Tuesday's Musical Notes - "People Got To Be Free" (The Rascals)

It's Tuesday!!!  We are 5 days away from one of the biggest holidays of the year.  Here at The Notes, we have remembered this holiday in a variety of ways...

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Easter Parade"

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Sir Duke"

Folks around the world will take the opportunity this Sunday to recognize this special day.  Some will call it a celebration of the entry to spring.  Others will spend the day with family fun, and finding eggs.  The foundations of this day are much deeper however, than candy in an egg or the transition of seasons.  It is a holy day that represents a loving father, looking down on His creation and its slavery to evil and with compassion determining that...."People Got To Be Free".

"People Got To Be Free" - The Rascals #1 single for 5 weeks in 1968

If you are alive long enough, chances are you will see a phenomena that in its most simple form can only be stated as...history repeating itself.  Much is being bandied about in our culture about tolerance and acceptance of people.  For those of us who were around, it is eerily similar to the late '60s.  Similar in the fact that folks are upset on both sides of the issue, however, our current cultural dilemma is very different from the calling of the '60's that..."People Got To Be Free".

The Notes finds it interesting that when folks disagree, the immediate reaction seems to be to attack the person, not the article of disagreement.  Long gone are the days of reasonable or civil debate, for it seems that one's person is now the point of conflict or the target of attacks.  We have lost the ability to a disagreement while maintaining a respect or, heaven forbid, love for the person.  Catch phrases such as "tolerance" and "rights" are used to further positions of disagreement without progress for those positions being forwarded.  They traipse off the lips hand in hand with the words "racist" and "homophobe" set out to destroy one's character.  Our "exchanges of ideas" become all too personal when there becomes a divergence from the debated topic to the debaters themselves.  This transference of dislike for a thought to being dislike for a person has been around since the dawn of time...

 

"You should see, what a lovely, lovely world this would be
If everyone learned to live together
It seems to me such an easy, easy thing this would be
Why can't you and me learn to love one another"

 

The Rascals had a great thought in this song that spent 5 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.    Their ideas stemmed from the cultural upheaval that was prevalent during the '60s.  It seems each generation has their "cause" that they fill out petitions for, lobby government representatives, or demonstrate to prove their point.  The lines often times get blurred in the discussion when physical attributes and ideological standpoints are equated.  Far to often the debate of the topic leads to the emotion of the moment and suddenly you wind up with good people making poor decisions.  In at least 1 case the poor decision lead to going so far as to kill an innocent person...

His dissent was very clear from the moment He entered the temple in Jerusalem and cast out those who He thought were desecrating this holy place. This brought the attention of the ruling class who immediately went about stirring up people against Him.  In some instances, the religious "elite" either bought off or intimidated some of the very ones that followed Him.  The source of their problem with Him..."People Got to Be Free"

His was a message of love.  His was a message of tolerance of people while having an intolerance for the sin in their lives.  Notice that the two can coexist.  Tolerate, even love folks, yet do not tolerate, embrace, or qualify the wrong in their lives.   He accepted the tax collector as well as the fisherman.  He healed the adulterous and the leper.  He taught in the fields and in the synagogues.  He discriminated against no one and loved the person while admonishing the moral delinquency in their lives.  He preached about the ultimate freedom that was attained by believing He was who He said He was, the Son of God.   Ultimately, it was this proclamation that allowed His detractors to bring bodily harm to Him, and in their minds silence His message.  

In an illegal trial, the man Jesus was sentenced for the crime of blasphemy and brought before the Roman Prefect for punishment.  Because He was Galilean, He was sent to Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Judea, where He was mocked, but remained silent.  Herod sent Him back to Pilate who gave the mob the choice between Jesus, in whom Pilate found no fault, and Barabbas, a convicted murderer who was scheduled to die by crucifixion that day.  He had healed the sick in their midst, even brought life back to those who were dead, yet they did not believe, even through the proof of these miracles, that He was the Son Of God.   The crowd chose for Barabbas to be released and to have Jesus killed.  He was crucified close enough to the walls of the city that one could hear the bleating of the Passover lambs as they were being prepared for slaughter.  The Lamb of God was being sacrificed for the redemption of the sins of the world, on a hill called the "place of the skull":

He was born surrounded by the wood of a manger and wrapped in swaddling cloths.  He submitted to  capital punishment surrounded by the wood of a cross and wrapped in what would be His burial cloths..."People Got To Be Free"  He was placed in a tomb that some believe is this place in Jerusalem:

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”"  Matthew 28:1-10 New International Version of the Bible

In this Easter season, in this commemoration of an empty tomb, in this celebration of Jesus being alive, we must remember the motivation for why Jesus did what He did..."People Got To Be Free".  God is perfect.  We are not.  God desires for us to have a relationship with Him, for us to be free from the "sin that so easily entangles us".    The only way for that to occur is for God to view us through what Jesus did at Calvary.  Jesus now waits at the right hand of God to be a mediator for all of those who believe the beauty of this day.  



