Real Talk

Peace and blessings,

The first "Why" question of 2009 was actually brought to my attention by a friend of mine about a year ago, but I was just reminded of it:

"Why is Oprah on the cover of every issue of her 'O' magazine?"

Labels: questions, Why

Peace and blessings,

December 8th, 2008 marked three years that the blog has been running. I just wanted to thank you for reading, commenting on, and supporting the blog. I have no blog without people to share it with, so thank you. Stay blessed and continue to spread the word.

Labels: anniversary

Peace and blessings,

I want to wish everyone a blessed, and fruitful New Year. I wanted to kick off this new year with a recap of one of the most moving sports stories I have ever heard. Depending on how you look at it it may not seem like much, but to me the idea is truly revolutionary, and is a clear example of how lives can be changed when Christ's love is demonstrated in all areas of life. The story is about a Florida high-school football game between

Grapevine Faith and Gainesville State.

What makes this football story more moving than any other football story? The fans. Prior to the game, the coach for Grapevine Faith asked his players' parents if half of them would cheer for the opposing team, Gainesville State. Since Gainesville State is a correctional facility and their players play every game on the road, Grapevine's coach wanted Gainesville's players to know that they are valued and loved.

Given Obama's election, other ideas I've encountered last year, and the power of this story, I am getting the feeling that how well we progress as a people in 2009 has alot to do with out ability to "think outside the box" and "go the extra mile" for one another. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to orient our lives (e.g., relationships, everyday interactions, job, career, hobbies, gifts, knowledge, skills) towards Christ, so that we can love others (and ultimately ourselves) they way he showed us to.

Click here for video highlights of the game.

What do you think about the story? How powerful do you think it would be for everyone if sports competitions were prefaced with an understanding of mutual love between opposing fans and players? Take care and speekonit...

Labels: coaches, love, sports

"Please forgive me. Even as I write the words, they ring so hollow. My mistakes...No, my choices...they cannot be undone, much less forgiven. All I can do now is tell you what happened. How all this came to pass...and the truth about Weapon X. Had it ended there, would I be less of a monster? Or More? Would I even know the difference? Of course I don't have to tell you about monsters. Your life is defined by monsters."



"It seems so incredible to me now, that in all that time, given everything I knew...what I was doing and what the end result would bear...I didn't give it a second thought. I told myself that you weren't real. I told myself this was science...not life. I was creating a weapon...not a child. I was wrong."

-Dr. Kinney


Peace and blessings,

The opening quote comes from the Marvel comic

X-23: Innocence Lost,

which is about a girl named Laura, who like Wolverine, was created to be a weapon. The story is narrated by Laura's mother, Dr. Kinney, and is told from the perspective of a mother deeply regrets the choices she made as a parent regarding her daughter's welfare.

The story begins with Wolverine's escape from the Weapon X facility, and killing Dr. Dale Rice, the man responsible for turning him into a weapon with no sense of humanity. Years later, Dale's son, Zander Rice, under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Martin, a friend of Dale's, continued his father's research. Dr. Martin decides to bring in Dr. Kinney, the leading expert on mutant genetics. Ambitious and scientifically inclined, she set out to do what up until now has been nearly impossible: to recreate the "Weapon X formula" and create another weapon. Right when she's on the verge of accomplishing her goal, she encounters an "issue." Their goal was to "birth" another male weapon (i.e., using the X and Y chromosomes). However, the Y chromosome got damaged (or was defective) during the process, so the doctors had a choice to make: Cut their losses and start over trying to create a male weapon, or get rid of the Y chromosome and replace it with another X chromosome, thus creating a female weapon.

Martin and Dr. Kinney chose the latter, but Dr. Rice thought that making the weapon female would be a bad idea ("you're supposed to be creating a weapon, not a...barbie doll!"). Upset about the gender-shift and jealous of Dr. Kinney coming in and stealing his mojo, Zander gives Dr. Kinney a proposition: either she carry the specimen to term (i.e., be the girl's mother), or he'll see to it that the project is destroyed. As the ambition permeates her thought process, she chooses to impregnate herself and carry the child to term.

