Month: May 2016

Around the middle of April, I was given a copy Lecrae’s unreleased autobiography, but I was not allowed to share any news about it until it released today. Not only that, I also received one to give to one of my subscribers. Because of this, I am doing a giveaway contest that ends Sunday night (5-8-16) at 11:59 Est.! The rules are very simple and easy: You must A) Be subscribed B) Comment on at least one post and C) Share the blog on social media in some way, shape or form (use the hashtag blogjcp [#blogjcp] so I can find it). I will be doing more reviews and giveaways in the future so be on the lookout for those as well. Find all the details in the video below. Now, on to the review. I have been a fan of Lecrae for many years now after Austin McAfee first introduced me to him way back when. I’m pretty sure he (Lecrae) has a direct correlation with the ‘gangster wannabe’ stage I went through in sixth grade (I still cringe thinking of it). However, if you don’t know who he his, here’s the basic rundown: Lecrae is a Christian rapper who had, in my opinion, one of the biggest influences in starting the industry. He has released seven albums including Gravity and his latest, Anomaly. Lecrae has been nominated for 5 Grammy Awards while winning two of them. He now writes his life story in his autobiography: Unashamed. Regardless of your taste or stance on Hip-Hop, this book has content we can all benefit from. One of Unashamed’s biggest focuses can be found on the book jacket, “if you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die from their rejection.” This is a relatively popular quote but Lecrae really dives into what it meant to him and how it had affected him throughout his life. For me, as a teenage writer, this quote has a very deep meaning that I constantly struggle with. The thoughts of what other teens will think when they see my blog, for example, constantly passes through my mind. This book paints the picture of how Lecrae was always trying to be two different people, one in front of one crowd and another in front of other friends and the consequences/effects it had on him. Regardless of age, many struggle with this and it is a very important lesson to learn. Lecrae’s background is one of fatherlessness, sexual and physical abuse, drugs, and poverty amidst other things. Just because you don’t have the same background doesn’t mean there is not a very powerful lesson to learn here. This is a valuable resource to see what people who DO have these problems are thinking, what they deal with, and how they feel about their circumstances. After reading this book, I have much more insight on these matters than I did before. I can’t relate to these things on a personal level, but I can do my best to understand them. This is VITAL. In the Great Commission, we are called to go into all the world, ALL the world. This does not just mean the suburbs, this means the ghettos, too. How do you expect to be able to evangelize someone if you don’t understand what they’re going through? No wonder so many people feel like they are being talked down to, sometimes they are! We, (myself included) need to learn as much as possible about the people we want to share the Gospel with and this is a pretty good start. Not only is it important to understand the people so that we can share the Gospel with them, but also so we can recognize when someone is going through something that is physically dangerous for them. In this book, Lecrae talks about the ways that he and other people struggling with the same thing, such as sexual abuse, acted. You can see the different ways that Lecrae acted during different key struggles and times in his life and then look at someone you know and see the same thing. It’s hard to recognize a problem if you don’t know what it looks like. Another big thing to learn from the book is what a Godly woman looks like. This paragraph is not just important for guys, but also to show girls what it is like to be a Godly woman. As Lecrae walks us through his book, we see the different women he encounters. We see the relatable struggle of lust he deals with throughout his life. We see  women that do nothing but cause harm, and the Godly woman he is now married to. Being able to recognize each type of woman is crucial in our own lives. Lecrae not only shows the different type of women but also the consequences of being sexualized at such a young age, abortions, and more. We have the opportunity to learn from someone who has messed up so that we don’t do the same thing. Lecrae reveals his life in this book- the great moments, the awful moments, the time when he was saved, the times when it all seemed to fall apart. There is something to learn for all ages, all walks of life, all tastes in music, Christians, and non-Christians, which is why I highly recommend this book. You can find it at various places such as Amazon.com and UnashamedBook.com, which are all just a click away. Check out the video below for details on how you can win a free copy of the Unashamed book. Go check out some of the other content I have on here just a heads up: there are some exciting new features I’m planning to roll out as soon as Summer begins, it’s going to be a blast. Thanks for reading, have a good day.