Your heaven's a lie

Heaven, what is it? A happy thought, a care free holiday, an ideal to inspire hope or a reality? There are hundreds of thousands of words in the English language and yet English speaking people have a tendency to devalue and overuse a choice few of them! If we eat a delicious meal it is common to say “Oh that was divine” or if we find relaxation on holiday “this is heaven!” Using such language may elevate such things that we have ascribed such connotations and high praise to but it also inadvertently lowers the true essence and meaning of those words. If this is where our concept of heaven stops then we have fallen far short of the glorious reality. How then should we speak of heaven? What is appropriate? The book of Hebrews gives a wonderful description that captures beautifully the essence of this truly amazing reality:


“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24

So then what do we learn about what heaven is? Well we learn it is a place where the Living God resides. The use of the term ‘Living’ is in contrast to ‘dead’. This may sound like a strange adjective to use considering if God exists then naturally He is a living entity. But what the writer of Hebrews is drawing attention to is the contrast between the true God and the false gods found here on earth. There are many religions in the world and many smaller cults. While many of these religions may contain some truth within them, the gods that they worship or obey are not The true God that created the universe and the author of salvation. The statues around the world to various gods or avatars of gods are merely work of human craft, they are artificial imitations (and sometimes demonic distortions) of the true God. In other words they are counterfeit. So Heaven must always be thought of and understood in connection to the living God – the One true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, we learn that Heaven is a place where Angels in joyful assembly live. Heaven is a supernatural place. It is not found here on earth. That does not mean there is nothing good or beautiful or awe-inspiring about this world; in Genesis it says that God saw that what He had created was ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31). But Heaven is not found on earth. Heaven is another reality altogether and we have only got glimpses and visions into that reality. As the Bible says: for now we see a reflection as through a mirror but then we shall see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Just because we can’t touch something or even fully comprehend something doesn’t make it unreal or imaginary. Also Heaven will be a place of joy. Angels live in joyful assembly. Heaven is a place of unparalleled and unbridled joy. Why are the Angels joyful? The Angels are joyful because they are in the presence of the glory and majesty of the Living God; a God who is Just (the Judge of all). Just as light engulfs darkness, so too being in the presence of God eradicates sorrow and misery. God is Light. God is Love. God is Justice. In God there is Joy.

Moreover, we learn that those considered righteous and worthy of a place in heaven are perfected therein. Heaven is a place of perfection. There is no evil, war, suffering, violence or pain in heaven. This is cause for tremendous celebration, even if we will never fully experience it in this life and should give us hope to continue persevering through our current circumstances. God is perfection; there is nothing imperfect about God, neither can God tolerate imperfection. The two are completely incompatible. You cannot have a perfect being living in an imperfect environment. This teaches us another important truth about Heaven: it is very far removed from our experiences because our world is not perfect. Even when there are times when we feel like we’ve experienced a perfect moment it is not true perfection because we live in a fallen, sinful world.

So we have established that Heaven is a place so far removed from our experiences and our comprehension – it is a place where there is no deceit or untruth (the city of the Living God), a place of pure joy with Angelic beings and it is a place of true perfection. How then can anyone dare to hope that we could one day live in such a place? The passage from Hebrews gives us the answer – through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ as he is described in Hebrews is the mediator of a new covenant. What does that mean? It means only through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sin can we be justified in the eyes of God (the Judge of all) and find acceptance by this perfect, incorruptible being. Jesus is the means by which God saves sinful people. There is no other way given in the whole of the New Testament. This is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ that we can have salvation and forgiveness from our sin; that we will one day be restored to a state of perfection abiding in the presence of the Living God enjoying Him forever along with the assembly of Angels. Now that is Heaven!

2011 the year of the UFC

Earlier in the year I wrote a blog about the positive state of professional wrestling, namely in connection with TNA and the WWE, midway through 2011. My intention was to write a second blog with my thoughts and analysis of the progress both promotions had made by the end of 2011. However, things change and I’ve decided to write instead about the phenomenal year of the UFC – a phenomena in its own right.

               

For anyone who follows my blog regularly I attended my first ever UFC event a couple of months ago at UFC 138 in Birmingham. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing event, one which I hope to repeat in 2012 if (or when) the UFC return to the UK. 2011 certainly has been the year of the UFC. 2011 saw the UFC return to Brazil the ‘home’ of MMA in the fastest selling UFC event in its history, where Anderson Silva – the most successful UFC Middle Weight of all time – defended his belt against Japanese challenger Yushin Okami. 2011 also saw the UFC break new ground in signing a television deal with Fox in America to broadcast four UFC events a year. The inaugural UFC on Fox event saw Junior Dos Santos become heavyweight champion in just 64 seconds as he beat Cain Velasquez by TKO. The agreement with Fox is huge for the future of the UFC in its goal to become a fully accepted mainstream sport.

