Ex“Hood”Us

It is my goal by the end of this book to aid all of us in mapping out a plan to get to the Promised Land. In order to do that, together, we will have to embark upon a journey, an exodus. An Exodus is a departure from a certain place. An ideal example of an Exodus can be seen in the second book of the Bible where Moses and the Israelites fled from a negative place to a positive one both physically and spiritually. In the title of this book, I use a play on words with Ex “Hood” Us to symbolize the journey we must take as a community. The slang terminology “hood” has become something that is thrown around in our community demonstrating not a place, person, or entity but a mindset. We have to distance ourselves from this negatively damaging attitude and move towards the mind of Christ, acting and thinking like Him. In this book, after we identify the problems that are plaguing our community, we will embark upon our pilgrimage, mapping out the journey that will take us from the “hood” mentality to the mind of Christ. In theory, it is the plight of our community that has sparked me into writing this book. Anyone who has seen, heard of, or experienced the predicament that plagues our people will understand the necessity for someone to speak up. I feel that we have talked, complained and belly-ached enough and that it is time for us to take the proper steps to leave this land of bondage and despair. Do not get me wrong, I don’t think that 100% of our community is in trouble; however, a great percentage of us are in need of help. I want to reach those who are lost and in bondage. I want to tell those who are crying for deliverance that deliverance is here. I want to show those who may feel that they are not oppressed that they indeed just might be. There are some people who have very little deficiencies. These individuals have a grasp on themselves. They have a great outlook on life and are doing things the right way. If you are one of these people, you may feel that this book is not for you. You are wrong; this book is for you as well. First of all, this book is to remind you where you’ve come from. Secondly, this book is to show you where some of your brothers and sisters are stranded. And finally, this book is to show you how you can help those individuals make the pilgrimage to the freedom. In addition, there may be those of you out there who may believe that this book is not for you simply because of your race or nationality. Sorry, wrong again. Not only should you know our plight, but, you can help aid us in our journey. By helping us, you help yourselves. This life is all about helping each other. Together, there is no obstacle that we can not overcome. Together, the journey will be easier as we complete our pilgrimage and victory shall be ours.