Striving to Know Him

Your Aunt C sounds like a real cool lady D.

She really is.

I’d love to go see her perform.

You should do that! Just check out her calendar that lists her upcoming performances on her website www.cynthiascott.com., you never know when she’ll be in a city near you.

Alright I will! And you’re right about the invaluable strength gained by seeing someone else pioneer a new frontier..it’s a strengthening thing that let’s others know they CAN achieve.

Already.

Do you have any musical talents?

What do you mean?

You know..can you sing or play any instruments?

Nahh..the best thing I can do with music is listen.

Can you paint?

You mean like painting a picture?

Yeah.. Nope..the creative talents that God blessed me with, is pretty much what you’re reading.

Well..writing is a creative talent too..everybody can’t put their thoughts on paper.

Sometimes I can’t either!! (laughing)

Why not?

I dunno…it’s just that sometimes I have feelings that words can’t quite express.

You seem to do a good job of expressing yourself to me.

Thanks for the compliment, but I’m still a work in progress, the more I write the more I learn different methods of getting my thoughts across to the reader. Writing is a very exposing experience that will leave you feeling vulnerable.

Vulnerable?

Yeah…when you bare your soul for others to see..it’s kinda like going up on stage butt naked.

(smiling) Hey..you know what they say, ‘to much is given, much is required’. You’ve got a very real voice and a very real experience that can help a lot of people along their journey.

I know, I’ve accepted my calling to discipleship, otherwise I would have never had the courage to jump out there into the public eye.

You’ve accepted your call to discipleship?? What are you talking about?

I’m talking about that quote from Jesus you just used.

You mean, ‘to much is given, much is required’??

Yeah.

JESUS said that??

Yeah, that’s from His parable of the faithful servant found in Luke 12:47,48 And that servant which knew his master’s will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required and to whom men have committed much, of him men will ask more.

I never knew that’s where that saying came from.

I didn’t either..until I became a disciple of Christ and started studying to show myself approved.

Why do you call yourself a disciple tho? I thought Jesus already had His 12 disciples??

The word ‘disciple’ means ‘learned one’. When you have a Master that you are studying under, you become His disciple. Jesus had (and has) a lot more than just the 12 disciples. It's just that of all His disciples, the 12 listed in the Bible were among His 'closest' circle. That's why they're apostles, because they were 'near' Him.

How do you know all of this??

I read the Bible daily.

I thought you said you already read the whole Bible??

I have..but being a disciple of Christ is not a static position, you have to study and keep moving from glory to glory everyday. We are not saved, we are being saved.

Yeah well..you already know how I feel about Christianity..I mean it’s all good for anybody to worship God the way they feel like worshipping Him, but I think Christians are too self-righteous and hypocritical..especially with all those forehead slapping, ‘You are HEALED in the name of JEEZUS!’ phonies we see on TV all the time. Then you add in all those holier than thou Christians that are so set on telling everybody how we’re going to hell if we don’t pay tithes and go to church.

What makes you think they’re Christians?

They CALL themselves Christians!!

That’s why you need to read the Bible for YOURSELF!! That way you’re prepared to recognize people who are talking out the side of their neck. Just because someone has a cross around their neck and a Bible in their hand doesn’t mean they’re followers of the Lord.

That’s what I’m talking about!!

But yet, you let these false teachers and false preachers give you a reason to not seek the Lord for yourself? Don’t you know that that’s exactly what Satan wants you to do?

It’s not just that though, I mean, from what I understand, Jesus was cool and all, but I just can’t see how He can claim that He is the ONLY way to God.

Yeah..that was one of my hang-ups before I submitted to His will.

What made you submit??

There wasn’t just one particular incident like a burning bush or anything like that, I mean, I grew up going to church every Sunday. But as I got older and more educated, I started reading and being exposed to other people and religions that seemed just as, if not more devout to the Lord than Christians. So I stepped back from the Christian faith and I just tried to focus on God…or at least that’s what I had fooled myself into thinking.

What do you mean ‘fooled yourself’?

Well, I realized that I was really just hiding in idolatry.

Huh? You started worshipping golden calves or something?

