Growing up in the south, you are taught the trinity of love: God, Family and Football. I think it all begins on the same Sunday you’re christened, surrounded by grandparents and second cousins twice removed. This event is followed by a lavish Sunday meal after which, the house is filled with screams of would be coaches who, of course, know the game better than the men on the sidelines. On Thanksgiving, we gather with our families in gratitude for our blessings. Then, we eat another lavish meal, (maybe food should be part of this trinity) after which, the ‘coaches’ crowd the room with the largest TV to scream obscenities at the idiots on the field. From Friday night lights in the fall to Super Bowl Sunday, football connects us.
I was raised with stories of high school football rivalries and a Redskins loving Grandmother, but my true passion for the game did not emerge until the turn of the century with the story of the Baltimore Ravens and their championship season. I identified with this team as they overcame individual issues like court scandals, the tragedy of miscarriage and a quarterback who was constantly told he could not do it. They were underestimated, verbally attacked and dismissed as thugs. Ultimately, they proved the naysayers wrong and came out victorious, together.
As a woman, it is the stories that fuel my love for sports. It’s the strategic planning that builds a defense to stop an offense from scoring. It’s the tunnel vision of the runner or sprinter who does not think about the competitor on their left or right but only sees the finish line. It’s the enormous dedication of an athlete to pursue excellence. Much of what makes me an avid sports fan is what happens before the players hit the field or get into the starting blocks. Because on the field, on the court or on the track, the only thing that matters is what you can do as the clock hits 0:00.
I am an actress. Though the statement seems so simple, stating that fact, is not. I have run from this statement for decades. Yet, the farther I thought I ran, the closer God shoved me towards this admission.
I toyed with the entertainment industry in obvious and subtle ways. In high school, I volunteered to be an usher for school plays. I watched as classmates performed on stage and wished I had their courage. I worked for a major hotel in college, hoping I would come across a celebrity or two. Every time a document came through the office pertaining to entertainment business, I made copies and studied it in detail. I interviewed for administrative positions at TV stations and agencies, never revealing my deep seeded desire to be in front of the camera.
Finally, I decided to take an acting class at a national chain school. WARNING: These schools exist mostly to feed people with stars in their eyes, but no real talent. The instructors are usually actors trying to pay the bills. I got lucky though…or blessed. After a few months, an instructor pulled me into his office after class. He posed a question similar to Erica’s Question. As he spoke about the advanced level with which I performed, I was torn in my emotions. The idea that a professional was so impressed with my ability was flattering. However, I struggled with the idea of facing what I had been running from for so long. I stopped going to the class.
I spent the next couple of years working a very well paying ‘regular job’ and was fine doing just that. My spirit was not fine. Each day, I went to work knowing that I was not walking in my purpose. I thought it was a hole that needed to be filled. So, I searched for another job. I was still empty. I went back to school. The hole was still there. I threw myself into ministry work. That simply magnified the sound of emptiness. Silence can be deafening. I decided to listen. I opened His word and God spoke.
“…Get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” Genesis 12:1 KJV
God’s command to move was not exciting to me. It was against how I operated in life. It seemed crazy. It seemed impulsive. I childishly argued with God about this move. He was telling me things about his plan for my life that I thought I was not ready for and moreover, that I thought would not work. I did not want to leave my friends, my church and my comfort zone. As I questioned him about what he told me to do, suddenly I realized that I was feeling something at odds with my valid questions. Peace.
“Be anxious for nothing…let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
I surrendered to the move, but I gave God a 3 year time limit. I have been in Los Angeles for 12 years.
What has transpired in that decade has been nothing short of amazing. I have learned so much about an industry that was outside of my being. My talent has been challenged to grow into craft. (Thankfully, I found real classes.) I have become near family with people I watched as a child and growing into adulthood. I have experienced God’s heart through the moving of his hand. There are so many stories that I could not have imagined. And there are so many more that have yet to be written.
I spent a long time afraid to tell others what I moved to Los Angeles to do. I did not want to be another one of those people. I did not move to Los Angeles with stars in my eyes. I moved here on a word and a promise from God. I moved here to act but I also moved here to grow. I moved here to discover all of the gifts God gracefully placed inside me. I moved here, away from the familiar, to learn new aspects of myself and of my Wonderful God.
