Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Haunted House" (Mckenna Grace)

Happy Halloween!!!  Welcome to this year's spooky edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  In the decade we've been writing The Notes (oh yeah, check out the archives to the left!), this is only the second time that Halloween has fallen on a Tuesday.  For a fun flashback, click on the other time from the 2017 Halloween link here:  Tuesday's Musical Notes - Theme from "The Munsters" (Jack Marshall).  We usually do a Halloween theme this time of the year and all of those can be viewed in the archives as well.  Check them out in between candy bites.  

We hope this launch to the holiday season finds you with a sack full of candy and a safe get-together with family and friends planned!  If you happen to need a playlist for your party, check out the suggestions we make at our sister site, the YouTube channel, Cross & Kin:  Cross & Kin Presents: 13 Spooky Songs  And, thanks to you, Cross & Kin just celebrated its 1st anniversary on YouTube and as part of Cross & Kin Entertainment!!!  Thanks for checking out the channel and giving us an exciting first year!!!  Cross & Kin: Happy First Anniversary!!!

Now that the shameless self-promotion part of the blog is over, let's get going with the original content you've come to know and love!  Welcome To Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! 

When it comes to Halloween, there are as many ways folks celebrate as there are many diverse interpretations of where the holiday originated and was first celebrated.  At the Cross home, we are not in general huge fans of the season.   OK, it's me, I'm a real Scrooge when it comes to Halloween (sorry about the mixed holiday analogies, but you get the drift).  We certainly enjoy living somewhat vicariously through those who do, but for us, the scary aspects and some of the evil associated with this particular seasonal celebration are off-putting.  Now please don't get me wrong, our light will be on and we will welcome those who decide to trick or treat at our house.  Tammy will also accompany the grandchildren to specific places that we know would want to see them in their resplendent Halloween attire. No, really, they are that cute!!!  But for me, I look forward to enjoying the evening with a good meal, perhaps even a few bites of leftover goodies (are we the only ones who buy too much candy on purpose?), and a warm place to sit and watch my favorites of the season  It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and Arsenic And Old Lace.  Yup, that's about as spooky as it gets around our parts on Halloween as this ghost never leaves his haunted house...


While it didn't set the box-office world on fire, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was one of our favorite films of 2021.  Maybe you binge-watch Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife as a part of your evening plans.  I can't recommend the Ghostbusters reboot, AKA Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, because I haven't seen it,  it lost money at the box office, and it became so embroiled in controversy over its casting that it has been panned by critics. But we love Ghostbusters: Afterlife as it featured just the right balance between its new storyline and the nostalgia of its predecessors. The entire film served as a great salute to OG Ghostbuster, Harold Ramis.  Yes, tears were shed from this old softy...

The Ghostbusters reboot featured rising star and Emmy award nominee, Mckenna Grace (A Handmaid's Tale, Young Sheldon, et al.) who embraced the role of the geeky granddaughter to Egon Spengler (Ramis' role in the 1984 film) with nerdy abandon.  The movie also gave the opportunity to promote and showcase the star's single, "Haunted House".

"Haunted House" was Grace's debut single and was co-written by her and Lily Kincade.  It showcases her songwriting ability and her vocal chops.  It was produced by Nathaniel Motte.  It was written amid the Covid-19 pandemic and asserts a sense of foreboding about the end of a relationship.  Grace has stated that the song could very easily translate to any relationship, as she didn't want the single to be seen as just a "break-up" song.  While not originally written for the Ghostbusters: Afterlife, "Haunted House" was later included as the end credits music.  We were actually very surprised when we saw her credited with the song as the credits rolled and it became an instant favorite new song.  It did not however appear on any of the soundtrack offerings from the movie.  Nor has it appeared as of the date of this writing on any of McKenna Grace's EPs.  

The song uses its spooky backdrop as a metaphor for the relationship that is ending.  Basically, it tells the listener that even though a relationship may have ended, getting that person out of your heart and mind may be much more difficult than getting them physically out of your life.  Hence the ghost of their memory continues to haunt you in your "house".


For many, the specter of their past is that ghost that never leaves their haunted house.  The writer of the above Proverb, probably Solomon, shows that there is a means of escape and a way to exorcise that phantom from your life.  But there are a couple of things we must do to make sure that the ghost never returns to our house...

First of all,  we have to recognize what it is that separates us from God

The Bible says that we all have sinned.  Romans 3:21-26 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV Did you see that in verse 23?  We've said it before and will probably say it many more times, when the Bible says "all" it means ALL.  In this case, "all" means all of mankind from "Adam" to the time of Jesus' return.  This verse says that we have stuff in our lives that has broken the relationship that we need to have with God.   We have those "ghosts" in our lives that don't want to leave and they are keeping us from having a restored relationship with God.  

