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“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”- (Song of Solomon 4:7 ESV)
She thinks I’m on one
And that my intentions are dumb
Always calling me stupid
And telling me I should know better
Sometimes she even says that I could do better…
Than her?!
No sir. Omnia vincit amor
She’s everything I could ever want or ask for
But she sees herself as gangly and unkempt
And when I call her beautiful
She holds me in contempt
Tells me that I put her on a pedestal
To which I reply, “Guilty as charged”
She is a lily among the thorns
And the captor of my heart
Every time I see her face
I’m reminded that it’s her lips alone
That I want to taste…
A glimpse of God’s grace Omnia vincit amor
She’s the only one that I adore
She rejects my neglect of her imperfections
Dissects herself through harsh introspection
And tries to convince me to see them
But she doesn’t understand
Since Jesus had to bleed for us
I have no need to make a fuss
She’s altogether lovely
Perfect from head to toe
She’s better than wine
So I have to take her in slow Omnia vincit amor
So intoxicated by this love
That it brings me to the floor
Fearfully and wonderfully made
So what is there possibly to hate?
I’m a zealot for her affections
It’s only her hand that I’m willing to take
Others may disregard her value
But she’s worth more than I dare to say
The statuesque features
Of such a heavenly creature
Speak to the truth…
Something the Lord’s made
She’s not just a “dime” or a “cutie”
She carries within her a deeper beauty
A courageous heart and sense of justice
A faithful daughter; a mother on duty
So when it’s been one of those days
And it’s like the world is on her case
I find nothing but pleasure in doing all I can
To show how much I lover her
And bring a smile to her face
Omnia vincit amor
Forevermore.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…” - (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)
“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
- Luke 12:24 ESV
Swagged out, lookin’ clean
Sayin’ that life is perfect
You’re the picture of peace
But there’s nothin’ but beefin’
Beneath the surface
Your heart is lacking purpose
And broken from the searching
For a means to put an end
To those feelings of worthlessness
The caged bird don’t sing no more
‘Cause ravens are gettin’ locked up in cages
Never to be seen again – NEVERMORE.
It’s a battle for the ages
Between ten to twenty-seven
Because the Devil’s got ‘em believin’
That G’s can really go to Heaven
So as they rattle and hum
Hypnotized by the chirp of the sirens
Unaware of the wrath to come
And that sin will only beget violence
I pray, Lord, please
Give ‘em eyes to see
And give us the strength that we need
Because the workers are few
But the need for rescue is plenty…
(cf. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; Luke 10:2; John 4:35; Mark 4:26-29)
We explore the glorious truth of our faith through the Gospel of Mark. We discover who Jesus REALLY is through the eyewitness accounts of his miracles and what the implications are for us and our belief in Him as the Christ (God's Holy Anointed King)...not just a good moral teacher or merely a prophet.
"...we've gone from black is beautiful to black is ghetto." - Dr. Carl Ellis
We went from being property to President
To homeowners and residents
By God’s grace
We overcame the cotton fields and hatred
But still never quite made it off of the plantation…
Hobbled by our own lust
For the so-called “American Dream” Took our newfound freedom for granted 'Cause all we cared about was forty acres and the C.R.E.A.M. Livin’ in white rooms with black curtains We’ve got a culture that still hurtin’ – “Cash Rules Everything Around Me” And we’re its loyal and humble servants Blackface, you know Has a different look to it these days… It exists in the form of Gold Chains, Bentleys, Swisher Sweets, and Three-ways I know what you’re thinkin’ – What in the hell happened to the ‘Talented Tenth’?!” Well, the dollar became their Almighty Allah And you know they gotta pay rent It’s a high price to pay When you render unto Caesar; Pawned your soul for a “Jesus Piece” And Sickle Cell Anemia We’ve stopped wearin’ X’s like Malcolm ‘Cause we’ve crossed over and sold out Faster than Lando Calrissian did When he lost the Millennium Falcon We don’t talk about “Founding Fathers” ‘Cause daddy’s nowhere to be found Until he shows up on the Maury Show Actin’ like a clown… Shuckin’ and Jivin’ – Never claiming his daughters Now she’ll grow up and repeat the cycle ‘Cause it’s all that men have ever taught her No, he ain’t tryin’ to stay But he’ll pay to have her give it up Or to “make it go away”… If this is what you call “Being on the come up” I’d much rather go back To just being a slave
"For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ."
“…For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4 ESV)
Wake up, you sleepy heads! And before you let “amen” Leave your lips You need to seriously reconsider What’s being said because…
THOSE WORDS ARE DEAD.
