Day 1: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening! (since we'll all be checking in at different times) 

Your being here says a lot. It says...

• you don't hear from God, OR you don't hear from Him as clearly and/or as often as you'd like.
• you WANT to hear from God.
• you BELIEVE that it's POSSIBLE to hear from God.
• you understand how NECESSARY it is to hear from God.

I commend you for taking this step to having your ear and your heart closer to His voice.

Just a few things before we get started...

1. MAKE a time in your schedule that you will set aside, DAILY, just for the purpose of the "14-Day Journey to Hearing from God" assignments. This will be your Quiet Time. This will be your Meeting with God. This is the time that belongs to only Him. I suggest no less than 20 minutes. If it's the same time each day, that's ideal because consistency fosters consistency, but if it's not because of how your life schedule plays out, no big deal. The quality of the time you set aside is what matters most. God wants your heart and your undivided attention; the time of day you give Him your heart and undivided attention isn't as important as your actual heart and undivided attention. 
2. Remember that we are all in different places with our understanding of who God is and what it means to hear from Him. Some things that the Lord has given me to share may be commonplace to you. It may be something that you have full understanding of, but as we progress, things may be more applicable to where you are in your walk with God. Don't abandon the journey because "I know that already". There is ALWAYS something to take from what's being presented. Chew the meat and spit out the bones. You'll know what's for you. 
3. If you haven't read the introduction to the journey, be sure to revisit that message so you can secure the materials you'll need and so you can join the Facebook group for encouragement and announcements.

The Assignment

Today, we're going to watch a video that will serve as the foundational video for the 14-Day Journey. We will revisit several points from the video throughout our time together, so make sure you're completely tuned in. After the video (# 1), take care of #2 and #3.

1. How Can I KNOW I'm Hearing God Speak To Me?

2. Personal Inventory

3. In your journal every day, you'll be talking to God. Date today's journal entry, and then tell God what you want out of this 14-day journey. Be specific and be real. Speak your heart; that's what He wants. If you're not much of a writer, meaning you'd rather not write things down, please don't let that be what keeps you from pouring your heart out to God. You don't have to write a book. You can list your thoughts in bullet format. If there's only one major thing you want out of this journey, so be it. You don't have to try to make it more than what it is, but make sure you're clear in saying exactly what you desire. There is no right or wrong way to do this. You know what you want and what you need, but it needs to be written so you can go back to it later.

I'm praying for you.

-Iantha

He Cares About Your Marriage

If we’re connected in any way—even if only by way of social media—you know I don’t make any major moves without hearing from the Lord.

There are times when God will tell me exactly who and/or what to pray for, and sometimes, like this time, He won’t let up for a while.

For the past few days, marriages have been heavy in my spirit. I’ve been praying every day, but today, God gave me specific instructions to share with those who’ll listen.

God has shown me the heaviness.

He’s shown me the brokenness.

He’s shown me the disconnectedness.

He’s shown me the lack of peace.

 

God wants marriages whole.

He wants marriages peaceful.

He wants marriages joyful and fruitful.

He wants marriages to bring Him glory.

 

When people see marriage, they are supposed to see a physical representation of God’s relationship to the church—His love for her, His selfless sacrifice for her, and His joy in being with her.

He wants to restore marriages to His design, but it doesn’t happen without those in the marriage doing the work IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HIM.

 

Denouncing AKA

Over the past few years, I've watched a lot of videos, read a few blogs, and had a number of conversations with women who have wholeheartedly decided to denounce AKA. And this denouncing "movement," if you will, was instant intrigue for me. I gave a neutral, unbiased ear to every video, every blog, and every personal conversation because I like to hear a person's heart, especially with something as serious as denouncing (to give formal notice of the termination or denial of). 

After watching my first two videos and curiously deciding to watch more, I was intentional in seeking out common threads for why women chose to disconnect themselves from the sorority. I wanted to see if those who were denouncing were doing so for reasons all their own or because, as I alluded to, there was a "movement" in our midst. What I found is that every testimony I heard or read (not to say that this is every woman’s testimony) was from someone who had discovered a new relationship with Jesus or was developing and maturing in her walk with Him.

That was all I needed. 

I knew, without a doubt, what every woman would say after realizing the Lord had gripped her heart. I knew that she would be dismissing herself from AKA because she had, as one YouTuber put it, "pledged her everything to AKA and was too wrapped up in it."

Now, there were other reasons that these women mentioned, and those are not the focus of this blog (maybe I'll tackle those another day), but a desire to have a committed, undivided devotion to the Lord is the one reason that was paramount in every account I witnessed.

And I get it. 