After acknowledging that this disconnect is in our lives, we have to confess that we've blown it, that we've done something wrong, that we've, to use the above Scriptures verbiage, sinned.  This can be difficult to do.  It takes a Hebrews 11 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV kind of faith.  And we have to make sure that we STOP the sin!

In  1 John 1:5-10 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV notice verse 9 that says if we confess our sin, He (God) will be faithful and righteous to forgive us from our sin and cleanse us from all (there's that word again!) unrighteousness.  To keep with our featured song analogy, God takes our ghost, kicks him out of the house, and padlocks the door so he can never get back in and then God forgets the apparition ever existed.  
 
And that's where God takes over.  If you do a search on the phrase, "But God," you find that in the NASB it appears 41 times.  One of those instances is found in Ephesians 2:1-10 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV.  We want you to pay particular attention to verses 4-7.  "But God...made us alive together with Christ...and raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus."  How did God achieve this?  By providing the ultimate sacrifice or payment for our sins to be wiped away in the person of Jesus. 

Here's where the back half of Proverbs 28:13 kicks in and demands action from us.  We must ABANDON our sins.  Far too many times we ask for forgiveness in vain because we honestly don't want to let go of that sin.  It's called habitual sin for a reason and its effects can be devastating, calling our salvation experience into question. "You walk out the door, then you want back in..." If we truly believed in Jesus' salvific work, wouldn't we want to embrace Him and the life He provides rather than continuing the "pleasure that only lasts for a season"?  

We must confess, abandon, and then truly believe and embrace Jesus.  Embrace his leadership and Lordship over our lives.  Try every day to emulate Him.  How can we achieve that?  By finding out who He is.  You do that by consistently reading about Him in His Word (the Bible) and asking the Holy Spirit (who comes into your life as a result of your belief) to hone you into Jesus' likeness and character.  

We can't do any of this in our own power.  Only through God's sacrifice of Jesus' human life and the Holy Spirit's drawing us can we get over those habitual sins that honestly, we may not want to let go of.  But we must rely on Jesus' sufficient power, because in our own power, well, our ghosts never leave our haunted house...

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
 

 

Posted by at 1 comment:

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Because You Loved Me" (Celine Dion)

If you travel much, you may have noticed that larger metropolitan areas are made up of several other large cities that have grown into each other.  Here in Arkansas, we have seen that happen with the Little Rock Metro as the dividing lines between the municipalities of Little Rock proper, North Little Rock (or Argenta as the locals call it), and Sherwood continue to get closer and closer.  The same has happened in Northwest Arkansas with Fayetteville, Springdale, and Rogers fast becoming one huge hub of cities. It becomes more and more difficult to determine where one of these cities ends and the other begins.


Such has happened with the 4th quarter of our calendar year.  The lines between holidays have seemed to meld into one huge 3-month celebration as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year all get seemingly mashed together.   Many times this makes a boon for retailers as candy, then food for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, and finally pork and peas for New Year's have their peak sales.   Let's face it, you're behind the ball if you haven't got candy yet!  It's one week away! Got your turkey yet? Is your Christmas decor sitting on standby?  New Year's binge-watching picked out?  You know what I mean...

Recent years have thankfully seen a social media pushback of sorts for this Halanksmasyear continual party.  Folks seem to desire a break between their festivities.  They desire the opportunity to do some effective planning to make the celebration more meaningful, and besides who wants to give another fruitcake for Christmas because you ran out of time when if you would have time to consider your gift giving, you would have given the Millennium Falcon Lego set?

Here in Notesland, we like to breathe just a bit between the above-mentioned seasonal celebrations and honestly, the older we get, the more we want to savor every single moment with friends and family as we come together and smell the pumpkin spice in cooler temperatures, see the costumes of young and old, taste the delectable side dish and dessert, hear the newest (at least its new to us) vinyl and enjoy the feel of that midnight kiss.  This separation between the holidays enables me to appreciate those who stood by me, those who brought joy into my life, and those who helped to make my dreams true...


Sung by Celine Dion (Tuesday's Musical Notes -"Beauty And The Beast" (Angela Lansbury/Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson)) "Because You Loved Me" was written by Diane Warren ("Top Ten Hits By Diane Warren" - wikipedia.org)  and Produced by David Foster ("David Foster - Career" - wikipedia.org), the song was nominated in 4 categories at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards and won the Grammy for Best Song Written For Visual Media.  It also garnered Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song.   Adding to its accolades are its outstanding sales numbers with more than 5 million copies of the song sold in its first 6 months of release.  

