Da Word... 151!

WHAT UUUUUP!!!!!

Yo, what's kickin' potnas?  How ya livin'?  FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND BABY!!!!!  It's gonna be off the hook!  Checkit, I get out of work early on friday... AND I get monday and tuesday paid holiday...... BAM!   Not to mention all the events that are sure to be goin' down.  How you spending your 4th of July Weekend?  I hope your livin' it up, heh heh.   Aight, on to... da Word!

checkit:

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

- Peter (1 Peter 5:5)

Humility, aww yeah!  That is one character quality that is TOUGH to master.  I mean everyone wants to stand out!  Everyone's wants to be like, "Yo, recognize da skillz kid!"  It's extremely EASY to feel proud and pump ourselves up.  It makes us "feel" good too.  Alas, therein lies the irony.  Pride can be a killer.  It can make us feel good, yeah... but at the same time it can and will destroy many of your relationshihps in the process.   It will burn bridges like CRAZY buthaz and sistaz!  That, in turn, results in lost opportunties in the future.  Furthermore, you'll find yourself pretty quickly becoming alone.  As if those weren't bad enough, now you'll have Pops above HIMSELF opposin' ya!   Who in their right mind would want the God of da universe, the quintessential being, the center of everything that is.... against you!?!?  I mean, that is LUDICROUS!

Now, being humble, aww yeah, that's where it's at.  The ability to squash ego and not rub our achievements or skillz in the faces of others.  The ability to recognize that, yooo, there is ALWAYS someone out there who is much better. There's always someone who can top you.  And of course, God tops anybody without even lifting a pinky playa!  It's better to recognize that Pops above blessed you with your skillz.  And to be thankful!  Cuz there are others who would LOVE to have them skillz, but Pops bestowed them upon you!  That is freakin' awesome! 

Furthermore, the humble kat is also usually the popular kat.  Popular in the sense that he or she is likely never alone, AND are encircled by REAL friends, not the fake ones.  There always peeps who like them, like hanging out with them, who look up them, and who learn from them.  People who seem to have it all, yet remain humble and down to earth, are like GEMS to our eyes.  Yo, I'm tellin' you, people will WANT to present you with amazing opportunities!  Your life will be SO much more fulfilled and joyous too!  WOW, all those benefits of being humble sound mad tight eh?  But check THIS:  God HIMSELF gives grace to the humble...... BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!  God will have your back?  God will bless you even more?  God will give you GRACE!?  That's the icing on the CAKE.  I don't know about you, but to me, being humble sounds like the freakin' bomb diggity!  

Let's be humble.  Let's challenge ourselves every day, in the small things, and in the big, to be humble.

G-bless,

  - patrick

Da Word... 150!

Good Morning!!!!

I missed last week, doh!  Things have been kinda hectic, but no worries ;-D  heh heh.  Weather is getting nice too.  Summer is here and the city has come alive with tons of events, festivals, food, da whole nine.... it's AWESOME!  How about your neck of the woods?  Aight, on to... da Word!

checkit:

These have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

- Peter (1 Peter 1:7)

BAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!!!   What am I bamming about?  The fact that hardship, though tough, works in our favor, hah hah!  That's mad counterintuitive ain't it?  How can hardship work in our favor?  I mean, hardship is far from being the number one desired morsel on anyone's plate.... ANYONE.  But you see, the thing about hardship is it tests our very resolve.  It tests the stuff that we think we are made of.  It tests our apparent limits.  It makes us genuine.  BAM, there it is right there.  You want to be strong?  Ya gots to be tested.   In any part of life, to gain strength, that part must be tested. 

Now Peter is talking about faith here, cuz back in the day the suffering and persecution of the early followers was beyond huge.  It would have been E to the Z to just up and quit.  But Peter is encouraging peeps to stay strong, to remain in the race.  Why?  Because that faith is of greater worth than gold.  Not only that... gold, despite the fact that it can resist flames, perishes!  BUT.... faith... faith will not perish.  All these hardships and sufferings that just kept droppin' a mega whuppin' on these peeps came so that their faith can be proved genuine.  So that it can be made UBER strong, rendered practically indestructible, and causing peeps to put their trust fully in Pops above.... and then kick back and watch Pops above go to work, YEAH!!!! 

So what's the take away?  Embrace hardship bruthaz and sistaz, and change the perspective from which you look at it.  Think of hardship as an opportunity to build you up into this near indomitable being both because your resolve is built up AND your trust in Pops will grow by leaps and BOUNDS kid!!!!  Almost anything worth having requires some struggle.  But once attained, it is def more precious to you than all those things that have come easy.  It is deeply more appreciated.  And, you will fight all the harder to ensure you never lose it.

Aight peeps, gotta bounce.  PeACE!

G-bless,

  - patrick