Post by Anthony Bailey on Nov 24, 2013 22:17:13 GMT -5
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Believe it or not, what excited me most about my part time move to The Emerald City wasn’t to witness the native land of America’s favorite coffee, Starbucks. It wasn’t even the possibility of increased chances of randomly running into Macklemore and Ryan Lewis somewhere downtown. The thing that excited me most about Seattle was the likelihood in the strengthening of my faith. My life pre college was so Christianized that I still dispute my mother’s account to this very day that I was born in the row of a church pew rather than Tampa General Hospital. Other than my birth certificate and her claim, along with my family as witnesses, to totally dismantle my speculation, I still thought that I was onto something and wasn’t too far off. Growing up, I cannot remember a time when I was not in church. But college came and my move to St. Augustine allowed me to spread my wings.
As the only child with no siblings, I was spoiled rotten. My mother waited on me hand and foot for anything I had ever desired. So the lust for my own man cave was like Heaven on earth. But not just any man cave, a man cave that was over a three hour drive away from home. The bills and maintenance costs? Ehh, not so much. But it seems as if Heaven was left behind because for whatever reason, my faith didn’t follow me to St. Augustine. Memorial Presbyterian Church, the church near my college campus that I attended whenever I wasn’t on the road traveling with APW, was a good church and all but it was a tad too traditional for my taste. If the organ and stained glass windows weren’t enough, I felt like an outsider because I would show up in jeans and sneakers rather than a suit. I knew how to “dress” for the occasion, especially with my internship at the marketing firm because they required you to spiff up your wardrobe, but I never liked dressing up if I didn’t have to and Memorial made me feel like I had to.
But Seattle meant one thing…Mars Hill Church. Sure the name made it sound like a cult or something, but Pastor Mark Driscoll was the pastor everyone wanted as his or her own. He socially drank beer and was known to use foul language behind closed doors. Some might find those characteristics odd for a pastor to have but I didn’t at all. Driscoll came across as authentic and that’s what I needed in my life. Life wasn’t always so clean cut and being in a new city working for a new company was already hard enough. Why not pursue some spiritual guidance? I didn’t have the time nor did I relish the exertion to hide my struggles behind the mask of “My life is pristine and perfect.” We’re all human, even me…even Anthony Reese Bailey.
“Good morning Mars Hill!” said Driscoll with his booming raspy voice.
“Good morning!” responded the sporadic voices throughout the congregation.
“We’ll be diving straight into the text so if you have your Bibles, please turn with me to 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verse 7.”
{{A multitude of Bibles open up and the noise of turning pages begin to fill the sanctuary.}}
Neither Hopkins nor I had physical Bibles with us, but in the age of the smartphone you were still safe with a reliable Bible app.
“When you have it say amen.”
{{The majority of the congregation utters “Amen.”}}
This was probably the wrong time to start humming the lyrics to Meek Mill’s song “Amen” under my breath. The song was extremely sacrilegious but it was sort of catchy and the church saying the word made me think about it. Hopkins must’ve heard me because he laughed and mouthed “You’re going to Hell, Ant” to me.
“It is the Apostle Paul writing this to the church at Corinth and it says, ‘So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ Since the context of what’s being said is key, let me back track a little bit.”
{{Driscoll clears his throat before continuing.}}
“The Apostle had undergone a season of suffering and spiritual oppression and various scholars have alluded to what it may have been. Some think it was malaria, which caused his eyesight to be poor, and others say that it could have been a speech impediment to hinder his preaching. But the interesting thing is not what the ailment actually was; the interesting thing was why Paul even had it in the first place. God sent Paul this ‘thorn’ in his flesh to keep him humble via a demonic spirit. The assault on Paul was painful but it had purpose. The same can go for us in the present day or for those who believe that the Bible is irrelevant. I believe that the attack on the human mind is probably one of the most difficult forms of suffering possible. Some of you present this morning are battling thoughts as I speak. Battling evil thoughts, thoughts of depression, thoughts of not being worthy, and these thoughts come bombarding you straight from the pits of Hell,” wailed Driscoll.