One would imagine that as the years went on with this song, Ms. Dion began to think of specific folks as she sang lyrics like these...

...You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me...

or in other words...

"We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers..."


1 Thessalonians is probably one of the first of the letters that Paul would write.  It was originally intended for the church in Thessalonica (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Upside Down" (Jack Johnson)) but would eventually find its way to being circulated among believers throughout the region.  It was written from Corinth during Paul's second missionary journey, which we just saw completed last week.  (Go check out last week's blog in the archives to the left of your screen for a recap.) 

Paul is writing this letter to the church at Thessalonica in response to what Timothy has reported to him about the church.  Unlike some of the accountability we see in some of Paul's other letters, 1 Thessalonians contains great encouragement to the church as it was seeing continued persecution from all sides, yet because of their diligence and resolve, more and more folks were believing the Gospel of Jesus.

I love the way Paul starts the body of his letter.  After his initial greetings, Paul praises the church by letting them know of his gratitude for them in their steadfastness for the Gospel.  Paul commends the church at Thessolinica for their "work of faith and labor of love".  He goes on further to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives which is evident by the things Paul hears about them.  

Paul applauds them for being "imitators of us and of the Lord" as they endure great afflictions and, get this, "with joy", from those who oppose them.  "For all those times you stood by me..." "...For all the wrong that you made right..."  Paul continues in his admiration of the believers by telling them that he does not need to tell others about their faith, their reputations are being told all around the region:  "...but in every place the news of your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything."  Their about-face from worshiping idols has been testified around all of Macedonia and Achaia (Macedonia and Achaia map), a region where worship of Greek and Roman gods was prevalent.  And the testimony of the Jesus whom they have turned to sparks the interest of those who were searching.  Especially as they communicate their anticipation of His return to "...rescue us from the wrath to come."  

Could the same be said of your church?  I saw a meme not too long ago that suggested that some churches are so bad that Paul needs to write them a letter.  While on the face of it, this seems humorous but if you get down to it, some of Paul's more critical letters could apply to churches all around our world today.  

What is the main focus of the church you attend?  Is it making and sending disciples of Jesus?  Is it more concerned about musical styles than it is about making much of the Messiah?   Does its membership show love to the Lord, their community, to each other?  Does your church compare itself to other churches in your town rather than comparing itself to Jesus? 

Or would Paul write something like this about your church:

"You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me..."

What can people say about us individually and our church collectively because we love them?

'Til Tuesday
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Let's Work Together" (Wilbert Harrison/Canned Heat)

 

“Coming together is a beginning; staying together is development, and working together is a success.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist and founder of Ford Motor Company   
“None of us is as smart as all of us.”- Ken Blanchard, motivational speaker and author of The One Minute Manager

“We’re all working together; that’s the secret.” – Sam Walton, founder of Wal*Mart

“Working together always works together better…” – Chris Pine, actor (Star Trek reboot, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”- Helen Keller, author/disability rights advocate       

“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” – John Wooden, UCLA Men's Basketball head coach (1948-1975)

Welcome to Tuesday where together we explore the vast recesses of the world of music and consider the ramifications of its meaning.  Each week I write, you read and together we celebrate the gift that is music!  We do it in the format called Tuesday's Musical Notes!  It's the blog portion of Cross & Kin Entertainment where we seek to inform and entertain you with family offerings about the universe of movies, books, and music all wrapped up in said blog and our YouTube channel Cross & Kin.  So pull up your boots as we get ready to partner together to encourage our hearts and stimulate our minds as we travel down the pathways of our lives. In short...Let's Work Together!



"Let's Work Together" was originally written as the song "Let's Stick Together" by Wilbert Harrison ("Kansas City" #1 1959 pop charts).  After being released as a single, "Let's Stick Together" had relative success but never made it to the charts. Harrison then took the music to the song and reimagined the lyrical content.  In 1962, he released it as "Let's Work Together" and it generated significant interest.  But it wasn't until Sue Records, the label that owned the rights to the single, released their 1969 recording of the song that it went as far as #32 on the Billboard Hot 100.  

At about that same time, Alan Wilson and Bob Hite fronted the blues-rock band, Canned Heat ("Going Up The Country", #11 Billboard Hot 100), and recorded their own version of the song. "Let's Work Together" marked a different sound for Canned Heat as Bob Hite took over lead vocals for the song from usual frontman Alan Wilson. The band delayed the single release in the US to stay away from the Harrison version. Due to Harrison's version failing to gain traction in the United Kingdom however, Canned Heat released their "Let's Work Together" to great success, soaring all the way to #2 in the UK Singles Chart.  Canned Heat would release a domestic single of the song in 1970 surpassing the Harrison predecessor by peaking at #26.  

