Good evening! It's starting to get darker earlier these days. A change of seaons is on its way. Oh wait, low and behold... schools are starting up right about now as well! Matter of fact, most of our lives will be changing, probably revving up as a "new" year begins. Great times! Aight, on to... da Word.
checkit:
"Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him. Should I not punish them for this?" declares the Lord...
- Pops (Jeremiah 9:8,9)
Whoa..... stop da music and hold da phone. Say what!? Yeah potnas, da mood just gotten grim. Imagine bein' in the same room when Pops above got upset...... whoa..... whoa...... I have a feeling that would be a very very very VERY scary experience dawg... cuz I mean that is GOD yo! N e who, let's check into this.
Pops is describing the state of the tribe of Judah, and probably some other kats. His language presents and image that is none to rosie. I mean come on, tongues like deadly arrows? Words with deceit? Cordial facades in order to pull an evil setup on one's very own neighbor!? Yo I don't care what anyone says, that sounds REAL bad. It doesn't sound like a good situation in the slightest. Imagine being in that kind of situation? You'd have to be doubly and triply watchin' yo' back son! Where is the freedom of LIFE in that? I mean, what else could it lead to? Let me quote direct from Pops himself (cuz I can't say it much better):
Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie, they weary themselves with sinning. You live in the midst of deception...
Whoa..... stop da music and hold da phone. Say what!? Yeah potnas, da mood just gotten grim. Imagine bein' in the same room when Pops above got upset...... whoa..... whoa...... I have a feeling that would be a very very very VERY scary experience dawg... cuz I mean that is GOD yo! N e who, let's check into this.
Pops is describing the state of the tribe of Judah, and probably some other kats. His language presents and image that is none to rosie. I mean come on, tongues like deadly arrows? Words with deceit? Cordial facades in order to pull an evil setup on one's very own neighbor!? Yo I don't care what anyone says, that sounds REAL bad. It doesn't sound like a good situation in the slightest. Imagine being in that kind of situation? You'd have to be doubly and triply watchin' yo' back son! Where is the freedom of LIFE in that? I mean, what else could it lead to? Let me quote direct from Pops himself (cuz I can't say it much better):
Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie, they weary themselves with sinning. You live in the midst of deception...
- Pops (Jeremiah 9:4-6)
DUUUUUUUUUUUDE! WHOA!!!!!!! WHOA!!!!!!! I mean DANG son! Who would ever want to live in a situation like that? Or with a family like that? Some cynics might say, "ey come on man, that's just practice for the real world playa, they just gettin' it early, that's GOOD." I say BUMP that son. It's so ridiculous I won't even dignify the thought with a response. N e who, guess what? There are regions in the world where this exact habitat exists.... and to even worse degrees. Do a search for the 10 most dangerous destinations in the world in Google (should come up with a hit to Forbes). Read da seriously messed up things that happens, make a brutha sick son (and not in the good way). And, of course, there are MANY sociopolitical and economical factors also involved... but dagnam! N e way.....
The kicker line is Pops above asking, "Should I not punish them for this?" Someone once said to me that if God is love and all that, then he shouldn't have to punish people. Tell me, then, which of these is evil: letting a nation at this state and spiraling to an even more crippled and self-destructive state continue without correction? or lacing down some punishment in an effort to steer people toward reconciliation and growth? I think if Pop's stayed his hand, I'd stop following him in a heartbeat. No, even quicker than that. Why? Cuz it would demonstrate to me a God who has no love for his creation and is willing to let it self-destruct by refusing to give the aid we all know that we need.
I mean, let's look at it even more practically. Do you think any kid could make it, or become a semi-decent individual, if his/her parents never ever disciplined him/her? Do you know the utter chaos that would result? Yo, I grew up and knew some kids who had parents that never told them otherwise, or even an explanation. All's I gotta say is, whoa, these kids were off son, and on a path to experience a very rough life learning things the hard way... if he or she survived that is.
So what's the takeaway? Firstly, sometimes exacting discipline is the most loving thing we can do, and witholding it is the most evil thing we can do. Secondly, let's stop lying and instead speak truth to one another, for lying leads to hurt, hurt leads to distrust, distrust leads to a disintegration of relationships, a disintegration of relationships leads to loneliness, and loneliness leads to the death of the very essence of what Life should be about. And when no one cares about life, life loses its value, and people start taking it without even a second thought.
Let's bring change. Change starts with us. Change starts with you. Change starts from within.
G-bless,
- patrick
DUUUUUUUUUUUDE! WHOA!!!!!!! WHOA!!!!!!! I mean DANG son! Who would ever want to live in a situation like that? Or with a family like that? Some cynics might say, "ey come on man, that's just practice for the real world playa, they just gettin' it early, that's GOOD." I say BUMP that son. It's so ridiculous I won't even dignify the thought with a response. N e who, guess what? There are regions in the world where this exact habitat exists.... and to even worse degrees. Do a search for the 10 most dangerous destinations in the world in Google (should come up with a hit to Forbes). Read da seriously messed up things that happens, make a brutha sick son (and not in the good way). And, of course, there are MANY sociopolitical and economical factors also involved... but dagnam! N e way.....
The kicker line is Pops above asking, "Should I not punish them for this?" Someone once said to me that if God is love and all that, then he shouldn't have to punish people. Tell me, then, which of these is evil: letting a nation at this state and spiraling to an even more crippled and self-destructive state continue without correction? or lacing down some punishment in an effort to steer people toward reconciliation and growth? I think if Pop's stayed his hand, I'd stop following him in a heartbeat. No, even quicker than that. Why? Cuz it would demonstrate to me a God who has no love for his creation and is willing to let it self-destruct by refusing to give the aid we all know that we need.
I mean, let's look at it even more practically. Do you think any kid could make it, or become a semi-decent individual, if his/her parents never ever disciplined him/her? Do you know the utter chaos that would result? Yo, I grew up and knew some kids who had parents that never told them otherwise, or even an explanation. All's I gotta say is, whoa, these kids were off son, and on a path to experience a very rough life learning things the hard way... if he or she survived that is.
So what's the takeaway? Firstly, sometimes exacting discipline is the most loving thing we can do, and witholding it is the most evil thing we can do. Secondly, let's stop lying and instead speak truth to one another, for lying leads to hurt, hurt leads to distrust, distrust leads to a disintegration of relationships, a disintegration of relationships leads to loneliness, and loneliness leads to the death of the very essence of what Life should be about. And when no one cares about life, life loses its value, and people start taking it without even a second thought.
Let's bring change. Change starts with us. Change starts with you. Change starts from within.
G-bless,
- patrick
