Good
Tuesday to ya friend and welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes. The place
where time keeps on slippin' into the future and God's love endures
forever. We have a lot to do today together so.....
Perhaps
you have heard an older person reflect, "things just seemed simpler
back then....". Maybe you have had similar thoughts recently. While
many things have transitioned into the complicated, (a fine example is
the 3 ring circus in Washington, D.C. these days.....all are equally
responsible, Democrats, Republicans, and the President and should be
held accountable), there are many ways in which the day we live is
simpler than the way our ancestors lived. Let's face it, with regards
to communication....we are living in the age of Star Trek today. We
don't have to gingerly pick up our rotary dial telephone and listen
carefully to see if someone is already using our party line. That's
progress into simplicity. Hooray!!! However, when it comes to
interpersonal relationships, pride and selfishness have never seemed to
go out of style (again, refer to Washington, D.C.). While we struggle
to get along, some times we must conclude that the best thing for both
parties in particular personal relationships is for them to go their
separate ways....
If
you listen to critics, Journey's "Separate Ways (World's Apart)" video
is the worst video of all time. The Notes tends to disagree with most
critical assessments propagated by "popular" writers of movie, book, and
music reviews and disagrees in the critique of the above video. Let's
face it, however, when it comes to Journey, the discussion should always
be about the music.
Neal
Schon continues to be known as one of the top rock guitarists on the
planet. In 1973, he and Gregg Rolie had just left Santana. They found
themselves partnering with Ross Valory and George Tickner of the band
Frumious Bandersnatch, (a character from Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky
poem) to form the band that would eventually become Journey. Flash
forward to 2013 and you find Neal Schon still leading the band as they
continue to produce records and tour.
The
most successful incarnation of Journey would come in the 80's as they
would release album after album of top 40 hits. While Journey had 5 top
10 albums on Billboard's album charts, (the latest would be in 2008 with
Revelation), they never reached #1 with a single. "Open Arms" from 1981's, Escape, would go as high as #2 and stay there for 6 weeks. Escape would pave the way for 1983's Frontiers album which would peak at #2 on the album chart and feature a song that would become a staple in roller rinks across the nation.
"Separate
Ways (World's Apart)" tells the story of an amicable break up between
two folks who can't seem to come together about the direction of their
relationship. It features the most popular configuration of Journey
with Neal Schon on lead guitar, Steve Perry on lead vocals, Steve Smith
on drums, Ross Valory on bass, and Jonathan Cain on keyboards. This
would be the makeup of Journey during its peak.
Journey
is a band that you rarely hear about its members fighting. There are
20 musicians, however, who have toured or recorded with Neal Schon and
company. This causes one to wonder why they may have gone
their.....wait for it.....separate ways. The answer is simple, it is who
we are as humans in a fallen world. Even Bible patriarchs weren't
professionals when it came to relationships with other folks.
The Bible tells us that due to Cain's pride, he murdered his brother and had to leave the Presence of the Lord (Genesis 4) Abram and his nephew Lot had to separate due to the overcrowding of the fields and the infighting of their servants. (Genesis 13).
Acts 15 tells of the conversations and debates that occurred in the
early church. Yep, even Peter and the gang argued at business
meetings. The chapter ends with Paul, the great missionary and
Barnabas, the great encourager, separating due to their disagreement
regarding John Mark. (Acts 15)
Is this they way God wants us to be? I really doubt it, but again in a
fallen world, where perfection has been eliminated, (the exception
being Jesus), we have to do the very best that we can to swallow our
pride and shackle our selfishness so that our interpersonal
relationships are fluid and fruitful. There will be times when the best
thing to do would be to agree that you disagree and separate.
Otherwise both parties will succumb to a relationship that is toxic and
destructive. This is never God's plan.
I
recently read an article by Glen Packiam who is the lead pastor of New
Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was talking about the
history of worship with specific regards to the Jesus Movement of the
late '60s and early 70's. He used a phrase to describe our challenge as
Christ followers today that stuck with me. Packiam related that our
task as believers is to "unmistakeably reveal Jesus" to everyone in
which we come in contact. Pride, jealousy, and selfishness would never
be a consideration if our lives reflected this attitude. I confess, I
haven't lived my life in this manner. Perhaps you can say the same.
There are people who I have encountered that I have no relationship with
now, because I haven't lived a life in this fashion. Maybe you have
too....perhaps you were just reminded of that person. The relationship
may never be restored, however, it is incumbent upon us to forgive and
pray for that person. We may continue going our separate ways, but
through forgiveness and intense prayer for that person, we can break
those chains that bind you......
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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