                 

2011 also saw the UFC parent company Zuffa buy out rival promotion StrikeForce. Currently StrikeForce remains a separate promotion but already many of its best fighters have made the transition to the UFC: Nick Diaz former StrikeForce Welterweight Champion gave up his title to sign for the UFC to fight UFC Welterweight king GSP as well as heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. With former StrikeForce champions now on their roster the UFC has strengthened its claim to be the most elite MMA promotion in the world. But it wasn’t just individual talent that the UFC incorporated into its already impressive roster. The UFC also absorbed the former WEC lightweight divisions including Bantamweight and Featherweight and most recently expanded to include Flyweight. The addition of the smaller weight divisions has enriched the UFC’s booking and PPV events dramatically. The UFC really can boast the most exciting, competitive and talented roster in the MMA world.

               

The success of 2011 for the UFC has in part come from its inclusion of more weight divisions and expanding into new territories garnering greater media exposure, but it has fundamentally come from the strength of its booking. There have been some incredible fights this year and almost every UFC PPV card has boasted world class main event calibre. This year has seen the rubber match between Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and arch nemesis Grey Maynard, which ended in a thrilling fourth round TKO for Edgar. It has seen Dominic Cruz successfully defend his Bantamweight title against Urijah ‘California Kid’ Faber; and it has seen the meteoric rise of Light-heavyweight Champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones who has beaten no less than three former champions in Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Lyoto ‘the Dragon’ Machida – the latter earning fight of the night. There have also been many ‘dream’ fights this year including, BJ Penn v Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson v Shogun Rua in a 5 round battle for the ages and to end the year Alistair Overeem v Brock Lesnar. The ever controversial ‘pound for pound greatest’ argument, so often referred to by UFC president Dana White has been bolstered this year by UFC champions Anderson Silva, GSP, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo and Jon Jones, much to the chagrin of Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen it should be added.

             

 It is to the aforementioned fight between Overeem and Lesnar that I wish to indulge some thoughts and analysis on. On paper this was a classic striker v grappler match up – Overeem being a supreme Kickboxer and former K1, Dream and StrikeForce champion and Lesnar being a wrestling powerhouse and former NCAA Division I and UFC champion. However, the cards seemed stacked in Overeem’s favour; despite being one of the greatest strikers in MMA 19 of his wins came via submission. Overeem is a seasoned veteran of the ring/cage with over 40 pro fights to his name, whereas Brock by contrast going into the fight had only fought 7 times and two of those were losses. Brock had also suffered from the debilitating disease Diverticulitis, which had seen him require surgery and an extended period of time away from MMA. Lastly, Brock’s Achilles heel had proven to be powerful strikers, barely surviving the first round beating by Shane Carwin and losing his title to Cain Velasquez by first round TKO.

               

Strategically in many ways Brock was doomed if he did and doomed if he didn’t. His tactic against Velasquez had been to storm in and get the takedown early where he would have the advantage in top control and negate Velasquez’s superior striking ability. That tactic had failed in his title fight and he subsequently lost in emphatic fashion. Against Overeem, arguably an even better striker than Velasquez, Brock needed to take the fight to the ground once again but this time he was hesitant not to make the same mistake as before. This reluctance to utilise his best weapon – the takedown, meant that the fight was left standing where there was only one real winner: Overeem! Sure enough midway through the first round after some devastating knees inside the clinch Overeem caught Lesnar with a body kick that crumpled the former champion, quickly followed by a flurry of punches causing Lesnar to assume the by now familiar position of ‘turtling’ up waiting for the ref to step in and stop the fight. In his post-fight interview Brock announced that he was retiring from MMA and would not fight in the Octagon again.

                

 In some ways Brock was the architect of his own destruction. Due to his size, strength and wrestling pedigree Brock quickly overpowered many of his opponents in the early stages of his career leading him to become only the second man after Randy Couture to win the heavyweight title on only his fourth professional fight. But as the calibre of Brock’s opponents increased in talent and experience the gulf began to widen. Brock had been fast-tracked to the title and in the end his lack of experience and lack of all-round ability as a mixed martial artist became a stumbling block. I recognise that his own personal problems with Diverticulitis may have played a part in preventing him from fulfilling his potential but Brock was a proverbial example of power over technique. Once he came up against stronger and more technical fighters than himself his advantage was negated.

