August & September 2026

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

The Courage to Move Forward

Greetings, Brothers of Psi Lambda Lambda, our extended Omega family, and every visitor who has taken a moment to visit our website.

As I write this final Chaplain’s Corner, I begin with two simple words: thank you. Thank you for reading, sharing, discussing, and reflecting upon these messages. My hope has always been that something written here might challenge, encourage, inspire, or uplift someone along the way.

This message, however, is different. It marks the conclusion of my service as Chaplain of Psi Lambda Lambda and the beginning of a new season under our Chaplain-Elect, Bro. Kelvin Smith. I am excited about this transition and look forward to the fresh perspective, spiritual leadership, and thoughtful messages he will bring to our Chapter and to all who engage with them.

Perhaps it is fitting that my final message comes during August and September, months that naturally remind us of transition. The warmth of summer begins to give way to fall. Vacations end. Children return to school. Parents make those familiar road trips to college campuses. Many of us have recently returned from the grand fellowship of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.’s 85th Grand Conclave in Cincinnati, where we witnessed another transition with the election of our 43rd Grand
Basileus, Bro. Mark Jackson. Everywhere we look, one season is giving way to another.

This time of year has always brought mixed emotions for me. August is special because it is the month my firstborn and my youngest brother were born; my brother also shares a birthday with our next Chaplain. Yet August also introduces September, the unofficial end of summer, the conclusion of vacations after Labor Day, and the beginning of what I sometimes call the “prime grind” of the work season.

Labor Day also reminds us that progress often requires people willing to challenge what has become familiar. Beyond the final gatherings of summer, the holiday honors those who fought for better working conditions and recognition of workers’ contributions. For the African American community, it also recalls generations who labored for equal opportunity, workplace dignity, civil rights, and social justice.

September also brings a more solemn moment of reflection as we remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and honor the courage of the first responders and ordinary citizens who served others during unimaginable tragedy. Twenty-five years later, their memory reminds us of the fragility of life, the importance of community, and the responsibility to make meaningful use of the time and opportunities God gives us.
Change, however, is easier to recognize around us than it is to accept within ourselves.

Transitions can make us uncomfortable. Fear and uncertainty can cause us to postpone retirement, decline a new opportunity, remain in a leadership position longer than we should, resist younger leadership, hold onto a responsibility that has run its course, or simply hesitate to enter a new chapter of life. Sometimes we remain because staying feels safer than stepping into the unknown.

Yet faith sometimes requires us to release what is familiar.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God spoke a word of hope to His people:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

These words do not tell us that the past was unimportant. They remind us that we cannot become so attached to what God did then that we fail to recognize what God is doing now, even in uncertainty.

That lesson has become personal for me.

I have enjoyed serving as Chaplain of Psi Lambda Lambda. I have appreciated the opportunity, the title, the recognition, and, most importantly, the privilege of serving my brothers and our extended community. But faithful leadership cannot be measured only by how well we occupy a position. Sometimes it is also measured by whether we have the wisdom and courageous humility to know when our assignment in that position is complete.

My responsibility now is to be a bridge builder, to support Bro. Smith, make room for his leadership, and trust that God can use him in ways that may be different from how He used me. Making room for someone else does not diminish what we accomplished in our season; it demonstrates our faith that God still has work to do in the next.

That principle extends far beyond the office of Chaplain.

Whether in Omega, our churches, careers, families, community organizations, or other areas of service, there comes a time when each of us must have the courage to leave an assignment that has become comfortable and the humility to realize that it is time to make room for others to grow. We should never allow a title, familiarity, accolades, or fear of the unknown to become more important than the purpose for
which we were called.

God does not call us merely to be faithful to a position; He calls us to be faithful to His purpose.

And God’s purpose does not end when an assignment does.

So, as I close my final Chaplain’s Corner, I do not view this moment simply as an ending. I see it as a transition. I leave this assignment grateful for the opportunity to have served, thankful for those who encouraged me along the way, and confident that God is already preparing what comes next, for Bro. Smith, for Psi Lambda Lambda, and for me.

To Bro. Smith, I offer my prayers, encouragement, and full support as you begin this assignment. May God give you wisdom when decisions are difficult, compassion when others need comfort, courage when leadership requires it, and the humility always to remember that the position belongs to us only for a season.

And to my Psi Lambda Lambda brothers, our Divine Nine associates, community partners, friends, and everyone who has joined me through these messages: do not be afraid of your next season.

Have the wisdom to recognize when one season has fulfilled its purpose.

Have the humility to make room for others to lead, grow, and serve.

And have the courage to release what is familiar and move faithfully toward what God has prepared next.