Da Word... 172!

Goooood Morning all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  And what a fine morning it is!  Blue sky, beautiful sun, it is great!  I've been up since 720ish enjoying the awakening of the morning through the windows of my room.  Quite nice quite nice.  Oh, the surgery went well too.  I'm currently in recoop mode with this continuous motion machine bending my knee for me.  I hope you all are having an excellent day and that your are enjoying it with your families, tru!   Aight, on to... da Word!

checkit:

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

- Luke 22:43

Aw yeah. Did you catch that? Heh, maybe a lil' background will help.  In verse 43, my man J is prayin' to the father saying if Pops be willing, please take this cup, but His will be done.   Yup, this is that fateful night when my man J gets arrested and goes through the worst treatment ever, including the horrible means of execution known as crucifixion.  The stuff was just about to hit the fan.  Imagine you were J at that very moment.  You know what's about to take place, how much pain you're about to go through, how much betrayal you're about to face (especially from Peter!)... wouldn't you be feeling a little anxious?  Oh yeah.  Wouldn't you hope that there might be another way?  Uh huh.  no doubt.

So J is in this garden.  He's praying.  He's sweating.  He's nervous.  He's scared.  Two things happened.  One, he said let the Father's will be done.  The second, an angel was sent to strengthen him.  My bruthaz and sistaz,  we may come across a path someday that will be tremendously difficult.  And in our minds, we may not want to walk that path.  But deep down we will know that it is the path Pops would like us to take.  Why?  For numerous reasons we may not be ready to even understand or capable to understand.  But rest assured potnas!  Pops will never leave or forsake ya!  NO WAY NO HOW!   If we roll with Pops, and put our trust in him, he will carry us through.  And, no matter the struggle, he will send one or two to strengthen you and to encourage you.

The take away?  Let's engage Pops in the highest levels and accomplish things far greater than we could ever simply by rolling with Pops.  And know that he will strengthen you to take you all the way. 

Aiight potans, gotta bounce and make some calls!  PeACE!

G-bless,

   - patrick

Da Word... 171!

Good Morning!

What's uuuuuup!  It's the friday before Christmas potnas!!!! YEAH!  I'm sure a lot of you are taking the day off, heh heh.  Safe travels for of you who will be gong places and Merry Christmas!  Things here are going well.  This week's been a lil' hectic (hence my lateness!!! heh).  I'll be getting ACL reconstuctive surgery today on my right knee at abouuuut... 12:30.  SO, if ya wanna drop a couple prayas for a brutha, feel free. (my florida peeps, that means i won't be comin').  Aight, on to... da Word!

checkit:

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?

- Proverbs 27:4

BAM!!!!!  Yooooo, when I read that I was like, "TRUUUUU!"   This ain't no lie.  And it hits you right there when you read it.  Heck yeah anger is cruel.  Think back to the times when you were angry... what kind of thoughts coursed through your head?  Oh oh, if we can play them on a screen, peeps might think you were straight evil.  Oh, the things you wanted to do to the object of your angry... maaaaaaaan. 

But that ain't squat compared to FURY!  OH SNAP!  Yo, when we are furious.... boyyyyyyy, peeps better clear the room.  I mean with a quickness potnas.  By the time we are furious, we've got so much emotion invested into the situation that it becomes hard to think, and instead we just act.  And the thoughts rampaging through our minds are all pretty twisted.  In fact, if we could see those thoughts on a screen, peeps might call ya demonic.  But WAIT....... how about jealousy?

Jealousy is like that calm, cold, and eerie state that scares the pants off of everybody.  Why?  Well, you're not angry.  Nor are you furious.  As a matter of fact, it seems that you are devoid of emotion.  In other words, you've come to a state where you are at ease with the things you want to do to this person, this object of your jealousy.  And that means you are capable of anything... without remorse.  Whoa. Sometimes jealousy is also emotion fused too.  Yo jealousy drives people to the most heinous of things.  Jealousy will tear you and whoever is around you apart.... to pieces.  Jealousy is a straight cancer that if not headed off will eat you and everyone you love alive.  Not to mention all the innocent bystanders.  My friends, who can stand before jealousy?  That's like the point where fire goes from a nice orange to white hot.... focused and deadly.

Let's not be jealous of one another, it's too dangerous.  Especially during this holiday season, let's remember that it's not about presents, or who gets what, and all that jazz.  No, it's about my man J da Christ, the ultimate gift to mankind being bestowed upon us. 

G-bless,

   - patrick

Da Word... 170!

Good EVENING!!!

What's going on!  Da holiday season is fast approaching.  I can't believe the year is almost over already!  It's crazy!  Heh heh, but time marches forward and new experiences await!  Aight, on to... da Word!

checkit:

Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it Lord?" he asked.  The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God."

