Where Are You???

Sometimes I'll go to church and I'll see these young guys in there showing everyone and their mom that they would rather be home or elsewhere. That hurts my heart because I have talked to some of these young men and they're afraid that they'll get ridiculed for praising God. Well here's some news for you, as a female, I get ridiculed too and for a while I would sit back and watch everyone else praise God while holding back on my own praise.

I remember when I was on the praise and worship team with a few young ladies my age. We were on FIRE for Christ and nothing was going to hold our praise back. Then we had to go back away to school..........

My fire died because I felt alone. I saw and heard how we were being ridiculed because "we were extra about everything", "we said Hallelujah a little too much", "we thanked God too much". But then I went and found a Christian Fellowship at my school. The fire was back and that whole year I was a radical and I even gained a nickname from my co-workers that summer (Sista T).

I came home and it died again. My friends weren't there and once again, I was alone. I felt like my true praise would only come out around people I was comfortable with who were also on fire like I was.

Sometimes I wonder if that's what happens to these young men. Or maybe it's the fact that they don't want to be called "gay" because they love God and show it. Why are people so judgmental??? It's killing me!!!

But then again.........................

You have these men who come to church willingly, they will praise God no matter who's watching, no matter what people say. I tend to find myself looking in their direction during worship and looking at the guys who sit there mean muggin all hard and I wonder.......Were they mean muggers before they became praisers??? Or did they just not care what people thought??? Or did they do it just to impress this girl??? And YES some of them do...........

Whatever the reason...I wish we had more of the ones who don't mind shedding some tears, or lying prostrate before the Almighty, or even lifting their hands in praise. WHERE ARE YOU???

LADIES!!!

The guys of R.I.C. Productions have something for you...a song

This song "Every Girl Remix" is to remind you that you deserve nothing but the best. Check this song out and look out for the Love & Suicide Mixtape coming in January 2010!!!

Let me know what you think!!! I'm looking forward to your feedback

Until the next post...

GOD BLESS...

Sista T

Love & Suicide Part 2

I had to do some more homework and get some more vids so you could check out everyone involved with this mixtape. I hope you enjoy everything!!! You can also check everyone out on myspace.

Quaz = http://www.myspace.com/quaz0
P Dot = http://www.myspace.com/respectmyfresh85
Chouzen = http://www.myspace.com/chouzenmusic
*L. Mo featured in music on Chouzen's page*
Lamonte & Marlon = http://www.myspace.com/ricproduction3

Quaz "New Generation"

GI "Go Crazy" *by R.I.C. Productions*

Quaz "Raise Up"

Love & Suicide

I told you I was promoting the mixtape Love & Suicide. The artists include (from left to right) L. Mo, Lamonte, Chouzen, The Artist, QUAZ, and P Dot.

Here are some vids of them so you can check em out before the mixtape releases...let me know what you think!!!

R.I.C. Productions

Round 2

Chouzen "Kingdom Kid"

P Dot "I'm A Christian"

Chouzen ft. L. Mo "Roll The Dice Freestyle"

What Are You Listening To???

So I'm promoting this mixtape for R.I.C. Productions(Marlon 'The Artist' Anderson and Lamonte Harris), it's called Love & Suicide and it's being released in January 2010. It features various gospel rap artists including Q.U.A.Z., P DOT, Chouzen, and singer L. Mo

Now I was never too big on gospel rap but I respect it and I will listen to it. I do like certain artists such as Da Truth and Lecrae and I'm starting to like it. I always end up in big debates about why gospel rap should/shouldn't be accepted.

So many times I hear people say they don't like gospel rap because it reminds them too much of secular rap/hip hop. That's understandable but I ALWAYS follow that up with a question: when you listened to secular rap/hip hop, did you listen to the lyrics or the beat?