                 

What does this mean though? Firstly it means that Alistair Overeem will face JDS for the heavyweight title in 2012 – the two greatest strikers in the UFC heavyweight division. JDS dismantled all of his opponents on his way to the title through superior boxing. JDS has never been taken to the ground and so his ground game is yet untested. With Overeem’s strength lying in his kickboxing this fight could well be full of explosive fireworks and should produce a very entertaining fight. For Brock it means the fans have been denied a rubber match against Frank Mir and a potential return to the WWE. While many ardent WWE fans may relish the prospect of Lesnar gracing a WWE ring again, his credibility as a fighter has suffered with two back-to-back losses and his inability to defend combinations of strikes. His UFC career of course has no bearing on his WWE one, but nevertheless a return to the WWE may be viewed as ‘cowardly’ by some MMA fans.

                 

So 2011 is over, it has been one of the most successful, if not the most successful year in the history of the UFC and has opened many new opportunities for 2012. Expect more first class booking, greater mainstream exposure and UFC breaking more new markets, especially in Asia as the UFC goes to Japan in February 2012.

The Joy of Salvation

There are simple joys and great joys in the world. A lazy morning reading the Sunday papers in bed after a long, hard week at work or waking to a glorious day – not a cloud in the sky and the sun beaming benevolently and magnificently through your window, these are simple joys. Finding love, the blessing of parenthood and grandparenthood, earning a well-deserved promotion at work or the gratification from the triumph of a personal accomplishment in your life such as completing a marathon, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, surviving cancer or earning a black belt in a martial art are all examples of great joys. However, there is a joy that exceeds all other kinds of joy: that of the joy of salvation.

             

   Jesus said I have come to make your joy complete (John 15:11). Once you have experienced the joy of salvation it gives you a new perspective on all other forms of joy and gives you a deeper appreciation even for the smallest of the simple joys in life. Unfortunately, in a way it is inexplicable to someone who has not been touched by the Holy Spirit. But imagine that joy was like your favourite dessert. The simple joys in life are like taking a bite of your favourite dessert – delicious, scrumptious and a pick-me-up. The great joys are like eating a very generous slice or portion of your favourite dessert – a very special treat to be savoured and appreciated. Now imagine you were in the finest restaurant in the world and you order your favourite dessert to be prepared and made by the greatest chef in the world. When it comes you eat it and it is the most exquisite delicacy you’ve ever had the privilege of tasting – the flavours in your mouth are familiar but they’ve never tasted as rich or vibrant as this before, your taste buds made alive like never before. That in a way is like the joy of salvation, as the Bible says: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3).

               

How do you experience the joy of salvation? The answer is through repentance. Jesus said repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near (Matthew 4:17). Sometimes repentance is painful; sometimes it is the pain of recognising we are not as morally good as we thought we were; sometimes it is the pain of pride – admitting to the mistakes in our life or coming to terms with the fact that we cannot solve all of our problems by ourselves. Sometimes it is the pain of knowing that we have sinned against a Holy God and we are unworthy to come into His presence. However, that pain can produce amazing fruit: the process of painful self-reflection and repentance brings with it the desired joy of salvation.

             

 When the angel appeared to the Shepherds on the hills of Jerusalem that first Christmas it told them of news of great joy for all the people (Luke 2:10). That great joy referred to by the angel was the birth of Jesus the Christ. Jesus was not just his parents’ joy – Jesus was to be the joy of humanity. And Jesus is the only way to experience the joy of salvation, for He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Praise God that He so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son so that humanity may experience the joy of salvation. We all have a choice – accept Jesus’ sacrifice and receive Him as our saviour or reject Him and fail to experience the joy of salvation and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. We will still experience the simple and great joys of life but they are finite and ephemeral in nature. The joy of salvation transcends this mortal life and connects us with an eternal reality, which bears not just upon what happens when we die but also enriches this life too. God greatly desires that all humanity experience the joy of salvation (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus is God’s gift to the world. So embrace and accept the greatest gift on earth, the greatest gift possibly imaginable and find true joy.

Joy to the World

The Christmas story is one of the greatest events in human history. Period. Why? On that most auspicious day God became man, born as a hapless little baby. Yet that baby, born into totally unassuming circumstances, was both the fulfilment of the Messianic prophecies given to ancient Israel as well as the incarnation of God Himself! Jesus was no ordinary baby - Jesus was no ordinary human being.