I am completely sold out to God. Every inch of my being belongs to Jesus and the work of spreading the gospel in the earth. I, too, would scratch anything and anyone out of my life that had my heart more than He did. And I have, in fact! I wrote a whole book about the relationships in my life that "weren't it" and that had to bow to Jesus. So, I know what it's like to want to “love the Lord your God” with all your heart, your mind, your soul, and your strength. I know what it's like to want to toss anything that gets in the way of that.

But for me, AKA is not one of those things. 

One thing about Iantha is this: I'M BOLD. In fact, my big sisters in the sorority, the ones who pledged me in, gave me the line name AUDACIOUS. They saw my audacity the moment they met me, and they saw it every second of every day thereafter. I'm steadfast in my decisions and firm in my convictions. I always have been, and I always will be.

At the time I pledged into the Theta Lambda Chapter at Louisiana Tech University on February 6, 2000, I had been walking the Christian walk for only a year. I was a babe in Christ, but my mentor and I still joke about how I was a babe in Christ in date only. When I tell you I had instantaneous growth in the Lord! Whew! Now, I don't claim to have known it all at that time. Lord knows my act WAS NOT together. Again, I wrote a book aaaaall about it. Whew, chile! 

And I still don't have it all together, but I was fully aware, then, that God had grown me up very quickly in His word and in what it means to walk by the Spirit. There were some things I just wasn't gon' do; there were some things I just wasn't gon' say; there were some places I just wasn't gon' go. 

And I didn't. 

And I didn't care how my line sisters felt about it. 

I didn't care how my big sisters or the rest of our sorority sisters felt about it. 

I didn't care if I was missing out on "the party of the century". 

I. Did. Not. Care. 

If I knew it didn't glorify God, I wasn't involving myself in it. I knew that I was to be His example. I was His ambassador, and I knew everything I did, especially in the Greek life “spotlight,” had the potential to ruin people's view of Christianity. And I wasn’t ‘bout that life. I wanted to draw people to Christ. I didn't want to push them away. 

See how I'm the only one in dark blue jeans? Just BOLD! But, AKA taught me when to be bold. Every time ain't my time to stand on my own. We were supposed to all be together as one.

At that time, AKA had my commitment. I had decided, of my own volition, to pledge to serve my community through her exploits. I committed to involve myself in the sorority's programming and give my time to its outreach. And I did. I gave AKA what I said I would.

And she gave right back to me. Through my time in my chapter, I learned what it means to serve my community, wherever that may be. AKA taught me what it means to be a business woman. I learned problem solving and conflict resolution skills through AKA. I developed lasting friendships and grew to understand what sisterhood is and what it is not. AKA served her purpose in my life, and her values and mission I still uphold. 

But AKA didn't have my heart. Jesus did. 

AKA doesn't hold my life in her hands. The Lord Almighty does.

AKA has her respected place with me, but her place has never been, and never will be above God's place. 

There was never a need for me to denounce, but I understand others' need to, and I actually encourage it in extreme cases like the ones I witnessed. These women's hearts and minds didn't even belong to them anymore. They decided, of their own volition, to overcommit and offer an unhealthy allegiance to the sorority.

• There were confessions of little to no focus on school, grades dropping, and failing classes because of their involvement with sorority activity. 
• There were testimonies of only wanting to wear pink and green and/or clothes that displayed the sorority letters. 
• There was even an unveiling of an incident where a young woman ended all of the friendships she had before she pledged so she could build new friendships with her sorority sisters. 

In all of these instances, I would've encouraged the women, if I knew them personally, to move forward with their decision to denounce. And I wouldn't have stopped there. I would've encouraged them to denounce any other thing in their lives, too, that had engulfed them so. I'm grateful the Lord was able to show them that something had taken a seat on the throne of their hearts where only He should rest.  

And if you, Soror, reading now, feel like you're too wrapped up, worshipping the letters that you wear on your chest, or giving more time to sorority meetings, events, conferences, and the like than you offer to God, I would suggest you do a heart check and put AKA in her place. And do the same for PTA, New Orleans Saints (oh, because we worship our sports teams too), your job, social media, Netflix, church (I said it; we worship that too)--anything that has your heart more than He does. Put it to rest or lay it down for a time to learn how to put it in its rightful place. 

Although I haven't been an active member for some time, I am still very much an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman, and as long as she's in her rightful place, we gon' be alright. 

Happy Founders' Day, Sorors! 

#J15 #Sisterhood #ServiceToAllMankind #AKA

@ianthasinsight / www.ianthasinsight.com  

Love the Hell Out of Hate

Everything begins with a seed, be it a natural/physical seed like that of fruit or vegetables, or a spiritual/mental seed of doubt. Or hope. Or defeat. Or determination. 

