Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Games People Play" (The Alan Parsons Project)

Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes, the blog that answers the question, "Where do we go from here?"  Well, at least we'll try to answer that question today as we explore the vastness of the music history landscape and see just how that geography impacts our lives.  

Yes, here in Notesland, we take great pride in the unusual way in which we think about popular music.  It really doesn't matter the style, we tend to like a little something from every generation and every genre.  We love the resurgence in the vinyl (you know records that have music on them...that new thing the kids are all up into) that has been seen recently and hope that it sticks around for a very long time.  We are however a little hesitant about giving our money for something we can't hold in our hand aka "streaming" or "digital downloads".  Does that make me older?

Regardless of the format, we love this thing called music and hope you take a moment to relax and enjoy as we revisit some classics, and some modern songs and even discover new favorites and see just how they fit into our musical mulligan stew.  Thanks for being here for a few minutes!  And now on with the show... Are you dealing or am I?


Alan Parson and his musical collaborator/partner Eric Wolfson, established the backbone of The Alan Parsons Project, while a rotating cavalcade of artists ("The Alan Parsons Project Members" - wikipedia.org) came and went in support of the musical genius and vision of the band's principals. This is very similar to what Walter Becker and Donald Fagen had done with Steely Dan (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Reelin' In The Years" (Steely Dan), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Pretzel Logic" (Steely Dan)) in the previous decade ("Steely Dan Members" - wikipedia.org).

Not to be confused with the August 1968, Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #84, covered by everyone from back in the day, Grammy-winning song by Joe South with a title of the same name "Games People Play" from the album Introspect by Joe South, this "Games People Play" came soaring into the Spring of 1981 and established The Alan Parsons Project (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Sirius/Eye In The Sky" (The Alan Parsons Project)) as a Pop Music staple for the 80s.  It featured lead singer Lenny Zakatek and had 2 singles released that differed ever so slightly in their edits.  The song peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and came in at #66 in the year-end ranking for 1981, catapulting The Alan Parsons Project to a #9 placement on the end-of-the-year Artists/Groups listing. "Games People Play" also pushed The Turn Of A Friendly Card into a #11 album hit for that year.  With all of the success that they had in '81, you could honestly see Parsons/Wolfson asking the opening question of "Games People Play"...where do we go from here?  It's a question folks have been asking for many years when faced with pushback against their passions or in today's perspective, the turn of an unfriendly card...


Paul and Barnabas had arrived at Psidian Antioch (an ancient city that is in modern-day Turkey) and had some success in telling the Jewish people of the town about restoration to God through Jesus.  They were so well received that they were invited back to the synagogue the next day where the Bible details that much of the city came to hear what they had to say.  This instant popularity didn't sit well with the Jewish leaders in the synagogue and their jealousy caused them to promote strife against Paul and Barnabas.  This animous presented itself as they attempted to discredit and slander the missionaries.  "...Things that they say are not right..."  Paul and Barnabas are quick to turn the cards on the haters as they inform them that they, as Jews, were meant to hear the Gospel of Jesus first.  They rejected it as well as began persecuting its messengers.  Paul and Barnabas could have very easily sung this line from today's featured song. "...I don't wanna live here no more, I don't wanna stay.  Ain't gonna spend the rest of my life quietly fading away..." However, the God of the universe had already developed a plan for the Good News to be spread around the world. "‘I have appointed You as a light to the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’” So, Paul and Barnabas turned their efforts to the non-Jews, the Gentiles.

Verses 48 and 49 show the Gentiles celebrating that this message of hope, grace, and mercy was for them as well.  But not all of them accepted Jesus.  The Bible says, "When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed."  Be careful as you approach the word "appointed".  It has the connotation that only a "select" number of folks will be redeemed, a thought that some hold as predestination.  We must remember that God knows everything (omniscient).  God is without time constraints (omnipresent).  God is all-powerful (omnipotent).  He knows exactly who will be restored to Him in heaven.  In that way, restored souls are predestined.  But, He also sent Jesus to be the sacrifice for "all".  This is not easily understood, and I confess that my explanation is very lacking in content, however, we must consider that God created every person, why wouldn't He send Jesus for "all" of them to have a choice?   Jesus even says in The Gospel of Jesus as recorded by John, a fisherman, chapter 12, verses 27-36 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV (verse 32) "...And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” (emphasis mine) We've explored before what the Bible means by the word "all".  In this context, it means everyone is given the opportunity for restoration, through the drawing of The Holy Spirit, through the sacrificial death of Jesus, and by the grace, mercy, and love of God.  Yes, God knows who will accept that embrace, but the invitation is still given to all...everyone.  

