E Tizz: Parked Car Bars

Ladies and Gentlemen: let me introduce to you E Tizz. Tizz is a young man from London sold out for the gospel. Recently, he dropped 16 bars in hopes of making people realize they are in need of a savior. In fact, everyone is need of a savior, we know Him to be Jesus Christ, which Tizz makes very clear in his native tongue. So press play and allow Tizz to state his petition. By the way, check out his album, Sound of My Soul, released in 2009. Be blessed and encouraged.

God Is Not Guilty

In the last two months, I've had multiple conversations with a young man who insists that God is to blame for the current state of the world, including the current state of humans. This young man, who goes by secular humanist, believes that if God is all powerful and all knowing, then He should've known that Adam and Eve would eventually eat the fruit of the forbidden tree; thus bringing sin into the world and that humans shouldn't be punished for our own actions. With that train of thought, he revealed his proposed theological standpoint that God is negligent in His duties. I could see that I was getting involved in an interesting battle of wits. This is a summary of the conversations we've had concerning his standpoint.

First, God is all powerful (omnipotent) and all knowing (omniscient). So, was God aware that Adam and Eve would eventually fall short? My answer is yes. Remember, we are dealing with God; nothing in our lives occurs without His knowledge and nothing sneaks past Him. Does that mean God was negligent? Shouldn't God have stepped in if He knew that sin was going to make its grand debut? The answer to both of those questions are no. God didn't step in because He gave humanity, starting with Adam, the gift of free will. We are free moral agents, meaning that God won't impose His will on us, He gives us the ability to think for ourselves, and formulate actions based on what and how the human mind processed. As far as the first question is concerned, allow me to use scripture to show that God isn't and never was negligent.

Genesis 1:26 recounts God revealing His plan to birth humanity. "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." Why did God say "Us"? Who was He talking about when He said "Our"? Well, God was speaking in relation to the Trinity (God-Jesus-Holy Spirit). We see that God made a cryptic reference to Jesus Christ before man was created. Let's jump forward to Genesis 3:15, where God deals with the serpent shortly after Adam and Eve were exposed. "I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." This seed that God was speaking of is Jesus, who will eventually crush Satan permanently. So, that's two references that God makes of Jesus; before man was created, and after man had fallen.

So how does this correlate to the current state of humanity? God had an ace up His sleeve to deal with sin; that ace is Jesus Christ. He was mentioned twice by God, so God had a plan established; He didn't let sin run rampant in our lives without making a way of escape. There's no loophole for man to deny responsibility for his actions; this adds solidity to Romans 8:13. The wages of sin is death, but thanks to God death doesn't have to be the final chapter. I haven't heard from the secular humanist since my response to his theological standpoint, so maybe he had a come to Jesus moment; I'm not sure. I pray that he and everyone would understand that God isn't to blame for the way of the world. That's our burden, but Jesus can absolve us of that. For those that are still convinced that God is at fault, please read Ezekiel 18. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me. May the grace of God be with you.

ALMOST (saved)

This piece translates Christianity in lyrical form quite eloquently. Coupled with punchlines and honest truth, this poem will be one to remember. Peep it and hopefully you will convicted to examine yourself.

Real Redemption: Story of an Ex-Porn star

*DISCLAIMER* The following message reveals the inner workings of the adult industry to a graphic degree. If you feel that you're not spiritually mature or too skeptical to view this testimony, please don't watch. God has proven time and time again that He can redeem anyone and that no sin is too sick or disgusting to be cleansed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this testimony is shocking, eye-opening, and incredible. God is simply awesome and can't be matched in what He does. Pastor Cox from Passion 4 Christ Movement (P4CM) interviews a young lady who has been freed from a sin that grips a lot of women. This video is quite long, so grab your favorite drink and snack. Again, read the disclaimer before viewing the video. God bless.

My Life in the Porn Industry from p4cm on Vimeo.

My Thoughts on Marriage

What's going on family! I know it's been a minute, but I've been growing as a husband the past couple of months. I've really been learning and growing in the role as a husband and applying what it means to love my wife and daughter. Speaking of marriage, I'm rocked by the real concept of marriage; the way God intended it. I just wanted to share my thoughts on this beautiful institution.

We always hear about the ugly side of a marriage; he cheated, got the other girl pregnant, and we all go to the same church/she's one of my co-workers. We've all either heard that exact story or some other twisted version like that. Unfortunate as that might be, there are good sides to marriage, but we rarely hear about them. The world has obviously skewed the image/concept of marriage. The true image of marriage is a man promising before God first, then a court of law, that he will live (dwell) with one woman, through the good, bad and the ugly; symbolizing God's unwavering love and commitment for his people, even through strain and times of discomfort. Now, let me be the first to restate some common misconceptions/lies about jumping the broom.

Some people believe that marriage is simply a contractual agreement with an iron-clad clause that gives way for immediate dismissal (divorce), if the spouse isn't happy.

- Marriage is a covenant. I would repeat myself, but it's already been stated in the above paragraph. If you have divorce as an option to the wedding vows, you're probably not ready for marriage.

Marriage is more than a woman getting spoiled, due to her flawed understanding that men are indebted to women.

- Hate to break it to you, but men don't owe women anything, outside of the realm of marriage.

Marriage isn't a tyranny where men bark orders, including sexual favors, and the women are reduced to a common house slave.

- This type of ideology has caused much strain between married couples. Please realize that a wife is your companion, not anything less (read Genesis 2).

I could go on, but you get the point. I think one of the biggest problems of marriage is lack of standards. Men have fallen short in this area, due to what they were taught. Yes, men who are playas and pimps were taught this type of behavior; it's learned, not something you're born with. I'm not making excuses for men to continue in sin, I'm giving the real facts. Women have fallen in this area as well, relying on artificial means (clothes, money, thug persona) to define a "good man". Some women have resorted to sleeping with men, even married men, so long as their bills are paid and they "get theirs". That's a sugardaddy; doesn't really fall into the good man category.

The point I'm trying to make is that marriage is much more than what our American society has force fed us. The bible tells us numerous times to enjoy the physical (sexual) apsect of marriage. It even reveals that both men and women were created with the need to relate, an area that God fulfills through marriage.

Please seek the real meaning behind this beautiful institution. Seek God first; without Him, you really won't hit the mark. This isn't a how to get married post, but hopefully this will help someone, married or single, seek more. God bless.

Accountability

I just wanted to share something from my heart about an area in Christianity that needs some fine tuning. I wanted to discuss the importance of accountability. Accountability is crucial to the Christian's spiritual health; it is a nicely designed system based on two factors that encourages God's children. Those two factors are communication and honesty. Without these two factors, accountability fades away. Communicating is necessary for a Christian to overcome roadblocks in this life, but we must communicate honestly. Without real honesty, there's almost no point in communicating. Accountability is a way for Christians to relieve stress from whatever issues they are having as well as come clean about their sin. With that being said, let's shift gears to why this product needs some repairs.

Accountability is hard because of the very people it was designed to help; that's right, Christians. Sit tight while I explain. Let's use a fictional name, Zeek. If Zeek is going through some issues (we all do), he will need a way to vent/seek help. If Zeek doesn't know how to cope with stress, he will find an outlet to rid himself of that weight. Some people choose good outlets, and others, not so much. For example, if Zeek's stress reliever is sex and his spouse isn't with him or had a heated discussion, that could lead to devastating results. If Zeek turns to medicine to cope with stress, that could lead to substance abuse. Revealing his struggles could (unfortunately) have some serious and painful reactions.

Suppose Zeek does the right thing and seeks someone to vent or seek help for his stress. This could go completely wrong, due to some Christians frontin'. The bible barricade that's raised will throw Zeek into isolation. The brother that's always blessed, but secretly cheating on his wife because of drama won't help Zeek. Neither will the sister quoting bible scriptures, but secretly dealing with being raped by a relative. These are examples, but the examples are real.

As stated earlier, Zeek will be thrown in isolation. Why? Simple. To some extent, the Church in today's culture seems to emphasize perfection. The only problem with that is the Church seems to forget that people are human. As long as we're on this earth, we will have to deal with this flesh. Sadly, those who choose to express their humanity openly and honestly get labeled with negative stigmas. Being that no one, including Pastors, is without sin most Christians will play the image game; pretend everything in your world is good while the real you, consumed with struggles, is tucked away for the sake of image. The Church and every saint in the world needs to understand that "real" life doesn't stop when you get saved. Your spouse will irritate you, there will be disputes over finances. It happens, it's called life. So what is Zeek left to do? He resorts to Satan's playground. Satan loves it when believers become isolated because sin goes uncontested and more importantly, unrevealed until it's exposed at a pivotal point in his relationship with Christ.

