ABOUT BLACK HISTORY BEGINS WITH

GENESIS 9 & 10

Annals of African-American history report its beginning as the 1619 arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia. Although there's no 'Black' race per se named from Genesis 1: to Revelation 22:21, the overcoming, life-changing, all-conquering, real message of what's known today as 'Black History' began in eternity past; and is written and forever settled in the immutable Word of God.

At some point between 2000-2003, I was in the car with my son when the chorus line of Ghetto Stardom, (a track on rapper Mac Mall's 1996 album release of "Untouchables") grabbed my ear. It was amazing how

not being a gangsta rap listener, I had not given ear to any of the lyrics, yet the chorus line grabbed my ear.

"...They tried to tell us in the verses and the scriptures
But I guess the real message must have missed us..."

Paraphrasing 2 Timothy 3:15, from the days of our childhood, we are to--K N O W--the holy scriptures; through the knowledge of which, we can attain the wisdom that is necessary for us to 'work out with fear and trembling,' the salvation of our soul; which comes through faith in Christ.

Though blessed to have long been enjoying my golden years, as a child I well remember my dad sitting on our front porch in a green lawn chair; watching me as I walked 1 block across the street to St. James Baptist Church, 300 S. Hancock Street, Odessa, Texas, Rev. and 1st Lady Ockletree. It was our routine for the 9am Sunday morning Sunday school service, and Sunday 11 o'clock service. When I stepped out at the end of the 11 o'clock service, my dad was sitting on the porch in that green lawn chair.

My generation of African-Americans were trained up to memorize and recite the 23rd Psalms; trained up to memorize the 10 Commandments; trained up to recite all 66 books of the holy scriptures in chronological order. While those passages were then, and yet are essential to know, they were not then, and now are even less, the real message necessary to empower my African-American male son; with what was and yet is an absolute necessity for African-American parents--training up our African-American children how to rise above the worldly position of being hated above all nations of people on earth.

Ever wondered if and how God created all men equal? I have. I am thankful to report: God, the potter of man, used the one and same particles of dust from the earth. God, who made man in his image and after his likeness, used his breath of life to breathe into the nostril of the one and same lifeless body of the first man; which became a living soul.

Created in Father God's image, we all are spirit beings. We all are living souls. Though there are many different skin tones, we all are clothed in earth suits, we are housed in a body.

Not only is it true God created all men the same physiologically, it's true also we're all created equally spiritually. The issue of racial hatred is consequential to the fact we all are not born into the world equally and/or trained up equally.

While little is said about it, one of the most detriMENTAL evils of the black code restrictions during the era of chattel slavery was the forbidden or controlled worship. In some camps there were Caucasian pastors who, without fail, religiously preached the passage of scripture instructing slaves to obey their master, and not to steal from their master. In camps where a pastor of African descent was allowed to preach, there had to be a Caucasian pastor present.

Innumerable souls of African-Americans, the only nation of people to have been victims of chattel slavery on American soil, are yet trapped in trauma, generationally and genetically passed down through the spiritual and biological bloodlines.

One of the real messages which must be engrained deep within the spirit, the earthen vessel of the body in which they live, deep within the mind, and above all, very deep within the soul of the African nation of sons and daughters is, when they become faithful hearers of God's Word, belly-filled believers in God's Word, and daily doers of Jesus , they then become joint-heirs with Christ Jesus; are seated (sovereignly authorized and divinely empowered) with Christ Jesus; and are given all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

During my years as a Sunday school teacher for school age to pre-teens, the Holy Spirit inspired me with the creation of the only of its kind bingo board game; an educational, power-packed, real message way of enlightening my nation and all nations with truth absolute regarding the spiritual roots of African-Americans.