THIS CHRISTIAN NEEDS A DRINK! Part 3: So did I drink that rum punch yet?

It's been a long time coming - What up Doc? We in here. We ain't new to this thing, Hip-Hop! We been here. Look deep in our eyes - no fear, we been here, we in here, we in here!!!...........LOL! lemme stop singing that Corey Red and Precise song, 'We in Here', in my crazy off-tone before y'all start thinking 'Chick is high off the good stuff!' LOL!....back to the regular scheduled broadcast - and long-awaited answer to the question - "To drinketh, or not to drinketh rum punch?" Ah yes, that was the question...

Sooooo, the other night I decided, what the hay! I'm going to partake in a little Ethiopian Honey Wine with my, rather smashing, Assa (Tilapia sautéed in awazei sauce - an Ethiopian red pepper sauce). It seemed way too Philistinian to eat such a fine Homeland meal without the national wine. So why not, I thought? I'm a woman who believes in fine dining and embracing cultures, especially those from my motherland.

Now, I did not make my mind up so lightly. Prior to making my dining arrangements for the evening I thought about 1 Timothy 5:23 that mentions taking a little wine for a poorly stomach - so, I concluded that pre-menstrual cramps were a little deserving of medical consideration, especially considering that this time of my feminine life has been the first I have had to suffer such gross atrocity against my abdominal flesh. I thought about Proverbs 31: 6-7 that said one should give wine to folks who are going through - so I considered my pretty stressful emotional circumstances and issues that were weighing quite heavily on my sanity of late. Then I thought about all those Biblical Scripture I had meditated on that warned me of drunkeness and the sin that so easily comes to those inebriated out of their sacred mind (check out Part 2 of this series)- so, I was of resolute mind not to drink more than one glass (that Honey Wine is some serious stuff).

Now, being quite settled in my own comfort and discipline not to lose my religion over one drink, I found myself sitting at the dinner table with a girlfriend who was not so conclusive about her freedom - nor comfort, as a Christian, to drink. So I was left with the dilemna of whether to exercise my freedom at her discomfort or to restrain my freedom to drink. In the few seconds of processing my thoughts, I was led to meditate on this Scripture:

"Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible - but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the 
sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake - the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God - even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." (1 Cor 10:23-33)

I realized that while I do, in FACT, have the freedom to drink my rum punch and honey wine, for some folks drinking alcohol will encourage them to engage in behaviors that lead to sin, so they are wary to drink. For others, the potential negative image they portray of themselves as a Christian, in public, drinking alcohol, when the secular world abuses it, more than often, poses sufficient fear to keep them from drinking, less they be typecast as a drunkard or hypocritical Christian. Many people also hold the traditional misconception that alcohol is to be avoided by Christians, in totality, and they see Biblical warnings against drunkeness and drinking as commandments against alcoholic consumption, rather than a guide towards moderation and appropriate conduct.

So, I declined my honey wine that evening, not wishing to harm the conscience of my friend. Now, like me, at first, some of y'all are perhaps thinking, 'If drinking alcohol is not a sin, and is permissable, why should I have to choose not to drink because someone else can't handle their drink without falling off the sin cliff, or someone is opposed to drinking out of a misconception that there is a divine law against it?" Well, this is what came to me on those same thoughts:

"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law(though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), 
so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9:19-23)

Now that said, Christians (and non-Christians) need to understand that their limitations are not those of another Believer, and that they should not judge another Believer's walk with God, including their perception 
of what it means for a Christian having an alcoholic drink, based on how they must, as necessity, limit themselves in order to prevent from being ensnared by sinful behavior. Oftentimes folks are just weary of opening themselves up to the things that trapped them in sin before they came to Christ. And that is understandable. You have to know your limits. But we should never seek to impose our limitations on others.  We have laws that dictate the acceptable age of drinking alcohol, driving and, shamefully, even having sex! In the same way, God's laws and admonishments have some applicability to the maturity of the person, so we should not see another person's walk in the same light as our own nor vice versa. There is a fine balance in exercising our freedom in Christ with our duty to sharpen and be mindful of each other, but it is possible to maintain that balance if we see each other beyond the log in our own eye.

So, no, I did not drink 'ah likkle rum punch', or rather, honey wine that night...but yes! This Christian drinks 'ah likkle rum punch', among other alcoholic beverages! In FACT, last night, being in company that was not about to lose their religion, nor judge the Christian world for my one drink, I sipped very happilly on my honey wine, over another helping of fabulous Ethiopian cuisine at DC's Zed's Ethiopian Restaurant, in the great company of my husband.

