Orama’s Story
Hello. I am Daniel Orama, and I am excited that you joined me on the Points to Ponder blog today. Points to Ponder is a blog and podcast that explores discipleship, music, and worship. It also examines the political arena, music, and ideologies that affect the Christian church. The podcast aims to give listeners thoughtful insights and reflections on these topics from the Word of God. Episodes are 20 minutes or more in length.
I am a follower of the Way, which the early believers in Jesus Christ were called in Acts chapter 9. I possess a Bachelor of Science in Historical Studies, and a master’s in music and worship studies with a cognate in songwriting from Liberty University. I am commencing Ph.D. studies in Christian Worship at Liberty University in the fall of 2024, just a few weeks away.
How It All Began
I am a Cuban American born in the United States. My mother received her political asylum release papers from Cuba many years ago. The truth of her release was that she escaped because she was five months pregnant with me. You see, if Fidel’s Communist government found out she was pregnant, they would not have given her release. What she did was wear a corset to conceal her pregnancy, which almost killed me. I was born with my legs twisted, and I had to wear leg braces until the end of 4th grade.
My childhood up until age 13 consisted of baseball and writing music. By the age of seven, I began my journey writing music, not because it was something I aspired to; instead, it was my escape. You see, my mother remarried a man who was abusive and not well. It was a house of spiritual torment that, at the time, I had no clue about; I just thought this guy was crazy. So, how was music my escape? Tell the story of his TV breaking, and he would come into my room with his beer and cigarettes.
A Meeting of Make-Believe Friends
I remember having a mirror behind my bedroom door that allowed me to see through the space between the door and door frame into the kitchen, where my stepfather assembled his make-believe meetings. I witnessed him having conversations with an imaginary person, but in all truth, he was speaking to more than just one person at the empty table. Where was my biological father in all of this? I never knew him because I grew up a fatherless child. Yes, that left a gaping wound, but let us move on because little did, I know, way into my future, I would receive the most significant news of all time.
Desperate Bomb Threats
By age 13, my stepfather sold the home I grew to love so much. I remember my brother and I assembled a team of friends to make bomb threats to the people who were interested in purchasing the home. Looking back, I was not proud of my behavior, but I was desperate. I moved in with my brother and his friend because after the home sold, my mother relocated to Belleview, Florida, with a stepfather who was deeply abusive and disturbed. Click HERE to find out what happened next. God bless you all and see you next week.