Human life itself begins with a seed. And seeds eventually grow. When they’re watered and nurtured, they inevitably spring up to produce after their own kind.  

You won’t plant an apple seed and get an orange. An apple seed will eventually produce an apple tree, and that tree will bear apples.

Planting a bell pepper seed won’t get you a cucumber. A bell pepper is what you’ll get. 

You can’t expect to reach a goal that requires your determination if all you’ve ever planted are seeds of doubt. Seeds of doubt grow and produce inaction. A seed of determination will eventually arrive at a met goal or an accomplished dream.

And have you ever seen a human produce anything other than a human? A human seed produces a human being.

This is nature. Her laws are natural/physical and spiritual/mental. She is as she’s always been, and she shall forever remain. When a seed is planted, it will eventually produce.

So let there be no surprise that we’re seeing the fruit of deep-rooted seeds of hate in our nation today. Hate was long ago planted in the hearts of men (species), and we are certainly seeing the product of it. (Matthew 15:17-20) We’re experiencing the fruit from that tree—seeds that have been planted and replanted and replanted in the hearts of men (species) who produced more men (species) who produced more men (species). And on it goes.

We’ve always known the hate tree was there. We’ve always seen its hate fruit, but we knew we shouldn’t take of it. We knew hate fruit wouldn’t nourish us.

Or maybe, for some, it took for us to eat of the hate fruit and become poisoned by its juices to learn that we should stay away. We had to learn the hard way that that fruit wasn’t our fruit to eat...that the fruit from the seed of hate wasn't what was best for our diets.

And aren't we tired of the fruit from the seed of hate, whether we've eaten it ourselves or simply watched what eating it has done to others? Isn't it high time that we choose to remove that fruit from our diets, and encourage others to do the same for our overall health? Do you, like me, want to see a move toward healthier living?

Let's plant seeds of love. 

Let's grow a different tree. Let's very intentionally nurture its love fruit so it can produce more of its kind that will plant and replant and replant love in the hearts of men (species) for generations to come.

When given the opportunity to repay evil for evil, let's choose to love instead. Let's overcome evil with good, being careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone (Romans 12:17-20). Let's not be overcome by hate and evil.

Love with your words. Love with your deeds. Love with what you post. Let even your body language speak love, as it has the power to heap burning coals on hate's head (Proverbs 25:21-22). 

Be intentional about loving your neighbor. Initiate conversations that are wrapped in peace and that focus on goodness. Intentionally plant seeds that yield good fruit.

We've watched the seed of hate poison our nation. The fruit is harvesting in abundance. But we can plant seeds of love, and just as nature has promised, the seeds will produce fruit after its own kind. Love gives life; it's the only thing that overcomes hate. And we want that harvest. We want it in just as much bounty as the fruit of today's hate.

And we can have it.

Plant love.
Water love.
Nurture love.
Harvest love.
Repeat.

My Best Friend's Wedding

I'll never forget how I cried a river when my best friend got married. I was excited and grateful and hurt all at the same time. She'll be the first to tell you that I was a HOT MESS, and that's only what she actually saw of my crying. What she saw before and during the ceremony was only the beginning. It was after the ceremony that I experienced one of the hardest breaking aways that I've endured in my life.

After crying my eyes out and FINALLY getting myself together

In the Beginning
Chantel and I met maybe a year after I gave my life to the Lord. Although I'd had really close friends before her, she was the friend that I grew in Christ with. We learned a lot about walking with the Lord together. We learned how to study His word together. We made tough decisions that caused us to say "no" to ungodliness and "yes" to righteousness, together. She "called me out" when I was in an unfruitful relationship and "told me about myself" (neck roll and all) when I wasn't reflecting Christ with my actions. And I did the same for her.



 

We lived in different states, miles and miles apart, and saw each other a couple times a year, but what God had built in us was a friendship that was anchored in Him. We were (and are) accountable to one another, and she is someone I will always associate with my growth in Christ. When I think about those baby steps I took in my first 2 years with the Lord, Chantel was there, "holding my hand".  And one day, just like that, I had to loosen my grip.

Seasons Change
When I knew Chantel would be getting married (she married someone who was one of my closest guy friends at that time), the Lord began to prepare my heart to understand what was about to happen. From the time we became friends, Chantel and I would talk on the phone pretty regularly. Sometimes we'd talk for hours. I don't know how we did this in college, but we did. The same was true for her husband, Antoine. Sometimes he and I would chop it up on the phone for hours too. Then, they started talking less to me and more to each other. I knew something was going on before the two of them did, but when the light came on and they learned that there was something special between them, there was no turning back. 

