Real Talk

1)

Some thoughts on how we as Christians can witness to Muslims

2)

How Arab Christians are providing a great model for witnessing to Muslims

3)

Some advice on attaining spiritual refreshment through intimate prayer

Labels: Christian, God, Islam, Muslim, news, prayer, witnessing

Peace and blessings,


"God wants us available to people, not shouting instructions at them. He wants us to get into others' lives. He may not ask us to steal a boat, but he may ask us to cross some conventional boundaries. If we are willing to risk our comfort to get into other people' worlds with the truth we bear, we'll be a more powerful witness than all the instruction manuals in the world."

- p. 37



This past summer I had the opportunity to read "Speaking of Jesus" by J. Mack Stiles (1995), a book that deals with ways in which we as Christians can be more effective in spreading the gospel and building up God's kingdom. Through personal stories as well through an analysis of Jesus' and Paul's ministries in the New Testament, Stiles does a good job of putting some of the usually considered difficult aspects of sharing our faith with others into perspective. He shows us by doing so, we come to realize that many of our self-perceived obstacles to sharing our faith or merely "in our head."


Overall, I would say that the message of "Speaking of Jesus" is that just as Jesus engaged the world (he listened to people's cares and concerns, and learned about their lifestyle), so should we. For Stiles, being one who shares their faith through engaging the world is one who is motivated (wants to share their faith), available (open to divine appointments and talking with others about their faith) and equipped (knows enough about the bible and the tenets of their faith in order to share with others and answer as many questions that arise as possible). Stiles argues that in order for us as Christians to effectively share our faith with those outside the church walls, we must take initiative to learn about people's lives outside the church walls. This by no means suggest that we become nosy or become so concerned with leaning about people's lives that we 1) water down the gospel or 2) put ourselves in situations where we will be tempted to sin. What this does suggest, however, is that we as Christians must do our part because as the saying goes, "people want to o=know that you care before they care for what you know."

One of the things Stiles warns us about is about a particular type of positive thinking. The type of positive thinking that can get us into trouble is the type that claims that we have a positive outlook on things because we belief in our own ability to bring our the desired outcome (in this case, effectively share our faith). According to Stiles, this type of positive thinking is problematic because it suggests that we are the ones making things happen, and not God working through us. Stiles urges us instead to have a type of positive thinking that stems from our confidence that God will always make a way, and is the true driving force behind all that we do that is considered of any worth.

Before I conclude, I wanted to briefly mention one of the stories he recalled about an atheist who came to Christ, and how God uses who we wants, when He wants, and how He wants to bring about His will. This powerful example of divine appointment continues to amaze me to this day. One day the atheist was hitch-hiking and was able to flag down a car. Once he got in the car, he was surprised that the driver was a Christian with a hippie steez. During their conversation they both shared their views. Either some days or some weeks later, the atheist was hitch-hiking again, and again succeeds in flagging down a car. To his surprise it was the same Christian hippie! When the driver pulled over, he told the atheist that man, "God must be after you!" Shortly after that encounter, the atheist gave his life to Christ.

Take care, God bless, and speekonit...

Labels: Christians, evangelism, God, Jesus, Speaking of Jesus

1)

Lupe Fiasco talks about the motivation and purpose of his new album, "The Cool"

2) For the Matrix fans, here's

a 2003 article about notions of God and spirituality within the Matrix trilogy

3)

Black people uniting to protest against demeaning images in the media

Labels: demeaning images, God, Lupe Fiasco, Matrix, media, music, news, The Cool

"In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

-Luke 10: 30-37 (NIV)


"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

- Matthew 23:23 (NIV)


"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence."

- Matthew 23:25 (NIV)


"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean."

- Matthew 23:27 (NIV)


"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

- James 1:22-27 (NIV)


"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

- James 2:14-17 (NIV)


Peace and blessings,

Out of the many topics I have been blessed with the opportunity to write on over the past two years (by the grace of God), this one has probably been the most pressing on my heart. I originally thought of the idea for this topic last summer, during a time when God was speaking to me in "unique" ways so to speak.

Throughout the years I have learned (through sermons as well as through personal experience), that a common misconception about the Christian walk is that once we "join the squad" (i. e. give our lives to Christ), then things will generally go smooth from there. Sure there are a few bumps or minor setbacks along the way, but for the most part, life will not really be difficult. Although the bible tells us that as believers that all things will work out for the good (Romans 8: 28), it also tells us that the things we experience in life can help built our spiritual character (Romans 5: 3-5). Taken together, I interpret these scriptures to mean that for Christians, we will inevitably experience hurt and pain, but that all of our experiences (good or bad), insofar as we seek out God in the midst of those experiences, can yield spiritual rewards for our life on earth and for our eternal life in heaven.

In general, I feel like God has been showing me that many of our experiences as Christians are sort of like "check points" to assess the extent to which our lives are consistent in three areas:

our worldview (how we view the world, our place in it, others' place in it)

our words (the things we say,, words we live by, the advice we give to people)

our works (how we act in the world, treat others)


Let me preface this by saying that I am not arguing that we as Christians have to be perfect, because Lord knows we can't be (lol). What I am arguing, however, is that many of our experiences provide a measuring stick for us to assess in what ways our worldview, words, and works line up or do not line up. This level of consistency is a difficult task because there may be certain areas where we are more or less consistent. For instance, in certain contexts it is more easier for me to be consistent in all three areas, others more easier to be consistent in two of the three, and other areas where there is no consistency. The goal in my opinion is two-fold. One goal is for us to continually work on those areas that we have partial or not consistency and build on those areas. As mentioned in

New Beginnings,

one of my prayers this year is for God to help me view things the way He views them, because there are times when I find myself telling others to view setbacks through a spiritual lens yet I myself am viewing my obstacles through a purely human (limited) lens. Second, our goal is to recognize those areas in which we do have consistency, and learn from them so that we are able to live our lives in a way that best pleases God; through our expression of love, faith and humility in how we view the world, the things we say, and how we live.

