Watch Your Back

A fact that has been brought to my attention while reading the Word is that Jesus had 12 disciples and he chose these 12 disciples. Some of you might be looking at me incredibly weird right now saying "duh" but think about it.  Jesus had 12 disciples.  He had plenty of followers.  But there were only 12 that he called disciples.  If you're like me, sometimes you forget that he had a host of "friends" following him, but he chose 12 men to be his real friends.

Take a moment for that to sink it.

He had hundreds of followers.  Hundreds of people that "adored" him.  Hundreds of people that tried to watch him perform miracles and wanting to touch the hem of his garment.  And hundreds of people 3 years later shouted at the top of their lungs "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

Wait...so what you are telling me is that those people that followed him.  That was always around him, supporting him during the good times were essentially the same people that turned their backs on him when times became rough?  Does that sound familiar to your life (well maybe not the hundreds but you get the point)?

Once again Jesus is the perfect model to teach us that we really need to choose our friends carefully.  We need to watch who has our ears.  We have to guard our hearts.  We need people that will uplift us, not bring us down even if they don't fully explain what we are going through (as was the case with the disciples).  I'm not necessarily making the argument that you need exactly 12 friends, but I'm going to blunt with ya'll here: not everyone is your friend. As a matter of fact, not everyone is meant to be your friend.  It's up to you to discern those that are really your friend and those that are just your followers (or as I like to call them, acquaintances).

Lets be honest, out of those 12 friends Jesus chose one of them, Judas Iscariot, ended up stabbing him in the back.  Which, if we were to translate to our lives, we need to realize that those people that seem to have our backs might have some hidden agenda that will eventually come out and hurt us.  We need to be aware that we all have these sinful desires lurking inside of us and every once ina while it comes out.  But don't let your Judas ruin all your friendships forever.

Jesus didn't stop with the 12 disciples.  He narrowed the 12 down to 3. What I would argue were his "best friends," James, John, & Peter.  These were the three he took up with him to the mountain where the infamous "Transfiguration" happened.  None of the other friends saw him at the peak of his glory because quite frankly, they probably couldn't have handled it.

Even his best friends gave up on him for a time.  They weren't very confident when he was he was being crucified   So what does this tell us?  It tells us that people will let us down.  It's not wise to put all of our eggs into the basket.  But when it came down to it, the 12 disciples became the 12 Apostles and the 3 best friends all have major publication in the bible.  Peter's crazy self if found all around Acts as well as 1 & 2 Peter (where Paul sent a letter to him).  John is the author of the Gospel of John (not 1 & 2 John).  You guessed it, James is the author of James.

If you didn't feel like reading this entire thing and just want the bottom line here it is:

• We need to watch who has our ears; we need people around us that will uplift us.
• Not everyone that's around you is your friend.
• Even within your circle of friends, we should develop the inner circle

In essence: we just need to watch our backs and guard our hearts.

--MJA

Real Leadership

Who's the greatest?  Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus' disciples had a quarrel about that question at least twice.  (Obviously Jesus was the greatest, but amongst the disciples was the question) In both situations, what is Jesus' response? "...for the least among all of you is the greatest." (9:48b)  Huh?  That's an interesting paradox.  But it fits into the upside down kingdom that Christ is establishing.  But still, that's a very ominous statement...

The second time this question arises, Jesus, since they didn't understand the first example, gives them a second analogy.  He says, "For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at table?"  This seems like the logical stopping point right? Well not for Jesus, he answers his rhetorical question, "But I am among you as one who serves." (22:27)

Jesus knows that the best way to make a point is to lead by example.  Jesus didn't come onto this earth with a mighty vengeance   No, he came through the lowliest of lowly people, times, and predicament   He didn't have a lot of money.  He never asked for anything from anyone.  He just served.  He just gave.  Gave with his life.

Jesus is the head.  But acted as the tail.  He is above.  But came from beneath.

One thing I'm slowly learning is that the things that this world cherishes, the Lord tells us to stay away from.  Money. Power. Greed. Influence.  That's not what being a disciple of Jesus is all about.

We are all leaders of something whether we recognize it or not.  The best leaders however, are the ones that put their constituents greater interests before their wants.  I urge everyone to reconsider how you lead.  Not only that, but to reconsider the motivation for said leadership.  Do you lead because it makes you feel important?  Or do you lead so that others may be drawn to the love of Christ through your actions.

I've said it before, and I am going to say is again, Jesus is the greatest man I know.  He set the bar extremely high for those of us that strive to be like him.

I like to think that I am a good leader.  But, my motivation isn't always in the right spots.  It's about the welfare of the whole, not the captain.

Another topsy-turvy Jesus example courtesy of the Luke!