One of the big lessons I have learned in the past 12 years is that if you love God, you cannot run from his purpose for your life. You can try, but it doesn’t work. You waste valuable time going in circles or being forced to make constant U-turns. In the process, you delay your own blessings that God is so eager to give. I’m done going in circles. I made my last U-turn.
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 NIV
I am an actress. I am not ashamed of pursuing the vision God has for my life. I am an actress. And as it is written at the end of good cliffhanger…
I had a childhood friend whose house I loved going to for sleepovers because they had many things that my house didn’t. Their house had stairs and a view of the river. They had pets. There was a television in every room, including the kitchen! Their house also had a married mother and father who rarely argued. A sleepover there was like living my fantasy for a weekend.
As I got older, the fantasy began to clear as I saw the cracks in the stairs and the polluted waters of the river. I noticed how each television allowed each family member to sit alone rather than together. And I realized the reason the parents rarely argued was because they rarely spoke.
Couples, who have been married for decades, are always asked what made their marriage successful. Various factors compose their answers but the most common thread tends to be communication. Any relationship can survive speed bumps and maybe a pitfall; but no relationship can thrive if people are not talking to each other.
This is also true when it comes to a relationship with God.
People (especially church folk) tend to make prayer this deep sanctimonious ritual with pious phrases or a crowd rousing soliloquy. Sometimes it is used for bragging rights with comments like, “I pray three times a day,” or “The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is get on my knees.” I do not seek to minimize these efforts as they can be quite noble in their intent. However, I sometimes wonder if for all these efforts, their relationship is filled with formality and no personal connection.
I was raised believing these formalities were necessary. Then, at a young age, I hit a major pitfall.
At that time, I was lost in a very dark place with no direction. I desperately needed to talk to God, but the typical forms of prayers were not enough for me. I found my prayers to be filled with rehearsed platitudes learned from years of emotional church revivals and Sunday morning services. They seemed impersonal and I needed to express how I was feeling in my own uncensored way. I needed to speak from my heart; and I needed him to speak directly to me. So, I picked up an old homework notebook and began to write. “Dear God…”
My letter was the uncensored truth of a human Christian. It was the pain of my struggle. I honestly expressed the uncertainty of my faith and my desperation for an answer. After writing the letter, I read it aloud. I prayed my letter. Then I opened my Bible and began to read. Immediately, I was led to a verse I had never come across at the time; Colossians 4:2. Though it was not exactly what I wanted to hear, I knew God had told me what to do. He turned on a tiny light in the midst of my darkness. In a strange, but comforting way, God and I had an actual conversation.
About a month later, when I needed a brighter light, I found myself writing another letter. Then again, the following month. The next summer, I had written several in June and July. Finally, by the end of that year, I bought a larger notebook for my daily letters. 20 years later, my letters are still filled with my truth and 20 years later, God still speaks.
Prayer is simply having a conversation with God.
Yes, a conversation.
It is not one-sided. It is not a monologue. It involves listening; mostly on your end. Listening is what often leads to a worship experience as it allows for God’s beautiful and comforting spirit to speak.
If you listen, he will speak to you personally. You will hear the loving words of his heart for you. You will hear (and feel) the breath of his whispers on the back of your neck and in the depth of your soul. It is the same breath that gave you life. It is the same breath that can breathe on those dreams you thought had died with your broken heart. The breath of his whispers can give them, and you, new life.
But you have to talk to him. Trust me…
He’s listening.
“They have to amputate your Daddy’s leg.”
Silence. Heart sinks. Breath shortens.
“Hello?”
The last phone call that elicited that reaction was one that informed me of my Mother’s death. The only word I could formulate in my head was ‘finally.’ Her physical death was one I had prepared for mentally and emotionally. The call was not a surprise. The call was not unexpected. It was almost a formality.
This phone call was different.
My stepfather is the love of my life. He taught me to ride a bike. He defended me against dangers in the neighborhood and sometimes at home. He listened to my teenage problems without judgment. He is hard-working and kindhearted. He is flawed but pushes through life with truth and integrity. He gave me aunts, uncles and cousins that I love and that love me too. He is a major reason I look forward to being a stepmother someday.
His leg is gone now and it still doesn’t seem real to me because I haven’t been able to go home yet. I communicate regularly with my family to stay informed of his condition. Things are progressing. He sounds pretty good when I talk to him. However, I wonder about the shock to his psyche when he looks down. Then I remember the importance of looking up.
