Anomaly for Christ

A Review of Unashamed 

What does an old, white, traditional pastor think of the young, black hip-hop/rapper LeCrae?

After reading his book I must say I think quite highly of him.  I have read life stories in the past but never have I felt like I knew the actual ‘life’ about whom the story was told.  This book is like living with Lecrae- walking the streets, doing the drugs, going to rehab, trusting Christ, disobeying Christ, repenting, recording.   The reader is a personal participant in each event.  We walk with him in his loneliness, trying to find a place in the gangsta neighborhoods of San Diego.  We are shown his scratched out lyrics and prayers.  We are witnesses of his fatherless fears.  We are with him in his first performances.  He becomes a genuine, self-effacing star in a world that elevates the self.  And we are drawn to his message.

“If you don’t know you’re lost, you can’t be led.  And if you can’t be honest, you can’t be healed.  Before I could be rescued, I needed to know that I was stranded.”

“I can’t tell you where we got the idea that following Jesus is some kind of quick fix for all of our struggles, but it wasn’t from the Bible.”
"All my life, I'd been hiding pieces of myself and putting up a front.  I'd been hiding my weakness sp everyone would think I was hard. . . I finally let go of all that and surrendered. . . I refused to exhaust myself trying to conform to others expectations or fit in their boxes.  For the first time in my life, I was free to live. Unashamed."

LeCrae's life is an inspiration, no matter what your musical preference and tastes.