Tuesday's Musical Notes - "One Thing Leads To Another" (the FIXX)

"Creativity is a highfalutin word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday."
Ray Kroc - Founder of McDonalds

"It's time....it's time.....did you just say it's time......" that's a silly song for another day, but for now it's time to be creative.....please forgive the reprint from a Trinity newsletter.....it was time for vacation......

Where were you 29 years ago?  Think about that for just a minute.   The year was 1983.  Where were you?  Were you in college?.....were you even born?......or perhaps you were well on your way to making a life and living for your family.  Wherever you were, there is one thing that is for sure.  Time continued to pass.  You made decisions then just as you make decisions now.  Some of those decisions had lifelong ramifications and some were over and done with 29 years ago. 

If you were listening to top 40 radio in 1983, you probably heard a song by the band The Fixx called “One Thing Leads To Another”.  This is a song that is confusing at first, until you realize that confusion is what the song is about.  Just how long is that tunnel....?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1uyvu_fixx-one-thing-leads-to-another_music

Life with its intricacies can be confusing.  However, with the proper communication tools, it doesn’t have to be.  Prayer is one of the most important of those tools. 

Matthew 6:14 – The Message  "In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.”

This passage in Matthew speaks to prayer being an active thing.  Too many times we want to make it passive in the instance that we pray and God works.  Is the action of prayer our only part?  It is absolutely not.  Jesus is saying here that we must be active while God works.  If we pray for righteousness for our nation, we should be righteous.  If we pray for forgiveness for our daily sins, we should forgive daily.  We shouldn't be righteous just because that happens to be what we are praying for at the moment.  We should strive to be righteous always. 

Prayer is communication with God.  It leads to other things.  When we communicate, we better understand what God's will for our lives may be.   How hard is it to communicate in a room full of people when you are trying to address only one?  It is very distracting to both of you and only part of your message may be getting through.  Earlier in chapter 6 of Matthew, Jesus explained the easiest way to have good communication with the Father, again from the Message paraphrase:

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.”

As you sense His grace, you will follow His direction and the Spirit will lead your prayer focus.  For one thing to lead to another, you have to communicate.  Find a quiet place, communicate effectively, and gather the entire message.  Once you have the entire message, you will see your prayer life transformed into a tool that you and God can use through the Holy Spirit to make decisions that impact your life and the lives of those around you.  

'Til a nonVacation Tuesday

Loving  HIM by loving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "No Reply At All" (Genesis)

In the beginning, God...   It's a good thing He didn't rest on Tuesday!!!!!!  Neither do we!  Time for the Notes!!!

Have you ever been in one of those gut-wrenching situations where it seems that the only thing you can do is pray?  Perhaps you have had a friend or loved one that is seriously ill or rejects the truth on which they were raised.   Your concern causes you to start getting callouses on your knees from time spent on them in prayer begging for a resolution to the situation.  What do you do when you keep seeking a response from God and there appears to be "No Reply At All"?

The Notes admits to a positive bias when it comes to the British band that has the same name as the first book of the Bible.  Their music has always been unique, and in the early days, extremely theatrical.  Since 1967, Genesis has been entertaining a large contingency of fans with that combination of theatrics and musicality.  In recent years, they have had one of the most successful reunion tours of what seems to be a growing group of aging rock bands.  The height of Genesis' success came in the '80s when in a 10-year span they saw 4 studio and 1 live album go top 10. 

The beginning of this decade of success came with 1981's Abacab, where 3 of the songs went into the top 40.  Reaching as high as #29 on the U.S. charts was "No Reply At All", a song about miscommunication in relationships.  With backup from Earth, Wind, and Fire's horn section, here is "No Reply At All".......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI0fk_gCdzE

Has there ever been a time when you thought God wasn't listening to you?  Did you desire a 1-on-1 with Him?  The Bible portrays the variety with which God speaks with man.  His conduits of communication included angelic messengers, prophets and priests, and even a donkey.  God speaks directly to mankind in the Bible as well and while in the long term, God's message was always beneficial to someone, in the short term it wasn't usually what we consider good for the person to which God was speaking.  Moses gained the responsibility of an entire nation,  Joshua was given the commission to conquer existing nations,  Hosea was told to marry a prostitute, and Isaiah was told to go naked for 3 years.  Given these examples, it is plain to see that speaking to God directly will have its consequences.  Does this mean we shouldn't seek God?