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD , which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
Looking down can be discouraging but it can also be dangerous. It is one of the first lessons we’re taught as toddlers learning to walk or teenagers learning to drive. You must look where you’re going. Otherwise, you fall. You crash. Staying focused on what’s ahead and where your help is coming, inches you closer to each destination.
I am confident that my stepfather will push through this as he has in past situations. It will be a long journey but with the help coming from up and all around, he will make it to his final destination.
I am still quite livid over the Greenleaf Soundtrack: Volume 2’s win for Outstanding Gospel Album at this past 2018 NAACP Image Awards. My shock stems from the idea that an award show that is specifically meant to celebrate the success of African-American entertainment should recognize genuine artists to the specific genres. A category like Gospel Music should epitomize the purpose of these particular awards because Gospel music is synonymous with African-American culture.
Unfortunately, more often than not, mainstream awards tend to allow voters to vote in categories of which they may be fans but are not particularly knowledgeable about the genre. This was the inevitable case with the Image Awards as this was the first year voting was open to the public and not only NAACP members.
That’s very inclusive… but also a problem.
Case in Point…Below is the Final Voting procedure for the Grammy’s as stated on the official Grammy Awards site.
Final-round ballots are sent to voting members in good dues standing. The finalists determined by the special nominating committees are also included in this ballot. In this last round, Recording Academy members may vote in up to 15 categories in the genre fields plus the four categories of the General Field (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist.) Ballots again are tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Deloitte.
This means for example, I enjoy classical music. I will attend a symphony or chamber music concert when invited. I am not a fan of classical music from the Baroque period but I will listen to anything in and past the late 18th century. My knowledge of this genre is minimal. I cannot identify a composer by listening to the piece. I am not familiar with any of the current trends within the genre. I do not know any composers or orchestras who are most popular on classical radio stations, among classical fans or on the Billboard charts. To me, these facts would automatically disqualify me from voting for an award in this genre. If I did, I would simply select a name or piece I remotely recognize. This would more than likely result in a display of my ignorance of the genre.
And so it goes…
In mainstream music awards that attempt to celebrate all genres, the winners tend to be names that reflect pop culture’s lack of knowledge about genres with smaller fan bases like gospel, classical and jazz music. For instance Gladys Knight’s 2006 win for Best Gospel Choir over Gospel Choir giants like John P. Kee, Hezekiah Walker, Donald Lawrence and Kurt Carr; all of which (except Hezekiah Walker) have never received a Grammy. It is also reflected in the six Grammy awards the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has won in this same category over those same Gospel giants.
This is not to take away from the talent of those who win. Their win contributes to the genre’s crossover legitimacy and appeal. However, this lack of knowledge does take away from the deserving artist’s chance of being a part of that crossover.
Anthony Brown and The 2016 Grammy Awards
I will start by stating that I am not an avid fan of Anthony Brown. I will listen to his songs on the radio or streaming but I do not follow his music. What happened to him in 2016 must be noted as it is an excellent and clear example of what happens to Gospel music at mainstream awards.
In 2015, Anthony Brown and Group TherAPy catapulted to Gospel music stardom with their sophomore album Everyday Jesus. The single Worth was in constant rotation on Gospel music stations. It was a favorite in church services nationwide. Worth spent 142 weeks on Billboard Gospel charts, during which, many of those weeks were at #1. Anthony Brown began collecting awards for this album in 2016. He won two Dove Awards and broke records at the Stellar Awards where he swept all 10 categories for which he was nominated. The accolades were racking up…until the Grammy’s.
I can’t even begin to address the absolute dumbfounded fact that Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy’s Everyday Jesus was not even nominated in the category for Best Gospel Album. So, commenting on the winner of that category is almost irrelevant to this assessment except for the fact that Israel & New Breed, that year’s winner, is another somewhat recognized Gospel music name in pop culture.
The calendar was not kind as Kirk Franklin (the name above all names in pop culture when it comes to Gospel music) dropped his single Wanna Be Happy the same year Anthony Brown released Worth. It is a virtual certainty that if Kirk Franklin’s name is in a Gospel category at the Grammy Awards, the trophy goes to him. 2016 was no different. Wanna Be Happy won the award for Best Gospel Performance/Song in a field filled with very deserving singles, most notably, Worth. Again, this is not to take away from the success of Kirk Franklin’s single. However, considering the other nominees particularly Anthony Brown after all of his success that year, the results beg the question: Was Worth and the other singles victims of the Recording Academy’s ignorance of Gospel Music?
