Sin Vs the Christian: The Rap Battle

Shai Linne representin' sin and Timothy Brindle repping the Christian lay it like it is in this rap battle. Which one wins? Let's see.



Shai Linne and Timothy Brindle are unashamed calvinists part of Lampmode Records. Check them out here.

Enjoy more of these guys on my website playlist.

Porn Again Christian

Even as a guy excited and OCD about Jesus, one struggle that has kept me humble and broken, and sometimes brought me sorrow, is my continual fight with lust. It is of no wonder that I have an internet filter so I don't fall into tempting myself with pornography online.

If you're not into Jesus and you're reading this - yeah, we Christians ain't immune from sin either. And that's why we need Jesus and dont trust in ourselves - but in what He has done for us. So its no longer about what we did or do, but all about what Jesus did by dying in our place for our sin on the cross.

So, as a guy who loves Jesus, and wants to grow more in loving and serving Him, while also serving people, I recommend Porn-Again Christian to all those who struggle with temptations to gratify the lusts of ous sinful flesh. It's a frank discussion on pornography and masturbation, by a pastor dude Mark Driscoll who loves Jesus and has come across and counseled various people stuggling with this.

I hope you will find it helpful. You can get it free to download, read online, or buy a copy of the material here.

Let's fight the good fight for purity, fam.

Over The Grave: Sojourn

Tonight I attended the CD release concert for Sojourn's new music album, Over The Grave. Hosted at one of the buildings of one of the largest megachurches in the country, Southeast Christian Church, it was a great night with hundreds of people there.

Resounding and making afresh some of the classic Godward hymns of Isaac Watts, Over The Grave is a deep and replenishing album that brings up back to celebrate the most cherished and essential aspects of our faith, the gospel: dwelling on the atonement, the sacrifice, and the mercy of God on the cross. As the three bands (the album was a mass effort of 39 musicians) played through the whole album tonight, plus a few other songs, it was clearly a night of worship and conviction at The Block, the building it was held in.

For those of you that may have been able to attend the recent 2009 Advance Conference (on the resurgence of the local church) featuring pastors John Piper, Mark Driscoll, and others, yes - the Sojourn band led worship there, and even played some songs from this new album.

If you guys don't know what it even is, Sojourn is a biblically solid and culturally laid back church rapidly growing in number with people meeting and loving Jesus here in Louisville, Kentucky. Their love for Jesus and for people is something that I am very excited about, and am looking forward to becoming a member there soon. If you are from the Ville, or you are ever visting town, feel free to come by in your best pairs of ripped jeans and high heels (or not) and check out Sojourn!

Again, this CD Over The Grave is awesome. Dont find an excuse to not get it: just do it. And refresh your love for Jesus.

Click here to buy Over The Grave by Sojourn.

Abortion Shift/The Numbers Don't Lie

For the first time in recent history, the majority of America is pro-life. The numbers don't lie.

An article written by an atheist at the Denver Post explores the shift a little closer and why it may be happening now.

As an atheist and a secular kinda guy, I practice moral relativism regularly. Still, I've always struggled mightily with the ethics and politics of abortion. Apparently, I'm not alone.

A new Gallup poll claims that for the first time since 1995, when the question was first asked by the organization, most Americans consider themselves to be "pro-life" rather than "pro-choice."... Click here to continue reading

So what do you think?

Contemporary Calvinists: Reach Records

They aint just Christian rappers. They're rap evangelists. And reformed ones at that. Yes, Lecrae is a Calvinist. So is Trip Lee, Sho Baraka and Tedashii.

The reason I mention this is because, as many may know, Reach Records along with my personal friend and rapper Flame are out and about repping the cause of Christ through the Dont Waste Your Life tour nationwide. And it is evident their popularity is increasing all across the country. As a result a lot more evangelicals from Bible Belt America are coming to know about them. And soon enough, when they listen to the joints these guys bring out, its evident they give all the props back to our God for the free grace given in saving them.

Apparently a lot of people wanted to confirm that these guys are indeed reformed: if you google for "lecrae the calvinist", my site is number 3 on search results! So to appease your curiosity, yes, it's true. They are indeed.

