“Someone asked a question
Why do we sing?
When we lift our hands to Jesus
What do we really mean?
Someone may be wondering
When we sing our song
At times we may be crying
And nothing’s even wrong
I sing because I’m happy (I sing)
I sing because I’m free (His eye’s on)
His eye’s on the sparrow (that’s the reason)
That’s the reason why I sing
Glory, hallelujah (You’re the reason)
You’re the reason why I sing (come on, say glory)
Glory, hallelujah (thank you Jesus)
You’re the reason why I sing”
- The Reason Why I Sing, by Kirk Franklin
These lyrics capture something I’ve experienced firsthand.
I remember being a part of a community choir my aunt started in the mid-90s. She did a lot to support young people in the community in reducing violence and promoting community safety. Why did she serve? Because she loved!
I bring this choir up because I remember being a boy singing in this youth choir that opened for Kirk Franklin and The Family. That opportunity came about because of my aunt’s diligence with us and so many other young people throughout the City of Birmingham. Before our young people were crushing it on America’s Got Talent (see video below), we were learning the lyrics to songs like Melodies from Heaven and His Eye Is on the Sparrow.
Things done in love change lives, futures, and provide opportunities that shape us forever.
So, Danny, why do you write?
The WHY behind something is significant and cannot be ignored. It gives life and meaning to the missions we pursue. It infuses our work with purpose beyond ourselves that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.
You know, a question that I never get asked is, “Why do you write?” I’m not sure why no one ever asks me that question. I often get asked about my writing process or my writing style, but not the why behind it. So, I figured I would take some time and answer a question that no one asked me to answer!
In all honesty, it’s a question that I feel I need to answer for myself.
To understand the answer to that question, you first need to know how my writing came to be. I didn’t learn to read or write until I was in second grade. It was my teacher, Ms. Anderson, who first realized I was memorizing the material by having a friend read it to me. She was a phenomenal teacher who saw more in me than I saw in myself. She took the time to teach me and gave me one of the greatest gifts you can give another person, the ability to read. She also instilled in me a love for reading. I will always love her for her gracious gift! A gift she gave in love!
A couple of years after being in her class, my family moved to a different community, and while it exposed me to the broader world, it stifled my love for reading and writing. That was until my senior year in high school, when my literature teacher, Mr. Rutsky, challenged me to rediscover my passion for reading and writing. In the environment he cultivated in his classroom, I found myself again. I found myself buried in Orson Scott Card’s classic sci-fi book Ender’s Game.
I had forgotten how beautiful books could be.
As I grew older and began writing more, I wanted to honor the gifts that were given to me. I felt like I had something to say about the world around me. That I could add my voice to the chorus of the world choir. I write because I am loved and have been loved well.
Here’s one last question and answer for you before we get out of here!
Question: Danny, what’s the mission behind your writing?
My writing mission statement is “impacting the culture with the values of the Kingdom, by writing from a Black Christian perspective about life, love, and leadership.” When I say “culture,” I use that as a catch-all for society, the things we value, and the way we move through the world. We have many teachers and instructors, many artists and entertainers who not only shape us, but form our culture. Culture can be defined as “The way we do things around here.” I want to help form us not according to the values of this world. Not to use an overly spiritual term, but, as Dr. Tony Evans says, the world is the system that leaves God out. I don’t want to operate under that system, but under the Kingdom, the comprehensive rule of God over all of life.
My writing is identity-based; I do not leave myself behind. I am a Black Christian man, I am not ashamed of who I am, or the perspective I write from, our world needs more diverse voices. It’s the lens through which I’ve experienced the world, being a black male my entire life and a Christian the last 16 years. I write as a witness to testify to my love for Jesus and my love for others. To help people figure out how to engage fully in the world.
That’s why I write about life, love, and leadership. I want to write about all of life as a Kingdom citizen and a world inhabitant.
14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
(The words of Jesus recorded in the book of John 17:14-18, CSB)
We are sent into the world, not to retreat from it, but to engage it fully with the truth we carry. Just as Ms. Anderson gave me the gift of reading in love, and Mr. Rutsky gave it back in love, we are called to give our gifts to the world in love. Writing is how I witness. It’s how I participate in the Kingdom work of transformation.
But writing isn’t the only way to witness. Some sing like my aunt’s choir. Some paint. Some teach. Some build. Some lead. The medium matters less than the mission: to be sent into the world as witnesses of love.
So here’s my question for you:
Why do you create? Whether you write, sing, act, or build—what’s the love behind it? What gift were you given that you’re now giving back?
Leave me a comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear your story.