The Cross and the Switchblade

FORWARD

The Hood Brethren and The Hip Hop Disciples!

The idea behind this book came from a mixtape I recently downloaded called the Cross Vs The Switchblade. The main theme of this book is not from the CD, but from the origins of this project The Cross And The Switchblade.

The artist on this particular CD Cerose and Reblah follow up on the story of a street preacher who went out of his way to reach out to the thugs and hood brethren in efforts of reducing gang violence in the neighbourhood and bring the lasting change these cats were looking for via various criminal activities thought to bring healing to the families caught up in the cycle of drugs crime, unemployment and marginalisation by city officials.

CHAPTER ONE

I'll begin this chapter by exploring the things I have been looking at and discussing on various online platforms namely Facebook and WordPress.

There is a rich blend of peoples' cultures and diverse opinions that at the core of its literal expression lies the means of releasing pent up feelings and emotions about the most important issues in life.

These people form the basis of their argument on the premise that life has handed them a fair deal of things to work with and that which their culture has dictated to them.

They speak of what ails them what they like what they don’t like what bugs them and what they see as important to them, their close kin and those who form their circle of influence.

And so the encroachment on the mind starts seeping over into all other areas of life. From the way we talk to the way we think of how we act in public to who we really are or aspire to be in secret.

This forms the basis of our world view and the creed by which we form and establish the basis of the foundation of our existence. And this we see from the movies big budget produces.

To the songs that spin on replay to the clothes we buy to the people, places and things we form associations to be it rather loose knit with this current generation of Millennial.

For all the things that surge through our cerebral cortex. And how this indie soundtrack to life gets played day in day out in the schools at the mall in the barber shop on the job in the hood and on foot patrol.

For becoming harder than a John Deere tractor and ploughing through the field in a way that seeds germinate that were planted back in the Garden of Eden, we play our part in allowing God to chop us down like lumber jacks and a forest full of timber.

What we learn as humans is this that we are products of repeated habits and the more we enforce and assert our independence from God the more we entrench those habits and Cerose and Reblah show us in this mixtape the scene of crime as it unfolds through the viewing eyes of the public.

And we develop a hardness that is ungodly that is nothing like Christ Jesus is. Who did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but who came down in the form of a man and took on the appearance of his own and who through suffering became obedient unto death, yes even death on the cross.

CHAPTER TWO

Gems and Jahaziel made this track called Deliver Me, on which they both recall their lives in crime. There is this saying that goes like... I don’t survive no more by packing the heat.

But how can you sing, deliver me, oh my God from my enemies and still be strapped with enough firepower to recreate the Waco terror incidence? Jahaziel sings about being in a Wolf Pack and I don’t mean Mozart.

We were 15 but we stole cars on to the next one girls we just broke hearts. Kids out on recess we treated them like they had no class. Victims of gang rape... boys n the hood flipped like pancake!

But there’s an even more ironical twist to self centeredness I call the washed out identity. Cats like Michael Jordan have the worst case of mistaken identity. Coming from a poor background to making it to the NBA and becoming the most successful player in the history of basketball.

Retired from his number 23 Chicago Bulls jersey only to return in a number 45 to quitting the game for keeps. You have no idea what sport he took on the next... you guessed it... golfing...

Which didn’t last that long, so he planned to try out for Major League Baseball only to become another washed out player like the Kanye West CD College Dropout. Then he went into business and made a successful entry into big spending.

Now his two sons are both stepping into daddy’s big basketball shoes both playing for their high school team, but wifie now controls half of daddy’s empire following the couple’s divorce after MJ was found guilty of cheating on his wife.

Things I see cats do for money. They’ll sell their soul to the highest bidder in order to become rich and famous. Andy Mineo said that the rich and famous kill themselves to stay rich and famous.

And the poor rob, steal, kill and destroy to become rich and famous. Flame said that if you were into bad habits broke that type of behaviour only gets worse when you become rich and famous...

50 Cent blew up overnight following his successful career as an underground rapper when suddenly his debut album Get Rich Or Die Trying went triple platinum on the Bill Board Charts.

Now he has made a transition from being stingy and hood rich to accumulating debts with major companies like Chrysler to owing his grandpa's money. Christ said that this is what will happen to anyone who is wealthy in the things of this earth but is not rich in the things of God.

CHAPTER THREE

As man begins to implode and then explode certain types of things rise to the surface like base metals being refined into pure silver and gold. Heat causes scum to begin floating to the surface as the metal becomes hotter and hotter.

Then it is up to the person manning the furnace to skim the top layer of impurities and so reduce the residual effects of strip mining. And just like hot metal one never knows his true identity until he finds himself facing the heat...

Certain character flaws can only be observed by keen on lookers when a bloke is under pressure to perform. Car manufactures leave it to qualified drivers to put the production car to the test.

