This week, we're exploring the ways finding joy through Christ can shape and elevate our lives.

Taken with permission from HuffingtonPost.com BlackVoices

First, expectant father, Rev. Michael Waters talks about the birth of Jay-Z and Beyonce's daughter, Blue Carter, and how he can relate to the overwhelming joy and creativity greeting a new child can bring. Our youth ministries correspondent, Princeton Parker shares a recent experience of a new kind of church and grapples with how our dependence on particular kinds of worship is hindering our ability to find joy and inspiration in God.

T.D. Jakes discusses the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and his struggle to balance his religious calling with his political one.

Rev. William Flippin invites us to answer God's call to combat our material struggles through Jubilee.

Glory: A New Day for Family and Fatherhood in Hip Hop Culture! 

By Michael W. Waters

Founder and Pastor, Joy Tabernacle A.M.E. Church, Joytabernacleame.org

One of the most highly anticipated births in recent memory has now taken place. Shawn Carter, better known by his rap pseudonym, Jay-Z, and Beyonce Knowles have given birth to their first child, a daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, who entered the world weighing seven pounds on Saturday, January 7th at a New York hospital. I pray God's continued blessings upon the family!

In honor of his first born, Jay-Z readily recorded and released a masterful song, "Glory." The song has the potential of becoming this generations' "Isn't She Lovely?," Stevie Wonder's tribute to his newborn daughter, Aisha, from the classic album Songs in the Key of Life (1976). I readily identify with such creative inspiration and the immediate need for expression. The week leading up to the birth of both of my children, I preached sermons inspired by the meaning of their anticipated births to me. And as my wife and I await the birth of our third child next month, I am confident that sermonic inspiration will find me once again. The overwhelming joy of fatherhood is its own inspiration, but I now find inspiration for expression in Jay-Z's "Glory!"

When Beyonce rubbed her belly after a dynamic performance at the MTV Music Awards last August, then the camera shot to an ecstatic Jay-Z flashing a thousand-watt smile, I immediately considered it to be one of the most important popular culture moments of this century. Unfortunately, a happily married African-American family basking in the glow of the anticipated birth of a child is rarely captured by popular media. That the number of children born out of wedlock is increasing in America, in general, and within the African-American community, specifically, where 70 percent of African American youth are born outside of the covenant of marriage, is tragic, to say the least.

I am aware that my expressed concerns place me at odds with some. I fully recognize that I am among a fleeting number of individuals who believe that God's plan is for children to be born within the confines of a marital union. Nonetheless, I believe.

Honestly, I hoped that my generation, the hip-hop generation (or Generation X), deeply scarred by the absence of their own fathers, would not repeat their fathers' mistakes. Increasingly, I see my hopes dashed. As a pastor, I recently came to the grim recognition that of the last fifteen children that I have baptized, only four times was the father present to participate in the celebration of the sacrament. Of those fathers present, only one father was married to the woman with whom the child was conceived at the time of the baptism. And for me, it appears as if the trend of fatherless baptisms will continue in the near future.

Yes, I know that my concerns are at odds with some, especially those actively advocating for the redefinition of the family. Such attempts to redefine family deeply trouble me. Redefinition of family formerly came on account of necessity, such as after tragedy or disappointment, after a failed marriage or incarceration, or a parent with a substance abuse problem, or even the death of one or both parents, which resulted in other family members or friends stepping in to raise the children. Today, many families are "redefined" at the very point of conception as marriage is no longer considered a prerequisite towards beginning a family.

I applaud Jay-Z and Beyonce for accomplishing what many in my generation have failed to do, breaking the cycle of absenteeism established by their parents' generation. Jay-Z's dedication to break this cycle has been vividly captured in his recent recordings. In a song from Jay-Z and Kanye West's album Watch the Throne, "New Day", Jay-Z raps "promise to never leave him... cause my dad left me and I promise [to] never repeat him." Such important reflections on the meaning of fatherhood and of commitment to the next generation are largely, and unfortunately, missing within our society.

Admittedly, I did not see this coming. After years of listening to Jay-Z spit verses of material opulence, drug-dealing escapades, and womanizing, the possibility never entered my mind that one day he would be revered as a husband and a father. Popular hip hop has never been known as a bastion of morality or familial commitment. Yet, these recent reflections on fatherhood from arguably the genre's greatest living artist could signify a new day for fatherhood, accountability, and responsibility expressed not only within the genre, but throughout the culture. And because of the tremendous influence of hip hop culture upon American society, I pray that it might also serve as a new day towards the reclamation of the importance of fatherhood, accountability, and responsibility throughout America.

With hope and anticipation of such reclamation of family and fatherhood in American society, there is only one possible response;

Glory!

