Old Teachings, New Approach: Pastor Seth Pickens Shines His light (Part 1).

Old Teachings, New Approach is a new series I am introducing in my blog.  Its purpose is to take a more esoteric approach to modern day religions, mainly Islam and Christianity.  Each blog under this series will feature a guess blogger and it is my proud pleasure to reintroduce to you  Seth Pickens.

For years, Seth Watson Pickens has served his community and world as a messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before being called as the seventh pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church in Los Angeles, he served as Associate Pastor at Shiloh Church in Harlem, NY for five years.

Prior to his ordination, Rev. Pickens has had careers as a sales executive, an elementary school teacher, and as a stand up comedian. From 2001-2003, he served as a Volunteer with the United States Peace Corps in Haiti.

Upon returning from Haiti, Seth enrolled at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, earning a Master of Divinity in 2006 with an emphasis on Ecumenical Studies. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Morehouse College, where he was an honor student.

He  is married to the former Isis Jones, and they are the proud parents of a son, Seth Isaiah, and a daughter, Zola Patrice. In his spare time, he loves to be with his family and friends, read, listen to music, exercise, and play basketball.

“The knowledge of the secrets of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. This is why I speak to them in parables, ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand’ (Matthew 13:11,13).

 S.Sobek:  Jesus clearly states that there is a deeper meaning to his words. He clearly asserts that his parables have an esoteric value that many will miss;however, his disciples were given the "secrets of heaven."  As a senior pastor, do you think those who can understand the inner teachings of Jesus often lose interest in Christianity since many Christian leaders explain Jesus' teachings from face value?

Seth Pickens:  It's true that some people are turned off by Christianity because some preachers and teachers aren't getting deep enough. But because Jesus' teachings are so deep, some people may simply not be able to grasp them right away, even if they try. Right before the scripture you quoted, Jesus gave a parable about spreading the message of the kingdom of God. My job is to spread it everywhere, and with that I need to realize that no matter how much I study and how loud I yell, some people will ignore it. Some people will come running enthusiastically at first but then not follow through. Some people understand intellectually, but get so concerned with the worries of life and wealth that they can't really apply it. But every now and then, someone hears it, gets it, and stays with it.

There are some leaders in Christianity and in every faith who only scratch the surface with their teachings. I'd like to believe I'm one of the good ones who makes God's Word relevant and plain so that anyone can digest it and grow as a result. But even if I do have a knack for teaching about the Spirit, I have to admit that even on my best day, I can only provide a very small glimpse of what the Bible calls the unsearchable riches of Christ. There's a reason why we can keep going back to the same scriptures and gathering new meanings and deeper insights, and that is because none of us have it completely figured out. At best, we can just hope to gradually shed more light on our shared situation.
 

Guest Blogger Seth Pickens: Biggie Smalls-A Deeper Perspective

Biggie Smalls, 12 Years Later

“…the greatest rapper of all time died on March 9…” -Canibus

It’s already been 12 years to the day since Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., had his life cut short by the assassin’s bullet. When I first heard the news back in 1997, I didn’t really believe it. His new album had just dropped, and it was curiously called “Life After Death.” I sincerely thought it was a publicity stunt until I saw footage of real people mourning in the streets of Brooklyn.

I was only 19 at the time, and BIG was 24. Nineteen year olds look up to 24 year olds. By the time I turned 24, I realized just how young Biggie was to have lived so fully and died. (Tupac Shakur was only 25 when he was gunned down.)

When I reflect on Biggie and Pac’s lives and deaths, I take 2 lessons away. First, they teach us that you are never too young to pursue your dreams. They had the chance to grab the fame and all that came with it, and they took it. They followed their dreams. They didn’t say, “I’m only 19. I can’t be a platinum millionaire. I can’t rock a crowd. I’m too young.” They paid the ultimate price, but in the end, it’s better to die doing what you were meant to do than to live and just take up space.

The second thing these hip-hop greats have taught me is that you’re never too young to have people looking up to you. Like I said, when I was 19, I looked up to 25 year olds. Now I’m in my 30s; 25 year olds come to me for advice, and many 19 year olds see me as more of a father-figure than a big brother. You ever see how a second grader looks up to the “big kids” in 8th grade? There’s always someone looking up to you

On this anniversary of BIG’s unfortunate demise, let’s remember the power to influence we all have. Follow someone who inspires you and more importantly, use your power and influence to truly make things better. You never know who is watching.