Da Word... 192! Amp up yo' potnas!

Good Afternoon!

Oh, it is a b...e....a.....uuuutiful day today!  No DOUBT!  Man in comparison to this weekend.... yoooooooo today is straight PARADISE!  heh heh.  I hope you all are feelin' me ;-D  Aight, on to.... da Word!

checkit:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

- Paul, Silas, Timothy ( 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17)

Yo, ain't that nice?  Isn't that like..... maaaaad encouraging and uplifting?  I reckon!  heh heh.  Paul and company have a habit of doing this.  At the end of many of his letters (and within his letters), homeboy drops these AMAZING words of encouragement that straight uplift a brutha to the high heavens son!  Go back and read those verses right quick......... read it?  Shoot this is da BOMB! 

In those few words Paul and company establish a foundation of encouragement from which they pour out substantial and definite encouragement.  Yup!  See, these dudes call on the principle of encouragement himself to encourage the Thessalonians!  And they back it up by conveying their own receipt of that encouragement by that same and powerful entity... Pops above.  Yo... you cannot go wrong with encouragement from on High potnas!

Note also that the encouragement is specific.  Paul and company bless these peeps by asking that Pops encourage them in their hearts.  Why?  Cuz if our hearts are encouraged, we will be driven.  It is our state of being within that will drive our actions without. These guys then make it practical by specifying being strengthened in deed and word... tangible action that  will reap concrete results.

Potnas, let us emulate this example and encourage others in the same way.  Encouragement that is specific and backed up by undeniable evidence of fulfillment goes a long way in igniting (or reigniting) the passion and drive of life in our fellow brothers and sisters.  And guess what? Suddenly, you'll be rollin' with a circle peeps always high on life!  Trust me, that is straight electrifying!

G-bless,

   - patrick

Da Word... 191! Patience Potna!

Good Afternoon!

Yeah, looks like I made another monday!  ...albeit a few hours late, heh heh.  N e of you experience a strange kind of fever-like hit and run attack recently?  i just did; it was strange yo!  n e who, on to... da Word! 

checkit:

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

- Da Christ (Luke 24:49)

Yo yo, this particular statement came forth from da mouth o' Christ when He was doing His appearing thing after He was crucified.  That's right potnas, my man J was straight roamin' the territory, showing himself to many a disciple embodying the fulfillment of scripture... in da flesh son!  OH YEAH!  N e who, at this point He was about to bounce and ascend back into da Heavenlies.  But before He did so He explained to all these kats that they would go out into ALL the nations and spit the good news of salvation, repentance and forgiveness, and the gift of LIFE (AWW YEAAAAH BOYYYYYYY!!!!!). 

Hold on though!  Checkit!  My man J also put the brakes on these kats!  He told them to wait..... "cuz I got sumtim OFF the HOOK fa ya!  Trust me, you WANT this, mmhmmm!"  Da Christ told them that he would strap these kats with straight power from on HIGH son!  Now that's what I like to hear ;-D   I mean come on, what would be kooler than gettin' powered up by Pops Himself!?   So, these kats had to check their passion and desire to go out and speak until J went and laid on the blessing.

What's the take away here?  Everything in Pops' time.  Yeah, Pops may have revealed to you some insanely crazy and awesome plan that, upon completion, will reap unheard of benefit and lasting inextinguishable reward upon masses of peeps.  And yeah, this might fire you up so much that you are bursting at the seams to set it in motion.  But you got to check that energy!  Just for a lil' bit ;-D  Pops might need to prime you up, give you a little bit o' His Spirit Power.  You don't wanna miss that.  Patience!  Wait on Pops to first fully deck you out!  Cuz trust me, when do get the go, you'll be packin' some heat ;-D

G-bless,

  - patrick

Da Word... 190! Enemy to Ally

Good Morning!

Hey check it out!  I made it!  I got this out on a Monday morning!   Word ;-D  heh heh.  Hope your weekend was off the hizzle, tru!  Things here were pretty chill, and Spiderman 3 was da BOMB!  Aight, on to.... da Word!

checkit:

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

- Paul (Philippians 3:18)

Yuuuuup!  It's my man Paul again droppin' some knowledge potnas!  This in particular jumped out at me.  Why?  Cuz of the combo of "tears" and "enemies".  Mmhmmm.   Paul here is writing to the Philippians and, in this particular section, is spurring them to PRESS ON toward the goal, to take hold of the prize that da Christ's sacrifice has made available to us.  But in encouraging these peeps to press on he makes mention of the lost, those who are giving up "citizenship in heaven".  Why would he do that?

For one, it is a fact, even though it may be a cold and a hard one to come face to face with.  But yo, that is the truth potnas!  Paul didn't say a few live as enemies.... MANY live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  TONS o' peeps would rather fight against the unconditional love that Pops is straight pouring out on them than accept it.  A lot want to do things their on way, a so-called freedom, rather than to be set free from the whims of our own humanity.  It's an irony yo!  The things that we think give us freedom instead hold us in shackles, binding us in a cage of shame and regret.  But yo with Pops, we ain't got no secrets cuz we have nothing to hide, straight FREE!

Second, Paul shows that this fact is tearing him apart on the inside!  Not only does he know and acknowledge this fact, but he can't even bring himself to state it without fighting off tears.  That's compassion peeps.  That is a deep and genuine compassion for your fellow man and woman!  It's to the point that it hurts son!.  And so it is with this compassion that Paul is all the more fervent to reach these enemies.... that they might instead become allies.

See, potnas, the mere glimpse of that compassion might be all the catalyst one may need to make the transition from enemy to ally.  Rep Christ and His genuine love, and watch as His love transforms peeps, even yourself, right before your very eyes.  PeACE!

G-bless,

   - patrick