Messengers

By Robin Caldwell

Author: David Ritz

Photographs: Nicola Goode

The Sunday gospel brunch hosted by Oprah blessed my soul tremendously. Witnessing Shirley, Gladys and then Patti blow up the mike on Tramaine Hawkins’ testimonial theme song Changed moved me to tears. The lyrics, music and spirit-charged singing transcended time and place and I who was in front of a television in Cleveland, danced and cried with the folks on Oprah’s lawn. I was blessed.

Five minutes after the credits rolled, still reeling and grooving to Oh Happy Day in my head, I picked up Messengers (Doubleday) by David Ritz. The blessing continued as I read the first paragraph of Ritz’s introduction:

“In the course of writing this book I became a Christian … I say this to explain that the energy driving this project is both personal and passionate.”

Reading Messengers was both personal and passionate. If David Ritz (Brother Ray, Divided Soul, Howlin’ at the Moon) could change during the process of writing his book; I could change reading it. And I believe I did.

Messengers: Portraits of African American Ministers, Evangelists, Gospel Singers and Other Messengers of the Word is a small book packed with powerful zeal. Nicola Goode’s beautiful, artistic black and white photographs punctuate the written words of the twenty-nine messengers featured. Goode’s ability to capture joy, sorrow, introspection—a full range of emotion—on the faces of these people is amazing.

Yet it is the words or messages that will capture and seize the hearts of readers. The portraits are more like testimonies—transparent and intimate. And the common threads contained in each testimony exemplify how the Word transcends experience and station.

Messengers serves as a meeting place for the known (Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, Noel Jones) and celebrated; as well as the unknown and uncelebrated. Like Oprah’s gospel brunch, Messengers is a praise gathering of people who have had profound encounters with the love, grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Messengers is hardly a shallow tome filled with nice Christian platitudes and clichés. Each testimony probes, digs deeper to expose the Jesus who resides in the depth of each messenger’s soul.

Savor the sweetness and simplicity of Harvard theologian Peter J. Gomes’ words, “He is all I need,” whispered in reference to Jesus. Former Raelette, Dr. Mable John speaks of waking up every morning “praising God for the privilege of serving someone.” Musician Patrick Henderson confesses his anger towards God for allowing his hand to be severed by a madman.

Several messengers share testimonies of grief and mourning. Others express faith in a Jesus who brings deliverance and healing. And every messenger agrees that we are all loved by God with an enormous passion.

Messengers is a coffee table quality book though it’s hard to imagine its pages remaining pristine after constant handling. Messengers is a book intended to offer inspiration over and over again.

A minister once posed this question, “Will you recognize the messenger?” Before I could open my mouth he said, “You will if you recognize The Message. The key to recognizing the messenger is in knowing and recognizing The Message.”

And Jesus said, “Truly, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.” (John 13: 20 NLT)

Visit www.ritzwrites.com for more information on David Ritz and his priceless book.