Lyrical Theology: "Doublespeak"

Ignorance isn't bliss...
It's a hiss -

Whispering in your ear
Tellin' you that night is day
That death is life
And every breath you take
Is word made flesh;
A Manifest Destiny relegated
To Tainted fruit and sound bites
Edited for your approval -

But little did you know
That removal of the restriction
Would end up in a hearse...
Or did you?

I mean..
It was really hard to miss
The forest for the trees
'Cause it was all you had
For miles around to see

But, that one...
Set apart...
Oh, how it took root
In a heart of darkness
And sparked a blaze
That we haven't been able
To put out since

Every single resident
Covered in dust and ashes
Leaven roasting over an open fire
Is consumption for the masses
Satiated by mud pies
And drunk off the blood of our ancestors
Even if the milk and honey are free
We can't imagine it tasting any better

Dung pile after dung pile
Comprised of filthy rags and false idols
Stained glass mingled with clay feet
And a razor-wire smile

"Blessed are those who eat;
For they shall inherit the earth."
Back we go from whence we came
Doublespeak and a wink
Puts us right back in the dirt

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

How to Kill & Be Killed 101: Systematic Boldness - The Gospel v. The World

Romans 1:1-6 - The Gospel Defined.

Up and against much of the spurious and aberrant teaching of his day, Paul makes a clear distinction from the outset of what the "Gospel of God" truly is...

Romans 1:14 - The Intended Audience.

Paul is making it clear, (as he states in Rom. 1:8) that the Gospel is UNIVERSAL. It is meant to be proclaimed and heard among everyone, everywhere. Complete and total "everyday apocalypse" -- regardless of status, education, race, finances, etc.

Romans 1:16, 17 - A Declaration of Boldness.

Paul's affirmation and unwavering confidence in the Gospel is the hinge point of this chapter. Everyone is familiar with what the message entails. And in such a culture as Rome, it would most likely be deemed as foolish by the majority. This could be his way of encouraging others to follow his example of bold proclamation even under the threat of ridicule or even death. Also to be noted is that he lets the reader and listeners know that this gospel is only wrought by faith and faith alone from beginning to end -- from dust to glory.

Romans 1:18-32 - The Current State of Affairs (or Why It's Necessary)

Paul's weightiness of his unashamed proclamation (Rom. 1:16) is emphasized here by an awareness of the wrath of God that looms over the creation due to man's hardened and ungrateful heart, and willingness to believe lies instead of the truth. The long list of sinful behaviors starts off with sexual sin (including homosexuality), but he is not trying to put emphasis on this as more of a sin than others. What Paul is trying to show here could be seen as a two-fold consequence:

1. As a result of man not acknowledging God, he now acts like the things he worships -- an unreasoning beast, driven by base and lustful desires.

and,

2. Being driven by said desires, he often engages in acts (both sexual and non-sexual) that have natural consequences that lead to ultimate demise (inability to reproduce or replicate themselves, and/or leading into war, murder, strife, etc.). Therefore, not only unable to have communion with the Creator, but with each other as well; this will sever any chance of truly being fruitful and multiplying. Sin causes the image of man to be seriously broken on all levels; thus the need for a bold, unashamed proclamation of the Gospel in the person and work of Jesus Christ.


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

"Nigga"

“…Negro's, black as Cain,

May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.”  -  Phillis Wheatley

The nigga on the right

Hates the nigga on the left

And the niggas at the top

Are puttin' niggas on the shelf

Some niggas have it all

And they hoard all of their wealth

Other niggas are doin' what they can

And make the most of what's left

 

One nigga says

Another nigga's skin is too dark

And when that nigga disagrees

It's like igniting a spark

Everything goes dark

And that's the way it all starts

Now niggas are on a mission

To tear those niggas apart

 

Sellin' niggas like they're stock

Dead a nigga for his guac

If that nigga needs a ride

Then that nigga better walk

(Or sell rocks)

 

Front row niggas

Holdin' backseat niggas

To a much lower standard

Ignoring what they're seein'

In the mirror

 

Inferior niggas

With their fingers on the trigger

Accomplices to the nonsense

As a nigga's sense of worth

Begins to wither

So it figures…

Little niggas drawing pictures

Of a living hell

They've got nothin' to go home to

So what's left for a nigga...

