Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Wasted On The Way" (Crosby, Stills, & Nash)

Hey Howdy Ho!!!!  It's back to school we go!!  Welcome to the Tuesday after school starts....at least in our parts...  Don't worry, the notes have not gone Suessical, but they will remain musical....sorry, couldn't resist.  Welcome to ponderings and musings about all things cultural, spiritual, and again, musical.  Well, maybe not ALL things, but at least a few.  Time for Tuesday's Musical Notes!  Buckle up, could be a bumpy ride today.....

Music oftentimes reflects the culture or the times in which it exists.  There is no better example of this than the music of the late '60s and early '70s.  This was a time of intense transformation for our country.  Some of the changes were good, while others, well, not so much.  Considerable time during this period was devoted to debating America's role in the Vietnam war.  Protest songs became increasingly popular as the trial of the Chicago 7 and the shooting of students in Ohio, highlighted the evening news.  Needless to say, the times they were a changin'.  Musical groups that were formed in the early '60s began to represent the restlessness of the culture and began splitting apart as well.  Popular groups like The Byrds (Turn, Turn, Turn), and Buffalo Springfield (For What It's Worth), reflected the "disagreement" environment that was so prevalent at the turn of the decade and disbanded after achieving success.  With the breakup of these two bands came the formation of a group that continues to profitably tour today.  Their success equals their inability to get along, but somehow Crosby, Stills, and Nash have survived. Each member of the band have been inducted into the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame...twice and for over four decades, their harmonies and the occasional addition of Neil Young have garnered recognition and homage from fans.  

From 1982's Daylight Again, here's Crosby, Stills, and Nash:

Crosby, Stills, and Nash - Wasted On The Way


     Would you agree that time is a valuable commodity?  There never seems to be enough of it to get things done or spend with people in which you desire relationship.  But so many times, it gets "Wasted on the way".  The priorities that we set with our time reflects our character, as well as who and whose we are.  Does the way you spend your time reflect the transformation that you have in Jesus?

     Recently a conversation has begun through the mediums of blogs and articles  regarding the "praying of a prayer of salvation" when someone becomes a child of the King.  This symbol has become to many the indicator that they have a relationship with the God of all creation through His Son, Jesus.  The blogs and articles that have recently been published have called into question this "process" that has been a part of American Evangelical tradition for years.  While we are to never judge one's salvation experience, we must be careful to not overly simplify this eternity defining transformational process.  In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see the calling of Jesus disciples.  Never is a prayer of salvation recorded for these men to be considered saved.  But, each of these men, as well as countless others, encountered the transformational power of Jesus.  On the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus encountered the transformational Jesus.  The next thing we hear is that Saul, the great persecutor of the church, was boldly declaring that Jesus was the Son of God!  Again, we are not told of a "prayer of salvation".

Saul's Road To Damascus Transformational Encounter


     Let's be very clear about this.  We are not questioning any person's salvation experience.  Salvation occurs when a sinful person encounters a Holy Jesus and their life is transformed. They then daily allow Jesus to continue the transformational process with the goal of the saved person becoming more like Jesus than they were the day before.  We must question, why so many people who have "prayed the prayer", don't follow that up with creating disciples or being discipled?  In Matthew 28, Jesus makes it pretty clear what we are to be about doing after our lives have been transformed by Him:
Matthew 28:18-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you  always, to the very end of the age.”

     With the exception of John, these same disciples were no where to be found at the crucifixion of Jesus.  Their physical daily walk with Him for three years did not compare to the Spiritual walk in which they were about the embark.

     At the age of 10, I encountered the transformational Jesus.  I did pray and ask Him to be the leader of my life.  More importantly, I can see the change in my life that occurred after that encounter. In CSN vernacular it is "running rings around the way it used to be."  I would love to share that with you some time if you would allow me the opportunity.  Please understand that I have also been as the disciples, AWOL when I should have been at Jesus side.  Those times are tough.  Our challenge is to reduce the amount of time we spend away from Jesus so we can get back to being His apprentice and living a life that causes others to want to be His apprentices.  

     Have you met Jesus?  If so, what have you done with your time and your life since you encountered His transformational power?....or what have you done with your time and your life since you "asked Jesus to come into your heart"?  Are you being changed to be more like Him every day?  Have you discipled others?  Are you being discipled?....."so much time to make up every where you turn, time we have wasted on the way....."

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by loving you,

Randy