"Oh, what a feelin's just come over me
Enough to move a mountain, make a blind man see
Everybody's dancin', come on, let's go see
Peace in the valley, now they all can be free"

"Freedom Is Here" - Hillsong United from the 2010 album Across The Earth: Tear Down The Walls

 

"Sunday's On The Way" title track from the 1983 album by Carman

'Til Tuesday

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" (The Four Tops)

Welcome to the Tuesday of one of the best weeks of the year...Spring Break!!!  Well, at least in our part of the world.   Students (and maybe a few of their folks) are sleeping in with dreams of beaches and campgrounds dancing in their heads.  It is day 3 of 8 (counting both weekends...every day counts during Spring Break!!!) and many are in the throes of a departure from the norm, an escape from the ordinary and a diversion from the dormant.  In short, they aren't in school or work.  To make it even better, it's time for Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  So take a break from your break and let's dive in!  Rest assured that whether you're on a break or at school or work, we'll always be here with some fun on Tuesday.... Just look over your shoulder...

"Reach Out (I'll Be There)" from The Four Tops 1966

From 1953 to 1997 they never had a line up change.  That's 44 years of making music and touring together with the same set of guys.  That is the beginning legacy of The Four Tops.  Original band member, Lawrence Payton, passed in 1997, but the remaining members would continue to make music and tour.   Having only 1 album to their credit since 1980, the vocalists continue to tour today with a lineup that consists of  Abdul "Duke" Fakir (founding member), Roquel Payton (son of original member Lawrence Payton), Ronnie McNeir,  and Harold "Spike" Bonhart. Their legacy remains as one of America's top R&B, as well as pop, musical acts. 

Their 32 full length albums featured over 45 charting singles. 18 of which would be top 20 hits and 2 that would go all the way to #1 ("Reach Out (I'll Be There)" from 1966 and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" from 1965).  Their tenure in popular music would come with accolades from Billboard magazine (#77 - top 100 artists of all time) and Rolling Stone (#79  - top 100 artists of all time) and induction into the Rock and Roll, Vocal Group, and Grammy Halls of Fame. 

Their beginnings in Detroit and their successes with Motown in the 1960's make them one of popular music's most iconic acts.  They have toured with the likes of The Supremes, and were second only in popularity at Motown to the Temptations with whom they would eventually tour.   Constant touring became their primary exposure in the 80's.  After completing the European leg of their 1988 World tour the band avoided disaster by accidentally oversleeping.   They missed Pan Am Flight 103 that crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland.  The airplane was sabotaged by a terrorist bomb that detonated on board.  Ironically, the album they were touring to support during that tour was called, Indestructible.   Through this constant touring, The Four Tops, have positioned themselves as a staple in popular music and prove that as long as fans reach out, their reply will be..."I'll Be There".

Isaiah 4:8-10 NIV/The Message parallel

Matthew 28:16-19 NIV/The Message parallel

The above passages can provide great comfort as we go about our lives, or they can be a source of great confusion.   How one views the world is the determining factor between the two.  You see, if the foundation of your view of life is formulated in a context of what you have learned by what you hear or experience in JUST your life, then these passages could be a source of confusion.  However, if the bedrock of your view of life is founded in the ancient texts of the Bible, the inerrant word of God, who is the creator of everything in our world, then they are a source of great comfort.  

From the time we are born, we begin to view the world from a perspective.  That perspective typically is formed by stimuli that surround us and educate us as to how objects in our world interact.  At some point in our lives, good and evil become ideas that are used to describe such stimuli.    How we determine whether a stimulus is good or evil is based on what we use as a standard of comparison. The standard is either God's views or "the world's" view.   As we read in the passages above, only 1 of those standards make the promise of being with us forever.  That promise comes only from God.    

