Jeanie Martin Ministries

“The world tells us that our early years are to be irresponsibly enjoyed rather than devoted to meaningful pursuits. We’re told that responsibility and commitment are burdens to be put off as long as possible. Most of us spend our youth in a sad state of slumber, sleeping in on life until we’re forced to get up. The problem is that life has already begun, and God has called us to live it. Young or old, we’ve been called to live for Him, right now. Young believers face the same problems as older Christians, but they feel them in unique ways. RISE addresses those core problems in an engaging, profound, and life-changing manner.” – Excerpts from Rise

Who’s Trip Lee?

For the sake of those who aren’t familiar with Trip Lee,  he’s an author, hip-hop artist, and a pastor. He regularly preaches and teaches at Christian conferences and events. He has performed his music for thousands of listeners around the world. As a critically acclaimed hip-hop artist, Trip has won a Stellar Award and been nominated for several Dove Awards. His latest album is entitled Rise. He’s married and has two young children.

The Heart of the Book

“Rise” is divided into three parts, “Getting Up, Growing Up, and Pointing Up“.

Part One: Getting Up

Chapter 1 –  “7 A.M. Logic”

At the age of 15, Trip became a Christian. Mentally he felt that an inward change had taken place. He began to share the experience with family and friends. During a conversation with an older man, he shared the excitement that he felt with his new lifestyle choice and his sexual purity. With a look of confusion, the man asked him why he was taking life so serious. He advised him to enjoy his life while he was young. But, Trip knew that his advice was wrong, and it was misleading!

Please know that if you’ve submitted yourself to Jesus, your new life has already begun. You’re a follower of Christ, why would you wait to start walking in it? It’s a new day, and we should rise early instead of sleeping in. God did not say we should ignore Him for now and get serious later. Solomon, the wisest man ever, urged us to fear God and live for Him while we’re young; (Eccl. 12:1, 13).

Jesus At Twelve

At the age of twelve, Jesus already understood the things of God, and He began to grow. The young God-man was in the temple with the teachers; (Luke 12:46-47). All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. The teachers weren’t amazed just because they heard the news, but also because of whom they heard the answers from. Jesus understood the role He was to play in God’s story. He was the God-man who came to save us, and He wasn’t wasting any time.

Part Two: Growing Up

Chapter 5 –  “Time is Money”

Most of us think of time as a gift. We just think of it as those 24 hours that seems to go by too fast. We usually think of time as something we have plenty of, especially when we’re young. Scripture gives us a much different understanding of time. Scripture treats time less like an entitlement and more like a treasure. The Bible talks about time as if it’s a loan from God that we should invest well.

Why Invest Well?

In the Book of Ephesians, Paul gave the Ephesians a reason to live carefully, and he advised them to make the best use of their time because the days are evil. It seems that Paul was talking about the evil age that we live in. Most of the people around us, in our neighborhoods, on campuses, and workplaces do not know Christ. We’re freed, but they remain enslaved to this evil world. Those of us who have been freed should live differently among them. We should live wisely. We should be aware of God’s will to save through Christ, and live lives that point people to Christ.

INVESTMENT TIPS:

The phrase “time management” acknowledges that we are just managers of time, not the owners. If time is money, how should you invest? The best strategy is to put your time into the things that will yield the greatest return, and since we’re talking about time, the greatest return is eternal. You should invest your time in things that have an eternal impact. We have to answer to God for how we invested our time. “What will you say?”

Chapter 11 – “Age is More Than a Number”

Age is more than a number, it’s a number that represents time. With time comes experience, and when experience connects with the truth from God’s Word, we get a unique brand of wisdom. The problem is that our culture doesn’t value age much. We value cool, thin, and pretty, none of which are usually associated with age. We run from old age, but we notice that we can’t outrun it, slow it down, or pretend that we’re not aging. Aging is inevitable.

What happens when you get counsel from someone older that you think is wrong? First, check their counsel with God’s. Second, seek counsel from others to confirm that your understanding of God’s Word is true.

Chapter 13 – “RUDE AWAKENING”

After arriving back on campus after summer break in 2007, Trip notice that he was unusually tired. One evening after class, he was so tired that he stumbled down the hallway, made it to his dorm room, went inside, and went to right to sleep. Hours later, he discovered that he had missed his classes. This became a habit, due to what seem to be fatigue, accompanied by depression. He sought the medical advise of two different doctors and was diagnoses with chronic fatigue syndrome, in which there wasn’t a treatment. The doctor recommended that he eat healthy.

Trip was trying hard to keep up with his school work, but his body kept running out of gas, and his teacher kept running out of grace. He failed virtually all of his classes during the next twelve months. This lesson taught him that he wasn’t invincible. He thought that he was untouchable, and assumed his life would be carefree. But, this thinking was a result of youthful ignorance.

The Reality of the Matter

“Energy was something I just always had. My energy level would always be there to greet me along with the sunshine. I never really thought about energy until I didn’t have any. I never thought about how vital it is. Energy is the gasoline that fuels our every action, thoughts, and feelings. It powers every minute of our lives, like the battery in your smartphone. If it doesn’t get recharged, all your fancy apps and features don’t run. For some reason my body had stopped recharging.

God’s mercies are indeed new each morning, but we shouldn’t assume He’ll grant us the same ones He gave us yesterday. Every single breath, every solitary heartbeat, every ounce of energy is its own individual gift from God. Be grateful for the numerous kindnesses the Lord has thrown your way. I want to remind you that you aren’t invincible either.” (Continue to page 2)