Kirk Franklin himself seems to have had a theory:
I wish I could fully express, as a Gospel music fan, how impressed and proud I was of Kirk Franklin in that moment. I enjoy Franklin’s music but I am a much bigger fan of his humility in crossover arenas. He recognized the very real possibility that he had won an award because of the Recording Academy’s lack of knowledge pertaining to the current trends in Gospel music. In so doing, he was able to introduce mainstream music to Gospel music artists who are making major waves in the genre.
2018 Gospel Music Awards Season
This year, Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy is again nominated for 10 Stellar Awards. He did not, however, receive a nomination for a Grammy.
His name was also absent from the NAACP Image Award nominee list for the Outstanding Gospel Album category. Even more baffling is the fact that the eventual Image Award winner in this category didn’t even chart on Billboard.
It is unfortunately expected that the Grammy voters would display their ignorance of the current trends and artists in Gospel music (Expected but NOT accepted). They have done it all too often. But when the NAACP fails to recognize one of the biggest and most decorated names currently in Gospel and instead nominate an album that doesn’t get nearly as much rotation…it is an insult to the artists of that genre.
As for the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan 28, I was very interested to see who would walk away with the trophy. Thankfully, after the 2015 restructuring of the Gospel/Contemporary Christian field, the categories better reflect the artists nominated. According to a Grammy poll, fans were rooting for Travis Greene to take home Best Gospel Album. I knew it would be tough as the most familiar name in the category to Grammy voters is CeCe Winans with her Gospel family pedigree. Predictably, she won.
I can’t say the polls were wrong because the polls are voted by the fans. It is the fans who know the genre. It’s the fans who know the artists. It’s the fans who know the trends. I believe it is the poll who proved the Recording Academy wrong. The Grammy voters’ knowledge of what is current in Gospel music is minimal.
What is it going to take for the Recording Academy to acknowledge current talent in Gospel music? Maybe Kirk Franklin has to win yet another Grammy to bring the current Gospel artists on stage, again, so the Recording Academy can get a clue.
P.S. Respect still goes to CeCe Winans and her ministry.
The first and most important thing to know about my musical taste is that I do not and will not buy anything of any artist that I don’t believe I will listen to for life. Thus, my music collection is quite small. It consists mostly of my treasured but almost obsolete cassette tapes. I was finally forced into purchasing my first CD in 2007 when I could no longer get a vehicle with a tape deck. Though I was happy to have Kirk Franklin’s new project, The Fight of my Life, I was crushed by the fact that I had to succumb to the changing technology.
Until this past Friday, I had only purchased three CD’s since then, including another Kirk Franklin project. The music of today was not moving me in the slightest. Artists did not seem to be creative anymore, but rather imitators of past success, in an attempt to gain success. I was disappointed in what every genre had to offer and was particularly disappointed in gospel music as this genre seemed to be stunted.
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?” Isaiah 43:19
The 90’s saw a huge shift in the world of gospel music. I grew up in an era where choirs ruled gospel airwaves; then Kirk Franklin hit the scene and expanded the idea of what choirs could be. Bebe & Cece Winans were the closest we had seen gospel artists come to being crossover artists; then Yolanda Adams dropped Open My Heart with her powerful vocals and garnered awards typically given to the mainstream. The Black Church was notorious for the devotional part of service known for old spirituals and testimonies; then Fred Hammond introduced us to Praise & Worship and changed what we know as the ‘Order of Service.’
I believe what made these artists become industry shakers in the gospel arena was their commitment to just be themselves. They each told their personal stories in their own way. Audiences are attracted to authenticity. These artists dared to be musically different in their approach to telling the good news of Christ. For over a decade, I had lost hope in the ability of the Gospel industry to embrace a new and authentic sound. Then, while watching the 2014 Stellar Awards, I saw Jonathan McReynolds.
With just his guitar and a mic, this artist restored my faith in the possibility that Gospel music could evolve without losing the message of Jesus. The lyrics of No Gray were brutally honest and what I thought to be a clever clap back at church culture. I began to follow more of Jonathan’s performances online. Eventually, radio caught on to this new talent and I heard his music played on local stations as well as satellite radio. However, I was still not willing to actually purchase an album until I heard the song Pressure, a couple of months ago.
That was it for me! McReynolds was able to create a prayerful worship song with a Neo-soul vibe capable of penetrating even the hedonistic ear. I was late to the game as his new album had been released over 6 months earlier but I had to get it. It is a purchase I am happy to add to my collection. More importantly, it is a project of which I can share with unsaved friends to show the continual evolution of gospel and loving message of The Gospel.
I can’t pinpoint the exact day but I believe it was around my 2nd year in college when I fell completely, totally and madly in love. Our relationship has been quite tumultuous. There have been good years. There have been bad years. I’m quite sure I even fell out of love at one point. Today, however, I can confidently say I am more in love than I’ve ever been.
I call my blog ‘Loving God Ain’t Easy’ because it’s true. It is not always easy to love someone who allows such horrible things to happen to you and others. There are many things I do not understand about God’s love but I do know that he loves me. In a weird way, that echoes the rationalizations of an abused woman. The difference is while an abuser feeds off the power of his abuse, God’s love does not gain anything from our afflictions. He does not take pleasure in it.
“For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” Lamentations 3:33 NIV
I discovered the book of Lamentations during my senior year of high school. During that time, I was very angry with God. I had lost the woman I knew to be my mother and was now taking care of her shell along with my Grandfather. I slept with one eye open and constantly listened for staggered breathing or the cries of paranoia. I was questioning everything I knew to be true about God. Then one night I opened my Bible and found chapter 3 of this mournful book. The first verse that caught my eye was verse 27.
“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” Lamentations 3:27 KJV
I screamed at God within myself. How can that be good??!!! Did this mean I would not face so much when I got older? As I backed up within the chapter and began to read it in its entirety, I noticed one word repeated…hope. There was hope lost, hope found and hope gained. The chapter was a reality, my reality, of an honest and sincere relationship with God. It was the first time I understood that it was OK to be angry with Him. Yes, it was good that I bear this yoke because I was discovering what it meant to love God. I discovered the truth seldom discussed about relationship with Him.
Sometimes God will piss you off. I cannot dress that emotion in poetic or more church-y terms. I get pissed at him. However, my anger and frustration is founded in my love for him. I am angry at circumstances and frustrated with the inability to see his love through those circumstances. It does not change the truth that God’s love is present. He is not getting his kicks out of seeing us go through bad times. He is ensuring that we do not succumb to them. I remind myself of this truth constantly.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” Lamentations 3:21 KJV
Every time I think I have grown in the area of trusting God, something happens to test my growth. Sometimes I pass. Sometimes I don’t. However, God comes through every time. So, why do I still struggle with trust?
The last several years have been a constant series of tests. During these tests, I have heard the chorus of a song my Charleston pastor occasionally sang during church services. I loved to hear that song growing up. The melody was beautifully written and the lyrics were pleasantly simple. I knew all the lyrics as a teenager, but today, I can only remember the chorus.
Trust in God
for everything you need.
He’ll make a way.
Just trust him and believe.
I hear this refrain loudly in my ears. There are moments when I open my mouth and the lyrics flood from my spirit so fast that my brain does not catch up until I hear the second line. It is a resounding, blatant command that has been given during major opposition. Obeying the command always produces favorable results.
“…Be not afraid, only believe” Mark 5:36 KJV
I think I am now facing a ‘semester exam’ of sorts. I am approaching a season in my life where trusting God will be critical and must be a second nature practice. The beginner’s class asks us to turn to God when faced with opposition. Advanced level courses require much more. I am now asked to recognize problems as already solved and maneuver life based on that fact.
“I will go before you and make the crooked places straight…” Isaiah 45:2 KJV
“The Lord your God who goes before you, he will fight for you…” Deuteronomy 1:30 Amplified
As I walk into new territories, I must do so knowing that God has already been here. He has not only prepared me for the move; he has prepared the move for me. He has strategically placed people and scheduled events to assist me along the way. Yes, he has made a way.
But I think I have to pass this semester exam before going further. I have the verses and the testimonies to definitively pass this exam. I am firmly set on passing it. I don’t know if I’ll ace it, but I’ll definitely pass.
Mostly because I do not want to go through this course again.
I like to say that I am ‘denominationaly diverse.’ I was born into a Pentecostal Holiness church to which my Grandmother was an evangelist. The 6 hour services were enough to make my mother change churches as soon as my Grandmother died. We joined an A.M.E Zion church with services that were half the time but still provided the lively worship we were accustomed to. When I became an adult, I joined a church that was transitioning from Baptist to non-denominational. All of these churches have two things in common. First, each of these ministries played vitally important roles in my spiritual growth. The impact of the wonderful teaching I received cannot be measured. Secondly, all three were large, well known ministries that became victims of horrible public scandals.