Despite its bluesy-rock music foundation, "Let's Work Together" soars into a positive, feel-good, lyrical content reflecting the peace and love movement that defined much of the late 60s and early 70s.  Its encouragement for folks to have a unity of purpose to accomplish great things is buoyed by its pronouncements of making people happy and causing them to smile.  

Perhaps you've experienced similar phenomena.  You partner with one, two, or more people to succeed at a goal that you set as a team.  You all work diligently to achieve your part of the plan and in the end, the outcome is beneficial to all who were involved.  The result should be that happy feeling of a job well done manifested in the smiles of your cohorts.  

However, that sense of accomplishment isn't a new experience that is unique to you and your team and sometimes it doesn't cause smiles to erupt...


Throughout the pages of the Bible, there is much said about folks working together to achieve tasks. As we have been chronologically traveling through its pages we have come to the point where we see in the life of Paul, a preference to always have someone, sometimes a group of folks, with him as he goes about his missionary journeys telling others about Jesus.  He uses these times as moments of mentoring as well as a partnership to see the Gospel spread broadly.  Much is accomplished for the kingdom and in the relationships Paul develops as he has time with each of these individuals.

Today we see a similar circumstance in Paul's interaction with Aquilla and his wife, Priscilla. Aquila and Priscilla were in Corinth, where Paul had traveled after he left Athens.  They found themselves in Corinth due to the persecution by Claudius of Jews who were living in Italy, especially Rome, their original home.

While in Corinth, Aquilla and Priscilla naturally bonded with Paul over their commonalities in work life. Paul was a tentmaker by trade and at times utilized his vocational skills to spread the Gospel as well as earn resources. Paul also continued his practice of frequenting the synagogue where he visited and shared with Jews and Greeks.   

Paul's other cohorts, Silas and Timothy, arrive in Corinth after having been in Macedonia, to find Paul steeped in preaching and teaching about Jesus.  As has happened everywhere Paul has traveled (and indeed in our own time), some folks received the Gospel, others rejected it, and still others got very upset at Paul's teaching and preaching.  This ignited Paul's determination to no longer speak the message of Jesus to the Jews but to go exclusively to the Gentiles with his message of hope and redemption.  Paul's partnership in the region did reap rewards as the ruler of the synagogue, Crispus believed along with his household.  While the belief of Crispus and others encouraged Paul, it would take an intervention and assurance of God's partnership from the Lord to soften Paul's heart towards the Jews of Corinth. In a vision, the Lord comforted Paul with the knowledge that He was with him.  And to persevere in seeing those who would believe, Jews and Gentiles, come to saving faith in Jesus.  The vision Paul received from the Lord was so powerful he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half teaching the community about Jesus.  

Towards the end of Paul's stay in Corinth, the persecution ramped up when the Jews brought Paul up on charges before a tribunal and the proconsul of Achaia, Gallio.  Before Paul could even open his mouth to defend himself, Gallio shut the crowd down with dismissal and kicked them out of the tribunal. The Jews were so upset at his brush-off that they took Sosthenes, a different synagogue ruler, and began beating him in front of the governor.  This had no effect on Gallio, but one would imagine it had a significant effect on Sosthenes!

Paul had developed such a relationship with Aquila and Priscilla that he took them on the remainder of his second missionary journey. They came to Ephesus where they stayed long enough for Paul to once again engage the Jews in the synagogue.  The Bible says that Paul left the husband/wife tandem at Ephesus even though they had implored him to stay a while longer.  Paul promised to return upon God's good favor and left them when he sailed to Cesarea and traveled on to Antioch thus effectively ending his second missionary journey.  

Did you catch all of the partnerships in today's passage?  There were even some passages that eluded to team-ups that were against Paul and his team. We see however, those efforts were ultimately thwarted because Paul and his partners were unified in their mission and goals.  With God as the leader of the effort and their agreement with His mission, success was irrevocable. 

I hope that you have friends.  More importantly, I hope you have folks who travel through your life with you and have your back at every instance.  I hope these friends are God-fearing, Jesus-loving, Spirit-bearers who do not hesitate to bind you to themselves as you go through life together working towards the goal of seeing God glorified, Jesus magnified, and the Holy Spirit personified in you. If you believe that Jesus has saved your life and restored your relationship with God and lives in you through the Holy Spirit, AND if you aren't currently attending a church in your area, please make finding a church home a priority.  If I can help, email me at rawacr@gmail.com  Let's work together to make much of Jesus!!!  