What do you think? Any areas where you see consistency? Inconsistency? What are some steps you think yourself as well as us as Christians in general can take to achieve and maintain consistency? Take care, God bless, and speekonit...

Labels: character, Christian, consistency, experiences, God, James, life, Luke, Matthew, Romans, spiritual, words, works, worldview

"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

- 1 Timothy 6: 9-11 (NIV)


"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

- John 10: 9-11 (NIV)


Peace and blessings,


When I normally think of slavery and its manifestations, I usually only think along race and class lines. Most of us know about how various peoples throughout history were enslaved based in part on their skin color. Similarly, many people are also aware of many corporations who operate sweatshops where people work in inhumane conditions and get paid next to nothing. There is another form of slavery, however, that I tend to overlook when I consider matters of love and justice: sex slavery. I mean I've heard of the term before and I am aware that it exists in the U.S. and throughout the world. However, for some reason it wasn't on my "radar" like other forms of slavery were. Could it be that sex is so heavily promoted through music and media that I'm sort of subconsciously desensitized to the idea that sex slavery is just as prevalent as race- and class-based slavery? Regardless of the reason, I appreciate the video (see below) sent to me a month ago by this one person, asking that I address this issue on the blog. Come to think about, given that the devil's primary purpose is to distort and corrupt the things God created (because the devil has no power to create things), it makes sense that the devil would distort one of the most the sacred things God created for a man and a woman, and associate it with greed and lust, things that Jesus often spoke out against and warned us of.

In addition to the video, here is an article on a

potential sex trade business in San Francisco. CA

Two organizations that are heavily involved in the fight against the evils of sex slavery and its dehumanizing effect are

Not For Sale

and

Standing Against Global Exploitation.

Let's continue to pray against all forms of slavery, and for the power and love of Jesus Christ to heal the hearts of those involved, and bring an end to this corruption of God's creation. Take care and speekonit...

Labels: 1 Timothy, class, devil, evil, God, Jesus Christ, John, race, sex trade

Peace and blessings,

I pray everyone had a safe, wonderful, and blessed Christmas and New Years. For those whom for whatever reason had a difficult time during this holiday season, I pray that God continues to shower you with His love, peace, and comfort (Psalms 55:22; Matthew 11:28).

It seems fitting that I would begin my first post of the new year on the birthday of my late grandfather, who was one of most admirable and honorable men of God I will ever know. I pray that through my life I will make you proud...

In 2006 while attending a church in Cambridge, MA I was prophesied to. When I approached the pastor right before he laid hands on me I can honestly say that while I believed in the gift of prophecy, I did not put too much stock in someone speaking into my life about specific areas in my life that were "cut off" from those around me. To my surprise, however, that's exactly what happened. I think for all of us there are some things we believe without witnessing it first hand, and other things we have to witness first hand to believe. For me, prophecy was one of those things.

After I told him the three things that were weighing on my heart at the time, he told me what God was telling him with regards to those three things. It wasn't until he "changed course" in a sense that I truly felt the presence of God. He basically said that before I come into what God has for me, God had to "take the lid off and show you some things." Once he started revealing what one of those things was, I suddenly felt encapsulated by the Holy Spirit to where I literally couldn't move (i. e. my legs felt cemented into the ground despite me trying to move them). It was at that moment that I knew that only God could have told Him that, because no one else knew.

After that experience, I have since been wondering what were some of those other "things" that God had to show me. In 2007, I feel like some of those things have been revealed to me, as well as the purpose for me experiencing those things. Given that "7" is the biblical number of completion, I feel like the ups and downs of last year occurred the way they did because for me (and I am only speaking for myself), it could not have happened any other way. In other words, I believe that there are some things that we each must experience in order for God to straighten out our "character-kinks." Put frankly, God loves us such that He is always concerned with building our character and making us better people, and thus a better reflection of Him.

There are some things in my spirit that if left unchecked, can do tons of damage to myself, to those around me, and to my relationship with God. Through experiencing the ups and downs of 2007, and seeing God reveal Himself to me in many different ways during those experiences, I can honestly say that I am a better, stronger, wiser man of God this year than I was last year. This is only the beginning, however, because God will never stop working on us because we can never be perfect on our own. Understanding that what defines us is not who we are when things are going "as usual," but who we are when things in our life are anything but usual, I am really looking forward to this year. Therefore, my new year's resolution is three-fold:

1) To work on viewing people and myself the way God views us

2) To work on viewing the situations and experiences that come up in life the way God views them

3) To work on viewing the world the way God views it.

What about you? Anything you've learned in 2007 that you think will make you a better person in 2008? Any new years resolutions? God bless, happy new year, and speekonit...

Labels: 2007, 2008, church, God, Matthew, prophecy, Psalms

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;his love endures forever."
-Psalms 107: 1 (NIV)

"In that day you will say: 'Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.'"
-Isaiah 12:4 (NIV)

"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before."
-Daniel 6:10 (NIV)

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
-Romans 1:21 (NIV)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
-Phillipians 4:6 (NIV)



Peace and blessings,

Although I reject the historical associations that today may elicit (e.g. the "good" relationship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans), I believe that we should take time out of our busy lives more often to step back and 1) acknowledge the things that we are grateful for and 2) to thank the God, because it is only through His grace, love, and mercy that we can even have anything to be grateful for in the first place. I must note that I am not suggesting that those who feel they have something to be grateful for are "on God's team" and those who do not feel they have something to be grateful for are not. All I am asking is for us to see if, despite our situation, there is anything that we are grateful to God for. I am currently trying to get in the mindset so I can be like "God, if you don't bless me anymore in my natural life, I thank you because you've already done more than I could have ever imagined." I figure the sooner I get to that level, the sooner I can stop "tripping" over the little things in life and start showing more gratitude. Please take some time to think about what you are grateful to God for and post it here. Not just today, but as often as possible. Take care, stay blessed, and speekonit...