And now back to our story, already in progress...

Because of the Gospel being told to the Gentiles, the Bible says, "the word of God spread through the whole region."  How incredible is this?  Remember, that Jesus only had 12 close compatriots in His mission on earth.  And now we see the whole region of what is now modern-day Turkey excitedly embracing Jesus!  

The excitement was short-lived but long sustaining.  The Jewish leaders of the town, "devout women of prominence and leading men in the city" instigated the persecution that would drive Paul and Barnabas out of town.  The missionaries followed Jesus' instructions about what to do in such cases and shook the dust of the town from their sandals.  The Gospel of Jesus as recorded by Matthew, a tax collector, chapter 10, verses 5-15 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV   

The Gospel messengers then found their way southeast to Iconium, what is now known as Konya, Turkey. The Bible says something fantastic here that we must not miss.  Paul and Barnabas had just been run out of town because of their message.  They were slandered and persecuted, yet in Acts 13:52 we find "...And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with The Holy Spirit."  If you remember back to Acts 5:17-42 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV we see in verse 41, "... So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name...".  Paul and Barnabas were following the example of the other apostles as they considered it a joy to suffer as Jesus had.  On the hard days, of our life, on the days when the things that they say aren't right, on the days you want to give up, remember Jesus.  Remember his persecution, trial, and crucifixion. Remember that in His humanity, He asked God to take all of the sufferings away, but in His deity, He said, not my will, but yours be done.   Remember the joy of being able to be like Jesus, even in the hard times.  Allow The Holy Spirit to infuse you with God's joy, grace, mercy, and love even in times when you wonder...where do we go from here? 

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><


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Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "One Vision" (Queen)

“Consistency is the true foundation of trust. Either keep your promises or do not make them.”
― Roy T. Bennett - motivational author

“It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It's what we do consistently.”
― Anthony Robbins - motivational speaker

“Consistency and discipline births successful outcomes.”
― Robin S. Baker - writer

Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come. 
- Dwayne Johnson - actor

"Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes where for the past 10 1/2 years we have consistently brought you great music with a side order of musing." 
- Randy W. Cross - blogger

It's Tuesday and it is definitely time for the most consistent thing I get to do every week!  Tuesday's Musical Notes is here again as we have been for 582 Tuesdays bringing you insight into some of your favorite tunes, and some songs that you, like me, are just discovering.  It is a blog where discovery is as important and consistent as the songs themselves because let's face it, music tends to teach as well as entertain.  

We thank you for joining us each week!  If you have just happened upon Tuesday's Musical Notes, we highly encourage you to check out the archives at the left of the screen.  There is a wide array of music and artists there for which you can choose or you can just start in May of 2012 and read one a day for the next couple of years...

Tuesday's Musical Notes is proud to be a part of Cross & Kin Family Entertainment, which at this time, includes your favorite blog, and our YouTube channel, Cross & Kin.  Check out both of these very unique entertainment options when you have a chance.  And now on with our show...well, our blog anyways.

We go to great lengths here in Notesland to make sure every week is a different song and that they are very different.  In our journey together through the internetosphere, Tuesday's Musical Notes has only repeated a song 1 time. (And we couldn't even find it...can you?  Yup the archives are to the left!)   We have a very distinct message that flows through all of our blogs. In some ways you could say, here at Tuesday's Musical Notes, there is always only One Vision...vision...vision...


