Welcome to Tuesday! There is much going on in the land. It is the first day of November in 2022 and we are 1 week away from what appears to be one of the more fascinating mid-term election cycles in recent history. Yes, I know, I just mentioned, the election, but don't tune out. We only say it as a reminder for you to go and exercise your right to vote as a citizen of a Constitutional Republic (that's right The United States of America is NOT a Democracy, despite the media's constant misuse of the phrase, here is a great article that details the differences..."Republic vs. Democracy: What Is the Difference?" by Robert Longley, June 2022, thoughtco.com) Civics lesson over for today...
With all the hubbub going on it would be easy for one's anxiety to begin headed for a peak. That climb up apprehension mountain is exacerbated by the continual reminder of the election season in the form of the recycle bin fodder in which we are inundated through our mailboxes (umm...does recycling election paraphernalia aid in reducing global warming??) But do not be dismayed, your favorite blog has the solution for the early voting blues. It comes in the form of a song, of course, but not just any ol song. A song that is probably being heard even now as you read Tuesday's Musical Notes because somewhere in the world, a man is whistling a tune about a perfect day...
Opie seems bigger in color...and the key seems to change...odd how color television has that effect!
or perhaps the full-length song is more to your liking...
As you surf the channels, you are bound to find one of the most iconic television shows of all time, The Andy Griffith Show. The immediately recognizable theme aids in the relaxing atmosphere that you are about to witness in its comedic perfection. Millions around the world love the adventures of the citizens of Mayberry and tune in to witness again and again the laid-back antics of the small town. Regardless of how many times you have seen its 249 episodes, there may be a few tidbits lacking in your knowledge of Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee, and the rest of the citizenry of the fictional North Carolina town. "15 Things You May Not Know About The Andy Griffith Show" from neatorama.com
Andy sings the lyrics to the theme song on the above album. Give it a listen. We've also added a link with a bit of a surprising homage to "The Fishin' Hole" in the form of a Lincoln car commercial here: "The Fishin' Hole" by Andy Griffith, from the 1961 album Songs, Themes and Laughs from The Andy Griffith Show and 2020 Lincoln Aviator Television ad
Written by Earle Hagen (who is the "whistler") and Herbert Spencer, "The Fishin' Hole" never charted, nor won any awards, yet if you start humming or whistling the tune, you are sure to be joined by others who enjoyed the slower pace of life that the song exudes and exists in Mayberry.
Sometimes the solution to some of the pressing problems in Mayberry was solved by going fishing. If your goal is to catch fish, the exercise could prove frustrating. But if, as were many of the cases for Andy and crew, your goal was just to get to the peace of the outdoors and relax, regardless of the outcome, going fishing could be calming at the least and prove somewhat cathartic. It seems to me that some of the world's more pressing problems could be solved if folks fished more...
"Well, now, take down your fishin' pole
and meet me at the fishin' hole.We may not get a bite all day,
but don't you rush away..."
or maybe you might find these tips helpful:
The Gospel writer John says of the stories of Jesus, "But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." - John 21:25 NASB Tuesday's Musical Notes continues to explore the stories that we do have as given to us by the Gospel writers. Today we go on our first fishing excursion...
To some, this is a familiar Sunday School story of how Jesus got His first disciples. The story is very important for the continuing narrative, but also serves the purpose of foretelling what these disciples will be doing with their lives, fishing for men.
Matthew and Mark give us the "Cliff's Notes" version of this event, but Luke, like a color commentator (hey ESPN you could learn something here!!!), gives us more detail about the calling of Andrew and Peter, James and John, Jesus' first disciples. Jesus is teaching to the crowd, Luke says that the crowd was listening to the word of God. Word in this instance could have very easily been a reference to Jesus Himself as He is described by John as The Word.
Luke further tells that the crowds were "pressing around Him". Jesus finds 2 boats that were empty at the time as their owners had gone to clean their nets for the day. Jesus gets in one of the boats and asks Simon (later named Cephas/Peter) to launch into the Sea of Galilee (aka Genesseret). Simon and his partners in their fishing business, Andrew (his brother), and James and John were done for the day and about to leave in frustration as they had been at their job all day with little to show for it.
Jesus teaches from the boat to the crowd. Luke says that He sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. Now while the Bible doesn't highlight this as miraculous, we find it mind-blowing! The best way that folks can hear a teacher is if the teacher is in a standing position with little ambient noise. Jesus is in a boat on a lake sitting down and the folks on the shore still... heard... His... teaching. But friend, this is just the beginning.
Jesus finishes speaking to the crowd and instructs Simon to put out into deep water. Simon is perplexed, and as he usually does, expresses his confusion, but obeys what Jesus says. He goes to the area Jesus says. He goes to the right fishin' hole. What's good for Simon is certainly good for us. We need to be obedient to what Jesus is telling us, through Holy Spirit. It may seem perplexing to us, but when Jesus says it so we need to do it. Also, we need to be where Jesus is leading us to be. Jesus tells us to go to just the right spot so that He can work through us in His way, even though we may not understand it. He knows the best fishin' spots.
Jesus tells Simon to cast his nets. Simon, characteristically, has a comment about the day's work that "netted" them very little but begrudgingly, doubtfully, drops the nets into the sea. Be careful not to beat up Simon too much. We all have doubts. That is our nature. We should never allow our doubts to overcome the truth of what Jesus says or to drop our nets in the area Jesus instructs.
The nets fill quickly to the point that Simon cries out for the other boat to come and load up the excess fish. The boat arrives and they are both so full that the Bible says that they came close to the point of sinking. Remember, we are in deep water. But notice how quickly Simon's attention was drawn to Jesus and not the potential loss of the catch, or the fishermen. Simon realized, while not completely, that he was in the presence of righteousness. This association causes him to come to grips with his standing before God. Luke says that Simon and his companions were "seized by amazement" as he cries out for Jesus to go away. Simon comprehends his sinfulness in light of Jesus.
Jesus instructs them to not be fearful in light of what they had seen. Jesus tells them that they will no longer catch fish for their sustenance, but they will be fed by being fishers of men. The complexities of what this meant were probably not completely understood by the four partners, yet the Bible says they left the catch of a lifetime and followed Jesus.
Have you ever felt pressed by the crowd? Have you ever been resolved to listen to the Word of God? Has there ever been a time you needed to escape maybe to a local pond or lake and get away from folks? Has Jesus ever spoken to you through Holy Spirit to go somewhere that seems useless to you? Has there ever been a time when Jesus spoke to you over the noise of the environment? Has there ever been a time when Jesus invited you down to the fishin' hole? Have you recently been "seized by amazement" at what your obedience to Jesus' instructions yielded? Have you ever wondered what being a "fisher of men" might look like? Simon, Andrew, James, and John took the first step by leaving all that they knew to follow. Stay tuned...
Simon, while hesitant, obeyed Jesus. He and his partners had probably been on the shore as Jesus was teaching the crowd and heard the word of God while cleaning their nets from an unproductive day. Then Jesus got in his boat and everything changed. What do you do when Jesus gets in your boat? Are your bait and tackle ready?
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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