• The answer to that question can tell you a lot about the person, but that's not the purpose of this. When I hear people say they listen to the beat, I tend to ignore everything they say or let it go in one ear and right out the other. I know it's bad but they have closed their minds to the message in the music so why should I really listen to their opinion??? They really wouldn't have one because all they hear is music, no words.
• A second answer I hear is that they do listen to the lyrics but it does nothing for them. That's understandable and I actually listen to their opinion. I've heard everything from the rappers don't have enough scriptural references to some rappers only mention Jesus once and call it gospel.
• The final answer I hear is that they listen to both the lyrics and beat. With this answer, I always ask, have you ever tried listening to the lyrics without the beat??? Sometimes people listen to both and get caught up in the beat or miss something because they heard something in the beat that took their attention off the lyrics.

I believe that people should really listen to the lyrics of some of these artists because to me, personally, they have THE MOST overlooked testimonies in the church.

One thing I really don't understand how people can say that this "new gospel stuff isn't real gospel" but they won't give it a chance. They are SO against gospel rap but they sing. To those who do that, I pose the question: if you lost your vocal ability and the only way you could continue to get your message out was by rapping, would you do it??? One person said yes and I laughed and ask: Well how can you shoot these rappers down? Do you know if they can sing? That may be their ONLY way to get the message out, how can you say what you say about them? I don't understand.

Sidebar:

Someone told me that they refuse to listen to Da Truth because all of this nonsense going on. No one is perfect, the man has a message that people should hear. He messed up, so what, pray for him because I'm pretty sure you did something just as bad or worse. If not, I applaud you, but that gives NO ONE room to judge him.

Back to the blog:

I have a question: If J. Moss, a GREAT producer/writer/singer who is very well accepted in the gospel industry, produced a beat and a gospel rapper did a song over that beat, would you say that you're not listening to it because the song reminds you of secular rap/hip hop song??? Or would you say oh J. Moss did this beat let me hear what this person has to say??? Or would you look at J. Moss in a different way for producing a song allowing a gospel rapper to get a message across???

Hmmm.....I wonder

Well I'm going to stop here. I personally think some gospel rappers should be more accepted by the church because it's just another form of praise and sometimes even worship. They're bringing the same message a pastor, singer, etc. would bring. It just SOUNDS different. One more thing, PLEASE stop saying that they're trying to "appeal" to the unsaved people and that's why you don't listen to this "new gospel stuff". Last I checked, our purpose was to get that message out there and reach/win souls for God. If that's not your purpose, maybe you need to rethink why you became a Christian in the first place.

Now ponder on that..........

Until next time...

God Bless...

Sista T

Some gospel rappers from VA evangelizing. Check it out. This is what I call evangelizing at it's best (some of them featured on Love & Suicide)

Post Ordination

The last blog I posted was "Ordination".

Since Rev. Rakeem broke down the different things you can and can't make with "2 Sticks", I've noticed some things. Before the sermon I made a promise that I would not put anyone or anything before God and I'm keeping my promise as far as I know. I knew I was trying to live right and I was seeing a little progress. It wasn't until after that sermon that I noticed how certain people were so kindly removed from my life and I had to do nothing but live my life for God. I noticed that I no longer desired to do things that I LOVED to do at some point. I realized that I'm not the same person and at times people say "you're a Christian now you can't be listening to this or you can't know this or why are you in here listening to this?" Well I have my reasons for doing everything I do.

Most people that get in my car listen to secular music on a daily basis but while in my car they hear gospel and they even begin to request certain songs and ask questions about the message behind the song. I even have someone who censors themselves unconsciously. I know I'm doing something right because people are seeing the change. I don't even have to open my mouth, they can now look at me and see the difference between me now and me a year ago. I have people online asking me questions about the Bible and I have to go and ask someone for help because I'm still learning myself. I have people asking me ONLINE to pray for them, and asking me for advice. I'M A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER NOW. I NEVER saw that coming, but it happened and it's nothing but God. If it was up to me I would have said no and still be sitting in the back just listening and giving an answer here and there.

With all of that said, I used to ask God to give me the gift of speaking in tongues so I would know I was saved but I have more than enough evidence to know that I'm saved and that God is using me. I just had to open my eyes and REALLY commit to the relationship. I still have a lot of growing to do and that fire that I mentioned at the end of the other blog, it's still burning. I REFUSE to let it die.

Until next time...God Bless