Labels: Daniel, God, Isaiah, Phillipians, Psalms, Romans, Thanksgiving

"One of the world's most eminent scientists was embroiled in an extraordinary row last night after he claimed that black people were less intelligent than white people and the idea that 'equal powers of reason' were shared across racial groups was a delusion.

"James Watson, a Nobel Prize winner for his part in the unravelling of DNA who now runs one of America's leading scientific research institutions, drew widespread condemnation for comments he made ahead of his arrival in Britain today for a speaking tour at venues including the Science Museum in London."

"The 79-year-old geneticist reopened the explosive debate about race and science in a newspaper interview in which he said Western policies towards African countries were wrongly based on an assumption that black people were as clever as their white counterparts when 'testing' suggested the contrary. He claimed genes responsible for creating differences in human intelligence could be found within a decade."


"Dr Watson stated at the weekend that he is 'inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa... because all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really'. He went on to argue that although one hopes that everyone, regardless of ethnicity, has equal powers of reason 'people who have to deal with black employees find this not true'."



Peace and blessings,

The following excerpts were taken from the first two articles below. I heard about

James Watson's

(link to bio: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1962/watson-bio.html) comments a few weeks ago. In terms of his claim that there may be differences between the intellect of Africans and that of Europeans, I don't see a problem with that statement per se. Given the different experiences of people who grew up in different environments (e.g. Africans, Asians, Indians, Europeans, etc...), I think it is plausible for there to be some differences in intellect to a certain extent. Much of our cognitive development and how we approach and solve problems in influenced by the environment we grow up in and how we interact with that environment. Therefore, insofar as different groups of people lived in different environments, I would expect to see some differences in how their cognitions and their approach to solving problems, namely because certain problems are more or less salient in certain environments, and therefore the type of environment we grow up in will determine the nature and extent of our interaction with that environment. The problem I have is with his statement that Africans are less intelligent that Europeans, because to utter such as thing suggests that certain peoples' intellect is "better" than others. All men were created in God's image (Genesis 1:27) and He shows no partiality (2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 34:19). Furthermore, He instructs us to not show partiality towards our fellow brothers and sisters (Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 1:17). Despite these instructions, however, there appears to be something in our sinful nature that makes it easy for us to not only make distinctions between one another, but to associate value judgments based on these distinctions. Now it's obvious that God created a wide variety of difference cultures and ethnicities, and we should celebrate these differences as reflecting God's beauty and brilliance. The problem comes when we attach more value to certain groups or characteristics than others, because then we are showing partiality.

Another issue I have with Watson's claim is that his so-called evidence is suspect. For a world renowned molecular biologist to claim in 2007 that Africans are not as intelligent as Europeans, and to base this claim on IQ tests in the 1990s that showed some differences between racial groups, is problematic. For one, many have argued that IQ tests are flawed and biased. Also, I don't see how he can have the audacity to suggest that Africans are not as intellegent as Europeans, given that many humanity's intellectual contributions to the understanding of the world (e.g. science, philosophy, mathematics) either originated or was epitomized and "borrowed" from the Egyptians, who are North Africans. Lastly, no one can dispute the fact that life began in Africa, which would explain why Africa is home of the first university in the world, the

University of Timbuktu.

In the book Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children (Gloria Ladson-Billings, 1997), the author recalls a teacher who told her students in her math class about the African Orgins of Algebra, and how the first definitive evidence of the use of Algebra were found in the writings of Ahmes, an Egyptian mathmetician who lived around 1700 B. C.

In closing, I just pray that we get to a point where we can celebrate difference as one of God's may gifts to human kind, and to view these differences not as our limited, flawed nature wants us to view them, but how God our Creator views them. Given that we did not create any aspect of our being (e.g. brain), we are in no position say one group's intellect is better than another's. To start passing value judgments on people's intellect is to suggest that we know everything there is to know about intellect, and history clearly shows us otherwise, lol. What do you think? What are your thoughts on Watson's comments? Do you think that groups of people can generally differ in their intellect? Stay blessed, encouraged, and speekonit...

1)

theory on race and intelligence

2)

The basis for Watson's assertion

3)

Watson responds to critics

4)

Watson's institute does not cosign on his theory

Labels: African, DNA, Egypt, European, God, ideologies, intelligence, James Watson, science

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

-James 1:2-4 (NIV)


"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

-Phillippians 1:12-14 (NIV)


"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus..."

-Phillippians 2:3-5 (NIV)
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

-Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

Peace and blessings,

About a couple of weeks ago, I

posted a piece

about this notion that one of the latent results of following Christ is that our lives will be healthier mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. For this second installation of this piece, I want to focus on mental health. Anyone who looks at the news on a somewhat consistent basis knows just how many "issues" we as a human race have to deal with. From broader issues such as racism, materialism, poverty, conflict, famine, and political corruption to the more individual -level issues such as anger, jealousy, lust, deception, selfishness, close-mindedness, apathy, and so forth, it is apparent that there can be dangerous consequences for being consumed by any of these things. Further, given that each of these issues can affect how we view ourselves, others, and the world, it follows that being consumed by any of these things can also have detrimental effects on our mental health. Studies have shown that stress may affect the

heart

and may also make us more susceptible to contracting

an infection.

Furthermore, it is now being argued that the pressures of consumerism may contribute to

stress in kindergarten and elementary school-aged children

. In other words, that stress is no joke mayne!

A few weeks back I was reading an article on stress and coping for my public health class, and the authors discussed this notion of positive reappraisal as a healthy response to stressful or potentially stressful situations. In a nutshell, positive reapprasial is the act of discovering opportunities for personal growth (an perceiving actual personal growth) in the midst of experiencing a stressful or potentially stressful situation. Furthermore, it involves seeing how one's own response can benefit other people (Folkman and Moskowitz, 2004). When I read this, I immediately thought about how we as Christians (as demonstrated by the above scriptures) are supposed to give God the glory in the midst of our trials and pain, knowing that we have the victory and He will bring us through. Reacting this way not only strengthens our faith in God and better equips us to handle future situations, but it also ministers to those to whom we may be connected and/or have influence. As I continually get reminded of God's love and grace towards me, I am gaining a better understanding of why it is so important for us as Christians to handle situations in a way that gives God the glory. For one, I think that because of how badly the Christian faith has been distorted and mis-appropriated (historically and presently), we as Christians are probably the most watched group in the world. People are waiting for us to fall or slip-up so we can be called hypocrites and for our faith to be discredited. Second, I think that one of God's primary purposes for us is so bring about character change, so that we become better people. Now I am not suggesting that everything that we go through is "caused" by God because I personally don't believe that. What I do believe, however, is that there are times where God puts us in certain situations to show us some things that we need to see in order for us to be the people He has called us to be.