The goal of the Weapon X program is to create a machine who's only objective is to kill when told, and to never question those who give the orders. To achieve this, the weapon has to be treated like one: used only to kill and never treated like a human with individual thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Despite the constant missions she was sent on to kill people (most of the targets she did not know, some of them she did), there were a few times within the story that it was clear that Laura was not fully a weapon, that deep down there is a little girl crying out to be recognized and treated as a human.

Now that I've explained the gist of the story (discussing the story in any more detail would take a long time, and plus I don't want to reveal too much in case someone decides to read it), I'll take this last paragraph to share a few thoughts on why I liked the story. What i like the most about the story is how vividly it depicted the experiences of childhood abuse and neglect (by the way, Laura's mother, Dr. Kinney was abused by her father as a child), and the amount of resiliency many children demonstrate in the face of such harsh circumstances. Although in the story Laura was abused and neglected in the name of science (and eventually profit), the take home message is the same: Sometimes, children begin their lives by being treated in ways that should shame us as adults, whether we have children or not. Moreover, I would argue that for a variety of reasons, children are growing up in a world where they are experiencing more "adult-type" problems and issues (some of which are the result of their own choices, temperament, and/or disposition; others are not).

What I think Laura's experiences in the Weapon X program represent (albeit loosely) is the idea that no matter what has happened to you in the past, it can never fully determine your future. There's always a part of us that reminds us that we are and have always been more than what our past struggles and setbacks tried to "tell us" we were. Although the environment is a significant factor in our lives, it can never fully define us. We weren't built like that.

What do you think? Sound like something worth reading? What role do you think our childhood experiences play in how we view ourselves? Others? The world? Until next time, stay blessed and speekonit...

Labels: children, comic book, parents, Superheroes

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

- Martin Luther King Jr.


Peace and blessings,


One of the things that convinced me that Obama was hands-down the best candidate, was his response to the following question asked to himself, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards during a debate:

"If Dr. Martin Luther King were alive today...why should he endorse you?"

Unlike the answers of Clinton and Edwards (although I found nothing wrong with their responses), Obama responded with the following:

"I don't think Dr. King would endorse any of us. I think what he would call upon the American people to do is to hold us accountable..."


As I have had time to reflect on Obama's election and the meaning it has for a country that has its roots in fear, greed, and division, I couldn't help thinking about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In particular, I have been thinking about the

last speech

he gave on April 3rd, 1968, the day before he was assassinated. One of the reasons why this speech is my favorite of all of his speeches (although the one on Vietnam and economics is a close second) is because of its prophetic element. He's speaking as if he knew that his days on this earth were coming to an end. However, in light of the election, and the fact that Obama's inauguration is on MLK's birthday (Jan. 20th), I'm beginning to think that his speech may have been prophetic in another sense. What if his assertion that God brought him the mountain top and that although he may not be around to see it, that we as a people would get to the "promised land," was foreshadowing the day when America would elect the first Black president? What if in the vision that God showed him, he "saw" that in the future there would be a black president? What if he saw this specific time period during his vision? Just the possibility alone is crazy...

What do you think? Do you think MLK knew there would one day be a black president? Did you think there would be a black president in your lifetime? Take care, God bless, and speekonit...

Labels: MLK, Obama, President, prophecy

Peace and blessings,

As someone who tends to be very cynical when it comes to political process on a national level, I have to say that yesterday was a breath of fresh air. My friends and I were talking about how we did not think that an African American would be elected president in our lifetime, let alone this soon in our lives. For those who yesterday was the first time they were legally able to vote (and actually voted), they are beginning their life as voters with a different framework than my peers and those who came before us. My first real exposure to the national political process was in 2000, and my first time being able to legally vote was in 2004. So up until last night, my framework was pretty cynical. Not to say that "everything's cool now" because Barack Obama is the president, because he, like any human being in such a difficult position, is going to struggle and make mistakes. It's a part of life. However, it seemed like last night, the majority of Americans voted on the basis of principles as opposed to preferences; for the ideal of unity and personal accountability as opposed to maintaining division and playing the blame game.