And that ain’t no pastor That’s an actor – That’s why he's woofin’ and wailin’ It’s all just a performance To keep you from paying attention To what he’s really saying He could’ve said, “I’m Sarah Palin!” And everybody would still be swayin’ But if you listen with discernment You’d know this dude is whack ‘Cause he says If you want God to bless you Then you gotta earn it, jack
That ain’t no pastor Sure, he’s “preachin’” But he’s reachin’ Way out of context With the scripture that he’s readin’ Faith like a mustard seed Has nothing to do With how wide I’m willin’ to Open up my checkbook It’s believing that The Lord is my trust fall So I don’t even have to look
That ain’t no pastor And what you’re hearing Is not a sermon That’s not Holy Ghost fire, Homey He’s got a mouth like a furnace A fire-breathing dragon With no capacity to be honest Ready to scatter the flock like ashes And many will never see it comin’
No, these aren’t pastors At best, they’re bastardized renditions The agony of deceit – Full of hypocrisy and omission Please, take up and read Don’t let your souls be led astray ‘Cause every dog will have its day To tragically discover Exactly how its own vomit tastes…
(cf. Isaiah 51:17; 1 Cor. 15:34; Revelation 3:2, 3; Lamentations 2:14; Ezekiel 13:9, 22:28; Matthew 7:15, 24:11-24; Luke 6:26; John 5:39-44; Acts 17:10-11, 20:29-30; 2 Peter 2:1, 18-22; 1 John 4:1)
Eternity shut in a span
God becomes a man
And introduces Himself
In the form of a child
To execute His wondrous plan;
Redemption so close at hand
That you could literally touch it
And He too would touch us...
As far as the curse is found
He would detoxify the dust
With the government on his shoulders
And boulders of debt around our necks
He traded His glory for a yoke
And descended willingly into death;
Born into scorn
Living to die
To show that the Strongman
Just ain't strong enough
And to snatch us from the fire
The light shines through the darkness
And the darkness can't overcome it
So, when the shepherds heard the good news
You know they had to come runnin'
To behold the One foretold
The Axis of the world
With a love so bold
That He'd come as the Prodigal Son
To bring wayward siblings back home
He who knew no sin
Was born so that we
Could be born again -
Immanuel has come!
Peace on earth
And goodwill towards men
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 19:14 ESV
"Evil has visited Newtown today..."
But despite the ages of most of the victims We're seeking a higher education In the face of a tragedy so senseless 'Cause the definition of wickedness Ain't so elementary... Not anymore. Dark days like these Leave us clamoring And grasping for the door From Columbine, to Virginia Tech, to Sandy Hook; Leaves no doubt in my mind That Screwtape's up to his old tricks Doing everything he can To make sure that our faith is shook "Look...where is God now? Where's the goodness he promised? Love don't let little kids die, man! Stop frontin' and be honest." As I read the countless status updates And timelines filled with fear and rage I'm reminded of the words That the Rock of Ages said: "Let the little children come to me..." You can't stop em - Don't try to hold em back There in the arms of the Good Shepherd So they'll never again want or lack It was an act of the most vicious kind Orchestrated with the intent Of distracting from God's sovereignty And get us to question his omnipotence But yea though we walk through valley Of the shadow of death His grace is still consistent
He gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding His overwhelming mercy still abounds Even amidst the unspeakable atrocities That puts young loved ones into the ground The graveyard is the Farmer's field And he will one day reap what he has sown And we will all behold the glory Of the greatest harvest
I remember a time when a homeless guy cleaned my windshield and I gave him what I had on me…
a couple of quarters and a dime.
He looked at me and said, “Is that it?” ‘Is that it’?! I was livid
Because first of all
He could’ve cleaned my window
Better with spit
I gave him all I had
(Minus my debit card)
But it didn’t matter –
He had no regard for it
Here I am trying to do the Lord’s work
And he’s looking at me like
“Thanks for the change, jerk.”
As far as he was concerned
I might as well have given him nothing…
But his reaction was pushing the button
On a deeper subject
That touches us all
The fact that we’ve been given
The world and everything in it
But we treat it like a mall
We consume until we’re full
With no consideration
Of the considerate nature
Of how it got here
We’re allergic to the concept
That we’re dust…
I too often have a hard time
With the fact that
I’m a sand castle with a pulse;
The same stuff they’ll use to bury me
Is the essential ingredient
To my physical make up
I’m nothing more spit and clay
In it’s heyday …
We think that we’re made men
But we can be done in
By the slightest headwind
We confirm our ignorance
To our disposition
With an oversight
To this revelation:
The air we breathe can’t be seen
And that speaks to the attribute
Of our Creator
We constantly demand
That He show His face
When His DNA is in everything
That we taste, see, and touch
Our senses are drenched in Him
Without so much as a mention
And we could give a…
You know what?
