Hi there! How does today find you? I hope that all is well in your world and that you are navigating the nuances of the different environments in which you may find yourself!
Welcome to Tuesday! If you've never been here before...WELCOME!!! We're glad you're here! You have come to a blog we hope you will find informative and inspirational. Written every Tuesday, it features music from every genre that we can think of and adds to them a thought or two about life. We hope you like it and will share it with your friends. Check out the archives and find some more of the unexpected with music that is the soundtrack of your life. At this point, you may be wondering what you've gotten yourself into...it's okay, everyone feels that way for a little while...
If you HAVE been here before Welcome as well!!! We're glad you've returned! You know what to expect! So let's get started because if you've been here before...You Know the Name...
Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes!
For fans of the James Bond franchise (yup, we've read all of the original Ian Fleming penned novels, seen all of the movies, and own many of the soundtracks...on vinyl), 2006's Casino Royale represented a return to the gritty, Sean Connery (who just turned 90) side of James Bond after Pierce Brosnan's departure.
With Daniel Craig taking his turn as the super spy, Casino Royale represented the Bond of a new era. Craig has since reprised the role 3 times (Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015)). He will be in his fifth, and supposedly his last, Bond film, No Time to Die, whose release has been scheduled for November 20, 2020, in the US.
The 2006 Casino Royale is not the first attempt to take James Bond's first adventure from Ian Fleming's novel to film. In 1967, Columbia Pictures released the satirical version of Ian Fleming's first James Bond, starring David Niven. It was released 2 months prior to EON Productions You Only Live Twice, the fifth in the official Bond series. The soundtrack to the 1967 Casino Royale, as is true with many Bond films, became very popular as Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass led with the title track and opening theme which peaked at #27 on the Hot 100.
And now back to our previously mentioned song...
The opening titles theme for the reboot of the James Bond franchise, Casino Royale is, in the humble opinion of this blogger, the best Bond theme for Craig's series of movies. It really does rate with the other great Bond movie themes like Goldfinger, Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Listen to What the Man Said" (Paul McCartney and Wings)), The Living Daylights (a-Ha), and A View to a Kill (Duran Duran). Yes, Adele's Skyfall is a close second...
Co-Written by Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog) and Casino Royale's soundtrack writer David Arnold, the song oddly enough is the first Bond theme to not make it to its motion picture's soundtrack. It was instead reserved for Cornell's second solo album Carry On. It only went as high as #79 on Billboard's Hot 100, but received a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media.
"You Know My Name" was the perfect title song for the relaunch of the Bond series as even the most casual observer of iconic entertainment would know the name...Bond, James Bond.
While James Bond is world renown, he is not the most well known or most revered name in the world.
This isn't the first time Tuesday's Musical Notes has covered this particular passage of Holy Scripture. (Do ya sense a theme developing...does that mean this is a reboot?)
Unfortunately, using God's Holy Name seems to be on the increase, but not in a good way. We now have a generation that understands saying or texting OMG as NBD (no big deal). The Notes believes that this trend of irreverence can be partially traced to the elimination of prayer in schools and the "normalcy" of going to church as a family (even nominally) being in decline. Reverence for God's Name is simply not being taught. When I was a kid (here we go...old man story...), we were chastised for even saying "golly gee" or "jeepers creepers" because it was thought to be too closely aligned with the Holy Name of God. While my folks were well-intentioned, I'm not sure they fully grasped the entirety of the reverence for the most intimate name revealed to mankind about God.
YHWH is the name that is referred to in Exodus 20:7. In the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, God or Lord or LORD is often mentioned by the ancient patriarchs, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as they interacted with God, but never by the name given in Exodus. Remember that Moses penned those first five books under God's instruction and guidance. Moses had a personal relationship with God in much the same way as the ancient patriarchs had. It was a relationship unlike any that the other Israelites, even Aaron, who would become the first High Priest, would be allowed to have. God needed a name that the Israelites would revere in such a way that they would be afraid of even whispering it for fear of doing so in a disrespectful manner. They took that whole "...for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." part of the Exodus 20:7 passage very literally. Based on the experience they were having at the base of Mt. Sinai, I can't say that I blame them.
So what does taking God's Name in vain mean for us today? I think
taking God's Name in vain means exactly what we see in every instance of someone using the aforementioned OMG. I think taking God's Name in vain means exactly what we see when there is a casual attitude for the Bible, God's Holy Word, or any other aspect of the worship of the One True God. I think taking God's Name in vain means what God experiences every time a person rejects Holy Spirit's drawing for the first time...or again... I think taking God's Name in vain means the perception that pre-believers have when they see "Christians" have a disregard for this commandment as well as the other commandments given to the Israelites at the base of the mountain. I think taking God's Name in vain means exactly what we see when human lives, that were created in the image of God, are allowed to be killed before coming through the birth canal. I believe taking God's Name in vain means exactly what we see when believers do not crave the opportunities they are given to be together to worship God. I believe we take God's Name in vain every time we see those who espouse to be children of the King arguing like children on Facebook or other social media. I believe taking God's Name in vain means exactly what we see when believers do not practice love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as we attempt to be transformed into being more like Jesus.
So friend, have you taken the Lord's Holy Name in vain by doing any of the above actions? I confess to you that I have. But praise to THAT Holy Name, He is just and willing to forgive even that shortcoming. Are you ready to cry out to God's Holy Name for that kind of forgiveness? No one else can save you... Come on...You Know His Name...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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