Please don't try to do this life on your own.  We were created for relationship. Ultimately your most important relationship should be with God through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. But the Bible also says that we need other folks.  (not in the same way, but we do need'em!) The wisest man to ever live, King Solomon wrote: "Two are better than one..." Ecclesiastes 4:9 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, and "As iron sharpens iron..." Proverbs 27:17 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV     

Or as Mr. Wilbert Harrison and Canned Heat put it...

"Together we stand, divided we fall
Come on now people, let's get on the ball and work together
Come on, come on let's work together, now, now people
Because together we will stand, every boy, every girl, and a man,,,"

'Til Tuesday

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Losing My Religion" (R.E.M.)

Have you ever had that moment when you were unsure about something?  Perhaps you had made a decision and after you had your final answer, you began to think about all the alternatives.  Second-guessing creeps in as you struggle with whether or not your decision was the best.  Did you have all of the information you needed?  Was emotion kept at bay as you decided?  What will the long-term impact be?  

If I can provide some encouragement, everyone has those times of doubt, fear, and questioning.  Even on the sure things that we can count on.  

Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes, a blog brought to you by Cross & Kin Productions.  (see the latest Cross & Kin YouTube video here:  Cross & Kin Presents: Top 10 Terrifying Disney Villains)


In today's blog, we explore the frozen tundra...no it's cold but not THAT cold.  In today's blog, we find our intrepid hero...no, it's a blog about music, not Indiana Jones.  In today's blog, we seek the answer to the age-old question...nope, we do that some days, but not today.  Okay, you're just gonna have to read on as we are beginning to run...Out Of Time...


Hailing from Athens, Georgia is one of the biggest alternative rock bands of the 90s, R.E.M.. (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" (R.E.M.)) The band had been around a decade and released 6 albums before 1991 and the release Out Of Time.   Before this, R.E.M. was considered one of the more heralded indie rock bands.  But when Out Of Time hit the band instantly became international rock and roll favorites.  Out of Time served to catapult R.E.M. into icon status and caused them to be the poster boys for everything alternative rock. The album's cardboard longbox even became a part of the Rock My Vote campaign as it could be used as a petition for the movement in support of the Motor Voter Act to spur voter registration. The album spent 109 weeks on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and peaked on two different occasions at the #1 spot.   Out of Time sold over 4 million records in the US and over 18 million worldwide and soon became a Grammy darling, claiming 3 Grammy Awards in 1992, 1 for Best Alternative Music Album and 2 for its second track and first single, "Losing My Religion" (Best Short Form Music Video, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal)

"Losing My Religion" was the first of four singles released from Out Of Time.   The single became the band's highest-charting song to date peaking at #4 on the Hot 100 (staying on the chart for 21 weeks) and taking the top spot in the Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts.  It is unique in its opening mandolin line.  Adding to its uniqueness is the aforementioned Grammy-Award-winning video which is well, something to see.   R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck (who wrote the opening line and chorus) has said that the opening mandolin riff came from recordings he made while learning how to play the instrument.  Combining that with the one-take vocals by Michael Stipe, Mike Mills' John McVie ("Fleetwood Mac" - Tuesdays Musical Notes) inspired bass line, touring guitarist Peter Holsapple's acoustic guitar providing midrange and string arrangement by Mark Bingham you have the making of the sound that so many fans had become accustomed.  

The title phrase, "Losing My Religion", has very little to do with religion at all as it comes from the Southern expression of losing your temper or having a meltdown.  Must be a Georgia thing, because we just call it having a "fit" around here.  It's simple and everyone knows what you're talking about.  But I digress...

Then there's the video.  It came about as a collaboration between Stipes and Indian director Tarsem Singh.  It features the band interspersed throughout a telling of a tale inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings".  I think you get the picture...literally.   MTV (yup, there was a time before they thought they could be a "reality" television show network) had been around for about a decade when "Losing My Religion" was placed in heavy rotation.  The song became a smash as the video was so different it drew audiences worldwide.    And draw it did.  It won a Grammy (see above) and was nominated in 9 categories, winning 6, at the MTV Music Video Awards.   

In 2011 R.E.M. released their final album Collapse Into Now.  It debuted at #5, the band's tenth top-ten album. Within a year after its release, the band disbanded having completed their recording contract obligations and establishing themselves as a band that would make a forever impact on the face of popular music with "Losing My Religion" as their signature song.  

Making a forever impact on our world seems to be something that even in moments of resistance we want to achieve.  



