How long did it take you to get to this very place? Look at all you have and what you have become. Do you remember everything that happened in 2015?

I am left in awe everytime I’ve found myself in a jam because of this authentic love relationship I have with my Heavenly Father. At the beginning of every New Year all seems to be at peace. He knew exactly what He was doing when times and seasons were established.

Last year I had the opportunity to see firsthand the awesome wonders of God through the eyes of a newly formed Junkanoo organization called the “Genesis Warhawks.” For any reader who may not know what Junkanoo is, let me briefly explain. It’s a cultural festival held in the Bahamas. Its music, dancing and costumes are built and decorated by the hands of some of the most talented people in this country. One of the amazing things is that to successfully get your group ready for “Bay,” the down town area in the capital where this event takes place, it calls for long hours, sleepless nights, lots of personal funding, broken relationships, arguments and mass hysteria if anything goes wrong. All of this energy and resources are put into a festival and only if you win the competition will you receive a cash prize.

Working behind the scenes allowed me to better understand this sub-culture.  At first, I thought I was going underground to a world unknown and misunderstood by many, but when you’re on the outside looking in you tend to judge without really knowing all the facts. This organization was birthed out of a seed planted a long time ago, only waiting to bloom in its proper season. Here, people from every walk of life are co-existing together with an intentional focus and a clear statement that “if you believe you can, just jump and the Father promised to catch you,” even if you might get bruised along the way.

The largest showcase of this Junkanoo event has been held every Boxing Day & New Year for the last 50 years.  A year of preparation for this 30 – 80 minutes of show time is well worth it. “Why?” “What is all this for?” one may ask. I’ll tell you, it’s to watch strangers became best friends, rivals settle their difference, spouses find new connections, and the patience, dedication and fortitude that you learn when everything seems to be going wrong. We worshipped and broke bread together regularly to ensure we never forgot our mission. Only an awesome God can draw people together like this and would allow me, someone who had no interest in this type of thing, to be right at the core of FAITH at WORK.

Oh, to witness the end product of some of the most extravagant costume pieces, to hear the sound of the rhythm drum as it calls to all members of the backline consisting of cow bells, base drums and brass instruments to become in sync and make the most melodious music this side of heaven. A lot of people only see the beauty and splendor as members dance and entertain them in the streets, but may never really know what it takes or understand why they love it so much.

For years society has looked upon this group of people as unruly, ghetto, or slack and unorganized, and in a lot of cases this may be true, but these people are still longing to be affirmed, valued and appreciated. In 2016 it is my hope that new opportunity would be granted for exposure for the members of this organization and that the world can experience this Bahamian cultural expression of Junkanoo, or as we would say “music in ya belly.”

Wherever you are and whatever you are planning for your life take some time to see God at work and join Him in the quest to save us from ourselves. Look for new opportunity to be fully engaged while coming out of your comfort zone. It will be well worth it.

At the end of this year imagine all the lives you will have touched.

Be Blessed