Nah..I started worshipping myself. Everything was about me..my time..my money..my life. It’s very easy to put the Lord off and give Him that lip service ‘Yeah, I believe’ and then just go on about your business doing whatever it is you do. Seeing all those boom-shaka-laka yoyo’s claiming to be preaching the Word of God while driving their fleet of Rolls Royce’s made it that much easier for me to shun any form of worship or praise. ‘They ain’t real’ and just let every day pass without taking time out to acknowledge how good God has been to me. In my mind, I’d keep on doing it like I was doing it and then when I got older and unable to really have FUN like a young man can have fun, then maybe I’d start getting closer to God the closer I got to death. I had it all figured out.

I know what you mean. What made you turn that corner?

I just got to a point in my life when I felt tired and out of control, a raft out at sea without any sail, motor or oar..just drifting aimlessly and helplessly. I realized that I didn’t control anything and I had a thirst to grow closer to the Lord..so that’s when I got down on my knees and prayed to God for guidance and understanding..and that’s when I picked up my Bible and began reading it from front to back.

Yeah..but who says the Bible is THE Word of God? I mean, I know it has some good stuff in there, but you gotta admit that man has changed it over the years.

Yeah..I had that same hangup too…until I read it with a teachable heart.

Teachable heart?

Yeah..instead of reading the Bible trying to find errors, I read it seeking understanding, and when I learned about Abraham and his son Isaac, Jacob and his offspring that made up the 12 tribes of Israel, the captivity in Egypt, the exodus through the wilderness, Joshua leading the children into the promised land, the judges, the kings and all the prophets of the Old Testament..well then I began to see and understand God’s ‘gameplan’. He’s always promised us a Messiah that would be sacrificed for ALL mankind, not just Jews, and Jesus fulfilled that promise.

But what about the translations of the Bible? Don’t you see how evil men could manipulate it for their own personal gain?

Yeah..but you also must admit that if you believe that God has a Word for His children that He would make sure it stayed intact and impervious to Satan and his legion of demons in their attempts to distort or destroy it. "The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever." – Is 40:8 God’s Word can’t be faded mane. And a lot of those claims that people had about the Bible being ‘changed’ were disproved when they found the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were around during the time Jesus walked the earth. When they matched it up to the Old Testament we have today, it was practically identical, save for a few grammatical discrepancies common when translating from one language to another.

What about the New Testament? That’s when Jesus first showed up right?

Wrong! Jesus has always been here, even in the Old Testament, and not just all the prophecies of His coming to earth, but even back in Genesis 1:26a "And God said, Let US make man in our own image, after our likeness.” God’s existence as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has always been since eternity past..and when you consider that humans exist in 3 parts: mind, body and spirit, you can have a better understanding. Abraham was the father of faith who, in a form of prophetic foreshadowing, was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac for the Lord. Because of his trust and faith in the Lord, God blessed Abraham and then God took it a step further when He sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross at Calvary. Throughout Scripture, blood sacrifices are required for the atonement of sin, Jesus shed His spotless blood for ALL of us, and through Him we are saved.

I dunno that’s still a leap of faith to make..I guess I need to start reading my Bible huh?

Yeah..you can’t get around that one. If you’re really serious about knowing God for yourself, then you HAVE to pick up that Word and study it. Because if you don’t, you won’t be able to discern the true Spirit of the Lord. You’ve got to know Him for YO-SELF mane!

Aunt C

A couple of years ago, I can’t really remember the exact time frame, the (time-date stamp in my brain has never worked properly), one of my cousins from St. Louis came to Houston to visit. While he was in town, we had the opportunity to ‘catch up’ and hang out a bit. This particular cousin is on my mother’s side of the family His father and my mother are siblings and part of the family of 12 children(6 boys and 6 girls) born to Bishop Sam Scott and his lovely wife Artelia. So when I say he’s my cousin, he’s my cousin FO-REAL, not none of that ‘play-cousin’ type hype.

Corey is a few years younger than I am, he’s the younger brother of my cousin Jamar who tore up a spirit filled rendition of ‘My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord’ at Big Daddy’s funeral 2 years ago. Corey definitely has a strong dose of the humor gene in the family, as characterized by how he approached his brother Jamar after we were leaving the gravesite at Big Daddy’s funeral and walking back to our cars. The emotional tension that seems to creep up at funerals had already evaporated as those last ‘ashes to ashes and dust to dust’ words were said over Big Daddy’s casket and it left us leaving the cemetery feeling cleansed and blessed to have the sun peek out on an otherwise very cool and chilly day.

