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May the Word of the Lord be your help.

There are many different ways to translate the greeting from Boaz to his workers from Ruth 2:4, but I really do like this from John Gill’s exposition of the Bible where he references the Targum as “May the Word of the Lord be your help.” Wikipedia explains that the point of a targum is that “A targum was an originally spoken translation of the Hebrew Bible that a professional translator would give in the common language of the listeners when that was not Hebrew.” For those of us who aren’t fluent in Hebrew and don’t understand the original language, context and customs — preachers, expositions, Bible translations into our common language, and targums are very helpful to help us understand. In fact, our very lives are meant to be targums in a way — bringing the Word of God that is foreign and not understandable to a lost person close enough and familiar enough to them through is that they might encounter the Lord.

It was then that Boaz came back from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”
Ruth 2:4 AMP

Boaz greeted his workers in a familiar way that brought God glory and allowed them to in return give God glory as well. And he didn’t just give God glory in his words, but also in how he lived.

Truly, there is no help better for us than the Word of God. That is the truth for this life and for the eternal. We can find no better help than the Living Word of God being with us and helping us and guiding us through our day. I pray we know this, we believe this, and we live this in such a tangible way that it compels a response from others that also glorifies God today. Amen!

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Gang Rape and Incest?

There is no way to get around it, Genesis 19 is a tough chapter to walk through. It starts out with a very disturbing passage on the topic of a community where gang rape seems to be either normalized, or at least a systemic and common occurrence.

For most of us, not having the ability to refuse sexual advances from others would seem very odd. But even today, there are many people trapped in the sex trafficking trade that deal with rape and gang rape and who have no expectation that they would get to choose or refuse those who press hard against their door. No matter how foreign or uncomfortable this situation might be compared to our own sheltered experiences — or how painful it might be in comparison to personal experiences of molestation, rape, etc. — we mustn’t ignore that this type of exploitation and injustice carries an especially challenging burden.

For victims of these types of crimes against humanity, it is especially hard to not wish for vengeance for your oppressors instead of pursuing for their forgiveness. And we can see that even God’s patience with such wickedness (and great suffering caused to others others) has limits.

The culmination of this chapter, where they have been delivered from this place and culture of sexual slavery but how it clearly has an impact on how the children grow up normalized to the idea of incest is also hard to stomach for most of us living with first world problems.

To think that this is an outrageous and far fetched situation is to ignore what many poor, oppressed and victimized people deal with today. We who are reading daily Christian devotionals in the comfort of our homes and jobs may not have the particular threat of gang rape and incest pressing to break into our house. But lust, pornography, sexual perversions, adultery and all kinds of temptations would love to set the standards of our family closer and closer to Sodom and Gomorrah one generation at a time until sin is normalized and things like gang rape and incest aren’t even shocking or uncommon.

It is not so far fetched to imagine a society that starts out punishes those in court who refuse to glorify and normalize sexual perversion — moving (if unchecked) to the point of forcing acts of sexual perversion upon unwilling participants.

So we must remember the grace that our God has extended us, seek how we might help, encourage and introduce those enslaved to the trappings of sexual sin to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And we must not hesitate to run from such things when they endanger our family — especially when the Lord makes it clear that we must turn away without looking back.

Each of us has something that we need to lay down and never pick up again. Each of us has something small that we could surrender that might seem harmless at first but could grow beyond our control and wreck our lives if left to multiply like a cancer. Let’s recognize the warning in this passage, turn away from sin, turn to God before what we “put up with” has very real consequences for our children and those we love. Amen.

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“Yahweh”, “El Roi”, “El Shaddai”, “Allah”, and “Jesus”

I’m reading in Genesis this morning, and two of the chapters are 16, which focuses on the birth of Ishmael, and 17, which focuses on Abram’s name change to Abraham. It is quite interesting, that right in the middle of Abram getting a different name, we see these differences in name when it comes to God.

Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
Genesis 16:13 NLT

The name described in Hagar’s story here is “El Roi“. And we see in chaper 17 that the name “El Shaddai” is given as a self description by God to Abram. In the story of Moses, the name given at the burning bush is the tetragammon, or “Yahweh“. And if we look at the lineage of Ishmael that leads to today’s Muslims, we find their use of the name “Allah“, and Christians have the name of “Jesus” that is given to them.

