So I Go

He’d witnessed everything from a homicide to
God introducing himself to gang members on the streets at two o’clock in the
morning. His parents inspired his passion and love for people,
especially “the least of these,” and helped him flourish despite his rough
surroundings. 

Out of a
love for metaphors and the simple
way words “colored the paper,” another outlet of creativity and passion was born: spoken word
poetry.
“Spoken word for me was inspired by my love for the
oratory gifts I encountered in others, from Christ using parables to street
corner preachers to Veritas forum speakers,” Michael says. “I knew I
wasn’t a rapper because I wasn’t an 8 bars type of dude, I wanted to use a
different brush to paint colorful words with, so I learned very quickly that it
was spoken word that would add hues to my creative pallet [sic].” 

He
performed on stages in the Windy City until the age of 20, when his love for
urban culture took him on a faith journey to New York City where he earned
degrees in Cross-Cultural Ministries and Business from World Harvest Bible
College and King’s College, respectively. Shortly
thereafter, Michael landed a job as a youth probation officer in Indianapolis,
Indiana, where he spent five years speaking
life into the next generation. 

His urban
background and heart for youth attracted him to the position. “I speak a
language youth understand and they’re drawn to because I survived in a world
that they’re now fighting to survive in… so we fight together!” he says. 

While he
reached youth by day, by night he was a member of The Fighting Words Poetry Team. He
realized this love for words could be used for ministry when one summer, he and
some friends organized events catering to the underground hip hop community; they
called it “Qadosh hip hop”, or hip-hop set apart for a holy purpose. This
circle of people, consisting of emcees, DJs, b-boys and graffiti artists,
influenced his love for words, revealing the power of words to change a
generation. 

“I’ve always been
fascinated by the scripture that speaks of POPS [God] knowing me before I was
in my mother’s womb,” Michael says. “To know that ABBA’S relationship with me
and everyone else in the world started before conception is to know that HIS
love for us began before time had a wrist…that’s FASCINATING.” 

And even while
overseas, Michael’s been able to marry his way with words with missions. God
himself “spoke words to form the Universe, who else could do that?” asks
Michael. Inspired by the Creator himself, Michael’s been declaring God’s love
to the nations.