“Sing to you” is a song that encourages us to sing to God even in the midst of the storm. The question is, will God hear me though? Won’t the sound of the stormy winds drown out my voice? Why should we sing through our pain? I ask myself these questions every time. It is amazing how we read and appreciate the story of Paul and Silas singing and praising God in prison till their chains fell off yet when it is our turn to lift up holy hands to God and sing our lungs out despite our burdens, we choose to plunge ourselves further into the mire. Which is very unfortunate because we turn away from the anchor of our hope when we decide against worshiping God in the bad times. It is hard dear friends. However, there is no hope elsewhere than in the arms of God.

In KB’s second verse of the song he said:

All night I couldn’t sleep

Thinking about all this joy that I couldn’t keep

All these holes in my heart it just seems

I’ve been pierced more times than I can speak

I got another hole from a friend last week

Lord, Lord why so many holes in me?

Then I saw the hands that were holding me,

He said ‘I know you, son, I’ve got holes too’.

I will tell you why these lines are so special to me. I have not studied all religions, but from the little I know, Christianity is the only one that has at its center a deity who has tasted of the worst kind of suffering a human being can ever go through.  How is this so? God came down to earth as a man to live amongst us, to suffer like any of us. He became one of us that we through him might become like him. That for me is enough. Because then when I go to God to tell him about my pain, I can never say something like ‘you won’t understand me’. Why? Because he does! He does because he became man and walked amongst men as one of us. He bore the cross on his sore back and was nailed to it, naked and battered like a thief. It is painful to go through torture of that nature. But to go through undeserved torture and having the power to speak a word for it all to go away yet choosing not to do so, is twice as torturous. I come to God with my problems knowing that he wouldn’t dismiss me and blame me for not being strong enough. In fact, he admonishes us in the gospels to come to him when we are heavily laden and burdened and he will give us rest. There is no shame in approaching God in your pain. Very few things can be more shameful than death on the cross. If he went through that and is now seated victorious and high above every power, best believe he understands you and your pain. It is very exhausting trying to explain your pain to another person. First, what you deem painful might not be regarded as such by whoever you are telling. When you step up to God in prayer, do so in all confidence that he has gone through excruciating pain too and understands how you feel.

Our High Priest

Not only should we confidently approach God in prayer because he has gone through pain before, also we should be bold to talk to him about the weights and the sins that easily beset us. Sin is shameful and dwindles our confidence in coming before God. However, if you think about it, Jesus who never sinned became sin literally on the cross so that you and I may become the righteousness of God. The bible says he never sinned yet he was made sin. This is a very unfair exchange but all this was done for the sake of you and me. Therefore, if we sin, it shouldn’t deter us from running to him. He became sin for goodness sake! He knows the shame of sin. He knows it all.

In the Old Testament, the High Priest went in into the Most Holy place to offer sacrifice for the sins of the children of Israel once every year. The sacrifice was accepted based on how pure the animal was and how pure the high priest was. The high priest could lose his life if he stood before God having sin in him. Thanks be to God our high priest doubles as the sacrifice. Thanks be to God also that he is very pure. Therefore, our confidence of righteousness is not in our deeds but totally in the purity of the sacrifice that bought our redemption. The writer of Hebrews put it this way:

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. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14 – 16

Our high priest was tempted in every way as we are right now yet he was without sin. He isn’t oblivious to the weight of temptation. Neither does he judge us unfairly. Therefore in all confidence, we approach the throne of God that we may receive mercy if we sin and to find grace to keep us from sinning.

The Humanity in the Trinity

The WORD became flesh and dwelt amongst men as Jesus. The WORD literally took a demotion to become a man so as to accomplish the divine assignment of redeeming man from sin. Hence in that line, ‘I know you, son, I’ve got holes too’, what Christ is actually telling us is that he has been a man before. For who can wound God? Who can inflict physical pain on God? Had he not condescended to mortal man would he have ever known pain? There is humanity in the Trinity now because the WORD which became flesh has gone back to his former estate having experienced human suffering. That is why he is the one constantly interceding for us. And we cannot express our gratitude for this enough.

The first part of the line that says ‘I know you…’ deserves every bit of attention as we give the entire line. When God knows you, it is way different from being known by any human being. At best, our closest friends, parents, and spouses can only be familiar with our ways. But God knows as through and through. He told Jeremiah, ‘before you were a clot of blood in your mother’s womb, I knew you and ordained you to be a prophet to the nations’. God’s knowledge of us is the reason he predestines us. He knows you that’s why he has destined you to become who you are and who you will be in the near future. Way before you were a clot of blood in your mother’s womb, there was a calling on your life because God knows you. Therefore it is so remarkable that before he tells us he has holes too, he states that he knows us (according to the song).

