Today you might find yourself remembering some of the triumphs and trials of the past year. Even if you have had wonderful successes in the past twelve months, you can probably remember some low points.
As you enter a new year, I hope you remember that God’s plans have always been to prosper you. He can transform ordinary events and difficult trials into key moments that help his plans to prosper. He is not out to harm us, but the dark moments we experience can be part of the most important lessons to help us grow nearer to him.
Today ponder on this thought: God has a way of saving His world that we may find hard to understand. He introduced His Son into the world and brought about our salvation in a way that could easily be overlooked by this secular world. Yet He has changed the world, and His Kingdom keeps growing. That same God comes into our lives and draws us into His plans for a hope-filled future! Thank you, God!
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, my life is in your hands. Father, I praise you for the joys you have brought me in the past year, and for the ways you refined me through the trials in my life. Lord, prepare me to be part of your work in the year ahead. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Companies that Provide Web Hosting and Uphold Christian Values—Our Preferred Choices
Christian web hosting is a topic that seems to be on the minds of many who are wanting to host a website with a Christian firm, as seen by the numerous inquiries we’ve had about it this year.
Many Christians who are looking to host a website enjoy working with a business that shares their views and has high moral standards. You presumably arrived at this page because you are a steadfast Christian who manages or builds websites. The good news is that we’re here to dispel ambiguity!
As professionals in the web hosting sector, we decided to develop a directory of Christian web hosts to assist Christians in making an informed choice about which hosting providers they can rely on to uphold their basic principles and deliver excellent service.
Christian Web Hosting Companies vs. Secular Businesses
We recognize how crucial it is for Christians to work with hosting providers that share their principles, but also have a high standard of service. Meaning that just because you choose a Christian web hosting company, this should not be at the expense of quality of service. No to the country, as Christians we ourselves are called to have a high standard in everything we do. So therefore a Christian organisation that does not adhere to high standards in the first place should not to chosen purely on the basis of identifying as a Christian hosting provider.
So what does a Christian do? It can appear that you only have two options:
Choose a publicly visible Christian host at the expense of service, security, features, etc or select a business that offers excellent service but does not uphold Christian principles. We advise following Jesus’ advice and trying to firstly find a Christian organisation that fulfils the core principles as it is our duty to support our brothers and sisters in Christ, and your search is not successful then although not identifying as strictly a Christian company on the outside, to locate a company that produces results consistent with the high standards you deserve. Again with that being said, if there was a choice between two companies with high standards and one happened to be a Christian company, then we should definitely go with the one that identifies as a Christian organisation. We should always support our brothers and sisters in christ we’re possible. And remember, that even the largest web hosting companies had to start somewhere. They will refuse to recount the days when they struggled to get to the top. The Christian journey is a struggle all by itself. So it would be very hard-nosed to expect a newly established Christian hosting company to compete with one of the giants immediately without your support.
Jesus’ remark in Matthew 7:15–20 is well-known.
These businesses actually include Christian staff members and are very engaged in working on philanthropic issues that actively match the essential beliefs of the Christian religion and the teachings of Jesus, despite the fact that they don’t all publicly identify as Christian hosting. Let’s look at a few of those businesses.
Our Favorite Web Hosting Providers: Christian Values
The following are our top picks for Christian web hosts that, in our opinion, best represent the teachings of Jesus Christ:
DomainRooster No. 1 (Best Value & Most Affordable)
The most popular host on our website, DomainRooster is a newly established web hosting company. The lowest web hosting plan starts at $2.95/month!
The nicest part about them is that they’re one of the few hosts with US-based and UK-based telephone help available around the clock. They offer outstanding security and WordPress features.
DomainRooster has a solid moral foundation and abides by the teachings of Jesus; no websites that contain adult content, nudity (including artistic photos), or sell any adult-oriented goods are permitted on its servers. The company CEO is also a devoted Christian.
On our website, SiteGround is the second most well-liked host, and they are excellent! They are one of our absolute favourites and have outstanding technology and customer service. We adore them since they have the quickest support response time of any host in their category.
You can get their services for a ridiculously low price of only around $6.99/month.