So Cheers! to your good health in Christ, to those of you mature enough not to go beyond the limit with alcohol. And for those of you Christians (& non-Christians) who now recognize your divine liberty to down 'ah likkle rum punch' and what not, please remember:

"For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God." 1 Peter 2:15-16

In other words - just because you can drink alcohol - don't drink so you can have an excuse to do all those things you know full well you  have no business doing! Having a drink is meant for you to relax and 
unwind from stress, not get drunk, relax morals and untie yourself from the Laws of God. Sip on a little of that drink - but don't turn the lights down, baby! LOL! (Well, unless you are with your husband or wife! Ha! ummmmmmm! ;-)








Oh! and this is for those of you who don't need to be turning off no light, after that drink! LOL!...an 'eye-opener' courtesy of Corey Red - off of the Corey Red and Precise "Resistance iz Futile" album

MUSICAL FACTS: My Thesis: CHRISTIAN Hip-Hop NEED Jesus!

So it's FACT that, on a whole, what has come to be termed as 'secular' Hip Hop is sorely lacking in morals, never-mind Godliness. But I'm sitting back checking out the latest trends in Christian Hip-Hop circles and I'm thinking, eh? Media-aired sexual indiscretions/dysfunction, division in doctrine, division in business and on personal levels, sneaker/apparel obsession, "diss tracks"...I could go on, but you catch my drift? Yup! Christian Hip-Hop NEED Jesus!

I won't even go into the sexual indiscretions & dysfunction that go on behind closed doors - and heck, even openly. We all got dirty laundry. It is a known FACT that adultery and pre-marital sex are as rife in the church as it is in the world, as is homosexuality, pornography addiction, pedophilia, etc.; so the Christian Hip-Hop circle is hardly an area of exception.

As for divisions in doctrine, business relationships and personal relationships - nothing new about humanity there. Human beings, as we are, are subject to division and strife among each other. We disagree on a magnitude of levels, whatever our faith, or lack thereof, and irrespective of the relationships we do or do not have with one another.

I could mess with Christian Hip-Hop folks about the way some boast and obsess over sneakers/apparel (& phones/mobile devices) and the brands they sport, but I'll save that idolism blog for another time, and let y'all check into Lecrae's REHAB hospital, I mean album, on that one for now.

That said, I'm not setting aside discussion on these topics to excuse any of these behaviors. Just because Christians and non-Christians, alike, are subject to the same wrong-doings does not excuse Christians (or anyone else, for that matter) from doing what is right. 

But my focus is with the "diss track" culture that is quickly developing in Christian Hip-Hop, which has absolutely no place as a norm among this genre of music in the same way it is with it's secular Hip-Hop counterpart. The entire 'diss track' sensation is seriously disappointing on the whole - whether secular or Christian. But in the Christian world, we are, by God's Word, held to a higher standard:

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." Ephesians 5:1-12

For those who have been tuning in to the MC Hammer vs Jay-Z diss drama, with Hammer's latest release of 'Better Run, Run' as a response to Jay's supposed 'diss' of him on Kanye's track - many know, but some don't - what MC Hammer has brought serious media attention to is nothing new in the Christian Hip-Hop genre. The "diss-track" culture running through Christian Hip Hop has history that dates back years, with Artists speaking against secular rappers, most, without naming names. I am not going to make this a 'he said', 'she said' post by calling out Christian Hip Hop Artists who have become reknowned for 'dissing' secular Artists, or of those who make subtle passing references and curt remarks regarding un-named secular Artists. Nor will I name those Christian Emcees who air beef about other Christian Hip Hop Artists on record - both outright and by subtle reference.

While I can get with exposing FACT and truth about the evil that runs rampant through most "secular" hip-hop, and even to pull a fellow Believer up on something that does not stand up to God's Word, it seems the culture of Hip-Hop to battle-rap and insult another Emcee is invading Christian Hip-Hop, and risks us misrepresenting the CULTURE OF CHRIST. While I can commend, maybe, one or two Christian Hip- Hop Emcees for exposing FACT and revealing God's truth in addressing other Emcees - secular and Christian - overall, Christian Hip-Hop Emcees are not trying to expose FACT and the truth of God's Word by releasing 'diss' tracks. Too many are in this to gain rep and attention, or are operating out of ignorance, or both, in an ultimate attempt to 'be Hip-Hop', as some proof to the secular world that they can hold their own.

But take note: Jesus hung with the worst of sinners and spoke the truth of God's Word into their lives without bowing down to how those sinners lived. If He was able to relate without being like them so too can Christian Hip-Hop Emcees relate to the secular Hip-Hop world without bending to their way of thinking and doing; without adopting all of Hip-Hop culture.

