Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Premonition" (John Fogerty)

Have you ever experienced a sense of foreboding?  It is that feeling that you can't seem to escape that something different and possibly threatening is heading your way.  It is something you seemingly have no opportunity to avoid.  Sometimes this sense can be from others who attempt to warn you so that you can make a change to avoid what is coming, yet no matter what pathway you envision, there seems to be an inevitability of what is about to take place.  Well, that's certainly a different tone for an opener, right?

Okay, let's lighten the mood!

Welcome to Tuesday where you have no reason to panic or have a sense of any evil that is heading your way.  We promise we have good intentions to entertain and inform you with your
weekly trip to the land of lyrics and life!  It's Tuesday's Musical Notes!  Don't worry, you are safe within the confines of the following lines!  There's much to see, much to perceive, and much more indeed here at Tuesday's Musical Notes!  Let's get out on the highway and pick up some clues...Don't worry, you're not crazy or seein' things...


The first live album as a solo act from John Fogerty (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Centerfield" (John Fogerty).) is 1998's Premonition.  Fogerty had become instantly famous as the lead singer and principal songwriter for Creedence Clearwater Revival (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Travelin' Band" (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Lookin Out My Back Door" (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)), the band he had originated with his brother Tom.  There were many years of litigation between band members as well as continuing friction and lawsuits with the record label which eventually led to the band's breakup in October of 1972.  Because of these strained relationships and due to some of the legal aspects John Fogerty had been reticent to perform or record any of the classic Creedence songs.  But with time (15 years if the math is correct) and the legal issues settled as well as encouragement from the likes of Fogerty pals Bob Dylan and George Harrison, John finally began to revisit some of his songs from the heyday of Creedence.  One of the results of this acquiescence to friends and fans is the live DVD (which features 4 additional tracks) and album Premonition recorded at a concert on a Warner Bros. Studio Stage in late 1997.

The title track from the song was never released as a single, nor did it ever chart.  But the album itself, with all of the Creedence hits made it to #29 on the Billboard 200 album chart and spawned a 54-date American tour.  

As a song, "Premonition" very well encapsulates the feelings with which we opened today's blog.  That sense that you can't shake that something is off, that there is something in the future to dread, usually with a "Star Wars", "I have a bad feeling about this..." (SUPERCUT Every "I Have a Bad Feeling About This" in the Star Wars Universe (1977-2020)) moment or two looming in the future. 

As you read through the Bible, there are moments in both Old and New Testaments where premonition plays a part. Specifically, we see it in the later journey of the Apostle Paul.


Paul's final journey takes him on a collision course with Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.  As he is making his way to the historic city, he stops and attempts to encourage believers with whom he has connected in his previous travels.  In today's Scripture, we see Paul stopping at the city of Tyre (on the Meditteranean Sea in Lebanon).  He gathers the disciples there with the intent to teach and encourage them in their walk with Jesus.  These disciples were incessant about the fact that Paul should not be going to Jerusalem.  Paul listened to their concerns but was determined to see his journey to its conclusion.  After accompanying Paul to the sea, the local disciples prayed and bid their final farewells.

Paul then traveled to Ptolemais, stayed a day to encourage and equip the disciples, and then moved on to Caesarea where Phillip, one of the 7 chosen deacons from Acts 6 (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "You've Got To Stand For Something" (Aaron Tippin)) resided.  Phillip had 4 daughters who were prophetesses.  The Bible doesn't mention anything more about Phillip's daughters here, yet it doesn't take too much of a leap to assume they were encouraging Paul with a recurring theme.  While at Phillip's home, Paul is visited by Agabus, another prophet, who takes Paul's belt and binds himself with it. "I got a feelin' way down inside..."  He then proclaims on behalf of the Holy Spirit what awaits Paul if he continues to Jerusalem.  Paul will be bound and handed over to the Gentiles.  With Agabus' confirmation, the entire believing community began to pile on to Paul, begging him to not go to Jerusalem.  Paul then tells them the very thing they did not want to hear.  He is prepared to be bound and even die in Jerusalem in the name of the Lord Jesus.  While all of Paul's friends and the prophets that surrounded him predicted the foreboding, Paul was adamant about being obedient and giving his life by whatever means that meant for the name of Jesus to be glorified.  Paul's argument was so compelling it quieted the crowd and caused them to surrender to the will of the Lord.  These believers submitted their desires to the desire of God's will.  