They also have a solid moral basis that adheres to Jesus’ teachings since they forbid gambling websites, pornographic content on their servers, and other websites that promote immoral behaviour. They follow the golden rule (treat others as you would like to be treated) and engage in a ton of charitable activities.
Go to SiteGround.
WP Engine #3
WP Engine is the best option available for WordPress hosting services (although they are a bit more costly than DomainRooster or SiteGround). With a ton of incredible features designed just for WordPress, like caching, staging servers, and insanely strong backups, they are pretty much the best of the best when it comes to WordPress hosting.
WP Engine has a solid moral foundation and upholds the teachings of Jesus by forbidding the hosting of websites that promote gambling, adult material, and other harmful vices. Additionally, they care for one another by managing a “Give Back Committee” that coordinates charitable giving and volunteerism for various organizations.
Go to WP Engine.
Netooze #4
Netooze is the best option available for cloud hosting services and is unbelievably one of the most affordable cloud hosting providers today. With a ton of incredible cloud hosting features they provide infrastructure as a service, vStack servers, VMware servers, Kubernetes, DNS management, networking, RDP, and insanely strong backups, they are pretty much the best of the best when it comes to cloud hosting today.
Netooze CEO is also a devoted Christian who has embedded Christian principles in the development of this state-of-the-art cloud hosting platform
Now, more than ever, our lives seem out of control, with governments making decisions for our every move. Have you ever felt like things in your life are out of control? That happens when you allow circumstances to dictate your thoughts and attitudes. You might say, “well, the economy is wreaking havoc on my business.” Or, “this relationship is just too far gone, it’s not worth trying.” My message to you today is “this is the day to take your life back!”
Today’s verse tells us we must take control of every thought which is not a natural idea. We live in this natural realm, but as believers, we are not limited by this natural realm. We can tap into God’s supernatural power. But it starts by making every thought line up with the Word of God, and declaring I’m taking my life back in Jesus’ Name! Hallelujah!
Today, from the government to the church, nobody seems to know what to do, and this confusion sows seeds of fear. By faith today I say take your life back. You may ask how? By taking your thoughts back from secular natural agencies. Don’t allow the enemy to have access any longer. Instead, meditate on the Word of God daily, and allow His truth to sink down deep into your spirit. Let His truth set you free! Hallelujah!
“…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV)
Let’s Pray Yahweh, thank You for empowering me to live in victory. Father, today I choose to take my life back from the enemy and his agencies by taking captive every thought and submitting it to You. God, help me to live a life that is pleasing to You, starting now and throughout my life, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.
Partially paid for via crowdfunding website IndieGoGo, ‘The Golden Thread’ is Portland, Oregon singer-songwriter Andrew Serino’sfirst full-length album. An incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Serino has been in bands for most of his life and made a name for himself on his local scene, as well as auditioning for American Idol. He plays every single instrument on the album, resulting in a time-consuming recording process that took many months to achieve. Now finalised and released, it’s an album that Serino has a right to be proud of, and will certainly get him some of the attention he deserves further afield from Portland.
‘Wake Up’ is essentially the opening track after the short ‘Introduction’ and it certainly sets us off with a bang. It’s a thumping, fist pumping post-hardcore/emo rocker that will sound familiar to fans of the likes of At The Drive-In, Fall Out Boy and Anberlin. “I know that feeling, believe me,” he admits in this catch and feel good song exploring the bad habits we can all easily find ourselves falling into, urging the listener to “wake up” and fight their way out of it, or even perhaps, to wake up and see the light!
Andrew Serino – The Golden Thread
Andrew Serino – The Golden Thread
‘Arrogance’ goes further down into the pop-punk style, as does ‘Broken Record’, which has the slick, modern feel of current Paramore and Panic! At The Disco, with yet another catchy chorus. Serino has said it’s “his version of a love song”, and it’s a track that could be taken at face value as an actual love song, or it could easily be a love song to God. It’s up to the listener to make up their mind and take from it what they will. Serino readily admits he’s like a broken record because of how often he talks about the subject of the song, declaring he “will try to find the tallest mountaintop just to prove what I’d do to show my love”.
