HOPE HAS A NAME!

It’s an honor to share this poem by Jacob Graham. I met Jacob years ago at Sixty-First Avenue UMC. He was one of our students in the after school program and became memorable from the first moment we met! I think all who tutored or worked with Jacob would agree! He meets the world head on! He has been a faithful member of this congregation since childhood, has persevered through many difficult seasons, none of his own doing, and demonstrates a resilience he attributes to God’s love. We can learn from this young man who will graduate from high school May 13! Many of us have been learning from him since he was six years old!

He will preach tomorrow night (April 29) at 6 PM…..Sixty-First Avenue UMC, 6108 New York Avenue, Nashville. Join us!

He is clearly articulate, as evidenced by the following words:

Lost Generation

by Jacob Graham

We get called the lost generation,
Is it because we’re lost or we’re just simply unique
If we’re truly lost, I don’t see…
I don’t see u trying to help us
U let us travel down the wrong road without pointing us in that right direction
Or maybe we’re called “the lost generation” because we mask ourselves behind computer screens and phones
140 character that’s just a text to us
And we don’t care who we hurt as long as we can’t see their crying faces
Or maybe we’re called the lost generation because we sleep our days away
But have u ever considered thinking maybe our dreams r better than our reality
Many people forced to walk in our family footsteps
Which means stuck on the streets selling dope instead of in school trying to get our education
We’re the lost generation but ya’ll the ones pointing us out
Labeling us and pushing us away from society instead of gathering us to help
We’re the lost generation because we turn to violence but y’all never taught us any better
Stop putting guns and drugs in our hands
Instead put us in ur arms
Cuz you see not every teen kills and does drugs
But we all seek for that love and affection
We get called “the lost generation”
It it because we’re lost or just simply unique
If we’re unique then let us be
Just cuz we ain’t like the rest doesn’t mean we’re lost
Let us be us
Yes we’re nerds and athletes, gothics, popular, singers and more
And to the lost generation we gotta change so they don’t think this way
We ain’t lost we’re just us
So let’s not care what these hypercritical people have to say
They helped make us who we are
Why should I try to be good if I’m just a statistic
We’re just numbers y’all count
Do y’all even really care?

Y’all talk bad about us if we ever speak our mind
But is it because y’all never had the voices to do it yourselves
You call us the lost generation and try to crush our dreams
But that’s just cuz y’all never had the motivation to reach for the skies
You see I’ll make sure my generation survives and we’re gonna grab the stars

Y’all call us the lost generation
U see there’s a storm coming over the horizon
It’s time to rebel and the revolution needs attention
Television broadcasting and radio airin
We’re gonna change the way u think of us
Sincerely, “The Lost Generation”