Everything from putting a crash test dummy in the driver seat to making a controlled accident to trying to flip the whip on wet surface. Nothing is left to chance as every minute detail of the car is tested and retested and then tested again till the production car meets the manufacture’s high standards.

Then the new whip is ready to meet its potential clients who are ready, willing and able to pay a ridiculous amount of money to get into one of these cars... Man creates out of base metals but they remain in the same shape until used by the inventor.

Take for instance, metals. In raw form they are still semi precious. When an artisan takes them and forms a work of art with high manufacturing standard, then out of nothing a man forms house hold items.

Man has the same power of creating from nothing but a pile of dust just as from dust God created Adam. And like God when he breathed into man the Ruach Breathe and he became a living thing.

Man too has the ability to breathe life into inanimate objects. Turn a piece of plastic to a gun with a Three D printer and pass through airport security loaded with enough ammo and firepower to turn the airport terminal into a new version of Terminator 2 Judgment Day.

Same cat capable of turning that terminal into a graveyard with the plastic gun can make himself into a street disciple and reach out to the guy with the Three D printed gun and stop him from making the airport terminal into a sort of sporting goods store!

Only this time the ducks in the bucket have a living, breathing soul capable of being turned into a carcass. The same cat packing heat in the airport terminal has the power of changing his mind and turning himself in to airport cops.

Or go Rambo guns blazing and take out as many live targets as possible and end up live on the 7 0’clock news another random shooter weeding out gays and lesbians in the community...

CHAPTER FOUR

I will now turn to the second part of this book and focus on the mission both Cerose and Reblah assumed on making the life Switch from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

My focus on writing this project is to highlight the life, both artists live now Vis a Vis the effort of my main character in my book the street preacher from the flick The Cross And The Switchblade.

The first three chapters of this book have highlighted the life on the streets as witnessed by all sorts of folks. As an ardent listener of Christian music I have become aware that most people I interact with online have been wondering what the lyrics have to do with evangelism.

My mission for the last 17 years has been to use all manner of recourses at my disposal in my attempt of enhancing my literal talent. I started writing at the age of 20 soon after graduating from high school.

Year after year I have been noticing that my subject has morphed into a style not readily accepted by most accomplished authors and writers. I tend to focus on what they call abstract submission of the Word of God and that I talk too much in my stories without making much sense of anything!

The day just because I have no prior schooling in English Literature or in theology was the excuse they used to discount my literal efforts. But I persevered and kept on typing on the computer lessons God has been showing the boy and did my best to stem the tide of criticism and rejection from many preachers...

One of whom gave a thumbs down to my first book Worship In The Old Temple. Like Henry Parcel told EDI an Unmanned Combat Ariel Vehicle on his maiden flight... Baptism by fire....

Now I have this gift in earthen vessels and it still gets received without the oooohs and aaaahs other accomplished writers have gotten and this from cats without the slightest clue what it took me to accomplish my writing thing from my very formative years.

Paul said that to those under the law I became as one under the law. And to those not under the law as though I am not under the law. For those not bound by any one religion, I became as one not bound by religion.

I used all things at my disposal and became all things to all men, that I might win some to Christ.

CHAPTER FIVE

In the becoming all things to all men that Paul might win some to Christ, he gave us his blueprint for the street and one to one evangelism. To those under the law the Jews of Paul’s day he explored the Law of Moses and explained to them the Ten Commandments say about them.

To those not under the law the Greeks and Romans, he talked about their Hellenistic customs and where in the Will of God these Gentiles belonged.

For those not bound by religion the slaves and aliens in whichever part of the Roman Empire they lived. To this last people group most likely to fall through the system when it came to physical and spiritual exercise...

Cats who found themselves at the bottom of the food chain and society’s totem pole and whose death, no one mourned their demise Jesus took off his tunic and put on a towel and poured water into a bucket and washed the disciple’s feet.

When he came to Peter the boy told him, sir, you can’t wash my feet you’re too holy for this! Jesus replied let it be so for if I don’t wash your feet you are not part of my group.

Wash my head and feet I don’t want to find myself outside your group when you reign in glory!
I will only wash your feet for the rest of you is already clean. But not all of you are clean dang ...

To this last group who found themselves on the fringes of society Isaiah the Old Testament prophet spoke these things. Naphtali, and Galilee by way of the Gentiles those living in darkness have seen a Great Light.

Jesus said that I AM the Way I AM the Truth and I AM the Life.

I AM the Resurrection and The Life.

He that believes in Me, though he dies yet will he live.

And anyone who lives because of the faith in me will never die.

Do you believe in this???

John 11:25-26.

This is my last chapter and it was not my original intention to spend so much time mewling away on in life on the streets.

But Hebrews 2;14-18 says:-

We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil who had power over death.

But he also died to rescue all of us who love each day in fear of dying.

Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham’s descendants.

He had to be one of us so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins.

And now Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.
July 17th, 2018 at 04:43pm