"The Whole Truth" by Da' T.R.U.T.H.

For those of you who don't know me well, I'm really into Christian hip-hop. When I first heard this song, I was extremely excited for Da' T.R.U.T.H. and his new album.

More than a year and a half ago, Truth was forced into a sabbatical because he had an affair with another woman. During that sabbatical he went through marital counseling, prayer, weeping, repentance and marital reconciliation. I wrote a reactionary blog post about it shortly after it happened here.

Roughly six months ago he made a formal announcement and apology to his fans and announced his return under a new label and a fresh desire to minister through music. This song was one of the first released from his album and the lead single off of it. In it he reflected on the massive storm of sorrow, heartache, repentance and healing God brought him through. The chorus says it all. May you be blessed by this song and may you be in continual awe of the lavished grace through Jesus Christ.

Da' T.R.U.T.H. "The Whole Truth" Official Video (@truthonduty @Xist_Music) from Xist Music on Vimeo.

Chorus

When I was dead, He revived my soul.

He takes the broken, makes them whole,

Takes the bound, makes them free,

Takes the weak and makes them strong.

All of my sins have been erased,

He has lifted my disgrace.

I'm overjoyed, overjoyed, that Jesus would make me whole.

Verse 1

I ain't tryin to be hot, aint tryin to be relevant,

I aint a candle, I aint tryin to wax eloquent.

I'm running from a life now, trying to fight hard,

These ain't just lyrics but a contrite heart.

Yeah, feelin it like the heat in the summer,

We know better, but the flesh, it be keepin us running.

Bagged the leaks of onions? (had a hard time with this line)

As of recent discovered, if it's in the dark, it's impossible to keep secrets covered.

Who would have known that my indiscretions would reach my cousins?

I apologize to Mimi, my niece and others,

You should've been able to trust, but I breached the covenant,

I knew you all before you was able to reach the cupboard.

Now when I preached in public, it's all out the window,

'Cause sin contradicted a lot of what my pen wrote.

Yeah, especially when I wrote an Open Book,

Apparently there was something in me I overlooked...

Chorus

Verse 2

Uh, check my records, I got some prize like Harlem Knights,

I need Jesus, David's Son, like a Harley bike.

Wasn't hardly right, what I did was wrong,

And it ticks me off, and it sets me off.

And I hate the consequences 'cause death results,

But I know I reap what I sew like Betsy Ross.

Yeah, He ain't tipped me, but He let me fall,

Now I carry all that pain, sin left me scarred.

He let me fall, but He ain't let me go,

I died, went astray; sin left me broke,

Yeah, the life of me ain't no crystal stair,

But I's keep climbin' 'cause the diamond is crystal clear.

At times I'm quiet, I get a chair, sit and stare,

think about the ways that sin affected my fiscal year.

Yeah, a tide is turning now, I'm shifting gears,

Though I'm weak, He's given strength in the midst of tears.

Chorus

Verse 3

Uh, I felt dead and lonely, only God knows,

But Jesus came and breathed life on my dry bones.

I know a lot, knowing a lot's not wrong,

But now it's all about application like the iPhone.

Yeah, I got hangups like dial tones,

Yeah, but Jesus hung up and died so,

No condemnation, that's my consolation.

Am I still guilty? NOT A CONVERSATION!

Now I just want to proclaim it in the congregation,

God is good and Dr. Jesus got a lot of patience!

Yeah, I'm on the operating table, heart palpitating,

Look at what the potter's shaping!

Gotta thank The Body, cause y'all came behind me,

When my foot slipped and I sank in the valley.

'Cause something supernatural happen when the saints rally,

My true friends held me up like a bank robbery.

And that's foolproof, I can't even front like a gold tooth,

I hate what I had to go through,

but I love the fact that I got to know You,

so what you are witnessing now is The Whole Truth...

When I was dead, He revived my soul.

He takes the broken, makes them whole,

Takes the bound, makes them free,

Takes the weak and makes them strong.

All of my sins have been erased,

He has lifted my disgrace.

I'm overjoyed, overjoyed, that Jesus would make me whole.

ECSU Student Athlete Outreach

Throughout my entire time as an ECSU student, I have never been to a sports game at my school.

Throughout my entire academic career I have never been to a sports game at my school.

Out of all the students actively going to 180 Christian Fellowship, the Christian club on campus at ECSU, NONE of them are student athletes.

ECSU has a soccer team, basketball team, cross country team, lacrosse team, track and field team, swim team, volleyball team, baseball team, and field hockey team. They also have intramural teams as well as student clubs for football, ice hockey, rugby, women's rugby, cheerleading and dance, ultimate frisbee, fencing, billiards, ski and snowboarding, and strength and conditioning.

Those are a lot of student athletes!

Did I mention that to my knowledge, NONE of them are being reached for the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I sincerely hope I'm VERY wrong, but I'm determined to do something about it!

I am not an athlete. I run when I can, but other than that there is not a competitive bone in me. I love watching sports, though, so my first plan is to go to some games, cheer for the students, write down names, and pray for direction.

Will you pray with me? Will you even consider going to a game too?

Thanks!

Laboring with you,

Steve

Crossroads

We all face them sometime in our lives. We're walking on what seems to be a nice, easy road until....

BAM!

We see that road split off into different directions.

Ever been there?

Crossroads can be sketchy. We want to go the right way, of course, but sometimes that right way doesn't necessarily look right. Sometimes it doesn't feel right either. It doesn't feel comfortable. Maybe that was what Jeremiah was talking about in chapter 6, verse 16: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."

Ancient paths. Old, worn down paths. Maybe ones that are overgrown and don't even have proper trail markings or signs on them.

I drive a lot, and directions aren't my strong suit (though I am getting better!). A few weeks ago a crazy thing happened to me where there was a car accident on the main highway I usually take to go home from a retail store I work at. The whole highway going east was closed, so I was forced to go west, got off at the next exit and prayed for a way out of this mess as cars were everywhere filled with people having the same problem as me. I was on the phone with a friend and he looked up directions for me to get back home on back roads I never even heard of.

There was one main road I had to go on for quite awhile, but I didn't know how long until I had to take a left onto another road. I went a considerable distance and felt a check in my spirit.

"Did I pass that road?" I looked around frantically.

I must have because I noticed civilization was beginning to thin out. I went from being in a very populated to a not so populated area. So I made a decision to turn around.

I doubled back looking especially hard for that road until I came back right where I started.

Well this is just great!

I rolled my eyes and the wheel yet again to turn back around.

It just so happened that the road I was looking for was just a little less than a half mile down from where I had my initial turnaround.

Sometimes the right road is not the easiest road. Sometimes the right road is not the road everyone else is going down. Sometimes that road is the one NO ONE else is going down. It's dangerous, unmarked, and in many ways unknown.

It's "ancient."

The wonderful thing about that ancient path though is that God allows us to stand, look and ask. If we feel lost, we can ask God for directions. We can ask God for a reassurance. And I believe that He is right there to give it to us. He may not give us a light though, so we can see down the path. He may just give us a nudge forward, encouraging us to keep going onto the next exciting thing He has for us.

What is that exciting thing? God, please show me.