If you reflect or ponder on your life, you soon discover that there have been many things/people that have made promises to you.  How did that go for you?  Some promises were probably fulfilled to completion while others may have left you with a sense of disappointment.  Not to be Debby downer, but people will always disappoint you, even unintentionally sometimes.  However, God assures us that His promise's are true and will never disappoint.  

Regardless of your world view, chances are you have heard the story of the prodigal son.  (You can read the full story here:  Luke 15:11-32 NIV/The Message parallel) The way the story goes, is that the younger of two sons asked his father for his inheritance early.  The father obliged and the son went on his merry way like there would be no end of his resources.  He soon found himself at the end of those resources as well as at the of a hog trough just about the same time as a famine occurred in the land to which he had traveled.   Reality finally kicked in and he remembered home.  He remembered the fair way his father treated the servants and thought maybe he could be a servant of his father, they certainly have it better than he did.  Note something here in the story, while the son had left the family, the father was still at home waiting, in fact, the way Jesus tells the story, the father was watching for him.  He was anticipating a return of his son and he was waiting for the son to reach out.  

Just like when Jesus originally told this story, there are those who will understand its precepts and others who don't.  The symbolism is rich for any who will take a moment and understand that the father represents a Creator God who is waiting in the same place He has always been for anyone whose reality kicks in.  He is reassuring us in Isaiah that there is no cause to fear him because of our our past.  He is there waiting for us to reach out to Him.  His promise from Isaiah is true.  His promise from Matthew is true.  He is reassuring us in Luke that He will always be with us, waiting for us to reach out.  His promise?   A resounding "I'll Be There"...

I became a follower of Jesus at the age of 10.  In retrospect, I remember a difference occurring in my thought processes and how I viewed the world even at that age, my world view changed.  That vantage point prepared me for those times in my life when I disappointed people and my Jesus/Randy relationship was fractured.  I wasn't present in the relationship during that time, but Jesus was there...waiting for me to reach out and ask for restoration and renewal of our relationship.  

What is your world view today?  What standards do you use to determine what is good and what is evil in your sphere of life?   Are you ready to change that viewpoint?  Are you ready to trust in One whose promises will always be kept?  Are you willing to reach out to One who is waiting? His response will be something similar to this... "Now if you feel that you can't go on because all your hope is gone and your life is filled with much confusion and happiness is just an illusion and your world around is tumblin' down, reach out reach out, for me.  I'll be there to love and comfort you...  I'll be there with the love I'll see you through"

"Oceans" - Hillsong United 2013 (acoustic)

"Oceans" - Hillsong United 2013 (Passion 2014)

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Danny Boy" (Celtic Women)

Mora na maidine dhuit!!!  Or as our brothers in Ireland might say... "Top of the mornin' to you"!!!  Welcome to Tuesday, March 17th, 2015 and a glorious St. Patrick's Day to ye lads and lasses.  "May there always be work for your hands to do, May your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane, May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you, And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you."  Welcome to the St. Patrick's Day edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  We hope the above blessing describes the day and the week to come for you and those around you.  But for today let's surround ourselves with sounds of the Celtic ancients as we regale a tune that is as old as the island in which it resounds. 

"Danny Boy" - Celtic Women

The haunting melody of the Irish classic Danny Boy has its origins in a tune that has been traced as far back as 1792.  Originally published in 1855 by music collector George Petrie in The Ancient Music of Ireland, "Londonderry Air" would become a theme embraced by a nation.  Numerous lyrics have been applied to the Celtic melody, both "secular" and "sacred".  The most famous is today's featured song, "Danny Boy".

Originally penned as a poem in 1910, "Danny Boy" would be modified to fit the melody lines of "Londonderry Air" after its author, Fredric Weatherly heard his sister-in-law singing the tune of the song.  After its initial recording in 1915, "Danny Boy" quickly became one of the most prominent songs of the new century.  Since then, over 60 recordings have been made of this Irish favorite.  Glen Miller, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, and even The Beatles are among  artists from virtually every genre of popular music that have been drawn to the mellifluous strains of this ancient song.  The highest charting to date for "Danny Boy" came in the form of one of Duke Ellington's singers.  Al Hibbler went to #9 on the US Rhythm & Blues charts with the song in 1950.  Hibbler got his start by singing in a choir at the Arkansas School For The Blind in Little Rock.  

