Lakewood's people...Those among us.... JT3! Dr. John Tamilio III, Your Lakewood Observer Religion Contributor
Pilgrim Congregational (Tremont) United Church of Christ Pastor and Doctor John Tamilio III, otherwise known in the Cleveland area and on the Eastern Seaboard as "JT3," is one of those people who strive to confront our world as it is, and in that confrontation dares to try to effect change for the better. If you read the Lakewood Observer regularly, you know that Pastor John and his family are Lakewood residents, and that his religion column has often graced these pages.
The track record for those wanting to change our world "for the better" has not been very good. In the Christian tradition, that kind of affirmative, non-violent, and loving change has often been met with ridicule, rejection, and even three nails and a cross on that ubiquitous hill called Calvary.
Still, the one thing that remains constant through all this would be that people do remember, and indeed remember well, those who try to make a positive difference in our world. If every age seems to produce unspeakable evil and atrocities, so too does every age produce those willing to rise and combat what is wrong and unjust in society. "JT3," to me, is one of the best examples.
Doctor John recently asked me to watch and comment on a couple of his music videos. "JT3" is, in fact, a very fine guitarist and singer-songwriter, and I feel certain that he had in mind my making a simple commentary regarding the musical aspects of his life.
Sorry Dr. John, I just can't stop there. Were I to comment only on those aspects of your life, I would be selling you (as well as the world and your Creator) short. In perusing the videos that you linked me to on the 'net, I also came upon, and listened to, some of your other videos when you were preaching in church. The dynamo that is John Tamilo III simply cannot be confined to a few aspects. You are clearly an inspiration to others in many ways. Though you might prefer that people hear you in isolation from the greater whole, it is that same "greater whole" that defines the sublime and synergistic complication that is your life.
You and I, for example, have a peculiar holistic blend in common. We both have had very committed professional and family lives, but we also share a love of music. In another age, or under other circumstances, we might have been troubadours at some royal court. We might even have struggled at the dialectic between our vocations and our musical avocations. The hot lights of the musical stage beckoned strongly, while our families and professions otherwise provided the anchors for our lives. Perhaps at times (and with the greatest inner guilt?) we might secretly have wondered whether those comforting anchors might also have resembled balls and chains against the dreams of our becoming rock stars? With a chuckle, I have to doubt that we ever thought so seriously. Neither of us would probably have looked very good in sequins and luminescent outfits, nor would either of us probably have made it with those "hair bands," but I smilingly digress here.
Dr. John and I happen to share a deep faith in God, and not simply the "pray, pay and obey" kind of God either, but rather the God who insists that when we see something that needs correcting, we simply roll up our sleeves and get to work fixing the problem. In that vein, we both realize that in the final analysis, our families, our professions, and our avocations are all branches of that same sublime tree of life.
I've known many pastors, and I've known many singer-songwriter guitarists, but I've known few who could balance each of those talents together on the proverbial head of a pin as JT3 has. He does so with aplomb and grace. I've very much enjoyed hearing his music and songs, and I've very much enjoyed hearing him preach.
JT3, by the way, is an eclectic and passionate musician, capable at once of tender emotional moments tempered by a dialect of fiery guitar passages and complex rhythms. Painting the structure of his songs much as a master painter paints a canvas, John often plays all of the parts on his songs on the guitar, the bass, and the drums. His song lyrics assault our comfort zones and compel us to examine our consciences regarding the world as it is, and the better world that could one day be. Indeed his songs are much like his sermons: provocative, sensitive, and thoughtful presentations to a world very much in need of such messages.
The pulse of this city is quite fortunate to have JT3 in our corner. Thanks Dr. John, for being here for us.