Now that Americans have made a statement with their ballots, I've been constantly asking myself the question, "What next? Where do we go from here? After the fact that history has been made (by the way, never in my life did I wish for MLK to still be alive than last night) has sunk into our thoughts and we fully acknowledge it's significance, what are we going to do next? What personal commitments are we going to make to ensure that we respect, love, and are accountable to one another? Are we going to continually work to inspire others to be the best of themselves, while striving to do so within ourselves? I'm not saying that Barack Obama's election represents all of these things, because he's only one man. With that said, his election does show that moral direction, principles, and character do indeed carry much weight when it comes to changing the status quo. We were able to set aside certain differences and feelings in the interest of choosing a common direction. The real test has to do with the extent to which we can do so in our everyday interactions with one another. Barack's overwhelming belief in the "core decency of the American people" suggests that we can. Not only do I agree, but I also believe that our fate as a people depends on it.


What do you think? What do you think this election means/symbolizes for: 1) the country? 2) The world? 3) The everyday person? 4) You personally?

Take care, stay blessed, and speekonit...

Labels: MLK, politics, President

Peace and blessings,

Last we left off, Justin was trying to intervene in the conflict between the scabs and "normal" humans, and as a result was brought up on charges of treason and executed. He eventually rose from the dead, appearing to Thomas and his "patnas." In the "world of the histories," the virus spreads and Thomas is killed in an attempt to stop it. So now comes

White (2007),

the conclusion...

In the future world, the possibility of war is ever present, and at least on the scabs' end, inevitable. Realizing that the people and choices of this world is directly connected to those of the world of the histories, he tries to find out how he can come back to life in the other world. He hears about this fabled book called the "Books of History," which is supposed to contain immense power and knowledge. He remembers hearing from someone that the book covers the creation of the world, and that the book has a "living" element to it. To test out this idea, he decides to write a new chapter in it. In this chapter, Thomas did not die in the world of the histories (at least not yet), but survived. And of course, once he wrote the words and tested the book's validity, he woke up in the world of the histories, alive and well. I know, sort of cheesy but bare with me...


Back in the world of the histories (i.e. the "current" world), Thomas has a second chance to stop the virus. Time is still running out though, as the one controlling the virus is demanding that every national power surrender their nuclear weapons in exchange for the cure (I can't remember if he actually has a cure or not). Furthermore, the virus is spreading ferociously, infecting lives, old and young alike. Convinced that the key to ending the virus in this world is connected to resolving the conflict with the scabs in the other world, he goes to sleep and wakes up in the future world looking for answers.

In the future world, twelve of his "patnas" (i.e., members of The Circle) get captured by the scabs. In an attempt to try to free them, he offers himself to get taken into the scabs' custody. The scabs agree to let the twelve go free in exchange for Thomas. While there, he becomes a "tutor" of sorts to a scab named Chelise, and offers to help her read and understand the Books of History. While helping her, begins to view her as Elyon (God) sees her, and falls in love with her. She eventually falls for him to, and they escape and plan to marry. Of course this idea of a normal human marrying a scab runs into opposition on both sides, and hence comes more drama. After discussing how they should relate to scabs, and how Elyon and Justin would approach the issue, members of the Circle generally agreed with Thomas that he was doing the right thing (at the very least, they did not stop him). There were doubters and those who disagreed, however, but overall Thomas was supported. The scabs, however, were not as supportive. Thomas and Chelise were eventually captured and sentenced to be executed (with the permission of Chelise's father). Just as they were thrown into the water to drown, however, a couple of members of the circle found the source of the living water (i.e., the water that gives life to those who embrace it, and that Thomas told them to search out once he knew he was going to get executed). The Circle members were successful, and instead of drowning, Thomas and Chelise were given new life by the living water. Most notably, when Chelise came up from the water, she was no longer a scab: she was exactly how God made her. Afterwards, Chelise's father told her that while he now understands that she has a new life, he was unwilling to join her in that new life (She told her father to jump in the water and get "clean" was well, but he refused). Thomas and Chelise eventually get married.

In the current world, it looks as if all hope is lost. Eventually, however, a solution is found. Dr. Raison discovers that there is something special about Thomas' blood: it cures the virus. The problem is that because the virus has spread so widely throughout the world, they would need all of his blood to have a chance of curing everyone. He willingly agrees, and saves the world through his blood. Sounds Familiar?

