NEW BLOG

Attention to all who come across this post. I started a new blog on tumblr and won't be updating this one anymore, so if you want to follow my current blog go to http://yesvak.tumblr.com. Thank you.

How Long?

Verse 1:

I come searching to hear your voice,

only after I make a wrong choice.

In my heart your Word I do not hide.

How long will I not abide?

Chorus:

No greater love can be shown

than giving your life for whom you chose.

Only friends? What about your foes?

No greater love will I ever know.

Verse 2:

If your Word is true why do I chase

everything but you and try to replace?

Within myself, I have relied.

But I'm ready to in you abide.

(Chorus)

Verse 3:

Holy Spirit help me to fight.

I am called to live upright.

I'm not righteous under the sun.

Nothing in my hands but what you've done.

(Chorus)

Reflections on the Unashamed Tour

Two nights ago, myself along with 16 other people drove two hours to the town of Lima, OH to see the 116 Clique perform. The 116 consists of Trip Lee, Lecrae, Tedashii, Sho Baraka, DJ Official, and they had special guest PRo and John Reuben. I knew ahead of time it wasn't about seeing them perform, but more so about worshiping the God who gave them the gifts and resources to perform.

Each individual makes sure the crowd knows why they are on stage and who should be getting the glory. They humble themselves and want you to know they are in the same boat as the rest of us: sinners in need of a Savior, and can only be saved by the grace of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

They are there to serve the body and lead us in a time of worship to a holy God. They teach and use analogies in between songs and point us back to the gospel. Their lyrics all revolve around the gospel. At the end of the concert one of them will give a clear gospel presentation, and offer a chance for non-believers to talk more with them about having a relationship with God after the concert. I think it's pretty clear what the 116 Clique is all about. Even their name points to the gospel. 116 comes from Romans 1:16 which says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..."

This is the third time I've been to one of their concerts. I saw Lecrae in January of '08, Trip Lee in August of '10, and now all of them in November of '10. I've had the privilege to talk with Trip Lee in August and all of them a couple nights ago. Both times have been great. They are just like you and me, and it feels that way when I've talked with them. They asked us (me and tyler) questions and wanted to learn about us and who we are. I feel like that doesn't happen as much with other "famous" people.

They are normal people that God has chosen to use, has made them leaders, blessed them with musical gifts, and given them a stage in order to magnify Christ to the people they encounter. We can learn and look up to these guys, but we need to make sure we don't stop there. We have to look further to where they are looking, which is the Trinity. If we want to be like Christ we have to look at him, learn from him, be transformed in our ways and thinking.
Thanks 116 for seeking the Lord's will for your lives, and faithfully following him where he has led you and will lead you in the future. He has blessed you guys with many gifts, praise the Lord.

Unashamed Tour 2010: The Movement

John Reuben

116 Clique

Nate Robinson

Backstage

Lecrae

Unashamed Tour 2010: The Movement

Trip Lee

DJ Official

Sho Baraka

Tedashii

PRo

Unashamed Tour 2010: The Movement

It is exactly one month until the Unashamed Concert in Lima, OH with Lecrae, Trip Lee, Sho Baraka, Tedashii, DJ Official, and special guest PRo. I'm so excited to see the whole 116 clique, at one concert, with one purpose (to glorify God), and working as one body to build up the body (the church).

I got to see Lecrae in January of '08 at a church in Chicago. At the time I just started listening to Lecrae and was discovering Reach Records. Over the past two and a half years, I have been able to find other Christian rappers that have the same goal of glorifying Christ with their lyrics and more importantly their lives.

The guys at Reach have become my favorite artists to listen to. They don't just try and set the bar high for other Christian artists, but they try and push the standard in secular music as well. By appearing on the iTunes charts multiple times, I think this is a good sign of how Reach Records has pushed the standard for all artists.

They don't just strive for perfection with their beats and music, but constantly perfecting their flows, rhymes, and ideas. And making sure they portray Christ in their lyrics, the same way Christ is portrayed in the Bible. They don't sacrifice good theology for catchy hooks. Just because something is catchy and it sounds good doesn't mean it's true, and these guys are all about proclaiming truth. God's Word (the Bible) is the only absolute truth, so their lyrics are clearly based around Scripture. Living in a world where the media can easily influence us, why not use it to bring glory to God and proclaim his Gospel to a fallen world.

I'm excited to see how the concert will be structured. When I saw Trip Lee this past August, his set was based around the Gospel, and he used his songs to walk us through and give an illustration of the Gospel. I'm really interested to see what creative route they are going to take in order to point believers back to Christ and to proclaim the Gospel to unbelievers.

I can't wait to worship God with the people who are going to be in attendance that night. I pray that God teaches, encourages, and convicts everyone, including myself, through the words that will be spoken on that stage. I hope the Holy Spirit works through the hearts of the people in the cities where the Unashamed Tour will be stopping.

Selfless Servant

I can safely say that Trip Lee is my favorite artist. His creativity with his lyrics is inspiring, I love the choices of music on his new album, it's great to always be pointed back to the Gospel through his lyrics, his authority is wholly based on God's Word, and the best is his humility. He doesn't seek any gain for himself, but his main goal is to glorify God with the gifts He has given to him. I see these qualities in Trip's lyrics, when he speaks in interviews and concerts, and was clearly shown to me after talking with him after his concert. Being able to see another man, who's only one year older than me, live out what he says in his lyrics is super encouraging to me. God has and is clearly doing work in Trip's life, and is using Trip as a broken vessel to minister to other broken creatures in order to point them back to the one who has it all together, which is Jesus. God has given Trip a servant's heart. He wants to serve people at his concert by pointing them to the Gospel. He wants to serve and shepherd a flock one day by becoming a pastor. Who would have thought humility would have been the best quality of a leader? Christ is definitely seen through Trip. His love, humility, servant's heart, seeking God's will for his life, and striving to glorify God are visual displays of Christ. His heart has been regenerated by God, he is being sanctified by the Spirit, and has been declared just before a holy God on account of Christ's work and none of his own.

I had a couple intentions for going to his concert last night. 1.) I wanted to be pointed back to Christ, the Gospel, encouraged, and hopefully convicted. 2.) I wanted to encourage Trip and show him how the work God has done in his life has effected me. I wanted to show him the fruits of his labors, and confirm that they are not in vain. Together we can praise God and give Him glory for the work He has done in Trip's life and the work He has done in my life through the use of Trip.
If God has used someone in your life to build you and grow you closer to the Lord then you can thank that person by all means, but let us not forget the source, the one we serve, and the reason we serve. That is God and his glory. Praise God for the mercy he has bestowed upon sinners and the grace He shows by allowing us to serve and take part in His kingdom work. God doesn't need anything from us, but everything we have is from Him.
"How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure that He would give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure."