Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
I’ve been mentoring youth since 2003 through the Yunion, a non profit organization that serves youth and families in Metro Detroit. In 2008 I created theย Cave of Adullam male character strengthening system to help black boys and young men overcome unresolved anger, ADHD symptoms, the father wound and fear.ย I was very encouraged when President Obama announced the My Brotherโs Keeper (MBK) initiative to help boys and young men of color, and that the Skillman Foundationย and the Campaign for Black Male Achievement was to lead it here in Detroit. Shortly after the announcement, the LORD told me to study in context, the biblical phrase โMy Brothers Keeperโ. Within minutes, He not only gave me insight into why we are still in dire need of such an initiative and why we must purge the spirit of Cain amongst us, but more importantly,ย how we who serve and empower black boys and young men can truly one day become our brotherโs keeper.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground (farmer). – Genesis 4:2
Cain and Abel had two different skill sets but both worked in the same โfieldโ. Sounds familiar? How often do we, the shepherds and the farmers in the โfieldโ of black male achievement, discount the value of each otherโs skill-set because our methodology is different? Are we all not working towards the same goal? For the work in the field to achieve the results that both the shepherd and the farmer desire, it’s imperative that they work together. For without the crops, the shepherdโs flock starves to death and without the flock, the farmer’s crops are wasted. For this relationship to be productive and not be a coerced collaboration, both the shepherd and the farmer must equally sacrifice their best.
“Cain presentedย some of his crops as a gift to the Lord, but Abel presented the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.– Genesis 4:3-5
Sounds familiar? The LORDโs Philanthropic Hand accepted Abelโs Black Boys Mentoring (ABBM) proposal, but denied Cainโs Black Boys Development proposal. This made Cain and his staff burn withย indignation because they believed their proposal and work was just as good as ABBM. Cainโs Black Boys Development eventually resented the work of ABBM, and as a result, the two organizations could never collaborate in the “field” of black male achievement.
โWhy are you so angry?โ the Lord asked Cain. โWhy do you look so dejected?” – Genesis 4:6
We should always ask ourselves these two questions whenever we feel dejected when our work and effort gets rejected. None of us are void of pride, and if not subdued, pride will eventually lead us and our organizations into destruction. The LORD’s Philanthropic Hand gave Cain’s Black Boys Development (CBBD) constructive feedback to why their proposal was denied, and offered CBBD another opportunity to submit another proposal. But Cain refused to comply. As a result, Cain had to layoff his staff, and because the LORD’s Philanthropic Hand was the only grantor in the region, he relocated CBBD to another country. Due to Cain’s absence, all the crops in the field died, and Abel’s flock eventually went astray searching for food but were devoured by the wolves.
The LORD said to Cain, “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at your door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master. – Genesis 4:7
An intelligible definition for sin is knowing the right thing to do, but not doing it (James 4:17 NASB). Again, none of us are void of pride, however sin arises when we allow pride to fester, instead of purging our prideful ways. I will never forget the words of Alfonso Wyatt regarding the existence of pride and egos in the field of black male achievement. He said, “The new drug and it’s legal, is called fame. And sadly too many of our brothers and sisters have overdosed.” It’s without question that we are in dire need of farmers in the field of black male achievement, however we do not need “famers”. Famers are people who appear to have good intentions but they labor in the field for their own benefit, sacrificing the blood, sweat and tears of others.
One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Afterward the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” – Genesis 4:8-9
Although Cain’s response was cynical, anyone that has studied God’s precepts know that He not only expects us to be our brother’s keeper, but also exude brotherly love when doing so. The word “keeper” in this verse means “to guard”, a person who watches and protects someone or something. Here lies what I believe is the main reason why after millions have been spent cultivating the field, we still are in need of initiatives like MBK. We the shepherds and the farmers are not each other’s keeper. When the wolf (the prison industrial complex) comes to snatch a lamb (black boy) from the flock (the community), and a storm (lead water) comes to damage the crops, the shepherd and the farmer cannot proactively guard each other’s work in the field, because they are too busy fighting against each other for props and position in the field.
Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall… Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. – Proverbs 4:23
Before we, the leaders in the field of black male achievement can teach boys and young men of color how to be their brother’s keeper, we must become keepers of each other. First we must begin the process of purging the pride and the negative emotions within our hearts that hinders our work in the field. This process begins with humility, for humility is the “Kryptonite” to pride. Then when humility has purged the pride, we will be able to repent and turn from our ways the hinders the LORD’s Philanthropic Hand from healing our land. During this perpetual process, we must vigilantly guard our hearts with all diligence to keep pride and the emotions associated with it subdued, so that our work will advance. Lastly, this process of internal healing must be done as a cohort, so that the shepherd and farmer will see that although their roles are different in the field, they deeply desire the same result.
