 I grew up in church—my mother made sure my siblings and I were there every Sunday. We were taught about God’s love, mercy, and the importance of following His Son, Jesus. Emulating Jesus meant treating others as we wished to be treated and loving our neighbors as ourselves. The Sermon on the Mount, and its lessons of kindness, empathy, charity, and forgiveness, shaped our moral compass.
As an adult, I sought a deeper understanding of those teachings and enrolled in seminary, where I earned a divinity degree in Biblical studies. Seminary was enriching—but also unsettling. The more I learned, the more I realized I had absorbed flawed doctrine. In trying to shed bad theology and uncover the true nature of God, I was met not with clarity, but with disappointment. I became disillusioned with the mainstream Christian church in America. At a time when we are witnessing unprecedented levels of lawlessness, corruption, greed, and intolerance, the church should be the loudest voice for justice. Instead, the church has responded with deafening silence—or worse, complicity. To be fair, there are some churches and leaders who are courageously speaking out. Pastor Zach Lambert of Restore Austin preaches an inclusive Gospel. Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley of Alfred Street Baptist Church teaches a Gospel rooted in social justice. Dr. Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church has led a boycott of Target in protest of its anti-diversity policies, echoing the activism of past civil rights leaders. And who could forget the bravery of Mariann Edgar Budde, who publicly rebuked Donald Trump for his lack of compassion. Yet these leaders are the exception, not the rule. Most prominent church leaders—the ones with national platforms—have chosen silence. Some support Trump and his policies. Others fear upsetting congregants. Many hide behind claims of being “nonpolitical.” Yet white evangelicals overwhelmingly voted for and supports a man whose policies and rhetoric contradict nearly every teaching of Christ. While they claim to stand for “Christian values,” many uphold a version of Christianity that reinforces white supremacy and punishes the marginalized. This is not the faith of Christ. Jesus stood with the poor, the oppressed, the outcast. He did not shrink from injustice—He confronted it. American Christianity has long fallen short of its calling. It was self-proclaimed Christians who justified slavery, committed genocide against Indigenous peoples, and enacted racist laws. Today, many of the same forces target Black and brown Americans, attack LGBTQ+ communities, and strip away the rights and dignity of immigrants, women, and the poor. All while claiming divine authority. If your faith is threatened by immigrants seeking a better life, by women making personal health decisions, by the teaching of Black history, by pronouns, or by how others live and love—then it’s not your faith you’re protecting. It’s your prejudice. This is a moment when the church should be a force for justice and love, ensuring that all of God’s children live free from fear and discrimination. Instead, those in power claim persecution as a cover to enact cruel, discriminatory policies. And this is why more people are leaving the church. They want no part in a religion that has come to symbolize hate rather than hope. If the mainstream Christian church refuses to step up and speak out, then we, as children made in the image of God, must carry that mantle. We must continue to work and fight for those in marginalized communities. We must fight for a world where everyone—Black, brown, yellow, white, straight, trans, immigrant—is free to live fully and abundantly. That’s the Gospel. That’s the call. Let us show the world that we are followers of God not by how much we condemn, but by how deeply we love.