And many might say, “It’s all the same God and religion is just people fighting over what name to call God and how they can force their own beliefs onto others.” And I’ll agree that the defiled “religion” that most of us think of when we hear that word — it clearly has those problems and a well documented history of oppression, injustice, and wickedness — because man-made, defiled religion is a disguise of self-righteousness that unrighteous people put on in order to hide their own selfish agendas and motives. Yep, I said it, and you’re either agreeing with me right now or you’re offended — and I still love you either way.

“Religion” as we think of it in the “man-made” terms of this fallen world is very defiled. Regardless of which one you pick by name, it won’t take long to dig up a scandal, a horror, a war, an injustice, or a clearly ungodly happening that is directly and undeniably tied to that sect, denomination, world religion, etc.

But just because there are defiled religions, doesn’t mean that there isn’t something greater — an actual “pure religion” that isn’t just a constant war of “mine is right and yours is wrong”, nor is it a careless and thoughtless “abandoning of a singular truth for a multitude of lies”.

So what are we to make of all of these different names?

What are we to make of all of these religious people signing us up for their causes and agendas?

What are we to make of the hurt and pain that man-made, defiled religions have caused and continue to cause today?

Are we to tell them that they must cease and desist all religious activity — just to see it go underground and become more powerful and prevalent than it was when it was mainstream and highly available publicly?

Or are we to insist that they must reconcile their dogmatic differences so that everything fits into a non-offensive, one world order — else we cancel culture them out of business?

The best war that can be waged against defiled religions is not to make direct war with them — like Sun Tzu would say about making war, we must understand ourselves and our enemy. We can’t wage war their way by trying to enforce and enslave — or we ourselves will look up and find ourselves to be those self-same religious demons.

No, we choose pure religion — loving and serving one another, being in awe of Almighty God in His perfection and power, grateful towards Him for His grace and mercy, mindfully repentant and obedient towards His commands, and seeking to prepare ourselves for the after by this life.

Each of the names of God has something valuable to teach us — and the Christian has much they could learn from the Muslim and the Muslim much that can be learned from the Christian. Whether it was the Levites who could be close to the very presence of God, or the nation of Israel who could enter the courts, or even the Gentiles who could pass through the outer courtyards — all could be blessed by God.

I pray that those who are called to close intimacy with God, those who desire to enter in close with Him to praise Him and know Him personally will not fear. Christ has thrown wide the doors so that you might enter into a closer relationship with the Living God — not by your own self-righteousness (which is filthy by God’s standards) but by the Blood of the Lamb — the Lamb that God himself provided, just like with Abraham and Isaac — and just like the blessed waters that He provided for Hagar and Ishmael.

Regardless of the name we have known Him by up to this point, my encouragement is that we can draw closer — and even be called by name, and His name be revealed to us personally. Amen.

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The law?

The law doesn’t exist for us to live up to in order to please God — the law exists to keep us from harming ourselves and others.

If our theology is about being good enough for God, we are probably departed from the narrow path of the gospel and veered into the pit of self- righteousness.

If our theology allows us to hate God’s Word, make fun of those who worship Him, and live in continued rebellion against His will and His law, we are probably departed from the narrow path of the gospel and veered into the wide path of destruction and into luke-warm “Christianity” that will be puked out of His mouth and turned away as “I never knew you”.

If you sin, how does that affect God? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on him? If you are good, is this some great gift to him? What could you possibly give him? No, your sins affect only people like yourself, and your good deeds also affect only humans.

Job 35:6‭-‬8 NLT

We cannot be “good enough” to please God. But we can be sinful enough to be far from Him or self-righteous enough to be a stench in His nostrils.

It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

Isaiah 59:2 NLT

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.


Hebrews 10:26‭-‬31 NLT

Yet they say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.

Isaiah 65:5 NLT

“I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.

Amos 5:21‭-‬24 NLT

It isn’t by the law or by religious activity and traditions that we please God, but only by a humble and contrite spirit that comes through faith.

My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways— delighting in their detestable sins— will not have their offerings accepted. When such people sacrifice a bull, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb, it’s as though they had sacrificed a dog! When they bring an offering of grain, they might as well offer the blood of a pig. When they burn frankincense, it’s as if they had blessed an idol. I will send them great trouble— all the things they feared. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned before my very eyes and chose to do what they know I despise.”

Isaiah 66:2‭-‬4 NLT

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

So we must repent.

We must humble ourselves before God.

We must see where we have turned away from His good advice and helpful wisdom to go out own way into destruction.

We must decide to trust His Word and His law and His Word and His people as precious.