Did Driscoll have a mind reader or something?? I felt like he was speaking directly to me! Hopkins was tuned into the preaching because Driscoll was a great orator, but his words took me elsewhere. I had yet to be diagnosed with A.D.D., so that also could be the issue but I don’t believe that it was. The evil thoughts that I was presently warring against were the potential outcomes at tomorrow night’s PURE TV. Ash Scion? I wasn’t too worried about her. AJP? Totally different story. SHE was the thorn in my own flesh! I’m no apostle but I can definitely relate.
No matter what I did, no matter what I said, no matter how hard I trained; she always seemed to outsmart me inside of the ring. And if the defeats weren’t enough, the taunts were worse. Sending me painkillers and chocolate after trying to Derrick Rose me only a few minutes prior was a nuisance. I simply did not get her or her motives. She was a mastermind and she knew it, which is why she constantly used it to her advantage.
“I believe that Satan bombarded Paul each and every day mentally reminding him of every Christian he murdered prior to his conversion. Just like he does with you and I. Murder may not be our hang up, but if it is please let us know so we can alert the authorities immediately.”
{{Some giggling is heard and even with Driscoll’s smirk, you can tell that he was being serious.}}
“But your hang up could be your past or being raised in a broken home. Bringing up past failures and past things that are in your life is the enemy’s main tactic. He will bring thoughts into your mind and try to tell you that you are as evil as the thoughts he just planted in your head. In this moment Satan was probably blinded with envy while Paul was receiving everything that he lost. Satan could not conceive how a lesser being than he was had a clear conscience and peace in his soul even though he was responsible for the murder of dozens of men, women, and children. Satan envied Paul”
Would I call AJP envious? Not necessarily. She was the former Undisputed Champion, she was the Test For The Best winner, and she was the one winning at life in general. She didn’t have any reason to envy my position in this business, but I certainly believed that she envied my character. My consistency of not letting the cares of this world change me.
My consistency of being loyal to my same circle of friends and not disposing of a Logan Alexander or a Terry Marvin because they no longer fit into my five year plan. But at the end of the day, she didn’t crave my character that much. If she could choose her accolades over a clear conscience, she would take the accolades in a heartbeat. She didn’t have any issues falling asleep at night and if she did, some melatonin would easily remedy that.
“As the passage goes on, the interesting thing is that Paul prayed to have this thorn removed but God didn’t remove it. Paul longed for relief but God allowed it to be there for his good. God supplied Paul with the grace to endure it. We always want the way out but rarely do we want to persevere through it. Whatever your thorn is this morning ladies and gentlemen, I can’t stand before you on this stage and lie on behalf of God by saying that the thorn will disappear after only one single prayer. His grace is sufficient for you and I. Please bow your heads with me in prayer,” Driscoll said as he bowed his head and closed his eyes.
I am very excited about the highly anticipated reunion of The Dying Breed inside of a wrestling ring for the very first time since APW closed its doors. Singles competition has been nice thus far here in PURE, and though wrestling solo is my roots and how I cut my teeth in this business, it’s always a great feeling to go out there with a person who is like your brother and do what you all do best. Forget like my brother, he is my brother. Only one year ago Hopkins and I teamed up as simply a trial run for a tournament in our former company. We had our own goals and our own aspirations even though we were close friends and knew that our paths would cross sooner or later. Ever since the day Juan Ramirez introduced us, the chemistry was evident and natural. Who would’ve known that things would have gone this far? Not only did we go on to win the entire tournament, but also what began as a trial run turned into two memorable title reigns that we will cherish forever.
