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July 12, 2018July 12, 2018

Lessons I Learned Writing My First Book ‘God and Hamilton’

Writing a book has been a dream of mine twenty years in the making. On June 6^th, I realized that dream when my first book, God and Hamilton: Spiritual Themes From the Life of Alexander Hamilton & the Broadway Musical He Inspired released on Amazon.com.

The process of writing a book was equal parts rewarding, frustrating, discouraging, and exhilarating. Throughout the entire process, God taught me invaluable truths that have transformed my relationship with Him and my perspective on writing and the creative act. I share some of those lessons learned here, in the hope that they will encourage you in your creative journey.

Lesson #1: Write for an Audience of One

I attended a writer’s workshop where the speaker challenged us with this simple idea: You have to write, first and foremost, for yourself. If what you write inspires, challenges, and encourages you, then it has the chance to do the same for other readers. Your writing has to start out as a project to learn, grow, and discover what you believe about your subject.

If what we write doesn’t impact our lives, then we have nothing to offer our readers. If you long to write, start here. Spend time and energy developing your craft, allowing the words you put down to work in your heart and mind first.

Lesson #2: Do the Work

82% of people dream of writing a book. Yet for most, the dream never materializes. Why? The predominant reason is a lack of discipline, routine, and structure. Writing a book requires one to put their butt in a chair and write and write and write. Whether you feel like it or not. Whether you have the motivation or not. Writers, or any creatives for that matter, simply have to do the work.

Author Steven Pressfield says this: “There is a secret that real writers know that wannabe writer don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.”

Real writers say no to a thousand other distractions, discouragements, and excuses, and commit to the discipline of writing. Word after word. Page after page. If your dream is to write a book, the trick is to start today. Set a goal for how much you want to write each day and get to work.

Lesson #3: Surrender the Outcome to God

I won’t lie. I would love God and Hamilton to reach a wide audience, sell thousands of copies, and land on all kinds of best seller lists. But the truth is it probably won’t. The deeper truth is that I have very little control over whether this book reaches tens, hundreds, or thousands of readers.

When I worry about how many people will buy my book, I carry anxiety and fear around with me everywhere I go. It weighs me down and robs me of joy. When I surrender the outcome, I find enormous freedom and peace. I trust God, believing he will use this project to impact lives. How many lives simply isn’t up to me. I must learn to find peace in the truth that I was faithful to the creative act and put my work out into the world. The scope of that impact is largely out of my hands.

Now that my book is out in the world, I feel an enormous amount of pride and satisfaction. It feels so rewarding to have accomplished one of my life goals. I would never have anticipated how much God would teach me through the process. I am so grateful, not only for the finished product but for the lessons God has taught me. These lessons have transformed my life and my relationship with God.

June 9, 2018

God and Hamilton: How Stories Transform Us

Why do audiences love Hamilton so much? Why do people pay thousands of dollars for tickets? Why do nearly a hundred thousand people line up in the digital lotteries each time new tickets go on sale? What is it about this musical that connects so deeply with people?

Part of the answer lies in the truth that stories hold a unique power to transform our lives.

I’ve spent the last three years of my life researching and writing about the spiritual themes found in Alexander Hamilton’s life and the Broadway musical he inspired. My book, God and Hamilton, which released this week, wrestles through these different themes. But more than any individual theme, I continued to be struck by how story inspires, challenges, and motivates us to live a more fully human life.

Brene Brown writes about the power of story. She suggests that “Story is literally in our DNA”¦.we are hard-wired for story.” She tells about how studies show that when we engage in a story our brain releases chemicals that help us connect, empathize, and make meaning of this world.

Other studies in the field of neuroscience point to this same truth. They have found that when we watch a story, our brain activity jumps significantly. If we watch a scene in a movie about someone swimming in a race, the parts of our brain that fire when we actually swim are active. They call this phenomenon “transportation.” The idea is that when we watch a story we get transported into it. We begin to feel like what is happening in the story is actually happening to us.

In Hamilton, there are so many important themes that transport us into the story. We see the incredible initiative Hamilton takes throughout his life, as he sings about “not throwing away my shot.” That example motivates and challenges us. We feel inspired to be that kind of person as well, the kind of person who takes advantage of our opportunities, who doesn’t throw away our shot.

Or we watch a scene where Eliza Hamilton forgives her husband for betraying her in his affair with Mariah Reynolds. We are moved by her forgiveness and challenged to follow her example. Will we be the kind of person that forgives, no matter how difficult it may be? Will we offer grace to those who betray, hurt, or wrong us?

So many reasons exist as to why Hamilton impacts audiences so deeply. But the transformative power of story is part of the answer. We watch or listen, to the story Hamilton tells, and find inspiration, encouragement, and hope to live a more fully human life ourselves.