We must have faith that He knows best.

We must be willing to recognize and admit our own shortcomings and rebellion as harmful to ourselves and others.

We must decide to trust God, to believe Him.

Amen.

We must recognize that we have lied to ourselves in convincing ourselves why it would be better to go out own way instead of God’s way.

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Shabbat Shalom

There is something about a hard work week that leaves me crashing into the arms of the weekend and truly appreciating the rest. I heard a lecturer recently speak on “devaluing the currency of success” where he spoke about the concept that “if everything is made equally valuable, then nothing is truly valuable”. There is a parallel there that made me understand the need for a “special day” — not for meeting some kind of legal obligation to meet God’s requirements — but to establish that wonderful feeling of “returning home” of “peace and rest” after a week’s hard work.

When Jews say “Shabbat shalom – Sabbath peace” to family and friends after a draining work week, we mean far more than “have a peaceful and restful day.” What we are really saying is: May you be restored to wholeness on the blessed Sabbath!

https://www.bradenton.com/living/religion/article34489434.html

It seems that our life as a Christian is meant to be hard and dedicated work that ends with us totally spent, falling into the peace and rest of our Savior — whether we are talking about a single day and night, a week and sabbath, a year and lent, or an earthly life and heaven.

Our normal, hard work — out there in the midst of the world as ambassadors of the Holy Spirit — is meant to drive us to that point where we must be restored to wholeness — where our cup must be refilled to overflowing.

In fact, if we are just “playing it safe” or “testing in our complacency”, we will find ourselves devaluing these times of special rest and restoration — because we have made them all to be the same by resting when we should have been working.

My encouragement is to not fear the exhaustion, to not fear the spent nature of the work at hand, to make no excuse that we might come to the church every single week rushing to that altar time after time again to be washed, to be filled, to be restored yet again.

I have heard said that the close we come to God, the more we can see our own sin. So shouldn’t it be much more than the “I want to give my life to Jesus” folks rushing the altar each and every week? Shouldn’t it be just as much (and even moreso!) the “old saints” and “the elders” and the church leadership falling on their faces repenting openly and publicly of even the smallest sin or weakness and giving God glory?!!!

And as we approach the season of Lent — might we consider the sweat rest of turning off Social Media, turning off divisive News Media, maybe even putting our phones and devices away for a time period to give ourselves time to rest and be restored by the peace of disconnection from the world and a return to God.

May our work in this life have us longing for that final Shabbat Shalom, even as we rest in Him each and every day. Amen.

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No Agenda, One Motive

I have a friend, Michael Mcleymore, who runs an amazing rehab/ recovery program in Union County, South Carolina, called The Prodigal’s Home. He recently had another inspiring post that he shared from a moment in the life of their program. At the end, he closed with:

“No agenda, one motive: be the love of Jesus! “

One of the ugliest things about people who are involved in “good things” is when we find there is an hidden agenda. When we find out that someone has laid out a chess match type of manipulation/transaction of a situation where they give the impression that they are being good, generous, charitable, etc. — but it turns out they were actually just doing it for themselves.

Even religious people who think that doing more good deeds in this life will earn them a greater reward somehow — may actually be working under a hidden agenda to benefit themselves, rather than truly being “motivated to love and serve others”.

It is the motive that matters.

As a Christian, we are to be motivated by the love of Jesus for us, that in turn motivates us to love others. This motivation that rises up out of faith that He loved us first — it is truly the foundation for the disciple of Christ.

If our theology, traditions, dogma and ceremonies don’t all grow from this root — from this motive — they are fruit from the seed of a poisonous tree — they are about the self-righteous measuring and comparing of our own good and evil — rather than a being drawn close to the Lord to walk as He walks.

No agenda, one motive: Be the love of Jesus!

Find out more about Michael’s ministry here: https://www.facebook.com/421873688267793/

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
Romans 12:9‭-‬10 NLT

People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.
Proverbs 16:2 NLT

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Jeremiah 17:9‭-‬10 NLT

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
Hebrews 4:12‭-‬13 NLT

Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored. But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s! So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! * * *
Romans 8:5‭-‬17 MSG

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SONG: “Jireh” with Sarah Ratchford

You aren’t a lost cause. You haven’t let God down. You haven’t surprised Him with your faults and failures — or with your proudest moments.

My wife and I still laugh — no, we howl — at inappropriate jokes and memes.

