Good Religion

You won't Ever be the Same, when you Call on Jesus Name.

With every lifestyle blog, there will be a featured song contributing to the curation of the atmosphere of said post. Be sure to tune in while reading or listen and view the images after as part of the experience.

{Song for Post: God Is by Kanye West}

Do You want to recieve God as your personal savior?

Okay repeat after me.

"Lord God, I come to you a sinner."

"And I humbly repent for my sins"

"I believe that Jesus is Lord"

"I believe you raised him from the dead"

"I would ask that Jesus come into my life"

"And be my Lord and Savior"

"I recieve Jesus to take control of my life"

"And that I might live with him from this day forward"

"Thank You, Lord Jesus"

"For saving me with your precious blood"

"In Jesus name, Amen"

-Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thrist (Kendrick Lamar)

Call upon Thy Name, Mean It. [God]

Repent, Mean It. [I'm Sorry]

Educate and Test Oneself, Mean It. [I want guidance to a better path, I'm ready]

Repeat and Mean It. [And I'll say this and adapt for better everyday, to prove it]

Now sit back, and watch what happens. [Salvation]

My entire life God's been there, allow me to explain.

My mother is an active old testament Christian woman and has been proudly for as long as I can remember. This means strict, tough love, and unapologetically emotional at all times day or night. Basically, the conditions in which I was raised (what we recognize as "the faith") was a lifestyle. All day, every day.

I always thought of the Christian Religion of God as guidelines on how you were supposed to live. Follow the ten commandments, pray, accept the fact that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, accept the fact that God is the alpha and omega (and he wants the best for you), seek the Holy Ghost, and beware of the seven deadly sins all while trying entirely not to sin.

Got it.

Nothing like the easy stuff.

I always felt like I was up for the challenge. Thus started my perspective on what (pay attention) "I thought" it meant to be Christian.

My childhood upbringing was everything that came with average immigrant adolescence along with a touch of God's guidance in every form. Whether it was the values and morals my mother instilled in me, the religious guilt I felt when I knew I was sinning, or the actual presence I felt whenever I visited church (and took it seriously).

The value I always recognized in my religion (the reason I stuck with it) was thinking if I abide by the teachings I'll reach my higher self and be cool with God. I was half right.

I was always a Christian and proud of it, but I was constantly conflicted because every Christian I met was JUDGMENTAL, especially the higher they felt in their faith. It went to the extent of even certain people in positions of power weren’t as holy as they proclaimed to be.

I never wanted to be like that, I wanted to live naturally, so where was the balance?

Jesus was kind, he deflated his ego and sat with prostitutes and tax men not juding them, why wasn't that the standard for a priest? The answer, politics and power.

I've learned countless lessons in my life and gained years of wisdom through experiences, teachings, and in-depth reflective thought. Through it all one thing I can tell you is this, you have a soul in you, but you also have a human part to take care of and so I try my best to be mindful and respectful of both. I'm finally at the stage where they're friends. How? Meditation and prayer.

Watch out for your flesh though, because we are human(a.k.a. man-kind) you'll want to naturally do things of all kinds. My advice is don't be a slave to ANYTHING and think ahead twice if whatever you're about to do is good for you and your loved ones. Ego and anger hype each other up as well so be cautious, one decision could literally lead to death's door. Physically, spiritually, and psychologically, remember not every branch is olive.

Growing up with God absolutely molded the human I believe I was destined to become. While simultaneously sharpening my soul so I would conquer anything life chose to throw at me. Being in tune with my spiritual self allowed me access to another world. Bettering my human self every day allowed me to be the best person I could be while here on earth.

Needless to say, I'm very happy with the way things turned out.

One day I was feeling the spirit and so I decided to incorporate my camera into it.

These shots were the result.