Hello! Hi there! How ya doin'? How's it goin'? Wazzzup? Regardless of your preferred greeting or salutation, Welcome to Tuesday!!! Tuesday's Musical Notes comin' atcha with the sounds of the time and soul searchin' from the temple. If it's peace that ya diggin' brother, this is the place for you!!! This is the blog that don't have time for bringin' ya down. We are here to lift ya up and show you the way! So let's get started with a platter from our country brother GC, Glen Campbell that is, as he elucidates and educates on the way thing should be...drop the needle bro!!!
If you hang around the music industry long enough, you get the opportunity to see the change from one decade to another. Change agents are sometimes difficult to recognize. But sometimes they come in a instantly recognizable form. Enter Glen Campbell. Since 1960, Glen Campbell has seen the decades change from a musician/entertainer's perspective. All the while, honing his craft into 70 albums which have sold over 45 million copies combined. Of the 70, Campbell has seen 12 Gold, 4 Platinum, and 1 Double-Platinum albums making him one of the most popular artists of the 60's and 70's. He made musical history in 1967 by winning 4 Grammy Awards in 2 different categories (2 for "Gentle On My Mind" in Country & Western, and 2 for "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" in the Pop category). He also received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1969 for his role in the John Wayne classic movie, True Grit. But he is best known as a universal ambassador for folks treating each other with kindness. Must be something he learned from being raised in Southwest Arkansas.
With the tumult of the VietNam War raging, and the controversy of the United States involvement growing, a song was introduced that took its theme from the Golden Rule, which comes from the teachings of Jesus in The Gospel of Matthew 7 New King James Version of the Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible parallel. While this is an important ideology for everyday, it seems that a strong emphasis is needed every 20 or so years. Perhaps for today's generation now more than ever.
We have talked about the confusion behind the word racism (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Black And White"). This word seems to be touted about anytime we have a disagreement with someone from another culture. Most recently, it has come into play in our political dialogue. But ultimately, our disagreements have very little to do with the culture in which we happen to be raised, but much about the positioning of our lives with those we are surrounded. Allow me to explain...
We are given, on any given day, any number of people with whom we have contact. Whether we intend to or not, we communicate with them. Some of the communication take the more overt form of speaking and engaging in a conversation, usually intelligent. Other times, our body language is the only method we choose to relate to others. Please understand that not saying anything communicates to others around us as well as being the proverbial gregarious Gary of the crowd.
All communication is taken in either a positive or negative way. We get to chose how we communicate, unfortunately we have no control on how that is received. We can however make an impact on perception if we employ Glen Campbell's advice. Just try a little kindness...yes, even with those who voted for the other candidate.
Organized religion has historically made it abundantly clear what it considers are the bad things currently going on in our society. I'm not exactly sure that this is the approach however, with which we should be engaged. As an example, in 1979 the pioneering Christian musical group The Imperials, produced a single called "Oh Buddha". It went to #1 on the Christian charts which was not surprising. What may be surprising is the fact that most of the song is speaking about the other gods that the world religions are worshiping. Jesus is not even mentioned until the 3rd verse! In fact, Jesus name is only invoked 2 times!!! While I totally get the message The Imperials were trying to say and the time period in which they were trying to say it, I wonder, as Christians, if this is the message in which we should focus. This song is emblematic of the way many religious folks want to be. They would much rather spend time discussing the wrongs with society or why you should vote for their particular candidate instead of that particular candidate, than redeeming the time by telling the story of how Jesus changed their life by dying on the cross. It is a much kinder action to tell the world how He continues to transform them into His likeness as they learn from the mistakes that they make, rather than criticizing them for not learning from the mistakes they make.
The religious leaders of the time attempted to trick Jesus by asking Him to prioritize the 10 commandments. They thought that if He would identify which one was better than all the others, they could accuse Him of blasphemy, a Jewish crime punishable by death. Jesus answer caught them off guard...read about it in Matthew 22:34-40 Matthew 22 NKJV/The Message
What Jesus says about these commandments are the tenants for any follower of His to live by. Love God above anything else. Yup, ANYTHING. Then love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. I don't know about you, but I tend to like myself a little bit. So logically, I am commanded by Jesus to love those that I encounter on a daily basis. How do we show love to those we don't know. Let's go back to what we communicate when we come into contact with them. What would happen if you said "hello" with a smile on your face to all those you encountered. What would happen if you thanked the folks who were cleaning the restroom or the movie theater you just occupied? What would happen if you waved to everyone you encountered on the streets where you live? (With safety first being your motto!) What would happen in the relationship with those you have disagreements if you spent more time telling them about Jesus, than you spent arguing with them about who their candidate was? What would happen in the church if we spent less time condemning the sinner, and more time telling them about a Savior?
What would happen...
If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he's sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say, you're going the wrong way
With a heavy load from the seeds he's sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say, you're going the wrong way
You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
Don't walk around the down and out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way
You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
Songwriters: BOBBY AUSTIN, CURT SAPAUGH
© EMI Music Publishing
For non-commercial use only.
Data From: LyricFind
© EMI Music Publishing
For non-commercial use only.
Data From: LyricFind
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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