We even still have a playlist called “Mommy and Daddy Jamz” with our favorite strip club songs from back in the day like ‘Trillville – Some Cut’, ‘Juvenile – Slow Motion’, ‘Trick Daddy – Sugar’, Chingy – Right Thurr’, ‘Ying Yang Twins – Wait’, ‘Lil Wayne -Lollipops, ‘Petey Pablo – Freak a leak’, ‘Ginuwine – Pony’ and so many more songs that we only play when my 11 year old daughter isn’t around.

For background, if you wanted to look for dirt on me, you wouldn’t have to dig very far. If you’ve ever heard embarrassing, inappropriate, lewd and explicit things about me on the Internet or in crazy stories — they are probably true (and maybe even tamed down for public consumption).

I’m not trying to compete for who has been the wildest. And all of that doesn’t embarrass me or cause me shame now that I love Jesus and I love for my life to be one of worship.

I’m not trying to “hide it” or “cancel it”, because it’s part of my story. I realize that I might not fit someone’s cookie cutter picture of “what a Christian should look like” — and if I said “I’m sorry for disappointing you” it would clearly need a hashtag for sarcasm. Lol.

My point is that my restored relationship with God is not predicated upon my own “goodness”. I’m bought and paid for, washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb, and anointed by the Holy Spirit of the Living God to tell you that He has very Good News FOR YOU!

I love these lyrics from the song Jireh by Elevation Worship:

“I’ll never be more loved than I am right now
Wasn’t holding You up
So there’s nothing I can do to let You down
It doesn’t take a trophy to make You proud
I’ll never be more loved than I am right now”

Yes, there is a lot of that “old life” that gets “left behind” now that we are walking with the Lord. When I go into the cell blocks, and the strip clubs, and the drug/whore houses now, it is for a different reason. I’m not there to judge, condemn, abuse — or even for a transaction. I’m there as a friend, as an encouragement, as someone who will listen with love, as someone who will offer counseling, help, prayer if it is wanted.

We need to love one another well. We need to bring love to those who might be hurting, helpless, alone, forgotten, taken advantage of, and beaten up by the traps of this life.

It’s not my job to scare anyone out of hell. If you hear that, you’re not listening to me.

Knowing and walking with Jesus is so much better than my old life, and it has all been gain, and all for my good — not sacrifice. Even when life’s challenges come now, I can find peace in the middle of the storm. I don’t have to pretend to be perfect or strong.

I just feel like someone out there who is afraid of getting hurt by “religion” really needs to hear that!

God bless!

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Precious People – Thelma Edge, My Nana

I just wanted to thank everyone who visited or played a part in the services for my Nana, Thelma Edge, yesterday. We knew that it was the middle of a workday, in the middle of COVID, and far away from those of you who don’t live in “the center of the universe” (Pacolet inside joke). So I’m sorry for those of you who may have wanted to attend but couldn’t — we all extend our love to you and greatly appreciate your love for us and for her. Having said that, the turnout of so many sweet friends and family just blew us away. The flow of new stories, smiles, hugs and encouragement never once stopped and kept us all together with a community of “family” that might not necessarily be tied together by the bonds of blood and marriage — but were clearly tied together by the bond of love.

From the morning family gathering at my mom and dad’s house, with us all eating hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee that Pam Easler stuck past the healthy foods police ( you know who you are and I love you for it! ) — and talking about so many things that either made us laugh or cry. Like the very deep conversations with Debbie Ford Cromer, Patra Ford, Lynn Davis and Butch Davis about how there are seasons of this Christian walk that will truly stretch our faith and have us in places where we don’t have any answers for “Why?!!!” but we have God with us to see us through. Like deep and hopeful conversations with Betty Hutt and Vicky Polk we can have about the gospel, the all sufficient power of the blood of Christ, grace instead of works, and the hope we can find in the Lord when coming to Him with hard questions about chronic disease, suffering in the world, addictions, overdose, and even deep despair and suicide. And even the laughing about how different and unique our perspectives might be on “our own funeral services” or hilarious stories about Nana and Bill or the family and all of our quirks and general craziness. Some family stories stay safely within the 4 walls of the family homes, ha!