Lecrae's Rebel Intro off his album Rebel features Mark Driscoll, the evangelical rockstar who happens to also be a calvinist. The very next track is named Dont Waste Your Life, after prominent reformed pastor/theologian John Piper's radical book by the same same. In another joint off the album, Fall Back, Trip Lee is featured and he concludes with the line "We'd like fa you to desire God like Piper!" That's just to name a few.

It is important for me to mention here, it's all about Jesus. We are Calvinists, only because when we get to know the Bible more and more, it aligns with what history trditionally calls Calvinism. So in short, yeah - these guys, and myself, we're all Calvinists. But thats primarily because we love Jesus and the Bible!

To conclude, get some albums from these guys at Reach Records, and enjoy some lyrical theology. You can check some of their jams right here on my site playlist.

Where Are They?

Are you anxious for the cause of the gospel?
Where are the faithful young men?

De-Churched

If you came (or come) from a Christian background, I implore you to take a couple of minutes to check your thought process with this.



Peace!

Treasuring HIM

Bam! Jamming to make Jesus look great. Right here.

Do you treasure HIM?
Dont Waste Your Life.

Donating Blood: A Reminder

Ever donated blood before? Well today, I did it for the first time. It was for a younger friend of mine who will be undergoing three major surgeries for her spine in the course of this month, the first being tomorrow.

While the whole procedure took about an hour, and the blood extraction was only for ten minutes. Feeling a little woozy after it was over, I had a couple of cookies and an orange drink. That put me back to normal.

The visit to the American Red Cross Society and the personal situation of my friend opened my eyes to the need for blood for many. A poster in the Red Cross center said that one pint of blood (the amount they take from one donator in one sitting) could save up to three lives.

This reminded me about the blood of Jesus. How much more does the blood of Jesus shed on the cross saves us from our sin...

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Contemporary Calvinists: Flame

"I'm trying to tell you something you probably have never heard
And if you have you probably perceive them as dirty words
Words like election and predestination
Can get you stoned and thrown out of a congregation
But they're in the Bible we gotta talk - talk about it (run it back)
But they're in the Bible we gotta talk - talk about it (one more time)
But they're in the Bible we gotta talk - talk about it"

'Who Can Pluck Us',
from his Grammy nominated album Our World Redeemed.

I am excited to write on my homeboy and personal friend Flame! He has been a great inspiration for me both through his music and his love. It was amusing how I got to meet him. I had been a fan of Flame since the past one and a half years. Then, about a year ago, the first time I came to Immanuel Baptist church, I saw him getting baptized, and heard his testimony. A couple of weeks later I even got to meet him and his really nice Indian (brown pride) wife after church, and learnt that he lives in an apartment complex right by ours.

Here's the catch: I didn't recognize he was Flame throughout this time, and he never, in his testimony or personal meeting, mentioned that he was indeed Flame. As a result, I didn't know I had met one of my favorite artists. Then a few weeks later, when I was casually reading more about some of the rap evangelists I listen to and trying to learn of their testimonies, I came across a bio of Flame. reading then, it then struck me with surprise that I met Flame and did not know it!

Anyway, speaking personally, Flame has been a great guy to hang out with and look upto. When it comes to his music, he proclaims clearly and unashamedly the gospel of Christ, and the various outcomes of gospel-centered worship. In a track "World View" he expounds the fallenness of the world across vaious nations. In "Goodness to Repentance" he reps on the goodness and grace of God and how that is shown through the fact even the worst of sinners are invited to repent from their ways. Another song "L.A.D.I.E.S." is about women, and and how they are precious in consideration to Jesus. He also doesn't shy away from talking about the weightier matters of the faith. Joints like "Who Can Pluck Us", "I Been Redeemed", proclaims the sovereignity of God, which would be the biblical truths that are traditionally called calvinism. Another interesting fact is in another song "Sola Scriptura" he defends the sufficiency of scripture, and alludes to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith!

A bigger break when it comes to the music industry came for Flame when he was nominated for a Grammy around the end of 2008. That for being a solid rapper for Jesus, and clearly being a calvinist, not shying away from the sovereignty of God. That, is God's great grace on this brother.

