Genesis 35:10 - "God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel. " So he named him Israel." (NIV)

You would never expect a pimp movie to make you have a deep thought, but...

In the movie Hustle & Flow, there's a scene in a church where a woman is singing a spiritual hymn that I've never heard before. The chorus goes something like:

"I told Jesus it was alright if He changed my name..."

The lady repeats the hook several times, and that made it start to sink in - that's a pretty significant statement! I mean, my name is Ricardo. But what if God comes and says, "Now your name is Thomas..." (as an example) What does that mean to my own self-identity?

Of course, God does this a lot in the Bible. He changed a few of the apostles names. He changed the names of some major players in the Old Testament. And the name change was always spiritually significant.

I even think about modern men who changed their name - El-Haaj changing his name from Malcom X. Kwame Ture changing his name from Stokely Carmichael. Both changes represented a spiritual revolution within those men. But at the same time, they CHOSE their new name.

If God decides to GIVE me a new name that I accept - i dunno, that seems deep. I wonder how the apostles felt initially? "Peter? But my name is Simon. Why I gotta be Peter?..." But he accepted it, and in doing so confirmed God's sovereignty.

I need to get my spirit prepared to accept a new name. Because I think God's got plans so big for me, He's going to need for me to be a "new creature" in order to receive it....

"...you know, it's hard out here for a pimp..." - Shug in "Hustle & Flow"

I saw Hustle & Flow last nite. My review?:

• Pretty darn good
• 3.5 out of 5 stars
• thumbs up
• B+

I read a review that called it another blaxploitation film. A misogynistic movie that represents a "crisis of artistic consciousness" found in today's black filmmakers.

Okay, yeah it's about a pimp. Yeah, it's got some whores in it. But a lot of people today look at movies, art, and music with the wrong assumptions. They wanna act like the world ain't really that gritty. That art is supposed to always reflect light, as if there is no dark to be found.

When I watched the movie, I was like, "okay, what is this movie gonna try to say to me? What's the story?" The message was an interesting one - in a nutshell, it involved the yearnings of several people to make their lives more than what they had become.

Would it have been better if it were presented in some positive context? Like some middle-class black folks who go to church and pay their taxes? Maybe - if I planned on taking my 4-year old nephew to the movie with me. But as a grown-folk, I don't always need such Cosby-esque backdrops to be able to get the point.

I think Hustle & Flow could soon become a classic on the level of movies like Juice or Cooley High. For one, the photography used in the film already makes it feel like you're watching Shaft or something. But also, it really has a realistic feel. The interactions between the characters were consistent with my experiences with, and knowledge of people I've known with those same personalities and backgrounds.

Coincidently, that nite I had a dream with the Hustle & Flow movie as the context. It involved a high-speed car chase in a beat up caddy, in which I was driving faster than is physically possible, and with way more skill than I actually have. In the end, i was able to get away because essentially my car started levitating and flying at super speeds.... don't laugh.

"...you're drunk, Bobby..." - Whitney Houston

I really thought Whitney would be the esteemed Diva of my generation. Is it possible for her to recover from this Being Bobby Brown show, and go on to be honored with the likes of Patti Labelle, Anita Baker, Regina Belle, Aretha Franklin?....

She needs to find Jesus....and then introduce Him to Bobby. Will Jesus say "I do not know you..."?

"...I'm a hustla...." - Jay-Z

I hear Jay-Z on more tracks now that he's retired than I ever did when he was 'working'.

A rapper's retirement = "you'll never see my name as top billing, but you'll hear my lyrics more than ever before...."

"....choice is an illusion created by those with power for those without power..." - Merovingian aka "Merv" in "Matrix Reloaded"

I was thinking the other day about the concept of Freedom. We believe we have a Freedom here (in the US) that most of the rest of the world does not. We believe that we are not enslaved like the children of the Sudan, or like the lower castes of India. But if I have to work everyday in order to have money to eat & provide shelter for my family....

hmmm...how to begin....