Welcome to the best day of the week!!! It's Tuesday and it's time for another edition of Cross & Kin Entertainment's blog, Tuesday's Musical Notes! Be on the lookout for the other Cross & Kin property, our YouTube channel that will be dropping another "speedy" video this Thursday! It will "drive" you down the road to smiling from ear to ear! At least we hope you like it that much...
We know, we know, you're already hearing the song of the week, so let's just get that MTV Video Award-winning mini-movie going...
Welcome to version two of the billion-viewed song by the Norwegian band a-ha. That's right friends, as of February 17, 2020, "Take On Me" has had over one billion views on YouTube alone. That doesn't count the HEAVY rotation it received at MTV, you know when they played videos to songs you wanted to hear or discover! But I digress again...seems like my trigger is that three-letter logo that used to give such happiness and killed the radio star...Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Video Killed The Radio Star" (The Buggles)...just can't seem to help myself.
You read that first sentence of our previous paragraph correctly, you know before the distraction that ends good notes...stop it!!! The song that we and billions of other people know and love today was not the first iteration of the classic by a-ha.
Before its second release however was the premiere of the rotoscoped video version of the song. Imagine having that video out there before your single is released. Needless to say the song, due to its aforementioned heavy rotation at MTV (resisting...resisting...), "Take On Me" hit #1 internationally and domestically in its fifteenth week on the chart. Not too shabby for a new band from Norway (usually better known for its fjords than for its pop bands).
The composition of the song also aids the video in that it has become a karaoke favorite. Everyone tries to sing the song, but let's face it, not everyone hits that last note to which the song builds and for which it is known. Those who attempt are the subject of potential candidates at Funniest Home Videos. By the way, the words to that last falsetto line is "in a day or two" just in case you were wondering.
Lyrically, "Take On Me" is a song about love and the challenge to remove all the barriers to finding and pursuing love. It is an upbeat and optimistic tune that evokes the encouragement to not give up on love or the one that you love even if that one will be leaving in a day or two...
We've spent the last couple of weeks looking at the Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Thessalonica. It is a good church that Paul planted during his second missionary journey. His letter is a means of follow-up on the new church and what he hears is a report that he is happy to receive.
While Paul's desire was to travel back to Thessalonica, he was kept from that journey and had to rely on Timothy, his young protege in the region for a report on the status of the church. As we have seen, Timothy sent back a good report to Paul, who rejoiced in the knowledge that they were thriving even in the face of some pretty harsh persecution.
Through the remainder of 1 Thessalonians and for the entirety of 2 Thessalonians Paul continues the encouragement mantra and excitedly tells the church to, well since it is the featured song, "Take On Me"
Paul's encouragement includes the Thessalonians striving for sanctification, the setting of themselves apart for the Lord. "...today is another day to find You..." He then speaks about those who have died who loved the Lord and what will happen to them on the day of His return. "...You're all of the things I've got to remember..." In this passage, Paul speaks of the coming Day of the Lord. Check out the video about this unique phrase from the Bible from our friends at the Bible Project: "Day of the Lord' - the Bible Project I don't know about you but I've been keeping a much closer eye on things going on in our world lately.
Paul continues his letter by describing the standards by which Christians should live. This is not the Ten Commandments 2.0 but a building off of those commands for the things to help the church in Thessalonica as they faced their own very sinful culture and to continue their pathway of sanctification. There are many great words of admonition for modern-day Christians in this passage as well Check it out: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV
Paul spends the bulk of 2 Thessalonians much as he has the first, in encouragement and prayer for the people in the church. However, he devotes much of Chapter 2 to a topic that has me like "...So needless to say, I'm at odds and ends..." over the "Man of Lawlessness" who ties back to 1 Thessalonians' Chapter 5 "Day of the Lord". In reading this passage you can make no mistake that this person is evil. He is one who elevates himself to the level of God and deceives many. Thankfully Paul alludes to the fact that this person or being, is eliminated by the very breath of God. Wow! Did you catch that? God breathes and the evil is eliminated. Why wouldn't we want to be a child of that kind of loving God who exhales and takes the evil of our world away. While reassuring that God's got this, we should still be on the lookout for this person. Let's face it, with the world the way it is right now, I wouldn't be surprised by someone who appeared soon and was followed by many with the right kind of "tickling" message. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV
As Paul finishes his letter, he takes a moment to repeat his message of encouragement to the church to stand firm, even as they see the evil one arise and get eliminated by God's exhale and even as they see the day of the Lord approaching. You see friend, from the time that Jesus ascended, his apostles and disciples began to look for His return. If they started in the first century, why would we, 2000 years later, not be watching for Him and more importantly being prepared for that return? "...You're shying away, I'll be coming for you anyway..." That means there we should really be getting in touch with our falsetto because the time is coming, and is now come, when we can sing..."I'll be gone, in a day or two!"
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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