To conclude, I pray that when we go through trials, we ask ourselves "What would Jesus do? How can I respond to this in a way that gives Him glory? Who will I influence by my response?" By doing so, I think that we, as well as those around us, will be better off spiritually, mentally, and physically. What do you think? How do you tend to handle trials? What works for you? What doesn't work? Until next time, stay blessed and speekonit...

Source: Folkman, S. & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Stress, positive emotion, and coping. In T. Oltmanns & R. E. Emery (eds.), Current Directions in Abnormal Psychology (p. 83-87): Prentice Hall.

Labels: Galatians, God, health, James, Jesus Christ, mental health, pain, Phillipians, trials

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."

- 1 Corinthians 10: 31-33 (NIV)


Peace and blessings,


Below are a few news updates. The first link discusses Brittany Spears' pics for her new album, which includes in seductive positions with a man acting as a Catholic priest. I want to make a couple of brief comments about the pics and why I have issues with them. For one, despite what the headlines say, it should be assumed (unless evidence proves otherwise) that the man in the pic is merely acting as a priest, and is not actually a priest. I know on the surface this disctinction may be seem unnecessary to make (e.g. A real priest wouldn't put themselves in that position to begin with), but I felt that I had to put that out there. Second, I feel that another disctinction must be made between the notion of human susceptibility to temptation, and how that temptation is portrayed by forms of media such as these pics. My problem with these pics is not based on a belief that priests are too "holy" to be tempted. On the contrary, I believe that we are all tempted, and to the extent that we are earnestly trying to follow Christ through our living, we are tempted more. However, the problem with how temptation is portayed in these pics is that Brittany and the priest are positioned in a way to where Britanny (via her "seductiveness") is in control, and the priest is at her mercy. Therefore, people who look at these pics first glance may only see a priest being seduced, and this pic alone is powerful enough to influence some viewers' perspective on God and faith more broadly. In particular, these pics may further contribute to the growing perception of Catholicism as "suspect" given the incidents of the sexual molestation of children. While these incidents are evidence that even priests can succomb to sin, the "big picture" doesn't end there. The big picture is that our susceptibility to sin is more proof that we need God, and that even if there is a time where we succomb to temptation, that God can, in the words of Marvin Sapp, make us "stronger," "wiser," and "better." It's funny how when it comes to people of faith, the moments of weakness are always heavily publicized, but the examples of righteous living (e.g. promoting social justice, representing the faith, healing hearts, minds, and souls, loving and caring for others) rarely gets media attention. But it's cool, because as Jesus' prayer told us what to expect:

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."

-John 17: 13-15 (NIV)

Furthermore, whether or not it's true that

Brittany Spears actually claimed to be the anti-Christ while attempting to commit suicide,

the constant media headlines "detailing" her life shows that she is really going through some personal, spritual warfare and need to kept up in prayer. I also find it ironic that the same media what kicks her when shes down is the same media she is in turn using to "get back up."

The second clip is about a mathematician who claims that through a mathematical formula, he can characterize marriages and "predict," with extremely high accuracy, whether a marriage will succeed or fail. I found this funny and interesting. What do you think? Take care, have a blessed day, and speekonit...


1)

Brittany's pics stir controversy

2)

Marriage formula

Labels: 1 Corinthians, Brittany Spears, Catholic, God, Jesus Christ, John, marriage, priest, temptation

Peace and blessings,


Below are a few news updates. Please pray for those who have lost homes and/or loved ones during these fires. Also pray for our country. Take care, have a blessed day, and speekonit...



1) The Wildfires that recently hit Southern California

may start to get under control

2) A very insightful article about

the power of fear especially within the U.S.

3) An article about how

God loves as individuals,

and how we can learn to better love ourselves. God is good because earlier this week my friends and I were just talking about doing away with guilt, and forgiving ourselves for our transgressions once God has forgiven us.

Labels: America, fear, God, love, news, prayer, Southern California

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'
They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'

'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?'

Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'

Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.'"

- Matthew 16:13-17 (NIV)

Peace and blessings,

I came across this video on Godtube of

a poem by Blair Wingo,

Which I think is entitled "reintroduction to Christ" or something to that effect. In the poem, she touches on the various popular/mainstream conceptions of Jesus Christ (JC), and how they all get it wrong. She reminds us of the importance of seeking the JC of the bible, not the JC that fits our level of convenience. Check it out, spread the word, and share yout thoughts. What do you think? Do you think that Jesus is often mis-characterized in popular discourse/the mainstream? If so, why do you think this is so, and how can we as Christians respond? Have a blessed day and speekonit...

Note: If the link does not work, then go to Godtube.com and type in "allow me to re-introduce the Christ" or "Blair Wingo."

Labels: Bible, Blair Wingo, God, GodTube, Jesus Christ, mainstream, Matthew, Peter

Peace and blessings,

I think a friend of mine sent me this link a couple of months or so ago, and I was blown away. It's beautifully done and the message couldn't be any more powerful. This skit was uploaded to Godtube May 31, 2007, and has since been viewed over 3 million times. That's around 750,000 views per month! Ok, enough with the math. I really want to give it away and just tell you what it's about, but it's better if you just check out the

Lifehouse Everything skit

and see for yourself. Also, share your thoughts on the skit after you check it out. Take care, have a blessed day, and speekonit...

