Rapper Trip Lee, Self-Described 'Boring' Guy, Talks Finding Inspiration in Malcolm Gladwell, CS Lewis, and Jay-Z

By Nicola Menzie, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, January 21, 2015

CP: What are the main goals or the main focus for Cornerstone?

Great family time today. Nowhere I'd rather be. I'm so thankful for my fam pic.twitter.com/Tcif3jdGEf
— Trip Lee (@TripLee) November 28, 2014

Trip: One of them is simplicity. So we do want to be devoted to doing the things that God has called us to do, and doing them in a simple manner because there are lots of things that can become very distracting. We want to focus in on the core things and do them in very simple ways, which is gathering around God's Word, praying together, singing songs to Jesus together, discipling one another and helping one another follow Jesus, sharing the Gospel with others. Our evangelism doesn't have to look like huge evangelism events. It's normally gonna look like us telling our neighbors about Jesus. At times when we gather together, it doesn't have to look like some amazing campaign all the time. It's normally gonna look like us gathering in a room and sitting around God's Word and hearing songs that help us respond to God in worshipful ways. So one of our core values is gonna be that simplicity.

CP: In Rise you write: "Wasting time is insanity. It's like burning money. The only difference is you can make more money, but you can never make more time. God gives you what God gives you. Not only that, but none of us knows how much we've been given. …" — What have you personally learned about the value of time? Do you have any major regrets?

Trip: I have millions of regrets about time. I write that as somebody who's an expert at wasting time if I'm not careful. So I think one of the things that's been very helpful to me is to think of time as a resource given to me that I have very little of. Having kids is actually very helpful for me, because it kind of helps to (vanquish) the illusion that I have this endless amount of time. It helps me to remember that God's given me enough time. I can spend it and I can waste it. I can spend it on good things or I can spend it on poor things. Having kids actually helps me with that because it sucks up a lot of my time and it's a good reminder that I only have so much. That's something that I regularly sit down and evaluate, think about how I'm using my time. And even more difficult for me, somebody who has a health issue (chronic fatigue syndrome), it makes me more limited in how much actual time I have where I have enough energy to accomplish things.

CP: Any final thoughts you want to get across to readers?

Trip: I want people to know whatever stage of life you're in, you've got a role in God's story. He called you to get up and live now. That's the man point I hope to get across with the book and I'm praying that the Lord will put it in lots of people's hands and it will be an encouragement to them.

Read part two of CP's interview with Trip Lee: Popular Christian Rapper Talks Race, the Church, and Why It Could've Been Him.