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Childish Things5/28/2024  When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were like a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. – 1 Corinthians 13:11
I once asked my daughter why she no longer plays with a certain doll, and she responded, “that doll is for little girls.” Now, the problem isn’t that she stopped playing with the doll, because in life we outgrow and move on from things and people (at least we should). The problem is, she put that doll down and started playing with another toy – swapping one childish thing out for another. As we grow, we often do the same thing. We stop playing with toys and start playing with people’s feelings. We stop being entertained by cartoons and start entertaining fearful and negative thoughts. We stop playing hide-and-seek (one of my favorite games as a child) and start hiding ourselves from God. The only way to do away with the childish behaviors in our lives is to change the way we think, speak, and act. Think The Bible frequently encourages us to guard and transform our thinking (Romans 12:2) because every good and bad thing begins with a thought. Every successful business began as a thought. Every loving relationship began as a thought. Every great book began as a thought. Every lie, theft, affair, and negative action began as a thought. Both children and adults have thoughts, but childish thoughts are ideas without reason. A mature adult can reason and understand that every thought shouldn’t be spoken or acted on. We are to guard and transform our thoughts through prayer and devotion, by not allowing pervasive and destruction thoughts to take hold within us. And to do that, we are going to have to remind ourselves daily of who you are in the eyes of God. We are strong. We are loved. We are blessed. While things may not be perfect in our lives, it is important that we keep our minds on God and not the negativity around us. Speak Our speech changes from one stage of life to the next. When we were infants and toddlers, we communicated in cries and tantrums. Though we may no longer cry and throw tantrums like a child does (well some of us), that doesn’t mean that we’ve learned how to properly communicate. Children are reckless with their words; they say things that they don’t mean or fully understand. Many of us adults do this as well. We speak negatively about ourselves and disparage our own appearance, circumstances, or we gossip and pass judgement on others. We put away childish speech by speaking positively and speaking life, prosperity, and favor over our lives. A child speaks without knowledge of consequences, as adults we are to speak knowing that our words bring gifts and curses (Proverbs 18:21) to our lives. Act Our actions are a culmination of our thoughts and words (good and bad). Putting away childish actions means first recognizing when we are acting like a child. Children pout and are shortsighted. Mature adults think before they speak and don’t act on their impulses. Mature adults are not dictated by their emotions. Mature adults admit when they are wrong and fix the harm they brought upon others. Mature adults seek spiritual and professional growth and lift others up, not tear them down. We won’t always get it right – no one is perfect, but mature adults learn to process, speak, and act in a way that shows thoughtfulness, empathy, and care. To live in our full potential and receive all that God wants for us, we must grow up and put away childish things. We must commit to mature in our way of thinking, speaking, and acting by addressing those childish behaviors that we picked up as we grew. Vision12/22/2023  And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. – Habakkuk 2:2-3 ESV
I can’t see. Well, that’s not completely true. I can see, but not always clearly without my corrective lenses. Because I wear glasses, my doctor recommends that I get my eyes checked once a year, and if my vision gets worse, the prescription in my glasses is changed to help improve my sight. In this same way, as we move throughout the year, our life vision changes as well. The relationship that we thought was going to last, the job we once loved, or the health that we once enjoyed may become a little blurrier by the end of the year. Fixing our vision is important because without vision, we can’t see where we are going. And in life, there is no worse feeling than thinking we are living aimlessly, without a purpose or direction. God speaks to us in visions (Amos 3:7, Acts 18:9), and how we decipher these visions determines if it remains a vision or becomes a reality. To fix your vision, you are going to have to align it with God’s purpose, develop an action plan, and trust God through the process. God knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore, the things (relationships, jobs, homes, etc.) we envision for ourselves must be in alignment with God’s plans for us. If not, we will find ourselves living a frustrated, unfulfilled existence. You’ll know if your vision is aligned with God’s purpose because it will bring you closer to Him. Alignment begins in relationship with God - that means prayer, seeking Him, and living in a way that honors Him. At the beginning of each year, it is common for individuals to create vision boards that highlight the things they are manifesting for their life. However, a vision board without an action plan is just an arts and craft project. Essentially, your vision must be joined by action. If you envision yourself being healthier, then plan to implement actions and behaviors that focus on dieting and exercising. If you envision yourself being a homeowner, plan actions that will help you to save and budget your money. If you envision yourself being a happier, more joyful person, plan actions around doing the things that bring you the most joy. Every vision must have an action. As you align your vision with God’s purpose and create your actions, be patient. Everything does not happen on the timeline that we wish or hope for. Scripture tells us that the “vision awaits its appointed time”. That means that God knows when, so do not be discouraged if you do not receive what you have envisioned for yourself in the timeframe that you anticipated. Patience requires trust. To receive those things that God has put on your heart and mind, you are going to have to trust Him, even when it seems delayed. God loves you, wants the best for, and wants you to be happy. Fix your vision by aligning your wants with God’s purpose, plan your actions, and remain patient. Doing so will give you a clearer vision of the prosperous future that God has for you. From Broken to Blessed1/31/2023  I have faded from memory as if I were dead and have become like a piece of broken pottery. -Psalm 31:12 GNT