I’m just gonna go ahead and say it–
We’re going nuts
Looking for a payday
When Yaweh has already paid for us
The check ain’t in the mail
Because your debt
Was nailed to the Cross
That’s the equivalent
Of getting 100% gratuity
Only to treat it
Like a stop-loss
So the slightest inconvenience
Sends us flying off the handle
One little prick of the needle
And the damage is done -
We start accusing God
Of giving us way more
Than we can manage
And start calling for His job
No graciousness filling our hearts these days
Instead, we’d rather waste our time
Like disappointed kids on Christmas
Throwing temper tantrums
Because we think that
Santa must’ve missed us
We’re nothing more than straight up beggars
Who always think we deserve better
Than what we’ve been given
Always trying to hit the lottery
When we ain’t even
Got a pot to piss in
The sin committed by our first parents
Was rooted in a lack of gratitude–
Having everything wasn’t good enough
So they forgot to say, “Thank You.”
So greedy that they couldn’t even leave God
That one tree…
A blatant disregard for the Law
Mixed with an eagerness to take His place
(And that, kids, is how we came
To celebrate Black Friday)
Man, we’d all be turkeys on a plate
If it wasn’t for His grace
He became a sacrifice
Given for ignorant creatures
Who weren’t even trying to relate…
So while you’re thankful for your food
Remember that He’s the one
Who bought the farm
And if you thank Him for the calm
You gotta thank him for the storms
Be grateful for the good and the bad times
If you’re a have or a have not
He gives us abundant life through everything
And for that we gotta say,
“Thanks”...a lot
Conform me.
Mold me.
Make me.
Shape me.
Do whatever you have to do -
Even if it means
You gotta break me
Don't forsake me
Wake me up
Remove the scales
From my eyes
I'm seeing men as trees
Falling down around me
Because I was born
Legally blind
Out of sight
Out of my mind
No appreciation
For the divine
Design flaw
To the interior;
A heart that's wicked
All the time...
If you saw someone murdered right in front of you?
I bet you could tell that story for the rest of your life
And still recite every single detail
Accurately and on cue
It could be 50 years from now
And there would still be no change in your point of view...
Especially if that person
Now a few days removed
Shows up at a dinner table
Sitting right across from you
Chewin' his food
Doin' all the other things
A dead man don't have the capacity to do
No, that ain't magic
It's majestic and it's traumatic
The last great enemy of our humanity
Suddenly movin' backwards
It wasn't a simple trap-door revealed
There was glory being concealed
Underneath a cloak of humility and charity
Taking back what the Strongman tried to steal
There's no sleight of hand
When you got holes in 'em, man
And if there's nothing up your sleeves
But Aces and eights
Then you better have a foolproof plan...
The Son of God became man
To withstand the wrath of his Dad
As a ransom for many
Remained slain for three days
Only to get up
And give vanishing lessons the business
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
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. - Romans 3:19 ESV
If you had a projector
Connected to my head and my chest
It would showcase nothing but an independent festival of darkness
Bleak thoughts to match a black heart
Every matinee selling out to the sinful desires of my humanity
You know Kierkegaard was right;
You’d be shocked and amazed at what a sane man
Dreams about doing in the broad daylight
And if accountability of consequence
Lifts even for a second
The fantasy becomes reality…
What masters of debauchery we are
Nightmare walking…
Psychopath, stalkin’…
A Gorilla in the mist
Notorious for poppin’ off with my two lips…
With two fists up
Because I consider every punch I throw
To be therapeutic or medicinal
Because if there is no God
Then everything is permissible to us
It all boils down to dust
Knocking the rusty latch off of reason, then
Now it’s like someone opened up a floodgate
And in a blind fit of rage
Recklessly misplaced a wooden stake –
I’ve got 2x4’s disguised
As splinters stuck in my eyes
Violence begets a nihilist
And now the nihilist wants to get violent
Because he’s somebody’s child
The only problem is
That we were separated at birth
And I’ve been raised in the wild –
Exploiting my desertedness
Using it as ammunition to lash out at a “negligent parent”
Resolved even more now to respond
Solely to the vibrations of my own larynx
I’m a rebel whose primary cause
Is to be an embarrassment to my inheritance
I don’t want a share…I want it all
And now I’ve got it; A bunch of empty wallets
In a clenched fist of covetousness
So there’s a rumble coming from deep within the jungle
Because my Father’s given the order to give chase
“LEX REX” on my chest branded with ten phrases
Serve as a valuable reminder
Lay down my arms and wait for grace
Or just keep running, only to die tired
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. - Galatians 3:10-14 ESV
We begin our latest study on the "Sermon on the Mount". We take an in-depth look at the words of Jesus as he lays out principles of the Kingdom of Heaven, and what it really looks like to be a lover of God and our fellow man. We begin with the counter-cultural notion of the word, "Blessed". In a day and age where the prosperity, health and wealth, word of faith "gospel" is so readily embraced, we see with great illumination from the Scripture how our Lord turns the idea on its head...
