Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Holding Out For A Hero" (Bonnie Tyler)

Happy Thanksgiving week!!!  Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  There are many things that represent this week to folks.  Family, football, food, free time, and the Friday after are all a part of what makes the latter portion of this week special to those of us in the United States of America.  We pay tribute to a group of Christians who traveled to the New World in search of a place they could worship God in the manner to which they felt led. The were escaping an overbearing "religious rule" mentality of the Church of England which prescribed every manner of worship that members were to observe.  Those traveling on the Mayflower were a group of people who sacrificed much, many even their lives, to establish villages and settlements that were dedicated to the triune God.  You might even say they were some early American Christian heroes.
 

Dictionary.com defines a hero as a person of distinguished courage and ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities.  In a world that seems fascinated by all things heroic, it would be appropriate to place a picture of the pilgrims and that first Thanksgiving as an example of this definition.  They chose to be full of courage and faith.  They faced insurmountable difficulties to achieve what they felt God had called them to do. Today we continue to reap the benefits of their heroism.  And they did all of this without the benefit of spandex, capes, or iron suits...

"Holding Out For A Hero" - Avengers reimagining 

In the world of popular music, heroism can be a relative term. To fans, an artist or act can be seen as a hero for charitable acts they perform or the complications they overcome in their "industry" life to achieve the height of stardom.  To the acts themselves, a hero may be the people "along the way" that have assisted in the achievement of the dream.  To record labels, a hero may be defined by the number of units an act sells, thus generating profitability for the label and the artist.  There is a select group of artists who would be deemed as heroes by the recording industry.  Those artists that have recorded music whose units have sold into the millions.  The following link details the best selling singles of all time which individually and collectively generated a great deal of profit.  "Best Selling Singles" - wikipedia.com

You may notice that there are only a handful of "repeat" artists on the list.  One of those is Bonnie Tyler. She sold over six million copies of "It's A Heartache" (1977) and "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" (1983).  She is currently working on her 17th album, a collaboration with Jim Steinman who wrote "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" as well as many of Meatloaf's hits. She is also the singer of our featured Song 'O The Day, here is Bonnie Tyler with her 1984 top 40 hit from the soundtrack of the movie Footloose...

"Holding Out For A Hero" - Bonnie Tyler from the 1984 soundtrack album Footloose and the 1986 album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire 

 

You need look only as far as this year's box office to see that we have a fascination with heroes. These heroes are a diverse lot.  A pale weakling can be transformed into a battle ready soldier with the help of a serum.  A mild mannered doctor can be transformed into a raging green destruction machine with the help of a little anger and the right dose of gamma radiation.  A tree life form from another planet can...well, will remain a tree life form from another planet until partnered with a mutated racoon and other interesting aliens to become a band of heroes saving the entire universe from destruction.  Not only do the box office smashes have heroes in common, come to find out they are all interconnected in some way or another.  Put them all together in the right sequence and you begin to see the overarching story line...or at least you see the dude who shows up in each film in a cameo role  "watching" all of it unfold.  It is fascinating to see how with each successive element of film, tv, and now streaming video, this world full of heroes saves the day.

This manner of telling stories through interconnectivity is not new.  The retelling of small stories as a compendium to a much larger tale has been going on for quite some time.  It begins with the beginning and ends with the end.  "In the beginning...Amen."  It is the tale of one hero, or more specifically a Savior.  This collection of stories has been around since a man named Moses first picked up his writing instruments and it continues until a man named John pens the last words.  This book is the Bible and in it you can find story after story of incredible feats of courage, sacrifice, and yes heroism.  Similar to the afore mentioned comic book universe, there is an overarching story that permeates every sinew of the smaller tomes that populate it.  To find the common thread, sometimes you really do have to study to show your self approved, (2 Samuel 14:14b - "But God would not take away a life; He would devise plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished."HCSB) and then other times it is right in your face (Luke 22:70 - "They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?"  He replied, "You are right in saying I am." NIV).

 

As you read the Bible, book by book, chapter, by chapter, and verse by verse, you see Jesus as the overarching theme.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God, He was with God in the beginning."  John 1:1-2 HCSB.  "He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.  Amen."  Revelation 22:20-21.  The imagery of Jesus is rich as you turn each page of the Bible.  Abraham being told to sacrifice Isaac, Israel's bondage and deliverance in Egypt, and the writings of the prophets that are only fulfilled through the life of Jesus, all fill the tapestry of the Bible with the colors of Jesus.  In the passage from 2 Samuel 14 above, we find King David being asked for the return of his banished son Absalom to Jerusalem.  Please take a moment to read the full story for context.  It is found in 2 Samuel (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+1&version=HCSB). As I was reading this story, this passage struck me hard as I could see the mirror image of what God must have in mind for us.  The plan in our situation is Jesus.  God has no intention of leaving us banished from the garden.  We must however, be willing to accept His plan for forgiveness and restoration.  Again, that plan is Jesus.  