Paul has escaped 2 different uproars because of his preaching and caused by the "wicked" men of Thessalonica.  He is hanging out in Athens (the one in Greece, not the R.E.M. one in Georgia) waiting for the remainder of his traveling companions on his 2nd missionary journey.  While there, Paul continues his practice of engaging the folks in the local synagogue as well as the surrounding area.  Athens is one of the biggest cultural and intellectual regions of the ancient world at this time and Paul finds himself inserted into the world of the miraculous deeds and worship of an immense number of idols, most of which have been cataloged in  Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes.  It is one of the most complete collections of Norse, Greek, and Romany mythology and is an anthology of the ancient tales of gods and goddesses and how they interacted with man and each other.  It makes for fascinating reading and can provide some perspective for what Paul was facing in the above passage of Scripture. 

Paul had received his education in religion as well as other pursuits at the feet of the Jewish teacher of the Mosaic Law, Gamaliel. Acts 5:12-42 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (U2))  This instruction provided Paul with a taste of some of the things he was now experiencing as he traversed the streets of the pagan city with its temples and statues in tribute to the gods and goddesses of the Romans.  This immersion into Roman culture "provoked" Paul's spirit enough that he began to engage the populace and tell them the story of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.  

The ridicule began instantly with folks in the area looking down their philosophical noses at the Hebrew Paul calling him a "babbler".  Others were much more engaged and took Paul to the Aeropagus, a rock outcropping northwest of the Acropolis.  




 (The plaque has Paul's message in its entirety.)




The Aeropagus, loosely translated as the "hill of Ares", the Greek god of war, was sometimes known as Mars Hill (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "I Write The Songs" (Barry Manilow)) I find it just a bit ironic that Paul was about to do spiritual warfare in a place that was named after the god of war. It was a meeting place for the city and was known for its continual exchange of ideas, philosophies, and knowledge. Paul's teaching about Jesus was certainly something new that the Athenians had not heard and their curiosity was especially piqued when Paul began to explain Jesus' resurrection.  



Paul lets loose with one of his most powerful messages to date.  He proves his education and that he is not a "babbler" as he quotes from their own Greek poet Aratus's poem “Phainomena” which is well-known to the listeners.  Paul unpacks the message of Jesus and even evokes the shrine the Greeks had to the "unknown God" as a symbol of their interest in the one true God.  Paul doesn't win any popularity contests when he suggests the educated listener's "ignorance" as they celebrate with this monument, the God whom Paul proclaims.  Paul further details the fact that the God who made everything has no need to be served as He is the Creator of everything that provides life and breath to humans.  Paul repeats his "ignorant" moniker as he preaches to them that God's divine nature cannot be captured in items made of gold, silver, stone, or anything made by human hands and God will overlook this "ignorance" if the people will repent of their sins and follow Him.  Paul further details how God has a day when He will provide a judge to every person for the life they have lived.  As proof of this Paul affirms the very much alive Jesus whom he has encountered.

"...That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you..."

It seems that human nature doesn't change much just because you change towns.  Once again there were those who scoffed at the teaching of Paul.  They went back to their idols and temples made of the very silver, gold, and stone of which Paul had just spoken.  There were also others however who wanted to hear more.  Paul leaves the Aeropagus and those folks follow him to hear more about losing their religions.  Included in their number was Dionysius, who was described as an Aeropagite (a judge or council member) as well as a woman named Damarius (her only reference in Scripture) and others who aren't named.   

It seems that human nature doesn't change much just because you change millennia either.  Today, folks continue to desire intellect, knowledge, philosophy, and ideology.  They become biased against those who don't embrace their deeply held convictions, even when those convictions make them look ignorant. Perhaps today's idols of money and fame have supplanted the temples and shrines to Ares and Athena, but they are nonetheless as potent as they were in the time of the mythological characters worshiped by those of the Athens of Paul's day.

What also hasn't changed is the message of Jesus.  God is telling us that there will be a day soon when Jesus will return as judge over those who have embraced the idols of this world. These folks will be met with a rejection that they perhaps never expected.  They will quickly find themselves losing their religion.  Jesus will also judge those who have repented of their sins and embraced Him.  These folks will be a part of a new Eden, a new Jerusalem, a new heaven and earth where the only God that exists is the One who loves us so much that He came as a man to be a suffering servant and eventual payment for our wrongdoings.  That my friend is more than a religion, it is a relationship that will never change, regardless of our doubts and fears, even our second-guessing.  It is a relationship not based on anything we can do, but all that He has done and it can never be lost.  