It was at that time, with one very memorable phone conversation between Chantel and me, that the Lord said, "This is it."  He was preparing me to lose my friends. He was showing me that I wouldn't be able to talk to them as much because they were laying the foundation for what would be their union--the two becoming one. He stretched my patience and curbed my selfishness because there were moments I wanted to have Chantel's time and attention to talk and kick it like we'd done before, but many times when I wanted that, her time and attention was with Antoine. And when I knew that things were serious, out of respect for what was happening, no matter how cool Antoine and I were, and how much Chantel knew that, I backed off of how much he and I talked. If I needed to get anything to him, I sent it through Chantel. It took a few years of them building what would eventually become the marriage they have now, so I had plenty of time to grow into a pretty comfortable acceptance of our new way of being.


And Then It Was Over
He proposed. She said yes. She asked me to be in the wedding. I said yes. We planned and prepared, and for months, talked about what was to come. Then, that weekend in April 2006 was upon us. I was fine that Friday when all of the final plans were being put into play. As long as we were working and she and I were side by side, I was good. Even that Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, I was okay. With all the hustle and bustle from the hotel to the church, who had time to think about the actual ceremony? It wasn't until we were in the bridal waiting room at the church and the photographer came in to snap our pictures that out of nowhere, a burst of emotion swelled up on the inside of me and flew from my body in a hiccupping cry. And it was uncontrollable. I couldn't even contain myself, and there was no comforting me.

I didn't realize it then, but I knew I was having a release that said, "I won't have my friend anymore...not like I had her before. She's always my friend, but her first priority is now her husband." And it hurt. I was so excited for the two of them to be together. Lord knows I didn't want either one of them to be with anyone else. They're PERFECT for each other! But boy was it hard to "give my friend away". And it never got any easier.


Life Began Again
A few years after they wed, Chantel and Antoine welcomed their son, Asa, into the world, and soon thereafter, their daughter, Avery.

                              

Their family grew quickly, and of course, that meant Chantel was pulled into many different directions. I LOVED seeing her as a wife and mother whenever I'd visit, and God always used those visits to remind me that Chantel's first ministry is her family and her home. She and I would set up phone dates to talk and pray, and we'd have our trips planned for her to either come to me, or for me to go to her, and we'd have the most precious time. Chantel was always intentional about maintaining our relationship, but life, naturally, just doesn't allow us to have as much time as we used to.


The Hard Truth
There are times when I only want to talk to Chantel. I have other friends. I have family. And before and above any of them, I have God by way of the Holy Spirit. There are things, however, that no one else knows. There's this me that no one else understands. And sometimes, outside of our scheduled phone dates, I just simply want to talk to my friend. 

Sometimes, I'll shoot her a text, and it'll get a response days later. Sometimes, I don't get a response at all. The same goes with phone calls. And Lord, don't let me send a Glide to the person who convinced me to start Gliding in the first place. I dun' gave that up! And most times, because God prepared my heart and mind years and years ago, I don't even sweat it. I know what's up on the other end. She's been apologetic on so many occasions, but I assure her that the Lord comforts my heart when I can't talk to her or when she doesn't respond. Most times, when I don't get a response from her, it reminds me to pray for her and for all she juggles at home and at work. There are days, though, when I want to have a fit because I just want her to pick up and talk for a couple minutes. And there are times when I send a simple question that doesn't require much thought or time for her to respond, and when she doesn't answer, I swear I wanna hop a plane and get to where she is and make her answer me. And I've been hurt sometimes when she doesn't say anything. I've had thoughts like, "Why doesn't she care like I care? Doesn't she know how it feels to be ignored?" I've thrown fits. And I've told myself a couple times that when she calls or texts me, I'm not gon' respond. I'm gon' ignore her too and leave her hangin' in the wind. But I never can because love doesn't do that.


A Love That Speaks
I was having one of those moments when I was just ready to ignore Chantel because it had been a while since we'd spoken. I had sent a text or two that she hadn't responded to and it had been over a week. I'd called once, too,  maybe a couple weeks prior to this "moment" I was having. I'd been telling myself that if she called or texted, I wouldn't respond.

And then one day she called.

I was at work and on my planning period (I'm a teacher). Normally, I'm all over the place during my planning period. I'm in the office, I'm making copies, I'm making phone calls, I'm meeting with parents, I'm grading papers... It's a busy time, and this day was no different. I'd left my classroom to do one of the above mentioned tasks, and when I returned to my desk, I saw that I'd missed Chantel's call by 2 minutes. I was SO excited to see her missed call that all the craziness about ignoring her went out the window. Ha!

I immediately called her back, hoping that she hadn't gotten busy in those 2 minutes, because it has certainly happened before! I let the phone ring until her voicemail picked up, and when it did, I said, "Noooooo! Nooooo! Nooooo!"