Jesus was born into the family of David – Jesus was a descendant of King David, whom God had promised would have a descendant on his throne forever. But Jesus was not just another human descendant and another flawed ruler. No, Jesus was the fulfilment of the promise of new hope for Israel – He was to be the prince of peace as Isaiah foretold. Israel had great expectations for their coming Messiah. But Jesus’ purpose was not to liberate His people from political oppression. Jesus came first to bring spiritual freedom – to reunite a fallen humanity with its Divine and Just Creator. A Creator who defines what is right and wrong; whose very nature is perfection, righteousness and love. Jesus’ priority and mission was to bring freedom from slavery to sin, not emancipation from an imperialistic and dominant Empire. Jesus will return a second time, but not as a small defenceless babe – when Jesus returns He will come as the rider on the White Horse with Heaven’s army against the Satanic forces of evil in this world and vanquish the Devil for all eternity. On that day He will finally take His place on David’s throne as the conquering Lion.

Only to those who the Holy Spirit and the Host of Angels had revealed it to were able to recognise in that sweet, unpretentious child the future King of Israel on that first Christmas. However, Jesus was not just God’s anointed one – the chosen saviour of humanity. Jesus was Himself God. In Jesus the fullness of the deity dwelt. Jesus grew up to become the only sinless man, despite being tempted on numerous occasions. God created a new Covenant – an eternal covenant, just like when He created His covenant with the Patriarch Abraham and passed through the offerings alone, so too God gave of His own Son in order to meet the Just requirements of His Law. For God cannot be unfaithful – not to His Law, not to His Covenant and not to Himself. God gave His Son to die upon the Cross so that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish and suffer damnation on that Day of Judgement but have eternal life. God created that new Covenant through His own blood. It is eternally binding. What an incredible day – when God literally intervened in the course of human history! God became irrevocably and unbreakably linked to His creation through the birth of Jesus.

The Christmas story as told in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke speak to people from all walks of life, of all ages and both genders. In Matthew we are given Joseph’s perspective as a righteous man, eager to be married who must make a courageous act of faith in taking a pregnant Mary to be his wife, suffering the scorn and possible rejection by their village. Joseph’s story is one of love and loyalty in the face of persecution and discrimination – a man who embraced Jesus as his own even though biologically not his son. His is an example to fathers and step-fathers, from boyfriends to husbands of how to be a man of God and do the right thing by his wife and her child. In Luke we are given Mary’s perspective as a young woman soon to be married – a modest and humble young woman. After her visitation from the Arch Angel Gabriel she must obey God and place her total trust in God for her future knowing full well what conclusions her family and friends are going to jump to. To them she would have brought shame upon the family and could have been potentially stoned to death. Yet Mary accepts the Immaculate Conception with humility and faith finding her identity and validity as a woman in God not her peers. Hers is an example to young women to pursue God’s will for their lives and not chase after the fickle and fleeting approval of the world. God protected Mary and delivered her from being out-casted by society.

Conversely the Christmas story is not just about a young couple about to become parents under extraordinary circumstances. For from the lowliest to the influential and powerful, people from across the spectrum of human civilisation came to pay tribute to the birth of Jesus. The Shepherds – mistrusted by all in Jewish society, who watched over their flocks by night, on the cold hills surrounding Jerusalem, came to see the birth of their saviour and Magi – well educated and powerful men from the East came bearing gifts befitting a King to give to the Son of God. The Christmas story encompasses all of humanity – every person can relate to the story, for the birth of Jesus is for everyone. Jesus is the Light of the World and His birth signified a new hope for all humankind. This year connect with the Christmas story in a new way; recognise that you are a part of the story too, whether represented by the Shepherds or the Magi, Mary or Joseph. Jesus is your hope, your saviour and if you believe your Good News of Great Joy.

Surrounded by Liars

Paul says that the Gospel is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks but to those being saved it is the power of God. For many people the Cross makes no sense. Why does a loving God require a human sacrifice? How does the crucifixion of Jesus demonstrate God’s love? These are difficult questions, but important ones. The Cross has become the universal symbol of Christianity and to Christians is a symbol of hope, not execution or cruelty. So why did the early Church appropriate the Cross as a symbol of hope rather than what it was originally – an excruciatingly painful form of execution?

The short answer is Jesus died on the cross to show God’s love and to save humanity from its sin. But why did God have to demonstrate His love in such a graphic and controversial way? The answer is because as Jesus said in John 15:13 “there is no greater love than this that a man lays down his life for his friends”. In our society love has been appropriated by the likes of Valentine’s Day – a sugar coated, watered down, consumer driven concept that love demonstrates itself in signs of affection and material gifts. The word love is used cheaply even superficially, being used to express someone’s affection for just about anything. But the love that Jesus speaks of is known in Greek as agape – a love that is selfless and costly – a love that is greater than life itself. Jesus’ crucifixion is the ultimate demonstration of agape love – Jesus became a substitute for all human kind, He did not deserve to be executed on the cross but accepted the Just requirements of God’s Law on behalf of humanity so that we may be spared God’s judgement. That is agape love.