- Acts 10:4

The art of giving, so important!  Checkit, this kat Cornelius was a centurion (a Roman officer with 100 men under his command) in the Italian Regiment in Caesarea.  This kat's family was devout and God-fearing. Not only that potnas, this kat also gave generously to those in need!  And homeboy shot the breeze with Pops regularly (he prayed).  All this info can be found in the first 2 verses.  Suddenly, Cornelius had a vision and saw an angel of Pops speak the above captured verse... and then some.

That is HOT son!   Pops sent an angel to pass on a message of acknowledgment from Pops above Himself!  SWEEET!   Why?  Because, among other possible things, this centurion gave generously to the poor and prayed.  I mean, the angel said exactly why: "prayers and gifts to the poor."  If such acts moved Pops to send this guy, a gentile no less, a personal message of affirmation.... WOOO!!!  Giving and prayer have got to be MAAAAAAAAAAAAAD important!  Taking care of those less fortunate than you are, giving to those who have not, and taking up the cause of the wronged and the fatherless is an act of servanthood and living for more than just oneself.  But also note that prayer was a big part of that too.  We gots to be straight rollin' with Pops potnas!  Just chattin' all the time like the best of buds.  I mean, cuz the straight fact is that  He IS the best friend you will ever have.

So was this the only thing Pops did in response to this centurion's act of selflessness?  Nope, Pops hooked this guy up PHAT!!!!!  He created a divine meeting between this gentile and the apostle Peter (the so-called ROCK of the church)!   Check this, Pops also gave Peter a vision in order to prepare him!  But that's not even the koolest part.  Yoooo, check this, when these two kats met up, Peter dropped da knowledge, and all who heard da message were baptized in the Holy Spirit..... did you catch that?  They caught da Holy Ghost!  God gave them the gift of his spirit!  These gentiles son...  peeps who were not Jews!  This is HUGE... HUUUUUUGE!  (peep Da Word... 127!)   And this, my friends, is the gift God bestowed on this centurion because he willingly gave gifts to the poor and prayed to Pops on the regular.   So, does Pops think highly of giving and prayer?  heh, i think so! 

Take away:  Let us remember to give to those less fortunate than we, and let us remember to shoot the breeze with Pops on the regular. And let us do so not in anticipation of reward, but out of a genuine desire in our hearts.

G-bless,

   - patrick

Da Word... 169!

Good EVENING!

What up people?  How ya livin'?  What's the WORD!  Yo last week was CRAZY.  So much going on and a lot of opportunities being opened.  God works in mysterious ways bruthaz and sistaz.  Ultimately a chain of events took place that has opened many doors of opportunity to appear before me.  Props to POPS yo!  I tell ya.  But check this quick kool story:  Trump (yes the Donald Trump) said to me yesterday something like: "I'd like to be your manager."   Yo, that blew so many peeps away.  It didn't hit me really until people started coming up to me saying, "whoa!"  I also started being called, "the voice."  heh.  This all happened in a span of 3 minutes or so.  aight, on to... da Word!

checkit:

Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

- Proverbs 26:20

Word!  That's basic potnas.  It doesn't get any simpler than that.  If there is no wood... there is no fire.  But once you start feeding wood to the fire, that fire gets bigger, hotter, and violent.  Now apply that to quarrels and fights.  It's the same deal yo!  If ya got beef with someone, and it erupts into a fight, there is gonna be some problems.  And if ya didn't settle it before the day is gone (like da Word elsewhere suggests), ya might have even more problems... cuz it festers.  But yo, once the gossiping starts, potna you just opened a whole other can o' worms. 

Checkit, a quarrel is between two peeps (or more).  If these two peeps can't come to terms, then a third party might be necessary. But if instead of working toward a resolution, one of these two peeps starts gossiping about the situation to all kinds o' peeps, the world has been given access to a relational info it may have no business knowing.  In fact, the situation has now been hugely complicated. Not only will tempers flare if the other person finds out about the gossip, but lies will begin to emerge.  That story will soon begin to entertain events that NEVER happened! Like a blind purple people eater or some stuff. Things will get blown WAY out of proportion.  And just like feeding wood to a relatively calm fire, the gossip will turn a manageable quarrel into this explosive, violent, and vicious ordeal laying waste all parties involved.  Why would we ever want to worsen our pain?  It makes NO sense, none!  But for some reason some people like relationship crushing, life destroying pain. 

What's the takeaway?  Let's practice some sense bruthaz and sistaz!  Let's not willingly increase our pain or complicate our lives.  That's not where Pops wants us to live.  Life would be the pits yo!  Naw, let's kick the gossiping to the curb so that quarrels can die down.  And that way we can live in the enjoyment of life, the exact place Pops wants us all to be.

Aight potnas!   Gotta bounce, PeACE!

G-bless,

  - patrick