When I recorded my first album, “Real Talk,” I was just throwing my voice out into the wilderness hoping someone, somewhere, heard basic biblical theology wrapped in common language. I wanted to see people commit their lives to Jesus Christ.

 I ended up on a whirlwind of travels across the nation as a missionary to urban culture and anyone influenced by Hip-Hop. I was hurt by some of what I saw. Many were excited about hearing Christ proclaimed in music, but when it was over, there were few solid biblical communities to become a part of to encourage fellowship, prayer, disciple-making, and biblical literacy.  So I recorded “After The Music Stops,” a battle cry for believers to devote themselves to an unashamed gospel-centered life.

 My platform grew and so did I as a Christian. I was dedicated to serve the body of Christ and see people come to know the Lord. I knew from my daily interactions with people from all walks of life that the way people saw the world needed to be changed, as well as the way people viewed God and themselves.  I felt the weight of people saying to conform to living the way most of the world did. This view was unbiblical and only hindered people from truly experiencing the grace and goodness of God, so I challenged them to REBEL.

 Now I'm a little older and a little wiser. I can see the mistakes people will make before they make them. I can see not only the fruit of their mistakes, but also the root of their mistakes. Many times we want to attack the behaviors or the external problems in our lives and never realize the cause of those problems are internal and spiritual.  Anger, depression, addiction, discontentment are all ills that plague us. Many times, we not only try to fix the effects of these things instead of tackling the cause, but we also don't think God and His Word have any hope or solutions for them.

 Out of a burden to help and also confess my own struggles in this area, I am releasing “REHAB” on September 28, 2010.

 The work has been a process, and the title almost didn't make it once I heard another artist was releasing an album called “Recovery,” but it made too much sense to not move forward with it.  My prayer is that people will not just gain practical insight for their lives, but they would find real sympathy from myself and mostly in the High Priest who sympathizes with us--Jesus.  He is more than our healer. He IS our healing.  He doesn't just offer us peace. He IS our peace. And He IS our rehabilitation. So find rest for your weary soul and Joy in the midst of life's ups and downs, with my offering of music. God bless and I hope you like it, but mostly, I hope it points people to JESUS.

I used to be the person who would always slam American Christianity and proclaim that other countries had it together. I no longer shout that with great conviction (Now, I just whisper it). I have noticed that each country, people, sub culture, hemisphere, and tribe has a particular way of doing things that would be hard to justify in scriptures. These are things we need to handle in love and wisdom.

But I can't help but acknowledge the challenges that slap me each time I leave the country and see how people exercise their faith.

I've decided to share a few things that rocked me:

• Americans (or just me) constantly think from the perspective of "Save the Day" or "We have the answers."

This possibly can be interpreted as a form of colonization or imperialism. It's easy for one group of people to look at another group of people's resources and think because of what would seem to be limitations in our paradigm means limitations in theirs. I was compelled to challenge some of our South African brothers and sisters to believe that GOD has blessed them with the same spiritual capacity (ACTS 1:17,18) that he has blessed us with. However, they can continue to import western philosophy, but they must create a South African legacy in light of the gospel. It would be easy for me to say, "Yeah, just buy my cds and pass them around," instead of trying to train capable musicians there. I would prefer they create their own musical identity, which would translate into a more meaningful impact, and movement for Jesus.

• We are all made in the image of GOD.

Racism, apartheid, slavery, denominations, tribalism, the Holocaust, caste systems and the Indian Removal Act were all formulated under the selfish mindset that one particular person is more superior to the other. If we saw each culture, people, and nation being established for the glory of GOD, then we would be able to appreciate the beautiful differences GOD created in us all. "When the believer begins to grow tired of celebrating our differences, then he has also grown tired of looking at the Cross"-Adam Thomason

• There are spiritual ramifications to all things.

When a man is seen as less than a man, what makes you think that he will believe there is a GOD in heaven that cares for him? That's a hard wrestle. I've experienced this. Cultures are reproducing this nihilism within themselves, because they have no hope in eternity. Therefore, they also don't value anything on earth. The contrast can be that too many times all that they do value is on earth, which becomes idolatry. The gospel is powerful enough to destroy these lies, but first we as believers have to not only believe this but also experience this. One way to experience it is to serve in communities, cultures, or nations different from your own.

• Make every effort to visit another country.