I know I wasn’t the only one that felt that Spirit move when Jamar got up to sing that song, but my cousin Corey hit the nail on the head in a way that tingles with ‘Scott-ness’..

"Jamar!! (Corey exclaimed in a sudden loud voice that broke the silence with it’s twinges of laughter already spilling out into his voice) Boyyy…you sang like somebody that know the Lawd today!!"

Of course, the obvious joke was the fact that he said that Jamar sang ‘like’ somebody that knew the Lawd..you get it? The humor is in the unspoken, but inferred slander that Jamar does NOT know the Lawd..oops, I mean Lord for himself. Ya get it? No? Too bad, it must just be a Scott thang, cuz when I heard Corey say it, I bust out laughing immediately, cuz it was funny to me. Jamar started laughing too..that’s just how we do it..it’s a kinfolk thang.

Well this same cousin Corey who happened to give me one of the biggest compliments that I’ve ever received, simply for the fact he showed me a viewpoint that I had never considered before. We were just hanging out chilling and just out of the blue, he said point blank,

"You know D…when you graduated from Stanford…it did the whole family good."

I had never thought about the fact that I had other relatives, younger and older, who used my educational achievement as a strengthening momentus for them. But once I thought about it, I could remember how I had other relatives who’s achievements I looked up to with great admiration and the first person that jumped into my head was my Aunt Cynthia or Aunt C. Our family is known to butcher the pronuniation and all her Ain't “Sin-tay" . I know it sounds kinda country and ‘Buckwheatish’, for someone to mispronounce ‘Aunt Cynthia’ as ‘Ain’t Sin-TAAAY‘, but you gotta remember, these people are from Arkansas. Okayy, I’m kinda joking, but I’m kinda serious too..that’s why it’s so funny. But Aunt C is definitely one of those shining beacons that has been a source of pride and admiration for the whole family.


Aunt C is definitely what history would consider as a pioneer. Hopefully you’ve read her biography on her website (http://www.cynthiascott.com/) to learn more about the brave path she took toward chasing her passion in life. She started out as an airline flight attendant, while she took every opportunity she had to follow her love of singing. You see Aunt C is one of those talented Scott 12, almost all of the 12 kids could sing, dance or play a musical instrument. Notice I said ALMOST all, everybody in the family ain’t got it like that and rest assured, the Scott’s WILL let you know if you sound tired and need to go sit down. But Aunt C’s voice was not one of the tired ones, she took the hustle of Big Daddy and the warmth of Big Mama and put it to work through her vocal chords.

Those who have seen her perform on stage know what I mean. Aunt C didn’t stop with her God given talents, she put in her work at her trade. And those days of nightclub singing opened the door of opportunity and she landed a gig with Ray Charles, performing as one of his famous Rae-lettes for 2 years and eventually moving on to her more treasured world of pure jazz. Of course, myself, along with the rest of the family always loved to tell people that our Aunt C was a professional singer that sang with Ray Charles!

When I was a young kid, maybe 9 or 10, I went to Dallas with my mother and sister to spend a weekend with Aunt C. We all stayed in her condo there in Dallas and I can vividly remember a particular moment that really went a long way toward making me realize my resoluteness of being a lifetime heterosexual. We were in Aunt C’s apartment and I had to go to the bathroom. I don’t know if the door was already open, or I forgot to knock or what, but basically I walked into the bathroom at the exact moment when Aunt C was stepping out of the shower.

Mmmhmm..you got it..full frontal nudity. Like most of the other young male relatives, I already had my ‘secret’ crush thang going on with Aunt C..but of course you can’t REALLY follow through with nothing like that cuz that’s your aunt and the Bible got those incest laws and stuff, but I’m just SAYING…anyway, after I stood there for what seemed like an eternity staring, Aunt C said the strangest thing as she grabbed a towel and covered herself,

“Aww baby, I’m sorry.”

