DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
KEEPING UP WITH KULTURE
© NaimaLett.com/blog

© photo source, 3-D concert film “Katy Perry: Part of Me”

Bump Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
I’m having a hard enough time this week trying to Keep Up with Kulture (Culture)!

What a week, right?!

A CNN anchor and hip hop artist both ‘came out the closet’ to lots of fanfare, a Hollywood A-Lister turned 50 and was served divorce papers, and America’s pop-princess-former-pastors’-kid, famous for her cupcake bras, released a 3D concert movie highlighting her supersonic rise and marriage’s fall. (pictured above)

You keeping up?

Did you experience the BET Awards? I had a momentary crisis at the beginning of the awards. Honestly. I thought, “Who is that?”. I confess. This self-appointed researcher and explorer of all things Hollywood had no idea!

As the first artists flooded the BET stage and aimlessly milled around huffing profanities and posturing to a beat with no real musicianship or star power, I looked at the screen like, “Uh, oh.”

And by the time the group’s star, whom we all know, took the stage and proclaimed himself as God and likened his success to parting the Red Sea, I said out loud, “We’re in trouble.”

But nobody blinked. Everyone applauded. They called it the New God Flow. Then awarded him with the first trophy of the night.

This is where Kulture needs a good Kicking.

I spend a LOT of time meeting artists exactly where they are. I have a LOT of empathy. I get it. We’re all in different places. We all have different beliefs. But you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that you have Krossed The Line to call yourself God, and believe it to be true!

You make a sun rise this morning?
You keep the Pacific Ocean at bay?
You create a life today? Yesterday?
You keep the earth spinning on its axis?
Cause planets not to collide into one another?
Heal my husband of cancer?
Allow the hit-and-run driver to only take my car, not my life?!

If the answer to any of these questions is “No!”, then I’m sorry, you are not God.

DANIEL 4 recounts the story of a powerful king who thought himself to be God. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a dream and Daniel interpreted it for him and advised him that if he continued down the path of pride, he would end up eating grass like cattle for 7 years until he recognized the Most High God as the ruler over all mankind. Daniel pleaded with the king:

“Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Daniel 4:27

You think King Nebby listened?

DANIEL 4:28-37
28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.” 33 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. 34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever… 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Look, I don’t wish this story on anybody, especially not our artists.

We are all tempted by pride at one point or another. We are all tempted to think that we have built our own lives and pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We are not immune, so I dare not sit in judgment.

At the same time, LOUD RED SIRENS start going off when one of our creative family climbs up on a stage in front of millions worldwide and proclaims himself to be God and starts promoting a “New God Flow” song as if it’s the same as the Quincy Jones’ produced hit “We Are the World”.

My heart breaks and I am so grieved for you because I see your potential. I know your gifts can be used to add value to young people’s lives instead of pushing lies. I’m a visionary and I see where you could be and wish a very different place for you filled with purpose and peace and joy and true love.

I cannot and will not divorce myself from Kulture.
We cannot run off and create a sub-culture thinking that will solve our issues.
This is the world in which we live. And I love the arts, media, fashion, etc.

But don’t blame me, if from time to time, I take a break.
Yal wearing me out.

‘Cause guess what?!
When you start spouting this kind of nonsense, I go in for you.
I go before the real God, the Most High, and plead for Him to have mercy.
I lift you up, because I figure, you cannot possibly know what you’re doing. You have to be utterly not thinking straight. I plead your cause and ask for time and pray for The Light to illuminate your darkness so that you see The Truth.

Work with me, Fam!
Work with me.

This weekend, I may not Keep up with Kulture.
We’ll see. I might go see the pastors’-kid-turned-pop-princess’ movie.
Or I might just go to the beach and gaze upon the handiwork of the true and living One, the real Creator of the Universe.

Lots of love from LaLa Land,
Naima

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