Finally, it is very likely most of us look at the image of Christ on the cross and assume he only had 4 holes in his body and that was all he had to deal with. Note KB didn’t talk about physical holes in the song. He spoke about holes in the heart. These are marks of pain, anguish and sorrows that we suffer from being hurt emotionally, psychologically and even spiritually either by events or people around us. If that is so then we would have to come to the understanding that the 4 holes in Jesus’ body – the two in his wrist and the two in his feet – were not the only source of pain for him on the cross. A few days prior to the cross, he had been sold for 30 pieces of silver by one of his close allies. He was arrested after he had prayed so intensely that his sweat turned into blood. This points to the fact that Jesus was in a severe psychological and emotional distress before the Roman soldiers could ever subject him to any physical torture.

While being taken away he was denied three times by one of his closest disciples. At the cross, 10 of his disciples had gone into hiding leaving only John there. Even God had ‘forsaken’ him to the extent that he had to cry out in pain and ask why God had done that. I haven’t been this forsaken in my life before. We are talking about one who had been whipped with a flagrum the previous day and a crown of thorns forced onto his head. Then on the cross, he was pierced at his side with a spear.

When someone who has been through this level of torture assures you he understands your pain, you are left with no option than to understand your own pain. If you can just see the hands that are holding you, you will notice the scars. That ought to comfort you.

When Jesus assures you he understands your pain and does nothing about it, it is because he was also made to endure the worst kind of pain a man can ever be subjected to. If the joy that was set before him was the reason he endured such excruciating pain, then the joy that is set before you should be enough reason for you to endure too. The hope of our calling is the joy that is set before us – that one of these days we will see him as he is when he returns. May this joy remind you of the hope and purpose that is in you even in your darkest hour.

First of all, the book does things to you in a subtle way that you might not notice how slowly your views on issues are shifting. For me the book is a redefinition of the word ‘unashamed’. I had it all wrong all along. For some funny reason I feel even Lecrae had it wrong initially. I honestly thought being an unashamed Christian only meant being unapologetic about your faith. ‘Unashamed’ for me meant ‘unembarrassed’. It felt like a tag I could wear boldly on my chest in a world where it isn’t too cool to be Christian. I had it all wrong. From the book, I learnt that being unashamed meant not being afraid to accept your vulnerability and the fact that you are daily in dire need of a savior. Being unashamed according to the way I defined it previously puffs you up by inflating your heart with stinking pride. You can easily become judgmental if you are not careful.

You know how we often quote the parts of the verses we like and leave the rest out? That practice is deadly. Romans 1:16, which is the mantra of the 116 movement spearheaded by Lecrae and his cronies is one of such verses. The first part of the verse says ‘I am unashamed of the gospel…’ and this is all most of us care about. The next few words changed my understanding of the term ‘unashamed’ and put things into perspective for me. The verse goes on to say that ‘… for it (The Gospel) is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe; first to the Jew and then to the Greek’. How did I miss this part? The gospel transcends cultures. The gospel cannot be put in a cultural box. The writer of the book of Romans isn’t ashamed of the gospel because it can be as relevant and potent in any other culture as it is in the Jewish one. How did I miss this? Being unashamed doesn’t merely mean you are unembarrassed to be the only Christian in the room, it means you recognize the fact that the power of God could be as potent in other people’s lives as much as it is in yours.

Christianity is not Jewish-Culture Assimilation

I often say that ‘Christianity is not Jewish-Culture assimilation’. We are not supposed to learn and practice the way the Jews live because we are Christians. We are free to express our faith in God in our cultural context. It has already been proven from scripture in the previous paragraph that the gospel transcends cultures, but here is the thing, the gospel doesn’t walk on its two feet from place to place. Jesus knew that. That is why he sent his disciples on their mission trips and instructed them to make disciples of all nations (cultures). This sounds to me like a command to depart from your comfort zone and mingle with cultures you are not too familiar with while proselytizing. Remember the gospel is the power of God first to the Jew and then to the Greek? For some reason the Jews – I am using ‘Jews’ here metaphorically – are too proud to accept a gospel that transcends cultures. They want it to be for them and them alone. Is it not a shame that Jesus had more problems with ‘Church folks’ than with unbelievers? Is it not a shame that Lecrae is experiencing the same thing in 2016? Why is he getting flak for addressing social issues? Many people don’t understand that he is doing the exact same thing that the apostles did – especially Paul. If the gospel must influence people of all cultures, the work will be done when men avail themselves to be used. To me this is what Lecrae – together with the many like him – is doing. He is a man so definitely he isn’t flawless but all that matters is he is accepted by God.