The Bible teaches that God is love: agape love. God is not a God of lust; He is not a God of sexual love (although sex is a gift from God). When we know and experience the power of God’s agape love we are empowered to love others too. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says that love is patient and kind, not proud, envious or angry. Again in 1 John chapter 4 John explains that because God first loved us and gave His Son, Jesus Christ to die for us we should love one another following in His example. If we love others then we are united with God because God is agape love. Knowing God loves us with the purest, deepest love imaginable also sets us free from fear, insecurity, jealousy and envy, which are the roots of bitterness and hatred. God’s agape love has the power to totally transform our world for good. So why don’t more people embrace God’s love?

One reason – besides from free will – why people do not embrace or believe in the power of God’s love is because of Satan. Oliver Stone famously said that Hell is the impossibility of reason. Why would a loving God send people to Hell? Hell is possibly the most misunderstood truth in the Bible. It is misunderstood because Satan is a liar and does not want people to know and trust in the truth of the Bible. Hell was created not for human kind but for Satan – who rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven. The book of Revelation speaks of the lake of fire and sulphur – called the Second Death (meaning eternal damnation) for Satan, the False Prophet and the Beast. Hell is Satan’s judgement. However, Satan has deceived many people into disobeying God and turning their minds against God so that they reject God’s love. Jesus calls Satan the Father of Lies (John 8:44). Because of this great deception many people will share in Satan’s judgement. But Satan’s lies do not stop at distorting the truth of God’s salvation. As a liar and the inventor of lies Satan will try and convince us that we are worthless, unlovable, good for nothing, hopeless, too sinful to be forgiven and ugly.

When we know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image then the damage of Satan’s lies is broken and our lives and self-esteem are healed. Christ conquered the grave and His resurrection guarantees that all who believe in Him will have eternal life, a life overflowing with God’s Holy Spirit, a life filled in abundance with God’s agape love, which can never be taken from us – for there is no longer any condemnation in Christ, for who can bring a charge against us for it is God who justifies (Romans 8). Know who you are in Christ – you are the most precious thing to God in His entire created universe. Your life has intrinsic value and meaning. God has proven His love for us in giving His Son to die for our sin. Jesus’ sacrifice was the ultimate act of agape love. That is the truth.

My Favourite band: P.O.D.

We only have one youth and for many people that is a good thing! When we look back at old photos we often cringe at what we were wearing and whatever fashion trend was popular at the time. However, there is one thing that I will never be ashamed of and that is my passion for P.O.D. (Payable on Death).

It was 2001, one of the biggest years for nu-metal and when the genre was at the height of its popularity. Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Linkin Park and Slipknot were amongst the most popular bands. Papa Roach’s single Last Resort, Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’ and Linkin Park’s Crawling could be heard almost every lunchtime in my school as students brought in their walkmans and portable speakers as well as bellowing the choruses...often badly... in the playgrounds and classrooms. Nu-metal pioneers Korn and Deftones were also favourites amongst the more ardent, hardcore nu-metal fans. Although it wasn’t until 2002 that Untouchables was to be released, Korn’s back catalogue of albums was among the must have albums of any discerning nu-metal head. It was at this time that Korn’s song Daddy touched upon a darker, more visceral and cathartic side of teenagers; not that they would have been able to articulate it in such a way back then. This was also the time when a legion of devoted Linkin Park fans could be seen sporting their Hybrid Theory hoodies and music videos became compulsory TV viewing.

It was into this context that I discovered P.O.D. (short for Payable on Death, originally a banking term but appropriated by the band to represent their spiritual beliefs in Jesus’ sacrifice). To myself, initially, and many others P.O.D. was thought of as a new band, but their warriors (die-hard fans) knew better. In fact P.O.D. had one of the best nu-metal pedigrees of all the most commercial and successful nu-metal bands as their original album Snuff the Punk was released in 1994, the same year as Korn’s self-titled. P.O.D. were not just another band to me; they were a cultural phenomenon. Within a year or so I had bought all of their back catalogue and their DVD Still Payin’ Dues, which received a favourable review in Kerrang magazine, a metal magazine typically critical of them. I also did my best to imitate their fashion sense and half-heartedly learning the guitar. The lexicon of their lyrical and social culture also impacted my vocabulary and although I often smirk condescendingly nowadays on white English kids from respectable backgrounds, as they use gangster slang unconvincingly, when I think about it I probably wasn’t that much different! P.O.D. championed their San Diago roots, or as they referred to it ‘the Southtown’ and their SoCal roots impacted upon my colloquial expression.

But I digress; I think you get the picture – an impressionable teenager who discovered a band that tapped into a radical (yet paradoxically mainstream) form of musical and cultural expression. So to P.O.D. ...

