Heart, Mind, and Jugular

"Man must not live on bread alone...BUT on every word that comes from the mouth of God" Matthew 4:4....well, after the intense season of grief, fatigue and the remnants of an overwhelming rough start last year...I'm finally ready to share why NOTHING can sustain us like the word of God when life does...what it does. Check it out. 

What's good fam?!...I know it's been a minute, but I'm back...AND! We're talking about my life, new calling..and what Samuel, Eli and community have to do with all of it. So..like we always do, let's get into it!

In this last episode of songs that encourage (for this season) , we'll explore what John 20:19-31 (NIV), "The Prince of Egypt", and "Made a way" by Travis Greene, have to say about remembering to believe/ have faith when life hits us. We'll also see how  my stint as a porter and sales person, as well as a recruiter, encouraged me to take active steps to remind myself of God's presence! 

Time spent away, transition in employment, taking up a new hobby in boxing, mixed in with some musical therapy thanks to H.E.R., and a boosted focus on Isaiah 26:3 (NJKV) have all lead me to new energy, creativity, and a newer closeness to God! Let's catch up fam! 

The words of James Taylor's rendition of "you've got a friend" have always encouraged me to do right by those I am in community with. Aside from being a major tear jerker from me, it has taught me the life lesson that is the necessity of having a community to call in. This week we look at how Exodus 17:8-16 and "You've got a friend" relate in teaching us the lesson, that in Holy community, we find our most success, and live our lives in the fullness of God's design. 

Kanye West told us back in '04 that sometimes..it all falls down. But God assures us that he is there when things seem to take a turn for the worst. This week we'll discuss how classing Hip-Hop, broken iPhone's, geek squad visits, and scripture encourage us to have faith in the midst of the fall, and most importantly. Hope for what's next! 

Humility.  We're often reminded that humility, is the way to truly honoring God, and is the best route to successful Holy living.  But why is it necessary? Join me this week as we use 1 Kings and the story of King David's son Adonijah, to explore why our faith requires us to walk humbly with God! 

Stories have the power to shape our world in both amazing and destructive ways. The stories we subscribe to about ourselves play a vital role in how we see our lives, and that of others. With this in mind, as believers we are to be ever mindful of the tongue we possess when sharing stories, as the words that come from us are powerful. Join me this episode as we reflect on how our stories, and being made in the image of God, can work together to form the world we know. 

It's great to have drive and focus. These forces push us to accomplish amazing things. However, what happens when our visions become idols, and lead us to suffering, failure or death? Join in as we see how 2 Samuel and our own personal aspirations connect the dots, on how our visions and goals can work against us! 

When we think of "darkness", most of us quickly and readily dissociate God from it. However, the scriptures tell us that God is in all things, and existed in the primordial darkness of earth before light. What would it look like to invite God into our "dark spaces"? Join me this week, as my dear friend Rev. Arthur Darby III and I discuss God amidst the darkness of life. 

This week we look at how our "cave experiences" lead us to transformation through the love of community. Together, we'll look at how David and the cave of  Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1-2) , as well as a hurricane experience (literally) I had while in college, call us to reflect on our own stories. 

"I trained 4 years to run 9 seconds. Some people don't see the results in 2 months and give up." - Usain BoltWhen we are faced with the opportunity to throw in the towel, because of fear, disbelief, frustration, and anxiety. We are encouraged to keep our faith and vision, petition God in prayer, and be anxious for nothing. Join me this week as we see how Finding Nemo, Usain Bolt, and Philippians 4: 6-7, encourage us to hold on and endure when all else says to give up!

There are times in life where our roadmap for success fails us. Along our journey's we encounter holes, cracks, detours, pitfalls, natural disaster and forks in the road. More often than not, these places of change and pausing are seen as negative....what would it look like if we instead viewed these places, as places of transformation? Join me this week as we draw from Psalm 23:4, Alice in Wonderland, Atlantis, The Wizard of OZ and other tales, as examples of how our detours sometimes lead to our discovery! 

We’ve been blessed to have Maurice "Man" Lauchner as a guest, and we expect a great time and awesome conversation! I invite you all to tune in as we discuss Maurice’s work (Music, TV, Tyler Perry Stage plays, Ministry and more) and how God inspired him to lean into his call to each of these things! Follow Maurice at Instagram: Mauricelauncher, Youtube: Maurice Lauchner, Facebook: Maurice Man Lauchner

When we approach scripture, we come to it with a certain set of lenses that have been crafted by our personal experiences, ideologies, theological teachings (or not) and societal and environmental influences. What would it look like if we assessed ourselves and our biases, before and after we engage the text?

Sometimes we lose our way, give up, or let faith die.....on this episode we explore the Mark 10:46-52 Biblical text where we meet a man named Bartimaeus whose faith inspire us to get up again. No matter your circumstance, or previous fault, we can always be restored in Jesus.

A car wreck, the loss of a loved one, a recent firing from your place of work...life can come at you hard and fast, and it can do so in stealth mode. Most times, we want jump back into the normalcy we knew prior to the trauma, but the reality is, life as we knew it, will never again be what it was. So then, how do we address the heaviness of what we have experienced. With respect to the recent passing of the legendary Chadwick Boseman, this episode encourages us to take a step back....and review all of what we are feeling and have experienced, so that we may go forward in the best ways possible!

Sometimes we don't just feel one way, or think one thing. Sometimes we feel a lot, a little, and even nothing at all. Through it all, it is our duty to ourselves to "be" in that moment, that feeling, and to most importantly explore what that "be-ing" is for us. Listen in while we explore what it means to "allow" ourselves.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of my friend Tashawn, a good soul gone too soon. Having met our freshman year at Virginia State University, I encountered Tashawn at the beginning of a huge chapter of my life, and will always remember how his life impacted mine during that time. This episode is a reflective piece on that time....rest well my friend. Tomorrow is promised to no one, remember that life is precious and it is fragile. Be intentional about loving.

On today's episode, I've invited my best friend of 10 years and brother from another Mother, Isaiah Lewis, to discuss friendship longevity. Reflecting on our own friendship, we will look at elements that make for both great and poor relationship between friends!

Ubuntu is an African philosophy that can be best described as"being one's self through others". The term has also been defined as "I am, because we are". Join me as we take a look at how recent protests, African philosophy and even an example from Love and Hip-Hop NYC, all speak on the importance of community in overcoming oppression in any form that it presents itself.

In a day and age where we can access the world 24/7, it's no surprise that we can become overstimulated and burn ourselves out. Sometimes we have to take a moment to unplug our devices and walk away from the digital world for our own wellness. Let's jump in!

In this episode we will discuss the "Why?" to the word "jugular" in the name of the podcast. As well as identifying and reflecting on the "jugular's" in our own lives, and in our world! Let's get to it!

"Why doesn't the media portray Black on Black violence this way", " it's not all...people", when tragedy strikes the larger Black community in our nation, social media provides an outlet for lament and emotional expression. However, it always seems to be that Black expressions of outrage and feeling are met with rebuttal and pushback. In this first episode I will briefly share my thoughts and my feelings on the idea of the feeling of "holding back" Black emotion on social media in the midst of tragedy.