Follow Michael W. Waters on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RevMikeWaters

"Church" Is Out of Style

By Princeton Irvin Parker

I went to church. The building: a small chapel on a university campus. The members were teens and young adults who were dressed in jeans and sweatshirts. The music was provided by an acoustic guitar and piano. The words to the song were projected on the wall. I didn't know the songs, but I lifted my hands as I was moved by the passion of those who not only knew the song, but sang it aloud. The way they sang the song, really expressed the lyric of Christ and his love, and it moved me to think about my own life. I didn't know the minister, but with a calm teaching voice he opened up worlds of insight into the history, and meaning both physically and spiritually behind the passage that he read. I didn't know any of the people, but when I was introduced as a new-comer to the group, they stayed after the session and welcomed me and showed me love like I was a family member. They also showed the ultimate form of love, by offering me food. There was no organ, or drum set, or choir, or suits, or familiar minister or any other things that I encounter from Sunday to Sunday, but I still had one of the greatest spiritual experiences of my life.

There are some people who believe that if a group doesn't worship God the way they do, then the people are wrong. Many churches become religious clubs, where only few are invited, and the goal is just to get excited and participate in a hype session. Please understand that I'm not bashing or slamming any style or culture of worship. I love all styles of worship, and in fact consider myself a connoisseur of worship styles. I enjoy various types from the Pentecostal jubilant and upbeat style of worship that's full of soulful harmonies and melodies, to the "classic forty" hymns from groups like the United Methodist Church, to alternative Christian rock bands, to Christian rap and Christ-centered spoken word, to acoustic worship; if it has the right message, I enjoy it, and worship with it. I believe that styles of worship are effective, and that they have a definite place in the church. The point I am making, however, is that one should never be so consumed in a style of worship, that he or she misses the main purpose. The main purpose of religion or Christianity isn't to make a person  feel good. The purpose of Christianity is to bring people closer to the divine, and the unknown through Jesus Christ. Many people love the feeling of being in a "churchy" environment, and when they enter into the secular world, they find themselves lost. They partake only for the experience of the moment, but don't take away the things they need to make a substantial change in their life. I strongly believe that as people realize the sincere need for  God , and not systems or religion, then they will seek after getting filled with the things of God, no matter how different the environment is where the message is being presented.

Here's a checklist that I use and find helpful to measure whether I encountered a productive spiritual experience when I attend a service.

1. Did I have a spiritual experience? (Was the moment just hype and emotion, or did I really hear a message or conviction that resonates with my heart?)
2. Did I learn something new? (Was my knowledge expanded about God, the bible, the figures of the bible, life, the divine, relationships and principles, or even about my own self?)
3. Was the feeling I felt or lesson I learned, demonstrated? (Were there people who practiced what they preached, or did I see or hear about a living example outside of the text that proves the bible or lesson being taught to be true?)
4. Did I receive something that was not only relevant to my life, but applicable? (Did I grasp onto tangible tools that I can implore to see the gospel come to life in my world?)
5. Was I apart of the worship experience? (Did the environment engage my thoughts, emotions, and sometimes maybe even my physical participation?) And last but not least:
6. Did my experience make me feel better? (Did I leave feeling encouraged, motivated, joyful, reflective, introspective, uplifted, renewed, revitalized, refreshed, or that I had a good time?)

These are the things that matter. Life is about growth, and progression. People who only situate themselves in one environment, miss out on the gifts that God has placed in so many different places. Church is out of style. Jesus and His love is the new focus of the day. In 2012 let us make a commitment keep our focus on Him, and worship God in spirit and in truth wherever we are.

Follow Princeton Irvin Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PrincetonParker

Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Bishop T.D. Jakes

Potter's House, Dallas

The title tells the tale of a dichotomous man: Reverend. Doctor. 

One foot planted squarely in two separate and seemingly incongruent worlds.

One hand lifted in triumphant exultation. The other, extended low to uplift the downtrodden, the unseen disenfranchised, the unheard and underserved, the suffering masses.

A solemn voice that pierces the silence in whispered alms to an all seeing, all knowing God. The other shouting from 'mountaintops,' commanding the consideration of those with ears to hear what the Spirit of the Lord would say.

His head lifted in high praise and adoration, brought low in the defiant posture of non-violent protest. His decorous declarations ringing in freedom from behind the bars of a Birmingham cell -- daring to call forth those things that be not as though they were.

A Nobel peace prize winner gloriously lauded from a Stockholm stage juxtaposed against a reception of billy clubs and tear gas on a bridge from Selma one Bloody Sunday afternoon.

On the one hand, a conductor of the civil rights engine. On the other, a mere man cloaked in the innocuous garb of a humble minister of the Gospel.

I would surmise that it is in the posture of Reverend that Doctor King is least understood.

From an early age, he struggled to reconcile the role of religion in a dynamically changing world or to define 'purpose' in the context of a generation.

At Morehouse, he learned to balance the intellectual stimuli of the theological discipline with the emotive construct of his deep Baptist roots. 

