Articles
Ansel is a regular contributor to the National Black Catholic Congress Website and Eat the Scroll Ministry. He also has several of his works published in:
- I Tried to Told 'Em, But they Didn't Wanna Heard Me
- Eat the Scroll Ministry
- Campus Ministry: Unchartered Territory
- We are the People of the Sun
- Everybody's Doin' It: Dating & Peer Pressure
- Songs of Our Hearts, Meditations of Our Souls: Prayers for Black Catholics
- XULA Campus Ministry: Our Hidden Jewel
- Get Your Mind Right
- Don't Be Stupid!!
Scripture Reflections
JOHN 15:9-11 "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you..."
How do you love and value others? Is someone of value to you only if they can do something for you? Do you only treat people as important depending on their status in life or the position they hold? Or do you love people for who they are; as children of God. Our society is quick to put labels on everyone. Race, location, economic status, and sexual orientation are just some of our labels that we place on one another, and these labels show us how we are supposed to act and who are supposed to associate with. Jesus came to destroy these labels and let ALL know that we are important in God’s eyes, yet we still uphold these labels and develop new ones as time goes on. How many blessings have me missed out on because someone doesn’t fit the “mold” that we expect. Remember Jesus did not come as the messiah that the Jews were looking for. In this passage Jesus tells us that He loves just as the Father loves; unconditionally. How different would our world be if we loved one another as the Father loves us? How different would our lives be? How much stress and anger would be decreased in our lives? Today reflect on what categories/labels you place on God’s children and see how you can change that. Also, see how you can help others to try to look at everyone as your brothers and sisters in Christ and not as a label.
John 16: 5-11 "Now I am going to Him that sent me..."
Get out of your comfort zone!! This is the message that comes to mind when I read this passage. We get so stuck in our stories that we tend not to grow. As a youth minister, I have seen our young people scared to go away to college or to just to go into a program or situation which they may not be accustomed to. This is the same for the attitudes of many of our adults as well. But this causes us not to grow as a people of God. Since our conception as a living being in the womb we are called to grow: physically, spiritually, and intellectually. Yet some of us get to a point where we think we know it all, or we have “arrived” at the place God wants us to be at. WHY???? The only place we are called to journey toward is Heaven. During the journey toward Heaven, we are called to bring and share the good news to all that we encounter. Thus the circle of life that is represented by the Bakongo Cosmogram occurs. We are called to mentor the younger, help the elder, and educate our peers; thus helping us all to head toward the common goal of Heaven. In this Scripture, people were upset that Jesus was leaving, but our Savior knew that it was necessary for God’s plan to take place. It is the same for us, we must know that we must stretch out and go into the “uncomfortable” places to preach and witness the Gospel. So today, name a place, person, or situation that you could bring Christ into that would be out of your "comfort zone."
John 17:1-11 "Father the time has come. Glorify the Son, that your Son may glorify You..."
IT’S NOT ABOUT US! These are words that I have heard preached many times. It is hard for us, as ministers, to focus on the goal when we are doing all the work (or so it appears). Many times we feel upset or slighted, when we don’t get the proper recognition for our contributions, hours of hard work, or use of our gifts and talents. But IT’S NOT ABOUT US! We must already feel privileged to be asked to partake of such a good work. Remember, the harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few! Our Savior was persecuted and put to death doing the same work we are doing. Only He did what He did so that we wouldn’t have to go through the same type of persecution (although it still occurs in some parts of the world). Remember that the work we do is to glorify God and not ourselves. Yes, there are many ministers out there, that use the name of the Lord for self-glorification, but you don’t be one of them. If man offends or ignores your gifts, remember the ultimate Gift-giver sees your works, and more importantly, your heart. God is already pleased at what you are doing or trying to do in His name. Just remember to point people to Him because IT’S NOT ABOUT US… BUT IT’S ABOUT HIM!! So today, take time out and ask God to make us less, so that He may show greater through us.
John 21: 15-19 "Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow Me!’"
