Forerunner

I know, Rev mentioned something like this in his post- I was trying to explain it but I guess I won't. Let me just share it.

Hebrews 6: 19This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil,


20where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, who is made a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

Important to note is the role of a high priest.

Hebrews4: 15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 5: For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;


2who can have compassion on the ignorant and on those who are outside of the Way, since he himself is also encompassed by infirmity.

3And by reason hereof, he ought, both for the people and also for himself, to make offering for sins.

4And no man taketh this honor unto himself, except he that is called by God, as was Aaron.

Wow! God is good.

Lions and Liars

Bazanye- you like rap or is it hip hop?. I'm giving you what I think is the best Sho Baraka-[mercy on me] on the Lions and Liars album.

This is a message to me, I can relate and I think many of us can. Immerse yourselves.

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Hook
(Chinua Hawk)
Lord, Lord you know I tried/
When I should have been strong I cried/
When I should have helped I walked on by/
When I should have told the truth I straight up lied/
I know your love has set me free/
But I keep putting you back on that tree/
Oh Lord, Have your mercy on me/
Loving father put your grace on me, on me/

2nd thru 4th Chorus addition
Put your Grace on me, on me (repeat 3x)
Loving Father
Put your Mercy on me, on me (repeat 3x)
Loving Father Put you Mercy on me, on me

Verse 1
Tre's nerves are bubbling, juggling jobs, avoid hustling/
Hard trusting in God- because he's struggling/
TV's throwing lust at him, Corner boys punking him/
Wife wants to fuss with him, LORD keep touching him/
He might return to street life, But he'll fight will all he can/
Coz if they test him again, He would hate to have kill a man/
The pressure he can't handle it, he's lost his ways to channel it/
He might Black out, Then he ends up back in anger management/
His common problem- is his values aren't- matching his wallet/
He's praying but still jobless, his faith used to keep him honest/
His visions of bad decisions are void of the godly wisdom/
So this one bad decision will probably lead him to prison/
So a week from now, He'll be at a Bank in town/
he'll be yelling get down, with some other clowns, waving a gun around/
He'll succeed ducking the cops and leaving with the profits/
But he'll have problems dodging all the guilt that's working on his conscious/

Verse 2
Jane's feeling the pain, like razors are in her vein/
Last year the cancer came, and now her life has changed/
Chemo and pain killers, the disdain's gettin realer/
Her Hope's becoming thinner, from all the news they give her/
She taking the news with caution, coz she knows the Lord is awesome/
But often she pauses, of the losses and of what death could cost us/
Is it worth fighting she nauseous, plus the hospital charges/
She heard there's a light in the tunnel but all she sees is Darkness/
No one is feeling her burden, they just keep giving her sermons/
If they listened with more discernment, they could tell that she's hurting/
Her speech is an illusion, she's scared of the end conclusion/
If she shares her doubt- then she fears her image may be ruined/
Shes holds her fears in, tears in, She'll be dead by years end/
Shes not thinking through how God forgives sins/
Until then her nights are long, and she's faking strong/
In the corner of her home, This will be her song, sing /

Verse 3
How often we go thru motions, of up and down rollercoasting/
Scared to admit were hurting, with nervous thoughts of perversion/
This culture we've built is perfect, were saying His death was worthless/
We're Not concerned with His worship as along we do our churchin/
Were decorating our person, just to continue lies/
Our shortcomings we hide, with a shallow disguise/
To prove we got it together, to make it seem like were better/
Than friends, family whoever, we take some extreme measures/
We have a desire to add, to the grace that we have/
We're never content with our lives, we operate with pride/
We hate to seem dependent, but that's the way that He intended/
Humans made in His image, built to live in the tension/
Learn His wisdom, were distant , love we didn't deserve it/
We confess that we're worthless, then we break our backs to earn it/
Without You I'm, helpless and weak, my existence is bleak/
I refuse to proceed without Your grace and mercy on me/

Routine Rejection and Switchfoot

My eyes wide open, I've got my eyes wide open, I've been keeping my hopes unbroken....

Those are words from Switchfoot's Your Love Is A Song. Ever since I got their album [Hello Hurricane], I have been feeding on it. I personally believe there is no greater rock band in the world than Switchfoot. The lyrics and clever instruments always gets me whether I am down or up or on the way up.

In a past life I think I was in Switchfoot. Anyway, there are times when the words they speak directly touch my circumstances and give me reason to keep trusting [GOD] and keep pushing forward.

"I've been keeping my hopes unbroken."