“Do you want to get well?” In John 5:6, Jesus proposed this question to a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. While the answer may seem obvious to some, for those of us who have been living in hurt, shame, or uncertainty for an extended period—the answer can be a little more complicated. It is not that we don’t want to get well, being broken has just become our way of life. After so many setbacks and disappointments, brokenness is something we’ve become accustomed to. After my arrest, I grew comfortable in my pain and became content living there. Yes, I wanted to get well, but I did not know how to. So, when God started answering my prayers—I was afraid because my way of life was changing. Those feelings of fear are not uncommon for those who have been broken and now find themselves being blessed. I imagine this is how that disabled man felt after his healing: Yes, I can walk again, but how do I adjust to a new reality? How do I go from broken to blessed? We serve a God who promises to be near the broken and save those who spirits are crushed (Psalm 34:18). Therefore, we are NEVER too broken for God to mend us. If we truly want to move from being broken to blessed, we are going to have to address our brokenness, adjust to our new reality, and accept God’s blessings. Many times, after we experience trauma, we try to bury it instead of addressing it. When we bury hurt and pain, we water it with our tears and resentment and before long—it resurfaces, causing us to return to a place that God has delivered us from. So, address and acknowledge your past pain—that way you will be able to learn, grow, and move away from it. Next, adjust. The disabled man in John 5:6 had to learn how to adjust to his new reality. He no longer had to wait for a healing, but he did have to learn how to walk again, how to function in society again, and how to live differently than what he had become accustomed to. Adjusting is frustrating, and there will be times when you stumble as you try to regain your footing but remember that God is able to keep you from falling (Jude 1:24) back into what broke you. After addressing your past hurt and adjusting to your new way of life, you are going to have to accept your present blessings. Oftentimes, we feel as if we do not deserve the things God has blessed us with or that the blessings, relationship, job, etc. that we have, won’t last. God is good. And His goodness, love, and mercy are extended to all His creation—including you! So, when the Lord blesses you, live confidently in His blessings—for you are His prized possession. Never Settle11/30/2022  [The Spirit of God] puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. - 2 Corinthians 5:5 MSG
After three years of unemployment, I finally received what seemed like a promising professional opportunity. The job was a part-time program manager position at a Baltimore City nonprofit. The position did not pay much, nor did it come with any benefits, but it was a job—something I desperately wanted. After three interviews, I was informed that they were moving forward with another applicant—I was devastated. I really wanted that job, not because it was a good job, but because I was desperate. In my desperation, I was ready to settle for less than what God had planned for me. Throughout our lives, we are often told that we need to settle down. So, we live looking for places to settle. Some of us settle in relationships while others settle on jobs and environments that cause more harm than happiness. We settle for less when we don’t believe that God can provide us with more. Desperate Times & Desperate Measures I imagine this is how Sarai (Sarah) felt after God promised her husband Abram (Abraham) that He would bless them with a son (Genesis 15:4), yet her womb remained barren. Abram's wife Sarai had not borne him any children. But she had an Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, and so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Why don't you sleep with my slave? Perhaps she can have a child for me.” - Genesis 16:1 - 2 GNT Sarah confused delay with denial and did what we often do when in doubt—she questioned God’s character by accusing Him of keeping her from having children and she attempted to take matters into her own hands. Sarah was desperate for a baby; I was desperate for a job, and today, you might be desperate for both, or you’re desperate for a relationship, affection, money, stability, or health. Now, scripture tells us to be still (Psalm 46:10) and to wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:14) but waiting on God is difficult when the bills are growing and you don’t have a job or when the years are passing, and you are still single. Our impatience leads to desperation and when we are desperate, we make poor decisions and settle for less than what we deserve. Before making an important life decision, always ask yourself the following: Am I settling down or am I leveling up? To put that another way: Are you committing to a relationship, job, city, or mindset because you believe it is what God has for you or because it is convenient and satisfies your short-term desires? God is faithful. Though Sarah made a bad decision, God still honored His vow and blessed her and Abraham with a child. And though I did not get the job I thought I wanted; God blessed me with an amazing professional opportunity just three months later. My willingness to settle almost caused me to miss my blessing. Your blessing and breakthrough are closer than you think, so don’t settle or you might miss it. Instead, trust that God will honor His vow to bless you abundantly beyond what you can imagine. Brandon SuttonNew blog(s) posted monthly. Archives
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