Labels: God, GodTube, Jesus Christ, Lifehouse Everything skit

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)




"You know, we're not just staying pure, because we're afraid we'll get pregnant. Not as believers. The world, they don't do it because they fear circumstances. We don't just stay pure because we're afraid of getting a disease. Now these are things that you got to factor in. But that ain't the only reason we're not doing this. We're staying pure because we love God."

- Da Truth, from "Fourplay (Interlude)" off of his album, "Moment of Truth (2004)"


Peace and blessings,

While sitting in my public health course one day, I had an interesting revelation. During our many discussions and readings about the health issues facing us as humans (i.e. diseases, mental illness, physical illness), it hit me: to be a Christian is to be a health nut. As illustrated by Paul's letter to the church of Corinth, our bodies are temples purchased and set aside for use by God. Further, I am convinced that the extent to which God can use our bodies as vessels to do His will (e.g. spreading the love of Christ and thus changing the world) depends (at least in part) on how much we value and take care of our physical and mental selves. Now I must clarify that by taking care of our physical selves i'm not suggesting that we need to all be lean and/or thin, nor am I suggesting that for us to be overweight or have meat on our bones means that we are not taking care of ourselves. This is not what I mean at all. Instead, what I am saying is that as we ascribe to the Christian faith and doctrine, we are inevitably promoting our overall health.

A few examples of the behavioral requirements/implications of our faith serves to illustrate this point. Preserving sex until marriage has obvious health benefits on two levels. On a physical level, a sexual relationship within the context of a godly marriage reduces the chances of contracting a STD. If both spouses were virgins prior to getting married, then this risk is practically non-existent. On a more social level, I believe that because sex establishes just as much a spiritual connection as a physical connection, that bonding with someone on that level can potentially have negative consequences if we're not careful. For instance, engaging in many sexual relationships may make it difficult to have meaningful relationships, given how one may have to struggle with these physical and spiritual connections they have with all of these people. Therefore, it may be hard for us to recognize the person we are supposed to spend the rest of our lives with, when we are still connected to these other individuals from previous relationships. Other examples of health - promoting behaviors that we as Christians are required or at least encouraged to practice include avoiding "greedy" behaviors (gluttony, etc...) and avoiding the use of faculty-altering substances. I think that consuming our temples with greedy behaviors and faculty-altering substances also makes our temples too "cluttered" to be used by God.


The above quote by Da Truth makes an important disctinction regarding this issue. Although there are these and many other health benefits that result from walking the Christian walk, it is important to know that these benefits in themselves are not our motivation for engaging in health - promoting behaviors. First and foremost, engaging in health - promoting behaviors should follow from the gratitude for being redeemed by Jesus Christ, and the desire (via love) to live a life pleasing to God. Because God is like hecka smart, and thus He cares for us better than we care for ourselves, it "just so happens" that by serving Him, we are also promoting our physical and mental health.

On a related note, here's an article discussing the potential of

religious faith being linked to good health.

As another point of clarification, I do not wish to come off as judgmental or as if I don't have flaws, because Lord knows I do! I just want to put this topic in the open as it's been on my heart for a while, and I pray that it's received in good spirits. With that said, what do you think? Stay blessed, encouraged, and speekonit...

Labels: 1 Corinthians, Da Truth, God, health, Jesus Christ, mental health, Moment of Truth, Paul, physical health, spiritual

"She's so young with so much pain/there's so many things Shante wishes she can change/
So what she does is spend hours of the day/meeting new friends in her own little place/
Just today she counted and 300 friends/most of them young, but yet some were older men/
But it's ok/Shante says that's safe/her own little place to get away, her myspace"

-Flame
"Myspace" off of the album, "Our World Fallen"

Peace and blessings,

I was in class a few weeks back and came across a very interesting article. The article explored the potential causes for adolescents choosing to participate in risky health behaviors, such as substance use, sex, and so forth. The author, Laurence Steinberg (2007) presents a neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk taking, which argues that choosing to engage in risky behavior is largely depends on which networks in your brain are more salient during a given period in your lifetime. In other words, the argument is that there are times in our lifetime when the socioemotional network (SEN) in our brains, which operate primarily on emotion, arousal, and impulse, is more salient than the cognitive control network (CCN), which primarily deals with thinking things through, weighing the costs of our decisions, and thus regulating our behavior. This is what is believed to being going on in adolescence (Steinberg, 2007). One of the findings which supports this perspective is that in general, antisocial peer pressure is most very influential in pre-adolescence and mid-adolescence (i.e. around puberty), where the gap between the SEN and CCN is the largest, in favor of the SEN. Therefore, because peer pressure can appeal to one's emotional arousal (i.e. a person getting "hyped" up when your peers are encouraging him or her to do something), it's no surpsrise that many of the risk behaviors adolescents engage in are also often shared by their peers. As people move into late adolescence and adulthood, the CCN becomes more and salient, helping one to make decisions that take the costs of one's behaviors into consideration (via logic, reasoning, reflection, ect...) (2004, cited in Steinberg, 2007). The implication from this article is that because since the mere presence of peers provides rewards (e.g. encouragement, arousal, approval) for one's behavior, then this social influence will be more important in an adolescent's decision to engage in risky behaviors than any other rewards the adolescent would factor into their decision when alone (Steinberg, 2007).