I plopped down in my chair and felt like the Atlanta Falcons must've felt when they were up in the Super Bowl and allowed the other team to gain over 20 points in 1 quarter to win the game and snatch the win. I was finally about to get to talk to my friend, and I missed her, and I realized at that moment that  I would've been okay with just hearing from her. We wouldn't have had to talk about anything major; I was okay just knowing she cared enough to take a moment out of her day to talk to me.

And then the Lord spoke.

He said, "Iantha, this is how my heart feels when you "call" to talk to me. The excitement you felt when you saw Chantel had thought about you is the same excitement I feel when you come to talk to me. And oh how quickly you called back! That's what I do! I run to you. And when I wait for you to "call" me and you don't, I feel that too. I feel the same way you feel when Chantel doesn't call. All the while, all I really want is to hear from you. I just want to know that you cared enough about us to take a moment out of your day to talk to me. I really just want to hear your voice. I think about all of the foundation that's laid in our relationship, and I think about how close we are and how I know things that no one else knows. I think about how you can only share those things with me. And that's all I want. I just want you to share those things with me."

Talk about embarrassing, yet amazingly refreshing!

There are times when I'm the Chantel in my relationship with the Lord. He literally sits there and waits for me and drops EVERYTHING to take my call. I get busy with home. I get busy with school. I get busy with church. I get busy with Praise Movement. And although I want to talk to Him, there's so much in front of me to take care of that I don't stop to "respond to His call" or "answer His text" (that tugging in my heart).  I think He, too, grows tired of waiting sometimes. And I know it hurts His heart, but the moment I run to Him, he can't ignore me. Even if he wants to stay silent, He finds himself running to be there to hear what  I have to say because He loves me so much. He's too vested in who we are, and really, he just wants to hear my voice. He just wants to hear yours too.

Will you "pick up the phone" and call Him today?

This blog post is the Day 10 istallment of a 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God. Consider joining the journey here: Introduction: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

Snoop Dogg: Bible of Love - The Review

I Just Know Good Music

Artist: Snoop Dogg

Album Title: Bible of Love

Tracks: 32 (Yes, 32!)

On Repeat: New Wave (feat. Mali Music); You (feat. Tye Tribbett); Come As You Are (feat. Mary Mary & Marvin Sapp)

Skip: Chizzle

I wasn't expecting what I heard, but what I heard was unexpectedly refreshing. Bible of Love is just some straight up good music.

And I can hear the believers now, "How dare he, one who spits cuss words and lives a life that reflects anything but Christ!"

Why do we (Christians) do this?

Maybe others think like I think upon hearing that a secular artist has their hand in on gospel music. It's a shocker at first. And it's just as much a shocker when gospel artists have their hands in on secular music. We don't expect the worlds to collide, and because of this, I would normally not even bat an eye upon hearing that a secular artist is singing God's praises. It would seem like a publicity stunt or a desire for the artist to just make music because making music is what they do. I'd think it wouldn't mean anything to them because gospel music is so much more than just making music. Gospel music is all about sharing the message of Jesus Christ and His saving power, and it comes from a place of personal experience. Gospel music is made with hopes of causing others to know Jesus, and with hopes of encouraging those who are already in Christ to grow in their walk and be edified. You have to know Jesus and His word, personally, to really speak a message about Him. And Snoop obviously knows this too because his voice is heard on only a very small percentage of this project. And this isn't to say that Snoop doesn’t know (of) Jesus (none of us know that), but this is to say that he does know exactly what he's doing.

You see, Snoop is an artist with a history of making hits, so he knows good music, and he knows what it takes to make music that gives people what they want. Snoop knows a thing or two about what works and what doesn't, so he had sense enough to go and get the gospel music greats for this project, and they’re the ones doing the singing. He was responsible for pulling everyone together, but he, for the most part, is not delivering the message on this album. In fact, the majority of the artists featured on this album wrote the songs they're singing on the album, for the album.

After listening to Bible of Love in its entirety and enjoying it as much as I did, I had to "check myself before I wrecked myself". I seriously had to talk to the Lord about the question that was in my mind BEFORE I listened. I had to deal with why my heart was so unwilling to receive a message about Christ because of how it was packaged. #message

I kept thinking, "How does someone who doesn't even profess to be a Christian even make a gospel album?"

Well, why not?

What's wrong with pulling people together who know and love God, getting them in a room with others who may not know and love God, and allowing them to work together on music that is understood by both parties to be music that professes the name of Jesus? Why can't those people get together to make music with the sole purpose of uplifiting and encouraging those who listen? What else are believers here for if we can't even do projects that reflect Jesus Christ with those who may not believe, especially when all parties know it's a project that reflects, boasts in and uplifts Jesus Christ? How else are unbelievers supposed to learn of Him?