And the gathering and receiving of friends — oh my goodness! There are far too many stories and names to even begin to list them here. But the running theme throughout was that in “the Pacolet we know and love”, we are all family — that you are a “cuz” not just because of immediate blood or marriage, but because of the love and community — and so many times we laughed and encouraged each other knowing that we truly are all related as family — regardless of name, Job, position, address, area code, income, race, language, etc. Pacolet and Brown’s Chapel church and that white house on the hill on Cleveland Street seem they might always be Home, might always be the center of the universe, might always be my closest glimpse of what heaven might be like from this side of the veil. Not because of any big fancy houses, not because of streets paved in gold, not because of health, wealth and prosperity — because your early eyes will not see those things in Pacolet. But because of something that is truly rare, precious, and of eternal value — souls touched by the hand of God, birthing a community that lives one another. I had so many “favorites” that I got to hug and tell them one more time that I love them — and that is priceless.

And the service! I have always loved the pure worship that Steve and Wanda Wall have brought through the choir at Brown’s Chapel, because of you have heard me talk about wisp before — i always will say that the heart of the singing is so much more powerful than the polish. But not only was there such heart in the worship — it was for my ears like God had polished it into a fine gold arrow. And that arrow somehow pierced me so accurately and deeply in my innermost heart, but instead of striking me dead, renewed my heart and restored my hope. Ralph and Sherry Jett and their families have been at the very heart of the Brown’s Chapel church and to have them lead off and then everyone in attendance join them in the last verse of “How Great Thou Art” was so powerful that it was as if the earth shook around my very soul. And the beautiful encouragement of Wanda Wall singing “What a Day That Will Be” reminded me of how much sweeter that day becomes for me as more loved ones depart this temporary place for our “Forever Home”. And Ralph’s very real, very transparent, very intimate message to our family was for me as if Christ Himself spoke from the lips of his messenger EXACTLY what each of us needed to hear to comfort us in this time. And Chip Coleman’s compelling retelling of Nana and Bill’s testimony of hearing the call and following was exactly what was needed to stir both the believer and unbeliever to action. And Floyd’s Chapel has so many memories for me and we are grateful to them as well. Afterwards, I walked through to see so many name on stones that I either knew personally or at least knew the families — and paused at several where wonderful memories sprung up from the grave into my consciousness.

Spending time together afterwards, then traveling the familiar roads to see these places from my childhood once again was a special blessing. It is easy to get busy with work and responsibilities and look up, and another generation has passed by and another steps up to the plate for their time at bat.

At these things, we always say “We need to get together…” and we get busy again and we forget. This time I want us to get together not just because of a wedding or funeral. I’m thinking that something in May where we set a date, have food, encourage others to bring food and/or just themselves, and just celebrate family, community, a people that “love one another” where everyone is welcome. Maybe you’d be interested in joining us too?

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SONG: These Imposters Sleepin’

https://voisey.app/u/sparklecityhop/voiseys/jPVMyFom0i2aTBymAWmj

This is a collaboration that I did with @lilsleepy202 over a beat laid down by @kayda72 called “ANARCHY” on the Voisey app.

My goal here was simply to add a “hype” layer that complimented yet contrasted to her rapping. I was definitely inspired in my style and FX choices by Anthrax and Scott Ian, as I listened to them a lot when I was younger.

Hype Layer Lyrics

Ah yeah...
Rock Star
Rip it up lil sleepy
Come on thug git down
You betta listen hear
Yeah
Whatcha gonna do
Whatcha gonna do
Whatcha gonna do
What you gone do
When they come for you
While you sleepin
Ha ha ha ahhha
Think you a rock star?
Ha ha!

This was recorded on my iPad using an iRig Pro I/O digital interface and Garage Band to interface into the Voisey app. I used a Shure SM7B microphone along with a TC Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme for all of the vocal effects and processing. I used preset 22 “Thicker” with some slight adjustments to delay decay and reverb. I also made post processing adjustments for additional compression and auto tune within the Voisey app.

Contemplations

Lilsleepy’s lyrics focus on what it really takes to be a rock star and how imposters don’t measure up to the real. In contrast to her name, you can see that lilsleepy isn’t lazy in her rap game. That’s part of why she shines and her productions are on top. She works, she invests, she pours herself into this thing. It isn’t just a passing hobby for her. It is a passion and it is her voice to share a message with the world.

If you know me much at all, you know that I’m going to make this about Jesus, right? Jesus was the rock star even before Anthrax. A man who lived a life so truly clean that it made it clear to all that the religious people were just filthy, judgemental hypocrites. A man who taught with authority a provoking message that is so contrary to the ways of selfish and prideful men yet somehow humbly claimed himself to be God! A man who was persecuted, executed, and laid behind a huge rock — only to rise up like a star into the heavens.

