Blessings!
I believe it was a Friday in August of 2000. I was at my usual spot, freestyling to my small but faithful crowd in the Student Union at Alabama State University. My custom was to rap about the people and things around me, so everyone would know I was truly improvising.
A new face joined the crowd and soon became the subject of a line or two. I could tell she got a little upset, so when I finished the set, I tracked her down to let her know I meant no harm. We became friends, and she introduced me to her friends, who happened to be the most pious group of twenty-somethings I’d ever seen.
The example they set made an immediate impression on me. I quickly fell in line, assimilating into the group and trying to glean as much as I could from each member.
My entire life was transformed in a matter of weeks, if not days. A thief turned into a giver. A liar started boldly sharing the truth. A womanizer began to respect, honor, and protect his sisters. The common cursing in my lyrics gave way to blessings. I met my wife and my closest allies through this encounter.
I’m not sure what my life would have turned out to be had Aisha not stopped by to check out some young hip-hop head that day. When I sometimes think I’m getting too old to walk up to college students and tell them how they, too, can be transformed, I remind myself that any one of these people could be another me—just one chance meeting away from everlasting life.
So, twenty-four years later, I press.
This is more than just a business to us. This is the life we live, sharing the love that Christ showed us, working the harvest as we pray the Lord of the Harvest will send even more workers.
Y'all be blessed,
Jay
Kingdom & Will