Blueprint Church just had a guest speaker who came through and challenged us on missions. He stated how much he hates it when people use the word “missions” flippantly to communicate some trip they are going on that really sounds more like a vacation. I don’t want to sound pretentious; however, I do agree that many people use the term missions out of context. Often times we use it to sound spiritual amongst friends and other times it’s the colloquialisms Christians have created. I just want to challenge all people to experience life outside their context. But to also experience the grace of GOD displayed in ways that are foreign to you. Whether or not it’s in the 10/40 window (the most hostile areas towards opposing religions) is not my call to place in your life. But I challenge all to die to themselves and lose their life for the sake of the Gospel and others. Then, you will truly know what it means to see GOD's heart for the nations.

I could stay in America for the rest of my life, or I could become a missionary in a hostile country. No matter the location, God has called us to serve. He has called us to die to our selfish ways and prejudices. He has also called us all to love each other unconditionally. There is no way out of these commands.

Here is a video of our team performing "I See the Lord" at a Bible college. I hope it encourages you. (We had to make adjustments, so it's just vocals and a guitar.)

I See The Lord (Cape Town Remix) from sho baraka on Vimeo.

Virtuous Uncertainty?

We live in an age where confidence about anything is seen as arrogance.  Uncertainty is a virtue and ignorance is acceptable.  This is especially true when it comes to the most important things.  Just try telling someone that you are sure about the purpose of human life, or that you know how the world came into being.  You are sure to be ridiculed or looked at like you’re crazy.  It’s much more politically correct to hold your positions with a bit of uncertainty.  But there’s no need for uncertainty if you’ve been given the truth.

I can think of nothing more important than our eternity, and almost no one claims to be sure about that.  When you ask most people what they think will happen when they die, they respond with something that begins with “I don’t know for sure but...” or “I feel like...”  Most people are so unsure because they know that if there is a God, He doesn't like sin.  And they also know that they are not sinless.  So while most people don't think they'll go to hell, they’re far from confident about their eternity.  Some worry about it and some don't think about it in the least bit.  Personally I think about it often.

Good Reason For Worry

All of us should consider our eternity often and frankly, most of us should be worried.  The Bible is very clear that God's standard is much higher than ours.  If I measure myself up against my best friends or my family members, I might get the idea that I'm a pretty good guy.  But God doesn't measure things like that. The Scriptures say in Romans 1:18 that, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."  God doesn't say His anger is on those who are unlike the most moral people, but those who are unlike Him.  He doesn't say His fury is kindled against those who are unacceptable to society, but those who are unrighteous.  Can you say that your behavior is and has always been perfectly godly and righteous?  Of course not.  None of us can say that.  This is a problem for us because God doesn't just pass out pardons or take bribes.  He promises to carry out judgment, and to unleash His wrath on every single individual who is unrighteous before Him.  This verse should frighten us.

Personally, I know that much of my life has been characterized by unrighteousness and ungodliness.  I also know that even though I try not to sin, I still do.  Often.  When I measure my life by God’s standard (perfection), I fall short by millions of miles.  And because the wages of sin is death, I’ve surely heaped millions of death sentences on my own head.  But here’s the strange part.  I believe without a shadow of a doubt that after I die, everlasting joy and communion with God awaits me.   

Humble Confidence

I know that’s a bold statement and it seems contrary to everything I’ve already said, but let me explain.  God has made it clear in His Word that if it is left up to us, none of us can meet His perfect standard.  So how can I be so confident?  While the Bible teaches that God is just, it also teaches that He is, “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).  Romans 4:5 says, “to the one who does not work, but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”  So make no mistakes, God will not accept anyone who is unrighteous before Him.  But in His love and mercy, He has made a way for unrighteous people, to be seen as righteous.  He sent His Son to live the life we failed to live, to be punished in our place, and to defeat the enemies that enslaved us.  He has only asked us to acknowledge our unrighteousness, to turn from our unrighteousness, and to believe in the righteous Savior.  We can actually be made righteous by the obedience of another.

Paul speaks of this in Philippians 3:9 when he says he will be found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from [obeying] the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith...”

A Great Mystery

So when I say that God’s standard is too high, yet I still have no worries, I’m not being arrogant or self-righteous.  I’m simply celebrating the greatest mystery in the Universe. The fact that I’m filthy, but seen as not guilty.  Faith in Christ demands a daily pursuit of being more like Christ, but I’m still not there yet.  And graciously, He’s not counting my crimes against me!  This righteous standing is available exclusively through Jesus.  So when I die, I’ll partake of the eternal joy that Christ purchased for me on the cross.  But now I must ask you.  In light of God’s perfect standard how do you plan on getting by? When you think about your eternity are you confident that your innumerable sins won’t be counted against you?  God is calling us to respond to this good news with faith.  It’s only through faith in Jesus that we can consider our eternity and declare with confidence, “I ain’t worried bout a thing!” 