But a cell?

 

But just beyond the pale

Is a cross and three nails

Where niggas, long ago, set up for failure

Find the good for what ails 'em

The race war that's been ragin'

Was long before us finished

To redeem us from our niggardly ways

And grant salvation to the chiefest of niggas

 

(cf. Numbers 12:1-10; Jeremiah 13:23; Proverbs 20:9; Romans 3:19, 23; 11:32; Galatians 3:22; Revelation 5:9-10)

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Deliverance

Came into the world with collapsed lungs
And a heart barely beating
My beginning could be the end
If I don’t respond to the treatments
The prognosis – it ain’t pretty
Doc’s preparing my mother for the worst
Sayin’ even if I make it to tomorrow
My future would still be uncertain
But just as the curtain closed
She knows something that they don’t know
A Great Physician with a different opinion
On how the story’s supposed to go

“Lord, if it’s his time, that’s fine
But if he lives, he won’t be mine…
He’ll be yours to shape and mold
Give him life and make him shine”

The curse of death was looming heavy
But He chose to remove it
Took a broken, feeble fetus
And He purposed to renew it
So when I get fed up
And want to let up
Thinking that I’ll never make it through this
I remember His past mercies
And how relentless His pursuit is
He makes all things good
And critics attribute it to “western privilege”

But the postman always rings twice
And only the Christ can deliver

Psalm 22:9-10, 51:5, Psalm 139:14; Matthew 6:13; Galatians 1:3-5
 
Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Hyde & Seek

A part of me wants to come out and say, “hi”
But there are two that reside
Inside of this mind I keep confined from the general public
To make sure that everyone's safe
Because you can never really tell who's gonna show
Up in the rafters or ducked down low -
Behind the bushes in the park or at a local picture show
Or I could be in plain view...you just never know
So please don't assume based on appearance’s sake
That a snake is not a snake because his rattle never shakes;
For in the tall grass of obscurity, I wait and I lie
And when the sun goes down, remember:
Jekyll always runs into Hyde…

(cf. Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:19; James 3:10; 1 Peter 2:11)



Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Trafficking the Girl Next Door

During the 1980s, mothers used the phrase "stranger danger" to caution their children about the possibility of kidnappings. It was the idea of seeing your missing child's photo on the side of a milk carton that caused many U.S. families to warn their kids about abductions. The possibility of human trafficking wasn't even on most parents' radar screen.

Yet during the same time period, a 13-year-old Miami girl became one of the countless children to fall prey to a sex trafficking scheme. Only in recent years have U.S. officials realized the trend is just as alarming at home as it is abroad. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, human trafficking ranks second only to drug trafficking as the fastest growing criminal industry worldwide. And half of those trafficked are children.
In 1985, Katariina Rosenblatt, her teenage brother, and their mother left their South Florida home to escape Kat's abusive father. Katariina's mother was trying to hold down a job while caring for her children. The family lived out of a Miami Beach hotel, where the kids spent most days unsupervised at the swimming pool. There, Katariina was approached by Mary, a sophisticated 19-year-old who took an interest in the young teen. "She was everything I thought I wanted to be," Katariina says. "Thin, pretty, blond hair, and blue eyes."
The sexual, verbal, and physical abuse Katariina had endured from her father left her damaged and vulnerable, a weakness Mary quickly sensed. Offering her friendship and sisterly advice, Mary began telling Katariina about local men who would take care of her, give her money for food, and offer fatherly love. In reality, Mary was a recruiter for a local child trafficking ring.
"The devil doesn't come with a pitchfork," Katariina says. "He's much more deceptive. For me, he came in the form of a girl in a red bikini."
Led by Mary, Katariina soon found herself sequestered in a room with a 65-year-old man who attempted to purchase her, still a virgin, for $550. Refusing the marijuana she was offered, Katariina narrowly escaped the exchange and fled back to her hotel room. It was the first in a series of trafficking scenarios she would face as a young teen, and the only one she would manage to escape unscathed.