Can you believe THAT?? She was apologizing to ME??? I think I mumbled something like ‘That’s alright’ as I had that weird little perverted smile that young boys destined to be dirty old men seem to have when they see something they really like, yet they’re still not at the age where they know what to do with it. Ya feel me? Anyway..I already know some of ya’ll are tripping on the somewhat incestuous laden ‘joke’, but the point is, I’ve admired my Aunt C for a LONGGG time.When I had just started high school, Aunt C gave me one of the thickest books I had ever seen and said,

"You need to read this nephew. Poitier has a very powerful story."

The book she gave me was Sidney Poitier’s autobiography, This Life. I’m a big Sidney Poitier fan, especially the roles he played with Bill Cosby like Uptown Saturday Night or Let’s Do It Again. I was a bit intimidated by the size of the book at first, but when I latched in and READ it, I was captured and mesmerized. Poitier’s upbringing in the Cat Islands of the Bahamas is a very frank and real portrayal of life as it T-I-S. Born into the family of a struggling tomato farmer, Poitier depicts his childhood and upbringing with such candor that it made me feel better to know that there is no situation of poverty that hard work and training can not progress past. But along with the hard work and training, you have to have ambition. The world is full of ‘I coulda’, “I shoulda’ been superstars, success is definitely a blessing from God, but that doesn’t mean we’re not supposed to grind and do all we can do to BE READY when it comes knocking at the door.

Later on in life, I reflected back and realized why Aunt C gave me that book. It was because she always wanted me to know that excellence comes with the price of hard work and dedication, and that I definitely had the potential to go farther than most hard headed boys from the Southside. She even signed my guest book for servinemup.com with some very inspiring words:

"You make an aunt mighty proud to be in your family that you are so proud of. David not amazed at your success. Expected it AND SAW IT COMING. Let's get busy writing that book. More later when I return from Africa and boy could I use a bowl of collard greens and a jalapeno pepper. Even though some black people feel that they are not African ..... Africa is in us ALL. Love you Aunt C"

It is this ambitious drive, pioneering spirit and realness of life that I admire the most in my Aunt C. Because when you imagine the reality of the 10th child of a Southern sanctified minister, a black WOMAN extending beyond the boundaries of what folks SAY you can’t do and going out and pursuing her dreams to the fullest? I’ll always applaud my Aunt C, because she has definitely pioneered a course to let all of us remember that a dream deferred is still a dream denied. If you want to do it, you gotta get up and DO IT.

One of the best things about talking to Aunt C, is being able to hear her wonderful stories of the life of a jazz singer. When I was in college I hung out with Aunt C in New York for a couple of days and we went to this lil hole in the wall jazz club in Manhattan, and as we’re sitting at the bar talking, just out of the blue Terence Blanchard happens to amble on stage and starts blowing with the band!! I’m by no means a jazz aficionado, as a matter of fact, I’m teetering on being completely jazz ignorant and Homer Simpson-ish enough to fall asleep and start snoring so loud at a Betty Carter performance in Brooklyn, that I had to be nudged awake. But every time I’ve had the opportunity to see my Aunt C do her thang on stage, it is always an uplifting experience.

Most recently we had a chance to go to Flood’s jazz club in downtown Detroit the last night of our family reunion this summer and wouldn’t you know, Aunt C ended up on stage singing an impromptu version of ‘Summertime’ with the band. The thing that tripped me out the most about it, was that she didn’t know ANY of these musicians, had never seen them or practiced with them, but once she told the dude on the keyboard what she wanted and in what key? They ripped it up (that’s GOOD) so tight that it had the whole club on their feet applauding. It is this ambitious energy and dedication to the art of jazz that shows when Aunt C lifts her voice to sing. And this marvelous voice has taken her to places of the world that most black women from El Dorado have never even imagined.

From touring throughout Asia and Japan, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, Aunt C has been putting it down for her purpose for over 20 years now. And there have been times along my journey when I might have hesitated, because I felt I was too black or from too humble a beginning to achieve, but fortunately, I’ve always had pioneers, such as my wonderful Aunt C, who has shown us all, that we CAN chase our dreams to the fullest, no matter what the world may say.

If you’re ever craving some pure jazz, not that ‘junk they play on the radio’ as Aunt C often says, then I would definitely encourage you to check out Aunt C’s CD’s, which can be ordered from her website. And if you happen to be in Brooklyn, then you can see her perform live at Club Reign (Brooklyn’s newest hot spot located on Washington Ave. at Flushing !) on February 3, 2005.