Celebrate this great salvation with me a week from today, June 22, when “Between Two Worlds” releases worldwide.

Lately, I’ve been getting asked the same questions no matter where I go.

“Where you been?”
“What you been up too?”
“Got any new music coming out?”

I’m not big on blogging, but I felt, in this case, it had to be done.

“Where you been?”

Recently, I began traveling from city to city and state-to-state to share the good news of the gospel outside my local context.  However, I did take a short break from fall 2009 to spring of this year due to the joyous addition to my family. 

June 22nd there are sure to be 2 albums in the top 10 hip hop genre (possibly over all) on itunes.  They will be mainstream, presumably non-Christian artists, Drake and Eminem.

This same day Trip Lee will debut his 3rd album, Between Two Worlds.

The music industry as we know it, is very competitive and many would say Trip’s album dropping at this time is not a very wise move. Rest assured Reach Records is in no way competing, still this could potentially be a beneficial circumstance.  Let me tell you why.

The response to 20/20 was more than I could have asked for.  I heard so many stories about how God used the album in the lives of the listeners.  The stories range from people just being helped through rough days, to people trusting Christ for the very first time.  That blows me away!  I want to thank everyone for all the support.  But, it’s time for a new chapter and a brand new album.  After 8 months of prayer, hard work, and God’s grace, my third album is ready to be released.  My latest project will release June 22 and is entitled “Between Two Worlds.”  I can’t even express how excited I am about the project and I can’t wait for people to hear it.  While 20/20 was devoted to helping people see God properly, B2W is devoted to helping people see life in a broken world properly (the way God sees it).  The album is in many ways a collection of reflections on life in our fallen world.  It’s meant to celebrate the good things, be real about the difficult things, and look hopefully towards the solution.  It’s not meant to be a comprehensive study on life in a fallen world, only reflections on some of the things that were on my heart.  It’s almost like a reality show, not depicting just my life, but all of our lives.  And my desire was for all of my reflections to be rooted in a biblical worldview.  So I talk about human limitations, friendships, even music, but of course from a Christian perspective.  I chose the title “Between Two Worlds” because that is where I find myself.  And the cover is meant to reflect that reality.  Not only am I fallen, but I live in a world that is fallen, interacting with fallen people and fallen situations.  However, as a believer my citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20-21) and I look to the day when Jesus will “recreate” His creation.  So while I seek to navigate life in this world, I look forward to the new Heaven and new Earth (Revelation 21).  But until I get there, I worship and follow the Hero who already saved the day.    Keep checking back at reachrecords.com for updates on the album, promo vids, singles, etc as we approach the release of Between Two Worlds. 

Today I was listening to Sho’s new album and kept thinking, “Everyone needs to have this album.”  So I’m blogging to tell you five reasons this project is worth your investment.

1. Wordplay
One of the things I’ve always admired about Sho as an emcee is his creative and clever wordplay.  One listen to “Lion’s Anthem” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.  It’s a good feeling when you listen to a song for the 20th time and you still catch something new.

2. Great Storytelling
Story telling has always been a part of hip hop.  Sho happens to do it exceptionally well.  You’ll get stories about lions, liars, and even get to peak into the life of Sho.  It engaging, entertaining, and challenging.

I’ve been all around the world
and have never seen such a devastating site. Watching CNN the people in Haiti become “them” or “the people over there”. Walking through Haiti, the Haitians were no longer “them” but real people like Cedsi, Ricardo, the families I met in one of many “tent cities”. 

The babies were everywhere. They were hungry, sick, tired, naked, and crying. Malaria, typhoid, hunger, are just a few of the physical issues. Emotionally I’d fall apart if two weeks prior I’d lost my entire family, yet the strength and ability to survive was seen everywhere.

Last week, I flipped back through one of my favorite books (and an undisputed classic), “The Confessions of St. Augustine.”  Augustine was the bishop of Hippo and lived in the 300’s (Way way back in the day). “Confessions,” his autobiography, is his most popular writing and if you read it you’ll see why. It became a significant book in church history for a number of reasons, one of those being his thought provoking reflections on life in light of God’s grace and providence. The whole thing was written as a prayer to God and I highly recommend reading it.

When I flipped through my underlines and notes in the book, one of my favorite sections encouraged me again.  In a world filled with truly beautiful things created by God, it’s hard not to enjoy those things in an unhealthy way. Here’s what Augustine says,

“O God of hosts, restore us to our own; smile upon us, and we shall find deliverance.  For wherever the soul of man may turn, unless it turns to you, it clasps to sorrow itself.  Even though it clings to things of beauty, if their beauty is outside God and outside the soul, it only clings to sorrow.