Reading Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians using http://stanza.lexcycle.com.

“CHAPTER 2”:

Samson, David, and many other excellent men, fell into grievous sins. Job and Jeremiah cursed the day of their birth. Elijah and Jonah became weary of life and prayed for death. Such offenses on the part of the saints, the Scriptures record for the comfort of those who are near despair.

No person has ever sunk so low that he cannot rise again. On the other hand, no man’s standing is so secure that he may not fall.

If Peter fell, I may fall. If he rose again, I may rise again. We have the same gifts that they had, the same Christ, the same baptism and the same Gospel, the same forgiveness of sins. They needed these saving ordinances just as much as we do.

Glass everywhere. All my stuff in the car was scattered.

What had happened was…

I was inside of the studio recording a couple tracks for my newest album “Infectious Liberty” (which will be a pretty bananas project -artwork by my people at RC Nelson Creative, awesome musical comps and guests) All they took was my phone mount. Maybe they had a GPS to put up in their car but, apparently they needed that mount more than I did. So what did I do? (besides walk around all the broken glass on the ground, of course) Well, I could have busted out the “God, how could you do this to me, after I’ve been doing so much for you? It’s 35 degrees outside… why put me out like that?” Nah, not my style. Plus I’m not sure God is down with whiny people. Just an opinion.

I drove home and PRAISED Him for still having a car.

I’m not posting this to say I’m some kind of super-Christian looking for a pat on the back. I AM posting this to say that YOU can easily make 1 Thessalonians 5:18 a reality in your life:

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

It’s a simple concept, sure. In my circumstance, however, it could have been easy for most people to shut down, cuss somebody out, and hate life. Come on now, its just a broken window. It’s not that serious! Even if it was more traumatic event I understand that I never had control anyway. Read that last sentence again if you didn’t get it. I have no control over the thoughts of a thief/criminal. Why cry over some broken glass? God has better things for me than that.   [CM]

I don’t honestly believe people consciously say “well, I’ve reached a good position mentally… I don’t want to get any wiser, stronger, happier, more committed to the things I value.” I don’t see lines of little boys and girls saying if I don’t finish third grade, I’m cool where I am. Nah, they want to go to the next best thing. When we are excited about things -cars, sports, tv, whatever -we want to dig deeper to find some kind of satisfaction and fulfillment of knowledge. We want to know the whole TV story. We want to know more about how a car works. Intellectually (at least with the things that interest us) we typically want to grow and develop to a greater level of understanding.

Is it wrong to want more of those intangible things that drive us? Is it bad to be dissatisfied with your level of education or your relationship with God? Of course not. God put a competitive attribute in all of us… an urge to do more, and do better. This world we live in puts a bad twist on it, capitalizing on that drive to grow by selling us “get rich quick” schemes for cash and “supercharged creatine” for building fast muscle… But how does God want us to grow? Proverbs tells us He wants us to seek wisdom and seek Him, in fact, it says the fear (in this context that means Holy reverence, respect, and acknowledgment) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it goes on many times about seeking and finding it. One of my favorite songs by a rapper named Braille is called Constantly Grow (from the IV Edition album); that fully grasps the concept of Gods desire for us. It’s part of His programming in us, I believe.

So if we in younger years have an urge to learn and grow, at what point do we get away from that? Why are there people at minimum-wage jobs they hate if they have the means to do better? They’re sucking up the air of people who would actually appreciate that job -but instead, that person is STUCK on the idea that “this is it”. That person is set on the notion that any effort to improve is a waste of time, somehow. That person is lost in the mindset that the dream they had as a youth is something they woke up from. If you are that person, Im here to say DON’T BELIEVE IT! Especially as a person of faith, since you believe in God don’t you think God believes in you? I mean, ” would you trust in a god who doesn’t value and believe in you? I didn’t think so. I believe we are pre-positioned to want more and you should channel that to be a positive motivating factor in your life. Don’t be ashamed to aspire to greatness. Don’t feel guilty for going all out… Be it your physical fitness, your faith life and spiritual growth. Embrace growth. Don’t stop wanting more of those things that make you better as a person. [CM]

Man, I’ve been rapping for a few years now… not like since the Genesis of Hip Hop, but a good little bit. I started out with the name Common Man… and the name is a message; God takes people that the world may view as common, and uses them to change the world and do great things -He’ll take the least and make them the greatest. I love what He gave me at the time -although at first I didn’t totally understand it. By the time I really understood what He gave me, it’s like it was time to move on into a new and greater season. Strange I know, but you’ve got to flow with me spiritually on this, ok?