And yes, there are imposters when it comes to religious people who imitate like they know about this Jesus cat — but there are also the real. And if we believe what this Jesus told us — that imposter vs real makes a huge difference not just in this life but for all of eternity. So we don’t want to be caught sleeping on that.

Shine bright rock stars, or one day you will get down (on your knees) after you’ve been laid down and find yourself in what lies beyond the veil of this life.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31‭-‬46 ESV

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SONG: Therapy

https://voisey.app/u/sparklecityhop/voiseys/gUau9rP3Wc4I03UrqQP1

This is a collaboration that I built from scratch based on the beat called “Therapy” by LR2Productions on Voisey.

The track that I’ve put together is about the many layers of our persona as it pertains to mental health and therapy. It isn’t meant to be catchy or popular as much as provocative.

Many of us who enter a therapy office unawares expect to sit back on the couch, maybe talk a little bit, but primarily expect the therapist to “do the work”. So layer one is all about that detached involvement — even though we’re making the decision to be there, it’s still a transactional perspective where we are paying the person in front of us to do something for us.

At some point, we are faced with the reality that for anything profitable to happen, we must actually choose to speak about the deep things that really matter. But before that happens, there is fear, lack of trust, and what seemed to me to be this inner little puppy whimpering. So this layer has no words, just the whimpering.

The third layer represents our basest and most animal instincts that usually contribute to those most hidden problems. I felt that sex is easy for most to understand as an animal instinct, and how this layer sexualizes the idea of someone “working on their head” seemed an apt approach to this layer. There is no thoughtful dialog in this layer, just a repeated pumping back and forth of the same sexualized phrase. There is not even a crescendo of activity towards a climax, but just a consistent trancelike abandon into the repetition.

The final layer is one of contemplative confession. A consideration of what it might actually mean to fling open the doors and let light shine in on those innermost shameful, frightening or hurtful things. It is meant to be a little creepy, because that is how we feel others must think us to sound if we would truly confess such deeply hidden things.

Part 1: Thicker Therapy Office
————————————————-
Gonna sit right back

Sit right back, right back on this couch right here

Watch you do yo thing, and work your therapy

Get inside my head, inside that head o mine

Work my head and do your therapy


Part 2: Whimpering Puppy
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*whimpering


Part 3: Popeye n Olive Sex Therapy
————‐————————
Baby Work that head,
Baby Work that head for me


Part 4: 156 Up Tube Confessions
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I have these thoughts

These thoughts that I shouldn’t have

These thoughts I know are wrong

The preacher calls it sin

The police calls it law

The judge calls it guilty

Now I’m trapped

Trapped in this prison of my mind

A trap of my own making

What if I tell

will they think I’m crazy

Will they put me away

Technical Details

This was recorded on my iPad using an iRig Pro I/O digital interface and Garage Band to interface into the Voisey app. I use a Shure SM7B microphone along with a TC Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme for all of the vocal effects and processing. Part 1 used the default preset 22 called “Thicker” with a few subtle tweaks. Part 2 used the default preset 28 called Tinkerbell as is. Part 3 used the default preset 29 called Popeye n Olive as is. And Part 4 used the default preset 156 called Up Tube.

Contemplations

When I consider “Therapy” in light of the gospel — I’m reminded of the passage in James chapter 5 about confessing our sins to each other:

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:13‭-‬16 ESV

The various translations of James 5:16 put it in perspective that confession is “to each other”, “to one another”, etc — not just to God, not solely to a priest, but to each other. And it states it as a cause and effect. Do A, so that B will happen. And this section is not just a book of wise probabilities like we have in Proverbs where it is wisdom learned and shared through the ages about patterns and consequences in this world. This passage is about faith, promise and fulfillment. So we can take this as prescriptive medicine so “that you may be healed”.

Therapy in its most effective form is is obeying this precept laid out for us by the Word of God — confession that leads to healing. The fact that even nonbelievers see benefit in therapy should be no surprise — because God sends rain upon the fields of both the proud and the humble, upon the rich and the poor, upon the wise and focused man with map firmly in hand and the drunk fool stumbling lost through the dark as well. And like the rain, therapy can be a benefit or a hassle.

Lord, help us past our distancing ourselves from the blessing of truly confessing to one another. Help us to go deeper and be healed and to not fear or avoid or bury these things. These things are not hidden from you, nor are they too big or heavy or burdensome for you to take off of our hands, Lord. Help us to trust you, even when it means trusting others too. Amen.