Today is celebrated in Ireland as well as across the world as St. Patrick's Day.  It usually arrives with the feel of spring and the air of Easter surrounding it.  Both of these seasonal themes are befitting the legend of its namesake.  Patrick was 16 when he was abducted from Briton by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland.  He served as a shepherd until his escape back to Briton.  During his slavery he converted to Christianity. The joy of salvation portends the same newness of the spirit as the blossoming of new life in Spring.  Upon returning to England and his family, he soon surrendered to the calling of the ministry.  This calling would eventually lead to Patrick becoming a missionary to the very land of his slave hood.  He is venerated as having brought Christianity to the Celtic people who populated the island and is revered as a saint by the churches of the land. Thus bringing about a revival in the land and telling of the salvation of Jesus and His Resurrection.  (Patrick, however, has never been recognized as a saint by any pope.)  

Patrick was alive around 400 years after Jesus ascension into heaven and his story may seem familiar as it mirrors some of the patriarchs of the Bible.    Like Joseph, he was sold into slavery into a foreign land.  Like Abraham he became closer to God while being obedient in that foreign land.  Like Jesus, he came into a foreign world to tell of love and salvation.  

These themes from the Bible and St. Patrick's life resonate within the hearts of every man, woman, boy and girl, because we have been created in the likeness of a Father who loves us dearly.  Genesis 1:27 " So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."  In fact, His love for us extends throughout the Biblical account as we see time and again His redemptive acts for His people.  2 Chronicles 7:14 - "^... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  His extreme love for His creation was put on display as His son was tried, convicted, tortured and had the worst form of capital punishment ever meted out to a human being via a crucifixion cross on a hill in Israel called the place of the skull.  Jesus went through this so we could be perceived as righteous by God. 

Luke 23:33 "When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left."  (pictured is a traditional location of Golgotha just north of the city of Jerusalem, Israel.)  His final act of love was demonstrated as Jesus was raised from the dead and seen by a multitude of folks in the area.  "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Cephas,and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,  and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8  

 

When we believe that Jesus did all these things, God sees us as righteous.  Phillipians 3:7 - " But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

1 Corinthians 1:30 - "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."  Jesus has promised us that if we believe in Him, meaning His virgin birth, His sacrificial death, and His victorious resurrection, we will be saved from being separated for all eternity from God when we die.  

John 11:25-26 - "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  

 

According to the historical account, this was a question that the man whose death we honor today, St. Patrick answered with a resounding YES!  What is your answer today when Jesus asks..."Do you believe this?"  

"He Looked Beyond My Faults" - Prestonwood Baptist Church

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Feels So Good" (Chuch Mangione)

Welcome to Tuesday!  A day neatly sandwiched between the "excitement" of going back to work Monday, and the "exuberance" of "hump day".  And equally as important...it's the day for Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! 

The Notes is humbled by the response from last week's post. Last week was our first non-holiday 100 "hit" week.  With that, Tuesday's Musical Notes surpassed over 5000 "hits" to the blog since its inception.   To say we are thankful, is an understatement.  Please know that as a reader of Tuesday's Musical Notes, you are being bathed in prayer to the One true God.  For those who are followers of Jesus, our prayer for you is encouragement and boldness as you do the good works already planned for you.  For those who have not chosen to follow Jesus, our prayer for you is safety for the day, and boldness by a follower to tell you of Jesus' love for you.  We pray that you will have an open mind when you are told of His love and that you will examine Jesus in the marketplace of ideas.   You can read of this dynamic love in the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible. (find the first here and then just keep reading:  The Gospel Of Matthew New International Version/ The Message paraphrase parallel  If you have questions, please feel free to email The Notes at rawacr@gmail.com.  Finally, if you'd like to see an engaging film about belief, coming to theaters March 20 is:

Do You Believe trailer

Now back to The Notes

It's a bit of a smoother Tuesday here at The Notes as today's feature artist is a jazz legend, well at least a legend in our minds anyway.  Wait, before you go back to facebook, don't tune out because we mentioned jazz.  Granted, this musical genre is really one of the only ones where folks love it or leave it.  Today's song is the exception to this rule as it went all the way to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in May of 1978.  It became the ultimate crossover hit and was heard on top 40 radio stations all over the world.  The album cut runs 9:43, but the single was cut down to 3:28 to make it more palatable for top 40 listening audiences.  Get ready for a smile to come to your face as this song just makes you "Feel So Good"...

"Feels So Good" title track from the 1977 album by Chuck Mangione

In case you were wondering, the instrument being played by Chuck Mangione on "Feels So Good" is a flugelhorn.  It looks like this. 