The morale of the story is that help/advice for the Christian has become limited. Those earnestly seeking help by being open with their flaws get stamped with negative stigmas, while others in the same boat play the image game. This doesn't happen all the time, but it does occur frequently. Accountability is a relationship where two people can trust each other to reveal strongholds and sruggles in order to get counseling, or to vent. If some saints are hiding behind image, then who's helping the many Christians dealing with "real" life?

Intro/Everything is Futile

Before we dive into Chapter 1, let me give you the back drop. Some scholars still debate over whether on Solomon was, in fact, the writer of Ecclesiastes. Historical evidence has thought to prove that Solomon was the author, so for all intents and purposes, he is. Solomon was, still is, and will be the richest individual in the history books. Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey combined still doesn't come close to the vast wealth that Solomon had (God given of course). Unfortunately for him, he squandered kingdom resources in pursuit of pleasure, wisdom, and happiness. Solomon had to learn the hard way that all these things are mist, vapors, futile. This is exactly how he starts the book.

Everything is Futile

Solomon, after realizing that everything is futile in verses 1 and 2, begins pondering life by asking "what does a man gain for all his efforts he labors at under the sun?" I'm quite sure if you're thoroughly nourished on bible nutrition, that you already know the answer to this question, in terms of spiritual matters. In verse 9, Solomon states that there is nothing new under the sun, but in verses 4-6, we see why he came to that conclusion. He states that every comes in cycles. 4"A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5The sun rises and the sun sets; it returns to its place where it rises. 6Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles." Everything occurs in this world in cycles; generations, nature, life, and death. Solomon solidifies his statement in verse 9 with the statement in verse 10. "Can one say about anything, Look this is new? It has already existed in the ages before us."

Limitations of Wisdom

Solomon switches gears in verse 12 by talking about the limitations associated with wisdom. Solomon states he has applied his mind to seek and explore through all things done under heaven through wisdom (v12-13). In the end, however, he states that it all is futile, vapors. He used all of his physical resources to grasp and understand pleasure, folly, wisdom and knowledge and these all have led to nothing. He gained wisdom far beyond everyone who ruled Jerusalem before him, yet it meant nothing in the end (v16-17). Solomon shares more results from his personal quest for knowledge and folly in the next chapter. Stay tuned....

Christ Can't Save You-My Response

Jesus Christ
Can't save you
Life begins where
The Church ends

How sadly mistaken
For the hardhearted
Life never started
To begin with

The Messiah can't
Save you once
Time stops

Leading to the Father
Shattering the facade
That you've built into reality

Not sure of what's
More astonishing
The fact you blasphemed
Yet still have use

Of your windpipes
Or the adopted
Sons and daughters
Soon to come into

The inheritance of
God's kingdom
Defending the blasphemer

Silly rabbits
Tricks are for kids
Your actions speaks
Volumes of testaments

Maybe, just maybe
You were deceived
Concerning salvation
Under the assumption

That following moral
Teachings could suffice
For your sins

Undermining the very
Reason Christ
God manifest
In human flesh

Demoted Himself to
That of a mere human
Conceived, born through
The uterus He so magnificently created

Lived in front
Of mankind to inspire
Hope for repentance and freedom

From the law and
Sin that had us bound
For death

Paid the ultimate price
Suffered,in 3 hours
More than any sinner
Ever will in Hell

While still retaining
All power in His hands
Catch the newsflash Hova

Anyone who boasts
Of being similar to any degree
Is an imitator

Jesus Christ
Can't save you
Life begins where
The Church ends

No numb skull
Life in your case
Begins where slavery
To sin ends

Even with the stench
Of incredible idiocy
Laced in your rhymes
I'll continue my prayers for you
Shawn Corey Carter.

- Yehoshua

Jay Z disses Jesus Christ

To all who read this article, please pay attention. Pastor Cox from the Passion for Christ Movement (P4CM) has responded to the comments made by Jay Z. For those don't know what Jay Z said, in his song Empire State of Mind, Jay Z said in his verse, "Jesus can't save you, life begins where the church ends". Take that in for a moment... ok, now come back to reality. Christ himself has been slandered again by a celebrity, and it seems that Christians have lost the heart or will to battle against slanders made towards our Lord and Savior. With that being said, let me speak on Apologetics. Apologetics means to simply speak to defend what you believe; in terms of apologetics coupled with Christianity, it means to defend the faith. This another area where Christians seem to fall short. We've been bombarded with sin socially and culturally that we've lost the will to fight, but in some cases, we seem to even applaud and condone the sins and wrong doings of this world, especially when it comes to celebrities, rappers and athletes. Pastor Cox spoke on apologetics, and how to interpret poetry, rap songs very thoroughly. Check the video and don't be deceived.

Selah, pause and think on these things! There’s no problem with “goin’ hard” for the Most High as you “make war” because there’s times when you just have to “pump up the bass” to show folk “who you represent”. At the same time, there’s moments when it’s just good to sit back and reflect upon the goodness of the Lord in a laidback, calm manner. Such is the case when you take a good listen to Brooklyn’s own Jas Knight and the jazz- infused The Psalter.

First off, Jas Knight the artist (whose name fittingly sounds similar to “jazz night”) is a skilled pianist and musical composer/ arranger. His sound is heavily rooted in jazz with a slight touch of soul/ funk and contemporary gospel mixed in. This is personified right from jump on “Stapler”, the opening track of the album. Expert drum work, keyboarding, and guitar riffs provide an intro to what amounts to an extended jazz set submitted to Christ. Jas then introduces us to the first Psalm being spotlighted, number 100. This provides some live trumpeting patterned into a contemporary- styled bassline with excellent harmony accentuated by a reasonable auto-tune background.The third track on the album is an interlude, “Contrapuntal”, that definitely fits the definition of its title. The three speakers bring commentary about the psalms, with several moments of each overlapping the other, in a way that is a bit busy and tough to listen to. This is followed up by a description of the Psalms by Emmaus Darjeeling on the song of the same name as this theologian. It also features a free flowing piano composition that brings to mind the “Heart First Remix”, not surprisingly featuring some adlibs from shai himself. The 1980’s feel to the “Psalm 91 Outro” was a nice change of pace and provides a little nostalgia in the midst of the timeless jazz sounds. There’s more of the live, soothing atmosphere vibe continuing down the playlist as Jas orchestrates a move through the Psalms in a calculated manner.

There’s not much that can go wrong with reiterating the truth of the Lord, especially with the crisp clear instrumentation that Jas provides. He combines the approach of simply reiterating the psalm of the moment with taking bits and pieces of the psalm and making it fit the vibe of the music. Add in somespittage provided by R- Swift (“Psalm 136b), Da’ Truth (“Psalm 91”), and the previously mentioned Mr. linne (“Psalm 37”) and there is a nice poetry club feel to this project. Jas also ensures that the listener realizes or is refreshed in the fact that our Messiah is spoken of all through these psalms on “Christ In The Psalms”.

All analysis aside, this is quite simply a project that can be loaded into the ipod or CD player of any and every fan of music. Whether it’s the rap enthusiast or the urban/ R& P aficionado, The Psalter provides a relaxing, worshipful change of pace. The focus of this project isn’t on the lyrical prowess or the musical composition, so much as on the worship- worthy value of the Psalms. Grab your Bible, push play on this 5 star project, and let the beauty of His holiness dwell with you this jazz night.

Theophanies

DaSouth.com stars:

Theophanies...what are they? What does God’s appearance have to do with God dwelling through the supreme revelation of His Son? Why was it that God thought it right for Jesus to live as a Jew, revealing the oracles of God through them? These can be some of the many questions that can be raised when coming across a topic that honestly, the majority of Christians have no clue exists.

Well, no longer do you have to wait to go to seminary to know what this means, for a group by the name of Hazakim (Jewish for “strong ones”) has come through with “Theophanies,” a project that was so long in the making that Phanatik on CMR’s last group album made mention of the wait! After listening to this album through and through I just have to say that the perspective given of the Gospel through Jewish men by Hazakim is needed, due to the fact that no one bothers with this. Either Reformed theologians keep it hushed, or some Charismatic misapply OT Scriptures and it’s time to get the record straight.