P.O.D. began life in 1992, as the youthful and enthusiastic garage band of founding members, guitarist Marcos Curiel and drummer Noah ‘Wuv’ Bernardo. The specific events that led to the formation of the band as it became known professionally are tinged with tragedy. Vocalist Sonny Sandavel’s mother passed away from cancer in 1992. Wuv, Sonny’s cousin asked him to join the band in order to have something positive to hold onto to get him through the difficult time. Sonny’s mother had been a Christian and had converted after seeing God transform Wuv’s own family. Just before she died Sonny himself made the decision to become a Christian after witnessing the peace that his mother had as she lay dying in hospital. Although the pain was acute, Sonny had hope that he would see her again and thus rather than singing about pain and tragedy chose to speak of the power of God through P.O.D.’s music. Later in 1993 bassist Traa joined the band completing the line up that would soon go on to multi-platinum success. The inclusion of Sonny and Traa would forever change the complexion of P.O.D.’s music and come to define P.O.D.’s eclectic and distinctive sound. Sonny brought with him his passion for rap and hip-hop music and Traa added a dimension of funk and jazz, originally coming from an R’n’B background.

Fundamental Elements of Southtown

P.O.D.’s aforementioned first album Snuff the Punk combined Marcos and Wuv’s Metallica inspired thrash metal riffs with Sonny’s - at that time – raw rap vocals. It was a totally grass roots experimentation, not the polished and commercial sound that would come to characterise the nu-metal albums of the 1999-2003 era. P.O.D.’s 1996 sophomore album B.R.O.W.N saw the band branch out and experiment with their other musical passions, including their penchant for Reggae, while still remaining heavy and to an extent gritty. Lyrically Sonny opened up more on a personal level; singing about his faith in light of his mother’s passing. Having established themselves as an indie act within California with a strong core fan base dubbed the warriors, P.O.D. broke through into the mainstream with their major Label debut The Fundamental Elements of Southtown in 1999, the same year as Korn’s Issues album. The album went Platinum as their singles Southtown and Rock the Party (off the hook) hit radio waves with the music video for Rock the Party reaching No. 1 on MTV. Musically, the album was more akin to the polished sounds of their contemporaries Limp Bizkit and in my opinion is a nu-metal masterpiece. To my mind it is the quintessential P.O.D. album. Coming off of the back of the success of F.E.O.S. the band released Satellite, their most successful album, in 2001. Satellite was the album that truly broke the band onto the world stage and world tours soon followed including performances at the prestigious metal festivals Ozzfest and Rock am Ring in Germany. P.O.D.’s ability to write anthemic choruses was epitomised by Satellite’s first single Alive, which to this day remains one of their all time greatest songs. The song, again epitomising the band’s penchant for positivity speaks of joy and a passion for life born from their faith. The title track Satellite itself is a metaphor for God, an example of P.O.D.’s ability to write songs with spiritual depth without being offensive.

By 2002 the band had reached the peak of their popularity. However, controversy was about to strike at the core of the band. Ever since they entered the mainstream P.O.D.’s faith had been the subject of debate. The band, who proudly displayed long dread locked hair and tattoos were not the clean cut, stereotypical image of a Christian band. Their image was a stumbling block to many in the Religious Right Wing of America. Conversely, the band also felt discriminated by the media for pigeonholing them as a Christian band. Unusual for a faith-based band, P.O.D. had enjoyed mainstream success and had played many secular music festivals and enjoyed exposure on MTV, but they had always considered themselves a band made up of Christians, not strictly speaking a Christian band, who belonged in Christian music charts only. Finally in late 2002 founding member and guitarist Marcos Curiel left the band. There were conflicting accounts from the band and Marcos as to the precise nature of the split – the band citing musical differences as the primary cause, whereas Marcos painted a different picture of a band whose spiritual integrity was in question. Marcos went on to play full-time for his then Prog-Rock side project the Accident Experiment.

I was devastated! My favourite band, which I had looked up to, had given me strength as a Christian and had made me proud to be a Christian was now torn apart. His replacement came in the way of Jason Truby, ex-guitarist of Christian metal legends Living Sacrifice. Jason’s selection assuaged many fans fears of Marcos’ insinuations and their 2003 self-titled album ‘Payable on Death’ was a conscious and deliberate statement to their fans and critics alike. It was a statement that this was, at one and the same time, who P.O.D. are and always were but also that this was a new chapter, a fresh start and on one level even a chance for redemption. Songs such as Find My Way, I and Identify and Asthma spoke of spiritual struggle and a search for truth. The album showcased a more poignant, refined and mature melodic style, with Sonny extending his vocal range, proving he is more than a rapper, adding another colour to the rainbow of their musical spectrum. The album sold relatively well going Gold, but by this time nu-metal as a musical and commercial force was waning. 2006 saw P.O.D.’s last album on Atlantic Records ‘Testify’ as well as a departure from long time producer Howard Benson, this time favouring Glen Ballard. The album was an ambitious feat, which aimed to combine styles from all of the band’s eras. The album, for me, was a slow burner; some songs became instant classics, whereas other tracks took longer for me to truly appreciate them.