People think that we were “feared” or “unstoppable,” but that wasn’t the case. We had our fair share of shortcomings like any other team, but the passion of The Dying Breed was and still is unmatchable. You can scour the entire PURE roster and you will not be able to find two other individuals like us. Nobody has the bond that we have and nobody understands the other like we do. AJP and Ash Scion as our opponents tomorrow night are about as polar opposite as you can get. They can’t tolerate each other and what I have learned about tag teaming so far is that you don’t have to be the better team, you just need the ability to click and if that is apparent you’re already steps ahead of the other team.
AJP is one of the best wrestlers of our time…
Bold statement, I know. But love her or hate her stinking guts because she makes you vomit or because she is the scum between your toes, it is the truth.
And her partner Ms. Ash Scion is good too, but that won’t automatically give them the win or the bodies in the grave that they are looking for. As cliché as this is, there is no “I” in team. AJP, you and Ash both want to be in charge, but a failure to play your roles will result in a humbling experience. I don’t want to reveal too many secrets that I will regret after tomorrow’s match, but tag teaming is all about knowing what role you play and playing that particular role well. We can’t all be quarterbacks even if we throw the ball far better than our partner in our own minds. That was the downfall of M&M. You wanted to be the end all be all of the team and that led to a crack in the foundation, a disconnection. Rasslemania IX was the end of M&M and not because Hopkins and I “destroyed” you guys, it was because of disunity.
The strength going into PURE TV is that Hopkins and I have never even had a hint of disunity mentioned among us. As long as we have known each other, we’ve never even had a single argument. It’s not because we’re trying to be the model team, it’s because there’s no need to when you’re already on the same page. Arguments or discontentment over a role will hinder a situation and kill it from the inside out rather quickly. That’s what you are up against Aubrey and Ash. Aubs, you know us and you know us well. I have lost count of the encounters between you and Dying Breed. The ratio may be skewed in your favor but whenever you are up against us in tag team competition, we have usually been the victors in the past. Christmas Chaos and Rasslemania were our two biggest confrontations to date and in this context, we have always come out on top.
And this was when you were teaming with a man you’ve known for years. This is when you were paired up with a man who you were closer with than Trey and even then you were unable to stop The Dying Breed from winning the APW Tag Titles. What will be the case when you are teaming with a woman whom you are not fond of at all? A woman who is the tatted up and more rebellious version of you? The reason you two probably don’t get along is because you are so much alike. It’s never easy to co-exist with your spitting image so the tension makes sense. The fact of not being on the same page is a no brainer. You both want to be queen of the jungle but if you are at the top of the food chain hunting, who will be the prey?
If the hierarchy of the food chain is thrown off course because the “queens” can’t get their act together, they will eventually die off due to starvation. And when that happens, a new leader will arise and if this were up to us, this will commence at the earliest convenience…say tomorrow for instance. AJP and Ash Scion are leaders in their own right. They have declared themselves the cornerstones of PURE and I guess in the postmodern society that we live in, anything we proclaim stands as truth. If that’s the circumstance, then I’m the heir to Bill Gates’ fortune…
Disclaimer: Dear IRS, the previous statement was only a humorous escapade. Please do not come and seize any of my assets thinking that I will one day be worth $72 Billion.
AJP, the debate of who’s better between us still stands because there has never been a clear cut dominance by either parties. Wins? Sure but you have never manhandled or humiliated me in the ring and I have never done the same to you either. So the debate is ever before us because we still don’t really know who's better. That debate was true with M&M as well. Our win loss record against each other is pretty evenly matched and that’s why people feel the need to make their own conjectures. But tomorrow, the discussion won’t be settled because the odds are against you. Now bring back Logan Alexander and then we’d have something to really talk about…
History and experience are on the side of The Dying Breed. We genuinely enjoy each other’s company while AJP and Scion can’t even stand the smell of the other’s perfume. That itself should inform you who will leave the Key Arena with hands held high. Hopkins and I have always been about humble confidence…it’s who we are. And who am I truly you might ask? That's simple...I am Anthony Bailey…PURE’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until the next edition of PURE TV…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
Believe it or not, what excited me most about my part time move to The Emerald City wasn’t to witness the native land of America’s favorite coffee, Starbucks. It wasn’t even the possibility of increased chances of randomly running into Macklemore and Ryan Lewis somewhere downtown. The thing that excited me most about Seattle was the likelihood in the strengthening of my faith. My life pre college was so Christianized that I still dispute my mother’s account to this very day that I was born in the row of a church pew rather than Tampa General Hospital. Other than my birth certificate and her claim, along with my family as witnesses, to totally dismantle my speculation, I still thought that I was onto something and wasn’t too far off. Growing up, I cannot remember a time when I was not in church. But college came and my move to St. Augustine allowed me to spread my wings.
