pulsating against my side as she breathes, resting.

Where do you find rest?  Where is your comfort? Are you satisfied with being away from the Master, or are you willing by faith to step across the boundaries to meet Him where He is?  What barriers in your own life have you erected that hinders you from approaching or returning to the Father’s side?  He lovingly and patiently awaits your return with open arms.  Seek Him, and you’ll discover that He’s always been near.

New to Windows Live Writer, but Not to the Importance of Strong Fathers

Hey. Just testing out this application for updating my blog from Windows Live Writer.  Maybe this will be a good way to edit my blog.  However, so far I’m not impressed. I’m simply typing into a template that mimics the color scheme, typeface, and panel juxtaposition that is setup on the Blogger site.  I don’t see anything else that I’ve written or posted on the blog from this software. I can insert stuff like this picture of me and my pops at church in Detroit. 

This picture was taken earlier this year, I believe, during a special anniversary for the pastor of my dad’s church.  Dad has journeyed a long way to get to this point in his life. I praise the Lord for him because despite the disappointments, personal mistakes, and other trials that has marked his life, he has never stopped being a father.  He loves me and my sister very much as well as our spouses.  He loves his granddaughter with a papa’s love.  He loves my mom with a husband’s love.  He’s not perfect, but he’s proven to be strong.  He is a man of God.  And men of God are never perfect (except Jesus of course).  However, men of God strive to be more like Him. 

Windows Writer Live is not impressive, but Winfred Lee Carter is impressive; not because he is perfect, but because the Perfect One resides in him. Love you dad.

Pillars Addendum

I recently read a snippett in USA Today about Cam Newton, rookie quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. It read that he was the first college player since 1950 to win a national championship (Auburn), garner the Heisman Trophy, and secure the first round draft pick into the NFL. Some of you know that there was no "NFL" as we know it now in 1950, but that's not the point. Nor am I going to get into the debate over alleged NCAA violations and accusations, which is a stark media contrast to what the media is so ready to blush about now. I simply thought to myself, "Wow! What an accomplishment." Cam Newton is also keeping the football gurus salivated with a tall order of personal achievements on the field despite a 2-6 record as a Carolina Panther. As I reflected on this, I couldn't help but think about what a role-model Cam Newton could be to so many kids. Then...reality check.

Many African-Americans are still looking for heroic icons, living legends who are also black, for our children to look up to and whom they could also emulate. There are many. But in the mad rush to catapult men and women into that role on accomplishments and media exposure alone, many overlook the every day people, the mundane workadays who fittingly model hardwork, responsibility, and fairplay. Part of the problem (and perhaps the whole) is the breakdown of the family and the absence of "real" fathers in the home and men of "real" honor and dignity in many of our communities. I say this not to spite all of the hardworking, child-rearing, faith-building, hope-instilling, virtuous women who have mothered and modelled love, perseverance, and care for centuries. This is a call for men (who have not already done so) to step up and to reclaim a God-ordained stewardship entrusted to them. Wake the sleeping giants and let the pillars rise. If Cam Newton fits the bill, fine; but let's start with the normal Newtons first. But question (abrupt and perhaps awkward): does this person necessarily have to be black?

The Urban Remnant: An Abstract (Part One)

The solutions proposed by our society will not result in the world becoming a better place. – Dr. Jim Lang

If my people, who are called by my name, would humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive them of their sins, and will heal the land.
II Chronicles 7:14

Within the social and spiritual context of the city, what is needful? As it relates to life and godliness, nothing short of the effectual fervent working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of its people by the way of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through faith by God’s grace, will bring about the needed spiritual awakening and transformation of “da hood”. Beyond popular belief, the harsh, physical landscapes of the inner-city are not a direct reflection of the inner turmoil and emotional conflict of those that live there. No, if that were so, every nook and cranny of the American geographic would be a virtual wasteland of man’s spiritual condition and depravity. However, the effects of sin on our world and in the city are evident, and it takes shape in many different forms, particularly in a large number of communities in the city.