It would be a totally different story if a host of Christians got together and were featured on music that was clearly secular and had nothing to do with Christ because a Christian's job is to be the influence, not to be influenced.

Snoop used his God-given gifts with music and production and he used his platform and his reach to pull others together. Can you imagine how many people will listen to the message of Jesus Christ simply because they know and love Snoop and respect him as an artist?

Can you imagine the people who may be hanging on to a lifestyle that they hate who may hear Bible of Love and decide to finally make a change? Can you imagine how many other scenarios there are out there of people who may hear the message of Jesus Christ and His saving power from an artist like Snoop who wouldn't dare even try to hear it from Marvin Sapp or Kirk Franklin?

There are so many RIGHTS here. I'm struggling to find even one WRONG.

And the music is on point! When I heard Marvin Sapp and Mary Mary on the same track, killin' on vocals, and when Kim Burrell came out on a couple songs being the Kim Burrell that she is, I was home! Snoop included an old, CLASSIC Clark Sisters track (Pure Gold), and I about lost it! John P. Kee, Rance Allen, Fred...all the greats--the pillars of gospel music! My first listen through, the last thing I was thinking about was whose album it was. I was too focused on the message. And isn't that the point? 

The production is stellar, and certainly, with Snoop being the one to spearhead it, it  should be.

I know nothing of Snoop's life. Even when I was in the world, I wasn't a fan, so he wasn't on my radar. Apart from his hits that played over and over on the radio back in my day, I know nothing of him. I don't see him on social media, and I don't know any of his latest work on screen or in the studio. All I know is "You" featuring my favorite gospel artist, Tye Tribbett, caught my ear on Spotify and I knew then that I had to hear all of Bible of Love. I know my Tye, and when I saw that he'd written the song he's featured on (I knew it), I knew there had to be more to this album than what "I thought".

Every track boasts of Jesus. Every track speaks His truth. The album is really good! For those of us who love God and enjoy good music, this project is one for us. And if we're “too spiritual” to be able to look past who pulled the people together to sing the songs, then we aren't really interested in the message. I'm thankful that Bible of Love gave me a heart check and helped me to see beyond the surface.

We should rejoice that Snoop had sense enough to even honor God with his gifts, even if it is for but this time. We should rejoice that the Lord (because the enemy surely didn't do it) laid it on his heart to do this project and he obeyed. We can learn a lesson from him in this because I know there are things the Lord has told all of us to do, at some point or another, that we just haven't (I was supposed to finish writing this blog and post it last week). We can rejoice that he wasn't afraid to go to those who aren't "like him" to do something that would glorify God. We can learn to go to others who have skill sets that could help us to build God's kingdom and stop casting them away because they aren't Christians. How will they know who a Christian is or what it means to walk in Christ if you're not there to show them?

I haven't paid $16.99 for music in a loooong time, but I gladly paid for this after hearing only about 5 or 6 tracks on Spotify. It's just good and I can't wait to introduce a few tracks to my Praise Movement dancers!  Don't let "foolishness" keep you from experiencing what's happening in Bible of Love.

Swoope: Sonshine - The Review

I Just Know Good Music

Artist: Swoope
Album Title: Sonshine
Tracks: 11 (see track breakdown)

On Repeat: Never Left, Shining Down, You Got Me
Skip: ---

I can't say that I like every track on every album in my collection of music. I can honestly only say it about a few, and last week, Swoope's Sonshine was added to that few. Sonshine is one of those albums that gives me the freedom to press play and just let it go. I find myself jammin', literally, track after track after track. I've already become one with the project in a couple of my Sunday afternoon meal prep sessions, and it's already taken over my early morning "get ready for work" time. It's a feel good project with thought-provoking lyrics and masterful production with beats and arrangements that are among some of the best I've heard. I was blown away when I discovered that the album was written and produced almost completely by the artist himself. I even found myself saying, "Man, if I ever decide to write some music that I think everybody should hear, I'm callin' Swoope to produce it. Hands down!" And the best part? The best part is the message of the cross and Jesus Christ being the light that shines in darkness. This part--the reason for Swoope even writing and producing this work, I'm sure--is packaged beautifully inside the stellar production of EVERY track. The message is hard to miss, and it just don't get no better than that!

How I Found This Project
Even though this is Swoope's 4th album, I'd never even heard of the brother before Sonshine. In one of my routine music searches (at least once a week for Praise Movement School of Dance, Inc.), I opened up the iTunes store and did a general search in "New Music", and there it was. I gave the snippets a listen and was instantly hooked. I then took a full listen to a couple tracks on YouTube, and that was a wrap. The quality of the lyrics...the overall sound... Man! Those two songs let me know what I should expect throughout the album, and my expectations were definitely met. I was not disappointed when I purchased the album right after my YouTube listen.