Given that I am in the social sciences (education and human development), this article was of great interest to me because it presented a perspective on pre-adolescent and adolecent behavior that I have not been exposed to. What really interested me as a developmentalist is the idea that during adolescence, whether or not adolescents are making decisions in a solitary context (i.e. alone) or social context (i.e. in the presence of peers) can have a profound impact on the decisions adolescents will generally make. With the advancements in technology and the mass incorporation of these advancements into just about every aspect of many societies, it seems like the distinction between the solitary and the social has been blurred. For instance, with the development of the internet, and most recently Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube (just to name a few), one can be in a solitary context (e.g. in one's room by oneself), while at the same time communicating and participating within a social context via the internet (e.g. video chatrooms, being apart of various Myspace and Facebook networks and groups, etc...). This idea of simultaneously being in a solitary and social context makes this issue of technology and society an issue of great importance. As an avid internet user, I personally do not have an issue with things such as Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube, because I use all three. However, I wonder about what having this kind of social access does for younger children and adolescents, especially when they are being exposed (via observing the behavior of others, the TV, etc...) to certain themes, images, and behaviors at a younger age. I know what my mentality was during pre- and mid-adolescence, and let's just say that my having access to these social mediums back then would have been "all bad." Like with anything else, I think that these technological advancements can be beneficial in may ways. However, if not used properly and if unchecked, these mediums can be detrimental as well. Everytime I sign on to my Myspace page i'm presented with images and adds that I don't need to see. And i'm just signing on to check my messages! As more people are becoming connected through these mediums, it is important that we are conscious or and careful of how we use them, and especially how the youth are using them (or whether or not they should be using them at all). Most importantly, we must stay prayed up that God gives us discernment as to how to use these mediums to further our relationship with him and for the betterment of our fellow brothers and sisters, especially for the youth. If not, then we must ask ourselves: Are these technological advancements really "advancing" our society?

Below are a couple of articles I came across related to this issue. Also below, is a live performance and audio track of the song "Myspace" by Flame, who addresses the Myspace phenonemon. What do you think? Take care, stay blessed, and speekonit...


1)

A teen who made a fake ASA Coon page on myspace

2)

Schools and libraries respond to the Myspace phenomenon

*Steinberg, L. (2007). Risk taking in adolescence: new perspectives from brain and behavioral science, CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 55-59

Labels: Flame, God, internet, myspace, society, technology, Youtube

Peace and blessings,

I wanted to provide a brief outline of the events surrounding the case of the Jena 6, a case that is gaining much attention throughout the country, and duly so. I encourage everyone to seek out more info regarding the situation, and participate in any and every way that you can. The information below can be found at

Color of Change

and

Truthout.

As you read the outline, I urge you to keep the following scriptures in mind, as this case represents another instance of how we often distort and manipulate God's conception of "justice."



"The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed."

Psalms 103: 6

"It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their
affairs with justice."

Psalms 112: 5

"I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor."

Psalms 140: 12


1) after black students sat under the "white tree," nooses were hung from
the tree. In reaction, black students sat under the tree in protest,
prompting the superintendent and District Attorney to get involved. The
superintendent dismissed the nooses as a "prank," while the DA,
accompanied with Jena police, told the black students protesting that "I
can be your best friend or your worst enemy...I can take away your lives
with a stroke of the pen."

2) Racial tension escalated over the next couple of months, with the main
academic building of Jena high school getting burned down on Nov. 30th,
2006 in an unsolved fire. Later that same weekend, a black student was
beaten up by white students at a party. The next day, black students were
threatened by a young white man with a shotgon at a convenient store. They
restled the gun from him and ran away. No charges were filed against the
white man, but the students were arrested for gun-theft.

3) That Monday, a white student taunted the black student who as beaten up
at the party, and allegedly called several black students "nigger." After
lunch, he was knocked down, punched, and kicked by black students. He was
taken to the hosptial, released, and was well enough to attend a social
event that same evening. Six black Jena high students were arrested and
charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high (between
70,000-138,000) that the students were in jail for months as families went
into debt to release them.

4) The local district attorney Reed Walters, who initially charged the six
with attempted murder, later reduced the charges to aggravated assault,
contending that Bell's tennis shoes constituted a dangerous weapon.The
first trial ended in June 2007, and Mychal Bell (16) was convicted of
aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated (both felonies)
battery by an all-white jury. In addition, Mychal's public defender did
not call a single witness to testify during th trial. During the trial,
Mychal's parents were ordered not to speak to the media and the court
prohibited protests from taking place near the courtroom or where the
judge could see them.

5) Louisiana's 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, acting on an emergency
defense appeal, reversed the aggravated second-degree conviction of Mychal
Bell, ruling that the youth had been tried improperly as an adult in a
case. Last week, the judge who presided over Bell's trial in June, LaSalle
Parish District Judge J.P. Mauffray, vacated a conspiracy conviction
against the youth for the same reason, but inexplicably let the more
serious battery conviction stand. Now Walters must decide whether to
refile the entire case in juvenile court.

6) Walters said in a statement Friday, September 14th 2007 that he
intended to appeal the reversal of Bell's conviction to the Louisiana
Supreme Court

More on the conviction reversal can be found in an article by the

Chicago Tribune.

Rather you are aware of the situation or are just hearing about it for the first time. I'm interested in people's thoughts on the issue. What are your reactions? Who do you think plays a more significant role in how the events that have taekn place (Superintendent, local district attorney, the school for not addressing the tree issue sooner, etc...)? Do you see any difference between how justice is used in the Jena 6 case, and God's sense of justice as illustrated in the scriptures? From what i've heard about the case so far, the thing that gets me is how no attention (prior to these events taking place and while they were taking place) has been given to the tree-issue. The fact that there existed (for so long) a tree at Jena high school with this much racist, divisive power in itself speaks volumes as to the value the high school places on their students' worth, because racism and divisiveness is detrimental to all who are involved.

I am asking anyone who comes across more updates regarding this issue can sent it to me at info@speeklife.com, so that I can frequently update the blog regarding this matter. Also, make sure you check out the third video of fox news, and pay attention to the last minute of the clip, where Hannity "dodges" Rev. Sharpton's question about whether or not he supports the Jena 6. They have been talking for over six minutes, but as soon as Re. Sharpton asks this question, all of a sudden Hannity can't hear him. Even his partner on the show heard him clearly. Racism, like any sin, cannot stay "hidden." Eventually it's going to come out and get exposed. I'm not saying i'm perfect or anything, but Hannity's "true feelings" regarding U.S. race relations is extremely evident in this clip. Jesus help us... Please share your thoughts, continue to pray that God heals this situation, and as always, speekonit...