In 2007 something extraordinary happened. Jason Truby left the band to pursue his own solo career. Once again the band was without a guitarist. Jason had been the only natural replacement to Marcos at the time due to the band’s close friendship with Jason from their days touring with Living Sacrifice. Not being the sort of band to audition for a player this left them with a problem. It was at this time that Marcos, almost miraculously returned to the band. I do not know for sure who made the first move, whether it was Wuv or Marcos, but one way or another the two reconnected as friends. At first the band just spent time reconnecting with their old friend before, to the warriors delight, they began writing their seventh studio album When Angels and Serpents Dance and their first album with Marcos since 2001. The album was met with mixed reactions from both fans and critics alike due to its pure hard rock direction. Songs such as Addicted and Kaliforn-eye-a exhibited some of the old P.O.D. sound but the album took an even further step melodically than their 2003 self-titled. It was clear that during his hiatus from the band Marcos had matured and grown as a musician and artist. Lyrically the album dealt with the spiritual struggle of good and evil. Nevertheless, WA&SD was a very significant chapter for the band, who had forgiven past transgressions and let bygones be bygones. Marcos had returned to the band that he had made famous and that had made him famous, a band of openly Christian members. Spiritually, the reconciliation was monumental and healed many of the old scars that many of the warriors, including myself had been carrying.

In 2009, just a year after the release of WA&SD the band announced they were going on hiatus. This came as a shock and disappointment to their warriors, who by this time had seen many other fair-weather fans come and go from the P.O.D./nu-metal bandwagon. Sonny went on to establish the Whosoevers – an evangelistic organisation focussing on spreading the Gospel through alternative music and youth culture, including members such as Brian ‘Head’ Welch former guitarist of Korn who had become a Christian in 2005. Traa created his own indie Record Label, Pheonix Records, as well as publishing a book, while Marcos and Wuv continued to make music with their respective side projects. Eventually after two years the band began touring again, first touring South America and then touring America on the Rock Allegiance tour. As of November 2011 the band entered the studio to write their as yet untitled eighth studio album with producer Howard Benson, who produced both of P.O.D.’s Platinum selling albums F.E.O.S and Satellite. This collaboration, once more with Howard Benson is a great sign of things to come.

So 2011 has seen the second great revival of the band since Marcos’ return back in 2007. The band’s longevity is truly admirable considering its history and its place within a predominantly secular music scene. P.O.D. have always stood apart from their contemporaries and peers, while always pushing the envelope musically and never being afraid to experiment. Famously P.O.D.’s philosophy has always been that of a jam band, who make music in the moment, never as they once explained ‘reheating’ old songs. This commitment to writing in the here and now has always produced a very honest sound, whether fans and critics love it or hate it. There is nothing contrived in P.O.D.’s music.

I look forward in eager anticipation for 2012 to see what new music it will bring from my favourite band, a band who I feel I’ve grown up with and who have grown up with me; a band who have become an intrinsic part of my identity and who I will forever associate myself with. I learnt long ago never to put people on a pedestal, I know the band are just ordinary human beings, who make mistakes just like the rest of us, but I also know that their music has great spiritual depth and meaning, as well as being full of energy and even sometimes aggression. P.O.D. is my happy place band; they are the band I can turn to no-matter what mood I am. One of the greatest things about P.O.D. now that I am in my middle twenties is that I can claim ownership of them – they were the band of my generation and no one can take that away from me! I still listen to new music and I am into anything from Death Metal to Dubstep; but P.O.D. were and forever will be of ‘my time’ – that time in my youth where I began to discover the world and learn who I was. P.O.D.’s music is indescribably precious to me and while subsequent generations of teenagers may scoff at P.O.D.’s music, it makes no difference, because they will never understand what they mean to me. At the end of the day that is the beauty and power of music; that ability to transcend language and reach into you spiritually and emotionally.

