RAPFEST

Hey fams and occasional reader,

First off, hope your weekends are going well! I can definitely say mine is. If you aren't following me and the blog on Twitter, g'head and do so. If you haven't gathered...I'm a big-time hip hop fan. I love the genre, and I'm always excited to see people innovate the craft.

This afternoon, me and a couple of friends hit a concert called RAPFEST. Rapfest is a Christian event where hip hoppers from all around the country come together to share their faith in Jesus Christ. It was cool hearing lots of different sounds and flavors spitting their freshest rhymes for a GREAT purpose.

Oh, and Kurtis Blow was there. Yeah, that Kurtis Blow. Now when you're a huge fan of hip hop, and the guy that basically INVENTED it performs at the event...you get pretty hype.

Check the pics, courtesy of my wack iPhone camera:




























I was feeling the shirt. Man, MJ was the best.
























The fans still love him!

But yeah, did a little hw on Kurtis. Dude was a wreck for quite a while, drug abuse and everything. Still, God saved him from the destructive behaviors that tend to go hand in hand with showbusiness, and LIFE in general. Good to see him looking good at 50 years old.

One last quick thought about the event:

I got snubbed by a couple of artists at the event. One of them straight up walked away when I audibly and humbly asked to take a photo. That was retarded. Some of you may be surprised that "Christians" would behave that way (while others would say "AHA! told you those Christians were fakers").

I wasn't that tight though. I think it continues to prove an excellent point about the realities of life when you follow Jesus-namely, you ain't perfect.

Some of these artists, people that used to be involved in serious gang-banging, hustling, depression, addiciton, and etc., are people that have genuinely shifted their behavior dramatically, and they'd say that it was only the grace of God that allows them to live despite the choices they've made. Just because some rapper that claims he's a Christian plays me does not mean that God is not real, and it does not prove that all Christians are phonies. It simply proves that we're all "vessels of mercy," imperfect people that God chooses to work throuh. I know that I have days where I'm a total jerk to random strangers as well as loved ones. But fortunately, God has filled so many holes in my character, and is continually doing so.

If any lesson is learned from a rude Christian, it should be that no matter how much of a jerk you are, Jesus still loves EVERYONE and God's grace is sufficient to restore ANYONE, no matter what they've done. I dunno about you, but I'm much more encouraged by God's grace than discouraged by man's folly.

[As always, feel free to comment about how you feel about human imperfection, grace, morality proving (or disproving, be honest) God's existence, or sucka emcees.]

Ephesians 2:5-9--even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

WACK.

Well, sin is.

A good emcee; and from the brief exchanges I've had with him, a good dude and a CCNY student named Andy Mineo (rap name, C-Lite), dropped his debut mixtape this week. It's a fantastic project, and I'm real picky with my rap music.

For anyone that's a hip hop head, this is a must-cop release. If you simply enjoy good music (and don't play me, if you don't like music, you're a weirdo... sorry it's true), it's a [FREE!!!] download, so give it a shot! When you listen, you'll hear a guy that could rip you to shreds lyrically if you got on his bad side, but would rather honor God and spread His fame with his talent. Even if you disagree with his worldview, admire his stand.

You can download it here. Or, if you're in junior high and enjoy filling out surveys about your last relationship, you can get a quick taste on his MySpace.

Meet Mike.

Meet Mike.

Mike is the most interesting man in world. He’s rich, he’s powerful, he’s intelligent, and he has more influence than you can fathom. In fact, he’s always existed in that bubble of importance, living from fancy duplexes, to modern lofts, to majestic penthouses. He’s Obama-cool, Bill Gates Wealthy, and Jack Welsh Domineering, and with Brad Pitt looks to boot. He’s probably got the Antonio Banderas accent too (“allo, do ju vant to dansse?”)

Adding to his legend is his genuine benevolence. He knows his status, and desires to help the downtrodden in some capacity, even though he knows that so many of the poor and neglected have created a culture of failure for themselves. He sees the general craziness of society and knows that he can use his resources to make a difference.

There are two ways Mike can do this. He can use his vast influence to aid those in need, all from the comfort of his fly penthouse on 69th and Park Ave.