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." - 1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV
"For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." - 1 Peter 4:6 ESV
Heaven didn’t just come down…
It went underground
We couldn’t go and get it
It had to come and get us
Because we were held hostage
In the darkness…slaves to the dust
A bunch of guilty as charged
Criminals at large
Conspiring since the beginning
To assassinate God
And if you find that statement offensive
It’s understandable
But you still have no defense against it
And you know it –
Your fingerprints are showin’
And herein lies the biggest problem
Because even if you’re Robin Hood
You’re still a thief –
Because you’re robbin’
No sob story is good enough
To regain that trust
Our red-handed antics
Have left us stone cold busted
And in case you couldn’t tell
We’re disgusted with the outcome
But too prideful and bitter to ask for help
So we put our roots down firm
And build ziggurats wherever we dwell
But how we gonna reach the Kingdom
When we don’t even speak the same language amongst ourselves?
And when our stairway to Heaven was vanquished
It all came crashing down in an epic fail…
The most frightening attribute of God’s character
Is that He is good and a Just Judge
So He will always rule in favor of righteousness
Not based on what I think I am
Or who I thought I was
Truth is…
I’m a lying, cheating
Backsliding heathen
Full of murderous intent
And I’m stealing by just breathing
With no plan to give up the lifestyle
Anytime soon
So the mercy of the Court
Will have to be way more than prevenient
Because I’m already doomed…
Therefore grace has to intrude
As the Kingdom manifests the expanse
Of its territorial boundary
To dig us up out of our whitewashed tombs
And shut down all of the foundries
‘Cause the Devil’s melting down the metal
Turning plows and pruning hooks into swords
But the Kingdom of Heaven came among us
To suffer the violence
So Death can never have the Final Word
"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force." - Matthew 11:12 ESV
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. - (Jude 1:3-4 ESV)
(cf. Judges 21:25; Luke 3:9; 2 Timothy 4:3; 1 John 2:19; Revelation 14:13)
If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. - Jeremiah 20:9 ESV
2012 is the year of the Dragon
So it’s like fire in my bones
And I’m about to let it go
Truth so hot
That it’s got your boy spittin’ flames
And let the Word of God
Get “@you” like a Twitter name
I wasn’t tailored to snatch the mic
Swiftly like ‘Ye did
I’m bangin’ out life sentences
Like a Rikers bid
So follow me to be freed
From your life of crime
Catch it if you can
Before you’re out of time
He took me from sin-sick
And made me even ill-er
Went from a stone cold murderer
To a natural born killer
Gave me a clean heart
With a dangerous mind
And a Canon full of bullets
To put in every line
Pumpin’ hot 16’s into my voice stream
Hit everything within earshot – never missin’
Take your crooked lines, pull the trigger
Time to lay ‘em straight
Just like your heartbeat…
‘Cause it's death today
Taking aim on dead men
Like it’s the Walking Dead
But they need shots to the heart
Not holes in the head
Minds darkened;
Kick-started from the brain stem
Couldn’t find their way out with a flashlight
(Or even two of ‘em)
So I light 'em up in the chest
‘Cause their vests are defective
Self-righteous pride can’t save you
From the heat that I’m packin’
And if you pull your piece
Then peace be still and just let it happen
I’ll be at peace with my Maker
When that choppers’s clappin’
So let me clear my throat
And speak a little louder
‘Cause I don’t think you can hear me
Over all of that firepower
Lord, make my narrow straight
And may my shots stay true
He’s got you in the Cross…
And God is still good
For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! - 1 Corinthians 9:16 ESV