Sure, "it is wisdom to meet a man where he is, in order to persuade him to come where you are" (L.A Jackson of The Day Jesus Spoke Hip-Hop)...but empathy does not require that we copycat how the other person thinks, feels or responds in order for them to understand where we come from and receive the truth we are delivering. In any case real recognizes real! People who are lost are not looking for Christian Hip-Hoppers to act like them, or else where is the hope in the things of Christ that we speak to them? If the lost want to exit the way they have been living they are not looking for another thug like them, another ho like them, another pimp like them, another profanity-laden tongue like them, another brand-name sneaker-clad baller like them, another 'diss-lyricist' like them...they want something different from what they have. And the only way we can rep that realness is to rep CHRIST CULTURE, NOT HIP-HOP CULTURE for real.


What Christian Hip-Hop needs is imitators of CHRIST CULTURE, NOT HIP-HOP CULTURE, mi Bredrin!

MUSICAL FACTS: Renew your bOOgie down mind

The rampant socio-sexualization of the youth of today is obvious. Kids are having sex at younger and younger ages. Teen pregnancies are skyrocketing. The United States has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world:

• Unmarried teenagers having children account for 24 percent of all unmarried expectant mothers. 
• More than 2/3 of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school. Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 billion annually. 
• Thirty-four percent of young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 -- about 820,000 a year. Eight in ten of these teen pregnancies are unintended and 79 percent are to unmarried teens.
• In 2006 19.3 abortions per 1000 teenage girls was recorded
• In 2006 teenage pregnancy between the ages of 15-19 years was recorded at a rate of 126.6 per 1000 Hispanic girls; 126.3 per 1000 Black girls ; and 44.0 per 1000 White (non-Hispanic) girls.

Criminal delinquency among youth is equally alarming:

• Approximately 1/3 of all victims of violent crime are teenagers, between the ages of 12 and 19. 
• Homicide is the second-leading cause of death for young adults, after car accidents. Each year, more than 1,500 murder victims are children and teens.
• Almost half of all violent crimes are committed by perpetrators under 25 years old. In 2006, 15% of all arrests were made on people under the age of 18, while more than 1,100 homicide suspects were under the age of 18.
• Juveniles account for more than one-third (36%) of those known to police to have committed sex offenses against minors.
• In the 1980s, 25% of the murders involving a juvenile offender also involved an adult offender. This proportion grew to 31% in the 1990s and averaged 37% for the years 2000–2006

Just as overwhelming are statistics on juvenile drug use:

• According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future study, 19.6% of eighth graders, 34.1% of tenth graders, and 47.4% of twelfth graders reported using any illicit drug within their lifetimes
• According to the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 38% of high school students surveyed nationwide used marijuana during their lifetime 
• In 2006, Hospital Emergency Department drug-related episodes for persons ages 12 to 17 were estimated to be 58,428. Of these episodes, marijuana was mentioned 44,088 times; cocaine was mentioned 10,984 times; stimulants were mentioned 7,740 times; and MDMA (Ecstasy) was mentioned 4,524 times
• According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, there were 109,444 juveniles (under the age of 18) arrested by state and local law enforcement agencies for drug abuse violations during 2007, representing approximately 10.6% of all drug arrests in which the offender's age was reported
• According to a one day census of juvenile offenders in residential placement on October 27, 1999 there were 9,882 juvenile offenders in custody for drug offenses. Almost one third of the juvenile drug offenders were in residential placement for drug trafficking
• In 2004, juvenile courts in the United States handled an estimated 193,700 delinquency cases in which a drug offense was the most serious charge.

To perpetuate the evil of the world by dancing your life away to music that glorifies illicit sex, guns, get money mentality, thugs, gangstas, pimps, hOs, & drugs and then have the audacity to cuss and shake your head at this generation of children who are mimicking YOU, is pure foolishness! Get your mind out the streets, out of the gutter, out of the party-hearty-like-there-ain't-no-tomorrow-club.

RENEW YOUR BooGIE-DOWN MIND from street mentality. The future of the world is in YOUR hands - YOU shape and mould the Leaders of tomorrow!






MUSIC COURTESY OF Juliani. Album "Mtaa Mentality" available for purchase on iTunes (click). Keep up with his music here: http://www.julianionline.com or http://www.facebook.com/julianimusic or http://www.myspace.com/julianimusic


"Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

"The fear (respect, honor) of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:9-11


Teen Pregnancy Statistics:
- Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Public Health and Services, “Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs,”
- The Guttmacher Institute: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrends.pdf

Juvenile Delinquency Statistics:
- Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/default.asp

Juvenile Drug Statistics:
- Office of National Drug Control Policy: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/juveniles/juvenile_drugs_ff.htmlJuvenile

The Fact about Love is...

