Train done gone. The mind is a precious thing. Never is such a fact more obvious than when it starts to shutdown. Memory. Function. Relations. Those who loved the person are eventually forced to love a stranger. It doesn’t matter what the sickness is…the diagnosis for the remnant is heartbreak. The journey doesn’t stop with death. If so, one would be able to simply let the person go. In fact death is a further affliction for the survivors,... Read more
*Originally Published May 2014 A United States soldier processed the flag of the United States of America in to our sanctuary as we stood at attention singing “God Bless America.” The veterans in our midst were honored as we sang the “Star Spangled Banner.” The “Battle Hymn of the Republic” proceeded the pastor’s fiery sermon on the coming destruction of our beloved nation if we “…did not turn from our wicked ways.” Somehow gays, abortion and popular... Read more
“Thou shall have no other Gods but me…” One of the earliest teachings of the known God is to not have other Gods. I would imagine that the worship of a God of cloth would especially enrage God. Hypocrisy has long been at the center of this experiment known as the United States of America. From the beginning, we have declared our love of God and our hatred of our neighbor. Genocide of Native populations. Slavery of persons of... Read more
*Prepared remarks for the DFW Marijuana March 2018 / Delivered May 12, 2018 Good afternoon. It is interesting for me to find myself amongst you. I don’t smoke. However, I do know how to recognize injustice. I am a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have committed myself to fighting for the rights of all. While I don’t know if Jesus and the disciples smoked or not. However, I do know that Jesus is standing here... Read more
Do you think you could do it? Do you think that you could press a button to end your life? Most couldn’t. Terror filled the air. Nobody was getting out of the skyscraper alive. The fire got closer and closer. The flames birthed two options…jump or burn. “Hell awaits those who would dare defy the plan of God.” I heard it repeatedly. I guess they didn’t want us to kill ourselves…or perhaps misery loves company. Pain... Read more
*From May 4, 2018 at Dallas City Hall Good Evening. We’ve gathered here tonight to talk about guns. It wasn’t too long ago that we had a conversation about guns. It wasn’t too long ago that here in this very city we had a major tragedy involving guns. In these very streets…we marched for justice for Philando Castille and Alton Sterling. We were demanding justice with all that we had. We were demanding a reprieve from gun violence.... Read more
*From press conference against the proliferation of guns at Dallas City Hall on May 3, 2018 Good morning. Let’s get started. It hasn’t been too long since I was with my friend Dominique Alexander organizing a rally. you see, on July 7, 2016 we were marching peacefully down the street…we were collaborating with our police department…we were exercising our first amendment rights. I was in the middle of the front of the protest when shots rang out. Brother... Read more
Every blow looks like all the rest. A black person being brutalized by white cops. You can hear the desperation. You can hear the rage. You can hear the racists. The brutalization of Desmond Marrow is not an isolated incident. This explosion has been brewing for quite some time. “For God so loved the world…” Growing up, I heard it incessantly. We were a large church, though not large enough for someone to come down the aisle every Sunday.... Read more
*This piece is based on an incident that recently happened to 25-year-old Chikesia Clemons at a Waffle House in Saraland, Alabama The hour was late. Though she wanted to go to bed, she was still hungry. Every true Southerner knows about Waffle House. I know I’ve found myself there many times. Desiring something a little quicker than a full service meal, she had placed a meal to go. Sitting at the counter, she noticed the nasty... Read more
Things crashed. Money disappeared. Pain exploded. I was left with nothing. Everything crashed. Home was no more. For much time, I tried to do odd jobs to try to survive. In a society of religious people, honesty just didn’t pay. One morning, I woke up in the dirt. I could barely move. From that day forward, I decided to steal as long as I could. Bread. Water. Fruit. Vegetables. I stole whatever I needed to survive. Then, I... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In