Welcome to... Hi there and welcome... It's Tuesday and you've... Hello friend and... Greetings and felicitous... Nothing seems to fit...
Ok, let's just acknowledge it. "Life is strange and so unsure..." Nothing is normal. Or at the very least we are fast becoming accustomed to a new normal. It seems that there is much uncertainty going on. If not kept in check, that uncertainty can soon breed fear and anxiety. Tuesday's Musical Notes is not a place for either of those, but we acknowledge that the times in which we find ourselves are significantly different than what they were a month, a week, or maybe even a few moments ago.
Yes, there is a global pandemic going on. Something most of us have never experienced before. Yes, we are right to be very concerned about contracting the virus which is making so many folks ill and even causing the death of a portion of those afflicted. We all have a responsibility to do what we can to slow down or eliminate the spread of Covid-19. Do your part!!! Stay at home. You could read your favorite blog. I can highly recommend a blog that has over 400 posts!!!
In critical times such as these, it would be very easy to allow panic to ensue in your life. Please resist this temptation with the incredibly good distractions we are afforded with this situation. There has never been so much time for so many people to do those "home" things they have wanted to do. Read a good novel, go for a walk (yes, making sure you keep your distance from other walkers, not the zombie kind...you know what I mean!), work a puzzle, or listen to a record/cd/online music streaming source. Reminisce with Casey Kasem at the Classic American Top 40 channel at iHeart Radio. (American Top 40 with Casey Kasem at iheart radio) The point is, you have an opportunity for a brief moment, to breathe in a different way than you have in a long time. Take advantage and breathe. Leave the television off for 24 hours. Let yourself decompress. Otherwise, your focus gets narrow as you allow the possibility of misinformation leading you down a pathway of worry and dread. (Let's face it, there is a lot of misinformation out there. Verify EVERYTHING when you turn your tv back on) Worst case scenario, you grow despondent and the ensuing pity party leads to you exclaim...
Of the 4 singles released from Cornerstone, the ninth studio album by Styx (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Show Me the Way" (Styx), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Mr. Roboto" (Styx)) only 2 made the top 40. The band's only song to reach #1, "Babe", and today's featured song, "Why Me" (peaked at #26).
Historians and musicologists of Rock and Roll, point to Cornerstone being a critical point in the life of Styx. After the success of "Babe", the decision was made for the song "First Time" to be the follow-up single from the Cornerstone album. "Stop, a voice said you best beware..." The rest of the band, especially Tommy Shaw, expressed dissatisfaction with that song as it was too much of a power ballad and the band did not want to be seen as abandoning their harder-edged rock and roll roots. Shaw, in fact, threatened to leave the band and DeYoung was briefly fired from Styx due to the conflict among the band being so elevated.
The compromise was "Why Me" as the follow up single. "Stop, bad luck is everywhere..." The relationship of the band members about the musical direction of Styx continued to degrade, so much so, that by the time the Kilroy Was Here tour was over, Styx stopped its existence. "Stop, please tell me what went wrong..."
Fortunately, this is not how the story ends. Styx reformed in 1990 and although there have been different lineups since that time, they continue to successfully tour and record, but never perform any of the music from Kilroy Was Here.
If anyone in the Bible every deserved the opportunity to ask the question "Why Me?" it was Joseph. We've been following his story for the past few weeks. (Yes, here's the archive plug again. It's over to your left. You can look by date or query your favorite band, song, or Bible passage. Did we mention there are over 400 entries?)
Joseph was an exceptional young man. He was favored by his father Jacob (Israel) but very much disliked by his brothers. His brothers loathed Joseph so much they sold him into slavery. In his captivity, Joseph was elevated in a military captain's home and betrayed by the captain's wife. Though he was innocent of any wrongdoing, Joseph was put into an Egyptian prison where he found favor with the chief jailer, in other words, Joseph had "hard times come, and hard times go". However, the biggest up and down on his rollercoaster was about to occur.
So Joseph is minding fulfilling his duties when some new occupants of the prison arrive. Joseph is put in charge of those prisoners who happen to have just come from being members of Pharoah's court. After some time, both prisoners, a cupbearer, and baker became despondent over dreams they were having. Joseph inquired as to what was wrong and was told of the dreams. He rightly says that God is the interpreter of all dreams and proceeds to listen to their visions. God provides Joseph with the interpretation of the dreams. After a 3 day period, action will be taken with both men. 1 is restored, the other, well...not so much.
The man who is restored was asked by Joseph to recall the kindness he had received in prison. Joseph also asks that upon this recollection the cupbearer was to ask Pharoah for a pardon for Joseph, as he was innocent of all the wrong in which he was accused. What happens next? Does the favored servant remember Joseph? Will there ever be redemption for Joseph? Will Batman and Robin escape the trap of the Penguin? Sorry... too much time on my hands! We'll have to find out together next week as we explore more of the Genesis account of Joseph's life.
So what's the point? Joseph never gave up. He was sold by his brothers into slavery, put into a dungeon for being wrongly accused and now he was in a waiting game. We aren't in a dungeon, but it seems at this time, with this virus, we are at the very least in a waiting game. A waiting game where nothing seems to fit and things don't go our way. Do you feel like you know you've had enough, you can't take another day? Where to go, what to do, you've got those bills to pay. Just remember you're really not alone, you know...He hears you when you cry out "Why Me?"...
God never intended for us to live in a virus-infected time. Because of mankind's rebellion, in the Garden of Eden and every day since, evil, disease, and death are a part of the world in which we live. God waits to restore. He waits to restore you to Himself and He waits to one day make a creation that is new.
Friend, we've told you time and again. Through the redemptive acts of Jesus found in the
The Gospel of Jesus according to the apostle Matthew NASB/The Message/KJV, The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple Mark NASB/The Message/KJV, The Gospel of Jesus according to Dr. Luke NASB/The Message/KJV,
The Gospel of Jesus according to the apostle John NASB/The Message/KJV you can be restored. Go ahead read it. You can read them all in an afternoon...there's no March Madness so why not?
Through the encouragement, discipline and sometimes chastisement of
The letters to the churches from the apostle Paul Romans NASB/The Message/KJV - Hebrews 13 NASB/The Message/KJV you can be revived. Through the examples of Israel's story, poetry and wisdom found in the Old Testament, you can have a roadmap to victory. Through The Revelation to the apostle John NASB/The Message/KJV, you can have hope.
All of this awaits you. Read the Bible to find it. Open your mind and heart to experience it. Humble yourself to live it and then you'll be saying "Why Me?" for a totally different reason...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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