I spoke to a man of God who’s opinion I value and respect… he basically said “God has something more for you.” (yeah, there’s more to it, but I’m simplifying.) Honestly I heard him, and basically let the conversation fade away in a river of memories.

That was over a year ago.

Since then, God has been working with me and challenging me on some things. After a Wednesday night church service, (Church during the WEEK? Whatcha know about that?) He spoke to me clearly (He sounded like William Shatner. You know, Star Trek… Nevermind, it was a joke.) He said that it’s time to move. Really, it was past time, but I needed to stop resisting… I was walking through Walmart or somewhere and this is what came to me:

Magmatic. “What the heck is that?” Yeah, it’s pretty simple. In case you don’t know what MAGMA is -it’s the same as LAVA except it hasn’t come out of the Earth.

(stay in school kids, this is basic) It’s the HOTTEST liquid imaginable, but it’s only hot because of the source. If not for that source, it would just be an immobile rock. Well, my source is God. You and I (just like magma/lava) get colder the further away we go from the source. We get rigid and change from how the source made us.

As Christians, God injects us with His spirit and it effects the way we move, act and react to things. {PS: Magma is like the blood of the Earth, a mixture of melted ROCK, our ROCK is Jesus who lives in us (2Sa 22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.) KJV}

Yeah, man. God‘s done some things… this is what I’ll call a midway testimony -because He isn’t through. My life is still changing. Since “Common Man” was born (so to speak) He has made some transformations and matured me in the faith. I’ve met people and been places I never would have otherwise. I’m so greatful to God. Ask Point 5 and Mynista, whenever I pray start off with “We thank you, Lord”. Common Man isn’t dead, he’s just changed. God still uses “common” (in the world’s eyes) people… He uses me and you, yet I’m not the President, and you’re not Bill Gates. But never forget that He puts something in you the world can’t have… it can’t even reproduce it! And that thing is too hot for the world to touch. Think about it.

PEACE. -CM

I had an observation about the different attitudes toward food -diets in particular.

Ladies tend to care more about their eating habits… Fellas, not so much. Until Recently I couldn’t care less as long as it tasted good. What is it that makes dieting difficult?

I think (as in most things) it’s our mindset. I’m not saying that iron deficiency you got from unbalanced eating habits is all in your mind, I’m saying the simple choices we make are based on how we perceive the item and the situation.

It’s a simple problem with an easy fix… I’m not saying I’ve got all the answers but I’ve got a couple easy tips for the average person. So check this out; those of us who aren’t afraid of food don’t mind trying different things, right? (smile and nod) If you’re anything like me, you found out that some of those different things are actually good for you. I just found out there is a sweetener that’s 250 times sweeter than sugar, no calories, and it’s good for your teeth… Oh yeah, and it’s not artificial it’s made from a plant! So… Why would I keep my regular sugar around? To support my dentist? Nah. I’m making the switch.

• DRINK WATER (no, it isn’t good enough that your Rockstar has water in it… deep down)
• Eat the things you already like, but are healthier than you thought.
• Make it a habit to drink less carbonated drinks like soda when you go out (I try lemonade, fruit punch, or tea).
• If I’m at a restaurant that has a seafood menu, I look there first instead of looking for Steak or whatever…
• DRINK WATER (aw snap -said that already. Well, it’s important)
• Find natural snacks like mixed nuts or dried fruit (beef jerky is healthier than you may think, shop around)

To make a long story short make smarter choices so you aren’t suprised by a health condition later in life. You don’t have to eat bland and boring, just act like you know.   [CM]