We, the shepherds and the farmers (i.e. the gifted brothers and sisters who sacrificially serve in the field of black male achievement), have another great opportunity to empower the boys and young men of color in our nation. I will continue to pray that all who will be engaged in the My Brother’s Keeper initiative will not only seriously contemplate the context of Cain’s cynical response “Am I my brothers keeper”, but also take the necessary introspective steps to avoid making the mistakes that he did.
Shalom Aleichem,
Jason Wilson
Founder/CEO
The Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy
Puberty For Tweens And Teens
Parents, can you relate?! ๐คฃโฃ โฃ Teens go through lots of changes, especially during their puberty years. These include physical, emotional, and mental changes that can sometimes be overwhelming for both teens and parents. โฃ โฃ Early on, some of the most frustrating physical changes…
Read MoreMr. Jason On The News! ๐
Our CEO and founder Mr. Jason was featured on the news! ๐ Sending a special thank you to @randywimbleytv, @joshlandontv and everyone at @fox2detroit for the years of love and support! And be sure to watch The Cave of Adullam documentary, which debuts on @espn…
Read MoreCATTA Celebrating This Beautiful Film Streaming
The Yunionโs The Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy documentary is finally here! Please join us in celebrating this beautiful film streaming now on ESPN + or watch on ESPN October 16th at 5PM EST! We canโt wait for you to see it! #savingboys #thecave…
Read MoreYour Children Will Become What You Are. So Be What You Want Them To Be!
Parents, remember your children will become what you are. So be what you want them to be! ๐โฃ โฃ ๐๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ. Treat others with respect and kindness, and treat yourself with kindness too! Be thoughtful and honest with your kids, and…
Read MoreโCommunity Leadership Award!โ
Congrats again to our Executive Director Nicole Wilson for receiving Detroit Community Health Connectionโs โCommunity Leadership Award!โ
Read MoreLetโs Be Honest, There Is No Perfect Parenting.
Letโs be honestโฆhomework these days is just too hard sometimes. ๐คฃ Parents, we just want to check in with you. How are doing with helping your kids with this โnew mathโ. Letโs be honest, we were already struggling a little with the old math! ๐คช…
Read MoreCommunity Leadership Award! ๐
We are so excited to share that the Detroit Community Health Connection has honored our executive director, Nicole Wilson with their 2022 Community Leadership Award! ๐ The Community Leadership Award is given to the person who mirrors the dedication, compassion, and commitment to our community…
Read More5 Tips To Help Your Teen Deal With Anxiety
Parents! As our children are approaching that time of the year where they are inundated with test taking your child may be experiencing some form of have anxiety. Whether itโs social anxiety or nerves about being back in school during the pandemic, we understand the…
Read More๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ
Parents, this is a great conversation to have with your teen. Ask them, in what ways do they seek affirmation from you and others? Really listen and try to understand their answers. ๐ญโฃ โฃ ๐๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ง๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ท๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ…
Read MoreTeaching Kids To Count Is Fine, But Teaching Them What Counts Is Best
โ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฅ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต.โโฃ โฃ Parents, our children get more from us than just our genetics! They get their values and priorities, which are taught from us. โฃ โฃ We have to show them what to…
Read More“Humans Are Wired To Connect So When We Feel Disconnected, We Turn To Food, Technology And Substances” -Ali Mattu PHD.
Parents, itโs obvious that staying connected with your kids is important. Having a healthy relationship, a strong line of communication, weโve discussed it all! โฃ โฃ But HOW to stay connected is the tricky part. So, here are some simple, but effective, ways to stay…
Read MoreHappy First Day of Fall! โฃ
Happy first day of fall! ๐โฃ โฃ Looking for some family activities to do this fall season, while still keeping it fun for your teens? Weโve got you covered!๐โฃ โฃ ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ค๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ & ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ – We know, those types of places might seem…
Read More#ParentingTipTuesday
Parents! Hereโs a quick #ParentingTipTuesday ๐ก for all of us who have teens, especially now that school is back in session. โฃ โฃ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ด๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐บ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ข๐ญ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ด…
Read MoreSpeak Blessings And Life Into Your Children Always
โ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด, ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ.โโฃ โฃ Parents, we have had many conversations about how you are your childโs biggest influence. The way you talk, how you act – to them and…
Read MoreDads Never Make Sense
Parents, when it comes to disciplining your teenโฆyou want to stay away from nagging and lecturing. ๐ Most parents tend to communicate through repetition, which is needed before the teenage years. BUT, what was once an effort to help them through multiple reminders, now irritates…
Read More5 Tips To Help Your Teen Deal With Anxiety
Parents! As we are now a couple weeks into the school year, have you noticed your young one still suffering from anxiety? Whether itโs social anxiety or nerves about being back in school during the pandemic, we understand the struggle! โฃโฃโฃ โฃโฃโฃ ๐ช๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ…
Read MoreBlog Categories
SEARCH THIS BLOG: