Are
you ready for the summer? Well, it is here!!! Quite honestly...I'm
done with it! I hereby pledge my loyalty to the seasons of spring and
fall...But it is Tuesday, so it is the best day of all regardless of the
season. And you just happen to be at the best blog to read regardless
of how hot and humid (yuck!!!) it may be. Welcome to Tuesday, it's time
for The Notes!
There
is a nostalgia that is attached to summertime. Some of my fondest
memories were made during the season of the sun. Well, fondest may be a
bit of a stretch. Some of my strongest memories were made
during the season of the sun. Living in a rural area gave us the
opportunity to work the gardens, pick strawberries and cucumbers for
money, have a vegetable stand (if the garden was really good) and
generally play outdoors. Perhaps your memories of summer include
relatives that assisted in shelling peas or shucking corn. Those were
good times. Sure, we worked hard, but there was a sense of
accomplishment and belonging that you couldn't get from being in the a/c
watching whatever "movie of the weekend" might happen to be playing on
one of the 3 channels that you got. We bonded with the generation ahead
of us and received incredible insight into life. We at least learned
that smaller cucumbers were worth more money...Summer was a time with
limited distractions, because you had things to do. But when the day
was done, you still took the opportunity to remain outside and enjoy a
glass of sweet tea or lemonade, watch the sun go down in a beautiful
display of color, and enjoy what we all knew as the summer breeze...and
it DID make you feel fine...what does jasmine in my mind flow like?
They
only had 3 top ten hits, but the band Seals and Crofts made an imprint
on 70's popular music with those 3 hits that can only be defined by gold
records and a generation's adoration. "Summer Breeze", "Diamond Girl"
and "Get Closer" were all title cuts from their albums and all hit #6 in
the charts in 1972, 1973, and 1976 respectively. This cemented Seals
And Crofts as one of the most popular mid70s pop groups. Their music
still maintains rotation at "classic" radio and causes many flower child
to remember back to a "simpler" time.
"Summer
Breeze" is a song about the simple things in life, like coming home to a
neighborhood where you have a relationship with the family next door
and aren't surprised to hear music coming from their house. It is a
song about how good it feels to come home at the end of a well worked
day to a home cooked meal and ones who love you. It's haunting melody
is replaced only by the reminiscence of that time when even during
turmoil, we had a calm assurance that things would eventually be ok.
A
hard days work and a home cooked meal seem like a dream to some
households today. We live at a time where the "family" is under attack
not only by the ultimate enemy, but from forces we least expect, our
society and government. Now please don't think this is a rant against
the United States. As we approach the celebration of our 240th
celebration of the unique experiment that is our republic, we must
realize that as a nation, we have become our own worst enemy. Decisions
are being made that are contrary to public desire and are not held up
to public scrutiny. I am not supporting the idea that some evil
conspiracy is afoot in the halls of Washington D.C.. However, I do
contend that as citizens we have done little to stem the tide of
immorality and wastefulness
that has been our government for the last 100 years. We literally have
failed to hold those who representatives accountable to represent.
Please note that this is a criticism of government REGARDLESS of the
political party that may be in power.
The Bible has plenty to say about how a nations actions will determine its outcomes:
by contrast
Psalm 33:11-13 NASB/The Message parallel
or consider this:
Proverbs 14:33-35 NASB/The Message parallel
These
passages are common sense to those whose Lord is God. They serve as
answers to those who have queries of an eternal nature. They shine
light on a darkness that cannot be permeated by the summer sun. They
are used by God in the form of Holy Spirit to draw individuals as well
as nations back to righteousness (right ways).
As
we look around the landscape of our nation, it is easy to see that
changes certainly need to be made. Those changes will not occur
nationally until they occur individually. They can only occur through
what we used to call a "Holy Ghost" revival. This only occurs as
Christian folks beg God to make them more like Jesus every day and go
about telling His story, The Gospel. Our nation so desperately needs
this kind of change as we seemingly approach the end of time.
The
Notes has made the point in the past about the United States not
appearing in end times literature, while some nations are easily
identifiable. As we gear up to hear much political rhetoric wafting on
the summer breezes, we must wonder if
the time may be drawing nigh...here is an interesting article with some
insight that you may find handy as the jasmine flows through your
mind: Where is America in end times prophecy? - by Greg Laurie, September 5, 2014 posted at WND.com
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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