Any song that ends with "Fried Chicken" is ok in my book!!!  Released as a single in November of 1985, "One Vision" would be one of the last original songs of Queen's to chart domestically.  The album version would be released as a part of the A Kind Of Magic record in June of the following year.  "One Vision" peaked on the charts at #61 and saw some relative success as a concert staple and opening song for the band's 1986 The Magic Tour.  "One Vision" might have flown under the radar altogether had it not been released as a part of the soundtrack to the 1986 film Iron Eagle, starring Jason Gedrick and Louis Gosset Jr.  It was a dominant part of the film as it was used on multiple occasions throughout the movie, which is rare for popular songs included on soundtracks.  

Unlike many of Queen's hits, "One Vision" was written by the entire band, not just frontman Freddie Mercury.  Effects wise it utilizes many of the technological advances available for recording at its time, many of which seem very old school by today's standards.  The music video also harkens back to the band's 1975 hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen)) showcasing the persistence of the band maintaining its signature sound with the song's similar effects wizardry.  This worked to their advantage as even a casual fan would instantly recognize the sound of this stalwart rock and roll band and realize they could trust what was about to be a great song by a great band.  


At this point in our Biblical walkthrough (literally for Paul), we find Paul, Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and John Mark in the beginning stages of a missionary journey through a portion of the known world.  This is the first mission trip for the small band of evangelists and today we find them setting out after their encounter with last week's magician and the conversion of Sergius Paulus, a regional governor.  The mission team sets out from Cyprus and traveled to Perga of Pamphylia which is the coast of what is modern-day Turkey.  Upon their arrival, John Mark decides to go back to Jerusalem, a decision that leaves Paul with some level of consternation which he later eludes to in Acts 15:37-39 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV. ("Mark Leaves Apostle Paul" - biblestudy.org) 

The remainder of the team continues to travel until they get to Psidian Antioch, a town at the crossroads of the Meditteranean Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the peninsula of Anatolia.  (Even further inland in modern Turkey).  The Sabbath after their arrival in Psidian Antioch, they went to the local Synagogue to worship.  (Hmm...if it was important to Paul then, shouldn't it be important for believers now?  But I digress...)  They listened to the message from the Law (the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses, or the Pentateuch) and the Prophets (the writings at the back half of most translations of the Old Testament).  This was the standard practice of the worship services in the Synagogues as these manuscripts were their Bibles.  Upon completion of the day's readings, they invited Paul and his companions to speak.  

Paul begins in a manner in which we have seen before. (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Understanding" (Bob Seger))  Paul begins with a brief history lesson of the triumphs and trials of Israel as a nation and their heritage in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Paul proceeds through the time of the judges and then into the Kings.  This provides him with a segue into the introduction of Jesus as Messiah, recounting His trial, execution, death, burial, and resurrection as the final sacrificial atonement for everyone's sin.  Paul told of how many had seen Jesus alive after his crucifixion and that they continued to testify of His existence and the effect He had on their lives.  Through the Law, Psalms, and Prophets, Paul showed them the realities of who Jesus was as the descendent of David who would no longer experience death because He had defeated death and the grave.  

How did the Jewish folks on that Sabbath Day respond?  "...As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these things spoken to them the next Sabbath.  Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.  Acts 13:42-43 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV  The congregants on that Sabbath Day enthusiastically received the message of Jesus brought by Paul and his companions.  

While the deliverers (Peter and Paul) and the messages (history, you murderers, His redemption; history, crucifixion, and His redemption) were different between this Sabbath Day and the Pentecost Day in which Peter preached, the theme was consistent (Jesus was Messiah, died as the suffering servant, served as the ultimate and everlasting sacrifice, came back to life after 3 days, and was seen by many who still served as witnesses with their transformed lives).  

You see friend, from "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." to "...He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen."  The theme of the Bible is the same.  No matter who God uses as the delivery servant, the message is Jesus.  The message of Jesus is grace, mercy, healing, and restoration.  The message of Jesus is also the ultimate judgment for sin, destruction of death, and an eternity in the presence of God for those who believe, and testify.  The message of Jesus that Peter preached at Pentecost and Paul preached on that Sabbath Day is..."Hey! One man, one goal. Ha, one mission. One heart, one soul. Just one solution. One flash of light. Yeah, one God, one vision..."