During this season, let me encourage you to read the Bible.  It is filled with stories of heroic deeds that rival anything else you may read or watch.  You may soon discover interweaved between the stories of dysfunctional families, shepherds killing giants, and prophets calling down fire, a reoccurring theme that fills every page with the plan that speaks to the very spirit that is inside of you.  You may have a sense that somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me...that plan, that thread, that theme is Jesus.

'Til Tuesday

Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Life In One Day" (Howard Jones)

Yep!  It's that time again!  It's Tuesday!  The 3rd day of the week!  This Tuesday happens to be the 18th day of the month!  It's the 321st day of the year!!  Since we're here we may as well say it...Only 37 shopping days until Christmas...but let's not get in too big of a hurry...ONLY 10 MORE DAYS UNTIL THANKSGIVING... #respecttheturkey...Anyway, Welcome To Tuesday and the 18th Day of November edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! We have lots to do in our brief time together so let's get to it!  Welcome!

For some, counting the days down until a big event is an exciting way to remember a special time that is in the future.  These countdowns  remind us of the time constraints that we place on ourselves to accomplish tasks prior to a big event. Occasionally, countdowns are a way to stoke the fires of anticipation for the event itself.  Not surprisingly, there is even a countdown app available for most smart phones to help keep you reminded of the time you have left before the big day (Free Countdown app at iTunes).  With all the focus on the future, sometimes we tend to forget to enjoy the here and now...the future will take care of itself somehow...  With this hurry-up, instant gratification mentality permeating our culture, it is easy to see how some may attempt to live their life in one day...

(Please do not adjust your dial, the following video is supposed to appear to have glitches...kinda fun, huh?!)

"Life In One Day" - Howard Jones from the 1985 album Dream Into Action

Although he never dominated the charts, Howard Jones placed his unique stamp of uptempo, synthesizer driven, positive songs on the popular music scene of the 80's.  His debut album, 1984's Human's Lib, went to #1 on the UK charts (#59 in the US).  His followup, 1985's Dream Into Action, would soar to #10 on the US charts with support of 3 top 20 singles ("Things Can Only Get Better" US #5, "Look Mama", UK #10, and "Life In One Day", US #19).  Jones' most popular song would also come from this album.   "No One Ever Is To Blame" would reach the #4 spot in 1986, after having been rerecorded with drum work, backing vocals and production work by Phil Collins to make it more radio friendly.  It was also a feature song at Tuesday's Musical Notes (March 2011, the email version).   Look for the reimagination of that email in future "First Tuesday" blogs.

"Life In One Day" is one of those "ear candy" songs that is instantly recognized with its synth pop intro and 80's feel.  Lyrically it speaks to making the best of this very moment (which obviously you believe in doing by reading today's Notes...thank you very much).  Even in the 1980's it was easy to feel like our lives were being put into fast forward.  With the technological advancements we have seen in the last 30 years, (yep, next year this song will be 30 years old...) it would be easy to say that we are able to achieve much more in the 14-18 waking hours that we have in each day.  Unfortunately, we see an increasing push to advance that productivity even higher.  Please do not misunderstand.  Tuesday's Musical Notes understands the importance of productivity and by no means advocates laziness.  The Notes difficulty lies in the drive to overproduce that leads to neglected families and burnout.  How long has it been since you enjoyed a day where you  "didn't take life so seriously"... and maybe just read a book without the worry of "all the things I have to get done" running around in your head?  

This "filling up every minute with something" mentality goes against many of the precepts found in the Bible.  In fact, in the 2nd verse of Genesis 2, the Bible tells us that God "rested from all His work".  In fact, He found so much enjoyment in His resting that He "blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done." (Verse 3)  So if the creator AND sustainer of the universe took the time to relax and enjoy His productivity, logic would dictate that His creation would also need a day to rest, reflect, and respond to His glorious blessings.  

God also felt rest was important enough to include it in His Ten Commandments.  In Exodus 20, God gave Moses the laws by which the Israelite nation would be governed as they went to and eventually settled the promised land.  These commandments have been the guideposts for law and morality since they were etched into the stone on Mt. Sinai. They are standards by which much of mankind's governing rules have been based.  Unfortunately, the first section of the Commandments, those regarding man's relationship with God, have been cast aside for most of the world's population.   Only devout Jews and Christians hold to the commandments which focus on our relationship with God.

It is in the middle of these commands that we find God detailing a day of focus and reflection specifically on our relationship to Him.  Far too many times, we "speed our time away" by filling it with activities that do not cause us to pause and rest.  Anymore it seems that Sunday's are another day of work, sports activities, and church activities.  All of which have the potential to clutter the rest time that we physically and spiritually need.  The church is not immune to the busyness of our days.  We tend to try to compact as much as we can into our 2-3 hours together per week all the while our  "hereditary bone" is crying out for nothing more than time spent communicating with God.  