It was originally created as an instrument used for armies to make the call to a flanking move for a battle.  It has been played by Jazz musicians since the 30's but came into more prominence with the Big Band scene of the 50's.  It's most famous use however, has been by Jazz aficionado Chuck Mangione.

Longevity in rock-n-roll has been a recurring theme through The Notes, as most of the acts we profile had the apex of their careers in the late 70's early 80's.  Very few of these acts can claim being in the recording industry for 55 years.  That's right.  Chuck Mangione, the Rochester, New York native has been a recording musician since 1960. With his piano playing brother Gap, Mangione initially recorded as The Jazz Brothers.  He would eventually migrate towards playing with jazz oriented quartets or quintets until his popularity exploded in the late 70's.  His "Chase The Clouds Away" would be used at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.  Then came the Grammy award for "Bellavia", the title track from the 1977 album, as Best Instrumental Composition of 1977.  He released his most commercially successful single,  #1 smash "Feels So Good" that same year.  In 1978, he recorded and composed the music for the soundtrack of the Anthony Quinn motion picture, The Children Of Sanchez, for which he received the 1979 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.  Continuing his busy schedule in the 70's, Mangione would utilize his dream team of musicians to record these works.  The ensemble would include, Chris Vadala on saxophones, Grant Geissman on guitars, Charles Meeks on bass and James Bradley Jr. on drums. His success during the late 70's would propel him to a 2nd Olympic invitation.  "Give It All You Got" would become the theme for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid in 1980.  A second soundtrack composition, for 1981's Burt Reynolds led The Cannonball Run, would be the last commercially high profile recording for Chuck Mangione. 

Chuck Mangione's music is a great way for those who are interested in exploring Jazz to get initial exposure.  He continued to record into the 2000's and can still be found touring internationally at the young age of 74.  In 2009, Mangione donated artifacts from his career to the Smithsonian, which hosted a Donation Ceremony and On Stage Discussion with the Jazz legend.  He was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame with music icons Cab Calloway, and Gene Cornish among others in 2012.

We've recently heard many reports regarding Christian persecution in the Middle East.  The Bible tells us of these times and that they are a part of the life followers of Jesus choose.  However, one thing that you will rarely, if ever, hear reports about is the joy of life that followers of Jesus experience.  To use today's song...it just feels so good to have the assurances of destiny and know that provisions for this life will be provided by the One who began the creation of the world process with "Let there be light".  Far too many times, good intentioned preachers will tell tales of woe about the Christian life and miss what God promised us in Jeremiah 29:11:  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  You might notice in this passage, that the future is the very last thing that God speaks to Jeremiah about.  The Jesus follower life should be one of expectation of the future yes, but it should also be one of great joy as we GET to experience our lives while on earth.  There are times that call for great joy in fact.  The return of the Ark of the Covenant (cue Indiana Jones music) to Jerusalem was one such event.  David was so overjoyed at the sight of the Ark's return that he danced.  Some posit that he danced right out of his clothes.  (2 Samuel 6:1-15 New International Version/ The Message paraphrase parallel) Another event for joy occurred at a garden tomb, three days following a horrible crucifixion.  (Matthew 28:1-10 New International Version/The Message paraphrase parallel) This kind of joy is there for us as we live our lives, if we will only take the opportunities to experience them as they are afforded us.  We should feel so good and be so joyful as we follow Jesus that it exudes contagiously from us.  This might be the impetus others need to explore what being a follower of Jesus entails.  You never can tell, your joy in following Jesus may cause others to someday exclaim...this feels so good!!!


"Joy" from the 2014 album by Rend Collective, The Art Of Celebration

 

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Fly Like An Eagle" (Steve Miller Band)

    




Good Tuesday  to ya!!  Don't Panic...Winter is over in 17 days!!!  Well at least the calendar thinks its over by then.  I confess to you that I must be in the minority of loving snow days...The nice warm drinks, Perry Mason on DVD, a continual eating frenzy, and surfing the net are all ways that I spend my time.   Yep, we have finally hit that transition to where playing in the snow is not as much fun as it used to be for me or any of my children.  Hence...Perry Mason.  

After enough snow days, parents and students alike, begin to think of creative ways to spend their time.  You never can tell, they may even discover the joy of listening to an entire album start to finish (highly recommend Chicago Transit Authority...double cd), playing a board game, or reading a good book. These are all ways that time can be spent on a day where outside activities are limited or at the very least the ability to get outside is unsure. One thing however is guaranteed..."Time keeps on slippin...slippin...slippin....into the future."  "tick, tock, tick"....."doot doot doodoo". 