Order my steps! The words of this popular song are just the saying that Peter was asking from Jesus in this passage. Jesus asks Peter if he loved Him three times. This was Peter’s opportunity to reconcile himself after denying Jesus three times during the crucifixion. Peter’s human condition of fear and doubt took over his spirit of faith in the heat of the moment, but Jesus out of His love for Peter gave him a chance to make things right with Him. The same is for us. We want by all means to follow Christ in everything we do, but when things get tough, or we are around people who think in contrast to our values, we deny Jesus. And just like Peter, we are filled with guilt because we have “sold out.” But since Jesus loves us more than we could ever love ourselves, He gives us a chance to be right with Him. He even gave His life to make it possible. This is what he modeled with Peter in this passage. Just as we may deny, we can also be made right. Order my steps! Our spiritual journey can be compared to a map in a mall or amusement park. When we look for something, we first look for that star or dot that says, “YOU ARE HERE,” and from that we look at what turns we have to make or what things we have to go through to get to our destination. Today look at where you are at in your spiritual journey and see what Jesus wants you to go through and make right as He tells you to “Follow Me.”
John 15: 9-17 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you got go bear fruit – fruit that will last..."
What honor could be greater than to be chosen by the King of Kings? When I read this passage I feel honored and relieved that maybe, for once, I am doing the right thing with my life. Despite the fact that I am always dealing with obstacles, people’s opinions (hatin’), lack of resources, etc. I feel honored at the fact that, even thought I might feel like I don’t belong here, God does because He chose me to do this, I just listened to his voice in my heart. The same goes for all of us doing His work, whether it is on our jobs, in our families, or amongst those outside these circles remember God chose us to be where we are at. The Bible says that we are not of this world. So it is not unusual that we don’t always feel comfortable or feel like we fit in here. We are supposed to do His work. That’s why we’re here family! Also, the work that we do will bear fruit that will last. We may not see it in our lifetime, but it will happen. As a youth minister, I talk to our young people till their blue in the face about God, but it appears that they don’t listen. Through adversity, trials of life, and even the blessed events that occur, God’s message becomes evident in their lives. And trust me, they will remember the message from their mentors and they will pass it on. This is how our fruit will last. We are only called to present the good news and plant the seed God will do the rest.
Poems
Give ME NEW ORLEANS !!!!
Give me a king cake baby
Give me a beignet kiss
Give me a french quarter morning that looks like this
Give me the endymion krewe
Give me the times-picayune
Give me a drunk and lazy crawfish boil in muggy sticky june
Give me a six pack of dixie
Give me some assorted abita beers
Give me a city where it only snows once every 10 years
Give me a green neutral ground
Give me a mardi gras ball
Give me a medium rare burger at my grand old Port of Call
Give me a glittery drag show
Give me the streetcar line
Give the House of the Rising Sun
Give me a Tchoupitoulas sign
Give me a shrimp and oyster poboy
Give me lovebug season in May
Give me my New Orleans-
I will definitely stay.
Something Down on the Inside (S.D.I.)
When I'm tired and ready to give up
There's S.D.I.
When everybody's fighting and causing a fuss
There's S.D.I.
When my faith is shaky
There's S.D.I.
When my friend and family are acting flaky
There's S.D.I.
When my future is uncertain
There's S.D.I.
When there's physical, emotional, and mental hurtin'
There's S.D.I.
When I feel all alone
There's S.D.I.
When I have no place to call home
There's S.D.I.
When I feel all hope is lost
There's S.D.I.
I try to shout my praise at all cost
Cus there's S.D.I.
When I think about what Jesus did on that cross
There's S.D.I.
I just sit back and laugh at the devil's hopeless cause
Cus there's S.D.I.
I pull myself out of my problems and rebuild
Cus there's S.D.I.
And I keep my long term goal on Heaven still
Cus there's S.D.I.
I keep on telling myself to go on
Cus there's S.D.I.
And I aint stoppin' until I get HOME
Because there's S.D.I.
EAT THE SCROLL SCRIPTURES SUMMER 07
LUKE 9:11-17 "Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. And they ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full."
Isn't it amazing to see what God can do with our broken pieces! He is truly the potter and we are truly His clay. In this scripture we see the disciples telling Jesus to get rid of the crowds because they did not have enough to feed them, but Jesus used what limited resources they had to work a miracle that we still talk about today.