Or, he can get let go of his riches and glory and dwell with the people, sweating and suffering with them until their condition improves. He can give it all up for a season, for people that he really doesn’t have to help, but chooses to anyway.

Which route does he choose? (Answer is at the end. Don’t peek, you’ll ruin the moment!)
This analogy is what a Muslim student at Baruch College asked me not too long ago. As he overheard me talking with Jason (a good friend and a Christian) about Jesus, he began to probe us about evidence that Jesus is God, looking to prove us wrong. He wasn’t feeling what I was saying, and I definitely wasn’t down with his viewpoint either. But that’s okay, I don’t mind the debate, hence this blog!

He felt that the story of Mike could be used to illustrate God’s relation to man. The guy told me “There’s no practical reason Mike would go and get himself dirty to aid people that don’t even particularly deserve his kindness in the first place, especially when he could accomplish the same thing from his bedroom! Thus, why would Jesus, if he is indeed God, want to do the same for us.”

I replied, “Love, that’s why. I agree, God has the ability to save people whichever way he chooses. But the Christian Bible teaches that rather than save from a distance, He chooses to design a moral system where, yes, wrong behavior has an eternal consequence, and can only be paid off through death. But instead of forcing all of mankind to pay for our deficit in Hell, he chooses to suffer (through the person of Jesus) for us, show us that he identifies with our struggle, serve our sentence on by being crucified on the Cross, rise from the dead (cause he’s God, NOT a zombie), and wipe away the penalty for those that believe in what he accomplished.”
He answered, “I’m sorry, I just don’t believe that God would choose to suffer for those that don’t deserve it.”

I closed with this, “Well man, that’s what makes my God so dope. What does yours have to offer?”

I know, that was pretty pointed. But, for anyone that is not a Christian and is reading this, I’d like you to understand how immensely kind and gracious Jesus is! I find it very grieving and disheartening that other religions teach of a distant God that merely is concerned with its creation in a passive way, if that. My God chooses to be a loving and merciful Dad to his kids, in spite of the wrong they do. And, through the person of Jesus, he is the greatest, most selfless hero you can imagine, one that chooses to dwell with those same rebellious people, embrace their pain, and pay for the crimes with his scars.
So I ask you this…for anyone religious that thinks they’re living for something worthwhile…what does the god of your faith uniquely have to offer you? For all those that aren’t content with the answer to that question and are seeking more, I’ll leave you with a story of my own. (Well, not really… my favorite hip hop artist shai linne tweeted it)

A man's wife skips town w/ another guy. He quits his well-paying job & moves 2 her town
a)Crazy b)Stupid c)The Gospel

Mike wouldn’t pick C. Jesus did.

Hebrews 4:14-15 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

To the 5 of You Following the Blog

And the other 3 who were looking for something else, but accidentally clicked here ;)

Here's something I tweeted.

Yo twitter! Question for ppl of all faiths (or none). Almost every faith says "be nice". But what is ur faith's key motivation for niceness?

Basically, I do believe there is a lot of truth to the idea (and often critique) about religion that they teach a lot of the same things. Obviously that isn't entirely true, but as far as basic human morality, there are plenty of parallels. What I'd like to get to the root of is WHY does said faith or worldview teach the morals it teaches, and what is the prime motivation for following the rules or principles set.

I'd love for you all to comment with the motivation your worldview claims sets before you to do what you do. When I get a critical mass of replies, I'll post mine. If you don't have a clear motivation, that's fine too, I just want to know.

Thanks in advance

[pleaseexchange]

So yeah, please exchange.

Cause you know that Aint nobody mess wit' me!

" Haaa-aaaYY! You go girl! PREACH IT, SISTA!!!"














No, please don’t.

You know, I was reading a tweet (yeah, I gave in) floating around that really got me thinking. I guess it was one of those uplifting sayings that circulate the social networks on the interwebs. Another way to prove to the world (or maybe, ourselves) that “I’m independent, don’t need nobody, and my man/woman best be ready to meet MY specifications.“
It read:

“Never make someone your priority, while they make you their option.”