How many times are we willing to be like Paul?  When that overwhelming feeling of foreboding creeps into our life we fear that what is coming is a challenge at best or a tragedy at worst.  How do we react?  Are we faithful?  Do we submit to what God's will is or do we kick and scream "This is not fair!"?  Do we surrender to God's will instead of cling to our own? Paul repeatedly teaches those he encounters to imitate him as he imitates Jesus.  It seems that Paul will have such an opportunity to walk in Jesus' steps very soon.

Please remember Jesus' teaching in The Gospel of Jesus according to John, a fisherman, chapter 15, verses 12-17 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV.  Sometimes this "laying down your life" may mean your literal demise.  Most of the time, however, I believe it means that without any hesitation we give up our selfish nature and see to the benefit of those around us.  We "give up" our time, we "give up" our energy, we "give up" our resources, and we get past those moments where we feel like we have "witches at our feet" so that those in which we might have influence, can see the love of Jesus through us.  We proclaim His kingdom by loving them by "giving up " our lives in whatever way we possibly can.  

In the coming weeks, we will see exactly how Paul lives through today's premonitions and see how this "giving up" lifestyle manifests itself in his testimony to who Jesus is.  But for today, let's just live with an attitude that the premonitions we feel or others may sense will have no effect on how we love others.

Not sure what this "giving up our lives" lifestyle is all about.  Well, it's very simple.  God created everything and said that it was "good".  He created man and woman and called them "very good".  But the man and woman messed up this "very good" relationship by rebelling against God's commands.  This caused a break in the relationship that grieved God and sent the man and woman away from His presence.  But God continued to care for the man and woman and even though they were in a state of rebellion, God saw to it that their needs were met.  Ever since this time, every man or woman who has existed has had the same rebellion in their hearts toward God.  This rebellion comes with a price.  This set about God's plan for Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God.  He came to earth as a baby, via virgin birth.  He was fully God and fully man.  He had one purpose.  To provide a means by which restoration could occur for the relationship between God and man.  Jesus paid the cost of our rebellion by surrendering Himself to the most inhumane death ever devised.  He was beaten and crucified to pay the blood debt of our rebellion.  He was then taken to a tomb which was sealed and his body was left for 3 days.  Upon that final day, the tomb opened and Jesus walked out securing victory over death, securing restoration for those who wish to turn from their rebellion and "give up" their lives for Him.  Jesus was seen by many people, physically walking, talking, and eating.  He then ascended to heaven to be at God's right hand, where He continually begs God to draw all men to Himself and thus provide the ultimate restoration of the relationship.

That's what a "giving up" lifestyle looks like.  As we believe the previous statements, we then turn our eyes to Jesus and begin to live a life as close to His as we possibly can.  Every day will find its own set of premonitions awaiting us to discourage and defeat us.  But, our victory is already secure over those fears as we follow Jesus and with each breath attempt to emulate Him. This is a way different kind of "feelin' way deep inside..."

'Til Tuesday

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><
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Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Life Is A Highway" (Tom Cochrane/Rascal Flatts)

Yes, Yes, I know.  You're already bobbin' your noggin' ready to see the video. But if you allow the monologue, I promise you'll get more than what you paid for from the video....

Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes!  We're your corner of the internetosphere set aside to talk about entertainment and music in general!  It is our little paradise where all genres of music are appreciated and all artists are welcome! It is a retreat from the ordinary and a place where you can relax and just enjoy the nuances of the musical rhythms and trivia and perhaps get to know a little bit more about yourself in the process. 

