Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Right Place, Wrong Time" (Dr. John)
Welcome
to the last Tuesday of September! Another fall officially arrived last
week! Absolutely, without a doubt, this has to be our favorite time of
the year!!! The colors, the smells, the ability to be outdoors without
humidity, and the chill that comes (eventually) with the change in
seasons, is part of the wonder and miracle that it is to live in our
part of the world. It seems that we are strategically positioned to get
the best (and worst) that each of the seasons has to offer. Some in
the scientific world would attribute the colors of fall to the chemical
changes of the plants as they go dormant, or the chill in the air being a
direct result of the positioning of the sun as the earth has rotated on
its axis. While these are all logical explanations given our
understanding of the universe, we choose the divine route and attribute
the beauty of the seasonal change to an Almighty God who has us right
where we need to be to experience his handiwork. In His understanding
and workings of the universe there is never an instant that He is known
to be in the right place at the wrong time...
or for you Clive Cussler/Dirk Pitt/Matthew McConaughey/Steve Zahn fans:
He has 32 albums that credit him as
"leader". He has played on, produced, or been associated with another
25 recordings. He was hired at the age of 16 (59 years ago) as a record
producer for ACE records. He is considered an icon by virtually every
Rock-n-Roll icon that exists. He has won 6 Grammy Awards (between 1989
and 2013) and in 2011 was inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.
He has had 2 albums (Gris Gris (#143), Dr. John's Gumbo
(#402) on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time list. All of this
for a fella that has only had 1 top ten hit and was kicked out of his
Jesuit High School because the Jesuit fathers disapproved of his playing
in night clubs (rumored to be the inspiration for today's featured
song). His name...Dr. John.
John
Rabbennack was a product of the Third Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana.
His father ran an appliance store that sold records and his entire
family were musically inclined. He began his musical career over 60
years ago, becoming ensconced in the music that was and still is New Orleans. Jazz,
Zydeco, Vodoo chant and Funk would coalesce around the young man who
would eventually become a studio musician legend. His instrument of
choice was the guitar until a gunshot damaged his left ring finger while defending a bandmate at a Mississippi gig. After a brief
flirtation with bass, Dr. John settled on the piano being his instrument
of choice and trademark.
"Right Place, Wrong Time" would be the only top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the artist who remains one of those musicians that you have heard without realizing that you've heard him. Today's song is a staple among movie soundtracks and "Oldies" stations. Never
considered a "One Hit Wonder", Dr. John has masterfully cultivated
success around his lone "commercial" hit. He sings the theme song for the PBS children's show Curious George. He also opened the 2009 Disney film, The Princess and the Frog
with "Down In New Orleans". His 6 Grammys have all come after being
clean and sober for over 25 years since his final stint in rehab for
narcotic addiction in 1989. Musta been the right place... right
time...for the good Dr. who has been in the music industry in one form
or another for a very long, long time.
Many
of us have had our "right place, wrong time" moments. Mine occurred
just about this time of the year in 1982. One of the biggest regrets of
my life is not planting myself in a church as a freshman in college.
There were many fantastic places of worship in Fayetteville in 1982, yet
I chose to betray my history of consistent church attendance while at
the University. One exception was an October morning when I had found a
church that I thought I would like. As the Sunday morning broke, I
woke up and got ready for my first time in church in a long time. Upon
arrival at the church on the outskirts of town, I noticed that there were
no other cars in the parking lot. It didn't even seem as if any staff
person had arrived yet, and while I knew I was early, I just blew it off
and enjoyed the beauty of the morning. (Yes, you can do that as an 18
year old boy!!!). 15 minutes passed, then 30. At the 45 minute mark of
waiting, I was done. So I put the Camaro back on the road to the
University of Arkansas. My roommate was also a follower of Jesus and
rarely missed meeting with a small group on Sunday morning. (Thanks for
the example Dan!!!) But when I arrived back in the basement dorm room,
he was still in bed. This I thought very curious. Reality slowly crept
into my time/space continuum as I realized that I had failed to "fall"
back...The annual rite that is Daylight Savings Time had captured its latest victim. I had arrived at the church a full two hours before the services
started! I was in the right place...wrong time!!! (I renew my
conviction to support any candidate for political office that will
propose a law that abolishes Daylight Savings Time!)
The Bible has much to say about places and times.
At
the time it was happening, Joseph couldn't understand why his brothers
would sell him as a slave. Even with his slave status he excelled
wherever he went. Because he would not succumb to the seduction of a
Queen, he was thrown in prison on a trumped up accusation. Even through
all of this he stood by his faith. His whole life was a story of right
place, wrong time, yet he eventually became the 2nd most powerful man in
the Egyptian empire (read Joseph's entire story here: Genesis 37-44 English Standard Version/ The Message Paraphrase of The Bible)
As
Saul, he would persecute the followers of Jesus that constituted
the early church. His mission was to destroy the "cult" that had sprung
up from the "blasphemer" Jesus. He would stop at nothing to make sure
that this religious insurrection against the Sanhedrin and the
Pharisees, would be squashed and squashed quickly. That was until he had his right place moment. (you guessed it...read about it here: Acts 7 - 9:31 ESV/The Message parallel)
In 1 Corinthians 15:8, Paul even describes himself as "one untimely born" (1 Corinthians 15 ESV/The Message parallel).
The New King James Version reads this passage as "one born out of due
time". Definitely right place, wrong time. Praise God that Paul was born in that wrong time. Because of
his bold proclamation of the Gospel during his missionary journeys,
folks who are not of Jewish heritage were given the Good news of Jesus.
He was strategically placed at his "wrong time" to preach, teach and
mentor.
I
suspect at this point the question needs to be asked...are you in the
right place? Need to say the right thing? Head and heart in a bad place? It doesn't take having brain salad surgery...just maybe the right trip....down a certain Roman road...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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