Love NEVER fails...1 Corinthians 13:8

Beautiful Man
as I hold your charm in the palm of my hand
I think back to days long gone of a land of chocolate brown ebony
ancestral legacy
spiritual harmony between my Black Man and me 
I remember the suffering - 
the past four thousand years brings to mind a time of agony 
when others expressed their fear of you and me 
when strange fruit hung from trees 
dripping seeds of life on infertile ground 
and women bore rape like soldiers on a battlefield
I bear witness to the destruction of our family
babies sold into nigger-hood 
women's honor sullied as our protectors stood helpless 
robbed of their manhood 
I see our fight for liberation, 
civil, rightful reparations vanquished by the Master Plan - 
no Access or Visa if your skin is the wrong color
I hear the voice of Mama Africa call to the martyred spirits
too often forgotten nowadays
I cry for our people who no longer remember our Trail of Tears, 
thinking it all years away
I hold your charm in the palm of my hand 
and wonder how such a thing of beauty can strike fear into the hearts of men
I hold your charm in the palm of my hand
and shower it with the survived love of unforgotten years...

"Beautiful Man".  © 1998 Kalinago Woryi

FACTOID THINKER: things that make me go 'hmmm'

Why is it we commit acts of SIN when we know Christ?

Because SIN IS FUN & PLEASURABLE, silly!

Maybe if we stop acting like those sinful things we are tempted to do or think about are not as enticingly delightful as they are, then we can better 'check' ourselves and our legitimate human need for pleasure, and find that pleasure in righteous acts and thoughts that strengthen us spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and, yes, even, physically...you know, kinda like swapping that ginormous Cadbury's Fruit & Nut chocolate bar or that 1230-calorie Haagen Daz Peanut Butter Brittle ice-cream tub, for a colorful bowl of tropical fruit salad...TRY IT, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT (in my Yo Gabba Gabba voice! lol)...

MIC-CHECK 1-2: Reality FACT

I never believed in PMS (that would be 'Pre-menstrual Syndrome' to y'all Gentlemen) until I experienced it for myself! No! Really, TMI aside...It wasn't until I felt the symptoms of PMS - bloating, cramps, back pain, and mood swings, that I started to believe what other women were telling me. I mean I had periods before, and was like, "what's the big deal? These women are tripping!"... but maybe because I went years without one, that when they kicked in, they really kicked in - ya know what I mean? So finally, BOOM! Two decades after the first period, I am truly experiencing what it means to have PMS!

Well, MIC-CHECK pon dee reality of life - You will never believe in Christ until you experience Him working in and through you and your ego (bloating); your pain (cramps); your troubles (back pain); and your sin (mood swings). You may go to church, say you 'love the Lord', say you believe in God, just like a woman can say she has a menstrual cycle, but until you allow Christ to show you who God is and who you are in Him, you will not know what it is like to truly experience God and to truly claim faith in how He works IN you and THROUGH you, just as I never truly believed in PMS until I became a bloating, cramping, back-aching, crankier-than-hell-under-my-halo-hat kinda mess!

And Gentlemen, if you just can't relate this feminine experience to your faith walk - wait till your mojo needs a blue pill to keep it going! I suggest you get friendly with the Great Physician (aka God), now - before you become the poster boy for ED.

MUSICAL FACTS: the inFILTHtration of our minds

Take a look at these two videos I got linked in to from the 'Grow The Heck Up' Blog here on Blogger, hosted by  Lavoisier Cornerstone and St. Joogs


As an introduction here's the snip-bit FACT about the making of these videos, as Lavoisier Cornerstone puts it: "...24-year old film-maker Andrew Jenks has a new show on MTV in which he (along with a small camera crew) embeds himself in various worlds and lives in the shoes of people his own age from all walks of life. He says his goal is to try to understand what is at stake in their world, and ultimately, what is at stake in their lives. Over the course of six months, he's lived with an MMA cage fighter, a young man with autism, an animal rescuer, a poker player, an NFL cheerleader and, yup, you guessed it...a rapper. Enter Brooklyn-bred rapper Maino: A hood dude with a hard past, who began to write music during his 10 year jail bid. He's most known for his hits, "Hi Hater" and "All the Above" feat. T-Pain."







SO DID YOU CATCH THOSE SUBTLE FACTS? Firstly, these scenes are staged, which immediately alerts  my inquiring mind as to the "media spin" that's about to go down. In the first video Maino points to a scar on his left cheek. In the second video, when you get to the same scene as the first video, where Maino is pointing to a scar on his face, he points to his right cheek.