I gotta disagree…and I think it’s a shame that this kind of rationale is so abundant in 21st century values. Now, is the purpose of our life solely to become easily manipulated doormats no more important than toilet paper or Q-tips? Of course not, there’s such a thing as dignity. But, man, I find myself striving to find a balance between maintaining respect, but not clinging to it for some pseudo self-validation.

Humans are wired to fend for themselves. Eat or be eaten, survival of the fittest, and so on. Some say this is for evolutionary purpose, I say sinful nature breeding narcissism, tomato, toh-mah-toe when concerning my main point. The point is, we try so hard not to let anyone dare hurt us in any sort of way. In privileged Western society, we don’t fight over food or shelter too often, but we definitely fight for security within our relationships with one another.
Nothing wrong with wanting security. I aim to eventually be the kind of guy truly lays down his life for his significant other and one-day wife (nah, I’m still single, holla at me!). I would do this so my wife can know without question that she is secure with me. And I also truly hope to find a wife that will love me to the very end, faithfully backing up my ambitions, showing integrity, determination and sticktuitiviness to make sure that we accomplish every goal we set our eyes on. I want to feel secure about my partner having those qualities.

However the security I speak about and the one implied in the quote are very, very different. See, the security I desire is birthed out of the contrapositive (kudos to me if I used the word “contrapositive” correctly!) of the above quote. I must always make some one my priority, whether or not they think of me as an option. This goes not just in romantic relationships, but in all kinds of interactions. Not everyone is going to treat you as well as you treat them, in fact, some of the dirty little ingrates will spit on your face, call you names, then come back begging for your charity when times get tough. But, whenever I begin to think someone is unworthy of my mercy, I remember some things

Isaiah 53:5-6: But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all..

I John 3:16: By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

[both ESV, emphasis mine]

Those quotes are from the Bible, and the “he” you are reading about is Jesus. As a Christian, these verses resonate deeply with me. They highlight that I, Bradford William Davis, though created good, have been corrupted to the core, failing God's standard through my sinful behavior. Though all people have sinned in their own unique ways, the condition of the heart is shared among us all . Even worse, in almost every opportunity imaginable, we choose to do the wrong thing. Evidence of this is prevalent in our world. It can take blatant form in the violence, greed and mishap that occurs around us or subtly in our selfishness, disdain for others, even the prideful train-of thought that would posture that we are deserving of better treatment than anyone else by POSTING THOSE STUPID QUOTES ALL OVER OUR TWITTERS AND FACEBOOKS! We're basically born into it. Yet, God, in His amazing mercy for us, chooses to have His Son, Jesus Christ, (who is the only one to walk this Earth and live life as to have NOT deserved the blame) receive the bruising we so rightfully deserve. He gives us an, all things considering, fairly easy way out, by believing that Jesus has sacrificed himself to that extent and paid the price that again, we deserve. And the Bible teaches that believing this instantaneously clears our debt and steadily replaces the general gloominess of our livelihoods with joy, peace, contentment and happiness. What a deal.

Are you catching this? The Bible tells me that God loves me so much, that He prioritizes my need for salvation, even though He knows that I (and most humans) live life as though he is just one of many options. Thus, who am I to get a wedgie about everyone that does me wrong? And I believe that the so-called security that comes from blocking out everyone that fails me is fleeting. If it wasn’t, I think people wouldn’t be so quick to throw it up on the internet to tell everyone how independent they were. As a reflection of the radical love God shows me daily, I gotta lay down my hangups for others. It doesn’t always show an immediate tangible effect, but I have confidence that people will take notice when they're shown uncommon grace in spite of their moral failures.

I’ll close with this: is there anything in mainstream culture that unequivocally promotes this kind of selflessness? I’d like to know (because it’s few and far between). If you’re like me and are having trouble finding that quality in friends, peers, sadly even loved ones, I encourage you to look upwards for that motivation. I promise, He won't disappoint.

SPRING FLING!!!

Seriously, I love street fairs.
Well, Baruch is throwing one tomorrow from 12-3PM on Thursday (5/7). It'll be located on Benard Baruch Way (or, E 25th, between Lexington and 3rd ave) Our club, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, will be doing plenty that day. Expect to see Brad and Jason engage in competitive limbo, vast cookie consumption, highly intellectual discourse and...


