Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!
Here we go again, it's that time of year. Sigh... Yes, the dreaded time change is coming up this weekend...ugh!!! We've said it before and we'll say it again, the first politician who realizes that this is EVIL not a necessary in the United States and puts forth a bill to keep either one or the other times as a year long time standard is a hero in my book and will get the only Tuesday's Musical Endorsement that will ever be made. Ok, rant over. Phew, I feel better. At least until Sunday morning... but today is the first Tuesday of the month!!! Time to dust off another entry from the email files and renew our relationship with previous non-blog Notes! With that we enter the world where even Tuesday's Musical Notes are constantly moving through some changes...
There aren't many musical groups from the '60s that are still together. A few names come to mind: Chicago, the Rolling Stones, Genesis, Chicago... All of these bands have had recent concert tours. Most of the members of the groups are in their '60s!! In fact, Bob Seger will turn 72 this year (he says he is retired from touring, but we hope he changes his mind) One band however has always set itself apart from these Rock and Roll legends. Let's give them a listen from a concert video shot in 1984:
While the name may not sound familiar, the band Yes has been around since 1968. They are best known for defining what Progressive Rock, or ProgRock, was for the early 1970's musical scene. Yes enjoyed some success in the 70's with their biggest hit being 1971's ""Roundabout" from Fragile. But in 1983, they hit Rock and Roll Gold with the album 90125. (The title for the album comes from the last 5 digits of it's barcode) It included the number one smash "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". 3 other singles were released from 90125. All of the singles broke into Billboard's Hot 100. "It Can Happen" (51), "Leave It" (24) (18 videos, the first to use computer generated imagery, were produced for this song, not sure you or I have time for that...maybe another day we should just...leave it...) and the rhythmically challenging "Changes" (6), our video for the day. Founding band members Jon Anderson and Chris Squire had musical backgrounds in the Church of England as they both served as choir boys. While never considered a Christian act, religious influences and overtures can be heard in the music as well as in the lyrical content of many of the songs by the band that was a 2017 Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
Also of note, Trevor Horn from the Buggles (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Video Killed The Radio Star") played backing keyboards as well as provided backing vocals for 90125.
You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
If you Bing or Google "quotes on changes", it seems that everyone has something to say about this topic. In recent years the word "change" has been bandied about quite a lot. We have heard it in politics, in medicine, in regards to lifestyles, in education, and in religious discussions. The landscape of our culture in recent years has seemingly seen changes overnight. Many people want you to change to their way of thinking, or perhaps you want them to change to yours. We have all seen changes that we like and some that we don't.
Let's face it, everything changes. In short, change changing places. While you may have a particular music style that you like right now but trust me, even that will change. Christian music is not immune from this inclination for change. I suspect that the music that David put to the Psalms was very different than the Chris Tomlin or Hillsongs interpretations of the same scripture. There was a time when Gregorian Chant was the dominant form of worship music in the church and only those who could read and sing were allowed to participate. In more recent days, we have seen the transition from shaped notes and Heavenly Highway Hymns, to praise charts and lyrics on the screen. What's even better is that the change has happened quickly enough that we can still enjoy both in the right circumstances! I think if you were to ask most people if they like change, their answer would be......YES!
The Bible has an incredibly strong word for change.....transform. It is a word that seems to mean much more than just change. In Romans chapter 2 Paul writes about a transformation that we need in our lives. The King James translation puts it in this familiar context:
This passage essentially says that if we want the good, acceptable and perfect will of God to work in our lives, we should not allow the things around us to define who we are, what we do, or how we believe, but we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. That poses the question, "How do I renew my mind?" Since you asked...
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
In the KJV we are transformed by renewing our mind, in The Message paraphrase, if we fix our attention on God, we'll be changed from the inside out. How does this process of change occur?
- Brian Tracy
» We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.
» We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.
- Katharine Hepburn
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
» If you've ever made change in the offering plate, you might be a redneck.
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
» If you've ever made change in the offering plate, you might be a redneck.
Let's face it, everything changes. In short, change changing places. While you may have a particular music style that you like right now but trust me, even that will change. Christian music is not immune from this inclination for change. I suspect that the music that David put to the Psalms was very different than the Chris Tomlin or Hillsongs interpretations of the same scripture. There was a time when Gregorian Chant was the dominant form of worship music in the church and only those who could read and sing were allowed to participate. In more recent days, we have seen the transition from shaped notes and Heavenly Highway Hymns, to praise charts and lyrics on the screen. What's even better is that the change has happened quickly enough that we can still enjoy both in the right circumstances! I think if you were to ask most people if they like change, their answer would be......YES!
The Bible has an incredibly strong word for change.....transform. It is a word that seems to mean much more than just change. In Romans chapter 2 Paul writes about a transformation that we need in our lives. The King James translation puts it in this familiar context:
Romans 12:2
King James Version (KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This passage essentially says that if we want the good, acceptable and perfect will of God to work in our lives, we should not allow the things around us to define who we are, what we do, or how we believe, but we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. That poses the question, "How do I renew my mind?" Since you asked...
Romans 12:1-2
The Message (MSG)
In the KJV we are transformed by renewing our mind, in The Message paraphrase, if we fix our attention on God, we'll be changed from the inside out. How does this process of change occur?
The Bible has been a #1 bestseller for decades. Can we see it's influence in our society today? Do Christians read it daily and allow it to transform them by renewing their minds? Do we fix our attention on God every day by reading what He has to say about how we are to live and then see our lives changing from the inside out? Just like fellowship with believers serves to encourage, reading the Bible serves to transform and renew our minds. Reading it changes our focus from the world and places it on God, keeping us from conforming to the world and helping us to transform into His likeness. Our spiritual maturity is enhanced as we change. Our ability to discern God's direction for us is empowered by that enhancement of our spiritual maturity. Do you want to become more like Christ? Read the Bible. Do you want to become more spiritually mature? Read the Bible. Do you want to know God's good and acceptable and perfect will for your life? Read the Bible. Then keep lookin' for "Changes"!!
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
Randy
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