At Boston University, he studied the great modern theologians, deducing that the role of the church must be to illuminate a way of life rather than a static system of beliefs.

In practice, he lived a form of Christianity that demonstrated "the power of God in human experience."

His desire was to both "spread the message as the master taught" and to stamp out the evil of injustice in its varied and incendiary forms though committed action.

He reminded us that Good Friday came before Easter as a way of illustrating Christ's progression from death, penultimate burial to Resurrection. In his life he clearly understood that there would be suffering. "We must bear the cross," he said.

If his life's work could be summarized in a single thesis, it would be found in his final sermon entitled The Drum Major Instinct" based on the passage in Mark 10:35-45 that depicts man's incessant quest for supremacy. 

"If you want to be great..." he cried out in the prolonged cadence of his denominational heritage, "... you must serve others!"

He lived by faith with love, justice, and truth as the triumvirate of his legacy.

He was unparalleled in his ability to inculcate two worlds as divergent as "church" and "state." 

Like Jesus, he was singular in purpose, misunderstood even in the context of his times, taken far too soon, but leaving the next generation with the formula for success: to be of service to others.

Follow Bishop T.D. Jakes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BishopJakes

God's Economic Justice: Year of Jubilee Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Rev. William Flippin, Jr.

It is no secret that many persons and families are going through hard times. The rise of unemployment is alarming. Despite these economic realities, I believe that God is calling us this year to be one of Jubilee for our nation, world and global marketplace.

One of the most interest and revealing parts of the law is the concept of the Jubilee and all that is implied. It is here I believe that we find economic justice from God's point of view. Most of the Jubilee concepts are spelled out in Leviticus 25; probably the most distinguishing feature is that land, like people, could be bought and sold but only fifty years at a time.

Jubilee ethics required that debts be canceled, slaves be freed, Ver. 1. -- Release. The word thus rendered (שְׁמִטָּה, from שָׁמַט, to leave, to let lie fallow). The debt was to be left in the hands of the debtor, as the land was to be let lie or left untilled for that year. Every forty-nine years the land was to enjoy a double Sabbath, which meant no agricultural work to speak of for the people for two years. No wonder they were to proclaim liberty throughout the land!

The Israelites were not only to help the poor, but they were to refrain from what would be a hardship and oppression to them. Debtors, consequently, were not to be deprived of the benefit of the sabbatical year, for at the close of each seventh year there was to be a release. This does not imply that the debt was to be remitted, but only that the debtor was not then to be pressed for payment. This is an addition to the law of the Sabbath-year (Exod. 23:10, etc.; Lev. 25:2-7).

God's economic justice plan is not just for the poor or rich but is a means to show that every fifty years, it is time to level the playing field and begin anew. The flip side, of course is that every fifty years the rich were more or less back to square one. Under this system it wasn't impossible to exploit the poor, but there was a limit to how long the same people could be exploited. To make things even more difficult for the rich, they were prohibited by God from charging interest on money lent. Under this system it seems useless to waste all one's energies simply trying to accumulate more and more; and, if one does not spend his or her energies that way, he or she he or she has time for other things -- God for instance, family, self. This reminds me of the concept of professional sports of how the team with the worst record always got the highest pick. The Year of Jubilee shows us that the faith of our ancestors to trust in God must be practiced even in economic hard times. Just as those Israelites that planted no crops and depending completing on God's promise to provide.

Jubilee concepts help us better understand Jesus. When his disciples rebuked the woman for anointing Jesus' feet with the expensive perfume, which could have been sold and given to the poor, Jesus said, "The poor you will have with you always."(Matthew 26:11). Jesus as so often interpreted is not saying that we must resign ourselves to the fact that we will always have poor people, and that there is nothing we can do about it. Jesus I believe is setting forth an ideal that the Israelites missed in this Deuteronomy passage that the result of disobedience and hoarding our wealth causes us to be poor in spirit in not putting God's economics in practice.

There is a hypothesis in New Testament studies that one of the reasons that the Jews of Jesus' day rejected him as Messiah was that he was calling them to practice once again the Jubilee, and that they, especially the Sadducees and wealthy Pharisees, had too much to lose in terms of properties and riches. How does this concept of Jubilee coincide with the call for reparations for the injustices of slavery and the exploitation of our people? It is no coincidence that we see the story illustrated of the rich young ruler that was willing to give up everything except his wealth to the poor. Jesus was an itinerant Galilean charismatic preacher and could be tolerated until he overturned the tables of moneychangers in the Temple.

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated not when he was articulating a dream but until he started meddling with the economic injustices of the nation in an organize effort with the Poor Peoples Campaign. It is time that we as a global marketplace examine the ethics of a Jubilee Year in practicing God's plan for economic justice. In this time of reflection, it is important that we remain steadfast and jubilant and affirm that in all situations give thanks to our God. 

Follow Reverend William E. Flippin, Jr. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@pastorbilljr