Spoken
Word
A LITERARY ARTS MAGAZINE
Fall 2013 Vol. 1, No. 1
contents AWOL Nation 4 In The Midst 5 I’m Saying 6 Correcting Perceptions 8 Untitled 8 I Love You, Jesus, Because 9 Untitled 9 Insane 10 You Keep Me Up 12 Untitled 13 Collaborative V&F 1 14 Collaborative V&F 2 15
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Front Cover art by Lea Tuzi Back Cover graphic art and photography by Peter Keady
Spoken
Word
A literary publication of the Victory & Freedom Youth Group Fall 2013 Volume 1, Issue 1 Editor Jenny Hubbard
Layout Designer Cindy Lunden Graphic Designer Mariah Lunden Photographers Peter Keady Cindy Lunden Writers Cord Caird Mark DeJesus Ray Dilts Jenny Hubbard Dyondre Jones Tonia Ortiz Josue Ponce Yusef Shelton Nikki Shroppe Jeannette Vreeland
editor’s note Having hosted 2 separate events highlighting Spoken Word at Victory and Freedom, we were overwhelmed at the talent and beauty expressed. The poems, raps and collaborations found in this book were all shared by students and leaders at youth group, and celebrate the creativity and diversity the Lord has placed within this ministry. It is our hope that these words continue to bless you, as they have blessed us, and possibly inspire you to find a creative way of your own to express your love for the Lord and how He is working in your life and heart!
The Editor and Design Team
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AWOL Nation By Yusef Shelton
T
he devil pulls us apart Well I’m just here to unify The fact is there’s one King Who’s the mastermind See me I got a sharp mind All I’m trying to do is master mine Help me out and just tune in The fact is there just zoom in Find a scientist get a microscope Life is short something like a rope It all depends what you make of it There is no material you can take with it I’m glad I got your attention Bout to blow it up on the big screen I’m talking about eighth dimension And I forgot to mention About Jesus and crucifixion There’s a barrier between truth and fiction It’s like which one will you choose You win some and you lose 4
While you worried about some new shoes There’s still kids who can’t eat food I come from nothing but savages They say life’s a present Well tell ‘em to unravel this The devil aimed at my plane Tried to shoot me down but he missed it I take action on him like mischief To spread God’s word I’ll risk it…
In The Midst By Cord Caird
E
ven in the midst of tragedy Know that you’re part of a family Who will help you get through No matter what the world throws at you Hurricanes, shootings, tornadoes and such And sometimes it feels like it’s just too much And it can be quite hard to see The great love of God in tragedy But have hope in God, who will provide It just might not happen in your time Since God is always faithful and true You can trust that his plans are the best for you.
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I’m Saying By Mark DeJesus
W
hoever thought that things would change in a split second? Maybe I don’t know what
I’m saying,
and I’m not trying to sound like I’m such a good person, because I’m not and I never was. I have placed my heart in my loving father’s hand but struggles go on, life carries on. I’m never bold when I try to be. Lives change, some people say they changed, but little do other people know who they really are. Look,
I’m saying
my father is here. Your father is here. Our father is here. He was always here. Maybe there is a confusion. There’s confusion everywhere.
I’m saying you need to find him…for real…
I’m saying some of you
need to find him again and again and again.
I’m saying it’s never the
end so don’t think that way. 6
I’m saying my life could be a wreck sometimes.
I’m saying sometimes I get tired.
I’m saying I’m tired.
My father is saying it’s not the end…keep fighting…and stop hiding… He’s saying stop finding. Stop rewinding your life. My father is saying keep searching and you will be set. Sometimes you just gotta let go of everything.
I’m saying that I can’t
But my Lord’s saying that I can.
I’m saying it’s over
He’s saying it just started.
I’m saying I died
He’s saying you’re reborn.
I’m saying I wanna cry He’s saying cry.
I’m saying I need you He’s saying come to me.
I’m saying I’m ok
He’s saying let it out. I start to sing and I know he’s listening. Sometimes I think
people don’t care about what I have to say, and sometimes it’s true. People can say what they want to say, but do they know it from the other side? Most of the times, no- they don’t!
Look, I’m just saying. I’m saying that I’m walk-
ing in a field of pointy rocks, shoeless and sockless. I’m bleeding from my feet. But I can see sand from a mile away every step I take the pointy rocks get rounder and smaller, until I reach the sand. I start running then I stop in front of the ocean’s water. I slowly put my feet inside of the salt water and it stops the bleeding. My feet were red- but they’re still red- but at least the bleeding is gone.
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Correcting Perceptions By Jenny Hubbard
…F
earing the mirror that reflects who I was hoping His nearness protects me because if the heart is new, won’t the flesh be too? What I now suspect is that my sin, not unlike my skin, is not just who I am but also who I’ve been and the person I see still looks just like me: craving protection rejecting affection expecting perfection…
Untitled
O
By Ray Dilts
ne day I decided to follow the gospel Now no weapon formed against me shall prosper Ever since I got on Jesus’ roster All the sin I can conquer I used to always want to cruise girls ‘til I found out that God so love the world Like it says in John 3:16 I just want you to know Jesus loves you, n’ah mean?
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I Love You, Jesus, Because By Jeanette Vreeland
I
love You Jesus because you give me the strength I need to make it through every day. I love You because where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to Heaven, my Love, You are there. If I make my bed in Hell, my God, You are there. And if I rise on the wings of the dawn or If I go to the deepest part of the sea You will find me and You will hold me. When darkness comes and covers me, You my Lord, are my Light. I love You because You are my Salvation. You are my strength when I am weak. You will never leave me. You will never forsake me. You are my First Love. To You my life I owe. For these reasons and more My Love, my God, my Lord, I LOVE YOU SO!