"Fly Like An Eagle" - Steve Miller Band from the 1976 album Fly Like An Eagle

 

Believe it or not, "Fly Like An Eagle" was kept out of the #1 position on Billboard's Hot 100 by Barbara Streisand's (UGH!) "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" for the week of March 7, 1977. That's 38 years ago for you statisticians out there.   Seems like I don't hear "Evergreen" played anymore...there must be something to the fact that GOOD music spans generations.  Draw your own conjectures...The Musical Notes does however wish to go on record as saying we are NOT Barbara Steisand fans... in the event that wasn't clear.  

Steve Miller's parents were jazz enthusiasts and served as Best Man and Maid of Honor at the wedding of Les Paul and Mary Ford.  Yep, THAT Les Paul.  It is no wonder that Miller wound up being a Rock and Roll act with the longevity that he has had.  It seems that musical influences, talent and time are literally on his side. 

For a nearly a decade, (1973-1982), Steve Miller Band records would dominate the charts.  He peaked with two #2 smash hit full lengths, 1973's The Joker, and 1977's Book Of Dreams.  In between these #2s, the band would release the full length, #3 smash, Fly Like an Eagle, featuring the title track as one of 3 top 20 singles from the album ("Take The Money And Run, #11 and "Rock'n Me" going all the way to #1).  

"Fly Like An Eagle" actually has a prelude on the album cut called "Space Intro", which is always played live prior to "Fly Like An Eagle".  While being bluesy and ethereal it is the perfect set up for the infectious..."tick tock tick...doot doot doo doo" that opens "Fly Like An Eagle". 

If you ponder the opening phrase of "Fly Like An Eagle", ("Time keeps on tickin', tickin', tickin', into the future") for very long, you soon find yourself realizing that time slipping away is a guaranteed fact.  That unless you are Dr. Emmitt Brown (Back To The Future), you can't control the passage of time from one second to the next.  Time passing is inevitable, inescapable, and unavoidable.  Time will go by.  The question that I have for you today is.....What do we do with our time, how do we redeem our time?  How do make sure that time is on our side?

I hate to admit it, but I join a vast group of people that have a tendency for procrastination.  I migrate toward making things happen at the last minute.  While I like to think myself a good planner, far too often I find the stress of a deadline looming, where there should be peace in a job well accomplished early.  Perhaps many of you suffer from being citizens of the nation of procrastination.

 There is no way to get around the fact that time is limited for us as physical human beings. Choices about how to spend this limited resource are abundant.  Charles Thomas Studd wrote a lengthy poem about life choices.  The last phrase of the poem is "Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last."  This poses a very important question, friend how do we redeem the time? What is in our history, our skill set, our circle of influence, our temperament that allows us to do things that will last in a kingdom perspective? Is our time spent on the temporal, earthly, and man made things or are we focusing every minute to "die daily for Christ"?  Do we work as if it is work we are doing for Jesus?  Do we surrender all that we are for his bride, the church?  Do we choose to do what we want to do, or as followers of Jesus do we go about the "good works" that He already has planned for us?

The following passage is from Isaiah 40 and I think it speaks to the steadfastness that we should have when using our time for the Lord.

  

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

We've tackled the subject of time before in The Notes.  (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Wasted On The Way")  It is also a subject with which the Bible refers to extensively.  The 3rd chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes is entirely devoted to the way that time is divided up in our lives and serves as the inspiration for the 1962 hit by The Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn".  

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, New International Version

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

(Also a featured song at Tuesday's Musical Notes - The email, soon to be featured as a first of the month blog)

I am convicted today that I don't do enough. I choose to do far many things that I want to do instead of what Jesus has placed before me.  I don't redeem enough of my time in God honoring ways.  My only benchmark is me.  I can't compare myself to you, nor can you compare yourself to anyone else.  God has gifted you in a myriad of ways.  Are you using your time to utilize your tools?  This week take a moment of time to reflect.  I think reflection is a good Biblical principle and a God honoring way of spending time.  God rested on the 7th day and reflected that His creation was good.  Reflect on your life.  How have we redeemed our time?  What has God allowed us to do in our lives that we can use to glorify him now? Are there changes we should make?  Make them now!  Don't wait!  "Tick...tock...tick...."

"Spending Time" - Stellar Kart from 2005's All Gas. No Brake.

 

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy W Cross