Andrew Serino – The Golden Thread
‘Honestly’ is a stand out track, featuring an appearance from Justin Abel, who produced the record but has an excellent voice too! It’s got more of a metalcore/emo Pierce The Veil type feel, as does ‘Deal With It’, a fast-paced hard rocker.
“I’m not a perfect person, I’m not a perfect person man, I’m trying to stay humble and I do the best I can” Serino sings in the title track ‘The Golden Thread’ which finishes off the collection of twelve songs, before screaming, “don’t let me stay broken” in a desperate plea to God to help him. It’s heartening to see someone unafraid to expose their fears and imperfections in such a way, and readily admit that we can’t all be perfect Christians. Towards the end of the song, there’s a repetition of the chorus from ‘Wake Up’, which echoes the theme of the album perfectly. It feels like the whole thing is calling society to open their hearts to God and allow him to heal and help us.
Both ‘Unwavering’ and ‘Shadows’ show Serino’s softer side with beautiful soaring power ballads and swirling soundscapes, the latter of which features a duet with his wife Heidi. With lyrics such as “I question what is real but you fight for me still” and “I’ll always love you cause you have found me”, again, it’s ony of those that could work as a simple love song to his wife, or a love song to God, which makes it a perfect fit for believers and non-believers alike.
It seems to be a recurring theme in the style of his writing. Anyone could enjoy Andrew Serino’s music, and that’s the beauty of it. For those ‘in the know’, the lyrics have multiple meanings. They work on the surface as regular songs, but you can also easily see the spiritual nuances that are clearly important to Serino. Presumably the hope is that this way of writing will cause secular listeners to think on different levels and dig a little deeper, a subtle evangelising tactic which has merit and does actually work.
In short, it’s an excellent debut album with lots of potential for future growth. Andrew Serino is a vibrant, exciting songwriter with an important message delivered in an accessible and fresh style.
Before the age of 19, I couldn’t have cared less about what people had to say about sex. That all changed, however, when I left home for college. My 19th year was a tumultuous time for me: it was my first time away from home, I was struggling to appear adult-like while still holding onto the innocence of my previous years, and most importantly, I became a born-again Christian towards the end of that year.
I was not prepared for the culture that surrounded campus life. People around me were talking about sex, having sex, who they had sex with, who wanted to have sex with them… I was horrified. I couldn’t believe that people my age were sexually active (I come from a conservative family and hardly ever went out). During free periods, I used to sit among newly-made friends and listen wide-eyed as they openly spoke about their sexual exploits. I wouldn’t say that I felt left out, but I did feel quite naïve. Oddly enough, up until the last few months of the first year in college, I didn’t hear much about sex. Nevertheless, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was uncomfortable with the topic of sex, but I didn’t want to come across as being judgemental (especially with being born-again), so I stuck it out. My reasoning was that Jesus Himself had sat down to dinner with prostitutes and taxpayers, so who was I to dissociate myself from them just because they were sexually active? Looking back, I can see that my reasoning was flawed, but it took me years to understand that. I essentially became the poster girl for 1 Corinthians 15:33: Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” I was well on my way to being corrupted.
During my early 20s, I sought to convince myself that if I knew enough about sex, and was comfortable with it, then it wouldn’t irritate me and cause me much discomfort when people talked about it. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, not understanding the peril that I was putting my soul into.
After a few years, I realized that no amount of sex talk would make me any more comfortable with it. I grew tired of speaking about the same things over and over again- how to spice up your love life with different sex positions, how kinky BDSM was, how irresistible Christian Grey was (I didn’t really think that- I just went with the flow), how empowering it was to be in control of your own orgasms with masturbation (something that I have neverdone) and how sex was totally natural and healthy, especially between two (or three, or more) consenting adults. I twerked along to catchy tunes with suggestive lyrics (all about sex in some form or another), and I danced with the ease of a seductress laying a trap for her prey (okay, I didn’t actually dance in public, but I did do it within the comfort and privacy of my own home). I had become as knowledgeable as an inexperienced person could be, loaded with ammunition to go out and ‘do the nasty’ if I so chose to. But I didn’t choose to. I was at war within myself and felt like a fraud, both as a Christian and a worldly- wannabe- person.