So there you have it. That's how this epic ends (although I just found out that another book, Green, will be coming out soon). In terms of some of the details, my memory recollections may not be fully accurate, so for that I apologize. With that said, I'm pretty confident that I've summed it up pretty well (accurately). I think that the main message of White (and the trilogy as a whole) is that whether it's the proliferation of scabs or a deadly virus, we as humans are in need of a "cure," and that cure is Jesus. In future world it was the sin of pride and disobedience, which resulted in the bats getting loose and turning people into scabs. Then, it was the sin of hatred towards one another that further separated them from Elyon. In the current world, it was the sin of greed and corruption via one's lust for power that almost destroyed the world. These stories reminded me of the use of free will, the power and consequences of our choices (e.g., who we choose to become, how we choose to handle what life throws at us, how we choose to handle doubt and uncertainty, and how we choose to negotiate reason and emotion), and the intimate role God and Jesus has played and continues to play throughout human history...

What do you think? Would you consider reading the trilogy for yourself? Why or why not? Do you think the weight that the trilogy gives to our choices and the consequences of those choices is accurate? Why or why not? Take care, stay blessed, and speekonit...

Labels: Christianity, comic book, graphic novel

Peace and blessings,

Hopefully you've gotten a chance to read Ted Dekker's Black (2007) since the last post. If not, then what are you waiting for? Anyhow, here are a few thoughts on

Red (2007),

the second part of the trilogy. Last time, I forgot to share how Black ended. In a nutshell, two things happen that significantly set the course for the other two parts of the trilogy. In the present world, Dr. Raison gets captured by a villain who wants to control the virus and anti-virus (that he's making Dr. Raison develop) so that he can dictate the actions of every nation in the world, therefore ruling the world. In the future world, one of the people breaks "the rule" and in an attempt to face the evil bats on his own, eats the forbidden fruit. This act enables the bats to wreak havoc on the people of the land, turning them into grotesque versions of themselves (referred to as "scabs"). And now for Red...

In the present world, Thomas is able to convince more and more people that he's telling the truth about simultaneously living in two worlds, and about the virus. He also realizes that he is not the only person who is living in both worlds, and whose actions in one affect the other. However, he's unfortunately too late, as the virus gets released and people get infected, causing a scare amongst countries all throughout the world. In an attempt to stop the virus from continuing to spread, Thomas is killed...

Although the spread of the virus in the present world seems analogous to the "spread" of the black bats throughout the future world, it is the events in the former that I would like to focus on. Once the bats start turning people into scabs, Thomas and a few others are able to escape and find some kind of sanctuary while on the run from the scabs. Eventually, armies are built on each side (the scabs versus the regular humans not "contaminated" by the bats) and it's clear that a war is on the horizon. However, one of the regular humans named of Justin proposes an idea that in their particular context is extremely radical. He believes that humans should not try to destroy the scabs, but to make peace with them. He told the regular humans that this is the way in Elyon (God) wants them to behave towards the scabs, who, like them, were also made in Elyon's image. As expected during war times, he was met with sharp criticism and branded as a traitor. He urged the regular humans to embrace the scabs and he encouraged the scabs to do the same. He tried to initiate a peace treaty between both groups, but was eventually turned over to the scabs by the regular humans (members of Elyon's council to be specific) to be killed. After he died, he appeared to Thomas and his circle shortly after. Sounds familiar?

I thought that this was a very creative way to bring in the "Jesus element" of the story, because I'm not going to front, I was very skeptical of Justin's motives in the beginning and in the beginning thought he was a traitor. Why does he want them to broker a treaty with the scabs who are trying to destroy them, and on top of that be all calm, cool, and collected about the whole thing, lol? Once I thought about it, however, I started to think that this idea that seems so radical is not radical at all in God's (Elyon's) eyes. His goal is for all of us to view each other as being made in God's image, and to treat each other accordingly. What Justin was doing with the two armies, as Jesus did with the many different people he ministered to in His time, was bringing us closer to God and showing us the way.

What do you think? What areas, situations, conflicts can you see Jesus intervening in today? What would this intervention look like? Until next time, stay blessed and speekonit...

Labels: Christianity, comic book, graphic novel