So the biggest lesson I picked up while reading the book is in Page 101. The lesson is built on a discussion Jesus once had with his disciples. He asked them who men thought he was and went on to ask who they (his disciples) thought he was. Simon said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God’. Jesus was so astounded by Simon’s answer that he replied, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’. The rock on which Jesus said he would build his church is in the response that Peter gave. Christ was only saying that the foundation of his church would be this revelation: that he (Christ) is the Son of the living God. Coincidentally ‘Peter’ also means rock. Therefore many assume Jesus was saying he would build his church using Peter as the foundation. Nope! Jesus was playing on words by mentioning ‘Peter’ and then going on to say ‘the rock’ in the same sentence. Jesus was dropping punchlines on the disciples and I can’t even tell if they got it.

Anyway, the lesson is in what Jesus said. He was going to build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Initially I thought this meant something else. Maybe ‘gates’ there was used metaphorically to represent the tricks of the devil. That doesn’t even make sense and I just didn’t pay attention to it enough to rethink it. Gates keep people out of a specific location. Lecrae said it best, ‘Gates are not weapons; they don’t attack people or things. They are defenses.’ How many times haven’t we heard that the devil is on the attack? Which is true anyway. But if Jesus said he was going to build a church so strong the gates of hell could not stand against it, it means he is building a church that is on the offensive. A church that is entering hell to snatch anything that is redeemable. This reminds me of the verse in Psalm 24 which says that ‘Lift up your heads O ye GATES and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors and let the King of Glory come in.’ This is what Jesus is talking about. ‘Hell’ here doesn’t mean the place of damnation in eternity but every place, country, industry, field of study, career, establishment, movement etc. that the devil is holding people captives in. The gates of that hell will not prevail against the church that Jesus has built. We are on the offensive Church! If the movie industry is glorifying the works of Satan, we need Christians there. Just a few weeks ago I watched an interview of Mel Gibson in which he said ‘I made the ultimate superhero movie when I made the Passion of the Christ’. That’s what I’m talking about! You say hip hop is too profane, misogynistic etc. cool. We need somebody from the church to step in and let his light shine away the gloom. Big ups to Lecrae for the work he is doing. ‘Oh rap battles on the streets is way too crass and profane’, well that’s the reason why we have Street Hymns actively battling without cussing or using violent language. He laces each verse with biblical allusions so beautifully. How cool is that? ‘This will not have much impact’, you might say. But wait for it. Wait until a whole bunch of people start testifying to how their lives are being changed because some Christians refused to remain defensive and are rather on the offensive to reach out to the lost souls and the perverted art forms.

At the end of the day I am just happy with what Lecrae is doing. I don’t even agree with everything he says or does but I look up to the guy. Sometimes I hop onto Lecrae’s instagram and facebook pages just to read the insults rained on him by Christians. It is all too pathetic. His latest single ‘Can’t Stop Me Now’ highlights how depressed he has been over some of the comments that people pass concerning stuff they know nothing about. Shame on us! Would it not be much more beneficial if you went on your knees and said a prayer for the man? It is easy to see the flaws of one standing in the spotlight so be very gracious in your criticism. Because one of these days you will stand in the grandest spotlight before a cloud of witnesses in heaven and you won’t be judged by how much you pointed out others’ mistakes, but by what you did. May you not be found wanting.

The album begins with the title track ‘uncomfortable’. Mostly, when artists name their album after a track on it, it is usually a disaster putting the entire album into perspective. In the sense that, you realize the artist clumsily puts songs together on that project and loosely selected his favorite and named the entire album after it. That is nasty. With Andy’s ‘uncomfortable’, the message resonates throughout all the songs and not just the title track. Even the album cover depicts the state of being uncomfortable. Time and space won’t allow me to do an in depth explication of each song, but I will try to do so for most of them.