Just as God used a variety of ways to speak to His children in the Bible, so He does today.  We have to be aware of the particular ways that God articulates himself.   That kind word from a stranger, a song on the radio at just the right time, an "I'm thinking of you", text or email from a friend, can all be ways that God communicates with us and ways He can use us to communicate with others if we will listen. Jesus is the example of how our correspondence with God is a two-way street.  He tells us our responsibilities with regard to relationship building with God.  In Matthew 6, the instructions and motivations are laid out plainly.  Take a minute and read The Message paraphrase of that chapter here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206&version=MSG

As Jesus concludes this instructional time with His disciples, notice the promise that He provides:

³⁴"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.  (The Message)

This is a great passage of comfort for those times of struggle, but we have a responsibility to talk to God in the good times as well.  We also have a responsibility to listen.  If you get a chance, read the lyrics to "No Reply At All".  And think about God being the one saying them to His church.  You can find them here:

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/g/genesis/no_reply_at_all.html

Sadly, this seems to be the one-ended conversation that God is having with His church at times.  One of the reasons God sent the Holy Spirit for us is to be an aqueduct of communication to and from God.  Unfortunately in too many churches and denominations the power of Holy Spirit is rarely used if even acknowledged.  Perhaps if we did visit with God through the Holy Spirit more during the good times, there wouldn't be as many times where we said....."Is anybody listenin'.....oh oh oh .....No Reply At All"

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by loving you,
Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "More Than Words" (Extreme)

 

It's Tuesday !!!  Time for another edition of The Musical Notes!!  Are you excited?......

Many popular music bands have become household names.  Popular groups like Chicago, Journey, Bill Haley & The Comets, Johnny Cash, and Elton John immediately cause you to think of your favorite song by that group.

But for every icon in music, there are literally thousands of bands who never made the cut for radio station playlists. For every Electric Light Orchestra, there is a Diesel.  For every Genesis, there is a Brand X (Phil Collins played in both bands).  You probably have a favorite musical group that no one has heard of but you and your immediate friends.  Hopefully, you don't take your love of that "never was" group to the Extreme.

Let's face it, if you have listened to music of any kind, you more than likely have heard a ballad that your initial impressions were "Wow!  What a great song!"  After the song hits #1, you then realize that due to overexposure, your "great song" has now become a little cheesy.  In fact, parodies of the song begin to get as much airplay as the original and you join the ranks of those who describe the former #1 as a "used to be" favorite.  Such is the case for the group Extreme.  They had one #1 hit with "More Than Words".  It is a song that lyrically makes a lot of sense by telling listeners that the phrase "I Love You" is hollow unless you have the actions to back up what you are saying. From 1991, here is Extreme with "More Than Words"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrIiLvg58SY

Believe it or not, Extreme has 6 albums to their credit.  The band decided to take a hiatus in 1996 and the lead singer, Gary Cherone, joined Van Halen for Van Halen III. The Roman numeral designation would not be indicative of Van Halen's  3rd album, but their 3rd lead singer.  This collaboration would last 1 album and 3 years.  Dubbed "Van Extreme" by fans, Cherone, would be amicably discharged due to poor album sales and lack of attendance at concerts.

Extreme got back together in 2004 and continue to tour with the song "More Than Words" as a staple in every concert.  Their latest album 2010's Take Us Alive, is a live concert album dedicated to the "club" fans who have continued to follow Extreme. Due to the influence Extreme's music has had on their lives, these fans have shown how they feel by the way they act and their dedication. 


It has been said that you can tell the intellect of a person by the language they use. When your particular choice of words has been on the coarse side, you may have been told by parents to "talk like you have an education!".  Using education as a standard you would think that most television actors and even some political types have very little educational background.  Perhaps the words we use are more indicative of our character than our education.  The apostle Paul went so far as to say that we would put "filthy language" away from us when we became Christians.  This seems to indicate that as we continue to work out our salvation we will transition our vocabulary to primarily use the four-letter word LOVE.  In Colossians 3, Paul touches on the new life in Christ.  Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of this passage in The Message is exquisite:

Colossians 3

 He Is Your Life

^1-2 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.

 ^3-4Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

 ^5-8And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

 ^9-11Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

 ^12-14So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

 ^15-17Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

The Bible eludes to the fact that Paul was a passionate man.  His writings indicate his frustration with specific individuals and collective churches, yet he never lets loose with a profane tirade regarding his frustrations.  He has put those things behind him so he can strain toward the high calling of Christ.  Would that we would become as disciplined. 

