Freedom of Preach

[Intro] Can the church say Amen? (Amen reverend) We gon' do another off in right now We gon' do another one in fifteen minutes And we gon' do one mo', right after that Yes, women you lookin' so very beautiful here today Some of you with the same thang on from the club last night The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away Oh Lord Jesus I wish you'd taketh away Sister Mary's wig Oh you disrespectin' the House of God with that thing It don't even look real; aww, it's testimony time Oh who is that? Young Chris Bridges Boy I'm glad you finally grew into them ears Go on and testify [Ludacris] Lord, please forgive me for the mistakes I've made And thanks for keepin' my momma safe when she wrecked my Escalade See I could replace a Cadillac but I can't replace my momma I'm sorry for the hip-hop beefs, we sorry for the drama But you gotta understand us rappers ain't never had nothin And one's loss is another's gain so we gotta grab somethin Lord, got so many questions I need the answers to And sorry for the thangs I put my baby's mama through I feel that women are really the strongest human beings But why do you make 'em so emotional, and other minor things I guess it's your way of sayin' we gotta love 'em and gotta praise 'em Cause without 'em we'd be nothin', plus our kids they gotta raise 'em While we, out and about and seein' what life has to offer But if you offer a new life then what we need is better fathers Either I'm smarter cause of my daughter or I'm just too dense I'm 28 years old, it just now started makin' sense And I've been... [Hook One] Searchin' so long, I was lost in the clouds I'm tryna' stay strong, and make you proud It took me some time, but now I see That He resides, in me yeah, yeah [Ludacris] Lord, forgive me for anytime a fan said I was bein' rude I'm only human, I'm not always in the best of moods But thanks for givin' the gift of rap to write my feelings down And sorry for cursin' sometimes but feelings make me shout 'em out Forgive the people that wanna blame everything on rap music If they didn't live it they can't relate or even adapt to it Forgive those who don't think I'm great and wanna see me go Forgive Oprah for editin' most my comments off her show Don't get me wrong, I know some people got a image to hold But those who criticize the youth might just be gettin' too old We still travellin' through life, findin' what's right or wrong I know some folks may not agree or even like this song But I'm just speakin' MY truth, cause I heard it sets you free And my conversation's with God, even though he speaks through me I'm smarter cause of my daughter, and I'm NOT too dense I'm 28 years old, it just now started makin' sense And I've been... [Hook One] [Ludacris - over Hook One] I've been searchin' so long I admit that I've been lost in them clouds I'm just tryna' stay strong baby You know I'mma make you proud I know life is full of contradictions I'm tryna' become a better man Prayin' for redemption, each and every day (Hallelujah, as the choir sings) [Hook Two: sung by choir] Searchin' so long (so long) lost in the clouds (in the clouds) Tryin' to stay strong, and make you proud - make you proud! Took me some time (took me some time) now I see (oh now I see) He resides, in me (yeah) (Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special guest in the house tonight, came with some words of encouragement, Bishop Eddie Long) [Hook Two] - repeat 2X, minus ad libs [Outro: Bishop Eddie Lee Long] What you just heard is real life It's real life for you, it's real life for many It's about where you been, yet at the same time you Ay, you find yourself, in the midst of conflict and turmoil Yes I'm talkin' to you, in the midst of conflict and turmoil Cause you realize HEY - it's, time to change right now And in the middle of that I wanna say this The Bible says that when I was a child, I spoke as a child I understood as a child, I fought as a child Hey, but when I became a man I put away those, childish things Did you not know that your environment has shaped you? Where you were born, in the projects, in the ghettoes In the upper downtown, wherever it was The people around you, the things around you Cause you to do strange things because, you were seeking to learn But what you learned, was on the streets, and not in the book God called you a prophet When you open up your mouth, everything of God comes out And it commands attention, it commands change I'm talking about the power, that's inside of you And in the midst when you're, starting to understand That I caught the wrong message, and now it's time I'm hearing from God, what amazing experience, as you hear from God He said, "Is there forth any man be in Christ, he is a new creation" Old things are passed away, somebody needs to hear that and behold Everything becomes new, and when everything becomes new in you It's time to stop the killing I said it's time to stop the stealing It's time to stop disrespecting our women It's time for us to come home and raise our children It's time for us, to really mould our communities It's time for us, not to get hooked up in religion But to get hooked up in relationship, with God And the amazing thing about it Is wherever you find yourself right now, you can confess And you can tell God "I'm sorry; I had the wrong cue, I was doing the wrong thing I was going after things that I thought were right, but it wasn't right And now that I'm getting it right, I'm asking you to forgive me And I may have done the things, that they said I did But I'm not, who they say I am; I am who you made me to be And I'm changing in that, and it takes a few moments But every time I fall down, I'll get right back up And every time I make a wrong turn, I'll get myself back in line Because I recognize, I have been called, for such a time as this!" You can't resist the change And you're not condemned by your yesterday If you can grab hold of your now, and move in your destiny Move, change, and be, now! [Hook Three: sung by choir] Searchin' so long, lost in the clouds Tryin' to stay strong, and make you proud - make you proud! Took me some time (took me some time) now I see He resides (He resides) in me (in me yeah)