Swoope has a tongue like the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45:1). Straight B A R S! Sheesh! The whole project is pure genius!


Track Breakdown

Track 1: Shine
Takeaway Lyrics: "Ain't no way to stop the wave, the devil is a liar / Ain't no pain that I can't take when the Son is shining"

This short track (2:26) opens with a personal voice message from Swoope's dad reminding him to "just shine" in whatever he does. The takeaway lyrics sum up the overall message of "Shine". Swoope tells listeners that he doesn't look like what he's been through (obstacles, failures, the tough navigation in the music industry) because when he became victorious in the Son and overcame it all, what he went through was nothing in comparison to what he'd gained--the blessing of having the Son continually shining on and in him. And you have to hear the choir singing on this song with the tambourines in tow! Umph, umph, umph! The voices of hope and triumph!


Track 2: Hall of Fame
Takeaway Lyrics: "Eatin' mics like I'm at the last supper / Order Passover, I've been passed over / Said I wouldn't pop like a flat soda / So they said, 'Forget your God, Christian rap's over' / Y'all choosin' sides / I'm designin' the entrée / Oh, you tryin' to get Big Boi? I'm tryin' to be Andre` / Beyond great, all glory to God name"

The beat is dirty and it's all up in ya ear! It's raw. It's tough. And the video Swoope has for "Hall of Fame" is the perfect depiction for the thoughts that formed in my mind when I first heard the beat. I didn't see a boxing ring in my mind like the one on the video, but I certainly sensed battle and hard work and sweat and grit. In this song, Swoope tells listeners how hard he's worked to get "here" and that he belongs in the rap game. He's put in time for this and his God-given, unmistakable gifts and talents are what got him "here" and will keep him "here"--all so God's name can be glorified.


Track 3: Never Left (feat. Natalie Lauren)

Again, Swoope is reminding listeners that "here" is where he belongs, and although it may seem like he wouldn't come back (to the music scene) after being gone for a time, he's back now like he never left.

But can we just talk about how smooth this track is?  Man! It's easy like Sunday morning and Natalie Lauren's feature is juuuuust right. The piano leads in and then the beat drops pushing the piano to the background. And although you're bobbin' ya head to the beat, you're swayin' at the same time because that piano melody "never left". It's hangin' back, takin' the edge off, keepin' it hip-hop, but still chill. And in my mind I see a group of friends, some on the couch and some on the floor, hangin' out and vibin' to music and this is what they're listening to. They're talking about life and having "moments" and this is the feel good music that's in the background. There's a smile on everyone's face, and laughter is filling their space. I'm smilin' now as it's providing the perfect background motivation for this writing session.

Then, right at 1:56, and on until 2:06, the sweetest 10 seconds of the song, Swoope blessed all of New Orleans (I'm a native) with a beat that has our signature bounce flavor. At first listen, I was like, "Aaaaaaaaayyyyyyeeeee!!" Rewound it a couple times (no shame) just to hear it again. And there's another beat change at 2:52 that the true hip-hop community gon' preshate!


Track 4: Flex
Takeaway Lyrics: "I ain't gotta flex, I ain't gotta flex / Really gettin' wins but I ain't gott flex / When you know you got it, and you know who God is, you ain't gotta flex"

Obviously, from all that's being said on this track, Swoope is a little turned off by those who feel the need to flex (flaunt). He feels like it's unnecessary. Boasting. Parading. Showin' off. Why? When God is our source and who we depend on, HE makes all things possible, and that means HE gets the glory. There's no need to flex...no need to rattle off at the lips about how much money we have, the "things" we've acquired or what we own. Swoope's Message: "Anything I got was given by his purchase (on the cross), I ain't earn it," so I dare not boast about the things His purchase allows me to purchase.


Track 5: Old Me
Takeaway Lyrics: "Been movin' 88 keys a week since I was 15 / Sunday morning special, ebony, and ivories / You can find me with the bands while the choir sings"

Yooooo! The production for this track is SICK! It is a metaphorical masterpiece--lyrics AND music!

The song opens with a funky piano that has that old school, early Harlem Renaissance jazz appeal. It's paired with a real chill hip-hop beat. There's the crackling of an old record player spinning a record, and there's even a jazzy, old school rat tat on a snare drum. And then, if that groove ain't enough for ya, there's the lacing of an old school church choir in the background, perfectly situated between bars. It's all there! It all sets the stage for the message in "Old Me". Everything is thoughtfully set for that "old" flavor so listeners will understand that Swoope is still in touch with who he was, the "choir boy from the hood". He wants listeners to know that who he was has made him who he is; the two are one in the same. He couldn't do what he does now without all of the experience his life of old afforded him.