I have seen my leaders imprisoned for sexual abuse, drug possession and tax evasion. I have been torn between my love for them and my disgust for them in knowing that their sentence was justified. I have felt the horrible pit in my stomach when I had to answer the question, “What church do you go to?” I have seen the disparaging looks when I gave my answer.
“not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…” Hebrews 10:25 NIV
Church membership can be a complex issue. Thankfully, I had a mother who made it simple by teaching me real lessons about joining a ministry. She did not leave the 6 hour services at my Grandmother’s church because they were too long. She left because in those 6 hours, she was not being fed. Her spirit, as well as her daughter’s, was being malnourished. Therefore, we had to go.
“So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” Matthew 23:3 NIV
I believe the most important lesson she taught me about joining a ministry is understanding the difference between the messenger and the Message. The messenger is human. The Message is divine. The messenger can change. The Message never changes. The messenger is always flawed. The Message is always healing. The messenger is man and he or she can fail. The Message is the Gospel…and the Gospel will never fail.
That lesson is what has kept me during turbulent times of church membership. It has made me study the Bible for myself. It has ensured that my spiritual foundation is built on my relationship with God and not my relationship with whoever stands at the pulpit. Both of my adult memberships have been a result of God drawing me to the ministry. He may have used a great preacher or a beautiful choir to draw me, but they were not the reason I joined the church. I joined because my spirit had found a home.
I am proud to say I was a member of Abundant Life Tabernacle in Charleston, SC and Greater Salem Church in Charlotte, NC. God used both pastors and ministries to teach me about giving, order, vision and excellence. Today, I am a member of an awesome ministry in California. I am growing exponentially in faith, trust, discipleship and so many other areas. There are no scandals to report…Thank God! Though, if there were, I would not leave until God gave the release.
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22 KJV
Do not allow man’s issues to deter you from the place God has created to nurture your spirit. Yes, church membership can be murky but God is the original Mr. Clean.
I am still elated from this past Saturday night. It was an incredible evening of music and dancing. I listened intently to get to know more about this beautiful new soul I had encountered. Our meeting was definitely not by chance, but divine. No, I was not on a date with some hot guy. I was at a concert, such that I have never been before.
While preparing my Children’s Church lesson about missionary work, I came across a music video from the Watoto Children’s Choir. I was immediately intrigued as African choral is my favorite music genre. No one harmonizes or captures rhythm like African culture. I believe that because their ears are not as tainted by technology as Western culture, the people of Africa are able to tap into the natural ability that God gave humanity to hear the music of creation. The video characterized that ability. At that moment, I wanted to know more about this choir. I went to their website here, and discovered more than I could imagine. The Watoto Children’s choir is more than a choir. They are part of a huge missions ministry!
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called Children of God! And that is what we are!… I John 3:1 NIV
The Watoto Ministry is a “holistic care” ministry for orphaned children and vulnerable women in Uganda. Their purpose is to Rescue people, Raise them to be leaders of the mission to Rebuild their nation. All of the members of the choir are children who have lost one or both of their parents and now live in the Watoto village. They tour the world with their beautiful music, their message of Christ and their story of missions. As I browsed the site, I was floored to find that they were performing only 40 minutes away. I dropped everything to be at that concert. It was so worth it!
Along with the ability to hear the music of God’s creation, the people of Africa are able to praise God with an exuberance that some Americans seem to sneer at in church culture and particular denominations. Those sneers disgust me. American culture cannot fathom the journey that brought these children before them. I watched, and joined in, as the stage became an altar filled with sacrifices of praise in so many forms. Eyes closed, hands lifted, lively shouts and energetic dancing covered the pulpit. These children and leaders were in pure worship in spite of their journeys because they seem to know the awesome wonder of who God is. They were Psalm 150, exemplified.
The best thing about experiencing the Watoto Children’s Choir is being compelled to act. Again, this was not just a concert for me. I was moved to do something. Though I could not sponsor a child, I purchased the album and t-shirt afterwards. Yet, I had to do more. I am so excited to have finally found a mission project with which I want to be involved. I will do continued research to see where I can be of service. For now, I am starting with the post you’re reading, in hopes that you too, will be compelled to act. For more information, I urge you to go to their website www.watoto.com and check out their video below. Pray about what mission work God has for you to do.
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