But we shan't go into the dramatic 'stagings' of reality shows and documentaries that give us those lovely 'ratings' that don't always come with truly real-life shenanigans. After Jenks seems to have almost got his daylights choked out of him by Maino, in that jack-slapping/choking scene, for having challenged the rapper to be a more positive influence than the partying, drinking, womanizer that Jenks thought he was from his actions, the second video ends with an eye-opening visit to the hood for Jenks, who later states: "I realized how far Maino has come. Everyone Maino grew up with is either in jail, dead, or still lives in the projects. Only Maino got out. He is an inspiration". Jenks' hood experience leads him to change his stance and portray Maino as a positive influence for people from the ghetto, because Maino is not typical of his hood counterparts - he no longer lives in the projects, he shops at Bloomingdale's, picks his kid up from school and has 'legal money' - though not the kind Von Won was talking about.

Yet, FACT 2 is this: rappers, like Maino, perpetuate the very crap that holds people in the hood in mental enslavement and enhances racist stereotypes of Black people among those who buy, listen and observe their lifestyles and media personalities. And we are supposed to consider them a role model for our kids? Most of them can't even pull their pants up, going out in public with their derrière exposed in that jail-time dress-code created to solicit homosexual sex, while clearly engaging in illicit sex with women, oh, I mean "b*tches", as they call them! Hmmmm...I guess it is acceptable for our kids to learn how to be on their "g-sh*t" towards rapper stardom and fame, so long as it keeps them out the hood, right??? ...smh

FACT: JUST BECAUSE A SECULAR RAPPER COMES OUT WITH AN INSPIRATIONAL HOOK OR VERSE within a cursed-filled, women-demeaning/man-dogging SONG OF SURVIVAL AGAINST THE ODDS, DON'T MEAN HE/SHE IS 'ALL GOOD' AND ALL HOOD-POSITIVE. Most secular Hip Hop rappers, by their perpetuation of thug life and materialism, are far from a good role model for anyone, much less a kid living in the hopelessness of the ghetto. Sure, it is wonderful that many used their talents to propel themselves out of the hopelessness of the hood, but HOW they CHOOSE to use their God-given talents is a perpetuation of NEGATIVITY and EVIL. LET'S CALL A SPADE A SPADE AND AN ACE AN ACE.

The devil disguises himself as an angel of light to seek whom he can devour (2 Corinthians 11:14 & 1 Peter 5:8), and the FACT of the matter is that this seemingly inspirational story of a thug-come-rapper-superstar is the devil in a blue dress with a halo, seeking to inFILTHtrate our minds with the notion that you can translate the street hustle to 'get money' by any means, into a hustle to get money 'legally', regardless of the moral and ethical implications of how you choose to make that money (somebody tell me the difference between hustling crack for cash and hustling a thugged out gangsta lifestyle that clearly leads to psychological/cultural and spiritual degradation of people who are sold the real and imagined pursuit of it)



AND TO THE PARENTS WHO ARE BUYING & PLAYING THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT GLORIFIES VIOLENCE, ILLICIT SEX AND 'GET MONEY' MENTALITY TO YOUR CHILD, EXPECTING SOME POSITIVE DESTINY FOR THEM - WAKE UP! Your kid gains nothing positive from following these rappers out the hood listening and learning how to get his/her "g-sh*it" on. By continuing to buy this kind of music we perpetuate the spiral into a self-fulfilling prophecy of being thugged out gangstas, b*tches, hos, pimps, and rappers with no moral conscience...all in the glorious pursuit of money and getting out the hood...


HEY YOUNG WORLD! Fact: THE WORLD IS YOURS...because you are HEIRS to a promise (Galatians 4:28). DON'T BELIEVE THE LIES...HERE'S A REAL MESSAGE FROM A REAL EX-THUG WHO FOUND THE REAL WAY TO GET YOUR MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT OUT OF THE HOPELESSNESS OF THE GHETTO...

FACTOID THINKER: things that make me go 'hmmm'

Why is it we are so concerned about Pastors constructing up to 16,800* seat mega-churches for people to gather and worship God together, but we don't fuss when up to 109,901* seat football stadiums are constructed for grown men in tights to run around chasing after a ball?

* The largest seated capacity church in the U.S.A is the 16,800 seat church, Lakewood Church in Texas (Pastor Joel Osteen) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood_Church?wasRedirected=true

* The largest seated capacity stadium in the U.S.A, & 3rd largest stadium in the world, is the 109,901 seat football stadium, Michigan Stadium (Michigan State Wolverines) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Stadium?wasRedirected=true

THIS CHRISTIAN NEEDS A DRINK ((PART 2)): To drinketh rum punch or not to drinketh rum punch? - that is still the question...

