Who We Are

I have tried seemingly 900 times to start this post and always end up staring at a blank page. So, instead allow me to introduce you to the authors of this blog.

Russell Hall is a Methodist Pastor based out of East Texas. Author of the “Radically Altered” blog, he is one of the most realistically spiritual people I know. What do I mean by “realistically spiritual?” Russell has a knack for taking the issues of faith and Christ and making you think about them when previously you were content to live in your ignorance. I had the good fortune to live with Russell and his lovely wife Erica for several months during a rough patch of my life. Their grace, hospitality and willingness to extend themselves beyond what was necessary for anyone in that situation showed me the love of Christ in a way that I had not previously imagined or comprehended. His posts about everything ranging from the role of the Church to the existence of evil and the Devil have kept me theologically on my toes for several months now since his entrance into the blogosphere. I also say nice things about him because he’s a hunter and could kill me from about 200 paces…

Din (pronounced Dean) Tolbert is one of the greatest and godliest men I know. He also happens to be my cousin. For well over a decade, we grew up in the same house together, his family occupying the two floors upstairs, and mine the two downstairs. We have a host of stories about each other that I hope never make their way into either of our blogs because I’m not entirely sure our parents know about all of them yet and they might be reading (remember that Din). He towers above most crowds at 6’8” and played collegiate Division 1 basketball for a while, attending Cornell University on an academic scholarship. This also makes him one of the smartest guys I know. His willingness to confront the weightier and “headier” theological issues and to present them in such a way that is both poetic and beautiful, while remaining challenging and difficult to escape is just one of the many reasons why I’m glad to have him in my family, and as an author on this blog. A licensed minister of the AME church, Din is also the youth pastor at The Greater Allen AME Cathedral, one of New York City’s most historic and well known churches.

Brittany Loose (Boose to her friends) is a friend I have had the privilege of growing to know for the past couple of years as I have become better and better friends with her brother. She’s a writer (briniloo.wordpress.com), questioner, wrestler with the hard things, and a sweet spirit whose sole goal and aim is to connect with what God has for her to do during the time she has on this earth. Her writing is honest, frank, and she is ever willing to confront the realities of that which she doesn’t understand or that which God is showing her and to do it in such a way that helps us to walk through it with her until we all come out on the other side better for the journey.

Kelbert McFarland (http://www.kelbertmcfarland.com/) is personally one of my favorite people in the whole world. A gifted song writer, and by default- poet, Kelbert’s revelations on the love and mercy of God have led me through some of the most difficult times of my life many times over. One of his greatest desires is to see the Church come back to the full glory that God has intended for it, where our singular aim is to lift up the name of our creator and to make His love known throughout the world. His unwavering commitment to “just Jesus, nothing else” has become the battle cry for many of the people that his life has touched through the weekly worship and bible study gatherings he hosts in Tulsa. An ordained minister, Kelbert is in many ways my pastor, and my brother (we even share the same birthday).

Laura Cooke is the Director of Worship at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A friend for several years, Laura is the quintessential Bohemian. She is a talented singer and extremely gifted songwriter, and her writing is some of the most hilarious and honest I have read in quite some time. I warn you, be careful where you read what she writes because public places where laughter is discouraged might prove to be problematic. I regularly wonder how Laura is able to squeeze from every moment of life a lesson, but am overjoyed that she does because it’s hilarious and I learn something every time.

My name is Damany. I am a 27 year old guy who has been on a journey for the past several years that I would best describe as difficult. It’s included joblessness, homelessness, despondency, joy, ecstasy and contentment. It has shown me that peace is not a manufactured contrivance of the mind, but something that only truly comes from God. I have had the privilege to learn much from the people listed above, and a host of others too numerous to list. It is my hope that our honest approach to the world around us, rife with difficulty and pain, grief and joy, mountaintops and valleys is what enables the world around us to want to know more about the God we love and serve-in every circumstance.