As the only child with no siblings, I was spoiled rotten. My mother waited on me hand and foot for anything I had ever desired. So the lust for my own man cave was like Heaven on earth. But not just any man cave, a man cave that was over a three hour drive away from home. The bills and maintenance costs? Ehh, not so much. But it seems as if Heaven was left behind because for whatever reason, my faith didn’t follow me to St. Augustine. Memorial Presbyterian Church, the church near my college campus that I attended whenever I wasn’t on the road traveling with APW, was a good church and all but it was a tad too traditional for my taste. If the organ and stained glass windows weren’t enough, I felt like an outsider because I would show up in jeans and sneakers rather than a suit. I knew how to “dress” for the occasion, especially with my internship at the marketing firm because they required you to spiff up your wardrobe, but I never liked dressing up if I didn’t have to and Memorial made me feel like I had to.
But Seattle meant one thing…Mars Hill Church. Sure the name made it sound like a cult or something, but Pastor Mark Driscoll was the pastor everyone wanted as his or her own. He socially drank beer and was known to use foul language behind closed doors. Some might find those characteristics odd for a pastor to have but I didn’t at all. Driscoll came across as authentic and that’s what I needed in my life. Life wasn’t always so clean cut and being in a new city working for a new company was already hard enough. Why not pursue some spiritual guidance? I didn’t have the time nor did I relish the exertion to hide my struggles behind the mask of “My life is pristine and perfect.” We’re all human, even me…even Anthony Reese Bailey.
---------------
“Good morning Mars Hill!” said Driscoll with his booming raspy voice.
“Good morning!” responded the sporadic voices throughout the congregation.
“We’ll be diving straight into the text so if you have your Bibles, please turn with me to 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verse 7.”
{{A multitude of Bibles open up and the noise of turning pages begin to fill the sanctuary.}}
Neither Hopkins nor I had physical Bibles with us, but in the age of the smartphone you were still safe with a reliable Bible app.
“When you have it say amen.”
{{The majority of the congregation utters “Amen.”}}
This was probably the wrong time to start humming the lyrics to Meek Mill’s song “Amen” under my breath. The song was extremely sacrilegious but it was sort of catchy and the church saying the word made me think about it. Hopkins must’ve heard me because he laughed and mouthed “You’re going to Hell, Ant” to me.
“It is the Apostle Paul writing this to the church at Corinth and it says, ‘So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ Since the context of what’s being said is key, let me back track a little bit.”
{{Driscoll clears his throat before continuing.}}
“The Apostle had undergone a season of suffering and spiritual oppression and various scholars have alluded to what it may have been. Some think it was malaria, which caused his eyesight to be poor, and others say that it could have been a speech impediment to hinder his preaching. But the interesting thing is not what the ailment actually was; the interesting thing was why Paul even had it in the first place. God sent Paul this ‘thorn’ in his flesh to keep him humble via a demonic spirit. The assault on Paul was painful but it had purpose. The same can go for us in the present day or for those who believe that the Bible is irrelevant. I believe that the attack on the human mind is probably one of the most difficult forms of suffering possible. Some of you present this morning are battling thoughts as I speak. Battling evil thoughts, thoughts of depression, thoughts of not being worthy, and these thoughts come bombarding you straight from the pits of Hell,” wailed Driscoll.
