Booty, God, booty.

Booty, God Booty.

One of the things I like about living in Atlanta is that I’m surrounded by a strong African American population. Although my hometown outside of Boston was diverse, the cultural experience was very different. For instance, in my area of Massachusetts we didn’t have “urban radio.” That is, there weren’t whole radio stations with formats dedicated to African American listeners. But in Atlanta there are a couple stations like that and my favorite is V103, the “People’s Station.”

The best part of V103 is their morning show. Everyday when I’m driving to work they do what they call an “Inspirational Vitamin.” They read a Bible verse, play a gospel song or a clip by a charismatic minister from Atlanta. I honestly find it to be an uplifting experience overall. The thing I find most interesting however is how they wedge the Inspirational Vitamin into their normal programming. What often happens is that right before they transition to the spiritual segment of the show they play some sort of booty song. Let’s say, “I’m in love wit a stripper.” Then they do the Bible verse and then they go back to booty music when it’s over. The essentially bookend the Inspirational Vitamin with booty, following a fairly simple formula – Booty, God, Booty.

It’s easy to laugh at how insincere that Inspirational Vitamin seems when it’s sandwiched between hardcore rap songs, but to do so misses the bigger point – maybe I live my life that way. Maybe God is listening to the broadcast of my day and this is what he hears:

Quiet time in the morning. Read the Bible, prayer, give thanks.
Go into work and act completely different and disconnected from God.
Come home. Spend time with wife. Read the Bible, pray.

Chances are, that to many outside listeners, the format of my life is just as out of synch as the people station’s booty, God, booty. It might not be as graphic or as neon, but the juxtaposition between who I am when I’m in God mode and who I am when I’m in work mode is pretty substantial.

I know you’ve probably heard this a million times before, but next time you transition between two parts of your day, think to yourself, “Did I just go booty, God, booty?”

If nothing else, it’s a fun phrase to say.