So pull up a chair and a sweet tea or soda and allow the soothing tones of Notesland's musical ambiance to permeate every sinew of your being.  You never know where you might wind up.  Come on!  There's not much time left to wait...


Did it surprise you to see the first link?  Tom Cochrane released "Life Is A Highway" from his second solo (his first since 1974's Hang On To Your Resistance) outing after leaving the band Red Rider (https://tuesdaysmusicalnotes.blogspot.com/2014/03/tuesdays-musical-notes-lunatic-fringe.html).  "Life Is A Highway" is Cochrane's only charting single on Billboard's Hot 100 peaking at #6.  Although it did manage to go all the way to #1 in Cochrane's home country of Canada and stayed there for 2 weeks.  

Cochrane has said that he had been mulling the song around since the 80s but never quite got it exactly how he wanted it.  While it was on the backburner the original title was "Love Is A Highway" and the song failed to get much further than a demo.  (The demo version is available on the 25th-anniversary version of Mad Mad World listed under its original title) Cochrane picked the song back up after a trip to Eastern Africa with WorldVision.  He needed a palette cleanser from the scenes of malnutrition and poor living conditions.  Encouraged by guitarist John Webster, Cochrane finished the song and recorded many of the vocals in his home studio.

The song has been covered several times since Cochrane's original was released.  Country artist Chris LeDoux covered "Life Is A Highway" for his 1998 One Road Man album and released it as a single and music video that same year.  It peaked at #64 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart.  

Enter a fast, shiny, loud, candy-apple red race car.  Pixar films released the animated hit Cars on June 9, 2006.  As a part of the movie's soundtrack, the country band Rascal Flatts covered the Tom Cochrane hit instantly gaining renewed popularity by a whole new generation of car and music enthusiasts.  Rascal Flatts' "Life Is A Highway" peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 and soon became associated with the film and its retro/nostalgic look at classic cars and highways of America's past with a backdrop of the drama and goings on in a pseudo-NASCAR race for the Piston Cup.  As of June 2016, the song had sold over 3.4 million copies and has been used in video games and Presidential campaigns leaving an indelible impression on the culture and music industry for years and years.  You just as well ride it all night long!!!


There is no better book than the Bible to see how the words of today's featured song are so true.  Our lives are filled with twists and turns, mountains and valleys, and all kinds of weather but we like so many of the folks in the Bible we tell them we're survivors!!!  

The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke a compatriot of Paul's on many of his highway journeys.  It is interesting to note that where the Gospels of Jesus leave off, the book of Acts picks up.  Acts propels us with a narrative string that suspends all of Paul, John, and Peter's later letters together and helps them make contextual sense.  Essentially Paul travels, preaches to a community, starts a church, and then moves on.  As he travels he writes back to the churches to follow up on progress and in many cases encourage them as they navigate their highway.  In some of the letters, Paul admonishes the church with the idea of lovingly guiding them to do better than what they are. 

We find our travelogue through the Bible on Paul's last journey.  It seems that his reputation has grown to a point that in many cities the Jewish population is not favorable to his message and does not want Paul to come.  We find Paul leaving from one of those locales (verse 1 describes it as an "uproar") as we open our focal passage for today.  It seems Paul's valleys are fast becoming lower and lower as he traverses the byways.

Paul determines to head back to Jerusalem.  He stops and engages folks, and things spiral out of control as the Jews stir up the population against Paul.  He then moves on along the journey to where we find him today.  