Did Driscoll have a mind reader or something?? I felt like he was speaking directly to me! Hopkins was tuned into the preaching because Driscoll was a great orator, but his words took me elsewhere. I had yet to be diagnosed with A.D.D., so that also could be the issue but I don’t believe that it was. The evil thoughts that I was presently warring against were the potential outcomes at tomorrow night’s PURE TV. Ash Scion? I wasn’t too worried about her. AJP? Totally different story. SHE was the thorn in my own flesh! I’m no apostle but I can definitely relate.
No matter what I did, no matter what I said, no matter how hard I trained; she always seemed to outsmart me inside of the ring. And if the defeats weren’t enough, the taunts were worse. Sending me painkillers and chocolate after trying to Derrick Rose me only a few minutes prior was a nuisance. I simply did not get her or her motives. She was a mastermind and she knew it, which is why she constantly used it to her advantage.
“I believe that Satan bombarded Paul each and every day mentally reminding him of every Christian he murdered prior to his conversion. Just like he does with you and I. Murder may not be our hang up, but if it is please let us know so we can alert the authorities immediately.”
{{Some giggling is heard and even with Driscoll’s smirk, you can tell that he was being serious.}}
“But your hang up could be your past or being raised in a broken home. Bringing up past failures and past things that are in your life is the enemy’s main tactic. He will bring thoughts into your mind and try to tell you that you are as evil as the thoughts he just planted in your head. In this moment Satan was probably blinded with envy while Paul was receiving everything that he lost. Satan could not conceive how a lesser being than he was had a clear conscience and peace in his soul even though he was responsible for the murder of dozens of men, women, and children. Satan envied Paul”
Would I call AJP envious? Not necessarily. She was the former Undisputed Champion, she was the Test For The Best winner, and she was the one winning at life in general. She didn’t have any reason to envy my position in this business, but I certainly believed that she envied my character. My consistency of not letting the cares of this world change me.
My consistency of being loyal to my same circle of friends and not disposing of a Logan Alexander or a Terry Marvin because they no longer fit into my five year plan. But at the end of the day, she didn’t crave my character that much. If she could choose her accolades over a clear conscience, she would take the accolades in a heartbeat. She didn’t have any issues falling asleep at night and if she did, some melatonin would easily remedy that.
“As the passage goes on, the interesting thing is that Paul prayed to have this thorn removed but God didn’t remove it. Paul longed for relief but God allowed it to be there for his good. God supplied Paul with the grace to endure it. We always want the way out but rarely do we want to persevere through it. Whatever your thorn is this morning ladies and gentlemen, I can’t stand before you on this stage and lie on behalf of God by saying that the thorn will disappear after only one single prayer. His grace is sufficient for you and I. Please bow your heads with me in prayer,” Driscoll said as he bowed his head and closed his eyes.
---------------
I am very excited about the highly anticipated reunion of The Dying Breed inside of a wrestling ring for the very first time since APW closed its doors. Singles competition has been nice thus far here in PURE, and though wrestling solo is my roots and how I cut my teeth in this business, it’s always a great feeling to go out there with a person who is like your brother and do what you all do best. Forget like my brother, he is my brother. Only one year ago Hopkins and I teamed up as simply a trial run for a tournament in our former company. We had our own goals and our own aspirations even though we were close friends and knew that our paths would cross sooner or later. Ever since the day Juan Ramirez introduced us, the chemistry was evident and natural. Who would’ve known that things would have gone this far? Not only did we go on to win the entire tournament, but also what began as a trial run turned into two memorable title reigns that we will cherish forever.
