The Cross Movement is one of the most recognized acts from the "holy division" of hip hop culture. The group is made of four rappers: William Branch, (“The Ambassador”), Brady Goodwin Jr. (“Phanatik”), John K. Wells (“The Tonic”), and Virgil Byrd (“T.R.U.-L.I.F.E.”). Their first album, Heaven’s Mentality, dropped in 1997. They’ve since released five more, including Holy Culture, which debuted # 5 on Billboard’s Heatseeker’s Chart in 2003.
Through dope beats and clever wordplay, Cross Movement raps about the gospel, or good news, that Jesus Christ died for people’s sins; his resurrection giving the chance to be forgiven and reconciled with God. As Phanatik says in All Day, “From pulpit to ghetto, projects to golden meadows, the bread of life brings men back like Hansel and Gretl.” You can watch their videos on Youtube.
Lowell beat Mission in overtime last Friday night to win the San Francisco (AAA) high school basketball championship. The game was a contrast of styles: Lowell entered the playoffs as the top seed, thanks to a 28-4 regular season record. Mission came in the #5 seed, with a less impressive 13-11 mark.
The Cardinal’s started four seniors, including guard Jordan Wong and forward Arthur Johnson, two of the league’s best players. Mission had no seniors in its starting line-up.
Lowell’s disciplined offense led to most of its 71 points. The Cardinal’s passed the basketball quickly and often, creating open shots from the outside (Wong hit 6 three-pointers, none of them with a hand in his face) and easy baskets for post players. Mission’s half-court offense was not as good, but did manage 69 points off steals and streaky three-point shooting from guards Harry Howard and Damaree Hampton.
It looked at the beginning that Lowell would blow Mission out of Kezar Pavilion. The Cardinals were up by eleven when Jones, going in for a lay-up from the left hand side of the court, was undercut and came down awkwardly. Jones strained his groin on the fall and badly bruised his shooting hand. Lowell went into halftime up 36-22, but the injury to Jones left it vulnerable to a Mission comeback.
Down 45-35 in the third quarter, Howard and Hampton took over for Mission. The duo scored 21 of Mission’s next 23 points, putting Mission ahead by one with 4:15 left in the game. Lowell got a boost when Johnson limped back into the game. The teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter, keeping the crowd in suspense as to who would win the game. At the end of regulation the score was tied at 61.
In the end, Lowell’s experience and execution were too much for Mission to overcome. The Cardinal’s pulled away with clutch foul shooting and tough defense. Guard Alex Hampton hit a crucial three-pointer to put Lowell ahead by five. Forward Jordan Pusung’s rebounding and free-throw shooting kept the Bears alive, though, giving Howard a chance to win the game with a shot at the buzzer…that missed right and gave Lowell the championship.
King Arthur, a junior at Oceana High School, moved to the Bay from Compton in 2002. Arthur likes hip-hop, photography, and he's a big sports fan. His teams are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Denver Nuggets. Michael Vick and Alan Iverson are his favorite athletes. After high school, Arthur wants to study broadcasting at Cal State Fullerton, then become an NFL sideline reporter. For the past year Arthur has been seeking a relationship with God. Most mornings he reads the bible and prays before school, and 2-3 times a week he studies the bible with friends at the Bay Area Christian Church. Arthur would like to be baptized sometime soon.
It's sometimes hard to admit that we need a friend. Some of us don't have a lot friends; others have many. Regardless of which group you're in, though, there is someone hoping you'll choose him as your friend.
On Saturday, February 17th, the Bay Area Christian Church will hold the first ever congregational 'Y' Ministry service. Teens from all over the Bay Area as well as Stockton and Monterrey will meet at Canada College in Redwood City. The theme of the service is "Who Will You Become?," with a focus on helping teens take control of their destinies. Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Sam Manuel will be the keynote speaker. Sam has worked full-time in the ministry for the past six years after becoming a Christian in 1997. The service is not limited to church members, however. Anyone involved with teens--parents, coaches, mentors, tutors--is welcome. Service begins at 5:00 p.m. at Canada College. We look forward to seeing you there!
randomshapes.com is a useful site because it features more than sixty blogs done by teenagers. There's a variety of opinions and viewpoints on many different aspects of life (politics, family, dating, etc.). I appreciate the positive tone of the site. By "positive" I specifically mean no pornography. The majority of teen blogs I came across were loaded sexual stuff. Randomshapes proves there are quality teen bloggers out there.
This is the blog of a young man named Daniel, an eigth grader on the east coast. I think his writing is deep for a boy his age. He could use bolder colors and graphics to make his blog more attractive, but I like his writing.
teenhollywood.com looks like a fun site for teens into movies and movie stars. Teenhollywood also features music and t.v.. I prefer horizontal displays so I would change the teenhollywood layout. I'd also lose the sky blue background.
