Blood and Bone: A True Savior

Hollywood's Jesus was lame.

Now, I don't know if I should be putting "lame" and "Jesus" in the same sentence, but in any event, I think that the Jesus that we see on TV and old movies is pretty disappointing.

We always see the same guy, with the same English accent and the same soul-man gotee and the same shaggy hairstyle. Boooo-ring.

Now, know that I write this with an open mind, but I am firm in my belief in the omnipotence of Jesus Christ. All the same...I would like to see a movie that depicted Jesus as something more. Let's step away from the age-old debate on whether Jesus was white/black/Jewish/Mary's baby daddy.

I wanna see Jesus fart. I wanna see Jesus take out a wedgie. I wanna see how Jesus sounds when he sneezes. I want to see a really good scene of Jesus going completely BUCKWILD on some fools (Matthew 21:12-13). Basically, I want to see a real picture of Christ, without placing emphasis on the petty stuff. I'm not saying to ignore his divinity, but...don't ignore his humanity either. That's what makes his story so compelling, at least to me. He was All God and All Man. He chatted with God and sipped tea with the homies. He performed miracles on the daily, but was pretty much homeless. Jesus battled demons...and lame politicians.

Tell me that ain't on some ol' Rosa Parks meets Gandhi mess!

Honestly though, funny-ness aside. We know Jesus was the Son of God. Therefore, He already has some status on his shoulders. My whole argument is simply this: We need to stop being scared of Big Bad Jesus. As if he walks around, wielding a thunderbolt on his hip, like a Divine Gat. When he came down and was borne of Man...it was exactly that. He didn't do it, just to show, "Look what I can do!". He became one of us, walked among us, ate with us, was MAN. Oh, don't get it twisted, he could've shifted gears into Holiest of Holies in a split second. He could've reminded us that He Was God.

But what kind of love keeps reminded you IN YOUR FACE that its better than you?

"Oh yeah, I'm Jesus. Yeah, I'm going to die for you, but I am God. So...yeah. You'd better pay your tithes."

Wrong. WRONG.

Part of the main emphasis is on his LOVE for us. (The other part is raising hisownself from the grave...but that's for another blog in and of itself...yeesh. Talk about gangsta...)

Besides, having created us and everything, you'd think he'd want to know what the hubbub was all about, right?

So, I end this blog by saying that Spike Lee and that Jewish Guy from "Knocked Up" and "Pineapple Express" should get together and start shooting this puppy. Because it is truly the Greatest Story Ever Told.

Also, all should try to read "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff". You might understand where I got the inspiration for this post.

Yup. A list again.

I stole this from Kitten Issacs...(sorry for stalking.). I guess this is my official re-entry into college/the norm. Feel free to steal from me, though.

my favorite Food= I could make this so sexually explicit. But I won't. Because you'd be expecting it. I don't really have a favorite food. But I would murder some cheesecake.

my favorite Artist= I've actually got quite a few, but hands down, without even thinking about it, it would have to be 4th Avenue Jones. I would do anything to go to a live show, or even to visit them on a Sunday afternoon, after church, and watch some football.

my favorite Vegetable= Ick.

my favorite Online website= It'd probably be a tie between the online comic "Least I Could Do" and the igtelligant spectacular "Oh Hell Nawl" blog.

my favorite Recipe= Anything that I can come up with in the kitchen. Seriously, it's almost always an adventure.

my favorite Ice cream= Lemon Sherbet. Or Moose Tracks.

my favorite Topic= Anything worth thinking/talking about. But, after a semester in DC, I'm kinda tired of talking about politics. I figure it's a lost cause, but it's still worth a good try. Oh, and those famous "N-Word" debates. Love those.

my favorite Exercise= It's been a while, but second to push-ups, it'd be running after the morning bus to school.

my favorite Scripture= "For I am full of words, the Spirit within me compels me..."-Job 32:18022

The BreakDown Pt.2

Life/Lord:

When people enter college, the plan usually is as follows:

• Meet new people
• Learn new things
• Have sex with a member of the opposite sex from every continent
• Gain/Lose weight
• Master the Art of Procrastination
  
• Graduate in 4 years

So far, I've met some amazing people, friends that I hope to have for the rest of my life. And I've learned so many more thing that I was never aware of. (For example, did you know that ___________ when the _________, you might see _________ in ___________ with the Matrix? Yeah. Go figure.) Thanks to my naivete and conscious, I still haven't gone so far as to have sex with a girl in North America, much less any other continent. I have lost weight. I have gained weight. Then I lost it and gained it again. Right now, it's in an odd balance that I hope is the worst it'll every get. And because I'm so good at procrastinating, I'm squeezing four years of college into five.

You read right.

Naturally, my ego is taking quite a beating for that one. Most/all of my friends that I've graduated with...have graduated. I know that it's no big deal, but my insides start to convulse whenever I have to explain the situation, which is interesting. (Aside from being an idiot for my freshmen year, I took my internship in DC, which took me off campus for one of my senior semesters. I also made the age-old mistake/decision to change my major, or at least my concentration in the middle of my senior year. So...yeah.)
I'm not letting it get me down too bad, and while I do regret skipping all those classes...it's happened for a reason. I am a full believer in God's utter and complete control over everything in existence. I'm in this position for a reason. My whole circumstance right now testifies to this.

