Da Word... 165!

Good Morning!

Howdy potnas ;-D  Heh heh.  How was that extra hour of sleep on Sunday?  I enjoyed that one, mmhmmm!  But then I got tripped out around 5:30 when it was pitch black outside... and then I was like, "Oh yeah, it would have been 6:30 had we not kicked the time back one hour."  Aight yo, on to... da Word!

checkit:

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

- Paul (1 Cor. 4:2)

Ain't THAT da truth!  Word!  My man Paul was droppin' some knowledge in this letter to the Corinthian peeps.  He was just talking about divisions in the church in the previous chapter and helping them to realize how ridiculous it was.  See, the peeps were like, "Yo, I follow Paul SON!!!!!"  And others were like, "Brutha pleeeeeez, I follow Applos KID!!!!"  Both Paul and Apollos were apostles makin' da rounds spreadin' da word o' Pops.  But these Corinthian kats started idolizing da peeps doing the spreadin' rather than the entity these kats were droppin' knowledge about. In other words, they done got twisted and caught up in a load of u know what.  They lost sight of the big picture.  N e who, Paul dropped some knowledge about that, knocked them over the head a couple times,and then said that peeps should just view peeps like Apollos and himself as servants of da Christ "entrusted with the secret things of God [4:1]"

BAM!  Yo, if you are entrusted with da secret things of Pops........ yo that is HUGE!  But Paul doesn't yet expound on just how huge, he instead mentions a simple principle: "Yo, those given a trust have got to prove faithul."  That's how it is potnas.  Given a trust, you must prove yourself faithful.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  Trust is no small thing.  It takes YEARS to develop trust, and a split second to utterly destroy it.  Why is that?  Because trusting someone is HIGH RISK!  The risk/reward ratio is not even in the ballpark of reason.  If someone places trust in you, they are putting a LOT on the line, and more than material.  If you break that.... man... watch OUT!  

It would be nice to be able to trust more peeps, but it's tough.  The pain of a broken trust is almost always just too great.  And thus peeps are reluctant to give others a trust.  Imagine how much closer and tighter people would be if only they prove faithful when given a trust!  Yo it would be da BOMB son!!!!  It wouldn't feel so risky anymore. Peeps would open up all the time.  Yo, relationships would fall into the realm of the real.  Facades would soon fade.  Life would be easier to live.  Guess what potnas, we can still experience this!!!!  How you ask?  Prove faithful when given a trust, and take the risk of giving others a trust.  Don't burn a friend, and don't let whatever burning you've suffered in the past hinder you from ever giving another person a chance to have your trust.

Aight playas, gotta bounce.  PeACE! 

G-bless,

  - patrick

Da Word... 164!

Gooooood Morning!

How are things going out there?  Fighting the good fight?  Stayin' on your feet? TRUUUUU!   Thanks for the prayers and such, my Grandma is feelin' better.  When I went to visit her last weekend (not this past weekend, the weekend before), she was back home and doin' alright.  Aight, on to... da Word!

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

- Paul (Romans 6:12)

Ohhh!  It's my dawg Paul again, droppin' some knowledge!   TRUUU!  Romans is a good book potnas.  Paul just lays it out from the fundamental problem to the ultimate solution.  Peep this book if you haven't yet!  But n e who, let's get down and dirty with this verse right here.

In this chapter, Paul talks about Christ's death and resurrection, and the purpose behind it.  Da Christ died for us, to pay da ultimate price for sin.  In other words, he done set us free by dying.  And then by being raised up, he gave death the ol' one-two TKO... BAM...BAAAAAAAM!  So not only did homeboy pay da price, he also wiped out any power death has got.  Paul then drops the good news that if we then "die" with Christ, we too can bust open a PHAT can o' whuppin' on death.  But what does it mean to "die" with Christ?

It means turnin' a new leaf, changing our perspective, trying to be like Christ.  It means allowing our old self to die, and taking on this new self, one with MUCH greater rewards mind you ;-D  TRUUUU!  In short, it's being "dead to sin, and alive in Christ."  WORD!  So checkit potnas, if we just pulled a 180, and now are walking towards Pops instead of away, does it make sense for us to allow sin to reign within our bodies?   NAW LO!!!  We got to kick that to the curb son!  Cuz just as the verse says, if we let that good for nuthin', low down and dirty junk reign within' our bodies.... we will be a straight slave to evil desires!  It's a one to one correlation here potnas.  Junk in, junk out. 

Forget that yo!  Let's start feeding our being with some of the good stuff, and weaning ourselves off the bad stuff.  Cuz the bad stuff only serves to bring ya down, to hurt ya, clog them arteries, make ya tired, and slowly kill ya. But the good stuff, yeah buddy!  The good stuff will bring ya up, heal ya, make sure them pathways are straight clear for the blood to flow like a river, boost your energy level, make ya lean and straight HOOOOT, and surely surely bring you to LIFE.  It's nice to be able to look an evil desire in the face and say, "Stand down punk!  You gots no pull with me!  I KNOW you don't want the beating I handed to you last time.  You gots 2 seconds to scram... oh, look, time's up!  Here comes da whuppin'!"   With Pops, you have the power to stand.

Aight potnas, PeACE!

G-bless,

  - patrick

Da Word... 163!

Good Afternoon All!

It's monday, and it's 73 degrees!  YEAH!  Actually, that's what the weather globe on my computer says, so it might be hotter in reality.  We are gettin' MAD weather fluctuations up here! N e who, it's my da off ;-D  A lot of companies up here have this day as a holiday, and so do the schools.  It's pretty tight yo.  Oh, one more thing, if you could drop some prayers from my grandma, that'd be awesome.  She's in the hospital with some illness.  Aight, on to... da Word!

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this...

- Mark 8:31,32

In this passage, Jesus da Christ was droppin' some knowledge on his posse da disciples.  He told them flat out and plainly, "Yo checkit, da Son o' Man... yo he's gotta suffer a ton potnas, be rejected by those high on the religious pulpit, and then he's got to be waylayed son - scrubbed from existence.  But yo, after three days, he will rise again."   J was talkin' about himself, da "Son o' Man", one of his many names.  Stop and ponder that for a moment.....

What grabs me about this is how it says my man J said it plainly, like it wasn't no thang.  BOOM, this is how it is plotnas.  J was being real, he knew that stuff was about to hit the fan, and he was gonna receive the brunt of pain and suffering.  But even though he knew this, he was chill.  He knew that by taking this hurt, the price for our sins would be paid.  BAM!  The way would be opened and death would be conquered.  Why did he have to suffer so that this could happen?  Why the pain?  Wouldn't it have been easier to come as a conqueror and wipe stuff out?  Heck yeah it would have, but then what would that have proved?  NOTHING yo!   It's weird, almost paradoxal, but it was through suffering that the greatest good be achieved. 

J suffered and died for you.  Then he rose to defeat death so that we could have a chance.  He did that with unconditional love.  It means two things. One, homeboy is serious about getting us back no matter the cost.  He loves a brutha and a sista way too much to see us wallow in our ignorance and suffer death.  Naw lo, he wants us to experience life and life more abundantly.  Second, if J, da Son o' Man himself suffered like this..... yooo, it means life against the grain ain't no walk in the park!  If you decide to take up this torch, to be a light and to walk in the truth, you will have opposition.  Peeps will both love and hate you.  They will hate that you stand for right, even though secretly they might admire it. 

In this day and age where peeps are driven by money, you will be an anomaly, an individual driven by love.  Your very existence will violate their every notion of what life is about. In other words, the road won't be easy, but the reward so totally worth it.  But yo, what's a few years of suffering, compared to an eternity of blessing?  Imagine that day when you get to meet Pops above face to face kid!  And what joy will be coursing through your entire being when your friends end up being there with you because you chose to be a light to them?  In other words, keep it real potnas.  It will be a tough road, but no one said it would ever be easy. To love unconditionally and to stand for right, to stand for those who can't stand for themselves, is a tough thing, and sometimes a thing where you alone stand.  But, you are never alone ;-D  You ALWAYS have Pops above!  And who better to have backing you up?

G-bless,

  - patrick

Da Word... 162!

YOOOO!