If we look at Jesus' ministry, we see that His season among man was certainly limited,  He still made time to refresh and reinvigorate His relationship with God the Father,  (Luke 5:16 NIV), He felt that His disciples needed a break, (Mark 6:30-31 NIV), and He promised that He would provide rest to believers, (Matthew 11:28 NIV).  

So in the Old Testament, God the Father commands that we observe a holy day of rest, following His example, and in the New Testament, Jesus (God the Son) affirms that we should have times of quiet and rest.  Both of these are achieved through the workings of the Holy Spirit (God the Spirit) as He communicates with our spirits about our physical and spiritual well beings.  

There our times in our lives where we must examine why we have filled every waking minute with busyness.  If our motivations are to get ahead of everyone else, we would be wise to realize, "the grass is never greener over there".  If our motivation is to always be seen as being productive, we wind up finding ourselves spent to the point of being counterproductive or burned out.  If we convince ourselves that our busyness is God motivated, then according to the scripture (God's Word on the subject) we are deceiving ourselves, as God wants the best for us and that includes some time to "play your flute and dance and sing along..."

'Til Tuesday

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Ballad Of The Green Berets" (Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler)

Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes!  Today is a day of gratitude.  One in which we take the opportunity as a nation to honor those who have served in the defense of our nation.  Since the original patriots of the Revolutionary War, men and women have sacrificed much for us to be able to have the standard of living, freedom, and liberty in which we live today.  Some of these patriots have seen action and survived, some of these patriots have given what President Lincoln described as "the final full measure of devotion", and some have served in periods of peace.  All have sacrificed much to provide our sense of security and for that we are greatly indebted. 

The first celebration of Veterans was  through the recognition of Armistice Day on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in honor of the ending of World War 1 in 1918.  In 1954, this remembrance became known as Veteran's Day in the United States.  For those who love statistics, please click on this link for more detailed facts on our country's Veterans:  Veteran statistics United States 2013 Census from Infoplease.com

Today's Tuesday's Musical Notes salutes all who have served, from those early patriots who fought for our independence to those who serve currently in bases and camps all around the world through service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard.  We pray for your safety and we thank God every day that you are where you are.  Today's Notes are in your honor...

"Ballad Of The Green Berets" - from the 1966 album Ballads of the Green Berets by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler

It is a rare occasion that a military-themed song breaks into the top 40, much less make it to #1.  However, in the middle of the Vietnam war (American involvement 1965-1975) and at the point where the antiwar movement was gaining ground in the United States, "Ballad Of The Green Berets" went to the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 and stayed there for 5 weeks.  It would be beat by the Monkees' "I'm A Believer" (7 weeks at #1) for the #1 song of the year for 1966.  

A choral arrangement of "Ballad Of The Green Berets" would later become the theme for the 1968 movie The Green Berets starring John Wayne.  Both the movie and the song came at a time in our nation's history when patriotism needed bolstering.  The Vietnam War was fast becoming very unpopular and as happens so many times, the art of the time begins to reflect life and the attitude of a nation.   It would be one of the last songs that was considered positive towards the military and patriotism and would quickly be followed by the "protest" songs of the late '60s and early 70's.  

Every day of our life we experience new challenges.  Sometimes these are pleasant, other times they seem much more like wars.  How we face those war-like challenges says much about who we are.  We can either be transformed into a "Green Beret" of that battle, or find ourselves a prisoner of war.  It really boils down to who we have fighting with us.


As kids, my brother and I played "war"  (yep, we played "war" with sticks and hickory nuts before the advent of the Atari...Nintendo...Playstation...XBox...where kids can use video generated guns and grenades to play "war"...things that make you go hmmm).  If we had friends over, we chose sides.  We were usually pretty good about balancing age and size, so our "wars" would usually come up as a draw or end when someone got hurt and we all got in trouble. 

Our battles today are different, yet we still get to chose who we have on our side, fighting with us and for us.  Jesus said "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."  John 12:32 NIV  This means that every person who has ever existed will have an encounter with Jesus as some point in their life.  By His death on the cross, His being lifted up, Jesus says that He provides a way of escape from an existence apart from God.  He provides the opportunity for victory in the war.  While Jesus draws all men to Himself, men ultimately have to chose whether to stay with Jesus or reject Him.  As you encounter Jesus through the interactions of the Holy Spirit, you have the opportunity to pick Jesus to be on your side in every battle that you face.  Jesus also provided this promise: “If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—  the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them..."   John 14:15-21  NIV  You may not win every battle, but you can rest in the promise that Jesus made and it will embolden you to win the overall war.  There is victory in Jesus...seems like I've heard that somewhere before...