When the album starts, you’re not introduced to the rhyme flows yet, but an introduction. When I say an introduction, I mean something that was crafted because when you get into the use of violins and character narration of what the Jews were waiting for in a Messiah after seeing false Messiahs fall is something that helps you to see why the Pharisees were the way they were towards Jesus, even though they were wrong. Another thing that this establishes is the heart that Hazakim has towards unbelieving Jews. Like I said up above, Christians have been chillingly silent towards Jews and the evangelism of Jews is something that should grieve any heart because there is next to zero efforts towards reaching people who can read the Law of Moses, and are veiled to the gospel of Christ. Many of us don’t really know of the treatment that has been shown towards the Jewish people, even by theologians that we have upheld from the Reformation.

With that said, the production on this album has a noticeable Jewish flavor to beats, and it’s fitting that this influence is best noticed on the tracks “Genesis 18,” “Genesis 32,” “Exodus 3,” and “Judges 13” for these are the chapters in the Old Testament where the Theophanies took place. A theophany is an appearance of God towards man, which are the appearances to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and parents of Samson. With these tracks they go forth in “lyrical theology” (thanks shai linne!) as they rap about the passage-titled songs. Besides the theophany tracks, there were some highly notable ones as well, such as “Salvation Plan,” “Passover Lamb,” “Crucifixion Description,” “Heavy Laden,” “Shamayim of Gold,” and even more!

“Salvation Plan” is just a song that you will consider to be classic to the extra degree. I was glad that Hazakim saved this beat for themselves, and was also very excited to hear Stephen the Levite absolutely rip his verses! The topic of this song was very well spoken on, for it dealt with the reason for the sacrificial system and how God laid out His salvation plan. “Crucifixion Description” is a track that everyone has heard of through the very moving video put together with this song, which explains the medical things that Christ went through on His way to offering Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Although physical pain was the least of the sacrifice that Jesus offered, for He became sin even in not ever falling prey to it, it was apart of what Jesus did to free us from sin and it’s effects in the end. “Passover Lamb” provides that perspective of the Jew that I was also speaking of in the beginning of this review, for Anthony provided through his rhymes, a story of how one of the Jews wouldn’t respond to Moses’ command to spread the blood of a lamb on their doors before the Angel of Death was to take the firstborn, then Michael comes through with one of the Jews that would accept that command of Moses to put the blood on the doorpost. Then, in the same song, they connect that incident to the future sacrifice of Christ as that Passover lamb, which brings me to a point that I really want to make with this.

The trademark that I have seen from Hazakim, besides the Jewish influence on beats, is the gift of Michael and Anthony to tell vivid stories in their music. The fact that Messianic Judaism isn’t something Holy Hip Hop is known to bring forth, they certainly establish vivid tales of aspects of the culture of a Jewish man or woman to and overwhelmingly “Greek” audience. Look forward to the track “Heavy Laden,” with which Hazakim share their burdens of ministry and life on a track, even having a visual of one who doesn’t want to bear their own cross and ends up picking it back up again. When you hear rap artists do this, it shows the power of the art form to convey things to people in a way that they may not have heard it before.

One interesting, and dare I say, humorous track was when Hazakim decided to go back to the 80’s after the song “Mercy” and have a female singing about His mercy. With this track I just saw Hazakim having fun with what they were doing, and although it may throw some off with doing this, it made me laugh and accept it, because they wanted to do music and they did it, although I would have left the starting of that Eighties Mix outside of the original “Mercy” track at the end. Speaking of the song “Mercy,” I found it very cool that they used the same beat that was originally used in a response to Craig Lewis and his attacks on Christian Hip Hop, because for one it showed that they weren’t responding just to make noise to Craig and it is evident in that they used the beat for a more worthy topic, which also brought a worthy feature with MuzeOne on the guest rhymes.

With all that has been said about this album, there is one song that I want to highlight with its lyrics, as well as another surprise....reggae! The name of the song is “Kadosh,” and if you are unfamiliar with Hebrew, kadosh is the word for Holy, so that when Isaiah saw the glory of the LORD, he heard the seraphim say, “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh.....”Seeing that the first Hebrew word that I learned in Christian college before I transferred after my second year was kadosh, it was very special to have this track as a conclusion to the album. When the intro started, we had clips of someone speaking about the holiness of God, but when the reggae artist started speaking “Kadosh! Kadosh! Holy Holy! , just imagine my expression with these words said in response while listening: “Wow they actually did it!” Then, as to not even be more excited when listening to this song, Anthony came through with lyrics of full conviction, check out these lines below:

“I clarify my conclusion with a quote from Paul/”He’s the image of the invisible God in literal physical form”/its specified in the epistle of John(1John)/”No one has seen the Father, save the Son, but when you see Him you seen the Father/cuz they are one in the same, in substance and name, glory and attributes/the deity of Messiah isn’t up for dispute/and anyone who claims the opposite is a false prophet and speaks contrary to God’s doctrine./So when they tell you there is no evidence in the Old Testament for the Incarnation/you’ve got Biblical reference that God dwelled amongst men when He so desired/ and He did it ultimately in Jesus the Messiah”

I mean...after hearing stuff like that, just do what the song says, “Kadosh! Kadosh! Holy! Holy!”

Point blank, this album is a milestone in Christian Hip Hop, for we have a picture of what Paul and the early Christian believers had; a Jewish representation of the Gospel. This album is not a party album, it’s a sit down and listen album with discussion and reflection that is needed after. This is a type of album that should invigorate someone’s faith and study and pursuit of who God is, why He said what He said, did what He did, and how it applies for our lives today. When I say that this album was carefully crafted, I may be making an understatement, because they even went all the way to using an accordion in one of the theophany tracks(buy the album to find out which one), using violins and even composition pieces on the interludes, and aside from the fact that they could have left out the tags of saying that this was Hip Hologetics volume 2, which made it sound more like a mixtape than an album, this is officially named a classic. I pray that many will be blessed to hear what Hazakim has to say, and most of all, that believers in Christ will appreciate that He in fact appeared in the flesh as a precursor to the Messiah that dwelt on the earth as God with us, never being ashamed of loving us even though we rebel against Him, and paid the price for our sins in dying and rising again!

Growth in Christ

Have you ever wondered about going to the next level? Have you ever felt the annoyance of still struggling or getting tripped up by the same sin? Does your spirit talk to you, telling you that you need to grow in your faith? I've been there and I find myself there often. Once your faith becomes stagnate, it gets difficult to grow deeper in Christ. So, I hope to encourage you with scripture on growing in your faith.

Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:2-3, "Like newborn infants, desire the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it in your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good." Assuming that you have been reborn, you have to go back to milk to sustain you. Milk, in this case, is the word of God. In other words, we must desire the word of God not only for sustenance, but also for growth. This passage also implies that since you are saved, you already know of God's goodness (grace and mercy). This will also drive the desire to feed off of His word. Peter also mentions that we need to supplement our faith to help us become well rounded in Christ. Let's jump over to 2 Peter 1:5-8 to view the supplements he mentions. "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Peter put it straight forward; these supplements have to be added to your faith to assist with your growth in our Lord, but to also ensure that you aren't useless to kingdom business. This is all apart of growing in our Lord Jesus Christ, I can assure that it will take time and much effort.

Distractions in growth are a daily thing. TV, magazines, the company you keep, family issues, the internet, problems on the job, these are all things that will take your focus from growth in the Lord. I know, I have to deal with these things as well, and sometimes these distractions pull a lot of energy from you. Nonetheless, we must drive and spend time in the word daily, for these distractions are no joke.

Imagine this: you're a farmer getting ready to plant seed and tend to your land. Your hands are on the plow and you're ready to work, however, you keep looking back at your home thinking, " Man, I wish I could go back to bed for a couple of hours". Surely, you can see that this type of behavior won't get the job done; the seeds have to be planted, but you're distracted by your desire for sleep. Jesus warns of this type of thinking/behavior with a painful consequence. Luke 9:62 says, But Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Let's look at this and the imagery I gave you in the growth aspect. You can't make any progression and move forward if you're looking back. What did Jesus mean when He said looking back? I believe that He meant looking back at your former self and the sins that stained your character. How can you grow in Christ when you still desire premarital sex? How can you grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ when you still desire to partake in the sin that caused beef between you and God? You get what I'm saying? When you're heart and mind aren't in unison, growth in Christ won't be a top priority.