When you sin and do it repeatedly, the Holy Spirit starts to convict you of that sin in order to lead you to repentance. Sure, I was not having sex, but because I thought about it in its various forms, it was just as bad. It is amazing to me as to how I continued to talk and think about something that I truly was not comfortable with!
The Holy Spirit began to counter all of my worldly ways with the Word of GOD. I started to read the Bible more every day and to ask GOD to show me what areas of my life were displeasing to Him. You see, I had a deep yearning within me to get to know GOD, not because someone told me that it was the right thing to do, but because I needed to. I had received a taste of GOD’S presence once before and I wanted more. If you’re Christian, you will know that only the pure-hearted will see GOD. There was no way that I was going to draw near to Him with all the sexual immorality in my life! Needless to say, I repented of my sins and began to purify my mind with GOD’S Word. That meant cutting out secular music, erotic romance novels (not the clean and sweet type), other types of literature pertaining to sex, and refusing to talk about it unnecessarily. It was while removing these factors out of my life that I realized how accustomed I had become to surrounding myself with things of a sexual nature, especially when I still was not comfortable with it.
I will be 29 in about 2 months time. I have never had sex, let alone kissed a guy. Even with all the sex talk, I did not feel the need to date or have sex or even go around kissing guys. In fact, I find the act of kissing rather gross and unsettling. There are people that refuse to believe that I am a virgin and have never been kissed and that’s okay- I don’t expect anyone to believe me, and neither is it my concern. Do I think that I’m better than the non-virgins, especially the Christian ones? Certainly not, and neither do I go around judging people. You do not need me to tell you that sexual immorality is a sin- you already know that the wages of sin is death. I would, however, advise you to consult your Bible to see why you should abstain from sex until marriage. The major reason for me is because I know that I am the Temple of GOD. All other sins happen outside of the body, but when you have sex, you sin against your body. GOD hates any type of sin, whether outside of the body or against the body. What you need to understand is the impact of your sin in the spiritual realm. By sinning, you have basically told Satan: Open gates, come and get me. It is important to examine your own life and your relationship with GOD. Being truthful with yourself is the first step to destroying any strongholds in your mind.
My virginity has nothing to do with being forced. I chose to physically remain a virgin because I want to please GOD and I do not want to open up such doorways for Satan to afflict me. However, it can be said that for a few years, I could not have called myself a virgin due to sexually sinning in my mind. It was only when the Holy Spirit showed me the error of my thinking, that I repented and was forgiven- that sin no longer has any hold over me. Thus not only am I physically a virgin, but I am also a mental virgin (that sounds a bit odd-‘mental’- it’s as if I am calling myself crazy!). If it were up to society, I would have succumbed to peer pressure a long time ago and had physical sex with numerous partners by now. I thank GOD every day that at least some part of me held onto my values and abstained.
Ending Thought: If you are a virgin, then do not let anyone convince you that you are wrong by choosing to remain a one. It’s your choice and it’s your commitment to GOD. You are the only one who will need to give an account for your actions to GOD one day, so stop worrying about the opinions of others. By now you will have no doubt realized that anything contrary to GOD is going to get you into a load of trouble.
Now, if you are not a virgin but you have given your life to Jesus, do not feel condemned for your past choices. Jesus has redeemed you and you are a new creation. All you need to do is repent of your past sexual sins and then believe (key word here is believe) that you have been forgiven. Jesus is not condemning you and neither can anyone else condemn you. He called you for a reason, so get yourself right with Him and start living a life worthy of the calling on your life.
Recently I’ve been on a spiritual journey that includes deep prayer, meditation, and mindfulness to help me to connect with God. At the same time, I’ve also been on the hunt for some low-impact stretching that could potentially help with chronic pain in a natural way.
Meditation and stretching. Put those two together and what do you get?
Yoga.
So, I’ve said I need to stretch. And I find that meditation brings me closer to God. These all naturally come together in the form of yoga. But, as a Christian, should I do yoga? Am I allowed? Will Jesus love me less?
Well, first, let’s see”¦what does the Bible say about the word “yoga”? Nothing. Zero. There’s no record of that word being used.
