As today is October 15 and technically the final day of National Hispanic Heritage Month 2020, we continue to celebrate the heritage of Hispanic persons across the globe. Every day is a great day to celebrate Hispanic traditions and cultures, and recognize the many wonderful fruits that are borne from such a vibrant community.
Let us continue to honor and salute our brothers and sisters of the Hispanic community, on both today and every day forward!
God be in my head and in my understanding.
God be in mine eyes and in my looking.
God be in my mouth and in my speaking.
God be in my heart and in my thinking.
God be at mine end and at my departing.
By Donnie McClurkin
Hear our earnest prayer O Lord
Hear our humble cry
Precious loving caring lord
On whom we rely
Ever loving, ever living God
Of whom no one can compare
All we ask is that you hear our prayers
Give us strength most Holy Lord
Strength to meet this day
Lead us by your Holy Word
Guide us in your way
For life is filled with winding turns
We have often lost our way
For life is filled with winding turns
We have often lost our way, all we ask is that you lead today
Give us love that’s true O Lord
Trusting as a child
Love for all we see O Lord
Trusting as a child
Love for all we see O Lord
Pure and undefiled
But to heal the heart and not turn away anyone who is in need
All we ask is teach us love indeed
Take me home with you my Lord
When my life is through
Take me home with peace my Lord
Let me rest with you
When I’ve fought the fight and I’ve kept the faith
And my race on earth is won
All I ask is that you say well done
Lord please let me hear you say well done
Listen here.
As I journey through the land, singing as I go,
Pointing souls to Calvary—to the crimson flow,
Many arrows pierce my soul from without, within;
But my Lord leads me on, through Him I must win.
When in service for my Lord dark may be the night,
But I’ll cling more close to Him, He will give me light;
Satan’s snares may vex my soul, turn my thoughts aside;
But my Lord goes ahead, leads whate’er betide.
When in valleys low I look toward the mountain height,
And behold my Savior there, leading in the fight,
With a tender hand outstretched toward the valley low,
Guiding me, I can see, as I onward go.
When before me billows rise from the mighty deep,
Then my Lord directs my bark; He doth safely keep,
And He leads me gently on through this world below;
He’s a real Friend to me, oh, I love Him so.
Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face,
There to sing forever of His saving grace;
On the streets of glory let me lift my voice,
Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice!
I will bless the Lord at all times, and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together, for the Lord is good and greatly to be praised.
O taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed are they that put their trust in Him, so praise ye the Lord!
Praise God in this sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts.
Let everything that has breath praise ye the Lord!
I know this road I’m on seems kind of long, but I must keep holding on until I reach home
Sometimes the wind blows and sometimes it rains, but have faith my friend and know that it’s not in vain
No matter how fast my strength lets me go, ’cause some folks may pass by, to them I seem slow
But there’s nothing to gain me if I turn around, so God’s grace sustains me while I’m homeward bound
Though it seems hard, but I’m giving Him my best, if that’s not enough, I’ll let God do the rest
He gave me His word, that’s what He promised me so now I gotta be strong, no matter what comes gotta keep pressin’ on
I may not deserve it when life lets me down, but it’ll all be worth it when I get my crown
So the world may deceive us, it may treat us wrong, but if we gon’ see Jesus we must keep pressin’ on
-Xavier O’Connor
Listen here.
A writing about growing up black and a Dodger fan
Two things I knew at the age of a few
That one I was black, and two I was blue
My path was prewritten yet freshly anew
And not all would come easy I’d find as I grew
My hair would turn coarse and of bright sandy hue
My tone was such bronze, my pupils bronze too
The cap I’d adorn was but one tone and snug
Its brim was quite lengthy, its foe was the sun
I threw with my cousins and caught with them too
We ran ‘round square bases once batting balls through
Our winters were warm and our summers were more so
Our autumns were easy and spring times were joyful
Our worries were none, for all that we knew, was two things were sure, we were black and then blue
My father would travel and take me along
I’d see many things such as where I belonged
We’d make toward the sunrise with sunsets behind
We’d engage in much laughter while losing the time
I’d ask where I’d come from, he’d deeply respond
I’d learn who I was, what I was, and grow fond
My roots were in Brooklyn but not next of kin
I heard stories before me only time and again
I loved my bronze tone and learned all that it meant
But my country’d shown different and therefore it went
I’d travel my path with decks stacked afore me
Taught of injustice while ill treatment displayed all about me
I’d come to learn some things still those two I knew
That I’d never break easy, and grow faithful and true
Descend upon boats my ancestors once did
Without hope, nor foresight, just tools at their heads
But time heals some wounds and with time we’d have thrills
With time we’d grow heroes like Jackie and Wills
Becoming a man has meant more than just aging
It’s come with its prices, some argue worth paying
Persisting along, though, both prideful and strong
We carry our hope in our hearts as a song
So who dare bring us conflict when God is our victor
And whose shoulder will lend me? My brother? My sister?
Oh life you are precious, a blessing indeed
Lord help as I ask to unselfishly need
Just a game such as baseball with lessons therein
Is life and its teachings of losses and wins
Yet through all still I’m certain that these things bode true
That I will always be black, and forever be blue
My praise is not predicated on what God does.
Yet it is contingent on who God is.
And since He never changes, my praise will never change.
“Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, if don’t nobody else care
And uh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don’t cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don’t forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain’t nothin’ don’t believe him
And if he can’t learn to love you, you should leave him
‘Cause sista you don’t need him
And I ain’t tryna gas ya up, I just call ’em how I see ’em
You know it makes me unhappy (What’s that?)
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it’s time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can’t make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you’re fed up ladies, but keep your head up“
-Tupac Shakur
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
