This book recommendation was featured on Peter King’s MMQB for the On Their Night Table section.
Recommended by Texans DT Christian Covington
Of this memoir by Lecrae, the popular Christian hip-hop artist, Covington writes: “Come as you are. It is a phrase that provides very little to some but a tremendous amount of opportunity to others. Whether Christian or agnostic, Republican or Independent, black, white, none of that truly matters. Just come as you are. My name gives away my stance on faith and I’m all right with it being public knowledge. And I’m all right with it even more so after reading this book. The world that we live in today is somewhat fragile; people have to walk around catering to the opinions of others, watching what they say, how they say it, hoping and praying that the next words that come out of their mouths aren’t taken out of context. And it can be said for both fiendish and warmhearted words. But as Christians, we are taught to be bold, unapologetic and to be truly unashamed of who we are and of whom we serve. It kind of makes the whole walking-on-eggshells thing a little hard for us.
“Lecrae’s take on what it means to be ‘Unashamed’ comes from his personal tribulations of his upbringing to his tumultuous uphill battle to remain true to himself in an industry where doing just that can literally end your career. Being a successful musical artist requires talent, dedication, commitment to the tasks at hand, resiliency to conquer any upcoming obstacles, and sadly enough, the right amount of compromise. The true expression of one’s gifts may never connect from the pen to the paper due to musical censorship, record company philosophies, or basic principles of, We don’t like it, so do something different. For Lecrae specifically, his story is somewhat unique being a Christian rapper. Staying true to oneself as a Christian is hard enough already; mix that with the temptations and the environment that comes with being involved in the music industry and strengths will surely be tested.
“I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been down, anyone who has felt silenced or censored, and anyone who has experienced that “sink or swim” breaking point. Come as you are: When you listen and comprehend, you will be heard and understood.”
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View the entire article by sports journalist Peter King at MMQB.
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