Cool
Morris Day always comes to mind when I hear the word cool. Billy Dee Williams. Idris Elba. James Bond. Dick Tracy. A lot of other names and things come to mind when I think of the word cool, but not Jesus Christ. Growing up it never seemed cool to be a Christian. There were so many rules and regulations. However, I can think of a few other religions that are far more strict than Christianity. Jesus has never really been mainstream. A few fads every now and then. I’m sure you remember what would Jesus do and Jesus take the wheel. Kanye made it cool for Jesus to walk with me. God is Dope made it cool to rock pseudo-inspired apparel. God knew that salvation wasn’t a popularity contest. God knew that it wasn’t about likes and shares but more about followers. Remember that when you find yourself scrolling on social media. Who are you following?
Thorn
I remember playing with my grandmother’s rose bush. I just wanted to pick a rose without getting stuck. It became a game. I’m sure my grandmother didn’t appreciate my trying to pick her roses either. Needless to say, I was unsuccessful most of the time. I managed to get in trouble for attempting to pick a rose and ended up hurting myself in the process. How many of us find ourselves trying to pursue something and end up getting hurt in the process? We knew it was dangerous. We knew the risk, but we did it anyway.
I was even more intrigued by the theme of thorns in the bible. God didn’t remove Paul’s thorn. Jesus was given a crown of thorns. It was like God saying that pain is part of the process. You remember the pain. You remember being uncomfortable. You tend to learn the lesson when you aren’t saved from the part that hurts. Maybe God has allowed you to experience the pain of thorns in your life. Maybe you got some bad news. Maybe you lost something or someone you cherished. Maybe you are experiencing a difficult season. God has not forgotten you. He is reminding you that his grace is sufficient.
2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Advocate
noun /ˈadvəkət/
a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.
I’ve always heard that God was our advocate. He was on our side. He understood our pain. He felt our pain. He was human as much as he was God. He gets it. I’ve made comparisons about the plight of the African- American with Christ. They are very similar. Innocence didn’t stop the murder of Christ or any of the African American people who have died at the hand of law enforcement. In fact, religion and politics have played a very large role in both murders. This is not the season for quiet support. This is not the season for backroom checks. We need accomplices. We need people who are truly down with the cause. We need more than posterboards and catchy chants. ( I do like the catchy chants.) We need policies. We need reform. We need economic support. We need a change in how we indoctrinate racism systematically on all levels. We need advocates.
Reform
re·form /rəˈfôrm/ verb
make changes in (something, typically a social, political, or economic institution or practice) in order to improve it.
Reform. Say it. It’s not a bad word. It’s just hard. Change is hard. I get it. You’ve always done it this way. It ain’t broke. It still works. All of these are excuses. We keep justifying why we shouldn't change and ignore the fact we need to change. It’s bigger than statues and monuments. It's bigger than flags and protests. It’s institutional. It’s subtle reminders that justify the past. In order to grow, you must learn from the past. Glean and grow. Reform.
Enough
When is enough, enough? The signs have always been there lurking in the background. Fuel has been added. The country is on fire. The writing is on the wall. The bodies are adding up. The hate is real. The cheek has been turned. Not again. Not another name. What else needs to happen? Killer Mike said it best..."plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize." If you don't know what that means, no worries. I got you. I will be breaking those down over the next few weeks. We got to be strategic. This is not the time to be in our feelings. Enough already!
Intrepid
in·trep·id /inˈtrepəd/
adjective
fearless; adventurous (often used for rhetorical or humorous effect).
Kids are fearless. They are willing to do and try anything. They do not comprehend the danger associated with their actions. They innately trust people. They are not paralyzed by failure. They simply get up and try again. I see it every day with my daughter. She is learning to walk. She falls all the time, but she gets up and tries again. She hurts herself, but she tries again. We could take a page from her playbook. How many times have we failed? How many times have we just given up? How many times have we been paralyzed by fear? Why don’t we try again? Why can’t we be fearless? It’s all in our head. It is a mindset. Today, I want to remind you that we have been power. We have a sound mind. We are intrepid.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Idols
One of the first lessons in Sunday School, besides the fall of Adam and Eve, was the story of the Ten Commandments. Every Easter, I would watch Charlton Heston part the Red Sea. Back then, idols were just big golden calf statues. I soon learned why there were so many idol references in the bible. Idols are things you worship. They are things you put before God. Most of us probably don’t think we have idols, but we do. We have made money our idol. We have put our jobs before our family. We have put our pursuit of wealth before our personal wellbeing. We have made social media an idol. We have made pleasure an idol. The bible says to put no other god before me. It's like God knows that we will make things more important than our relationship with him. He knows that we will choose entertainment over bible study. He knows we will choose to talk to our friends before we pray. The only way to turn away from idols is to first recognize we have them.