UFC 138 review

Well for those of you who didn't know, I like MMA (mixed martial arts) and last weekend I travelled to Birmingham with a couple of colleagues to go to UFC 138, held in the LG Arena. The UFC is the world's premiere MMA promotion and UFC 138 was a historic first as the main event between Chris Leben and Mark Munoz (pictured) was the first ever non-title five round main event. The event also boasted the highest ever LG Arena attendence of over 10,000. This was my first live MMA event so I had a mixture of feelings and it didn't disappoint. Bruce Buffer was there, the 'voice of the Octagon', Joe Rogan was there to interview the winners and the fights themselves were really entertaining. Fan favourites Chris Leben and Thiago Alves were fighting on the main card, as well as up and coming British fighters Brad Pickett and Terry Etim.

Immediately our excitment level spiked as soon as we entered the arena and caught a glimpse at the Octagon. The UFC really knows how to put on a great show! Large screens surrounded the arena on both sides so that no-one missed any of the action. The arena was ideal for a UFC event as no-one's view of the Octagon was obscured. I was very proud of all the British fighters even though they didn't all win. The pre-lims were all very entertaining, the first fight was between Vaughan Lee of Birmingham and the American Chris Cariaso. The first couple of rounds were close with Vaughan getting the upper hand in the first before Cariaso turned it around in the second and third managing to win a split decision. Although the local fighter had lost the first fight it hadn't damped fans enjoyment. The second fight saw another British fighter, Chris Cope, get an impressive 40 second KO of Che Mills, which earnt him KO of the night. The fans errupted in applause as we leveled the score against the Americans.

There were many different fighters throughout the prelims and in the main card including Michihiro Omigawa from Japan who earnt a hard fought unanimous decision over Brit Jason Young with an impressive display of Judo style takedowns and fluid ground control, although his lack of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu hindered him from getting the submission. Onto the main event and fans showed their appreciation for Bruce Buffer's trade mark announcement: "and we're Liiiive!!!" Another Brit opened the show with Terry Etim coming out to thunderous cheers. 17 seconds later and Etim's opponent Faaloloto found Etim hanging around his neck forcing him to the ground followed swiftly by Faaloloto tapping for his life. The crowd went ballistic! The atmosphere was palpable. 

Thiago Alves, one of the biggest names on the card put on a good, crowd pleasing performance against the Swedish Papy Abedi. Alves spent the first couple of minutes finding his range and scouting his opponent before finding his rhythm with some hard Muay Thai kicks that connected to Abedi's body. Before long Alves had rocked Abedi with a good combination of right and left hands that sent Abedi to the floor. Seeing his opportunity Alves picked up his very first submission win as he synched in the choke.

The co-main event won fight of the night honours with Brad Pickett and Renan Barao engaging in a ferocious stand up war. Pickett, an East London native came out to deafening cheers, coolly showboating while reading a newspaper. The fight was intense with Pickett and Barao being fairly evenly matched keeping the fight on the feet and letting their hands fly, the fans fully behind their compatriot with chants of "England". Towards the end of the first round Barao caught Pickett with a knee that sent the Brit to the floor, before Pickett gave up his back allowing Barao to get the choke. Pickett tried resisting but succumbed to the compression and tapped before being choked unconscious. Pickett was visibly disappointed after the fight but had won the respect of the fans for his gutsy performance and never-back-down attitude.

Fans errupted in cheers again as Bruce Buffer exclaimed "It's Tiiime!!!" for the main event: Chris Leben v Mark Munoz. The crowd chanted rabidly for Leben as the pair wrestled for supremacy both on their feet and on the ground, Munoz's wrestling pedigree coming into play as he managed to succeed in taking Leben to the ground, from where he attempted to dominate through his vicious ground and pound. Each time Leben was on the losing end of the exchanges the fans chants got louder, spurring their favourite fighter on. Leben's eyebrow had been cut, by the end of the first round Leben looked tired while Munoz looked relatively fresh. The second round saw the ref step in and attend to Leben's cut as the blood flowed liberally all over Munoz during their clinches against the cage. The doctor asked if Leben could see alright and after being satisfied Leben was ok to carry on, the fight continued. However, at the end of the second round, once Leben had got back to his corner and having his eye examined again, his team decided to pull him out of the fight. It came as a disappointed to the majority of the fans, but personally I think it was the right decision - Leben was losing the rounds to Munoz's superior wrestling and was looking visibly slower and more weary.

All in all it was a great event - the fights were highly entertaining with some excellent striking battles, a vicious KO as well as some well worked submissions. From start to finish the fans got their money's worth with every fighter displaying much grit and determination. The atmosphere of the crowd was amazing at times and the appearances of all the Octagon mainstays such as Bruce Buffer, Joe Rogan and the referees made it a really authentic UFC event. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and soaked up the amazing atmosphere, relishing in the slick and professional production of the UFC. I would definitely go back next year if the UFC return and would encourage any fight fan and fan of MMA to make the effort to see a UFC event live.