Now I know some of ya’ll are probably still tripping on that full frontal nudity reference, but ya’ll know I don’t have to front to kick it I’m sure there’s some people shaking their head and saying I need to go sit on somebody’s couch and discuss latent Oedipal complexes with a professional, but I don’t care, it’s funny to me. I mean, you see how fine she looks now, so you can only imagine how fine she looked 25 years ago! Besides, I shared that story with her awhile ago and she couldn’t quite remember the incident, but after I told her how I would NEVER forget it, she started laughing and said, ‘Hell nephew, if I would have known that, I would have told you 'Merry Christmas!!’

How Game Are You?

Not too long after I posted the Reason for the Season (December 28th), I was approached by one of my friends who is also a regular visitor to www.servinemup.com..

Man D..I didn’t know about all those prophecies about Jesus that was written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before He was born!??!

Well I’m glad that I was able to serve up something to help strengthen your understanding.

Yeah..that was fresh. I like the way you broke down all those different verses that foretold the coming of the Messiah.

I just highlighted a few of them, there are a lot more than that!

See, I didn’t know that, because I was talking to this dude one day and he was telling me that Jesus was never a real person, that some Jews just made up the story of Jesus and tried to pass it off as God’s Word.

Yeah..I’ve talked to people who believe that Jesus is a fictitious character, just like some people think that it wasn’t Jesus who got up on the cross, but rather Judas.

Man! It’s so many different people who believe different things, but yet they all claim to be ‘keeping it real’…how can you really KNOW who’s telling the truth or not?

The Scripture says that we must study to show ourselves approved unto God (2 Tim 2:15).

What does that mean?

It means that ALL of us need to study the Word of God diligently and daily. Because no matter what church you go to, or what philosophy or religion that you follow, if it conflicts against Scripture, then it’s a false teaching.

But what about the people who don’t recognize the Bible as the Word of God, like all the people that say that man has changed the Bible over the years?

Well..I can understand how people have views that are passed on to them by their parents, like Muslims and Buddhist and the like, but our duty as disciples of Christ is to spread the Word of the gospel to all those who don’t know that the tomb is empty. It’s easy to say that at church and around your family, but once you get out there IN the world and dealing with real live people at work and in the hood, then it’s a lot harder to witness because you have people coming at you from all different angles trying to label you as one of those ‘Jesus freaks’ or something.

(smiling) Yeah…you’re right. The world DOES have a way of ‘crucifying’ those who witness for the Christ.

Those closest to you will be the first to bring up all the dirt you’ve done in the past and use it as a springboard to try and silence you cuz they ain’t trying to hear it and others will use everything from trying to discredit the truth of the Bible, to saying that Jesus was a fictitious character as the reason why they don’t believe.

But doesn’t’ that ever bother you though? You know how there are SO MANY different religions and denominations in the world, but yet they ALL claim to honor God?

It used to bother me..but then as I started studying my Bible more earnestly, I learned that Jesus already shot called all these different false teachings and false prophets that were going to come after Him. Everybody is not going to believe..that’s just how it is. God is not a God of compulsion, He doesn’t stick a gun to our head and MAKE anybody bow down and worship Him, that’s something we do of our own free will.

Yeah, I guess you’re right. I still like the way you be serving them up tho’ D…your words have helped me grow stronger in my faith.

I really appreciate that compliment bruh, because if I can write anything that will help others strive closer to the Light, then I know that I’m using my talents to exalt the kingdom of God here on earth. Jesus has a wonderful parable concerning our individual allotment of talents (Matthew 25:14-30), and no matter how many you have 5..2..1, if you’re not using it (them) to glorify God, then you’re being a foolish and wasteful servant. But if you’re flipping it for the Lord? Then when it’s your time to go before the throne, God will look down on you and see your work for Him and say (Matt: 25:21), ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ I just want to hear Him say ‘well done’ mane.