He also came to perform a free concert in April at the University of Louisville, which I'm a part of. And being part of the team that helped make the concert possible, we got to be a part of God's work in bringing a few African Americans to know Jesus. I heard from a friend who now disciples them, that some of them have even started to listen to and enjoy John Piper's messages! Praise God!

This summer of 2009, he is part of the Dont Waste Your Life tour with Lecrae, Sho Baraka, Trip Lee and Tedashii, going around to 25 cities all around the nation, repping for Jesus!

All this to say: Praise God for our brother Flame. May God keep using him to bring more people to Jesus. Here is his official website if you'd like to learn more about him, or his albums!

Jesus Wants the Rose!

"The minister got up and said we would talk about sex. He took a red rose, smelled it, and threw it out in the crowd and told them to smell the rose. He then began one of the worst, most horrific handlings of what sex is and isn’t that I ever sat through..."

Another reason religion sucks, and we need to go to the good news of the gospel. Listen to Matt Chandler expound this incident.


Romans 5:8

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Some Thoughts for Year 20

Yesterday was my birthday, I turned 19. I had a good day, full of loving people who shared their heartfelt wishes. Sitting here in my room late at night, I ponder on where I was last year this time, and where I'm headed for the future. Here are some reflections that I have come upon:

1. Last Teenage Year: I didn't "feel" like I got a year older today, but the truth stands that I am at the last year of being a teenager, and I'm slowly transitioning into young adulthood. This means I will need, now more than ever, God's grace and wisdom to keep fighting to make much of my life for Jesus; to fight sin, and to find joy in God alone.
   
   
2. Growing in Understanding Biblical Manhood: Becoming older makes me realize how I'm moving further away from my adolescence and moving even closer to taking full responsibility for myself (and my future family, Lord willing) as a biblical adult. This thought is daunting, but there is hope that Jesus has led me so far, and that spiritual discipline and grace will help me continue faithfully.
   
   
3. Engaging in Tighter Community: While I am part of the Indian Fellowship, a church plant effort with faithful teaching led by Jonathan Christman, a friend and pastor I love, the last year has been a trial not being integrated into an actual church, being committed to a local community of people who love and seek Jesus earnestly. One thing I will be pursuing seriously is to be plugged in completely and intentionally to a biblically faithful local church in the city.
   
   
4. Leading Other Guys in the Walk: This coming year, I will be a sophomore in college. Knowing from last year how its like to be a new freshman in college, I hope to make some genuine friendships with guys who are believers coming to University of Louisville, and mentor them to walk faithfully with Jesus. This makes me nervous, but excited at the same time!
   
   
5. Intentional, Honorable Relationships: As I grow in grace with all fellow believers on campus, I am striving for even more purity and a servantful mind to pursue worthwhile friendships with sisters in Jesus: loving them as God loves them, and not seeking selfish gain; seeking to offer genuine love when pursuing a woman who God may (have) put in my life, to grow together with both connection and clarity to what God's will is for romantic relationships: marriage.
   
   
6. Cultivating Humility: That I would remind myself of the gospel at all times, and remember and I am nothing, and Jesus is everything - leading me to live in humble, confident joy.

Lecrae Performs at John Piper's Church

Rappers Lecrae, Sho Baraka, Trip Lee, Tedashii (all part of Reach Records) along with my personal good friend and Grammy-nominated artist Flame had performed a concert at Minneapolis Saturday night. The concert was sold out with over 1400 people. These guys are on the Dont Waste Your Life tour around the country to about 30 different cities. Here is the schedule of the summer tour. The following Sunday Lecrae performed his hit song "Dont Waste Your Life" at Bethlehem Baptist Church, of which pastor-theologian John Piper, author of the book Lecrae's song is named after, and leader of Desiring God ministries, is a part of. Watch the performance by Lecrae at Bethlehem Baptist here.



Tim Keller said something that definitely is relevant and wise. As Christians, if we want to make any long-lasting progress to push forward the cause of the gospel, rather than shunning the culture, we ought to go into the urban culture-making spheres and make and shape gospel-centered culture.

I am excited and grateful for these rappers and brothers in Jesus as they are doing just that.