Spreadin’ God’s Word Through Spoken Word

This past Thursday Vanguard was blessed with renowned poets Ezekiel and Janette and their revitalizing message to be unashamed of the Gospel- “To proclaim it loud and proud”. The two Los Angeles-based poets gave us a taste of their talents for the Lord during chapel in hopes to get students to attend Diversity’s spoken word event later that night.

Scott courtyard was packed with students and a small amount of faculty. Nearly every attendee was raving about the performances they had seen earlier that morning and how helpful the writer’s workshop was for them. Not only did Ezekiel and Janette want to get the Gospel out they wanted to help students get their own versions of praise out there.

Senior Janina Adamo said, “[It was] Spirit-led and Sprit-filled…they worship from the heart. And that’s what spoken word’s all about.” And with powerful lines like “If you’re quiet you can hear it: there’s a battle between your flesh (pause) and your spirit”, you can bet that these words weren’t empty performances, but instead testimonies for the edification of believers. As Ezekiel put it, “we’re the boom-boom to God’s heart”. From Ezekiel’s perspective, that obligates us to represent Him and represent Him well.

The lines of his words hit the audience like a sledge hammer. The shocked faces and the sharp intakes of breath made it clear that it was a much needed kick in the pants for some. But it wasn’t just the professionals that hit home during the event, freshmen Sheridan Smith and sophomore Kim Moss made a great impression, too.

Smith’s piece on the greatest love story between us and Jesus was passionate and was meant to “just give all the glory to God.” As Jesus was the one who authored salvation, He certainly deserves it. Kim Moss, with her performance on being a “beautiful woman of God” was moving for this writer. Her emphasis on purity and putting God first was a blessing to the women in the audience. For junior Deserae Silva, Moss’ work was “exactly what this world needs to hear. We all need to be talking like this to our friends.”

VU Soul also made an appearance at the event. Their harmonizing hymns mixed in with some Top-40 hits made for a beautiful transition from one performer to the next. Vanguard was blessed with some outside writers that move for Christ. And it was a pleasant surprise to see some of our own emerge into the artistic sphere. So if you missed this event, make sure you don’t miss the next one!