As Andy himself rightly said, ‘the album will disturb comfortable people and comfort disturbed people’. It does that, actually. The first verse of the uncomfortable track begins with the following lines. ‘Lord prepare me for the war/ Comfort be the thing that would make a king fall/Eyes on the Lord/ Gotta grip the blade of the sword…’. Of course comfort fills you with complacency and serves as a hindrance to progress. Kings are amongst the most comfortable people in the world. Their status affords them all the pomp and pageantry that your sophisticated imagination may never be able to conceive. So of course, Andy was talking about a king here…or so I thought. In his interview on the ‘Sway in the morning’ radio show, he stated that he was specifically talking about King David. These lines are an allusion to the time when David stayed behind and didn’t go to war. He ended up sleeping with Uriah’s wife and killing Uriah as a result of his intentions to cover up the mess. Had David chosen war (discomfort) over the comfort of staying back in his palace and strolling on his porch, he wouldn’t have fallen into such an abominable sin. The message is clear here, “comfort is not always a good enough reason to take a decision”. Sometimes the road to success is like a thorny park and the road leading nowhere is as comforting as carpet grass. Choose ye this day your destination but don’t do so with the path leading to it in mind.

Another amazing message in those few lines is the part where he says ‘gotta grip the blade of the sword’. According to him, he used that imagery to depict the need for Christians to judge themselves by the standards of the bible before they judge others. Let me explain this. So the Word of God is described as being ‘sharper than a two-edged sword’ in the bible, therefore when we judge people, we point the sword in their face while gripping the handle. But God didn’t intend for us to grip the handle of the sword but the blade. We must do this on a daily basis: grip the sword by the blade, cut yourself and bleed! Bleed till you are drained of every bit of ‘your  self-righteous self’ then you can go out there and correct others and help rid their lives of any impurities. Let them grip the sword by the blade too, don’t point the sword at them. **Deep!**

Uncomfortable is followed closely by ‘uptown’. In Uptown, Andy tries to capture and retell the lifestyle of people living in his hometown, New York city. Just as I stated earlier, every song screams the need to let go of a comfortable lifestyle and choose that which is beneficial though it may appear unpleasant now… so does ‘uptown’. In the first verse Andy says, ‘Baby, how you gon complete your life’s checklist/Spending every night watching netflix?/ Time is precious, gotta invest it when you spend it/ If we are prisoners to comfort, we judge our own sentences…’. This is self explanatory. We see the theme of ‘disturbing comfortable people’ live and coloured here. Instead of spending countless hours engaging in that which merely gives you pleasure, it would be a better investment to spend time doing profitable things.

Desperados is my favorite song on the album: the music; the instrumentation; Mali Music’s hook coupled with Andy’s versatile rap style makes it a delicious meal to my ears. A desperado is a violent criminal who is not afraid of getting hurt or caught (Merriam Webster Dictionary). In the song, both Andy and Mali proclaim that they are desperados who are wanted dead or alive. ‘Desperados’ inspires a positive rebellious spirit in me. Where I don’t want to conform to the standards society sets – even on social media. So if they want my life for the truth I stand for, well, I would gladly be a desperado. It is not about the number of people who like you, it is about how many people you impact positively: that is the real essence of this life. Andy states this categorically, ‘I ain’t trying to be liked, I’m trying to be a light’. Do not conform. Be a light wherever you are even if they criminalize you because of it.

Any Andy Mineo fan would notice that he has a knack for getting personal on some of his songs just to help people deal with the same issues. He does so in the song ‘Hear my heart’. It is a song for his big sister Grace, who was born deaf. In this song, Andy apologizes for never learning sign language which minimized communication between him and his sister. Andy ends the only verse of the song by saying ‘My big sister Grace, I’m sorry I never learnt the signs/ I know that you were born deaf, but forgive me for the years that I lived blind’.

We see Andy get more personal in two more songs: Ghost and Love. In Ghost he speaks about losing touch with one of his closest friends. And in ‘Love’ he seeks to redefine love. He does this by dispelling the popular definition people give to love. While at it, he made mention of the fact that some people – men especially – think they are too tough to love. It is a ‘guy thing’: we assume it is a sign of weakness to be vulnerable to someone emotionally. But no, Andy says it is cool to be like that, especially with the one you love. It is both therapeutic and beneficial to the growth of the relationship. Andy personifies love in the entire song and tells love that ‘when I think about God, you are the definition’. Indeed, God doesn’t merely love, GOD IS LOVE!.