June 4, 2018November 9, 2018

Alexander Hamilton: Hymn Writer

April 26, 2018April 26, 2018

Hamilton and the Life Altering Power of Encouragement

Hamilton, An American Musical, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre

Can you remember a time when someone saw potential in you and called it out? A time that someone encouraged you, believed in you, and cast a vision for your future? These moments have the power to alter the entire direction of our lives.

In my upcoming book, God and: Spiritual Themes From the Life of Alexander Hamilton & the Broadway Musical He Inspired, I highlight different themes found in Hamilton that engage and challenge audiences in their own spiritual journey.

The first chapter from my book talks about the grace given to Alexander Hamilton when some local businessmen in the Caribbean read an essay he wrote, recognized the intellectual potential within Hamilton, and raised money to send him to America to get his education.

The resources given to Alexander represent a gift of grace that he could never have earned for himself. Everything that Hamilton would become in America was built on the foundation of this grace.

Recently, I recognized that an entirely different grace existed in this moment as well, in addition to the monetary gift. These businessmen offered a grace to Hamilton by encouraging him – by seeing the potential and calling that potential out of him.

I like to imagine the conversation between these businessmen and Alexander, and how deeply their words impacted him. Living as an impoverished orphan boy, with no one caring about him or his future, these words were quite possibly the most meaningful words ever spoken to him.

“Son, we read your essay. We see great potential in you.”

“Alexander, you have a rare intellectual gift. We want to help you develop that gift.”

“We expect great things from you Alexander. You are going to America. Never underestimate what you can accomplish there.”

I like to think that these words shaped Hamilton’s entire future. Certainly, the money given opened up a new world of possibility for Hamilton. But what if the words were spoken to him we just as important as the money donated? What if their belief in his potential inspired Hamilton’s belief in himself, and propelled him into his role in shaping our country?

The Book of Ephesians says that we should use our words “for building people up and meeting the need of the moment.” Never underestimate the power of your words. When you call potential out in someone else, your words contain the power to change the entire direction of someone’s life. Just like they did for Alexander Hamilton.

March 21, 2018

God and Hamilton: An Interview with Hamilton Broadway cast member Lauren Boyd

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Hamilton Broadway cast member Lauren Boyd. In it, Lauren and I have a conversation about the spiritual nature of Hamilton, how the musical can transform our lives, and how reading my upcoming book, God and Hamilton: Spiritual Themes From the Life of Alexander Hamilton & the Broadway Musical He Inspired impacted her.

Kevin Cloud: So many people talk about Hamilton not only as a brilliant musical, but as a life changing experience. Why do you think that happens? Why does this musical and the story it tells resonate so deeply with audiences?

Lauren Boyd: Before every show Chris Jackson (George Washington, original Broadway cast) would gather up a circle of people to pray”¦that tradition has kept going. We do that to this day. We get in a circle and pray before every performance. So the presence of God is there in the theatre. Even if audiences don’t realize it, they are coming to see a service. They are coming to church.

KC: This musical is much more than a play. It creates a spiritual experience for people. There are so many moments of transcendence in this musical. You can feel the atmosphere in the theatre change. Do you feel those moments on stage? What is it like on stage when it happens?

LB: Yes, you can absolutely feel it. There are definitely moments where there is an energy in the audience and on stage and you can feel something that is not tangible. It’s quite exciting to be a part of that and a part of this story.

KC: Are there specific moments where that happens for you? Where you feel a weight or presence?

LB: When Eliza forgives Hamilton. I find it sometimes difficult from a woman’s standpoint forgiving Hamilton for what he did. He cheated on his wife. That is a very hard thing to forgive. But the way you presented it (in your book) I realized I needed to have more mercy and compassion towards Hamilton because he is a sinner like all of us. Your book broke down these walls I had put up toward him”¦I was looking at it as “How dare he do that do me?”

KC: You wrote such a nice blurb for my book. You wrote: “God and Hamilton turned me inside out and revealed to me a side of Hamilton that I never thought to explore.” Can you expound on that quote?

LB: Mercy is a huge thing that I learned (reading God and Hamilton). I learned that Hamilton is, in fact, a human being that lived and died and breathed”¦the book helped me to humanize him in a way that I didn’t approach him before because I came into the show knowing Hamilton from a different angle. When we think about Hamilton we think about this amazing show”¦it is already glorified. You were able to demystify all of that and bring Hamilton to life. That’s where I was able to have a little more mercy and kindness (towards Hamilton).

God and Hamilton weaves together insights from the musical itself, the lives of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton, and the story of Scripture into a tapestry that challenges people of faith to reexamine their lives.