What up!  Good evening brethren and sistren!  It gives me great joy to again write to you all about... da Word! Yeah KIIIIIIIIID!  Things over here are going pretty well.  I'm still exercisin' my knee in preparation for a lil' surgery.  I gotta get this bad boy STRAIGHT!  I've also been increasin' my repertoire of dishes ;-D  I love the experimenting; it's a ton of fun, believe you me!  UH HUH!   Aight, on to.... da Word!

checkit:

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

- Paul, Silas, and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

Boooyaka!  Did I mention ;-D how much I love the way Paul opens his letters?  Homeboy always lays on the affirmations dawg!  He gives maaaaaad props!  He encourages, and he brings joy.  Maaaan, imagine receiving a letter from Paul, da man himself, and starts out saying, "We are joyous son!  You have grown so DEEP in da faith. It shows in all of your actions and in all that you do!  Your newness of character is light and shines brightly!  Many speak of you and your deeds.  We are proud that you have grown so close to Pops Himself that His light now shines brightly through you."  Potnas, that would be freakin' AWESOME!   But wait, hold up.. that's just Paul.  Now imagine Pops above saying it to you when that day comes!  I mean, imagine, you meet Pops, da creator Himself, for da first time face to face.  He's chillin', your chillin' (and probably shakin' a lil bit, heh heh).  And he says to you, "Well done!  Well done!  My good and faithful servant!  You have loved me, and you have loved many unconditionally.  Many are here because of your faithfulness to me and willingness to listen and to love.  Well done my son!  Well done my daughter!  Well done!"  Yo.... that would be da ultimate bomb diggity!

Aight aight, back to the verse above.  There are bunch of things to note bruthaz and sistaz.  First, note that these are all non-passive actions!  We are talkin' work, labor, and endurance.  Man, that can be some tough stuff.  Paul ain't talkin' about kats sittin' on their jolly and plump booties, enjoying da weather, and watchin' the tube son! He's talkin' about kats who are up and out there potnas,  peeps who are movin' and shakin', they are doing things!  They aren't just sitting idly in the security of their salvation and their faith.  Naw law, they are working to share that security with as many as they can bruthaz and sistaz!  It's not sit and receive, but puff puff give!  Receive some "out of this world" goodness, and share da wealth!

The next thing to note is that of these actions.... none of them were done on these peeps' own strengths.  Naw lo. If that were the case, if the Thessalonians were able to do these things on their own strength, then what need would they have of God?  What need would any have of God?  Naw dawgs, it is because of their reliance on Pops above himself that they could work, labor, and endure to the greatest magnitude!  I mean check it, Paul says, "your work, produced by faith!"  If they had no faith, there would be no work!   It is their faith in the awesome creator, Pops above himself, that prompts them and motivates them to bust out some ill work potnas!  Their faith drives them.  So faith is important. 

Then Paul drops, "labor prompted by your love."  Oh snap!  There, he went and said it!  It was a labor not driven by selfish desires.... because love is not a selfish concept.  They labored for others!  Out of service to their fellow man and woman.  Out of service to their fellow humans!  Yo, they labored because they loved!  They loved so much that they sought to serve one another, in order to build each other up.  Ain't that da bomb?  Imagine if we all started doing that.  You know, stopped looking inward and started looking outward, and did so with love.  This world would be a much better place no?  Matter of fact, your individual circles of relationships would be that much more awesome no?  Give it a try, I'm sure you will not be dissappointed.  So love, also, is important.

Finally, Paul drops the ultimatle clincher, "endurance inspired by hope in our Lord... Jesus da Christ potnas!"  YEAH!  That's what I'm talking about. It all stems from da Lord himself, Jesus da Christ, sacrificed and raised, da Son.  He done paid da price for our sins potnas!  We no longer have to account for them (cuz there is no way we could be let off in the face of Justice).  Da hope is that da Christ defeated death itself and paid for all our badness.  Now we got a free ticket!  And so that is our hope!  Because we have this hope that we can enter da heavenly of heavenlies, we can now be inspired to ENDURE all manner of heat potnas!  Ain't nothing can squash us because we have hold of the hope! 

Faith, love, and hope.  Have you got these three?  If not, whatcha waitin' fo'!?!?  If so, have you been beefin' them up?  If not, better crack the whip potna!  Let's go now!  Ain't no time to dilly dally, let's move!  We've got the doors of Life.... opened to us ;-D

G-bless,

  - patrick