So now what do I do? Since the Bible doesn’t talk about yoga specifically, I have to use the brains God gave me to dig a bit deeper. Then I can determine how best to deal with this current cultural trend.
Let’s start with a few of the basics:
Yoga began as a spiritual disciple in Hindu which includes breath control, meditation, and static postures of the body. Some people who practice yoga are active Hindus or Buddhists. Many are not.
In the western world, yoga is a broad term that is often descriptive of people engaging in the physical body postures that encourage strength and stamina. Sometimes this is combined with meditation for mental strength, but not exclusively. Some yoga classes used sacred words such as “Om”, “Namaste”, and certain chants that hint to Buddhism and Hinduism. Other classes make no reference to the spiritual world at all and are simply a form of physical exercise. Yoga potures have Sanskrit names that have spiritual meanings. Many times these are replaced with English names that simply describe the form the body is taking. (For instance, “lotus” has become “criss-cross applesauce”.)
The word “yoga” in Sanskrit means “yoke” or “union with God”. God tells me to not worship another god, and I must obey.
So I know that yoga started as an ancient spiritual practice of another religion which should lead me to move forward with caution. But I also know that Jesus came to redeem all things.
Is it possible to engage in a moderated form of yoga that feeds our Christian souls, or should we avoid it altogether? Can we be aware of the potential pitfalls and dangers of the spiritual side of yoga and then practice it in a meaningful way with a Christian bent and attitude?
The famous American minister John Piper seems to think that we can’t. He says we should avoid yoga completely, citing it as antithetical to Christianity.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Piper has some good things to offer. But in this situation I tend to think that maybe he’s throwing the proverbial “baby out with the bathwater”.
Christians have often taken “secular” symbols or practices and re-stored them into something that is healthy and even God-glorifying. Take Christmas, for example. December 25, the day on which we now celebrate Jesus’ birth, was reclaimed from the pagans. That date was redeemed from a pagan holiday to a Christian celebration.
Jesus has come to redeem all things. Even pagan holidays. Possibly even stretching and meditation and breathing?
Over the ages, Christians have used wisdom and the discernment to choose what is right for them as individuals and as a Body of believers. To apply Jesus’ redemption to various non-Christian things.
“Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 10:23
So I need to decide if yoga could be beneficial (or detrimental) to me. In my case, I truly believe God has given me the wisdom and discernment to be able to stretch and strengthen my body without accidentally worshipping a false god. I even believe that I can meditate and breathe while I simultaneously reflect and contemplate how incredible God is. All without slipping into the devil’s snare.
But I am aware that this may not be the case for all people.
Personally, think that I can apply the idea of a “yoke” or “union with God” in yoga to my relationship with Christ. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just sign up for any yoga class that is offered. I need to be wise and first ask questions about how spiritual a class is before taking it. For my own purposes, I tend to learn at home with videos, so there’s not much of a risk of me getting caught in an awkward situation. If something gets a little weird, I can just turn it off.
Holy Yoga is a practice that is gaining traction, offering the grounding of the Gospel while reframing the positive aspects of yoga in a Christian way.
“Holy Yoga embraces the essential elements of yoga: breath work, meditation and physical postures. In all of these elements, Christ is the focus of our intention and worship.”
So as I‘m making a decision about yoga (or anything in my life!), I need to ask if it creates a risk of becoming a detriment to my walk with Jesus. If so, then I absolutely shouldn’t do it! But if yoga can be practiced in a way that is healthy to my body and mind, while drawing me closer to Christ with mindfulness and meditation, then is it possible that even John Piper can’t argue with that?
Hidden themes that ring true with Christianity can be found everywhere in life. Since the bible is the greatest story ever, it’s no surprise that the world imitates certain themes that began with God.
Although they certainly don’t portray the gospel in its entirety, these films may offer opportunities for conversation with family or friends about the way that we live our lives. As these films portray so many things that have gone wrong with the world, we can find redemptive analogies to help us learn and change the story for the future.
Note: May contain spoilers! Read on at your own risk.