Going back or desiring the sins that held you bound is crazy. Galatians 4:9 sums up it nicely. "But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?" This is what happens to the Christian who loses focus on growing and knowing Jesus. The Christian will eventually go into a back-slider state and fall back into the same sins or desires that held them bound in the beginning. That's not a good place for a Christian to be spiritually.

In the end, growth in Christ is a must. There's no way around it, we have to progress in this Christian walk. Either that or you will fall back into the same filthiness that angers God. Trust me, I've been there too. Brethren, dive into the word and spend time with the Lord. Please continue to fight, our lives are on the line. Literally. God Bless.

Our Identity

Do you know who you are? That's a real thought provoking question, considering the fact that the identity we cling to is a facade. Have you ever pondered what is the underlying foundation of our identity? If you haven't, then lets take a look and see who we truly are.

Pride
Anytime you watch TV, or read a magazine, you usually can hear what fuels an individual's identity. Rappers tend to repeat themselves with "I'm the best in the game", or "I'm the boss". Athletes tend to blurt out the same phrases. If you've ever heard these statements before, then you know what fuels their identity. PRIDE. It's not hard to recognize, a prideful person usually begins or ends every sentence with "I, I, I", or " Me, Me, Me". These individuals journey through life thinking that they made their success, oblivious to who gave them the ability to achieve their position in life.

Who I am vs. What I do
"I'm not that cat you see on TV. I'm not that rapper, model, actor, baller, none of them defines me. I'M A BELIEVER." (I'm A Believer, Identity Crisis: Tedashii). Provoking line by the Reach Records affiliate. This is another level of identity crisis. Some people believe that what they do, how they earn their paycheck, makes them who they are. Let me be the first to tell you. What you do doesn't make you. Sports, hobbies, job/career employment isn't your identity. In my humble opinion, it would be crazy to identify yourself by what you do. For example, if a professional Football player is crushed with a career ending injury, is he still a football player? The same thing flows into the career/job realm. We know how the economy is. If your company took a spill, and you were let go, are you still the Marketing VP of that major company? Are you still the accountant or the CEO? Probably not.

The Fall
You should know that all sins that the world suffers with today, first came into play with Adam and Eve. Ever since the fall, we have lost our identity and ever since then, we have been searching for a model to identity ourselves with. That's why we look to actors, rappers, entrepreneurs, and the like to try to find someone that can give us the spark needed to walk in an identity. This is how society has lost themselves. When the very thing they cling to as their identity is taken away from them, some don't know how to cope with life. They've created their identity from something that will only go as far the grave, never really unlocking their true self. I hope you see the point I'm conveying.

In Christ
An identity found in Christ is the only identity we have. Being secure in the knowledge that you are a child of God, a follower of Jesus is the only identity that can sustain loss of employment or career ending injury. That's the guarantee of your identity drenched in Christ. Please take heed, be careful what you model your identity after. Also, be warned. Pride comes before destruction, an arrogant spirit just before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). Placing pride as the foundation of your identity is suicide. Search the scriptures, study the books that glorify the God of the Bible. The Creator is the only image we were made after, (Genesis 1:26-27), so let's model ourselves after God. Be blessed.

- PenLife

Trial of Endurance

What's going on folks! It's been a long time since I've been on here. I apologize for slacking, but I was really pushed to share with you my journey over the last four months. Hopefully, this brief testimony will give you the same encouragement during your hardest times.

During the past four months, life hasn't been so easy. I've had to fight to stay on track during my Christian walk. One particular area that was in constant battle for priority over my faith was my job. My job can be stressful sometimes. After some stressful days, I just want to relax and unwind from the long day. In Febuary, the heat was turned up and the heat is still blazing strong today. I was at work at 730am until 630pm, sometimes later in the evening. Obviously, I was tired and my brain couldn't process the thought of reading my word. There were times when I missed fellowship with believers for a week straight, due to the obligation of my job. Needless to say, I soon found myself feeling weak. Not physical or mental weakness, but weak in the spirit. This was obvious, as I found myself slipping back to old, dead habits. With the combination of lack of water from the word, long days at the office, and little to no conversation with the Lord, I almost let my flesh convince me to decrease my time with God during the week by pushing God to available weekends.

Before my flesh could seal the deal, however, I was reminded to be strong. I was glancing through the word one day last week and I came across scriptures dealing with determination, prayer, and perserverance.

Determination
Proverbs 24:10 - If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place.

Prayer
Luke 18:1b - It was necessary for them(men) to pray consistently and never quit.

Perserverance
Galations 6:9 - So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time, we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

These scriptures really spoke to me. These passages reminded me, better yet, encouraged me to get back on track and continue where I left off. I just wanted to encourage everyone that there will be times where life will suck, but be strong. Know that as believers, we will go through hard times. The Bible even tells us to endure those hard times, for we represent the Father in Heaven. All praise goes to God for rekindling the flame in me for His glory. Be encouraged saints!

** ALL SCRIPTURES ARE IN THE MESSAGE TRANSLATION**

A Good Read

Greetings to all. I just wanted to offer a little something for the fellas this time around. We know it's a challenge to be a man of God in today's culture. Our existence, our path of life, the very title of manhood has been, and still is, shrouded behind the cloud of sin. Think about it, magazines, television, and music have a big influence on how to be men. Each of the previous has their own philosophy on how to dress, how to approach women, how to run a family, and even male-ego centered jobs/careers. Most of these ideals that each venue carries have nothing to do with the gospel. I read this book that really opened up my eyes in some areas of manhood and I want to pass it along to you.

Hazards of Being A Man: Overcoming 12 Challenges All Men Face
Jeffrey E. Miller, Senior Pastor, Trinity Bible Church
I hope the title really caught your attention. This book deals with issues that each man faces (whether you realize it or not). The book breaks down the topics as such:

- Deflecting Responsibility
- Manipulation
- Misplaced Priorities
- Individualism
- Lust
- Insensitivity
- Absence
- Partial Obedience
- Unresolved Anger
- Discontentment
- Unteachability
- Unchecked Motives

Each of these topics include a story from the bible that illustrates the dire need for a re-evaluation of manhood. Don't replace this with the scriptures, nothing will ever replace that. This will, however, give you another means of expanding manhood through biblical terms. It even includes individual study questions or group study for those looking to grow as a community of believers. The best thing I like about the book is that it has assignments. Each assignment will give you a set of scriptures to read, meditate, and even pray over. It's not the "how to be a man" manual, but it's more along the lines of "how to be a better man". I think it's worth the money to invest in, especially, if you're looking for an exit from the same old hardnosed, roughneck, ego centered image of a man. If I had to rate it, I would give it a 4 out of 5. Be blessed brothers.

Break Bread: 3 Arenas

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Glad to be back to leave you with another nugget of interest. Recently, I've thought about areas that have an adverse affect on Christianity. This is interesting because there alot of things that are bombarding the very image of Christ, which in turn, bombards us. I've found that there are three 3 arenas that have affected Christianity the most; Social, Culture, and Politics. I'll break these down as quickly as possible. Let's get it in.

SOCIAL
I describe this arena as your social life, who you hang around, what your friends are doing, etc. Your connections to people will have an impact on your relationship with God. If your homeys aren't concerned with presenting the gospel to those who haven't met Christ, then that will dowse your flame for the ministry. Don't be fooled into thinking that you can stand alone for an uncertain period of time. You might find yourself doing the same silly or crazy things that pleases your friends, but saddens God. Galatians 5:7-9, read it. It backs my plea perfectly. Be mindful of how easily the social arena can stain your purity.

CULTURE
There's a lot to say about this arena, but I said I would keep it short. Our culture is drenched, actually drowning, in sin. The culture reflects the evil desires of our hearts. It begs for material things, riches, clothes, bling-bling, the house on the hill, lots of sex, etc. Since our culture has this sin-centered identity, it has a strong grip on all of us. Ever since birth, we almost immediately gravitate to the customs and traditions of our culture, therefore shaping our lives to pattern the world. A world that either ignores God completely or diminishes His stature as the ulitmate Creator of all. The apostle Paul instructs us not to follow after the schemes of the world, Romans 12:2. Rebel from the culture that constantly tries to outsmart/mock the God that is just, beautiful, and glorius.