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Upside Down" (Jack Johnson)

Have you ever had a song define a period of your life?  You know, that song that when you hear its opening measures you are instantly transported back to a foundational period of life.  We've reflected on some of those songs that do that for me from time to time here at Tuesday's Musical Notes.  Hearing "The Love Bug (Herbie's Theme)" takes me back to when I was a child and one of the first movies I saw in a theater with the potent memory of Dad's laughter echoing all over the room. (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Love Bug (Herbie's Theme)" (George Bruns))  The late '70s and early '80s songs of Bob Seger (Tuesday's Musical Notes - Bob Seger search) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Simple Man" (Lynyrd Skynyrd)) instantly transfer me back to high school days.  For college memories, all I have to do is put on some Toto (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Africa" (Toto)) or Chicago (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Hard To Say I'm Sorry/ Get Away" (Chicago)).

There are even many songs that I associate with special moments in my older adult working life. Journey's "Only The Young" immediately takes me back to the nights that I was the assistant scheduled to close at Walmart in Apopka, Florida. Just about anything from the 90s (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Something to Talk About" (Bonnie Raitt), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "No Rain" (Blind Melon)) has me regaling in memories of friends and associates from days as a store manager for Hastings Entertainment #9697.

And oh yes, there are those songs from more personal moments like getting married ("Say You, Say Me" (Lionel Richie), "Take My Breath Away" (Berlin), and "These Dreams" (Heart), having children (daughter 1 - "Part Of Your World" (Jodie Bensen - The Little Mermaid), daughter 2 -"Achy Breaky Heart" (Billy Ray Cyrus), and daughter 3 - "Change The World" (Eric Clapton).  What about you?  What songs do you hear that define your life's incredibly special moments, good or bad?  Today we explore one such song and the impact that it continues to have on our entire family's life whenever we hear it...


Jack Johnson's "Upside Down" was released on February 4, 2006, as a part of the soundtrack by Johnson et.al for the animated movie Curious George.  Based on the children's series (originally 7 books) by H.A. and Margaret Rey, the movie explores the origin story of the lead character, George, a monkey, and his relationship with his human counterpart, Ted, or The Man With The Yellow Hat as George knows him. The movie shows how George came to live with Ted and how Ted's life gets completely turned, well, "Upside Down".  The movie is a tender and humorous salute to the well-loved children's book series and PBS animated television show and holds a very special place in the annals of our family history.

"Upside Down" was the first single released from the soundtrack album and introduced Johnson to the mainstream music world.  "Upside Down" peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 and boosted the soundtrack to the #1 spot in the Billboard 200 albums list.  In the UK, the single soared all the way up to #45 on the strength of downloads before the release of the physical single.  

Flashforward to 2014, Tammy and I are in shock after just having been told we were, about 9 months later, going to be grandparents for the first time.  Our kids leveraged their telling of this "news" by telling us in one of our favorite places in the world and in front of two of our favorite people (We lost Louise (https://tuesdaysmusicalnotes.blogspot.com/2020/01/tuesdays-musical-notes-invisible-touch.html) in January of 2020 and Bid this past week)  At the telling of the news, our world was literally rocked at that moment.  We were stunned.  We were far too young to be grandparents!  How was our lives about to change?  

Ultrasounds and other doctor appointments soon came to be a normal way of life and we all quickly discovered just exactly how with each new day we felt a change in everything...Come to find out...twins!!!  Our amazement, concern, and curiosity would soon be heightened as we learned that one of our precious twins had issues. 

"...Who's to say, I can't do everything. Well, I can try. And as I roll along, I begin to find things aren't always just what they seem..." 

We weren't going to need to wait 9 months.  We soon discovered what "at risk" pregnancy really meant.  As soon-to-be grandparents, our anxiety level was minimal compared to that of our daughter and son-in-law's.  They continue to this day to be my heroes in the grace, patience, and faith that it took to advocate for the baby that would be Logan and his twin Landon.   

On October 8, 2015, our grandsons were born premature.  "...I wanna turn the whole thing upside down.  I'll find the things they say just can't be found..."  In the next week, Tammy's stepfather was in one hospital after heart surgery and a stroke, Kelly and Landon remained at the birth hospital, and Justin stayed with Logan after he was transported to a children's hospital.    Fortunately, they were all in Little Rock.  And folks all over the world continued to pray...

"Who's to say What's impossible, well they forgot This world keeps spinning And with each new day I can feel a change in everything..."

For the next 18 months, we gladly became the proud grandparents of one grandson who lived with us while the other remained at the hospital under the constant eye of his parents and incredible nurses who loved on him and kept him alive.  

Logan overcame his obstacles with God's grace, Kelly and Justin's advocacy, and prayers from people all over the world. During this time the movie Curious George served as the backdrop to many waking moments.  It seemed to calm Landon's fussy moments and be entertaining for Logan as he was in the hospital.  There were times when we saw it numerous times in 1 day.  Other times distractions caused us to not make it much further than the opening credits but that was enough as it served its purpose and included today's featured song making the movie and the song all the more endearing as a snapshot of that moment of our lives.  There is a fondness we all have surrounding Jack Johnson's ode to curiosity and the encouragement to persevere through life's "upside-down" moments that permeate through its lyrics.  