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

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Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Magical Mystery Tour" (The Beatles)

Once upon a time about 10 years ago, there began a blog.  While some of its conceptual ideas have changed a little, for the most part, it is a blog that has remained consistent since its inception on May 31, 2012 (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "I'm Alright" (Kenny Loggins))  It proudly features a diversity of artists, and genre of music and can only be found on Tuesdays.  It has been viewed over 77,000 times in its history by folks all over the world.  (Especially in Singapore of late!)  Its core mission is to educate and encourage while being engaging and entertaining. 

It takes the power of song and turns it on its ear by providing a positive contrast to the negativity that abounds in the internetosphere.  It takes you to a place where thoughts are thought about and your mind is stretched to at least consider the premises that are enthusiastically proffered.  Welcome to that blog.
This is Tuesday's Musical Notes.




"Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour!"  begins today's featured song.  "Magical Mystery Tour" was written predominantly by Paul McCartney (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Spies Like Us" (Paul McCartney), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Wonderful Christmastime" (Paul McCartney), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reggae" (Paul McCartney)).  The song is credited to Lennon/McCartney but in interviews, John diminishes his contribution to the song.  It serves as the title track and to the television movie soundtrack which was released in the UK as a double EP album, and as a single full-length record in the US, taking the songs from the soundtrack and adding previously released singles.  

"Magical Mystery Tour" serves as an introduction to what is about to happen in the film.  McCartney has confessed that the song features references to drugs.  His explanation is that the times were psychedelic and the song is reflective of that.  

The soundtrack to the film is considered commercially and critically successful as it went on to sell over 6 million copies in the US as of 2013 and received positive reviews by critics of the time. 

The film however was a critical and commercial failure.  The song portions were the highlights of the "tour" as The Beatles sequestered a nonprofessional cast and crew and had very little in the way of scripts for the 52-minute movie making it disjointed and not easily understood.   Magical Mystery Tour winds up being a series of poorly acted scripts with musical interludes by the hottest band on the planet in 1967.  Its premise is that of a bus trip across England that gets taken on an array of side trips by a group of magicians played by The Beatles.  

Since 1983, a tour bus company in Liverpool offers Magical Mystery Tour aboard a replica bus.  It takes guests to popular sites in Beatles history, without any extra sensory enhancements or magicians.

The Fab Four are not the first to go on an unscripted, Magical Mystery Tour with magicians who were wanting to take you away...


Last week we took the opportunity to introduce Saul as a missionary.  Today, we look at the beginnings of that tour and see a very interesting story. But let's not go ahead of ourselves with the script and context.

We find Saul with a group of brothers in the faith which included Barnabas, Saul's companion and encourager for some time.  In the early portion of our Scripture, you see the group of men engaged in worship through fasting and service.  As they were in the midst of that time, Holy Spirit begins to move and speak to them.  Their instructions from God, the Spirit, were to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work that they had been called to do.  We see the specifics of that work played out over their 1st missionary journey.  

With John Mark in tow, they were sent by the church in Antioch to go about the Spirit's appointed tasks.  This took them to Salamis, a city on the island of Cyprus.  They began interacting with the Jews in the synagogue and began to trek across the island.  This brought them to the region of Paphos where they encountered the magician  Bar-Jesus, who we find out soon is also named Elymas.   This man, also described as a Jewish, false prophet, served the proconsul Sergius Paulus whom the Bible intimates as a man of intelligence.  

As an ardent student of the Torah, Saul would have known quite well what the instructions were regarding those who practice magic.  Leviticus 19:31 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, Leviticus 20:27 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, Deuteronomy 18:9-12 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV Because of his devotion to the Torah, Saul's interactions with Elymas were destined to be strained to say the least.  

Sergius Paulus wanted to hear what Saul and Barnabas had to say, but the Magical Mystery Tour ramps up and Elymas was wanting to take the regional governor away from any introduction to the faith.  