Already!
______________________

Believe it or not, most of the people around me are NOT convicted Christians. Of course, the Southside is full of Christians ‘by association’, because their mama is Christian or their grandma is Christian, but even a lot of these people who grew up in the Christian faith have strayed into the world of agnosticism. Nobody KNOWS God, nobody has SEEN God, so all religion ain’t nothing but speculation. I ain’t with it! I can say this, because for a significant portion of my adult life, I was one of these agnostics. But there comes a time in every man’s life that he’s going to have to make a commitment and really soul search for what’s real. Once I came to that point in my life, where I grew tired and weary of floating aimlessly in the ocean of spiritual belief, I got down on my knees and prayed to the Lord for guidance and understanding. But as much as prayer and meditation are an integral part of our spiritual lives, there is a larger commitment of obedience, which must be attained if we are to experience the full glory that the Lord has prepared for all those who are called by His name.

This obedience transcends attending church, giving tithes and offering, helping the poor, etc., because if we are to be considered God’s children, then we are required to study His word diligently. Or as the Scripture says, ‘Study to show thyself approved’ (2 Tim 2:15). Now, the first problem I had, was my doubts about the Bible being ‘God’s Word’. The Jews have the Talmud, Muslims have the Qu’ran, Mormons have the Book of Mormon, is God speaking in ALL of these too? But once I took the time to actually read and study the Bible for myself, starting with the creation, the fall of man, Noah and the ark, Abraham (the father of faith) and the 12 tribes of Israel, Moses and captivity, the exodus into the wilderness, Joshua and Caleb leading the children into the promised land, David and the kings of Israel, Psalms, Proverbs and all the prophets (major and minor), once you read the Old Testament in it’s entirety, you’ll feel the power of God emanating from it’s pages.

It’s not all pretty either. A lot of folks really don’t know how good Jesus REALLY is, but when you read that gospel of Christ, you’ll see that Light shining through and you’ll feel the warmth of the Holy Spirit come into your heart. That old spiritual song that goes, ‘This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..’ The words will spring into your works, and everybody around you will be able to see the Light that is shining in your heart. Of course, some of the haters will laugh and smirk at you, or just play you to the left and ignore you, but once you know that you’re a child and servant of the Most High God, there’s nothing this world can do to you to fade you. It’s this conviction for the Christ that is a part of being a true disciple and no matter what your daddy taught you, or your mama or grandma or whoever, we all have to know God for ourselves.

Before I started blogging on the internet, I was what some would call a ‘closet Christian’. I had felt God touch my heart, but I wasn’t ready to share it with others, unless they asked of course. My prayer life and studying of the Word was a private and personal experience that I kept to myself. But as I studied the Word more, I realized that my silence was a form of disobedience. If we are going to be ashamed of Jesus, then He’s going to be ashamed of us. Public profession of your faith comes with it’s cost, people will scrutinize your every move and word more carefully, waiting to see a crease or crack of weakness so they can say,

‘See..that n’ga is still throwed off just like everybody else! Jesus ain’t real!”

It is this higher standard of Christian responsibility that causes so many to stay in the closet and silent about their faith in the Gentile world. But once you have that conviction in your heart, and you KNOW that you are serving the Supreme God of Creation, then you know that you don’t have to be afraid of what this world can and will do to those who follow Him. In the street world, this conviction is what is often referred to as being ‘dead game’. Once you’re ready to take those vicious blows and lashes that the world delivers to Believers and still remain resolute in getting up off the ground and continuing to fight on the battlefield for the Lord until the day you die…that’s what you call being dead game.

A common scenario is the hypothetical situation of a gunmen entering a room and asking the simple question, ‘If you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, then raise your hand’. Obviously this will make you ponder what you REALLY believe and the easiest thing to do is remain silent and look around to see who’s crazy enough to raise their hand and take a bullet in the head for Christ. Of course this is an extreme scenario, but it’s part of the Christian lifestyle where Paul writes ‘I die daily’ (I Cor 15:31). What’s even MORE strengthening, is to realize that this ‘daily death’ wasn’t just a ‘new’ thing, it was part of God’s plan from the beginning, that Paul actually quoted from the Old Testament, Psalms 44:22 'Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'

It’s definitely an intimidating experience to go out there and take that leap of faith, but the more you study that Word, the more that God will strengthen you, even when all of your family and friends are shaking their heads and saying, ‘That n’ga is crazy like that glue’, all that won’t even matter, because absent from the body, means present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8), for all those who are dead game. You gotta feel that one ya’ll, that is if you’re ever going to realize the full potential of the game in you.