In ‘Rat race’ Andy attacks people who expend all their energies in criticizing artists like it was a sport. He raises some very important issues too. Somewhere in the chorus it says ‘tell them we don’t wanna play/ we’re so okay with last place’. Now, who on earth would be okay with being the last in a race? *points finger at Andy* What he is trying to say is, we are all running a race in life – that is our individual calling. So if people judge you by how much you are losing in their race, please take a seat and be okay with the last position in their race. For all they know, you are leading in your race by being last in theirs. This definitely has to do with Andy’s position in the rap game in America. It may appear that he isn’t mainstream yet… but so what? He is so okay with last place. Since to him this is ministry and not a game to be won, he concludes each verse by saying ‘roof your ball, I don’t wanna play’. Ouch! That ought to leave the owner of the ball in a whirlwind of embarrassment.

I like it when Andy sounds tough on a track. When he sounds almost angry and delivers his verses with an almost hoarse voice, I love it *giggles*. In ‘Vendetta’ We see Andy Mineo taking the pulpit and pitching it on the stage of a political rally to address some political issues. The song is centered on one point: the artist is more influential than the politician. According to him most politicians have the right ideas and mindset for the job until they enter office then there is a visible decay of purpose witnessed by all. One line in the chorus captures this point: Pac did a lot more for me than Barack. Yep, he means 2 pac (the rapper) did a lot more for him than Barack Obama. In the second verse, Andy admits to his overindulgence in unnecessary things too. He says he has excess of things that are needed by others, referring to the 100 sneakers he has, which are meant for his two feet. It is all vanity and a chasing after wind.

On ‘Know that’s right’ Andy takes a few shots at the negativity of some hip hop songs. The truth about how most of these artists lie about the lives they live while they live in debt. He also said, “My home girl started stripping/ I said ‘chill, get a degree’/ She told me, ‘Andy you’re trippin/ ‘Cause you don’t make more money than me”. And that’s true. People could be earning a living from doing things that are either criminal or degrading and if you find yourself desiring their lifestyle, know that it isn’t worth it. Persevere through the hardship you are in and sooner or later you will be in a better position in life. Also in ‘strange motions’ he touches on dealing with addictions. In ‘Now I know’ he touches on the enlightenment he has received over the years dispelling some of the myths he used to believe while a child. He stated that he even ‘thought that Jesus was white’. The Album ends with ‘make me a believer’ and there is one musical interlude on the album: David’s roof. I state this again, it is a masterpiece.

Together, all these songs trouble you. They ruffle the branches of the palm tree you are resting under to wake you up from your sleep. Human beings will do anything to have a comfortable life but so far as we are on this earth we will always have problems. It is better for us to decide to suffer discomfort for a worthy cause. Let us not be caught  up in the mundane. Be worried. Be disturbed about the evil around you and in the world at large. Do not be complacent. Comfort can kill you. As G.K Chesterton said ‘Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain. Meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure”. And Andy said ‘Nobody told us we could die like this; Nobody told us we could die from BLISS’. Be uncomfortable.

The duty of a Christian is not to come to church every Sunday but to be the church from Monday through to Saturday. We should all learn this: go to church, tie a rope around the pulpit and strap it to your back and leave the auditorium with your life preaching an audible sermon all week long. The world would be an awesome place if Christians did this.

Today I am not my apologetic self. I have been disrobed of all traces of Ravi Zacharias and C.S Lewis. Today I just want to celebrate some anointed sportsmen who don’t mind taking the pulpit to the pitch, field or ring. I want to put the spotlight on men who are already in the spotlight. The crème de la crème of the sporting world. Though these icons have made it to the highest echelon in sports, yet they don’t hide their faith in Jesus Christ. I am so proud of them and I guess God is too. So have a seat in the stands, as I present to you these spirit-filled ministers of God:

Tim Tebow: If you are an ardent reader of my blog you would know that I wrote about Tebow somewhere in July last year (read it here). His testimony is amazing. He is known to kneel on one knee and say a prayer at the touchline before he comes onto the pitch. He has popularized the stance so it is called the ‘Tebow stance’. Tebow is also fond of writing a bible verse on his eye-black. Once he wrote John 3:16 on his eye-black and went into a game. It was reported that within 24 hours of this event, google received 90 million hits for John 3:16. It is fair to say that this guy preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to over 90 million people in less than 2 days. Without standing on a dais at a crusade, this American Football player has preached the gospel. Awesome! As a Christian, it pays to be exceptional at what you do.