 God's Whispers

 In the following years Katariina became ensnared in a series of trafficking exchanges, all unbeknownst to her mother. In one instance, she went to a sleepover at a friend's whose father was a pedophile and worked as a trafficker. Katariina was taken to an apartment-style brothel in a neighboring county and exploited by a 40-year-old man who fostered her cocaine addiction and began making her dependent on him and the future men who would exploit her in exchange for drugs, food, and temporary affection.
Continued...

via todayschristianwoman.com

Beef

“What’s beef?”

That’s the question everybody wants to know

In other words:

“Do we have a problem and how do we settle the score?”

Well, what it’s not is what happens

When MC’s battle with songs

It’s when all you’ve got left

Is nothin’ but wrong…

 

Beef is when the creature

Takes the created order

Only to use it as a weapon

And lead the Maker to a slaughter

It’s when you look your Creator

Right in the eye

Seal your love for him with a kiss

While you’re piercing his side

 

Beef is what happens

When the Devil asks a question

And we forget what God said –

Even start to second guess him

Next thing you know

We’re runnin’ –

Lookin’ for clothes

Duckin’ behind trees

Every time the wind blows

 

It’s when even after all of that

He still pursues you with love and grace

And to show your appreciation

You throw it back in his face…

 

Yeah, that’s beef –

Sometime it’s your own people

Not the lions in the wilderness

But the wolves under the steeples

They’re runnin’ with the numbered

Talkin’ about peace

(A very beautiful notion

Covered with a steel-toed cleat)

 

Now some beefs are big

And some beefs are small

But the one I’m talkin’ about

Is a result of the fall

 

Beef is when it’s over two thousand years later

After he showed us true love

And dudes still call him a “hater”

It’s when he finally comes back

He’ll be clearin’ his name –

Stoppin’ the world on its axis

And puttin’ death in the grave

Then the Judge will be handin’ down

That long prison sentence;

An eternity in Hell

In a few short minutes

 

Beef is when you hear

That he’s the King of the World

But it doesn’t even matter

Because you’d rather be screwin’ your girl

 

Beef is when your sin debt

Is gettin’ bigger and bigger

While hold you hands out for that handout

Like, “Pay me, Nigga!”

 

Now some beefs are big

And some beefs are little

But when it comes to his Word

You can’t change one dot or tittle

 

Beef is self-righteous man

Comin’ up lame

Failin’ to see that they lack the capacity

To bring about a soul change

Thank God for the God-Man

Because he took the blame

On Calvary Hill

Where beef and redemption

Come from one and the same

 

So…What’s Beef?

 

(cf. John 3:36; Romans 1:18; 2:5,8; 5:9; 8:1; Ephesians 2:3; Colossians 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9)

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Descending Man

Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. - Isaiah 14:9-11 ESV

 

Sin sells while bells ring

Like dinner time in Hell…

The taste of forbidden fruit over time becomes telling

Rebellion against conventional wisdom

Led to decisions based on indifference

And humanity is left searching for its significance

Life now is nothing more than forensic

As gender is now gone into oblivion

And a mother’s womb 

Has become a tomb for a countless number of infants

Between assisted suicide, ethnic cleansing genocide

Peace through superior firepower

And religion cloaked in deceit 

Hiding behind a military façade

Wars and rumors of wars

As we beef about same sex, safe sex

“Who’s to blame for a tanking economy?”

Or “Who should America attack next?”

We take one step back

When it comes to human trafficking

Global warming burning us up like a sauna

Our souls have grown cold as we ready our beds

God truly must be gracious

Because for reasons unbeknownst to us

He didn’t just destroy all in a flood

And He hasn’t left us for dead…

 

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.  - 2 Peter 2:4-10 ESV

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Ground Zero: TULIP (A Brief Explanation on the Doctrines of Grace)

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. - Romans 9:16 ESV

A brief, but biblical, examination of the fundamental tenets of Reformed Theology, the doctrines of grace (also known by the acronym of TULIP):
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance (and/or Preservation) of the Saints
We discuss why we as a community stand by these truths based on their biblical foundation. Also, we do this as an offering to help clear up any confusion about what people often refer to as "Calvinism" (or "Augustinianism"); to show that these points are not the invention of John Calvin (or Augustine before him), but what is clearly taught in the Scriptures themselves. These five points, are linked in a chain which only have one goal...to show the sovereignty, merit, and glory of our salvation belong to a merciful and gracious God alone.
We pray that as you ponder these things, that you also search the Scriptures to find out whether or not these things are so.



Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

East of Eden

"But let us now, as in bad plight, devise

What best may for the present serve to hide

The Parts of each from other, that seem most

To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen,

Some Trees whose broad smooth Leaves together sew'd,

And girded on our loins, may cover round

Those middle parts, that this newcomer, Shame,

There sit not, and reproach us as unclean".

So counsell'd hee, and both together went

Into the thickest Wood, there soon they chose

The Figtree....

John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667), Book IX, lines 1091-1101.

Unknown –

Living bad to the bone

Thinking like a three year old child

Even though my body’s fully grown

Traded the very best 

For an absolute mess

Now the stress is gonna to kill me

While I’m breaking a sweat

Wet from the waist down

Because I’ve pissed away my future

Wife was dead wrong 

And the serpent’s a bad tutor 

Passed over the fruit of the vine

For knowledge not mine

Only to whine about the outcome

Because I fell for the lie

 

Hook, line and sinker

This shattered image is tanking my demeanor

Until a Fisher of men stepped in

And played the role of Redeemer

My disease was my disease –

Couldn’t see the garden for the tree

So I went from naked and unashamed

To using the foliage to cover me

Until it begins to wither away

In the heat of the day

And the ground is spitting up seeds

Because it’s starting to betray me

Reminds me of where I come from

And where I’ll be going 

We’re all keepers of a dirty little secret

With nothing to show for it

 

No “S” on my chest or bulletproof vest

Is going to stop the fate of a defective heart

And a mind covered in darkness

Living east of Eden for committing high treason

Forgetting all the while 

That we never had a good enough reason

To leave it all to chance

And face the coin toss 

To see who’d get to be the boss

In the land of the lost

Found by the Good Shepherd 

Because he paid the cost

To bring us into the fold

Never again to be tossed

 

Laid it all on the table

No Cain because he’s able

He truly is his brother’s keeper

And his hand is stable

The one true Prodigal

Who makes life eternal possible

By justification through his blood

For completely unworthy hostiles

 (Genesis 3)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Beyond Repair

Toys get broken; so do hearts
Except in the case of the latter,
There sometimes is no repair

You can't heal the brokenness

With store-bought parts;

Nor can it be replaced by another

But how careless we are

With something that starts out

So fragile and pure

Thrown around, tossed about and wasted

On people and things like play things

No matter what the cost;

Paying the price every time

Receiving nothing in return

Until the delicate fixture of our souls

Becomes hardened and cold

And we're left like sad little children –
Toy all gone and crying mad
Waiting for another innocent to come along
With a new heart to be had



“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
- (Proverbs 4:23 ESV)

The Fugitive Mind

 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
- (Judges 21:25 ESV)

Our minds are pragmatic

No thinking about the actions

Doin’ things just to do 'em
Without worrying about the tactics

Consequence be damned –

Don’t wait for the repercussions

Because truth wasn’t your idea

Why bother with a discussion?

So shut up with your fussin’

And just listen as the gears turn

“There’s so much left to do…

We don’t got time

For all that stupid learnin’?!”

Views on morality

Now become a casualty

While the heart is ever more corrupted

In a spiritually poor society

Where our ten commandments are:

Lust…Power…Capital...
Oh, yeah...we threw out the other seven

Because they just weren’t that practical

It’s a simple enough equation

Do the math and add it up

When the mind is blown

The first thing gone is:

“What the hell is truly wrong with us?!”

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
- (2 Corinthians 10:5-6 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Still

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

- (Psalm 37:7 ESV)

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

- (Mark 4:39 ESV)

Still…

As the words pour from His mouth

Bring eternal life to the dead

And surety of death to the lifeless

Still…

Seated on His throne from on high

Righteous in judgment;

“King of Kings and Lord of Lords” on His thigh

Still…

Let the killers kill

Let the dealers deal

If you’re filthy, stay filthy

And if you’re righteous, be certain

Still…

Let the world be shocked and stunned

When the Kingdom comes

Put an end to sin and death

By the power of His tongue

Every knee bow at the return of the Son

The Righteousness of God –

The Holy risen One!

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

- (Revelation 19:15-16 ESV)

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

 - (Revelation 22:10-13 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Self-Sabotage

 "He must increase, but I must decrease."
   (John 3:30-36 ESV)

 

I have arrogantly waved my flag of independence.

