Messages from Our Unknown Ancestors: A 31-Day Devotional Guided By the Negro Spirituals

By Michael D. Chism and William H. Curtis

Our ancestors are still speaking today. We hear them in our fight for freedom. We hear them in our fight for equality. We hear them in our churches. We see their faces when we look in the mirror. This book allows us to realize that we can still hear the voices of our ancestors. Each day in this devotional will open our ears and eyes to the world of our ancestors and show that our worlds are not far apart. We may not be in physical slavery, but we are still facing experiences that are less than favorable. Let this work speak to you for the next 31 days.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543966169

Book preview

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Copyright © 2019 by Michael D. Chism

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Print ISBN: 978-1-54396-615-2

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54396-616-9

Acknowledgements

This book is dedicated to my Co-Mentors, Dr. William H. Curtis and Dr. Gina M. Stewart who didn’t let me give up during my doctoral studies, my mother, who has always had my back, my family and friends who have always supported me and my children, who I love more than life itself.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Soon Ah Will Be Done Day One

There is a Balm in Gilead Day Two

Ain’t Dat Good News Day Three

Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit Day Four

I Want Jesus to Walk with Me Day Five

In Dat Great Gittin’ Up Morning Day Six

Give Me Jesus Day Seven

Go Down Moses Day Eight

I ain’t got weary yet Day Nine

Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen Day Ten

All Gods’ Chillun’ Got a Song Day Eleven

Woke Up Dis Mornin’ Day Twelve

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Day Thirteen

Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel Day Fourteen

He Never said a Mumblin’ Word Day Fifteen

I want to be ready Day Sixteen

In Bright Mansions Day Seventeen

Just a Closer Walk with Thee Day Eighteen

"Standin’ in the Need of Prayer’ Day Nineteen

We’ll stand the storm Day Twenty

We’ve Come a Long Way, Lord Day Twenty-One

My God is a Rock in a Weary Land Day Twenty-Two

Oh, Fix Me Day Twenty Three

Oh Freedom Twenty-Four

I Got a New Name Day Twenty-Five

I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray Day Twenty-Six

Lord I want to be a Christian Day Twenty-Seven

I know the Lord has laid His hand on me Day Twenty-Eight

I never intend to die in Egypt Land Day Twenty-Nine

I have another building Day Thirty

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands Day Thirty-One

Foreword

I had the wonderful fortune of meeting Dr. Michael D. Chism when he enrolled as a Doctoral student at the United Theological Seminary in Dayton Ohio. I have been thankful to God for the privilege of being his Doctoral mentor every since. I discerned his deep devotional mind; His love for God; along with his deep and profound appreciation for the music of our African heritage. Theologian Soren Kierkegaard said, Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.

Dr. Chism, connects the history of African heritage conveyed in music and the forward spiritual journey we are all blessed to live. These devotions are deeply theological, scripturally accurate and very intimate in expression.

My morning devotions will be greatly enhanced with this resource and I pray it has wide reading and deep seeding for lives attempting to offer God faithful stewardship of mind, body and spirit.

Blessings,

Dr. William H. Curtis, Senior Pastor

Mount Ararat Baptist Church

Pgh. Pa

Introduction

I am my ancestor’s wildest dreams. I believe my ancestors dreamt of a time when they would be free. I believe they dreamt of a time where they would be free to read and write and not be punished. It is my belief that they wanted to their voices to be heard. The Negro Spiritual was a vehicle that was used to bring the African American community to where it is today, telling of uprooted peoples’ pain, sorrow, suffering but also providing hope to the singers and their listeners. Historically, they were sung in the fields among slaves and sharecroppers, in peoples’ homes, and in churches. But in today’s society, spirituals are seldom sung or even heard in churches due to the rise of hymns and mainstream gospel music. This devotional was written for several reasons. The first reason is that I believe we can still hear our ancestors’ voices speaking through the music we listen to today. We can hear the call and response pattern, the syncopated rhythm, and other patterns which were birthed from the Negro Spirituals. The next reason is that although we are not times of slavery, we all go through tough, tumultuous times in our lives. We have worked from sun up to sundown. We have experienced our