Stay Blessed Everyone & Thanks For Reading!
--MJA

For Colored Girls

There is a reason that at the moment in my life that I'm reading a book to become a better man (Kingdom Man by Tony Evans), at a time where I'm struggling to find out who I am in relation to woman, I just happen to fall across a movie that places me into a vortex of thoughts and emotions.

That movie is For Colored Girls which is directed by Tyler Perry featuring an all African American cast.  The movie centers around nine separatred but yet intertwined black woman who all share their own struggles (albeit some worse than others).  I can't as a black man directly relate to their experiences per se, but I can feel it.  I can feel the hurt.  I can feel the shame.  I can feel the pain.  I can feel the disappointment.  I can feel the...the emotions.

What the heck is going on men? That's a question that is continuously echoing in my head.  I know we aren't perfect, but seriously bros.  We can do better.

Yes, there was a silver lining in the movie: aka 1 good black man in the ENTIRE movie (which I don't believe to be completely true).  However the point still stands.  Why are all the Adam's out there leaving the Eve's on their own.  Why are we constantly hurting them?  Is there something about our DNA.  I really don't know.

Fatherless homes?  Babies making babies? Abuse? Neglect? Sin?

In Kingdom Man, Dr. Tony Evans made a statement that I couldn't register until now.  He basically said that if you don't love being a man, then there is something wrong with you.  And after watching this movie, and all the hell my counterparts go through, I absolutely know that God knew what he was doing in making me a man. A Man of Color.  Because Lord knows, what I would end up doing if I was in the position that some of my sisters were in.

I do understand that this is a movie and al ot of it is dramatized, but the principle sticks in.  Black Women have it rough.  You have the media telling you to straighten your hair, you have the magazines telling you that being dark is out, you have your dads telling you that ain't good enough (if they are even in the picture).  You have your hearts continuously being stomped on and trashed and for what?  So a dude like me can have you for a moment and when he gets tired of you he just goes on to something better.

No, that just isn't right!

I know I've said this before, but now I feel it with much much more conviction: Women Are A Gift From God.  We need to start treating you like it.  Until I feel mature enough to handle my insecurities, whom I am, I don't deserve as a man, as an aspiring Kingdom Man to be part of this continual rinse cycle that's degraded, dehumanizing, and just debilitating these Black Queens.

I'm only speaking for myself here.  Me, Michael Adams, young African American Man.  You have the absolute right to hold me to these words; they aren't going anywhere.  I pray that Jesus continues to transform my heart so that I can be like David (a man after God's Heart--Acts 13:22).

This is just ridiculous.

--MJA

The Challenge of Being Still

On my iTunes account I have a specific playlist of which I affectionately called: Spirit Worship.  This playlist is the array of songs I elect to go to when I'm down in the dumps (because we already know about the Sacrifice of Worship) but also, I use it when I in the need to be still.

I know that it has been a while since I've blogged (as a matter of fact this is probably the longest I've gone without blogging...yikes!), but the lack of blogging is because I'm at this phase, this crossroad in my life where I am desperately trying to discover myself.  Now I know the overarching principle that I am a child of the Most High God, but who is the blogger/man Michael Adams is a struggle for me sometimes especially in this busy busy American Life.

As a result, a focus of mine has been this phase of Being Still.  There is an ever popular and overused phrase in the Bible that says in Psalm 46:10: "be still, and know that I am God."  Yes, that's a great theoretical concept, but do we actually follow that concept?

I am under the firm belief that we learn more about ourselves, about God, about our environment when we are consciously practicing the art of Being Still.  Being Still is you telling the world, telling your mind that you've had enough of the multitasking; that you are going to focus on one thing and one thing only.  This is a practice that our ancestors were much more proficient at it than we, but it's not a lost cause.

My aforementioned Spirit Playlist consists of 30 songs which is composed of different genres: Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Christian Hip Hop, & yes, even Christian Rock.  At fact value these songs seemingly have very little in common, but for me, they all have that ability to give me goosebumps no matter how many times I listen to them.

With that being said, I'm going to open you up to two of my songs.  One will be Gospel and the other will be Contemporary.  Here's a free peak into my head, don't take this too lightly!

There is one thing I ask however.  That right now, you become still.  That at this time you will Be Still. You can listen to one song, both songs, or even choose your own song (I won't be offended).  But when you do, stop what you are doing, and listen/watch the videos.  I would even suggest putting your best pair of headphones in and embracing the moment.

After the moment, if you are inclined, comment below on how you feel, what your experience is.  If it's a private feeling write it down & talk it over with a loved one and/or God.  Don't take this challenge lightly.  You'd be surprised what you hear when you are intentionally still.

The Gospel song I chose is: My Life, My Love, My All by Kirk Franklin.  This songs literally plays with my emotions every time!  You'll see what I mean.

The Contemporary song I chose is: Still by Hillsong United.  Once the peak of this song hits, I am GONE!

--MJA