On this, the first day of February, I have the privilege to make this announcement: I have my first book published and ready to be purchased.

It is a four week in-depth look at the book of Ruth geared toward middle and high school aged females. But trust me, ladies of all ages need to be reminded of the truths that God reveals in this book of Scripture.

This Bible study uses the romance between Ruth and Boaz to point young women to the steadfast love that God has for us. After studying through all four weeks in this book, you will have taken an in-depth look at how we as women of the faith need to replace superficial attitudes and actions with substance. Reflect on subjects such as your relationship with God, the words that you use, as well as your diligence toward work. It includes a leader section to help facilitate small group sessions.

Did you make a New Years Resolution to maintain a regular quiet time this year? Did you decide that this will be the year that you and your daughter read Scripture together? Do you want to learn more about Ruth?

You can purchase your copy here. For group discounts, contact me at renae@pedestriangod.com.

You can click here to write a review.

Thank you to all of you who helped make this possible! May the God who walked among us get the glory!

As I walked past the ladies’ restrooms at church this month, I was faced with a  flyer that said: “Learning Contentment: Women’s Retreat.”

Some of you women out there can give me an “amen” here. But when I read that we are spending an entire retreat on contentment, I tend to think – hmmm, no thanks, already been convicted about that one.

But this weekend was one of the most refreshing weekends I have had in several months. I’ll give you a rundown of our lessons and then conclude with my top ten favorite moments from our time together.

Julie Hunt led us as our speaker and her husband, Dave, led us in worship. She is a professor at Belmont, and if I might add, if she teaches her class like she taught us this weekend, she must be students’ favorite teacher up there. You can read her cooking blog here: http://cup-a.blogspot.com/

We kicked off our lessons by defining contentment – which is easier said than done. We decided as a group that there is a different between contentment and complacency. We also decided that contentment is a verb – it’s something you have to fight for.

Our first Scripture passage was Philippians 4:4-13. Verse 4-7 says:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

In this passage, Paul tells us not to worry about anything – now that’s a big order! But, in the word of Julie’s friend, anxiety is a wasted em0tion, a pointless pursuit. Our anxiety indicates that we are too close to the world. Its antidote is prayer. And the result of trusting God is to rejoice! (and again I say rejoice!)

Contentedness, like rejoicing, is a discipline, not a guarantee. We must work diligently so that it might take root and grow in our spiritual walk.

Verse 8 helps us make contentedness a mark of our mind. It says,

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.

We don’t just let these thoughts breeze through our minds. We are commanded to dwell on them. Other words for dwell are to think, take account, and weigh.

The last passage we examined was Psalm 16:1-11. We divided in groups and parsed a list of God’s roles and our roles listed in this passage. God carries the weighty responsibilities for us – He is the one who judges, is Lord, and guides our steps. We are to listen, give thanks, and submit. It’s important to remind ourselves that we also have a role in contentment.

What did I take away from this weekend? You lose your contentment when you forget your thankfulness. You can still strive for improvement and advancement but not to the detriment of gratitude.

What were my favorite moments of this weekend?

10. Cleaning a Skittle-induced rainbow from the palm of my hand.

9. Popcorn at the pajama party.

8. Going to bed when ladies 40+ years older than me were still awake.

7. Biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

6. Praying intently for a beloved family in our church.

5. Talking about McKay’s with Julie Hunt. (http://www.mckaybooks.com/)

4. Jamming to some favorite tunes on the road trip, surrounded by good friends.

3. Any story told by Marie J.

2. Simply sitting and learning: not having to teach (you understand this if you’re a Sunday School teacher)

1. Hearing God’s faithfulness to older women in our church.

Two days ago was Sanctity of Life Sunday. It is a day set aside to remind ourselves that life is sacred, not because of who the person is, but because of the person in whose image he or she was created.

Today marks the fortieth anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many state restrictions on abortion.

We as Christians need the reminder that life is sacred. We’re not merely discussing abortion, though that seems to be the most argued element. All life is sacred because all life is created in the image of God. When we say all life, we mean more than just abortion – we mean anyone from orphans to the abused.

Sunday morning, Aaron Kennedy shared this passage with our church family:

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments: Do not commit adultery; do  not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and whatever other commandment – all are summed up by this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Romans 13:8-9

Paul starts this list with what not to do. But according to Scripture, it’s not good enough simply to follow a list of what not to do. In his words, all of the “do not’s” are summed up in the statement of what to do: DO love your neighbor as yourself. Few of us reading this post have committed adultery or murdered. But how many of us truly love?

We’ll end today’s post with some questions to think over:

• Are you so worried about the list of “do not’s” that you overlook the “do’s”?
• Do you view people as opportunities to practice living love?
• Are their some people that you view as not worthy of your love?
• Do you go out of your way to seek out people who need your love?
• Does the way you love appropriately reflect the way God loves us?
• Do you use your actions and your words to tell people about God’s love?

Last night Kevin and I had the privilege to sit down with one of our partners in the Gospel to talk about his recent mixtape release. Mychal Hunt opens the first song with these words, “Welcome to the CD and I pray they see Jesus when they look at me.”

The mixtape, “LIFESTYLE,” is Mychal’s first solo project. It was released January 13, 2013 and produced by John Williams of Dynamics Music.

Is Christian rap an oxymoron?