December 23, 2017October 4, 2021

Hamilton Opens in London to Rave Reviews

Hamilton is no longer just an American sensation. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit Broadway Musical opened last week in London, at the Historical Victoria Palace Theatre. The musical has been met with five-star reviews from the London media, crossing a cultural boundary with little resistance.

Manuel didn’t sense much difference from the audiences across the Atlantic.

“I was here for all of tech (rehearsals) and I was here for the first few previews, and the audience is exactly like New York,” he said.

Miranda believes that making the jump to London would make Alexander Hamilton smile. “Alexander Hamilton had so much admiration for Britain and Europe but never left US soil. So to have his story on the stage here in London, well – I think he would be very proud.”

The overwhelming response of London wasn’t a slam dunk. Some wondered if a story about the Founding Fathers of America, fighting for their independence from Britain would resonate as deeply with London crowds. But the London success points to the reality that this story resonates with audiences, even across national and cultural boundaries.

Matt Trueman writes in his Variety review, “Hamilton is going to be just fine here in London”¦Reviewing it feels like sizing up the Mona Lisa or Beethoven’s Fifth and, in truth, Hamilton lands on the London stage looking every inch the classic.”

He closes his review with the thought that “it is Hamilton’s story that stirs.”

Hamilton’s story does indeed stir something powerful in us, a point I make in my upcoming book, God, and Hamilton: Spiritual Themes From The Life of Alexander Hamilton & the Broadway Musical He Inspired.

One universal reason this musical stirs audiences so deeply is that Hamilton’s story is a deeply spiritual one. His story intersects with our lives across a number of significant spiritual themes.

His story is a story of grace, as his entire life in America was made possible by a generous financial gift by someone who saw great potential in him. His story is a story of shame, as he never quite escaped the stigma from being an illegitimate orphan. His story is a story of forgiveness, as his wife Eliza wrestled through forgiving Alexander for betraying her in the worst possible way. His story is a story of redemption, as the musical ends with Eliza singing about the orphanage she built out of love for her late husband.

This story stirs us because it is a spiritual story. It stirs us because it is our story. We too live our lives built on the foundation of grace. We too struggle mightily with shame from our failures and shortcomings. We too must give and receive forgiveness for all the mistakes we make in our lives. Hopefully, our story is one of redemption, where God takes all the broken pieces of our lives and makes them beautiful.

The story Hamilton tells stirs audiences, no matter the culture, the nationality, the race. It does so because it tells a deeply spiritual story, one that intersects with our lives, and has the power to transform our lives if we let it.

Even, apparently, across the great expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

My upcoming book: God and Hamilton is available June 2018 on Amazon.com, (www.godandhamilton.com).

December 15, 2017April 24, 2020

Hamilton and the Grace of God

That Alexander Hamilton became anything at all in this world was a remarkable accomplishment. That he became one of the most influential Founding Fathers of our country seems almost miraculous. To understand the unlikely nature of Hamilton’s rise, we need only understand where he came from. In his early years, Hamilton endured more hardship, tragedy, and loss than any person should have to bear in a lifetime.

Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804) was an American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Hamilton and his older brother James were born into a poor family on the island of Nevis in the West Indies. Their mother Rachel, having fled a previously unhappy marriage without obtaining a divorce, was unable to remarry, and lived in a common-law relationship with the boys’ father, James. The circumstances of Rachel’s first marriage and her common-law relationship earned her a reputation as a notorious woman, creating a stigma of illegitimacy around James and Alexander.

When Hamilton was a young boy, his father abandoned the family, leaving Rachel to raise the two boys alone. When Hamilton was twelve, Rachel died from a raging fever, a sickness that almost took Hamilton’s life as well. Both boys found themselves, at very young ages, as orphans in utter poverty.

Their older cousin, a thirty-two-year-old man named Peter Lytton, became the boys’ legal guardian. A widower, Peter struggled financially as a result of a number of poor business deals. Only a few months after taking the two boys in, he committed suicide, adding yet another layer of tragedy to Hamilton’s life.

Author Ron Chernow sums up the unbelievable loss that Hamilton experienced throughout his early years:

“Their father had vanished, their mother had died, their cousin and supposed protector had committed bloody suicide, and their aunt, uncle, and grandmother had all died. James, sixteen, and Alexander, fourteen, were now left alone, largely friendless and penniless. At every step in their rootless, topsy-turvy existence, they had been surrounded by failed, broken, embittered people.”

How could this boy, who endured such incredible hardship, end up as an influential Founding Father of our country? Miranda begins his musical with this very question.

