Welcome to Tuesday and this week's Musical Notes!!!
Rules of Civility #22 - "Shew not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were your enemy."
I didn't remember a dance called "The Pretzel"..........
It's the best day of the week, because most new "stuff" in the entertainment world is released on Tuesdays!!!! What a great day....I wish we had a Pretzelmaker around these parts.....but I digress...
Today's edition of Tuesday's Musical Note's features a song with one of popular music's most interesting titles..."Pretzel Logic" the title track from the 1974 album by the band Steely Dan. The single would peak at #57, while the album would go as high as #8 on the strength of the #4 hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". "Pretzel Logic" featured studio musicians who would later be parts of 2 iconic rock-n-roll bands from the 70's and 80's (Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Michael McDonald from The Doobie Brothers, Jeff Porcaro and David Paich from Toto, ). On February 20, 2014, "Pretzel Logic" will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release. Here is Steely Dan:
Steely Dan - "Pretzel Logic"
The album would also include a "session" piano player, Michael Omartian, who would subsequentially become the only record producer to score #1 records in 3 decades ('70s, '80s, '90s). Omartian, who is a devout Christian, would record and produce his own successful albums as well as partner with his wife, author of over 50 Christian themed books Stormie Omartian, in many Christian recording and publishing projects.
Most people are familiar with the snack food, the pretzel. Believe it or not, legend has it that the pretzel was invented by monks. That's right! The pretzel has a Christian origin story!!! Some of these stories tell of monks using the baked flour and water combination as treats to encourage children to memorize scripture, others have the pretzel as a substitute for communion bread. An alternate story details that early Catholics used the pretzel as a bread substitute during the observance of Lent, the season around Easter when Catholics are restricted from eating eggs, lard and dairy products. Regardless of its origins, the pretzel is now a favorite snack food around the world.
Dictionary.com defines logic as "a particular method of reasoning or argumentation". For a word on logic, let's check in with an authority:
It Is Logical
The song "Pretzel Logic" brings together two words in an ironic way. They infer a reasoning that is twisted, not straightforward. It is a perfect analogy for the culture of the United States in 2013. The recent Supreme Court decision regarding the Defense Of Marriage Act, was a slap in the face of culture warriors. It paved the way for a change to our culture that is dramatic. History has shown when a culture makes normal those things that God detests that it is the swan's song for the culture's existence. The Bible says of the culture during the time of Noah:
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
You may remember how that turned out....if not,You can read about it here:
Noah and the great flood
We live in a similar time. While I am saddened by this for the United States, it has caused me to pause and think about what exactly I am supposed to be doing as a Christian. Am I to be spending resources (time, money, and energy) on fighting against the evil in the land or am I to be doing everything I can to make disciples and love others before I love myself. Please DO NOT misunderstand what I am saying. I do not support the sin that causes a judiciary to go against the laws of God's nature or the majority of Americans. I do not, however find scripture to support our Master wasting time on fighting sin. He served sinners. He healed sinners. He spent time with sinners. He LOVED sinners. He allowed the politics of the time to take care of itself while he focused on the truly important.....people who were going to hell unless He began a relationship with them. One perfect example is the disciple Matthew. Read the story of his call and relationship with Jesus here:
Matthew, the tax collector
Matthew worked for the IRS of his time...(let that sink in for a minute). The story of Matthew reminds me of the culture in which we live. There are those who are "politically" minded, who wish to see their ideology (religious and nonreligious) propagate the laws of the land. Jesus did not come for a political revolution. He came so that He could restore the relationship between the creation and the creator. Did Jesus hang out with good people as well? Yep, the disciples were with Him in a very intense "disciple making boot camp" for 3 years. He poured Himself into them for that period of time and expected them to do the same with others after He was gone. From The Message paraphrase:
"Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." - Matthew 28: 18-20.
So you see friend, today, this very hour, God is in control of everything. He has made a way to restore His relationship with us through Jesus, His Son. He promises us victory:
Romans 8:37-39
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that not even death or life,
angels or rulers,
things present or things to come, hostile powers,
39 height or depth, or any other created thing
will have the power to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
He wants us to be about training everyone we meet in this way of life. Let us be the generation who gets past politics and religion and gets to relationships and righteousness....Let's not be Christians who employ a Pretzel Logic when it comes to our relationship with God and others...If we love people and make disciples we won't be the generation who mourns....
"Those days are gone forever, over a long time ago....."
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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