In the beginning of the book of Luke, the good doctor wrote the following: “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us…” (Luke 1:1). Not only was Luke a doctor, he was also a sort of spiritual Ken Burns (an American filmmaker and documentarian). Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Luke documented the life of Jesus and the birth and expansion of the first century church.

Although I am no physician, I love to learn about and document how God is working in his church! So, in March of 2019, I started posting videos to my YouTube channel. Initially, I used the channel to highlight worships services of Detroit Church of Christ. As time progressed, I enlisted the support of my good friend, Nijal Journey, for interviews. Since COVID, I started doing interviews using Zoom.

The main series of interviews/discussions is titled “Image Bearers” because I want to highlight that we are both made in the image of God and are meant to display God’s image to this world. The channel is designed to highlight our common humanity and inspire us to be used by God to build up his Kingdom. I believe God and his Kingdom must be our passion!

The videos on Image Bearers can be grouped into four general categories:

1. Good News Sharing: This category includes baptisms, spiritual growth, and church plantings (like the Kalamazoo, Michigan planting, pictured above).

2. Relevant Teaching/Conversations: This category includes important interviews/conversations with various authors. Some key interviews include Michael Burns (Escaping the Beast), Richard Rothstein (The Color of Law), Dr. Richard Rodriguez (An Unsealed Indictment), Dr. Douglas Massey ( American Apartheid ), Rob Skinner (How to Plant and Grow a Church), Gordon Ferguson (God, Are We Good?), Dr. Joel Green (Conversion in Luke-Acts).

I have also been fortunate enough to converse with Bob Hermann (Boston Food Pantry) and Dave Malutinok & Daniel Dicochea (HOPE worldwide’s response to COVID).

3. Family History: This is a new category that will chronicle some of the rich history of our family of churches. So far, I have been able to document some of our history by interviewing Roger Lamb and Steve Johnson.

4. Current Events/Interests: Some examples of videos in this category include an interview with Dr. Louito Edje about why she joined the Moderna COVID vaccine trial. It also includes a conversation with Dr. Brian Perkins about how the Louisville church responded to the murder of Breonna Taylor.

I am grateful for everyone who has taken time out of their schedule for either an interview or who has assisted in co-hosting an interview. Through these interviews and conversations, I have learned more of what it means to be an image bearer. I hope others have, too.

Prayerfully, my channel will inspire you to see yourself and others as image bearers and bring the light of God’s Kingdom to this world.

Much love,
Otoma