Live. Love. Lead.

   Today is Juneteenth. A day that is celebrated across the United States in memory of General Granger's announcement that slaves were finally free!! After years of exploitation, servitude, and prayers enslaved men, women, and children were finally freed. This day is commemorated with picnics, parades, fish frys, red soda water, praise dancing, presentations, and so much more.    Today is also Father's day. The day was first celebrated in 1910 and finally became a national holiday in 1966. It is also a day to remember and honor the father's in our lives.    As I was texting, praying over, and encouraging the father's that I know, I became burdened with a question. How many black families can truly celebrate Juneteenth, but can NOT celebrate Father's day?    To answer my question I began to look at several statistics. The most daunting being from the National Kids Count Data Center which says that 67% of black children are raised in single ...

   As I kid I can remember playing games like: "follow the leader," "Simon Says," or other ones that required us to mimic the leaders' actions.    I often wonder if, as adults, we still play the game of "follow the leader." And if we do who is it that we are following? What or who do we set before our eyes and thus seek to pattern our lives after?    In Numbers 13 & 14, G-D gave the Children of Israel a test of what leader (s) they were going to follow. Here it is in a nutshell:             "When they (the leaders) returned from spying out the land...they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation...They said, 'We went in to the land where you sent us and it certainly does flow with milk and honey...nevertheless the people who live in the land are strong.' So they gave out a bad report. Then all the congregation said, 'Would it not be bett...