My teaching poem for the children of Abraham

To the Rabbis  
To the Imams  
To the Pastors  
to the shepherds of Abraham’s scattered children  
I come with open hands not to argue but to listen

I am a son of the South  
a son of dust and breath  
a son of Adam like you  
And I have learned this much  
we forget we are family only when fear gets loud

I believe in Elohim  
in Adonai  
in the Most High who spoke to Moses in fire  
who guided Mary with light  
who strengthened Muhammad with revelation  
I believe the One who breathed life into Adam  
is not divided by our languages  
or our scriptures  
or our borders

To my Jewish teachers  
I honor the Torah you guard  
the covenant you carry  
the questions you wrestle with like Jacob in the night  
I honor your refusal to speak lightly of God  
your insistence that the Holy One is beyond form  
beyond image  
beyond any claim of certainty  
Your faithfulness is ancient and unbroken

To my Muslim teachers  
I honor the Qur’an you recite  
the mercy you proclaim  
the discipline with which you bow  
I honor your devotion to the One God  
your reverence for the prophets  
your insistence that justice and compassion  
are not optional they are worship  
Your submission is strength not weakness

To my Christian teachers  
I honor the Gospel you preach  
the love you center  
the hope you carry into wounded places  
I honor your belief in the Word made flesh  
your trust in grace  
your call to love enemies  
and lift the broken  
Your compassion is a fire that still warms the world

And here is what I Joshua  
the man behind the mask  
have come to understand

We do not need to agree on every prophet  
to agree on every human being  
We do not need to share every doctrine  
to share every burden  
We do not need to pray the same way  
to protect the same children

Abraham’s tree has many branches  
but only one root  
And the root is not a prophet  
not a book  
not a ritual  
the root is the Most High

Call Him Elohim  
Call Him Adonai  
Call Him Allah  
Call Him the One  
Call Him the Merciful  
Call Him the God of Abraham  
Isaac  
Ishmael  
Moses  
Mary  
Yeshua (Jesus)
Muhammad peace be upon them all

We are not enemies  
We are relatives who forgot the family reunion

So I stand before you  
Rabbi Imam Pastor  
not to convert  
not to correct  
not to claim authority  
but to confess

I need you  
We need you  
The world needs you

Because if the shepherds cannot walk together  
the sheep will scatter

And if the children of Abraham cannot speak with love  
the world will burn from the inside out

So let this be my offering  
a promise to honor your path  
a commitment to learn from your wisdom  
a vow to walk in peace beside you  
not above not below  
but shoulder to shoulder

For we are one family  
one story  
one breath  
one God

And the Most High  
the One who sees us all  
smiles when His children choose peace
finally coming together. 

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