For example, while working at kamp this summer, I've had a number of what I consider to be truly divine moments. I've had dreams in the past, before I've ever even heard of Kids Across America. These dreams, at the moment, would be completely ambiguous, and I'd toss it aside. However, as I come to kamp, some of these dreams would start to get lived out. I don't mean that they were these dreams with secret meanings and whatnot: I had a dream once where I was talking to someone, and they were crying. This person was wearing a blue shirt, and it was raining outside. This summer, at kamp, I had a kid in my cabin who was really homesick. He slept on the bunk above me, and I was trying to console him. And it was a thunderstorm.

I don't know what to make of that kind of event. But I can't ignore it. I don't mean for this to mean that I'm going to end up being some kind of Indiana Jones or something...but situations like that have happened WAY too many times this summer to ignore it. This has just gone to show me that God is truly directing my steps. The path leading to my working at KAA is a broken road, and for it to lead to an abstract dream coming true...something is definitely happening beyond what my eye can see.

The BreakDown Pt. 1

Love:

• Family -
  
• I love my family. There is no doubt about that. After all, they are mine. Each quirk and quarrel is specifically and genetically entitled to me. I can complain all I want about it, when the truth is, it's all mine. Lately, I've been looking at my home life a bit more closely. I've been analyzing the whole scene silently, going through everything with a fine-toothed comb. Some things are new to me. Some things are merely being emphasized. Others are new discoveries in old territory. For example, I know that I am the eldest. I'm the big brother, therefore, the root cause of any mishap that may happen with the younger siblings, regardless of if I'm in the same...hemisphere. However, I tend to question whether I'm having any impact on their lives. I don't really have an answer, but I continuously pray that I'm doing something right.
• My sister is entering college this year. Automatically, my Big Brother Radar is on Code Punch-a-Negro Mode. Any burly looking 'bama that approaches her had better have any and everything upwards of a 401k and a Benz...This is before I take a step back and realize that she is entering a phase of her life where she is beginning to know who she really is and where she stands. Most of what she stands on will be questioned. Most of what she thought she knew will shatter and fall around her. And she will learn lessons that will last her for the rest of her life. I have to understand that I am not the one to teach these lessons to her. That's God's job. I can't pretend I'm the Gestapo or something. I just really need to be her brother, her support.
• My parents have done too much for me. Most people understand that sentiment. But it's so true. This is not a cliche` statement; I'm not saying this because I just saw some inspirational new movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr. They really have done too much for me. And I am not one to pick my favorite parent; that's like choosing my favorite testicle. However, me and my dad have this weird...relationship. On the surface, it probably looks no different than any other father-son relationship, but under the surface, there is so much laying there...it's ghastly. My father is...just that. And so much more. I couldn't possibly write it all in a blog, but here's a brief try: My dad is the man that I am trying to become, yet at the same time avoid.
• Friends-
• I don't really have a lot of friends. I think I can count all of my close friends on my fingers. Some of them are new entries in this book of my life. Others are as old as the pages themselves. I truly and honestly love them all. You can attach a 'no homo' if you want, but it's really not necessary. I love them all, like blood-borne siblings.
• At a certain point during this summer, one of my friends and I were talking about number of different things; college, our respective wifeys, summer projects, spirituality, etc. During this conversation, it became rather clear that we were on a certain plane of growth, of evolution, of change. He had just graduated undergrad. While I was supposed to graduated as well, I am still on a route of elevation. For example, he brought up a relationship that I had pursued in my younger years. Looking back on it, I shake my head in an effort to get her face out of it. But! I look at the relationship that I am in now, and I can say that it is soo much better than what I was prepared for. It's like God was there, keeping me from many potentially stupid situations (prepare for a future blog about this topic).
  
• One of my friends, whom I oft refer to as my Id, is just that. He exists in the pleasure principle, and while it almost always provides great stories and endless chuckles and giggles, it worries me to a large degree. I love him like a brother, but I fear that he is sprinting down a path filled with all that a man's flesh desire, but very little soul-ful benefits. And the painful part is, he knows better. He is no idiot. A brilliant mind, stifled by "arms that won't reach for the sky". There is nothing that I can tell him that he isn't already aware of. What a battle is this, when two brilliant minds are facing opposite directions.
• I am currently involved in my first serious relationship. Going on a year, we've been doing the whole "official" dating thing. Personally, I find great pleasure in saying that we were friends first. And I wish that there was some cheesy way to say it, but that's really what it is. I think that's what's making this thing work. I have no idea what we would look like without that first year of our knowing each other. I value that the most, because that provides the foundation for our relationship. Most of those goodies and treats didn't really come about until some months before we started "officially" dating, but I'm talking about the grounds on which we were first aware of each other: Faith. Writing. Music. Myspace. (lol) With that being said, some times, we need to take a step back and pay attention to what drew us together. I've noticed what when in a dating relationship, it's a lot like a car. In order for the car to run properly, you've got to take of it. Some people go overboard and get silly additions, like rims and tinted windows and other attractive, but basically unnecessary additions. Others tend to be more content with the basics: Regular Gas Fill-Ups. Consistent Maintenance. A Working CD Player. I would like to consider myself the latter. While I may desire all the fun stuff that comes with being in a dating relationship (Boo-loving 'til the wee hours of the morning, Sporadic Make-Out Sessions, etc.), the basics are what keep it flowing smooth and nice-like...and fun. Like affection. Writing little love-notes. Inside jokes. A Working CD Player/iPod.