So, now that I put on a couple pounds eating Häagen-Dazs Rum Raisin ice-cream, all the while kicked back in a real skanking kinda stance to the likes of my main Reggae man dem, Monty G, St. Matthew, Benjah, Dominic Balli, Christafari, Papa San, Prodigal Son (oh oh! lemme not start a whole new blog there...) - with Bible in the hand, and my academic face on, I find, a couple weeks later, I am still working on giving y'all a definitive answer to the question: "To drinketh rum punch or not to drinketh rum punch?" Yes, that is still the question!

Trust me Starr! Iz not avoidance on my part, scene? (transliteration: I'm not avoiding providing an answer, ya heard me?). Nor has the ice-cream got me too tilted to focus. You see, after some pretty decent research on this life changing question - both before and since posting my need for ah likkle rum punch, it boils down to one of those answers that make you have to think for your own-self...

Soooooooo, let me take you on the short-story version of my journey in thought, to answer: "To drinketh rum punch or not to drinketh rum punch?", and perhaps y'all can work it all out for yourself...and help a Sista out...


As it would be exhaustive for me to quote every Biblical reference to drinking alcohol I will leave you with a few choice favorites that put the issue to bat - with the ball, firmly in your court...

Thou shall not drinketh thine rum-punch???:

One can find accounts in the Bible of folks who lost their religion over a few too many drinks. Here's a couple to start:

• In the Book of Esther 1, King Ahaseurus was throwing them back one night and started boasting about his fine wife, Queen Vashti. Being the 'man' and King, and all, he thought, in his drunken mind, it was a great idea to call for her and have her parade in front of his boys. She weren't having it. Now, the King was in a position where his macho rep and authority was being publicly challenged. Needless to say, the drink had him taking advice from his likely-equally-drunk boys who thought it best to banish Vashti - a woman he actually loved and adored....hmmmm, #epicfail

• In Genesis 9 Noah and his family are divinely blessed to survive the greatest catastrophic disaster on the planet to date - global flood. He walks off his ship, unscathed, with his family, gets to rebuilding the world, and decides to kick back with the fermented fruits of his labor one day. After too much wine he is up in his tent butt-naked and snoring. His son, Ham, walks in and what-do-ya-know - surprise! Daddy mooning! Ham goes to tell his brothers about it and what does he get? A drunk father cussing out the son of his son, condemning the innocent child to be a "servant of servants" to his brethren, because his own Daddy, Ham, walked in on Grandpa tilted with wine, with his butt shining brighter than the stars...not a good look for drinking.

 And here's some equally sobering thoughts:

• Proverbs 20:1 - "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." (NKJV) - So I'm a dummy if I drink that rum punch?
  

• Proverbs 23:19-21 - "Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags." (NIV) - So I'm on the path to poverty if I drink that rum punch?

• Galatians 5:19-21 - "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (NKJV)  - So, dang! I just ain't even getting into heaven if I drink that rum punch?

 Thou mayest drinketh thine rum punch?

 So after reading a multitude more of these type of aforesaid Scripture, and various commentaries on the topic of 'what the Bible has to say about drinking', and thoroughly drowning my sorrows and liver in gluttonous tubs of Rum Raisin ice-cream, I'm praying, asking God, "Like, really? I can't ever get me a rum punch?" And in the true rebellion of a child, I'm trying to gain ground for my position to have a drink by countering God with that 'but so and so is doing it' argument. So I look up these references of people of God drinking - without there being any hell fire and brimstone, and such, attached to it. Of course, the best example to convince God of the goodness of some lime rum punch would be the example of His own Son, right?

• In John 2: 1-11 not only is Jesus' first miracle recorded for posterity - the turning of water into wine - an account is made of the drinking of wine at a wedding. - So I can drink my rum punch on 'special' social occasions, right?

•  In Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14: 22-25; & Luke 22: 15-20 Jesus divides a cup of drink among His disciples, saying "Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God." - So, Jesus, 'normally' drank the fruit of the vine aka wine, so I can hit up a rum punch too, right?

And just in case God wanted to argue with me about His Son not having been recorded as actually drinking the good stuff (Jesus turned water into wine, but no reference was made as to Him drinking it; Jesus had His disciples share the wine - He himself, did not drink it) I figured, as God is not a respecter of persons He would respect some 'layman' references to the normalcy and necessity of throwing back a shot for those of us lesser mortals...

• Proverbs 31: 6-7 -  "Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more." (NKJV) - So I can have a rum punch if I'm on my death bed, or feeling bitter about life, right?

• 1 Timothy 5:23 - "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities." (NKJV) - So, as the Apostle Paul advised Timothy to drink wine for his health maladies, I can knock back a rum punch when I'm sick, right?

• Amos 9:14 - God speaks of blessing Israel: "I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit." (NIV) - So, I can down a likkle rum punch as God gave me the fields of sugar cane and lime to make it, right?

I could have gone on for eternity with all these positive arguments for me holding down ah cool glass ah rum punch 'fore I die... but the FACT is the Bible both cautions against drinking alcohol, as well as offers numerous accounts of the people of God drinking - both in the sense of warnings against drunkenness and as an acceptable form of social practice and for medicinal purpose. So, I'm still here thinking to myself 'what really is the deal? To drink or not to drink?' ... my brain is hurting! THIS CHRISTIAN NEEDS A DRINK!

to be continued...after a couple Pineapple Coconut Häagen-Dazs ice-cream tubs, which they so happened to have tainted with a likkle rum :-)

MIC-Check 1-2: Reality FACT

Sometimes when we take the wrong road to our destination, and notice way down the road we are lost, we choose to keep going on that road hoping it will lead us to a new path to our original destination, instead of turning around. In the same way we often make decisions in life that we discover are not going to help us achieve our goal. But we have expended much energy and time in working our plan, so we keep pushing through with it in the hope that we can still find a way around to get to our original goal...

REALITY FACT - more than often we would waste less time and energy making a U-turn instead of forging ahead in the wrong direction.

THIS CHRISTIAN NEEDS A DRINK!

Today was a rough day...and I NEED a drink! Twas one of those days that make me wanna 'down ah likkle rum punch' and skank down to some serious Gospel Reggae. The problem is that it seems a mighty contradiction to get a little loose on some alcohol while singing God's Praises to a Reggae beat! Not that there is something wrong with alcohol, per se, - heck Jesus' first recorded miracle was to turn water into wine, right???

But I guess my Catholic upbringing is messing up my fantasy - that said, every Catholic and all manner of Christian folk I encountered growing up drank alcohol so why is it I'm hung up? It's not like I want to get slaughtered off the stuff, like most of them did. Ah! but even though I witnessed Catholics and other Christians drinking, I was indoctrinated against indulging in such a vice while growing up in a Caribbean island - of all places! Hello! Land of rum punch! 

It's another one of those wretched contradictions in one's thought processes that just doesn't seem to want to go away. Even if I were to argue with myself about the fact that 'ah likkle rum punch’ - peanut or passion fruit...hmmm or coconut, or just unadulterated lime punch (yum), is no big deal, drinking in the presence of my 'minors' (aka my children) while trying to raise them to stay away from such 'vices' doesn't bode well with the Spirit (mine, that is). Of course, being mindful of representing Christ in a non hypocritical manner, unlike the way I saw Christians growing up, also has me considering people's perception regarding a Christian drinking (and buying) alcohol. An 'unsaved' person has no problem drinking themselves into oblivion and thinking nothing of it, but let a Christian drink one drink, and OMG! Why is it a Christian can be forgiven for murder but not for drinking? 

But never mind that - shucks, what would Christians say about another Christian drinking alcohol ? I tell you what they will say...the same judgemental nonsense I hear in the Church - 'she's backsliding!'. Christians have jumped on this non-alcohol wagon too quick. Yes, some of them need to stay away from it after they get saved because they sure will over-indulge and act like a mule; but some of us are hardly going to "lose our religion" over a drink (one is all that's physically needed to loosen one's nerves, unless you are a 'soulant' {heavy drinker/drunkard}, as my Kweyol peoples would say.)

...Anyway, this is a useless conversation. I am talking to myself about the fact that myself wants a drink and feels like myself can't have one without some other disturbance to myself's overloaded brain and emotions. Bugger it I say!!! (ooops, that might be a curse word, haven't used it in a looooooong time, nor on these shores before, so not sure anymore - ya see how alcohol (or the want of) can lead you to sin!!!? LOL!)...Well, how about 'dog it'? seems tame enough...Dog It! I am going to have me some Haagen Daz Rum Raisin ice-cream before bed and get fat over my acceptable form of alcohol, while I peruse the ultimate barometer of whether or not this Christian should have a REAL rum punch - Yep! Time to consult those Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (aka The BIBLE)

Good night...and stay tuned for the FACTS about the ability - or lack thereof - of this Christian to drink a rum punch...

FACTOID-THINKER: things that make me go 'hmmm'

1. All 'forests' contain a dense population of trees & vegetation, & are home to wildlife.
2. All 'jungles' contain a dense population of trees & vegetation, & are home to wildlife.
3. 'Forests' are geographically located in non-tropical lands, usually considered a part of the 'developed' world.
4. 'Jungles' are geographically located in tropical lands, usually considered a part of the
'under-developed' world.
5. Most of the 'developed' world contain high populations of non-Blacks, while most of the population of the 'under-developed' world are non-white.
6. Stereotypical images of the 'forest' are of a serene, calm, thriving natural habitat.
7. Stereotypical images of the 'jungle' are of a wild, untamed, dangerous region.