In verse 9, for the first time, Saul is provided with an AKA.  From this point forward he is referred to in Scripture as Paul.  Paul accepts the invitation of the magician by looking him in the eye and saying "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord?  Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time." (NASB)  Instantly the lights went out on Elymas and he attempted to find someone to lead him around.  Attention ladies and gentlemen, this part of the tour is over.  There is nothing to see here...

Elymas' intended thwarting of the Gospel was instantly turned on him as Sergius Paulus believed the teachings of Barnabas and Paul.  His curiosity turned to belief and was bolstered when he saw the destruction of the evil that was around him through Elymas' blindness and how God's emissaries had shown the power of the Lord.  Sergius Paulus soon discovered that the teachings of Barnabas and Paul provided everything he needed for restoration and faith.  His satisfaction was guaranteed as he took his first steps toward a new life with Jesus.

Today's Magical Mystery Tour may be one in which you have some familiarity.  You want to seek out the invitation of God, through His Son Jesus, yet there are magicians disguised as friends or advisors who are attempting to take you away.  Or maybe you are a believer but find yourself surrounded by folks and circumstances that do not encourage your walk of faith.  In either scenario, you must remember that Holy Spirit is there either waiting to fill you with His love for the first time, or as a believer, show His power in your life, making the distractions of life incapable of functioning.   

Each of us has been set apart for a task, just like Barnabas and Paul.  Through worship, we can discover what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do.  Through obedience, we can boldly go about doing what the Holy Spirit has told us to do.  No matter what kind of Magical Mystery Tour may be wanting to take us away...

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><
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Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Everyday Is A Winding Road" (Sheryl Crow)

Happy Independence Day!!!  Today is the 247th birthday of the Constitutional Republic of the United States of America!!!  This is the 12th Tuesday's Musical Notes that celebrates the United States' declaration of independence from Great Britain. As a recap, our first Independence Day-themed Musical Note was Tuesday's Musical Notes - "God Bless The USA" (Lee Greenwood) and last year's celebration featured "Let's Say It With Firecrackers/Song Of Freedom Medley" (Bing Crosby and the Chorus of the Paramount Pictures release Holiday Inn).  Take a minute and check out the archives to the left and see exactly how we have celebrated this very important holiday for our country over the years.  Yup, over there on the left...Go to each year...then the first note in July...almost there...now CLICK!  

You might have noticed as you clicked on each year that today's Notes marks only the 2nd time in our 12 years together that our annual celebration of freedom arrives on a Tuesday.  So it's a great day to celebrate for more than one reason!!!  Here, for your reading enjoyment is the 1st time. "I feel good!!!": Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Living In America" (James Brown)

With this sampling of musical fare, maybe just maybe, you have gotten a taste of what it's like around here in Notesland!  We confess to knowing more about some kinds of music than others but take great strides in keeping an open mind about our featured songs and try our best to showcase as many genres as we possibly can.  As you look across the landscape of Tuesday's Musical Notes, we think it is pretty obvious that...


Today's featured song comes from Sheryl Crow's self-titled second album.  Oddly enough, it was her second attempt at releasing a record bearing her name as the title but the only one released due to the previous project being shelved by Crow and her producers.  Some of the tracks from that album have leaked into digital platforms but to date, none of the record's releases have appeared as singles or been released to radio.  

That made Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club.  As the title suggested this album was a collective of songwriters who got together to make music, and if the title can be trusted, on the best day of the week!  The album had several prominent releases, including the late-blooming, Grammy-nominated, #2 smash hit, "All I Wanna Do" (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "All I Wanna Do" (Sheryl Crow)).
   
While mired in some legal wranglings about songwriting credits from the other collective members, Tuesday Night Music Club and "All I Wanna Do" were enough to spur the success of Crow's second self-titled effort.  This time around it did make it to record stores and radio and was all Sheryl Crow as producer and principal singer/songwriter.  The results were 5 singles, 2 of which peaked in the top twenty, including today's song which topped the charts at #11.