POLITICAL
Supreme Court ruled that bibles and prayer should be banished from schools. Congress took God out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Now states across America are battling to decide on the fate of same-sex marriages. In light of this, what's next?? I think that this arena has the most impact on Christianity today. Politics has always been a touchy subject for some, but it's not time to get queezy now. Since I'm on politics, I hope that everyone registered to vote. Anyway, it's amazing how we (for we have some say in the events of government) are always finding ways to push God out of the picture. If you haven't got it yet, pay attention. ATHEISTS HAVE FOUND WAYS TO MANIPULATE LEGISLATURE, BY WAY OF VOTING OR PETITTIONING, TO PUT A CHOKE HOLD ON CHRISTIANITY. Now is the time to be aware of how important it is to use every measure to pull back the doors closing on our God. We know that there efforts are worthless and they make God laugh, but until His son makes the final curtain call, it will be a battle for us on Earth. I will leave you with Colossians 2:6-7, "My counsel for you is simple and straighforward. Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ, the Master; now live Him. You know your way around the faith. Do what you've been taught. School's out, start living the subject. Let your living spill over into thanksgiving."

We as Christians need to be aware of what impacts Christianity adversely. I hope this session will awaken your mind to what's going on. Wake up ladies and gentlmen. Get ready.....

P4CM Interview

Update

I just wanted to say thanks to all those who have sent me their blessings and support during my hiatus. I'm still on hiatus, but I just had to say thanks for not leaving me out in the cold, sort to speak. Also, just know that no matter what happens, God can still make a way. He can still build you up and shape you. Remember, that He is the potter and we are the clay. Always remember to strive for perfection, even if it hurts, because it will. I love my supporters and I haven't forgotten you. Thank you.

Read Psalm 127:1-2 and once it sets in, think about it. God bless.

Hiatus and Rebound

Just to let you all know, I will be taking a hiatus. I will be going away for awhile to begin a new chapter in life, but also to get back to what's important. I have to say that I need to re-connect with the scriptures. A situation has occurred that has compromised my position as a light for Christ, and as I grow into a man of responsibility and integrity, I have to deal with the consequences of my actions. I have no excuses to give, so I won't make or give any. I won't mention the situation, it will only cause speculation, but it has affected others and not just me. Just know that I will lay low for a minute to put things in perspective. I've already beaten myself up, now it's time to heal. When my hiatus is over, I will get back to business. I want to leave you with something:

Proverbs 24:16- 'for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity'.

I will make this simple. If you're a Christian and you walk right into sin, you will fall. You will have to suffer the consequences, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a way to rebound from the situation you're in, no matter what it is. This scripture really helped me to heal up. So I just ask for your prayers and support and I will see you later. God bless.

Oprah Winfrey and Eckart Tolle

Real Talk: Sinners Not At Fault

*** WARNING: This is not a message that will be encouraging, or fun to read. The purpose of this message is open our eyes to the current state of Christianity and push/motivate us (believers) to change our way of thinking and do better. I am not putting down anyone, or any denomination, I just want us to come to a realization. If you're ready, then proceed with an open mind.

Let me say this to start things off, we (Christians) have had, and still have, a part in making our world the way that it currently is. I know that some of you might disagree, thinking how can you be even remotely responsible for making the world such an ugly place. Well, lets dive into that because honestly, it's not what we did, but it's what we DON'T do.

Sinner's Perspective

Sinners are not the ones who should take full credit for the state of our dying world. I hate to say it, but unfortunately, Christians today should take some of the credit. Sure, sometimes sinners make choices or take actions that have a long lasting, negative effect on this Earth. In the end, a sinner still can't receive all the blame because they no realization of their wrong doing. Follow me on this one, don't get lost. For the most part, sinners know what they do is wrong; they have the basic or common knowledge that their actions or lifestyle is wrong. What they lack, however, is a real understanding. Why do you think sinners are often referred to as the lost and/or the blind? It's because they don't grasp the fact that they are in need of a Savior. Ephesians 5:18 says, "They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts".

This scripture by itself defines the mindset of a sinner. "Darkened in their understanding"; sinners don't have a full, clear understanding of their backward lifestyle. They can't see the full picture of redemption and the sacrifice that was paid for them. The definition of ignorance is to be unaware because of a lack of relevant information or knowledge. Simply put, it means lack of knowledge of the facts. In other words, a sinner simply doesn't know the meaning or consequences of his/her actions or lifestyle. You might disagree, but think about the people that you know who were raised in a family where sin was dominating. Think about the man or woman who grew up in a neighborhood where hope was found in turning tricks, selling herb or dirty business deals. They are ignorant to the escape door that lies in Jesus Christ. All they see is what's in front of them and they react to those things in front of their eyes because they have no faith to deal with them otherwise.

Christian's Perspective

This is where we come in. We have been redeemed, changed, switched over from death to life. Yet some of our actions make me question or ponder the authenticity of our proclaimed salvation. The Bible calls us the salt and light of the Earth. The light shines into darkness to uncover the truth about sin and draw the helpless to the rock that shines that light. The salt preserves; in this case, it doesn't preserve the sinful habits and policies of this Earth, but this salt that we have preserves the truth that the light has uncovered. So why do we have a lot of dead flashlights? There are a lot of vessels claiming to be redeemed and born again, but why is there no light shining?

Before you think to exit my webpage, let's think about this for a minute. You can travel to any city in the U.S. and see many churches. You will even see many churches on the same block. Some of you are thinking there's nothing wrong with that. Well, there isn't anything wrong with it, if that block or city is lit up by the light that was given to us to shine on darkness. Look, what I'm saying is this; we have so many churches on one block or in the same city, but there is no change taking place. Some churches have been in business for more than ten years, and that neighborhood or city is still in the same condition. Change doesn't happen overnight, but if there is no sign of progress, then something is wrong. From what I've seen on TV and in person, we need to take responsibility.

Give'em the Gospel

We as Christians must give people the full gospel, not one side of it. Remember that the sinner is the ignorant. How can they be given the option to accept Christ if we don't give them Christ? I've seen too many times where Christians give a sinner a one-sided story of Christ, when they need both sides. How can you give someone the good, but not the bad? How can you give someone the bad, but not the good? When you tell someone they're a sinner and the consequences they will face, you have to give them the good side too. Otherwise, they won't have any hope for change and won't try to find a reason to change. FLIP THE SCRIPT; if you give a sinner the good, but not the bad, they will ultimately have a FALSE SENSE of safety. The Bible says come as you are, but that scripture didn't mean for the church to accept people as they are and keep them the same. No, that scripture meant for the sinner to come as they are, with their sin, so they can receive the knowledge needed to transform and pull them from the grip of sin. That can only come by the acceptance of Christ. This is where we take credit for the world being the way that it is. We have to give them the full gospel, not bits and pieces.

The Beauty of Redemption

If you've made it this far, CONGRATULATIONS. This is the last thing I will say, I promise. We are ultimately responsible for the Word of God getting to the ears and the hands of the people. A lot of times, I hear people say they can't witness to someone else until they get themselves right. That way of thinking is wrong and dangerous. I'll explain. That way of thinking is wrong because you can't fix yourself, you don't have that power. If you had that power to fix yourself, then God would have never sent Jesus to be the atonement for our behalf. That statement also symbolizes that once you're saved, you don't need God to do maintenance on you, which is very dangerous. The Bible says that a righteous man will fall seven times. That means that you're going to fall, and sin. So, using that statement is a LAME excuse. If I offended anyone who uses that statement, I'm sorry, but I had to let you know because I love you and I want us to do better. Just because you have sin on you, doesn't mean that you have to hide yourself until you rid yourself of that sin. In fact, that's what makes redemption so beautiful.

God uses people who were encased in sin to spread His teachings. Look at David, he was a man after God's own heart. Yet he committed adultery with Bathsheeba and had her husband killed. That makes David an adulterer and a murderer. Yet God still used him after David repented. This is the real beauty of redemption; God taking a person with an extensive rap sheet and once converted, using them to disciple the world. If you sin, repent, dust yourself off and get back on the grind. No matter what you are, sinner or saint, you need God. We are all in the same boat, the only difference is we have been redeemed and received the grace of God. It's up to us to carry on the legacy of Christ with the full, unedited Word of God.....real talk.

Christ and Sin Synergy

Greetings!!!