How many of us feel we are limited in our resources? How many of us feel that are churches do not have enough "stuff" to do something meaningful? How many of us feel that we are not worthy because of past experiences or present situations? God tells us that all we have to do is trust Him, and He can do a miracle in and through us that we can never expect. Just as with the disciple and the five thousand, Jesus understood the situation and the limited mindset that his followers were working out of. But He also knew how to handle the situation increase the faith of all involved.
The same is true with us. Jesus already knows our mindsets, our faults, our limitations, and our hang-ups that we come to Him with. But always remember our Father created us and He knows what we are capable of and what He wants to do through us to increase the faith of all that we encounter. We are ambassadors of Christ and He can take our broken pieces and the Master can create a Masterpiece!!
JOHN 14:23-29 "Peace I leave with you; My piece I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, not let it be fearful…Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe."
I wonder if God sits up in Heaven and just shakes His head and laughs at us. In this passage Jesus clearly tells us what we have to do to have peace, and He tells us what we have in store for us as believers. BUT WE STILL WORRY ABOUT THE WRONG THINGS!! I look at my community and our people. We all are busy trying to "keep up with the Jones's." Materialism and wealth equal value in today's society, and many of us are literally killing ourselves (or others) trying to be "worthy" in the eyes of others. This attitude causes us to judge others and make us think that we are God.
This is sad because Jesus clearly tells us in this passage that he left us PEACE, yet we are causing more unrest and chaos in our lives and in our world. So many of us are trying to be #1 that we forget who is really supposed to be #1 in our lives.
Speaking to survivors of traumatic experiences and natural disasters, all the people are taught, the hard way, what the priorities in life are. Rather than stressing over things, we should be worried about each other. God gave us all gifts and talents that we are not supposed to use for self-achievement, but for the common good. But we still don't understand that we are called to build the Kingdom here on earth.
The problem is that this attitude is passed down to our youth and the cycle continues for generations to come. So today, take some time out and see how you can reprioritize your life to focus on Christ's will for us, and how different society would be if others did the same. Helps stop God from laughing in disappointment, but make Him smile with pride!!
MATTHEW 10:7-15 "If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet."
"SHAKE THEM HATERS OFF!!" This is a popular term used by hip-hop culture today. It is funny how it is also biblical in nature. Jesus is telling us who spread the Word that when we are not accepted to Shake It Off and Move On.
So many times, we as ministers, try to save everyone and we feel as though we failed if someone doesn't accept the gift that Jesus has for them, but we must remember that we all have a choice to make – to follow Him or not. That's why the free will thing has caused our ancestors in faith so much trouble and still gives us the same trouble today. Jesus does not ask us to work miracles, but to trust Him and invite others to Him.
So the next time you are laughed at for your faith – SHAKE IT OFF! If your family questions your vigor for your faith – SHAKE IT OFF! If your peers try to put you in situations that contradict your Christian lifestyle – SHAKE IT OFF! If you have other ministers or church folk that drain your fire for Christ – SHAKE IT OFF! Remember that when Jesus died on the cross of us, He shook off the devil and all of his evil plots, plans, and schemes he had for us. So remember the next time the devil ties to grip your life with fear or doubt, SHAKE THAT HATER OFF and put on Christ!
MATTHEW 19:23-30 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last, first."
For many of us who call ourselves Christians, this passage rings true to our lives. There are some of us who try to live out a Christian lifestyle, yet face ridicule and ostracizing from family and friends. Many of us have had to pray or act in secret (like our early Christian ancestors) because we did not want to face the consequences. But here Christ assures us that all will be okay, Just trust Him. I wonder if the early Christians ever thought that their new faith would be as big as it is today. I can only imagine the persecution they had to face to be followers of Christ. Let's not forget what Jesus himself went through to make us right with God.
So we too are called to "risk it all" to gain it all. Yes in the present society, living the Gospel message is radical. Loving one another is contrary to acquiring my stuff at all costs. The "big business" mentality goes against the message that Jesus preached in looking out for another, especially those who are the least among us. But Christ assures us that the temporary loneliness we may feel here cannot compare to the unending peace and happiness that waits for us in heaven. Stay focused on Christ!