"Everyday Is A Winding Road" was the second single from the album.  While not breaking the top ten in the US, it went all the way to #1 in Canada, the fourth and final of Crow's singles to do so in the Great White North, eh! Back in the good 'ol USA it was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 1998 Grammy Awards but lost out to Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home".  

While departing from producing and songwriting collaborations, Sheryl Crow did utilize other pop musicians as inspiration and as backing vocals for the song.  The band Crowded House (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Saturday Sun" (Crowded House)) had two members involved.  Lead singer Neil Finn provided backing vocals on the song and drummer Paul Hester is said to have provided the inspiration.  

"Everyday Is A Winding Road" is a story song detailing the introspective journey of life.  In this case, as we go down the winding road with the ride provided by our intellectual vending machine repairman, we see that lyrically the song travels along a curvilinear pathway paralleling that of most everyone's life.  Rarely does the road go straight for very long but regardless of the bends, the road, as does life, continues.  

This departure from straight streets is beautiful in that rarely can you expect a given journey to be exactly the same as a previous one, even if it is on the same road...or for the same purpose.


Tuesday's Musical Notes is in the process of traveling down the winding roads of the Bible.  We started on April 9, 2019, reminding our readers of the great stories that are in the Bible in only the way that Tuesday's Musical Notes can. (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Beginnings"(Chicago)) We have attempted to tell these stories in as close to chronological order as possible and look forward to the coming weeks as we "jump in, let's go, lay back, and enjoy the show".  For the next several weeks we will hit some of the stories from Paul's Missionary Journeys.  We thought however that it might be helpful if we began with a brief overview and very broad interpretation of the Scripture as written by Dr. Luke.

In our passage today, we see that the growing church in Antioch was led by men who completely sought the Lord.  These men were described as being very much in tune with the Holy Spirit which instructed them to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the first-ever intentional mission trip. The purpose of this trip was to tell the story of Jesus to those they encountered, both Jew and Gentile, but predominantly Gentile. What we discover in chapter 13 is followed by 2 more such treks.  I have been told my whole life there were 4 mission trips made by Paul, yet in this portion of Acts, we only see the Bible telling us about 3 specifically.  Scattered throughout Paul's letters and other non-Biblical historical documents from the time, we get the indication that Paul may have gone as far as Spain or it is possible the final mission trip was Paul's journey to Rome where he was eventually martyred, yet no Scripture is explicit in telling about the account of the journey down that winding road.  Here is a great article that presents an overview of each of the places Paul and his compatriots ministered as they went on these crusades.  "Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide" by Ryan Nelson, July 6, 2020 overviewbible.com   

As we have seen in the life of Saul/Paul so far, every day has its own set of unique twists and turns.  What started out for Saul as a mission for persecution winds up being a series of missions of ministry and disciple building among those that devout Jews considered "unclean".  He finds himself meeting a myriad of people and situations, that he could have never envisioned as he set out on his original road to Damascus.  Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Doctor My Eyes" (Jackson Browne)  The Scripture detailing this journey is filled with the perfect example of how everybody gets high, everybody gets low, these are the days where anything goes.  And all along the way Paul seems to be saying, "I get a little bit closer to feeling fine." 

Regardless of the number of mission trips taken by Paul and his ministry partners, this 5-and-a-half-year period begins the church age.  At every stop that Paul and his companions make they have specific intents, which ultimately lead to a church, albeit sometimes a church that consists of one family, that is planted and lives that are changed because of the message of Jesus.  We will explore some of those specific intents and the resultant stories that come from them in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!

Ultimately, Acts 13-20 tells the story of the Gospel of Jesus being spread throughout the known world. Jesus' love and sacrifice touched people all along the way as Paul, Barnabas, Mark, Silas, and others, told those who were swimming in a sea of anarchy of the transformative power, peace, hope, and yes freedom, that a relationship with Jesus can bring.  These first missionaries are responsible for taking the Gospel to folks who were probably asking, "I'm just wondering why I feel so all alone
Why I'm a stranger in my own life?"  The answer for them then, and for us now, is Jesus.  

As we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in this country, let us never forget to tell everyone we encounter about the freedoms that we have because of Jesus as everyday is a winding road...

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

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