Ex "Hood" Us

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Chapter 1: America......................................1Chapter 2: Black America................................9Chapter 3: What Do We Do?...............................21Chapter 4: Knowing/Imitating Jesus......................35Chapter 5: Renewing the Mind............................51Chapter 6: Controlling the Body.........................69Chapter 7: Restoring the Soul...........................81Chapter 8: The Promised Land............................91Chapter 9: Application of the Steps.....................97Bonus Poetry............................................102

Chapter One

I. The State of America

2Timothy 3:1-5(NKJV): But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness, but denying its power.

America is a great place to live. The freedoms and liberties we have here are second to none. The vast natural beauty of this country is boundless. There is a reason why people risk incarceration to live here. I've lived here all of my life, and I wouldn't dream of living anywhere else. Our sports, entertainers, and attractions are first rate and the envy of the rest of the world. All other countries' advancements are geared toward catching up with or trying to surpass America. America is indeed the measuring stick of what a country should be. The appearance of America is that of majesty and power. However, America is not as pristine on the inside as it appears on the outside. I love America, but America has a lot of problems.

I think that we can all agree that America is a drastically different place today than in the 1960's. We as a people had more pride, we were decent, we loved and cared for each other. In the 60's, we listened to wise counsel, we had a deep respect for the church and the preacher, and we had a great commitment to God and His kingdom. The government as a whole had no choice but to listen to us and help us because our bonds were so strong, our voice was so loud, and we demanded respect, not through a rebellious tone, but by remaining steadfast and vigilant. Today we are faced with a different climate.

Today, the government is filled with lobbyists, hypocrites, and liars. They're out for their own gain and are not worried about the people they're supposedly representing. These individuals are lining their pockets with money that has left millions of Americans penniless and homeless. Big business and Corporate America are throwing around millions of dollars to manipulate government officials into creating legislation that further expands their profits. In the process, Americans are suffering. Health Care is unaffordable, jobs are scarce, and most people are feeling hopeless because there's no governmental help.

Those who are suffering most are our children. Because of the selfish lawmaker agendas, they are inheriting insurmountable debt, bad relations with the rest of the world, and inferior training for their futures.

Education in this country is one of the worst in the world. I'm afraid for my child to attend public school because of the declining educational system our government is providing. Year by year it seems as though the educational system in America fades. At the rate we're going, generations to come will have no education. Is this what Brown vs. The Board of Education fought for? Is this the legacy that the Little Rock Arkansas 9 wanted us to inherit? No, it's not. The number of cities in this country with failing education systems is growing at an alarming rate. My biggest problem with America is we have enough money to kill people, but we don't have enough money to educate our children, take care of the sick and elderly, or make our nation cleaner and safer. America is in bad shape.

Where have the respect and values gone? Where have care and honesty gone? Where have modesty and purity gone? Senseless acts of cruelty and violence seem to have become the status quo in our society. I've never seen so many people proud about being absolutely wrong in my life. America has changed. This is something that didn't happen overnight. This change has been slow but consistent throughout history. The decline in this country proves that when the bands of law are loosened, it frees the hands of iniquity. Our Government has separated Church and State, taken prayer out of schools, and now they're trying to take "In God We Trust" off the currency. Things such as racist legislature and smoke screen propaganda are used to cover up unjust agendas. The things that are permissible by law today are a result of God being X'd out of America.

One of those "permissible" key issues that's not only affecting our community, but America as a whole, is the controversial argument over gay marriage and homosexuality. Homosexuality is running rampant through the community as a whole.

Genesis 18:20-21; 19:24(NKJV) I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not I will know." Then the Lord rained down brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.

As you can see, scripture teaches us plan and simply that homosexuality is biblically, philosophically, and morally wrong. God can not be a part of a homosexual relationship. Anything that goes against what God commands and decrees is wrong.

In today's "new morality", homosexuality has become en vogue and is an instant boost to stale careers. It has become a celebrity builder as well as a keen advertising tool. This culture has exploded into a huge conglomerate and is such a part of pop culture that people would rather be openly gay than openly Christian. That's a major problem.

There was a time when there were few openly homosexual people; however, that is not the case today. Homosexuality has become glorified and publicized so much so that it's cool for men to look and act like women and for women to look and act like men. The biggest problem with this is that a lot of these individuals have children. I observed this particular point first hand. I picked up my little sister from school one day and noticed that there were a lot of openly homosexual women picking up their children as well. It saddened me to see how the author of confusion has taken hold of our black families when one of the children called a woman "daddy".

Brothers and sisters, this plague will unquestionably destroy the fabric of our families, creating a culture laced with confusion. The author of confusion wants the opposite of everything that God wants. Satan wants the minds of people to remain befuddled.

Yet, what is amazing about God is that He always creates a way to bring us back to Him. I believe God is saying, go ahead and do what you're doing, I will say woe soon, and every knee will bow to me. Do you think that 9-11 was an accident or a warning? Do you think that Hurricanes Katrina and Ike were just "Mother Nature"? God is warning us that He's growing weary of the way we are...