There is coming a Veteran's day like never before.  One where those who have chosen Jesus to be on their side and placed Him in command will come through the battle victorious.  One in which God the Father gets to say to you,  "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world."  At this point:  The war will end...  All battles done...  We'll be with Jesus... We'll  have won...  we gave our best... in every way... just like the men... of  the Green Berets...  Child of God...prepare for battle!!!


"Revival In The Land" by Carman, title track from the 1989 album

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Mysterious Ways" (U2)

Welcome to Tuesday!!!  It is a very important day in the lives of most Americans as we get the opportunity to show the world what a Constitutional Republic (not a Democracy) looks like (For the difference between the two, you know what to do:  An Important Distinction: Democracy verses Republic from lexrex.com).   Today we either exercise our rights or we relegate those rights to others who will make the decision regarding who our elected officials will be and what amendments will be passed.  It is our responsibilities as Americans to research the issues and the candidates, rather than listen to the babble that litters the airwaves or our mailboxes every two years, and then vote for those that best match our belief system.  It is my hope that if you are a follower of Jesus, you will allow the Bible to be the benchmark from which you chose how to cast your ballot.   Following the election we should also have respect for those who have been elected regardless of whether our ideology lines up with theirs.  The Apostle Paul had something to say about our attitude toward those who have been duly elected:   Romans 13:1-6 The Message With that said...Welcome to Today's Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! Time for Throwback Tuesday!!  It's the first of the month and the Tuesday we revisit the emails that existed as Tuesday's Musical Notes prior to it becoming a blog.  Edited a bit for content, today's notes discusses how God's ways are not our ways.  In fact, some times God's ways can seem very mysterious to us... "Mysterious Ways" from U2's 1991 album Achtung Baby   In an effort to reinvent themselves, U2 released their seventh studio album Achtung Baby in November of 1991.  The bulk of the album was recorded in Berlin's Hansa Studios as Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. were seeking inspiration from Germany's 1990 reunification.  The result was a much more electronic and alternative album that would redefine the U2 sound for the next generation as well as expand on the fanbase that had been formed from previous U2 classic albums, The Joshua Tree(1987), The Unforgettable Fire (1984), and War (1983).   Reaching as high as #9 on Billboard's Hot 100, "Mysterious Ways" was the second track from Achtung Baby. It would set the stage for U2 making the transition to the Alternative/Grunge sound that would be ear candy for music listeners of the 90's.  "Mysterious Ways" was taken from an improvisational song called "Sick Puppy". The band scratched everything from the original song and started over building "Mysterious Ways". The only thing retained was Adam Clayton's bass line from the original song.  As I understand it that is the way songwriting usually goes.  From the outside looking in, it is quite the mystery. On a recent shopping trip, Tammy and discovered something new about Wal*Mart.  It's a great place to build relationships!!  We saw friends we had not seen in some time and had the opportunity to catch up.  One friend had become a pastor in Bald Knob, another had a cold, and yet another had a young adult contemplating whether to be a teacher or an artist.  They all had one thing in common.  Each of them took the time to invest in building the relationship that they had with Tammy and I.  While it may not have seemed like we were doing more than participating in small talk, in reality we were making connections and building foundations that will last for an eternity.  Something unique, special and to a certain extent mysterious, came from this particular outing.  You can build relationships with people, Christian and pre-Christian, while shopping Wal*Mart on a busy day.  Our shopping experienced turned into one of the mysterious ways that God uses for us to invest in others.      "God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform".  Perhaps you have heard this phrase all your life as I have.  While it is not found in the Bible,  it is the first line in a seldom sung hymn by William Cowper.  But I think it accurately describes aspects of my Wal*Mart shopping experience quite well.   God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.   Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sov’reign will.   Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.   Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.   His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow’r.   Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.   He planted the people that I interacted with at that precise moment so we could reconnect and stoke the fires of our relationships.   So while I went for milk and bread, I picked up warm smiles and updates about the lives of friends, accomplishing the nourishment of the body and the soul.  If we are very honest with ourselves, there are mysterious ways of God all around us.  Some we are meant to understand, others...not so much.  But to the God who created us and everything around us, there are no such things as mysterious ways.  I think Isaiah put it best:  (God is speaking in this passage to Isaiah) I don’t think the way you think.     The way you work isn’t the way I work.”         God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth,     so the way I work surpasses the way you work,     and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies     and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,     producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth     not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do,     they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.  Isaiah 55:8 The Message Here's a taste of another "mysterious" song...maybe jumping the season just a bit, but a great song:  "Mystery" by Selah from the 2002 album Rose Of Bethlehem   Don't forget to VOTE!!! 'Til Tuesday, Serving HIM by serving you, Randy