Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked

I love a good redemption story, but none was more intriguing than the story of Gene Elliot Thornton, Jr.  If the name doesn't sound familiar, you may recognize him as Malice, one half of the critically acclaimed platinum selling rap duo the Clipse with his brother Terrence (aka Pusha T).  The title and premise of this book is derived from Revelations 3:15-17,  "I know your deeds, that you are neither, cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

So that's the story in a nutshell; a man who came to know the Lord through crisis (which is my testimony) and then abandon Him in his time of blessing and abundance.  This story is a real depiction of someone conflicted, yet always aware of God in his life.  It is an easy read as well, and that is not to discredit it.  The main reason why it is an easy read is because it is a page turner, keeps you interested in what will happen next.  This is hard for me because I am not the avid reader.  With that being said I read it over the weekend, reading it on and off for about two or three hours.  This book is highly recommended by me.  You can get it on Amazon for about $16.  If you have an iPhone (or another smartphone), you can download the Kindle app and get it for $9.99. 

As far as Malice goes, I first heard about his faith about a year ago.  From everything I have been reading about him and from hearing him speak at the panel discussion (highlighted in my last post), he appears to be genuine in his faith.  It's amazing how the Lord can work on anyone.  Including a man who once embodied and glorified things contrary to the Word.  Think about his stage name; malice means, according to dictionary.com, to desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness.  So God takes a man who embodies the desire to inflict harm and turns him into a man that desires to save souls (reminds me of the Apostle Paul).  I am very happy for Gene and pray that he will stay steadfast in his walk with God.  I would ask that you pray for him as well.