Les Miserable (2012)
Set in the midst of the French Revolution, Jean Valjean is a former prisoner who has broken parole and turned his life around. He vows to a dying woman (who was forced into prostitution) that he’ll take care of her daughter, committing to raise her as his own. Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, this musical film follows Valjean as his past haunts him. While he receives grace and forgiveness to transform him from being a hardened criminal into a loving father, he is ultimately faced with the opportunity to sacrifice himself for the love of another.
Themes: Grace, forgiveness, social responsibility, personal sacrifice, redemption, freedom
Warnings: Some profane language, violence, sexual themes related to prostitution, war, alcohol abuse, suicide
Wall-E (2008)
In the animated film, Wall-E, future humans have made such a mess on earth that they just leave it behind for a robot to clean up. The robot, Wall-E, has developed a personality over hundreds of years and seems to be a bit lonely. As he becomes engaged in an adventure, Wall-E ends up on the spaceship where humans have become the epitome of laziness. As evil has begun to take over the spaceship filled with humans, Wall-E is faced with a choice of whether to help out.
Themes: Laziness, sloth, loneliness, stewardship of the earth, running away from problems, self-sacrifice
Warnings: None
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BqgHYLvHIE
This WWII film tells the true story of Desmond Doss, a pacifist soldier who refused to carry a gun. While he believed that the war was justified, he also believed that killing was wrong. The story tells of Doss’s plight on the front lines of the Battle of Okinawa as he aided in saving 75 men, for which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Themes: Faith, sacrifice, standing up for personal beliefs
Warnings: Intense violence, moderate use of profane language, alcohol use and smoking, nudity
The Book of Eli (2010)
Based on the theme of post-apocalyptic life, this film follows the journey of Eli, who travels west through America’s destroyed landscape. The story of this futuristic thriller begins to reveal that a critical part of human civilization is being carried by Eli in the form of a book. As books are being burned at a rapid rate by evil-doers, the preservation of this particular sacred book is critical.
Themes: Sacrifice, protection of scripture, good vs. evil, journey with a purpose
Warnings: Violence, profane language
Wonder Woman (2017)
One in a line of DC Comics films, Wonder Woman offers a new sense of accomplishment for the Justice League. Tackling difficult themes about human nature, the message of this film is highly compatible with the gospel message. Diana, who was raised by Amazons, learns at an early age about people who are created good but are then corrupted by evil. In the throes of war, Diana heads out to conquer the source of evil. She decides that, even though humans are corrupt and deserve to die, they are still worth saving—and she is ultimately inspired to believe in love.
Themes: Fall of humans, pursuing peace, value of human life, self-sacrifice
Warnings: Violence, sexual references and implication, mild profane language, alcohol and drug use
The Good Lie (2014)
Following the destruction of their village in Sudan, orphan siblings make the harrowing journey to a refugee camp and eventually settle in Kansas City in the U.S. As they make peace with their past and come to terms with re-settling in a new land, Carrie, an employment counselor, helps them to find jobs and search for their sister from whom they were separated. In the process, Carrie learns a lot about her own journey. One of the refugees has a strong faith and deeply desires to become a pastor. Many of the actors in this film are former Sudanese refugees—two were even child soldiers—allowing this film to accurately portray the true heart of the pain of war and difficult elements of starting over.
Themes: Helping others, sacrifice, redemption, starting over
Warnings: Sex implied but not shown, war violence, minimal profane language, alcohol and marijuana use
Schindler’s List (1993)
This film set during World War II tells the true story of a German, Oskar Schindler, who is seeking to take advantage of the war by becoming rich. Schindler’s character is hardened as shown in relationship to a concentration camp, but he becomes more sympathetic as he arranges to protect the Jewish employees who work in his factory. His motivation is originally greed, but eventually, he conjures up a way to save the lives of thousands of Krakow prisoners.
Themes: Discrimination, greed, power, helping the helpless, the value of human life, sacrifice
Warnings: Profane language, nudity, sexual themes, violence, war, drunkenness
It is important to note that most of these films contain very adult themes and problems, whether “fictional” or not. This is not meant to advocate for a glorification of violence, gratuitous sex, or other cultural troubles. But these are honest themes that the bible addresses on a regular basis—because they are part of this broken world. As these films portray the depravity of this world, I believe that we can find ways to share our hope in the One who came to set all things right.
