Review: Man Up - 116

My favorite shirt is a signed (by Lecrae) yellow 116 shirt, so it's not surprising that I expected this album to be good. Even I am completely blown away. The album is basically a big challenge to be a real man in Christ and I recommend it to any one who has ears. Particularly Christians, and particularly Christian men. It's rap, but it's really really good rap. It makes me quite sad that music taste might keep people from hearing this. It's very powerful. I'm not a man (Duh) but I find it spiritually challenging. Lecrae always has great theology (I don't follow the other 116 members as much but I assume they do too) and his music helps me in my life a lot. I can't stress enough how good this album is. I encourage women to listen to it not only because it's fantastic but because in seeing what a Godly man should be it helps to hang on for the right guy and know what to look for.

Because I can, I want to go through the songs.

1. Man Up Anthem - I swear I am going to go deaf because of this song. It is really, really good particularly when the volume is really high. It's high energy, the editing is amazing, the beat is solid, the writing is fantastic, and it has all these genius touches like the bells. And I'm not always the biggest fan of Trip Lee's style, but he doesn't sound so intensely Trip Lee in this song. You can tell it's him but it's not overwhelming.
2. Authority - This song is so solid. The whole album is and in every song it's amazing. It's got a great beat and great words. The scriptures say she is the weaker vessel. It's more like fine china - doesn't mean she's any lesser I love that line, because a lot of women are stunned by the weaker vessel verse and this is a great illustration. I've been meaning ever since I heard this song for the first time to write about it, but I really think they got it. My writing is concise enough I can't stretch that out to be its own thing.
3. Responsibility - this song has a relatively repetitive hook (i might have something against it because it's trip lee), and if you're not a rap person you really will hate it. Unsurprisingly, Lecrae's verse is my favorite. It's not my favorite track right now, but I think that later on I'll end up listening to it a lot more.
4. Envy - This one has a lil girl singing "I can do anything better than you" as a hook. She sounds lovely. I find it kind of distracting during the first verse but I love it in the bridge.
5. Courage - "I walk with the confidence of ten men only cause my confidence is in Him" Honestly this song makes me feel like kicking butt in some post apocalyptic wasteland. It's really solid and sounds kind of dark.
6. Temptation - Flee from it all, till I'm free from it all This song sounds so. so. good. It has a sweet sermon in it, the background is amazing, and it's another of those inspire you to be a good Christian song. It also tells men to stop blaming women for their own issues, and to respect women as well as sex. It's great because it can convict you, and you can jam to it in the car. Sometimes both at the same time (which is what I love about listening to Lecrae, but anyway)
7. Repentance - As I said, this isn't just about being a man this has to do with a Christian. The style is slower and it isn't as shockingly awesome as the other songs, but still very good.

in a whisper

Life is a challenge.
It's supposed to be.
Sometimes when the going gets tough you need a suit of armor to get through the day ok.
Because crying is messy.
Because hurting, well, hurts.
Sometimes you're barely surviving, even through all the strength you can muster.
But there's only so much you can do for yourself. And when you put up walls to keep pain away a certain type of pain sinks in. Cynicism, loneliness, anger.
I have this guard I keep up and I don't process a lot of things because they basically bounce off. I have bigger issues than that. But everything that bounces off just makes my heart harder and harder.
I wouldn't like someone to call me hard hearted. You can't force my shell off, I'm too stubborn for that. Rain, fire, tornado, hurricaine....If it doesn't kill me I'm not slowing down.
But a whisper...
That's different.
If you can get me to feel something deeply....
Whisper to me, touch my heart, and I start to feel. That's different.

God loves me. He will touch my heart, break down my armor, make me feel and love and see beauty, and it is a glorious thing.

From Juliet, with love

"So you come back 50 years later and skip all the messy bits?"
"Life is the messy bits."

 I want something wonderful and irrational. Something perfect in its brokenness. I don't want someone I tolerate. I want to be led, not manipulated.I don't want the ups and downs, spiking and diving....I want what's right. Someone who will build me up, who I respect.
I don't want to wear a shell forever.I want to be knocked off my feet. I want to wait. I want to believe in love. Fairy Tale, white knight love.
Maybe if I let my feelings out of their box...
I'm used to not feeling anything.
But I'm watching Letters From Juliet and I have this strange feeling in my chest.
Maybe feelings are good. I don't like the thought of my exterior being broken down but every time it happens, it's so wonderful. I have such sweet, wonderful feelings. Maybe I'm not such an awful old crab after all. Maybe it's okay to be vulnerable, to believe. Maybe if I fall, someone will catch me.

I realized during the dramatic, perfect kiss, I didn't feel the same awful dark way I had been.
Maybe the way to really survive is to stop trying to just survive. To just live. In making myself vulnerable there's a whole new store of strength for me.