Labels: attention, God, Jena 6, justice, Lord, oppressed, Psalms, scriptures

Peace and blessings,

Before I begin, I would like to preface this introduction by saying that I am more of a humanities and social sciences person than a hard sciences person, therefore I apologize if my description of this medical instrument does not do the instrument justice, lol.

When people are unable to take care of themselves, they often need something to assist them in initiating and facilitating internal bodily processes such as eating and blood flow. A major medical instrument that provides this assistance is an IV. A person who is seriously ill, for instance, may need to use an IV to pump blood in his or her body. Without this IV, his or her condition will get worse. Under more severe circumstances, the presence or absence of an IV can mean the difference between life and death.

Prior to starting my first semester at a major university, I knew that one of the most important things I needed to do was build upon my relationship with God. For me, that meant that I needed to find a church home. The first day of new student move –ins, I was greeted by a member of Black Campus Ministries (BCM), who invited me to bible study. While attending the bible studies, I found out that BCM was only one part of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), a campus ministry organization that serves students of all ethnicities. For example, like BCM, there are ethnic-specific ministries for Chicano/Latino students, and Asian/Pacific Islander/Philippino students.

Despite being aware of and around this diversity, I primarily viewed BCM and Intervarsity as a ministry to help me in my individual, highly personal walk with God. After reading B. McNeil and R. Richardson’s “The Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change,” however, I realized that Intervarsity was about much more. In addition to providing me with spiritual resources to strengthen my personal walk with Christ, Intervarsity also provided opportunities and spiritual resources to acknowledge, appreciate, and strengthen my cultural and social walk with Jesus.

On a cultural level, Intervarsity is grounded in the belief that racial/ethnic unification and reconciliation are not just worthy goals to achieve in themselves: the call to achieve these goals is evident throughout the Old and New Testament. To illustrate the importance of these goals, McNeil and Richardson cite various scriptures, including God’s spreading out of cultures via different languages for the people of Babel and Paul’s emphasis on eliminating cultural barriers to show that Christ’s love extends to Gentiles as well as Jews, to name a few. On a social level, Intervarsity helped me realize that any form of injustice is a sin. Therefore for Christians, having a heart for and actively engaging in a relationship with Christ means doing the same for the oppressed and marginalized. Using Paul’s declaration in Ephesians 6:12 that the battle is not with people per se, but with (spiritual) powers and principalities as a framework, McNeil and Richardson urges us to denounce and oppose sins of racism and all forms of discrimination and oppression. Through Christ, we not only have the spiritual power to denounce and oppose these powers and principalities: we also have the victory over these things through our faith in and obedience to Christ.

So in a nutshell, McNeil and Richardson’s “The Heart of Racial Justice” has given me a newfound appreciation for the ministry Intervarsity provides to college students through their focus on personal, cultural, and social growth in Christ. What does this have to do with the example you gave in the opening paragraph? Here’s the connection: Just as an IV in the medical sense is used to preserve and save lives, my view of what it meant to be a Christian prior to getting involved with Intervarsity was limited thus was suffering. Like the physical lives of people who cannot do for themselves, my spiritual life was in need of an IV to “feed” me some different, more encompassing ways of viewing my relationship with Christ and His kingdom, and through the grace of God I was introduced to these new and diverse perspectives through Intervarsity, my spiritual IV.


What do you think? If you have been or are currently a part of Intervarsity, what have you learned since your involvement that you were unaware of prior? If you are not familiar with Intervarsity or have not been involved with the organization, any general thoughts/reactions to this piece? Take care and speekonit…

Labels: Black Campus Ministries, God, Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, IV, Jesus, ministry, New Testament, resources, spiritual, students

"Father, I'm praying for a friend, he and I are really close/and out of all my friends, for this one i'm concerned the most/he say he reading daily, but he ain't really learnin'/he be in church but say that he ain't moved by any sermon/his face (is) weak, he ain't prayed in a week/he wake up and just weep/with his face in the sink/Lord, you gotta help my man/I'm praying for him daily/he ain't sin but it just seem as if he's going crazy/ ...but is it done for him?/ Lord don't let it be/if he don't want to talk to You then Father hear from me"


Peace and blessings,

These words come from the opening verse of "Praying for You," a song off of Lecrae's "After the Music Stops." In this song, Lecrae is having a conversation with God on behalf of one of his friends, whose spiritual welfare Lecrae is deeply concerned with. When I first heard this opening verse, I immediately thought that this song was about the importance of us interceding on behalf of, or praying for others. Once I heard the second verse, however, I realized that my immediate thoughts about the song were only partly accurate. While the song is about intercession, it is about a type of intercession that I personally never thought about until hearing this song. At the end of the second verse, Lecrae "reveals" to God (we can't really reveal anything to the One who is all-knowing) that the friend he is interceding for is none other than himself. Now at first I was taken back and extremely confused. How could he be talking to God, when in the song he said that his "friend" (i.e. himself) has not been talking to God? How can a person go to God and intercede on behalf of him or herself?

The more I wrestled with this idea, the more I began to "break out" of my limited view of intercession and view the term in a broader, more encompassing sense. Moreover, as I reflected on the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and the various things we experience in our Christian walk, the type of intercession Lecrae was talking about started to make more and more sense. Despite our sinful and rebellious behavior in the Old Testament, God continued to show compassion, sending prophets to warn them to turn away from those things that are not of God, and to turn back to those things that are of God. For those of who repented and turned back to God, He not only provided for them, but in many cases He elevated them in ways never imagined. In the New Testament, Jesus, despite our sinful and rebellious behavior towards each other and also towards Him, gave His life so that we can be in good standing with God, granted we follow and believe in Him as Lord and Savior.