Profanity is a habit.  One that the Bible speaks against consistently.  As we are challenged each day to become more like Christ, let our language reflect our new nature.  Allow God to direct the words that you use each day to actively demonstrate your dedication to Him.  By doing that people will see your life change as "More Than Words."

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by loving you,

Randy

   

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran/Alan Jackson)

It's Tuesday again....funny how that happens about every 7 days...

If you are in your 50's or 60's (getting younger to me every year), you probably have heard the name Eddie Cochran.  If not, read on.  Ok even if you've heard of Eddie Cochran.....please read on.

     The cartoon team of Hanna and Barbera will halt production of their famed Tom and Jerry this year. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Lc5EWQvYM

 
In the same year, the nuclear-powered USS Nautilus, named after Jules Verne's fictional submarine was the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.  The FAA is formed by President Dwight Eisenhower shortly before the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was born.  Have you figured out what year it is?  If you haven't The Notes sincerely regrets giving you, "The Summertime Blues"

In 1958 the tuition at Harvard was $1250 per year...not per semester PER YEAR.  Gas was just 24 cents per gallon and you could buy a 5-pound bag of Sunkist oranges for 49 cents.  I find it odd that our modern culture wants to broadcast the fact that we have it so much better than we did then.  I think many days I would give up my phone and computer...  I have heard the question even posed by several politicians, "Do you really want to go back to the way things were in the 50s?", like that would be a bad thing.  The above are some of the examples of why I don't think it would be too bad.  My dad would have been 16. 

 Perhaps you didn't realize that the song "Summertime Blues" was that old.  It just goes to show that a good song is worth covering every once in a while and each generation can enjoy their particular version.  Eddie Cochran hit #8 in August of 1958 with the original version.  In 1968, "Summertime Blues" was recorded by the psychedelic band The Blue Cheer and went as high as #14.  The 1970 version of Eddie Cochran's hit went to #27 as The Who included it on their Odds and Sods album.  Brian Setzer and Olivia Newton-John have both recorded "Summertime Blues" with no chart success.  But the highest-charting version of the song came from country artist Alan Jackson in 1994 and went all the way to #1 on the Country charts.  Let's compare notes:

Eddie Cochran:    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti38LFY7x1Y

Alan Jackson:     

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9x0wbKHos0&ob=av2e

Summertime is my least favorite time of the year.  I think you can find joy and beauty in each of God's seasons, but for me, it is a bit more difficult during the Summer.  Maybe I've just lived in the wrong parts of the country, but it is not difficult for me to get the "Summertime Blues" in the sweltering heat of an Arkansas Summer.  Do you ever get the blues during Summer?  Unless you battle against it, it is easy to allow the environment surrounding us to dictate our emotions in a negative way.    And it is the antithesis of what God wants us to have in this life.  Even at times of trials, the Bible tells us to have joy.
 
We've discussed the difference between the action of happiness and the emotion of joy in previous notes (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Don't Worry, Be Happy").  But how do we have joy in the hard times?  How do we have joy when the Summertime or anytime blues kicks in? How do we find joy when we have been momentarily defeated by the enemy? 

The New International Version and Holman Christian Standard Bible use the word "joy" 242 times.  The King James Version refers to "joy" 187 times.  This seems to be a word that is reinforced significantly in God's Word.  Sometimes it is utilized by God to tell us what we need to do to achieve joy, others describe how God's people act when they have joy on display.  Joy on display sometimes manifests itself in a noisy way.  Many times I have told people that I think heaven will be a somewhat noisy place.  Not the annoying kind of noise, but a noise that resonates with the thankfulness of God's people as they worship Him for eternity future.  In fact, Psalm 100 happens to be a pretty noisy chapter in God's book.  You can read it here: 

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+100&version=KJV

So as those who are being transformed daily into the likeness of Christ, the Bible tells us that we of all people are to be joyful.  According to James, it is a testimony to our faith and takes us down the pathway to being those unique and peculiar people to which the Bible speaks.  Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of James 1:2 says

" ^2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

Let this passage serve as a challenge to us today to become more joyful, to become more unique, to become more peculiar, to become more like Jesus, even in those times when we fight against "The Summertime Blues".

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by loving you,
Randy