Untitled
By Dyondre Jones hen I first went to youth group I thought it was nothin’. I only came for the food and the girls, trying to get me a little somethin’ somethin’. But now I say forget it- I’m gonna do good in school, maybe go to college with a scholarship. Other people sell to get the drug money, I got a real job making that good money, so can have a family that I can ride or die with.
W
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Insane
By Tonia Ortiz
A
ll my life I had things ripped and torn away from me This weird voice it sings Telling me all these sweet words My heart is saying don’t follow But I’m getting lost in the sound I believe in light But this dark is all around I can feel like reality is slipping away Like I’m losing my sanity Do whatever you want with me Just don’t tell me I’m going crazy My sanity is all I have left I was grappling with what I had I was a hollow shell of a person Always just really sad I was always struggling with This darkness inside of my mind I fell short of glory once I was always one step behind I felt someone trying to pull me
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Trying to drown me at sea Who could save me I’m already so far gone Then I found the key To this mystery I didn’t know before now How could you come save me? I’m already so far deep Still struggling to stay afloat You’re my only hope I want to keep Jesus you are the way All my life I had this hole Where my heart should be Filling it with all the wrong things Anything to soothe Even if only for minutes I have nothing left to prove I have surrendered myself to you I am no longer suffering like I used to I suffer in a new way with new hope I wish to bring all your sons and daughters to you So they can cleanse their souls without soap But with the light of the world I stumble and I fall
And I still struggle with this voice But I know that voice is sin And it’s nothing but noise If sin is like an ocean And you love me as far As the east is from the west Then whom shall I fear? The devil is nothing but a pest And he will take control of me no more You teach us that love is patient and love is kind And for all my wrong doings You must be real patient with me For where I’ve been is a path of ruins I’m not proud of what I’ve done But I am proud that I came To the light of a new Son I am no longer in this dark eclipse of the lies that weighed a tom If I could do it than you can too Open your heart and let Jesus take hold
He will never let you go He’s changed me From my appearance to my soul It’s a fight worth the struggle It’s a love worth the pain Because the light at the end of this tunnel Is what kept me from going insane.
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You Keep Me Up By Josue Ponce
W
hat keeps me up tonight Knowing tomorrow’s a fight Contains uncomfortable questions If I follow you right And in the beginning Do we really have sight I mean we ain’t blind But we see black and white And it’s hard to define What to really despise Heart and mind have a war And I’m between the gunfight I feel deep venom inside Sin is the effect of the slither snakebite So it’s subliminally the bite To the apple that killed Snow White Alright I might not understand everything But in midst of these shadows You still are my light And it’s understood Be happy with what you get The beauty is you And sin to reject Your blessed light to dark Knowing I gotta reflect What stones my mind
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And makes me upset Is the past of my life And still can’t forget I know what I did My heart has regrets But I’m thankful for you I ain’t stuck in that net Cause my mind has no more sinning sweat And my heart has no hell’s big threat You found me Making me live freely And I’m willingly Singing this symphony I’m glad that in fact you made me
Now through your spirit Lives to impact That’s why I do this in rhymes And make it a rap Your life is a track It’s daily in laps But it’s a fact to death Sin is a trap My heart is the audience But I hear no clap My soul smacks the ground And lightning’s impact My mind spins the fastest And makes me a craft My body’s what crashes And leads me to lack
My eyes see the past They come through these flashes And I see all the trash But I’m glad that for Him I’m outcasted they say I’m odd I guess I’m contrast They wanna bug me like If my faith will avast But I pray that your emotions would snap That this gift you would grasp And that you turn to Him now And don’t save Him for last.
Untitled
By Nikki Shrope
T
he Lord is our majesty The Lord is our Savior The Lord is filled in our heart And the Lord is killing our sins with darts But no matter what, he’s always on our side Double cross him, he can take your life He brought you into this world He can take you out
Once again the Lord is our majesty The Lord is our Savior So please stay out of danger We got to love God God has been there forever Lend your heart and soul to him Just keep your faith up high God loves everyone Equally and proudly.
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Collaborative Writings V&F1 Mind Of People Is Full Of Sin Only Jesus Will Win
God Is Loving Sharing Funny Helping Caring Long-lasting Forgiving Hope
You are loved! There is hope in us!
God is the center of my heart. He loves us. He is our friend, but in bad times He is our salvation. The end.
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Collaborative Writings V&F2 God Is Truth God Is Father Of The Youth God Isn’t Religious God Never Forsakes Us God Wants A Relationship
The captured “slaves” will be set free through Jesus! Alone we will fail!
Religion prohibited belief clean pride love appreciate life is precious Christ hated sinful decision fun courage life is awesome respect unvisioned people label different become future great put the past behind you no sin change family God accomplishing God is hope
Never forget His love for all His sons and daughters!
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www.victoryandfreedom.com
8th/9th Grade Victory & Freedom #2 Tuesday, 6:30pm to 8:30pm 10th-12th Grade Victory & Freedom #3 Wednesday, 6:30 to 8:30pm 6th/7th Grade Victory & Freedom #1 Thursday, 6:00 to 8:00pm All meetings take place at the Crossbar 285 Grant Street Phillipsburg, NJ 08865