Reflecting on Lecrae's song, and on how God deals with us in the Bible, I began to ask the question: Even though God's love for us is unconditional, is there anything about us, that God sees in us, that could also serve as motivation to love and care for us despite our shortcomings, sins, and rebellion? Now by "about us" i'm not referring to things that we do, because there is nothing we can physically do to give us salvation. It only comes through believing and following the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By "about us" I am referring to some inherently spiritual aspect of our being, that God considers worth preserving and nurturing. I have come to realization that there must be an inherently spiritual part of us that not only longs to connect with God, but that also "intercedes" with God on our behalf when our mental, physical, or emotional being is trying to distance ourselves from Him. That would help explain why even when we feel like we are at our worse and are disconnected from God, He does something, or sends someone in our lives to remind us that He's right there by our side. We don't just intercede for others during their time of need; there's also a part of us that intercedes on our behalf during our own time of need.

This idea is something I have just recently started seriously thinking about, so I am really interested in hearing what others think. Until next time, stay blessed and speekonit...

Labels: After the Music Stops, Bible, Christian, conversation, God, intercede, Intercession, Lecrae, love, need, prayer, unconditional

Peace and blessings,

During the last post, I provided my general thoughts on Dr. Hendricks’ “Politics of Jesus,” highlighting things that I agreed with and things I either disagreed or had concerns with. I now want to offer a potential explanation as to why I think he went to such great lengths (by “great lengths” I am referring to the extent to which he used biblical scripture to support and further his position) to urge us as Christians and those who may not be Christian but are passionate about issues of social justice to pay more attention to Jesus Christ’s revolutionary nature, and the implication of this nature on past, present, and future politics.
Looking back at the points in my life when I first realized that I was passionate about something, I noticed that whenever this realization occurred, it was as a result of experiencing or wrestling with two extremes simultaneously. In other words, once I learned something that was totally contrary to what I had previously been taught, I would kind of “flip out” in a sense. As a result, I would devote all of my energy embracing this “new” information that I would cut myself off from considering any other type of information that may differ from this “new” information that I was now fully embracing.
I think that Dr. Hendricks had a similar experience. It the start of the book he talks about his experiences with trying to understand God and Christianity as a child. He mentions how whenever he would suggest to others that the way he sees Jesus is different that how the Messiah has been characterized, portrayed, and widely represented historically and presently, he would run into opposition. In particular, he would be made to feel as if his “radical” view of Jesus is nothing more than a function of his misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the “real” Jesus: one who is meek, divine, and only concerned with our personal piety and salvation. As he got older, however, he began to become more engaged in the scriptures and realized that his “radical” notion of Jesus was not “wrong” or inaccurate. In fact, it was the exact opposite. In other words, Hendricks had discovered this “new” characterization of Jesus that was so drastically different than the apolitical characterization of Jesus that he was so accustomed to.
As a result, he focused most, if not all of his efforts on emphatically supporting this position. Further, I think that it was this simultaneous struggle between two drastically different conceptions of Jesus, and the resulting focus on supporting his “new” realization that Jesus was in fact a revolutionary, that explains why some of his interpretations of the scriptures (e.g. the passage in Matthew and the passage in Mark), seem to be earnestly trying to highlight some further social, economic, or political motive, when it is possible that it may not be.
As I said in the previous post, I am not saying that his interpretation of the passages in Matthew and Mark that I highlight are inaccurate, because I am in no way a biblical scholar, and he is. What I am saying is that for me personally, I do not see those larger motives. Second, there are plenty of interpretations of scriptures that he highlight in the book that I do agree with.
In conclusion, I want to note that Hendricks sheds some much deserved and long overdue light on some very important aspects of Jesus’ revolutionary nature, that in my opinion are just as important as His divine nature. In fact, I would argue that Jesus’ life and ministry is absolute proof that having an intimate relationship with God necessitates intimate relationships with others, such that we work to break down the walls of injustice, in any and every way God calls us to do so. We cannot be intimately connected to God if we are not also intimately connected to God’s children. Lastly, I think that the potential explanation I offered for as to why I think Hendricks was so “hard core” on arguing his position, reflects a larger issue regarding the “popular” conception of Jesus and Christianity that is prevalent within mainstream America. The sooner we start looking at Jesus’ divinity and revolutionary natures as sequential and interconnected (i.e. because He was divine, He was always concerned with holistically meeting people’s needs) and not polar opposites (or at the very least two separate, distinct, aspects), the better we will become as a people. Books that highlight the revolutionary nature of Jesus will then no longer be looked at as shocking revelations, but instead as confirmation.

What do you think? What is your conception of Jesus? Where does your conception of Jesus come from? Stay blessed, encouraged, and speekonit…

Labels: African American, children, Christianity, God, Jesus Christ, mainstream, Mark, Matthew, Politics of Jesus, relationship, revolutionary, scriptures

Peace and blessings,

The next artist to be featured is

Japhia Life.

I first heard him on a track called "Love" on Beatmart's "Best of the Submissions" vol. 1, and have been a fan ever since. He currently has three albums out, but the one I am featuring here is his first album,

Pages of Life.

Despite being a short album, it was critically acclaimed by various hip-hop sites. I'm not going to talk to much about his music, because the music speaks for itself. Enjoy and be blessed...

The first track is called "Love is the answer," and is a hip-hop ballad dedicated to God and those who reflect God's love through their actions toward others. This track also features Rob Hodge (at the time his name was Solomon), who was featured on this site on a few tracks with Japhia Life in

January.

This next track is called "Precious Memories," and is a deeply reflective track about his life experiences and relationship with God. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Click play and you'll see why.




This track is the title track, entitled "Pages of Life." Similar to "Precious Memories," this track addresses reflects and describes the experiences of those struggling to find their way, and the way in which our struggles are often directly or indirectly cries out to God.



This album, as well as his other albums can be heard and purchased at

3hmp3.com,

which is like iTunes for Christian hip-hop. What do you think of the tracks? Weigh in and speekonit...

Labels: Christian hip hop, God, Japhia Life, Pages of Life

Peace and blessings,

Now i'm not really an insect person, but the Gadfly is a particularly interesting insect, given 1) its characteristic behavior and 2) who this behavior affects. A Gadfly is a type of fly that annoys livestock. Yeah that's right, all they do is basically agitate livestock. Even more interesting, however, is <