It's been a minute, but I've been on the grind in other areas. Now that I'm back, I want to address an issue that is prevalent in our nation and culture. There's a certain theology that's the underlying reason for us to operate in sin while claiming or trying to have a form of holiness. That theology doesn't really have a name, but I will call it the theology of Christ and sin synergy. This theology has been perpetuated since the Bible days and is, unfortunately, still in effect today.

First, lets look at the word synergy. Synergy is defined as "the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects." Just by reading the definition alone, you should already realize something. You should realize that Christ, which represents absolute holiness, can't interact with sin to produce a greater effect than if they each acted alone. This synergism of holiness and sin takes place often, but it shouldn't be that way.

The Message
The Bible says that no man can serve two masters; he will either hate one and love the other. That means that you can't operate in both sin and holiness. That, however, is what the world will tell you. Thus, that is the overall thesis behind the theology of Christ and sin synergy. The theology's message is that you can take two components that are completely opposite of each other, fuse them together into one unit to make it seem as though they can function perfectly together. That's why some people think it's ok to be saved and still hit the club, lie, commit adultery, fornicate, etc. They're living the Christ and sin synergy theology. They're trying to have the best of both worlds. This is how the world operates. They have, sadly, popularized Christianity in an attempt to blend sin in with holiness so the accurate and powerful Word of God wouldn't throw a monkey wrench in their sinful lifestyle and seem so offensive to the lost. Check this, that very same message of this theology is its biggest loophole.

The Loophole

Sin and holiness can't be fused together. Why? Simple. They can't function properly when the other component is in the mix. Holiness can't operate at maximum efficiency with sin mixed in because the pure, cleansing power of God will be tainted. Likewise, sin can't operate when holiness is mixed in because sin can't do anything, but die when real, authentic holiness reveals itself. Therefore, this theology that has made a psychological attachment to the minds of mankind , who have transformed it into a lifestyle is absolutely FALSE. It's complete GARBAGE. There has to be a difference; when a person gets redeemed, there has to be a separation from the world. God bless.

Interesting Topic: Stop Snitching Movement

What's up!!!

I wanted to talk briefly (hopefully) about this whole stop snitching movement. If you really look at it, this movement reveals how sinful we are by nature. The art of this movement comes from the theology that whatever happens, it needs to be on the low. We love to do things behind closed doors, and at night away from wandering eyes. Our sinful nature gets a huge thrill out doing things (sinful things), in the dark so one can see or know what we're doing, and thereby avoiding the moment of getting caught "with your hand in the jar". Let's be honest, it's a natural desire to creep around and it's funny to see other people get caught. I personally get a laugh out of it myself. Everything I just said is just a longer version of what's written in the Bible, "Men love the darkness", and rightly so.

Being that we naturally love the darkness, ask yourself this question: "Why do we protect those who do wrong/break the law?" Think about that for a minute............ Why is that when people commit an offense against someone else, we immediately defend them, even if we know they are the culprits? Here's another thing, why is it that when our friends are stuck in a situation, we won't be honest with them? Is this hitting home? I hope so.

When our friends are dating the wrong people, making the wrong choices, we stand by and let them walk right over a cliff. We sit back and say, "it's not my place". If that is the case, then who's place is it? Last time I checked, a good/true friend will inform you of the real deal because they have love for you. The Bible says to love your neighbor (as well as your enemy). It's really hard to do when everyone in your corner is letting you hang yourself.

Now, let's apply this to the Christian walk. Satan wants us (Christians) to stop snitching. A Christian rapper named Phanatik said it best: "I'm not snitching to get me off the hook, I'm snitching to get YOU off the hook. Can't hold back, I won't button up." Satan knows that if we keep our mouths closed; if we don't give our testimonies; if we are shamed to speak the gospel, the battle is in his hands. The longer we keep quiet, the longer we stay bound. So, I don't pose any answers to the questions I just asked. I will leave that up to you. I pray that this information will simply open your eyes.

IZ-Real Flashback

What's up!!!

I had to bring another video. I like it and I hope you do too. Some of you might not like rap, but lets look at the facts. The real Christian rappers (not the fakes) are better lyrically and creatively than 95% of their counterparts in the secular realm. That's FACT. Sometimes people don't accept this genre of Gospel because of some faulty belief in the origin of hip-hop/rap. Well, I say this; if you judge something based on its origin, that might be a mistake. The sport of soccer started when the ancient civilizations beheaded people and kicked a dead man's head around for fun. Even the birth of America isn't a perfect picture of Godly obedience, check the history books. Be careful how you judge something....

Anyway, enough about that. Enjoy a flashback rhyme from IZ-Real, a member of Everyday Process, signed by Cross Movement records. God bless.

Lecrae-Prayin' For You

Check this out. I haven't heard anyone be really open with their personal lives on video before. This is real. This dude told the real deal about what he's going through, but it also reflects on how we as Christians struggle with things. The music shows how he wanted to be open with his flaws, despite what others might say about his salvation and his God. Hope you enjoy it, but I also hope that you learn from the video. God bless.

Da T.R.U.T.H.

Life After Death

Life is so brief, you're here the next minute and gone the next. No one can predict when they're going to depart this world and especially how they're going to leave the Earthly realm. This is a touchy subject I'm about to address, especially for those who have lost someone close to them. Hopefully these words will help someone during their lost of a fellow brother/sister or loved one in Christ.

Let's look at Isaiah 57:2. It says "The righteous perish and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no on understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest at they lie in death."

Let's dive a little deeper into this. The righteous dies and no one really questions why he/she died. Maybe because everyone understands that people eventually die and returns to the dirt. I'm not really sure on that. The next sentence, however, is the key. Devout men are taken away, and no one understands that righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. This is important. Stay with me on this one.

The word says that brothers or sisters in the faith are taken away to be spared from evil. No one could possible fathom the evil or danger that is soon to come, except God. The word says that God is caring and that he knows the plans for you. Let's look another text.

Jeremiah 29:11 says "I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." As the scripture says, He knows the plans for your life. So, how do these scriptures tie in to one another? Here it goes...

God foresaw something in your future that they might not have been ready for. He saw something coming in the near future that couldn't have been handled and they might have lost their mind. Since God knows all, He thought it would've been best to call them home to Him instead of letting them embrace the upcoming danger. There are some things that I want you to remember from this.

Christians don't mourn like sinners or unbelievers. When an unbeliever dies, no one knows where they're going when their name is engraved in the tombstone. Those in the faith are filled with sadness, but in the end they know that the departed are going to be with Christ and the Father. So we can rejoice and celebrate their home-going as God faithfully discharges them from His army and carries them from the battlefield.

Last, but not least, use the departed as motivation. Once a person dies, they're gone. They're not coming back. So use the facts about their death as motivation. In other words, don't let their death be in vain. The unsaved died and they were clueless about their final home. Some were even deceived, either by themselves or by pastors who don't teach the whole truth. That's another story. I'm quite sure you don't want to be unsure about your whereabouts after death. So strengthen your relationship with Christ before the clock stops....

Back to Basics

Greetings to everyone. I felt like I had to bring some things back to focus for a minute. It seems like today everyone is or has lost sight of the binding principles of that keeps us in constant flow with God. So, let's take it back to the basics.

First of all, let me give you a quote from a Christian rapper by the name of Flame. " Be more concerned with being somebody in Christ versus doing something for Christ. " This is a very powerful quote that needs to be addressed. A lot of times, it's so easy to get wrapped up in doing ministry for Christ. DON'T GET IT TWISTED. IT'S GREAT TO BE INVOLVED IN MINISTRY AND USE YOUR TIME TO BRING PEOPLE TO CHRIST. However, it shouldn't be number one over giving God worship. Spending time with God should be our primary focus. Now, you know I have to dive deeper into this. Let's dissect the difference between the two.

Being somebody in Christ.
Who are you? This is in terms of your relationship with Christ. You must have a continual relationship with Christ for the Father to know you. It has been said many times in the Bible that people will proclaim salvation. Many will do many things in the name of Christ, but does that mean that God knows you? NO, NOT REALLY. That doesn't mean that you know Christ either. This ties in directly with the biblical warning of false preachers. This issue was a problem in the days of Christ and it's still a problem now. Some people do many things in the name of Christ, only to find out later that some of them AREN'T EVEN SAVED. Some of them got caught up in the fame of doing ministry that they haven't spent any time with God, and others have gotten what I call 'Christian Inferiority Complex'. This is where Christians get so much praise for ministry that they think it was them, instead of thanking God for even letting them be alive to be a part of that certain ministry. You must have a relationship (continual) with Christ. If you don't, be prepared to hear those words: "Depart from me, worker of sin. I never knew you."