Yeah, some people think you can’t be a Christian and rap but if Saul never got converted to Paul, a lot of people would think that you could never kill people then turn around and write 13 books that inspire Christians.

Who’s your main audience?

Everybody. I want to reach everybody. The Gospel is for everybody.

Why rap?

I used to rap before I was saved. I can’t sing. If I could sing, I’d be singing.

What are the highlights of your testimony.

My father is a Muslim who always told me that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah. Until I was 17 years old I really didn’t believe in the Christ and I lived for myself. I used to rap before I was saved and I used to degrade the name of Jesus in my music. Then a lady ended up sharing Jesus Christ with me in the studio one day. She invited me to a church and I heard a pastor preach. They ended up inviting me to a Nicky Cruz event and I gave my life to Christ.

What do your parents think about you doing Christian rap?

The first three years I was saved, my dad and I had a lot of disagreements. He would always tell me that the Bible contradicts itself, no man can be 100% God and 100% man, and that Christianity was false. No one else in my family lives the life of Christ. So a lot of my family like my cousins, brothers, and sisters want the old me back. They say they miss the cool me. So sometimes it’s hard to relate but rap can be a bridge. So if they like rap and if they like the beats of secular rap, it’s good for them to listen to my music because they like the beat and they hear the message.

What role does quality play in the production of your music that can help you share the Gospel?

It plays a big part. First thing that comes to my mind: If I was watching a movie about Christ and the picture really wasn’t that good and the picture was faded and it was really hard to figure out what it was about, I would probably change the channel. Just like if my production was horrible, people probably wouldn’t even tune in to listen to it. And since it’s the message of Christ, I want it to be as excellent as it can be because if it’s not, then I’ve killed the whole purpose. I want people to hear what I have to say. I want people to hear the message that’s in that music. And if the production’s not good then they aren’t going to listen.

How long have you been working on this project?

It took probably about a week to write. And the whole month of December to record.

So why did you make this free?

This is something I wanted to give away for free because the message is so real for people who live on the side of town I grew up on. And it’s so encouraging for the people who are already in Christ and are walking with Christ. I just couldn’t sell that. The first day we had over 500 downloads and the first thing my producer told me was that we could have made $5,000 that day if we sold them at $10 a piece. And that didn’t even phase me. I wasn’t upset or like “Aw man we could have made $5,000.” If it was up to me, I’d make everything free. But they invest so much in me that I have to charge for the next one. It’s got such a great message. Jesus Christ is someone that is so amazing – He changes lives. I have to get that message out for free. Investing time in the studio, it’s all worth it. Me writing songs and staying up late, reading the Bible, praying, trying to get a Word from God is all worth it.

Who are some of your inspirations?

Lecrae. Some of the other guys I rap with – Quan, DP. The guys I rap with. I know their lifestyles; I know the things they really do. They inspire me.

In writing this album, you cover a lot of topics. For you, what is one of the hardest things to rap about?

Probably struggles that Christians have. I don’t know if I write about struggles then people will say, “He was too harsh about this. Or too open. Maybe he was too real on this song.”

What do the lyrics “these beautiful nightmares” refer to in opening song?

Coming from the background I come from you would think, “Wow, this is bad, this guy isn’t going to be nothing.” But when you put Christ in your life, He makes that beautiful. He makes beautiful what society says is going to be nothing.

What was your favorite track on this album?

They probably aren’t my favorite sounding tracks or my favorite lyrically but the songs that have to do with missions. There are three of them. “Cold World”  which talks about going into neighborhoods and talking about Jesus. It’s about two people who had church buildings in their neighborhoods but they still ended up dying and nobody shared the Gospel with them. Another one is  “Mission Trip.” That’s about travelling the earth and sharing the Gospel about Jesus Christ. The other one is called “The Hood.” That’s about going to the hood and telling people about Christ. It’s about not being afraid to do it. Walking confidently because you know who God is and you’re going to spread His message no matter what.

I heard you were on the radio. How did you get one of your songs on a major local radio station?

I’m on 95.7; that’s 96 Kix’ major hiphop and R&B. I’m the only Christian artist on there. It was really weird. Usually you would have to pay money, a lot of money, to get on there. But we were at the skating rink one night and one of my guys convinced me to ask the DJ to play my song “Hold Back”. He did and he was like “Wow, I’m going to play this on the radio.” We thought he was just playing. We thought maybe he was just talking in the moment but he supported it and he supported it a lot. And he plays it.

What role does music play in the black culture?

Music is a huge influence. In the black culture, if you listen to a song that has to do with fights, you’re probably going to fight. If you’re listening to music about having a good time where people only want to drink, then you will, too. Basically the music is like an instruction. You’re going to do what it says. If it says dance, then you’re going to dance. So hopefully when they listen to my music say Jesus Christ is the greatest thing, then they pursue Jesus Christ.

Listen to his album: https://soundcloud.com/dynamicsmusictn/sets/the-lifestlye-mixtape

Follow him on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PastorMych?fref=ts

I am extremely thankful to have been chosen by Mustard Seed Ministries to provide today’s devotional. You can read my post about the power of the Holy Spirit at work in Singapore here:

http://www.mustardseedministries.org/blog/2013/1/9/third-but-not-last.html

Thank you all for your continued readership and support.