This coming Sunday, both boys turn 8.  And our world continues to be turned upside down as our family navigates, Logan's delayed learning and hearing challenges (both of which are quickly being overcome by a different set of therapists and physicians) as well as the births of their sister and brother.  Yup, 4 in one household under the age of 8.  To make it even more fun, they just added a kitten to the mix...

The song "Upside-Down" just goes to show the impact that music, and specific songs, can have in a moment and the continuing influence they can have as we live out accomplishing what others may say is the impossible..."


I confess I have been waiting for this passage of Scripture because of today's featured song of the day and the memories that it evokes. It also serves to relate to another point in history that is heralded by believers all over the world.    

We return to the narrative portion of Acts today as we explore the impact the disciples of Jesus had in their world as they told The Gospel.  Paul was in the midst of his 2nd Missionary journey.  Today we find Paul extending the boundaries far past that of his first trip. As was his habit when coming to a new town, Paul sought out the synagogue, this time in Thessalonica, a port city on the Aegean Sea.  

For 3 weeks Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke engaged the Jews of the synagogue and had reasonable debates with them regarding Scripture. As they walked through Scripture with them, they highlighted those areas that pointed directly to Jesus' death and resurrection and His being the Christ, the promised Messiah.  As in previous towns, the message was received warmly by some, including what the Bible calls "God-fearing Greeks" and leading women in Thessalonica. 

Also, just like other towns, the strict Orthodox Jews of the region were inflamed by the claims about Jesus.  They found wicked men of ill reputation and began causing an uproar, turning the normal operation of the city upside down by going so far as to ransack the home of Jason, one of the Jewish converts and Paul's host in Thessalonica.  When the mob was unable to find Paul, they took Jason and dragged him before the city council, ironically claiming that he brought the ones who had turned the world "upside down" and now brought this turmoil to their city. They went so far as to accuse Jason and the other believers of insurrection against Ceasar because of their claims to be aligned with "King Jesus".  Isn't ironic...dontcha think..  This propelled the upside-downness of the situation as those who were engaged in listening were disturbed by all of the claims.  I find it interesting that in their efforts to squelch the message of Jesus, the Orthodox Jews and wicked men were in fact highlighting the claims the disciples were making about Jesus to folks who may not have been a part of the 3 weeks that Paul and his team had conversed and debated at the synagogue.  They were inadvertently spreading the Gospel they were trying to suppress.  

As bail for the supposed "riot", the city leaders (who had probably caused some damage to Jason's home) took money from Jason to secure his release.  While they thought this closed the chapter in Thessalonica it was not the conclusion of the story.

Hearing of the uproar and fearing harm to the missionary team, faithful believers made efforts to remove Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke from Thessalonica as they saw the approaching situation unfold. They sent the team to Berea by night, where, well...wash, rinse, repeat.  This synagogue of Jews received the Word eagerly and took the opportunity to study Scripture for THEMSELVES.  They just didn't take the word of Paul and company.  They researched and discovered for themselves. I am assured they had the Holy Spirit's guidance as they studied, and they soon found that the message of Jesus was true and supported very well by Scripture as well as the testimony of the Apostles.  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...or Thessalonica as the case may be...

The Jews of Thessalonica, not satisfied with having run Paul out of town, heard that Berea was also being turned upside down by the message of Jesus.  They came to Berea and caused a disturbance in the city.  It was so bad that the believers of the region again sent Paul away.  This time by sea to Athens.  Timothy and Silas stayed behind and continued the work of sharing the Gospel in Berea for a time.  Once settled, Paul called for the other parties of his team to join him in Athens.  We'll explore more about the town of the Greek goddess Athena and how Paul reasoned with the folks who resided there next week.  

So what's the takeaway from Paul's being run out of 2 different cities today?  It really is simple. Anytime we make the effort to share Jesus, we have the potential to turn people's lives upside down in a variety of ways. We will soon gain a reputation for our beliefs and that will be met with intransigence as well.  There is a very high resistance to change in most folks and our efforts to tell the Gospel of Jesus will be met with pushback that may in fact cause far more turmoil than our sharing ever could.  

But even in the face of the unlikely or impossible, our perseverance and advocacy for the righteousness of God must overshadow any label with which we may be tagged.  Because in the final analysis, with God all things are possible...just ask Logan!  The Gospel of Jesus according to Matthew, a tax collector, chapter 19, verses 23-26 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV  "...I don't want this feeling to go away..."

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)