When I was 15, I attended a week long conference where I came face to face with the truth that I was created for the glory of God. I may have come to Christ at 9, but it wasn't until I was 15 that I FINALLY knew what being a Christian was all about. After years of searching for the answer to the "now what" questions that were constantly coming up in my mind, I had answers!
To this day, I can't help but wonder how many other people have those same questions going on in their heads. I'm always looking for ways to remind myself of the importance of the Gospel in my life so that I don't lose sight of what it means to be a Christian. Rap that is faithful to the Gospel has played a huge part in my fight against sin and complacency.
One of my most recent finds came in the form of a book that happens to be authored by one of my favorite rappers. By the time I finished chapter 6, I was telling anyone who would listen about this new book that I'd been reading. You see, most of my friends don't listen to rap, but if I could get them to read this book, they'd finally be able to come into contact with this man that has been a huge encouragement to me since his first record deal!
"Rise: Get Up and Live in God's Great Story" by Trip Lee is that book. It's a book that takes a place right alongside a handful of other books that have encouraged and challenged me to BE a Christian. It's a book about living the life I've been called to live as one of God's people. I had my pen out to mark and underline and star things constantly. I picked up this book right as I was getting to Ecclesiastes in my Bible reading plan and I paused "Rise" to go through the book of the Bible that plays a crucial role in helping readers understand what Trip is trying to communicate.
As Trip says on page 48, "There are really only two ways to respond to Jesus: you can deny yourself and follow Him, or you can deny Him and follow yourself." That's the kind of hard-hitting truth that Trip has been weaving into his songs. I'm excited to be able to say that he is just as faithful to God's Word in this book!
I will say that I feel careful discernment is needed in chapters 12 and 14. I would love to sit down with Trip to chat about them. My concern is that these chapters hold implications on music and living as a Christian in a culture that is anti-Christian that could lead some people to compromise. I know that is not his intent at all, but I still feel that these chapters could be taken the wrong way.
Overall, I'm excited to get this book into people's hands. It will lead you to take stock of your life. It will answers the questions that you may not have even realized that you have. Whether you call yourself a Christian or not, you've got a life to live. This book is all about living a life that counts. Pick it up, read it, discuss it, and most importantly: rise!
God has called you to Himself and into His story. We're meant to live for His glory and Trip Lee has used a pen to join God in declaring this truth.
Click HERE to get your copy!
For more from Trip Lee, click HERE. Since no post is really complete without a little music, here's "Real Vision" which happens to be one of my favorite songs and a great intro to Trip Lee for those of you who've been wondering about this talk about rap:
*I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through BookLook Bloggers. All thoughts are my own honest opinion.
I didn't even know that he wrote a book! :) It looks great.
ReplyDeleteNot a huge rap fan, but I do like some of his stuff.
"God has called you to Himself and into His story. We're meant to live for His glory and Trip Lee has used a pen to join God in declaring this truth." (1 Peter 2:9-10 soooo good)
Thanks for reminding me of that truth!