Track 6: TSNK (Feat. Kareem Manuel)
Takeaway Lyrics: "Can we stop hashtaggin' caskets please."

Trayvon Martin
Michael Brown
Eric Garner
Tamir Rice 
Philando Castile 
Walter Scott
Alton Sterling
Stephon Clark

Swoope mentions only a couple of these black males' names (and Sandra Bland) in the song, but it's clear that they and others, whose names never made it to the news (or this list), are the ones who this song pays homage to. The lyrics are honestly hard for me, a black woman, to listen to, but they're masterful and they hit the heart of what it's meant to black families and the black culture as a whole to lose as many lives as we have to the hands of those who have sworn to protect and serve us.

The track opens with a real account (recorded) of police officers gunning a black man down. That account is followed by a rhythmic heartbeat that sets the thread for the beat that will carry the rest the song. Every word Swoope says on this track while that heartbeat backs him up makes me think of every black man who no longer has a heartbeat because it was stopped by a bullet from a blue hand. 

And the gunshot right at the end of the first verse when he says, "Don't shoot!" after that hardcore drive of lyrics in the chorus and the first verse... Man. My heart.

The song ends with an abrupt stop of that heartbeat. Just like that. It beat the whole song long and then, almost without warning, it's gone. Paints too real a picture. 


Track 7: Way Up
Takeaway Lyrics: "We wasn't supposed to make it but we still alive / When they tried to take it can't steal the light / And we finna go live another life / 'Cause when He come back down it's goin' way up, up, up"

The message here is the joy of eternal life. Life doesn't end at death for those who are in Christ Jesus. We go "waaaaay up, up, up" to live eternally with Him.


Track 8: Black Boy

The instrumentation in this song is probably the most intentional of the whole album. The piano in this song is on assignment, hear me? And my red pen gives it an A+!  We hear the piano in the beginning, and it sets the tone for the serious conversation that Swoope, the father figure in the song, is having with his son. He talks life with him and covers quite a few subjects, just the way that all black men have to do with their black sons. He reminds his son that the world is his because his Father (God) gave it to him and gave him the keys to help him unlock doors that no man will be able to close. And just like in "Never Left",  the piano is pushed to the background and the smooth, very gentle hip-hop beat is in the foreground because the son is still a boy. This part of the song has his youthful flavor, but the elegance of the piano keeps the talk focused and gives it the tone of seriousness that it needs.

As the song progresses, the piano is more sophisticated and its melody more advanced. To put it plainly, the keys are straight KILLIN' at this point in the song! I had to play the song back a few times to listen to the lyrics in this section because I was too busy gawking at how the keys were movin'. BEAUTIFUL! Swoope begins to speak to the black man; the boy's all grown up now. Swoope acknowledges that the young man has had life throw him a few curve balls, but he reminds him that he's still a child of the King and the world is still his. He reminds him that God doesn't change and he encourages him to continue to look to God.


Track 9: You Got Me (feat. Taelor Gray)
Takeaway Lyrics: You hear me every time I call on ya/ No matter how big or small bet it all on You/ I know I be trippin' but I fall on ya/ I bet it all on ya/ I know ya, I know ya, I know ya got me / I know ya got me

The Message: God will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). That's His promise. Swoope reminds listeners that we don't even deserve for God to "catch me when I fall", but He still does. There's no problem too big or too small for Him. He's got us!

The old school choir that we heard in "Shine" and  "Old Me" is back to open this song. They say, "You hear me eeeeev'ry tii-ime I praaaay." I'm tellin' ya! It's the perfect opener and we hear them in the background throughout the song too.

This song is a full production!

Track 10: Shining Down
Takeaway Lyrics: "Rain falls, pain comes / I'll be alright if Your light is shining / Rain falls, pain comes / I'll be alright with Your light inside of me"

When I heard this song for the first time and that choir came in at 3:51, I 'bout lost my natural mind!   And they sAngin'! And when they sAngin', I'm sAngin' to the top of my lungs, EVERY time. Ha!

Every choir we hear on the album before now has that old school, antiquated sound (except "Shine"). This choir is all up in the microphones. They're clear, crisp, and bright--shining like the sun, and shining for the Son. They belt out those lyrics and tell us that we're alright because He's shining on us and in us. There's nothing left to say after the choir modulates one time and closes the song on a high note.


Track 11: All the Time
Takeaway Lyrics: "God is gooood, all the time"

Any questions?




Next Up: I've got a few things to say about Snoop Dogg's Bible of Love.