A Slush Puppie eating contest!!!!111LoLzzz


*ahem*..word.

-Exchange Team

PS, be sure to check out Brad's last post on the life lessons gained from a C+ movie and some guy they forgot to mention in 10th grade history class.

$6.50, Part 2

**Scroll down to the “RECAP” if you’d like to get into the meat of this post. Or, for further context, check out Part One**

Sup fams!
You may have noticed the bugged out delay between the last post and today’s. Lemme explain briefly.

1) Midterms, sucka!!!

2) I spent a week campaigning for Undergraduate Student Government Elections. I ran as a lower day senator for One Baruch (http://www.onebaruch.com). I was pretty much coming to the Baruch campus at 8AM and leaving at 10PM every day. The polls came and most of us from One Baruch fell short. More relevant to this blog, it took up a lot of time and energy.

3) Midterms, sucka!!!

Okay, so that’s done. I apologize to our frequent readers (all nine of you) for our delay.
RECAP: The crux of my last post dealt with human sex trafficking, what the film “Taken” taught me about human nature, ultimately asking if anything could inspire humans to care for others outside of their social bubble.

I find a lot of these answers in the story of a man named William Wilberforce.

William Wilberforce was a member of British parliament in the early 19th century. He was elected into office during a time when African slavery ran rampant throughout the Western world.

Perhaps his agenda early on included appropriating funds, balancing the budget, and of course, representing the immediate needs his electorate…consisting of white, property owning males.

Then, quite suddenly, he becomes a professing Christian! But instead of adapting his Christianity for political ambition and satisfying the pet issues of his constituents, he develops an equally radical shift in his worldview. Wilberforce begins to intensely desire to see the ending of the slavery of his day.

This wasn’t so popular of a political lean. Remember, few felt slavery was wrong. Besides, why should they? Slavery had absolutely no negative effect on the day-to-day life of the average property owning white male, let alone politician. Still, Wilberforce views his moral compass differently, not with the humanistic lens of what immediately affects him, but with the eyes of God, understanding all people as having the same intrinsic worth, no matter the frame or pigment they come in. He saw injustice and mistreatment outside of personal context, and made it a universal concern.

He receives fierce opposition in Parliament for years, but finds encouragement in other Christians coming to the same epiphany about the horrors of slavery. Fortunately, he draws from the Bible and recognizes one of Jesus’ attributes as “liberator” of His people. For twenty years, he vigilantly fights for the abolition of slavery.

**SPOILER ALERT (as if you needed one)** Wilberforce’s struggle for abolition ends victoriously, as Great Britain abolishes slavery over forty years before we did in the States. Despite deteriorating health for much of those 20 years, he finds strength from within (or more accurately, from above) to communicate God’s heart for all people, not just the Anglos with a deed of ownership.

This is one particularly poignant example that sets a precedent when discussing human sex trafficking. However, there are others that resonate deeply, telling a story of how ones faith in Christ contributed heavily to readjusting ones moral worldview and actions. History is filled with stories just like this.

And yes, some say that religion, particularly Christianity; has led to murder, injustice and horrible atrocities. I can see how people could be led to that. I admit, having an oppressor tote a cross on their necklace isn’t a very strong endorsement of one’s faith.

But could it be, that those “so-called” Christians were somewhat like most of us? Were they picking and choosing their frame of morality, rather than acting upon the entire spectrum? I believe that when you falsely limit morality, you limit the source of where the morals come from. Wilberforce didn’t limit his morality, and thus, didn’t limit his moral source (that’s Jesus).

So, if you’re at all like me (an imperfect guy that doesn’t get this right all the time)…wondering why the world doesn’t rise to the occasion when these moral travesties occur…wondering why you fail to be consistent in your care for others…maybe it’s time to reconfigure your morality? And the best way to start reprogramming how you look and react to the world is by finding a standard to draw from. Most importantly, using a source to connect the dots.

I know I found mine.


Please exchange.

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation…for in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith… [AMP]

If you want to go deeper, crack open a Bible (or read the lovely online Bible we linked on the page), and check out the first two chapters of Romans. Mad insight, yo.