Hi, I’m James
Being as broken as everyone else, at times Christians can be disingenuous. As a Christian, however, I never want to be someone who is conniving, beats around the bush, or plays fast and loose with the truth, so it is only right that I embody that here online. Not everyone will champion you serving God’s purpose in your generation (Acts 13:36) and even if they do, sometimes they can only conceptualize your path unfolding in ways that comfort them more than in ways that please God. Therefore, I am convinced that if me obeying God ruffles others’ feathers sometimes, that is okay. Our mission should ultimately be to please an audience of One. Though honorable and fulfilling, the work I’ve been called to is far from safe, predictable, or prestigious. I just want to do my small part in God’s big Kingdom. Our time on earth is much, much shorter than we realize, which is all the more reason to use whatever days we have wisely. If you want to learn about ministry, read my books An Inward-Outward Witness: Suffering’s Role in Forming Faithful Preachers and Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil: Stories about the Challenges of Youth Pastors, which are also available on Amazon. And there is also my first book, full mostly of poems from back in the day, OnThaGrindCuzin: The School Daze of Being ‘Incognegro’ in 1619.
Sporting a decent number of tattoos, I’m that dude at the gym working out in a weight vest, politely slamming medicine balls all over the place,
and sweating a whole lot. Sorry about that! I promise you, I’m just trying to increase my metabolism and burn more calories. That grows in its importance the older you get, believe me. More than what I do for work, I’m proudest of who I get to do life with, my cool wife, Renata. I love spending time with her more than anyone else. She says that I am picky and she may be right, but don’t tell her I said that. Raspberries, wasabi, and camping, I want no parts of. And no ice breakers for me either. They are the worst. One love to the introverts who know what I’m talking about!
As an ordained Baptist clergyman, I have earned degrees from Western Theological Seminary (D.Min.), Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (S.T.M.), George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University (M.T.S.), and the University of Maryland (B.A., African American Studies). If you have a hankering to connect, I am pretty easy to find. With many years of experience in churches and Christian higher education, I have served in predominantly Caucasian, African American, and multi-racial/ethnic settings across the socioeconomic spectrum. I have resided in Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, West Virginia, Washington, DC, Michigan, and even Canada. All the moves have made me into an expert packer, but I think has also helped me relate well to more people than I could if I lived in the same place my entire life.
Outside of being born in Japan and living there briefly as a kid, I spent my formative years in Prince George’s County and Charles County, Maryland, which means Go-Go music, crab cakes, Channel 4’s Jim Vance, insane Beltway traffic, and Metro malfunctions will probably always feel like home. Coming from a family where we weren't involved in church, at age 20, one Sunday morning I walked into Maple Springs Baptist Church and at the end of the worship service I decided to surrender my life to Jesus. It isn't as if everything then improved in my life overnight, nor that everything is perfect now. And yet, through it all, "I still believe." Earlier in life, I worked at Teen People magazine, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, and USA Today, just as an entry-level web producer. The Christian life, I’m quick to tell anyone who will listen, isn’t about upward mobility, rainbows, or ease. God isn't a genie who goes around granting wishes, but He is perfect, merciful, and gracious. In ways none of us can fully comprehend, He causes all things to work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Not everything that happens is good, but God always is.
