Truth & Love Blog
The Voice of the Martyrs, Part 2
The Voice of the Martyrs, Part 2Rewinding the Tape (Review from Part 1)Vibia Perpetua lived in Carthage in North Africa during the persecution of Christians under Septimius Severus. At the time of her arrest in 202 AD, she was a twenty-year-old mother of an infant...
The Voice of the Martyrs, Part 1
The Voice of the Martyrs, Part 1When we think of early Church history, our minds naturally turn to the Church Fathers. Sadly, we normally fail to even consider the Church Mothers. Yet, these godly women heroically waged spiritual warfare against the world, the flesh,...
Capax Dei
Capax DeiHunger is the best sauce.Hunger is the best sauce in our thirst for God. The Bible teaches that the human personality has a capax Dei: capacity for God. We are at our core, spiritual beings. This capacity soars above, beyond, and deeper than all our other...
Super Bowl, Super Faith
Super Bowl, Super FaithThere he was, the whole world watching. Tony Dungy did not disappoint.Asked during the trophy presentation about the cultural significance of being the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl, Dungy told over 100 million viewers,...
African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction: Super Bowl Style
African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction: Super Bowl StyleThe more direct quotes I read from the two Super Bowl coaches, Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) and Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts), the more amazed I am by their coaching styles. And, the more I become...
In the Bigger Picture of Life: Super Bowl, Race, and Faith
In the Bigger Picture of Life: Super Bowl, Race, and FaithAll the buzz in Chicago is about “Da Bears!” The Chicago Bears are headed to the Super Bowl headed by Coach Lovie Smith. There are so many intriguing story lines in this match-up of the Bears and the Colts.One...
Here’s the Thing
Here's the ThingI just returned from the wonderful experience of engaging two-dozen graduate students in a week-long course on the history of soul care. One-third of that course focused on the history of African American soul care. Here's the thing . . . (as "Mr Monk"...
Founding Fathers, Part II
Founding Fathers, Part II[1]Over 100 years before the historic I Have a Dream speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., African Americans were preaching Dream messages. Reverend Absalom Jones’ Thanksgiving Sermon, is a tremendous example.Rev. Jones chose as his text,...
Founding Fathers, Part I
Founding Fathers, Part I[i]Historians of American history frequently emphasize our “founding fathers.” Politically speaking, they highlight white males like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, and James Madison....
It’s a Jungle Out There
It’s a Jungle Out There The hit TV show "Monk" follows the detective work of Adrian Monk, a sleuth with OCD—Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The show’s theme song, "It’s a Jungle Out There," pictures Monk’s life, and often ours:"It’s a jungle out there.Disorder and...