Is it just me or are there some correlations, here, between racist perceptions of people and how we classify 'things' and places associated with one or another particular racial group(s)?

BREAK OUT OF JAIL FREE?: Jailbreaking is legal but is it morally correct?

"Federal regulators said in a ruling that consumers can jailbreak their mobile devices without fear of legal repercussions from handset makers over violating copyright protections..." Phil Goldstein  (http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/u-s-regulators-decalre-iphone-jailbreaking-legal/2010-07-26)


Sounds like a sweet deal, right? All those cell phones and other mobile devices we love totally and legally accessible to us whether or not we subscribe to the approved carrier. But did you miss the subtle line at the end of Goldstein's statement? The article does not state that no copyright violation occurs when someone jailbreaks a phone, it merely highlights the FACT that the government has set a law into place that will allow a person to jailbreak a mobile device "without fear of legal repercussions from handset makers."

In light of the new law, Apple, a company experiencing a higher degree of jailbreaking of their mobile devices, remains adamant in it's policies and technological attempts to protect the copyright of their products and exclusivity with their approved service and sales providers. And why, you may be asking? Is it just capitalist greed? Well, sure, they want to keep as much money in their pockets as possible - that's the nature of a good profit-making business. But the FACT is, irregardless of lack of indemnity under the law for those who jailbreak devices, IT IS STILL A VIOLATION OF A COMPANY'S COPYRIGHT TO JAILBREAK A MOBILE DEVICE!

Now, I highlight this FACT to say this: There are many Christians who have and continue to openly declare that they jailbreak mobile devices, both before, and since this law came into effect to grant them exemption them from legal repercussion; so I'm curious to know: How can one can profess to follow Christ and still engage in what is, essentially, property theft, or, at the very least, a trespass of property - irrespective of the legal freedom to do so?

Now, we can get into semantic and legal debates about whether or not the customer has a right to exercise this new law without criminal, or even moral conscience. However, for brevity sake, since it is an already established FACT that this new law changes nothing as to the rights to copyright, but merely introduces another loophole in the Swiss-cheese of our legal system, we shall focus, instead, on the grey area Christians, and others, face in light of this new law. The new law has essentially condoned copyright infringement of mobile devices by exempting offenders from any legal consequences, effectively deeming them 'guiltless' of any crime.  However, the new law makes no change in a mobile device maker's right to maintain copyright of their product, so these manufacturers are still entitled to ownership rights under copyright law.

Christians often quote 1 Peter 2:13-17 to demonstrate that God wants people to obey the law of the land. With this position of thinking it seems a simple matter of dismissing the sense of any legal 'guilt' as to a Christian - or anyone else - jailbreaking a mobile device, since they have been granted legal protection against indemnity within the scope of this new law. However, what tends to be overlooked is the FACT that, in verse 14, of the aforesaid Scripture, God is quite specific about the type of government the Believer is to follow with the fervency that this command requires: "...those who are sent by Him (God) for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good." 

Now, I make no calls against our government, being an active supporter of many of those who lend their lives to the service of this great Nation. What I will say is that, clearly, by the proof of the historical and contemporary Law of this land alone, which does not always uphold Godly principles (prior civil rights abuses, abortion laws etc.), our government is not a government 'sent' by God, nor even necessarily is it made up of people who believe in God. Now does that mean we disregard man's Law completely because God did not appoint them to government? No, not at all. Even Christ instructed the people to render unto Caesar that which was Caesar's (Matthew 22:21).
 
To merge all sides of the coin: Christians are to obey the law of the land - at least, inasmuch as it lines up with God, and sometimes, even in cases where it may appear unfair (Caesar's extortionate taxes). Copyright & patents are a law of property that, like all law, places a standard against sin, in this case of theft and trespass. Mobile device makers, like Apple, who, within the scope of these copyright laws, have created policies and implemented practices that seek to protect the copyright of their products. Their rights are to be respected as much as our, now, legal right to infringe upon their copyright without consequence because the FACT is legal penalty or not, jailbreaking a mobile device illegally infringes on a company's rights to distribute, sell and service their property in a  manner they intend....So which should Christians choose? - follow the new Law of Man blindly, without regard to the moral and legal infringement of a company's copyright, or forfeit their own legal right to do as they please with a product they purchase so that they do not commit a trespass or theft against a mobile device maker's copyright to product?

What's your thoughts on these FACTS?