The answer begins with yet another devastating tragedy. In 1772, a massive hurricane descended onto St. Croix, causing widespread destruction and loss. Hamilton wrote an essay to describe the horror of the event. Through a series of fortunate circumstances, the letter was published anonymously in a local newspaper. Readers were greatly impressed by the obvious intellect and skill of the author.

The young Hamilton interpreted the hurricane as divine retribution from God, and called the people to repentance and faithfulness. Hamilton wrote,

“Where now, oh! vile worm, is all thy boasted fortitude and resolution? Death comes rushing on in triumph. . . See thy wretched helpless state and learn to know thyself. . . . Despise thyself and adore thy God. . . . Succour the miserable and lay up a treasure in heaven.”

A few local business men felt compelled to act when the seventeen-year-old Hamilton was revealed as the author. Chernow writes,

“Hamilton did not know it, but he had just written his way out of poverty. This natural calamity was to prove his salvation. . . . A subscription fund was taken up by local businessmen to send this promising youth to North America to be educated.”

Hamilton’s character sings about this experience, reflecting on how this act of grace changed the entire direction of his life. Everything that Hamilton became, every opportunity afforded to him in America, was made possible by this generous gift. In other words, Hamilton built his life on the foundation of grace.

What is true of Hamilton is true of all of us. Where would any of us be without the grace of God? Isn’t the foundation of each of our lives built squarely on God’s grace alone? The story of God’s activity in our lives is of course, above all else, a story of grace.

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 15: Actor Leslie Odom, Jr. (L) and actor, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (R) perform on stage during “Hamilton” GRAMMY performance for The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Richard Rodgers Theater on February 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage)

The grace that formed the foundation of Hamilton’s life is now being offered through Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton musical to students throughout New York City. Through a partnership with the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), six hundred students were given the opportunity to attend a matinee performance of Hamilton. Ginger Bartkoski Meageher of TDF said that the experience moved the students deeply. Any time we encounter grace, it transforms us.

The Rockefeller Foundation expanded this grace significantly. A $1.5 million gift enabled 20,000 students from New York public schools to see Hamilton in 2016. Hamilton producers hope to offer a similar program to other cities on the national tour. These tickets represent grace given to these students, as many of them never could have obtained them on their own.

This gift of grace could possibly transform their lives, and transform the givers’ lives in the process. After one of the student performances, Miranda tweeted,

“The student matinees are, it turns out, the highlights of my life. I can’t begin to describe how it feels.”

The above is an excerpt from God and Hamilton: Spiritual Themes From The Life Of Alexander Hamilton & The Broadway Musical He Inspired by Kevin Cloud. The book will be available on Amazon in June, 2018.

November 13, 2017December 22, 2017

God and Hamilton

I will never forget the moment I walked out of the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City, having just experienced Hamilton the musical. Hamilton has captured our culture’s imagination like no Broadway musical ever before. It currently has almost 700,000 fans on Facebook, plays to sold out shows every night in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and is beginning a forty-plus city national tour in January.

Hamilton Mania Has Taken over Our Country

There are many reasons this musical resonates so deeply with audiences across the country. The lyrics, music, and songwriting truly are genius. The innovative decision to cast the Founding Fathers with actors of colour creates all kinds of imaginative possibilities. Hamilton’s life itself offers a compelling storyline, with huge triumphs and disastrous failures.

Hamilton, An American Musical, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre

But another reason exists that explains why Hamilton impacts audiences at the level that it does. Hamilton offers people a transcendent experience, a story that draws audiences into the presence of the Holy. Actress Rosie O’Donnell, who has seen the show over fifteen times observes that Hamilton “is medicine that I need for my soul. It feels vital to me; it feels like going to church.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, gave a speech recently where he talked about one of his favourite aspects of live theatre: its ability to create moments of transcendence. Hamilton teems with such moments. Moments where a poignant scene takes place on stage, an act of betrayal, an offer of forgiveness, the grieving of a loss of a child, and the entire atmosphere changes in the theatre. Everyone watching can feel the weight, or the presence, of an important truth, or even of God himself.

After my experience watching Hamilton, I read Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton. As I read more about Alexander and his wife Eliza, my conviction grew that this story was a deeply spiritual one. Alexander grew up with a robust faith, prayed and studied the Scriptures in college, and interpreted the world through a spiritual lens. His wife Eliza might have been even more devout. She followed God faithfully and served him throughout her life.

After experiencing the musical and reading the biography, I felt compelled to write a book that connected this cultural phenomenon with the spiritual themes found at its centre. Themes such as grace, despair, surrender, death, and redemption. Themes that are not only at the centre of Hamilton’s life, but at the centre of our lives as well. By diving deeper into these themes, and their presence in Hamilton’s life, this story and musical have the power to transform our lives. We only need to open ourselves up to it.