But now it’s time for me to surrender…

I am guilty as charged; I waive my rights as the defendant

It finally caught up with me – all of the crimes I’ve committed

In the name of freedom have turned me into a captive and a drone

I now stand alone in the courtroom of my own tyranny;

Tattoo on my chest – “Only God can judge me”

But right now, that’s the last thing I wanna confess

If I truly believe my ink, then this is gonna stink…

Because I’ve got a fink of a conscious

And my sandcastle kingdom is about to start crumbling all around me

When sandcastles fall, do they make a sound? No.

They just collapse and fold; quietly suffocating everything and everyone inside

So this is what it feels like when ants die…who knew…

 

You’ve heard it a hundred times before:

Man gains the whole world and loses soul

But you never think you’ll be the one to make the headline

Because you know the score

But I forgot to factor in what would happen when I lost count

Of what should’ve counted most – I started counting in ounces

Now, the weight of self-glory doesn’t measure up on the scales of eternal justice

I’ve committed the crime of a lifetime

Only to find out that my getaway car has an engine that’s busted

Crime doesn’t pay because the Law never sleeps

The Judge owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He knows all of the sheep

 

Then there’s me; making my last stand with no leg to stand on

And my accomplice now stands as the prosecutor –

Accusing me of abusing and mistreating his daughter, even though he introduced us

And practically begged me to marry her

But our picture perfect matrimony ended in a bad scene -

Her standing there holding my coat

Playing the role of hapless victim (a performance worthy of the silver screen)

While I play the sucker and the scapegoat

I should’ve said no when he asked, but you know me and my ego

We love to impress people…

By the way, conversations never end well when they convene at the top of a steeple

And now all she wants them to do is give me the needle

 

I had a desire for her beauty and she was murder for hire

And I went along for the ride; running from this trial for a while now

And it’s left me used up and tired

At this point, invoking my Fifth Amendment right would be a mistake

And an attempt at a daylight escape, to say the least, would be fruitless

 

It’s useless…I stand in contempt

I’ve committed treason and for no other reason than I just wanted to be myself

But now in this moment, I can think of nothing sweeter

Than switching places with someone else

This is the hand I’ve dealt from the bottom of the deck

And there’s only one viable option …

 

‘Kill the mirage of yourself as God.’

Our Father who is in Heaven, with who I’m currently at odds…

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

"Piece" Sells...

as it is written:
  “None is righteous, no, not one;
  no one understands;
  no one seeks for God.
 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
  no one does good,
  not even one.”
 “Their throat is an open grave;
  they use their tongues to deceive.”
 “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
  in their paths are ruin and misery,
 and the way of peace they have not known.”
  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
  Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
  
(Romans 3:10-20 ESV)

 We taste death every time that we draw a breath

And it don’t any get better

No matter how many years we have left

On this planet, we inhabit to wreak havoc for generations to come

We live by the sword, and we die by the gun

The type to shoot first, no asking

I just reload when I’m finished

Watch the light leave your eyes, then turn and ask your wife,

“Hey babe, what’s for dinner?”

Because if I’m not carvin’, I’m starvin’;

You bet your life that I can eat for days

For me, Valhalla is always rising

And my left eye’s looking crazy

Just like bulls on parade

We rally with a pocket full of shells

Doing what’s right in our own eyes

And you know we love to give ‘em hell

So, I’m not buying in to what you’re saying

Because in the end, “piece” sells

Profit margins increasing every year

While filling up school lockers like prison cells

Click goes the hammer, clank goes the slammer

But that homeboy had new Jordans

And Gilbert Arenas was the answer

Because I’m a pro when it comes to this

Catch him slippin’ in the lunch line

Bullet wizardry, a masterpiece

My own private Columbine

So now I stand before the Judge

No period to my sentence

A life of run-on pain

Like I was Prefontaine (minus the finish)

Lines drawn in the sand

Crossed every time without repentance

Treated darkness like a friend

Only to find it to be the very bane of my existence

Pushed life to the limits

Until death started pushing me back

Now it’s too late for a plea…

Verdict:

Sin is still whack.

 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
  
(James 4:1-3 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)