People think that we were “feared” or “unstoppable,” but that wasn’t the case. We had our fair share of shortcomings like any other team, but the passion of The Dying Breed was and still is unmatchable. You can scour the entire PURE roster and you will not be able to find two other individuals like us. Nobody has the bond that we have and nobody understands the other like we do. AJP and Ash Scion as our opponents tomorrow night are about as polar opposite as you can get. They can’t tolerate each other and what I have learned about tag teaming so far is that you don’t have to be the better team, you just need the ability to click and if that is apparent you’re already steps ahead of the other team.
AJP is one of the best wrestlers of our time…
Bold statement, I know. But love her or hate her stinking guts because she makes you vomit or because she is the scum between your toes, it is the truth.
And her partner Ms. Ash Scion is good too, but that won’t automatically give them the win or the bodies in the grave that they are looking for. As cliché as this is, there is no “I” in team. AJP, you and Ash both want to be in charge, but a failure to play your roles will result in a humbling experience. I don’t want to reveal too many secrets that I will regret after tomorrow’s match, but tag teaming is all about knowing what role you play and playing that particular role well. We can’t all be quarterbacks even if we throw the ball far better than our partner in our own minds. That was the downfall of M&M. You wanted to be the end all be all of the team and that led to a crack in the foundation, a disconnection. Rasslemania IX was the end of M&M and not because Hopkins and I “destroyed” you guys, it was because of disunity.
The strength going into PURE TV is that Hopkins and I have never even had a hint of disunity mentioned among us. As long as we have known each other, we’ve never even had a single argument. It’s not because we’re trying to be the model team, it’s because there’s no need to when you’re already on the same page. Arguments or discontentment over a role will hinder a situation and kill it from the inside out rather quickly. That’s what you are up against Aubrey and Ash. Aubs, you know us and you know us well. I have lost count of the encounters between you and Dying Breed. The ratio may be skewed in your favor but whenever you are up against us in tag team competition, we have usually been the victors in the past. Christmas Chaos and Rasslemania were our two biggest confrontations to date and in this context, we have always come out on top.
And this was when you were teaming with a man you’ve known for years. This is when you were paired up with a man who you were closer with than Trey and even then you were unable to stop The Dying Breed from winning the APW Tag Titles. What will be the case when you are teaming with a woman whom you are not fond of at all? A woman who is the tatted up and more rebellious version of you? The reason you two probably don’t get along is because you are so much alike. It’s never easy to co-exist with your spitting image so the tension makes sense. The fact of not being on the same page is a no brainer. You both want to be queen of the jungle but if you are at the top of the food chain hunting, who will be the prey?
If the hierarchy of the food chain is thrown off course because the “queens” can’t get their act together, they will eventually die off due to starvation. And when that happens, a new leader will arise and if this were up to us, this will commence at the earliest convenience…say tomorrow for instance. AJP and Ash Scion are leaders in their own right. They have declared themselves the cornerstones of PURE and I guess in the postmodern society that we live in, anything we proclaim stands as truth. If that’s the circumstance, then I’m the heir to Bill Gates’ fortune…
Disclaimer: Dear IRS, the previous statement was only a humorous escapade. Please do not come and seize any of my assets thinking that I will one day be worth $72 Billion.
AJP, the debate of who’s better between us still stands because there has never been a clear cut dominance by either parties. Wins? Sure but you have never manhandled or humiliated me in the ring and I have never done the same to you either. So the debate is ever before us because we still don’t really know who's better. That debate was true with M&M as well. Our win loss record against each other is pretty evenly matched and that’s why people feel the need to make their own conjectures. But tomorrow, the discussion won’t be settled because the odds are against you. Now bring back Logan Alexander and then we’d have something to really talk about…
History and experience are on the side of The Dying Breed. We genuinely enjoy each other’s company while AJP and Scion can’t even stand the smell of the other’s perfume. That itself should inform you who will leave the Key Arena with hands held high. Hopkins and I have always been about humble confidence…it’s who we are. And who am I truly you might ask? That's simple...I am Anthony Bailey…PURE’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until the next edition of PURE TV…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