Doing something for Christ
Ministry is necessary for the body to grow and teach about Christ. However, it shouldn't be the only thing we do. A lot of you have ambition to do something for Christ. There is nothing wrong with that, at all, but there are some questions that must be addressed to God before you even get involved in ministry. Here are just a few: Do you want me to a part of this ministry? What is my gift? How do you want me to work this gift? Is this what you want me to do for this season? Am I even called to do this? These are just some questions to bring to God before you can even start ministry. Some people get caught up in doing things that they weren't even called by God to do, which puts even more strain on the relationship. All this could have been avoided by spending time with God, which brings us to the finale.

The Basics
1. Reading God's word
2. Prayer

Reading God's word is MANDATORY. The bible says that man can't live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of God's mouth. The word of God is the blueprint for how we live on Earth. How can you know how to deal with certain spirits if you don't read the word? How can you know how to please God if you don't dive in the scriptures? How can you have strength to live life day by day if you don't read? Do you understand what I'm getting at? I hope you get the point.

Prayer is also MANDATORY and it's a COMMAND. Prayer is how Christians communicate with God. Do you know how awesome that is for man to have casual talk with the Creator? That is truly incredible in itself. We were given the privilege to communicate with God about our concerns, our pains, our issues and even just to tell Him how much you love Him. Why wouldn't you want to talk to God?

In the end, you must understand this. You can never outgrow the basics, please don't be silly. Never think that you have grown past the basics. You are setting yourself up for failure if you do. The basics is what drew us closer to God, why would we stop working those things that have established the relationship with yourself and the Father? Remember there is nothing wrong with ministry, but spending time with God is more important. During that quality time, you grow closer to Him and He gets to hear what we don't say often. You love Him. Take it back to the basics.

Distractions in Relationships

Greetings to everyone. Today's topic is distractions. When I say distractions, I'm speaking of relationships that are keeping you from spending time with God. Let's take a quick look at Galatians 5:7-9. These verses (in NIV) reads, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion doesn't come the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." That sounds deep huh? Let's break this down.

Verse 7: "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" This verse comes in the past tense tone, meaning this is how it was at first or in the beginning. You were doing well, you were reading your bible, praying and fellowshipping with other believers. In short, you were trying to keep the relationship hot between you and God, but someone got in the way. Someone cut in front of you and blocked your ability to see God. In other words, somebody took your attention off of God and made you lose focus. More importantly, this someone made you live or act in a manner that contradicts the absolute truths of God.

Verse 8: "That kind of persuasion doesn't come the one who calls you." This verse is simply saying that God would never give you "friends" that would keep you from obeying his truths. God hates sin and He wouldn't put you around people that would eat away at your love for Him and cause you to sin against Him. Don't be deceived people.

Verse 9: "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." The best way to explain this is to use another example. Take a dirty sock and place it in a drawer with clean socks and what happens? Does the stinky sock get smothered with a clean aroma? The answer is no. The exact opposite happens. The clean socks get smothered with the stench and funk of the dirty sock. Well, the same thing happens in the spiritual. Sin in one area of your life will eventually spread to all areas of your life, if you don't kill it off.

So in the end, be careful of who you hang around and pray that God will put around people that will push/motivate you to stay close to God. I hope that you make the right decision.

Awakening To Ministry

School is about to begin next week, so that means it's time to hit the ground running. Not only in the classrooms, but also in ministry. I know Ole Miss is going to be overrun with new freshman and that means new potential souls to be awakened. You have to get them while they're young.

What's your idea of Christianity? I've come across people who think Christianity is just Sunday service, bible study and maybe choir practice (if you can sing). Christianity is more than that. Christians represent the living God who (us, Christians) were justified through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We don't see that very often though. We have become like the Israelites, exclusive instead of inclusive.

Christ commanded us to go make disciples. In order to do that, we have to relate to people (not in the sexual context). We can't make disciples if we get the "big head". There are Christians who become bigger than themselves when they get saved and won't even look at, associate with, or even speak to certain people if they don't have that "saved, sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost" aura about them. That perfectly describes people with the selfish salvation syndrome. Selfish salvation is simply people who get saved, but won't share the gospel with unbelievers, who won't dig deep to help someone out of their sin. Salvation was never meant just for self.

People with this syndrome are often worried about their reputation. Read this very carefully... our reputation means nothing to majority of people. Let me explain this. Some people claim to be your friend, your boy or your homey not for who you are as a person. Most people only claim to be your friend because of what you could possibly do for them. That's not a real friend. So if that be the case, why would you try to uphold a reputation for people who won't be there when you need them in the end? WHY????

Why do we avoid being seen with the homosexual/lesbian who's trying to be free from that spirit? Why do we stay away from the neighborhood (or campus) whore who's been around the block a few times, but has a strong desire to make change, to be freed from the guilt of her/his past sins? Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." That scripture's context describes a man or woman whose delight is in the Lord, who never participates in sin, who never delights in sin with sinful people. That doesn't mean you don't minister to people who are in sin's grip. Remember, the Bible never contradicts itself.

The purpose of being saved is to know Christ for yourself and to be used by Him as a tool to draw all men to the light of Christ that was lit in you when you surrendered your life to Him. The bible says that man's righteousness (in its entirety) is that of a filthy rag. In other words, what mankind deems as righteous is equal to a filthy, stinking, nasty, moldy towel in God's eyes (Ewwww.... yuck!!!). We have to put aside our reputation (which more or less was given by man's standards instead of being tried and proven by God). Now is the time to awaken to what God deems as righteous. Welcome to real ministry. God bless.

A New Journey

What's good! I'm going to keep this short. I've wanted to expand my gift to other areas. I want to expand my gift so I can reach different audiences (for ministry first, sales second). I truly believe that stepping out on faith was a blessing that allowed me to get my foot in the door with my first book. I won't stop writing books, the second one is already in the pre-production stages. Now I'm going to expand to another area such as recording (mainly poetry, maybe rap). I plan to get that started real soon. I just wanted to encourage you to either start working your gift now, or to take your gift to the next level. Remember, you will be held accountable for your gift and you will have to answer to God on Judgment Day. Grace and Peace.

Interesting Thought

Lend a Helping Hand

This has been on my mind for a long time and I just wanted to quickly share it with you. Let's look at Galatians 6:1.

Galatians 6:1 says, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." When I'm watching TV or hear things from the streets, sometimes I hear about Christians getting caught up in sin. Everyone sins at times, no one is perfect, even though the goal is to strive for perfection. When a Christian sins, however, people bring the hammer down. God said that we, who are spiritual (not the pagans), are supposed to restore him/her. In other words, we need to be TALK to them. The best way to do that, from what I've seen, is to paint the picture. We need to explain why what they did was wrong thoroughly (with scripture), the affects it will have on the ministry of Christ, REPENT (an absolute must) and motivate them to do better. The most famous responses I hear from other people when Christians fall is "I knew he/she was fake" or "All Christians are hypocrites." Instead of joining the peanut gallery and smashing down on the person, help them to UNDERSTAND.

Now be careful of who you are dealing with. The second half of the verse says watch yourself or you may be tempted. That could possibly mean that if you're not strong in the faith, you could give in to temptation and commit the same sin of the person who fell. I'm not entirely sure (that's why it's highly important that you communicate with your Pastor, Youth Leader, or Minister).

We (Christians) are the body of Christ. We are like family, brothers and sisters in the faith. A body, team, or organization is only as strong as its weakest link. If one part of the body is injured, the rest of the body will have to work even harder to pull their own weight and the weight of the body part that's injured. If one Christian falls, the body of Christ will be affected negatively and the growth of ministry will be stunted. If you fell, you would want someone to administer medication to you, so why won't you do the same when a certain part of the body becomes injured....

Don't Worry, Be Happy

I decided it's time to for change of pace for a minute and drop some encouragement. I'm going to talk about worrying and why you shouldn't do that. Let's look at Matthew 6:25-34 (The text is in red, so Jesus is talking - for those who didn't know).

