Heaven gets a new lead singer

Say it loud:
"I'm black and I'm proud!"

-James Brown, the Godfather of Soul (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006)

In case you missed the news, James Brown died yesterday.

While I'm sad he died; I will not morn him.

Mr. Dynamite had a huge impact on my life. His music awakened parts of my spirit I didn't know existed; and inspired me to examine my own core beliefs. I won't pretend that he did not have his own demons to battle; but neither will I not imply that James Brown was no saint. (For those of you paying attention; that last sentence just earned me a triple double negative score!).

My point is; James Brown was a man who did both good and bad in is life; which means he was essentially no different than every one of us. I'm not going to try to build him up. I'm not going to try to tear him down. But his music.......wow.

James Brown was a Christian, which means he will live on in Heaven. For those of you who don't believe in Christ; I doubt I can properly convey the Good News in this simple little blog posting. So I will try to explain it in another way: James Brown, through his music, helped me become a stronger Christian, which in turn makes me strive to be a better person. We mourn the dead, but James Brown lives in my heart. I choose to celebrate his life.

I feel good....