For instance, many predominantly black, inner-city communities in the U.S. are currently experiencing the adverse effects of imminent domain and widespread gentrification more than ever before (Micah 2:1,2). Years of gun violence, drug trafficking and abuse, failing schools, economic injustice, technological divide, racial parity and generational poverty have all slowly plagued many of these communities since desegregation and “white flight”; most have never recovered. Hence, the changing economy of neighborhoods, the lack of viable resources, and the apathy resulting from crime, broken families, job loss, poor housing and lack of education contribute immensely to the blight that we see, as well as experience. All of this, then, is the revealed side-effect of sin at work in the world and in the life of the inner-city.

Over the past 25 or more years, epidemic levels of hardship, blight, brain drain and spiritual anemia present in the black community have supplanted programmatic efforts to act on the social gospel of “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. Moreover, the presence of the local church seems to be increasingly inept and impotent in the face of these dire challenges, thus appearing to be “more heavenly minded than any earthly good”. In fact, with the number of mega churches increasing, less bible-believing, doctrinally sound congregations are being planted in inner-city communities. More congregations are moving out of “da hood” into bigger and better facilities located elsewhere. It does not help that most of the membership of many of the local churches that have remained commute to Sunday services from other neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs in the metropolitan area.

Adding worldly insult to spiritual injury, many of these communities have been deemed “hopeless”. School districts have commissioned school closings; city ordinances have made way for commercial building projects as well as housing whose affordability remains far out of reach of the pocket books of families and residents who have long endured. Subversively, local governments change the face of these communities and push the indigent further to the fringes of our already marginalized society (Isaiah 5:8). However, there is hope for the hopeless.

To make matters worse, many churches are preaching a deceptive gospel of prosperity (some out of greed) and a “cheap” kind of grace that speaks only to the love of God and His blessings, but never addresses the deeper heart issues behind man’s spiritual condition within the scope of “da hood”. These false prophets, then, rob the people both financially and spiritually because they do not understand the truth (Micah 2:8,9). Hence, many who live in these broken communities question God’s love and equate “blessings” with God’s favor.

Jesus Christ proclaims, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10) Jesus has taught us that He is Life. Everything else, then, is not life at all. However, the thief has been busy in the inner-city. According to Charles Lyons, pastor of Armitage Baptist Church in Chicago, “Urban evangelism is the biblical strategy to reach the world.” God’s biblical call to reach the world, then, begins at the lights on the hill. Urban Remnant has responded to the call, and like the prophet Nehemiah, we seek to repair the walls surrounding the city and to restore worship to the temple of God. Our mission is to return to the field of our broken communities in order to promote its emancipation from the bondage of apathy, hostility, fear and sin; and to cultivate the transformation of its people into the likeness of Christ. We will accomplish this by the power of God and through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, preaching the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples who will pursue holiness and in turn spread the Word. This call to renewal, then, will spur a sense of urgency to actively rebuild, educate and invigorate our communities in order to bring about financial peace, economic stability, academic excellence and spiritual awakening.

An Urban Remnant

A remnant is defined as the leftover or the small part that remains after the main part no longer exists. About nine years ago when my wife and I still lived in Detroit, we and our friends discussed the growing trend of the city's population drainage. This version of flight appeared to find its effect in a number of factors: increased blight, failing schools, poor city services, high property taxes, etc. As brain-drain increased, we also observed another trend, though alarming to us, that was observable for several years. Increasingly, many of the local churches in the city were becoming hubs for commuter traffic. What I mean by this is that most of the members of these local churches, particular in the large historical congregations and ministries, commuted from other cities or neighborhoods to attend worship services. We saw this trend as the growing barrier to local churches effectively reaching the communities they served with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Essentially, the people of God were not living amongst the people they served.

Our urban communities are changing everyday. The name Urban Remnant concerns itself with the city and the people who choose to remain despite. Its about the Ministry of Reconciliation lived out in the broken places. Its about making disciples, bearing fruit that remains, and positively affecting the spiritual growth of our local communities through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Urban Remnant seeks to spearhead a forum for discussing these matters and developing biblical strategies to address them.

Better than Life

Thought for the Morning: Tuesday, November 18, 2008


As I prayed this morning in my classroom, God impressed on my heart a thought that I seldom think about as I negotiate through a world system that emphasizes the needs of “self” over the needs of others. Although Christ promises us abundant life, His purpose for our lives is not that we have better ones, but that in His name, to His Father’s glory, and for the increase of His kingdom, I make better the lives of others. David expressed in the Psalms his praises to God for His loving-kindness: a deep, unselfishly loving faithfulness. It is this loving-kindness, he says, that is better than life itself (Psalm 63: 3).

What is my life? Does it consist of the abundance of things and the satisfaction of self-interests? Or is it Christ who is my life? Because Christ is my life, I have the ability by the power of the Holy Spirit to comprehend God’s loving-kindness toward me (Ephesians 3: 14 – 21). God’s provision (physical needs, spiritual formation, and emotional support) for me in all things ensures that I will be uniquely taken care of and it frees me to place focus on the lives of others. Hence, if I understand God’s deep love and unfettered commitment to me, which is my life, then by the power of His Spirit, I can share that deep love and unfettered commitment toward others. When I allow nothing to be done out of selfish ambition and conceit, but in lowliness of mind esteem others better than myself, then I am fulfilling the second commandment: to love thy neighbor as thyself.

Wisdom: the Value of Learning in the Face of Frustration.

An educator that shuns education, that's a travesty; but an educator that seeks to avoid validation, that's a trailblazer.
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Wisdom is the best education.
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When we were denied equal access to quality education, we as a people girded our loins and mustered strength for the good fight: to honor schooling and to value learning despite inferior resources and uphill battles for equality in the face of Jim Crow. Nearly fifty-five years since Brown v. the BOE, mostly every person has equal access to free and public K-12 education without discrimination or written rules that deny that access. Though the system is imperfect (look at the inequities in state school funding), in most cases the system, its tools, and resources available to students, families, teachers, and communities are undeniably better than those under "separate, but equal." However, something has been lost.

We no longer have the faith to fight the good fight in the face of the present trials that many of students in urban schools encounter. I'm not speaking about rallies, or marches, or protests, or legislation, or fiery dialogues at school board meetings and collective bargaining tables. We can do that. I'm speaking about the wholesale honor of schooling and the value of learning that, despite the challenges, familes instilled in their children. Teachers valued the learner more than themselves, and more so in our communities (I believe) than anywhere else because of those past challenges of racism and inequality. There was more autonomy.

Today, the high school drop-out and low graduation rates are staggering amongst many urban, African-American and Latino/a students. There are more students wrack with behavior and conduct disorders (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) that impede learning. Social and community issues plague our schools. Many inner-city educators are tired, some are simply there: to sit on tenure; no longer to be trailblazers in their classrooms to rally on behalf of their children. The system is broken. Teachers are broken. Students are broken. Families are broken. Communities are broken. The people rage, and the spirits are broken. We are broken.

No longer do we thrive and survive the fiery furnace. We simply burn like chaff in the blaze of a violent crucible. Why? It is my belief that the collective community of many inner-city student bodies perish in the flames because its people fail to believe, hope, trust for something better; and to value learning.

Of course I believe that the faith of our fathers saw us through many dangers, toils, and snares; and that mainly the God of our fathers through the Gospel of Christ. Yet, not all school communities are imperiled like many in urban or rural communities. They are broken in other ways. Yet there is something to be said about the faith, sweat, blood, tears, and prayers that blazed a trail toward actualizing that which our fathers envisioned as "better." Noah trusted God for that which was better. Abraham trusted God for that which was better. Moses trusted God for that was better. Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, Carter G. Woodson, A. Phillip Randolph, Mary McCleod Bethune-Cookman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Cesar Chavez; each one hoped for something better as the world raged. And within their spheres those hopes expanded, dreams realized in the lives of people who wanted "better."

We have to want better to get better. The best education is wisdom, as the Proverbist writes. "Get wisdom." It makes life all the more better.