Right off the bat, verse 25 says "Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." He goes into the next verse saying is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Jesus even makes a comparison that clearly shows that we shouldn't worry. He compares us to the birds of the air in verse 26. He says that the birds don't sow, reap or store away anything and yet God still feeds them. Now comes the punchline: are we not more valuable than the birds?

NO ONE CAN ADD AN HOUR TO HIS/HER LIFE. Jesus made this firm statement which is even backed by modern medicine. With that being said, one can conclude that our bodies weren't made to handle worry. It's ok to be concerned about some things (but that's a different ball game).

In verse 32, Jesus solidifies His reason as to why we shouldn't worry, as He says that the Pagans run after all these things. The next thing Jesus said can be seen as a testimony of God's love for us. "Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them." God knows what we need, He created us. A creator will always know His creation. Christ finally gets to the heart of the matter, "but seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you." That means if you want the clothes on your back and food on your table, seek Him first and He will provide a way. He always does.

Jesus comes to a close when says not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble on its own. A true statement, trust me. Another reason why you shouldn't worry about tomorrow or next week is because tomorrow isn't promised. Jesus is coming soon and know one knows when He shall return. I know what some of you are going through (rent due real soon, cell phone, tuition, other bills), but don't worry. Trust in God and all your needs will be met. So as the song says, "Don't worry, be happy. Don't worry, be happy now." God Bless.

Tonex "Naked Truth"

This is in reference to the actions of Gospel recording artist Tonex. His actions might have represented what he was going through, but HIS ACTIONS AREN'T JUSTIFIED. For those of you who don't know what went down, go to youtube.com and watch the video called "Naked Truth" by Tonex.

What Tonex did wasn't good. I'm not judging him because that isn't my place. Only God can judge and He will. I am giving my response based on the scriptures on his actions and revealing the truth behind the matter. Everyone goes through hard and terrible times in life. That's unavoidable, but how you respond to the bad times reflects upon the authenticity of your relationship with God. "A foolish man gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control" (Proverbs 29:11). As far as the full blown cursing Tonex used in his "dis-record", Ephesians 4:29 clearly states, "don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

I don't know what Tonex is going through, I can't even imagine. However, being the gospel artist and pastor that he is, he knows that he has a high responsibility that he must always be aware of. The bottom line is, we need to PRAY. We need to pray that God gets him through his situation and pray that he gets re-focused on what's most important: giving God the glory. Now is not the time to point the finger, judge or criticize. Just simply pray.....

Justification and the Law

To those of you who believe in just being a good person, this is to give you understanding. I'm not disrespecting you in any way, I'm just trying to help you.

God's law is beautiful, perfectly designed and authored according to His will. Christians are supposed to live according to the laws written in the scriptures, but there is an issue that has to be addressed. We twist the law by transforming its role into a safety net just like what the Galatians did.

Let's clear the air about this right now. The law was never meant to save you. Its original purpose was to show us our flaws. I refer to the law as a mirror. Every time you crack open the Bible, you're unveiling the mirror. What that means is this; when you dive into the law, two reflections should unfold before your eyes. The first reflection is the lawful (Perfection). This image is of one who follows the commandments of God, who walk the narrow path of rightneousness.

The second reflection is of the viewer (you) reading the text in whatever stage you're in. In short, the law shows you your stumbling blocks to help you do one of two things
1). Saved: to realize that you're slipping in an area or areas in your life and that you must continually strive to seek Him. Endure the process because Christ will finish the work He started in us.

2). Unsaved: to get you to realize that you're a sinner. Since you haven't been released from the grip (which comes from giving your life to Christ), you don't have the power; the power to do good (follow the law in the scriptures).

Let's switch gears for a minute.

Justification

The Apostle Paul argued that those who simply rely on the law are under a curse (Galatians 3:10). These people Paul referred to are legalists-those who refuse God's grace and insist on gaining righteousness through works alone. Think about this for a minute. The Galatians had a lot of laws to abide under, but they couldn't. It's almost impossible to keep every law perfectly. They were missing the true ingredient to real righteousness; FAITH. God's blessing of righteousness can't be earned. Why? The answer is it was always freely given. This is where justification comes in.

Justification means God deems us righteous, He acquits us of our guilt on 2 conditions:
1). The grace of Christ that came from His sacrifice
2). The acceptance of Christ by faith.
In other words, because of Christ' sacrifice and our choice to surrender our lives to Christ, God deems us righteous. Therefore validating the fact that righteousness CAN'T BE EARNED, IT'S FREELY GIVEN by what Christ did for us.

The Galatians had good intent (maybe), but their process of righteousness was backwards and ultimately, futile. Don't get it twisted, you do have to work to show that you're righteous (justified), but works are evidence that you have been justified (deemed righteous). Without being justified, your works mean NOTHING.

Well that is the overall view of justification and the law. If that was a lot for you to swallow in one sit, le me make it simple. The law can show you your flaws, but only Christ can save you from your sin. If you have any questions, talk to your pastor, a trusted minister, or your spiritual advisor. If you're amped about studying it, like I was about writing it, do your own research into the book of Galatians. God Bless.

Interesting Topic

Backwards Discipleship

I'm throwing a question out to all believers; if the Bible is the bread of life for the believer and the word never returns empty when sent out, then (here's the question) why is discipleship (as a whole) NOT WORKING? Buckle in, you're going for a ride.

We all know the Great Commission and what we're supposed to do, but the problem lies in how to do it. Here's the key that I think some Churches are missing. The Bible says to start with Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria (Acts 1:8). After that, to head to the outermost parts of the world. If you look study that passage carefully, you will understand that God meant to start AT HOME FIRST. God's plan of discipleship (in theory) was simple. Start at home, in your local community, then branch outward to areas near and far.

Simply put, the Church is supposed to be a center of outreach and a place where it meets the spiritual needs (possible other needs) of its community. Churches will spend around thousands to send missionaries overseas and might overlook the needs of their community. There's nothing wrong with going overseas to perform ministry, we're supposed to go to lands afar and preach the gospel (eventually). I repeat, I'm not knocking sending missionaries overseas, I salute the Churches who are able to do so; however, there's a reason why God said start with Jerusalem first. For those who are a little skeptical, check your neighborhood and see if God's blueprints are being executed accurately.

His Glory

The History

His Glory. Think about that, we are God's glory. Mankind is God's glory. That is awesome, considering the fact that the angels in Heaven weren't crowned with His glory. We were made lower in rank to the angels and yet we were crowned with God's glory and honor (Psalm 8:5). That is truly amazing.

Let's look at this a little further. We were made with the power to rule over the works of God's hands and everything was put under our feet (Psalm 8:6). Every beast of the field, sea, and air was put under our feet, meaning our submission. Since we know that the Bible never contradicts itself, this goes hand and hand with the creation of man in Genesis 1:28, where God told Adam and Eve that they would rule over all the animals. We were born with dominion over the earth.

The Meaning

What this means is that we were created in God's image (Genesis 1:27). In other words, we were created to be God-like in the Earth, while at the same time, God would be God in Heaven. It's almost like God created us to be miniature gods to rule and maintain the Earth while He was in Heaven. We are God's beloved creation. I hope you can see why mankind was crowned with His glory and honor.

The Problem

The problem lies within us, traced back to when Adam fell. Adam represented all of mankind and when he sinned, that started the legacy. The legacy is a stronger desire to sin against God. God's glory didn't disappear or was taken away, but it was overshadowed or eclipsed. This is interesting. What happened was that when sin came into the world, the glory of God was hidden within the flesh of man so the only thing that's seen is the flesh. This could be why it's difficult to tell if a person is saved or not just by looking at them. The glory of God hasn't been awakened in them (not saved) or it's being covered by their fleshly desires (claim salvation, but not really living the lifestyle of redemption).

The Solution

The one and only solution is Jesus Christ. Remember that we are God's glory. Who are we (simple, fragile humans) that God would always think about us (Psalm 8:4)? God thinks of us so much that He has plans to bring us to an expected end, He thinks nothing of us but joy and hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He knew that there had to be a plan of escape for us, so we could be saved from sin. He gave up His only son to take the place of sin and became a feast for God's wrath (John 3:16-17).

In the end, we have to restore the glory that God originally gave mankind. It's a process, meaning it will take time, but keep your head up. The work that was started in you by Christ will be completed, just be diligent and never give up (Philippians 1:6). Even when we fall, Christ is still the victor in the end.