You know how easy it is to throw your hopes to the wind when things keep falling apart? It is this easy. Repetitive unsuccessful attempts have a way of drying up a man's resolve and making him soulless. There's a way such situations harden the heart. There's this song called Ononsonyiwa by Jamal which talks of how his behaviour has been affected by past hurts in love.

Naturally, that should be the case; hope keeps fading. However Switchfoot and I agree, it is always noble to "keep your hopes unbroken", regardless how many failures or how long it takes for you to see something come alive!

As a matter of fact, even the Apprentice according to his daughter advises, Don’t take no for an answer and Be annoyingly persistent when you want something.

Keep your hopes unbroken. No matter how many rejection letters you receive, no matter how many times girls say no to you, no matter, no matter, no matter.....


Hello hurricane, you're not enough
Hello hurricane, you can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can't silence my love, my love

What do you usually do when storms come? Cower? Hide? Run? Scream? Some times in life, challenges befall us like hurricanes and the very core of our soul comes to a point of despair.

Loss? Rejection? Failure? etc? How do you prepare to face life's hurricanes? Love. Love at the core. Consider Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is a another stanza that rocks concerning this same thing:

Every thing I have I count as loss
Everything I have is stripped away
Before I started building I counted up these costs
There's nothing left for you to take away

Contentment. Faith. Purpose. If you know you have purpose, and you live it with faith, nothing can stop you because you find contentment in the perfect power of God who is able to do all things. These Switchfoot guys know how to share the Word. I love it so much.

Hallelujah, every breath is a second chance, yeah

Yes, another Switchfoot line. Every breath is a second chance. Another chance to dust yourself and keep pursuing God, keep pursuing life, keep pursuing peace, keep pursuing truth, keep pursuing love.

In my life, one can say I have gone through routine rejection all my life. Normally the response should be negative, you know, the things you hear in love songs about how people have given up on love, or are going to break hearts etc, such stupid stuff.

I am not saying there is no pain involved, there is pain. That pain pains! LOL. However, it helps to think, put things in perspective, trust God and just know all things work for the good of those who love the Lord.

Whoah!! You are reading this and you do not know the LORD? Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Just come. Forget trying to earn salvation, it is impossible. Just do the 3:16, believe in Christ Jesus and start your journey.

Well, it is only appropriate I finish with Switchfoot,

And I fall in love
With the ones that run me through
When all along all I need is you

nowplaying: Always [Switchfoot]

Saying Goodbye for Good.

She never took her eyes off him the entire time the vows were being made. Her big round eyes. She stared deep into his eyes, ultimately showing certainty of what she was doing.

There are things in life which when they happen, momentarily challenge your sanity. July meant my time was up and that all hope was lost and that if I had any hope, I better relinquish it.

There's something about an ex getting married that touches you at the base. You may even be friends with her, not beefing with her but the fact that she is getting married rubs you the wrong way.

I will be honest. I had mixed emotions. On the one part I was happy for her, why? God had totally transformed her. I remember back when we were at Bible Study together and she used to say she never wanted to get married. I must admit I hoped that sort of thinking did not persist [for my own sake of course]. So seeing her make those vows to that man to me was God.

On the other hand, I was angry, selfish, dejected. I felt cheated, I felt like I had watered the plant and pruned it well only for someone else to eat the fruit. I know- I was being vain, there are the sowers and reapers and both must rejoice. However in my heart I was like it was 3 years of Nevonic presence in her life that brought about that change snd what were my gains?

I know- this is selfish but let me get it off my chest. I invited her to Church...the place she would grow and even find a husband and when I left she got angry. I felt I deserved more but heck life is not fair.

I approached to take the gift [in Church], and when she saw me she said " My God you made it!!". Yes, at one time we were inseparable and if she had invited me there would be no doubt I would be there. However, we grow up, we get exposed to Politics. Politics; she invited me, hoping I would make it but knowing I had an ego and may avoid it. However, she was my friend first. I owed her that. Therefore, I showed up; her acknowledging it made the Church feel a little warmer somehow.

I watched as she gave herself away, as she officially became his. As all prayer requests tumbled and broke, all hope was lost etc. . . Well not really. She was gone before she was married. I knew it was over at one point. However there's that thing about a girl you love well, when she goes, she never really goes. So now maybe the curtains are closed and I can focus on my hiking and adventuring business.

This is it. Freedom.

I ask myself at this point: LORD, did I learn the lesson you were teaching me all this while?

nowplaying : This is your life [Switchfoot]

Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead, yesterday is a promise that you've broken; Don't close your eyes this is your life, and today is all you got now, and today is all you'll ever have....

Forward we move [Kwame Nkrumah]