What's up Family?
So last night I was on the internet on all hip hop dot com, staying up on what's current in Hip Hop as I regularly do and I had a flashback so to say. I was taken back to 6 years ago when I first gave my life to Christ. Back then when I first started walking in the faith me and my wife gave up EVERYTHING, and I DO MEAN EVERYTHING! Family, friends, habits, tv, music, activities you name it and we turned our backs on it and walked away from it. But every now and again I would sneak on the computer and look at all hip hop. I would do it secretly full of shame and condemnation, like a porn addict looking at porn.
You see at that time I was a new born babe in the faith, and I knew absolutely nothing at all! I had NO idea of all the pain and turmoil the next 6 years would bring my way. You see I feel as if I have been raped, molested and screwed by the "church" and "doctrine" time and time again. We back at that time were members of a prosperity church where we were indoctrinated with lies. Which amplified my religiousness and hypocritical-ness. I was super religious, full of insecurities, acceptance issues, pain, confusion, distortion and more! Looking for a father in my pastors who always seemed to let me down, seeking things that God never promised to any of us. Walking a long hard walk!!!
Thru these years God has walked me thru most of all these things, clearing my sight, freeing me, teaching me grace, allowing me to be able to trust Him and showing me that He and ONLY He is a father to the fatherless. He has been slowly but surely picking up all these pieces that have been broken and taken from me. The innocence I had as a new believer that I feel was snatched from me.
As I sat at that computer last night and had that flashback I felt as if God said, "You are starting all over from there. Before all the non sense came into the picture. When you were fresh and void of the doctrine of man and their folly. You are starting over."
That blew me away! Especially when I think about all that I've learned in and during this time. I've learned that God is my Father, to look to, trust in and depend on Him and Him ONLY- NOT MAN! To not just take what people say but test and weigh it before I accept it, to not just accept cliches from people and not to speak that to people. To not be fake but to be me without all the christianese. God knows the real me, and He accepts the real me. I don't have to hide or conceal anything at all! BIG or small......
I'm me, melancholy, my emotional disposition is pessimistic but hey it's all good! God loves me the same! That's how I'm made, I have good days, I have bad days, so be it. I'm me and that's all I can be.
He started me over and with a lot of wisdom and insight on what to do, and what to avoid. And it's not All Hip Hop! HAHA
But I read something from Job out of the message that spoke along the lines of how I felt/feel.
Job 42:5-6 (Message)
"I admit I once lived by rumors of You, now I have it all first hand- from my own eyes and ears! I'm sorry- forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."
Nope! I'm starting off fresh and seeking God and Him alone.
God is dope,
Israel
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Oh You Hypocrite!
What's poppin? Crackin? Shakin? Good? And all the that good stuff!!!
God is dope peoples!! He truly is the dopest thing around! Any way check it out, have you ever saw yourself as a hypocrite? You know one of those people who are always coming down on others when they do the same thing? No???? Well, maybe I'm the only one screwed up enough that I find myself being a hypocrite at times.
There are two different definitions to the word by Merriam Webster:
1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion;
2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
Now, although I have been guilty of definition number one many times, today we are talking about definiton two. So to all the holy rollers you can catch ya breath!!!
This morning I was putting together a lesson about rap and how some rappers have abstract lyrics. Abstract in case you don't know is just something that can be difficult to understand, it can be subtle or covered up. A meaning behind a meaning, message behind a message you get the point. Well, I was doing this lesson and as I was writing it I was at odds with these abstract rappers, mad at their "cowardice" and the fact that they would push evil, and some even demonic propaganda through their music and make it abstract so that many would not understand it. Then as I was finishing up the lesson God revealed to me that I do the same thing!!!!!!!!!
There are songs I have that I never mention Jesus or God but I talk about the kingdom of God and a christian worldview in a subtle way. And by no means is their anything wrong with doing this but for me to condemn and judge them when I do the same is hypocritical. So after I finished laughing at myself I asked for forgiveness and was in an "Wow, I'm so stupid" moment!!" I know right. Crazy!!
The bible speaks on this topic in the context of both of the definitions. But we are going to look at this text for the principle behind it!!
Matthew 7:1-5 (Message)
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
While I'm here knocking them I do the same thing!! Oh You Hyprocrite!! Any way praise God for His goodness and faithfulness to reveal to me what I couldn't see!!!
God is dope,
Israel
God is dope peoples!! He truly is the dopest thing around! Any way check it out, have you ever saw yourself as a hypocrite? You know one of those people who are always coming down on others when they do the same thing? No???? Well, maybe I'm the only one screwed up enough that I find myself being a hypocrite at times.
There are two different definitions to the word by Merriam Webster:
1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion;
2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
Now, although I have been guilty of definition number one many times, today we are talking about definiton two. So to all the holy rollers you can catch ya breath!!!
This morning I was putting together a lesson about rap and how some rappers have abstract lyrics. Abstract in case you don't know is just something that can be difficult to understand, it can be subtle or covered up. A meaning behind a meaning, message behind a message you get the point. Well, I was doing this lesson and as I was writing it I was at odds with these abstract rappers, mad at their "cowardice" and the fact that they would push evil, and some even demonic propaganda through their music and make it abstract so that many would not understand it. Then as I was finishing up the lesson God revealed to me that I do the same thing!!!!!!!!!
There are songs I have that I never mention Jesus or God but I talk about the kingdom of God and a christian worldview in a subtle way. And by no means is their anything wrong with doing this but for me to condemn and judge them when I do the same is hypocritical. So after I finished laughing at myself I asked for forgiveness and was in an "Wow, I'm so stupid" moment!!" I know right. Crazy!!
The bible speaks on this topic in the context of both of the definitions. But we are going to look at this text for the principle behind it!!
Matthew 7:1-5 (Message)
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
While I'm here knocking them I do the same thing!! Oh You Hyprocrite!! Any way praise God for His goodness and faithfulness to reveal to me what I couldn't see!!!
God is dope,
Israel
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