He performs to packed venues all around the world, he has sold millions of albums and he has countless fans that hang on his every song. Most people reading this could tell their own stories. He has that effect on people.
Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), might be best described as a poet. Someone with a rare gift to channel his mighty intellect and generous spirit through an artful, unparalleled mix of wit, and spectacular clarity using rap music.
Born and raised by his single mother in Southern Houston, Texas. As an American Christian hip hop recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and actor Lecrae is the president, co-owner, and co-founder of the independent record label Reach Records.
Reach’s mission is “changing the way people see the world.”
Experiencing abuse and neglect during his childhood, Moore used his ability to rap as a source of significance. Lecrae eventually turned from drugs to alcohol consumption and a party lifestyle and became a “misfit of a person.” Moore currently resides in Atlanta since relocating there from Memphis in 2009 and is married to Darragh Moore, who also handles the business portion of his career. The couple has three children together.
Lecrae is one of very few artists operating in the Christian genre to hit No. 1 on the Billboard. To date, he has released seven bestselling albums, two mixtapes and won two Grammy awards and a Billboard Music Award in the process and landed a global distribution deal with Red Distribution/Sony Music for the record label he co-owns, Reach Records.
Critics are uncomfortable with Lecrae’s recent music because it is no longer a monologue preaching an agenda.
“Lecrae engages with culture and dialogues with the modern secular world and is looking to break mold of a Christian rapper.”
Lecrae isn’t alone. Artists like Propaganda, Andy Mineo, John Givez, JGivens, Beautiful Eulogy, Trip Lee, KB, Jackie Hill Perry, Social Club, and Tedashii are engaging culture and bringing restoration to hip-hop and the world through great music.
Here are some of Lecrae’s most powerful quotes that can help re-inspire the way you live your faith.
“Why live for the approval of men when you can have the approval of their Creator? What can they give you that God can’t?” – Lecrae
“Suppressing your hurts is like not tending to a bullet wound. Eventually, you will bleed out. Don’t numb pain, express it.” – Lecrae
“Live like someone died for you.” – Lecrae
“If people throw stones at you, pick ’em up and build something.“ – Lecrae
“The less time you spend with Truth, the easier it is to believe lies.“ – Lecrae
“Life is like a dice, so watch the ones you’re rolling with.“ – Lecrae
“We fear circumstances so much because we fear God so little.” – Lecrae
“If I’m wrong about God then I wasted my life. If you’re wrong about God then you wasted your eternity.“ – Lecrae
“People will hurt you. But don’t use that as an excuse for your poor choices, use it as motivation to make the right ones.“ – Lecrae
“Prayer doesn’t bend God’s arm but it’s guaranteed to bend our hearts toward His will. Worry less. Pray more.” – Lecrae.“ – Lecrae
“Christians aren’t people who never sin or always do the right thing. We’re people who live in continual repentance.” – Lecrae
“Don’t follow your feeling. Just follow the word.” – Lecrae
“I’m not a Christian because I’m strong and have it all together. I’m a Christian because I’m weak and admit I need a Savior.“ – Lecrae
“Better to have a small role in God’s story than to cast yourself as the lead in your own fiction.“ – Lecrae
“God gave you your own race to run, stop comparing yourself to other people. They have their race and you have yours. Run hard and don’t quit.“ – Lecrae
“Some work hard to acquire money only to find in the end that money acquired them.” – Lecrae
“Believe the best about people. Pray for their shortcomings. You are not the standard. We all need grace.“ – Lecrae
“Character isn’t who you are when life goes your way. Character is who you really are when the bottom falls out.“ – Lecrae
“God is never late, we’re just impatient.“ – Lecrae
“Don’t waste your time explaining who you are to people who are committed to misunderstanding you.” – Lecrae.“ – Lecrae
“A man who is too afraid to admit his fears is a man who won’t overcome them.” – Lecrae
“God is not bothered by your persistence. Keep asking.“ – Lecrae
A controversy has been brewing in Christian hip-hop and at the center of this controversy is rapper Lecrae and the record label he co-founded, Reach Records.