 (That’s Steph Curry guarding Jeremy Lin. Lin is also very outspoken about his faith in Christ)

Stephen Curry: He is the current Most Value Player in the NBA. Steph had a wonderful season; he led the Golden State warriors to win the 2014/2015 season. It was he who said that ‘…the Holy Spirit is moving through our locker rooms in a way I have never experienced before’. The established throne of God is gaining prominence in locker rooms. Steph Curry said that 10 players of his team attend their pregame chapels to pray before every game. That is so cool. I would love to be in a room full of well-built  6 and 7 footers, praying their hearts out to God before they step onto the hardwood to ball like crazy. Curry signed a sneaker deal with Under Armour and guess the inscription he put on the sneakers: I can do all things. Philipians 4:13 ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’. God bless Steph Curry. He is an awesome player and an incredible shooter. Last season he beat the buzzer by throwing the ball from the 3 pointer line on his side of the court into his opponents’ net. Awesome! You can’t hate the brother. The only thing I might hate about him is the fact that he has two daughters with a very pretty wife. Meanwhile I am here… not married… but God is still good, isn’t he?

Bubba Watson: Not many of us in Ghana would know him, because golf is not a big sport in Ghana. Don’t even think it, I also didn’t know him till a few months ago. Bubba Watson is an incredible golfer. He is a multiple major champion. He won the 2012 and 2014 Masters Tournament. In February 2015, he reached a career-high 2^nd place in the Official World Golf Ranking (Wikipedia). And this is how I heard of him. I am a huge Christian Hip Hop fan and one of my favourite rappers, KB, featured Bubba Watson on one of his songs entitled ‘Imma Just do it’. His verse spills a million goose bumps all over my skin every time i hear it. For a golfer to rap that well… I was impressed. Let me share a bit of his verse with you:

Bubba Watts on the mic now, Can a golfer spit a rhyme? /

I’m not a gangster rapper, but my caddie got a nine/

…. I got 2 masters, no double majors/

But I got 1 MASTER I praise and thank HIM.

We all know the ‘1 MASTER’ he is talking about here right? Another intriguing thing about Bubba Watson is, he is married to Angela Watson. She was a basketball player too. On their first date, she told Bubba that she couldn’t have babies – no problemo. They are married now and have adopted two kids. *hats off for the loving Christian gentleman*

David Luiz: O I love David Luiz. Obviously because I am a Chelsea fan. He was amazing throughout his time at Chelsea. I personally admire his bravery. He would go into tackles fearlessly as if his bones were hewn out of igneous rock. Chelsea sold him to PSG in France for £50 million which makes him the most expensive defender in the world. Speaking of the most expensive players in the world, Chelsea signed Fernando Torres for £50 million pounds in 2011. And… honestly… he did not put up a 50million-pound performance at Chelsea at all. We were all worried. We caught a glimpse of the old Torres every now and then but he couldn’t sustain that level of performance at Chelsea. We were worried. I am sure the management was worried too. Guess what David Luiz did… he laid hands on Torres and prayed for him before matches. That warmed my heart the day I saw it. And I found out David Luiz is a member of the Hillsong Church and he also got the new hillsong album (Empires) when it came out. *sighs* When you see Luiz, tell him I owe him a hug, would you?

Neymar: As I have stated already, I am a huge Chelsea fan so I might say blue is orange if blue being orange favors Chelsea in one way or the other. Soccer fans have been arguing over who would succeed the incredible duo who have reigned as kings in world football for some time now: Messi and Ronaldo. Many have tipped Neymar; some have tipped Eden Hazard. Hazard is a Chelsea player – you realize where I am going with this, right? But nahh, Neymar is an awesome player. He is very skilful and scores a lot of goals too. He is way too skinny for some of the things he does. The guy plays soccer with thighs the size of my arm. How he manages to speed pass world-class defenders is a mystery. O he is good. He is a huge hillsong fan too. On the 2^nd most important night of world football this year – the UEFA Champions League finals – Neymar was part of the Barcelona team that won the cup. After the game he had a headband on with an inscription that said ‘100% Jesus’. Wouldn’t you blush if you were Jesus? The Champions League is viewed by millions all over the world and for Neymar to boldly declare his faith in Christ, really deserves commendation.

There are many others: Manny Pacquiao, Jeremy Lin, Kaka etc. So many others. Space won’t allow me to profile all of them. My point here is, if these men could be exceptional in their fields and still give God the glory, what are you waiting for? You don’t need to stand behind a pulpit to make Christ known. You just need to be exceptional in your field of work and give God all the glory for your achievements. Go out there and be an anointed *insert your career choice here*.