Skinny Jean Saturdays

I just listened to the Christian rap single of a neighbor kid turned young man, Daniel Cooper aka ‘Danny Da Paperboy Cooper’. The name of his track is MOH( Ministry Over Hiphop). Quite frankly, it made me somewhat emotional. I heard his first album and was impressed, but not really moved. This single moved me. As I listened to the content of his lyrics, it was obvious to identify growth and maturity. More important, his worship to God was foremost. Simply put, this (honoring God before his passions) was the message.

Matthew 5:13-14 reads ‘You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’.

After hearing the track for the third time, this is what came to mind.

It’s easy to ‘go with the flow’ of the crowd. Without giving much thought, you may find yourself saying or doing something that's mainstream and trendy. Whether it is the latest fashion or movie, you wear and watch without reflection. Your conscience may never filter that you are just like everyone else. Sometime ago, my wife made a profound comment. To loosely quote her: “Everyone who wants to be different, aims to be different. With time, they become friends with others who are ‘different’ not realizing that there’s a significant amount of ‘different’ people”. Her point: The different group is a ‘crowd’ not making them unique at all. They’re all doing the same thing. Whether it be rejecting  a conservative way of life or getting tattoos (I have 3), wearing skinny jeans (my wife wears them every Saturday), listening to only underground music, or drinking at coffee houses; they fail to realize what they set out to do is not being accomplished. Today, it appears honoring God by obeying and serving Him is truly as different as it gets.  
This lifestyle is truly challenging.

There are so many obstacles facing one who decides to act obediently to God’s command, especially for young, unmarried men and women. I remember how difficult it was for me as a single. There was no consistent one-on-one accountability or encouragement. The quiet rejections of my faith were directly obvious.  Now, the only change is having a companion to share my moral battles. This is why it’s so impressive witnessing a young man challenge, not only you, but himself to put God before his dreams. That’s noteworthy.

There’s a 1917  infamous poster of Uncle Sam pointing with the words “I WANT YOU…” It was used to recruit soldiers for World War I and World War II. God has been calling you in this fashion to fight his war since your birth. As corny as this sounds, ‘Answer the call!” Living a Christian lifestyle will not be convenient, as you will be offended, mocked, and categorized. However, if you want a life of meaningful purpose, that will leave a legacy to others; this is the life for you.

If you desire to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please click on the link below.

http://www.intouch.org/resources/all-things-are-new/content/topic/how_do_i_accept_jesus_as_my_savior_all_things

Charge It 2 da Game

Ever had a time, were you simply didn’t want to get out of bed; when you just wanted to turn off the alarm instead of hitting snooze multiple times? Have you ever wanted to punch (in the face) someone who tailgated you, while obnoxiously honking their horn eventually cutting you to arrive at their destination 15 seconds earlier? You may not have experienced these scenarios, but I’m confident that there have been times throughout your life when your emotions almost got or did get the best of you.

If ‘old me’ could go back in time and talk with ‘young me’, one of the main topics addressed would be not to base my decisions by my emotions. Some of the biggest mistakes in life, I’ve made, were created by how I felt at the moment. Without using discernment and looking at the obvious end results, I began a many failed pursuit. Some people believe that experience is a good teacher; however, looking at the world’s current affairs and society’s repeated offenses; I would strongly argue with this school of thought.In most cases, deciding not to act on your initial emotions leads to a better outcome. Unfortunately, this is slowly becoming a lost art. The discipline and will power needed to forgo an immediate response is becoming extinct. This principle is needed to attain a sustainable quality of life.

One of my biggest struggles as a young adult was spending money (that I didn’t have). In 1998, there was a rap artist by the name of Silkk The Shocker. He released an album entitled ‘Charge It 2 da Game’. This became my slogan when I used my credit card to purchase something that I needed to maintain an image, ‘Charge it to the game!’ Without going into great detail of this end result, anyone who owns a credit card knows how this story can and will conclude. Luckily for me, I had an epiphany and became really good friends with a Dave Ramsey fanatic, who encouraged me to pay off and stay out of debt. Is this emotionally, mentally, or socially easy to do? Absolutely not, but all people in high amounts of debt know, that living debt free truly gives one peace of mind and freedom to thoroughly enjoy life. So why aren’t more people making a decision to stay clear from relationship destroying debt? Consider their emotions.

Bad financial decisions are only one example of the ‘shoot from the hip’ emotional response. Proverbs 29:11 states ‘A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them’ (God’s Word Translation). This is such a valuable amount of wisdom wrapped up in one sentence. Take heed. Think about the consequences of your emotional decisions. Even when you thoroughly process and ‘marinate’ on deciding; allow yourself to be challenged. What are the qualifications of your advisers? Do they have a track record of on-going success in the areas that you ponder?  Remember this, God covers it all. Challenge him in your decision making to give you an answer. Instead of picking up the phone, ‘drop to your knees’. Connect with Him through Jesus Christ, so you can petition with boldness as a righteous child of God. 

If you desire to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please click on the link below.

http://www.intouch.org/resources/all-things-are-new/content/topic/how_do_i_accept_jesus_as_my_savior_all_things