Troas, modern-day Turkey, is where we find Paul on a very interesting leg of his highway.  After taking nourishment, Paul begins engaging the folks.  He intended to only stay for 1 day but as he begins preaching he soon finds that it is evening.  He must have wanted to ride that highway all night long!  It is now midnight, lanterns had been brought in for light, and the people were packed into the building.  One young man, Eutychus (some translations say his name means "Lucky"), had fallen asleep (you're not the first to do it in church!) and fell from his window perch 3 floors to his death.  One can imagine that this stops Paul's sermon as he prepares to take action.  Paul embraces the young man's body and assures the crowd that Eutychus is still alive.  Paul then eats a bit and picks up where he left off on his sermon until about daybreak.  Paul and his entourage return to their route to Jerusalem, and the crowd, including Eutychus, disperses, and off down the highway, everyone goes.  

No huge fanfare, just a young man's broken body restored.  No uproar, just the Gospel message of Jesus preached for nearly 24 hours.  Paul stops in Miletus, a Greek colony on the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of modern-day Turkey, where he summons folks from Ephesus to have what will be his final moment with them.  The emotional time was spent in prayer and mutual encouragement as Paul was preparing for the curves that lay ahead for him.

You may not have a religious faction attempting to stone you.  You may never be in a position to preach an all-night sermon and restore a dead young man to life.  But you can be faithful today. Because there's not much time left today. This stretch of your road will have its own set of challenges that you will have to navigate.  What you do with those challenges will develop you and testify to those around you what and who your faith is in.  Will you tell them your survivor?

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You
randy
<><

 

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Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Justified And Ancient (Stand By The Jams)" (The KLF featuring Tammy Wynette)

Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes where the featured music is as different as the falling snowflakes.  Today is a perfect example of why you should check back week to week to see what is going on in Notesland!  Each week we remind or introduce our wonderful readers to music that perhaps they wouldn't necessarily push play on or add to their playlist, but maybe, just maybe they'll like the song and enjoy the Notes unpacking of its background.  Are you new to Tuesday's Musical Notes?  Well, sidle on over to the left-hand side of your screen and check out the archives which are bound to include some of your favorite music that is given that special, little Tuesday's Musical Notes twist.  

Thanks for stopping by!!! And now, without further adieu, let's all get in our ice cream van and head off to one of the most unique songs we've ever explored.  All aboard for Mu Mu Land...


In one of the oddest pairings in popular music history, British Electronic band, The KLF, called up iconic Country Music superstar Tammy Wynette in Tennessee to provide vocals for this reimagining of their song that was originally released in 1987 on a previous album.  "Justified And Ancient" had many iterations through various recordings but never quite attracted the following to make many moves up the charts.  

The 1991 version of the song, "Justified And Ancient (Stand By The Jams)", with its intentional play on titles (Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" released 23 years prior) became the single from The White Room that would put The KLF into the top 20 on the Hot 100 (peaked at #11), and soar to #1 on the US Dance Chart.  Wynette's vocals were recorded in Nashville and personally produced by The KLF's, Bill Drummond, who was known to have a fondness for Country Music.  The single would become Wynette's first entry to the Billboard Hot 100 since 1969.  To this day it is one of the only Electronica recordings to feature a pedal steel guitar and serves as the final single to be released by The KLF commercially.  It seemed it was time to park the ice cream van and limit some of the band's journey to roam across the land.  In May 1992, The KLF announced their retirement from the music business having never quite ascended the mountains of Mu Mu Land.


The website dictionary.com defines the word "justified" as having been shown to be just or right.  In the first four chapters of the book of Romans, Paul began his letter to the church in Rome by detailing how they were considered right, or righteous because of what Jesus had done for them on the cross and what He continued to do in their lives.  In the remainder of his letter, what we know of as chapters 5-16, Paul takes this idea of righteousness and expands the conversation.  He begins to detail what the results of trying to live a right life would be and how that might appear to others.  In some ways, Paul takes this ancient idea of righteousness and in the next 11 chapters details how that righteousness leads to faith which leads to us being justified, shown to be just or right, in the eyes of God.

He begins with "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:1-2 NASB  Because of our faith in Jesus, our lives will be transformed and justified as we live by His instructions and the example He gave with His life. Paul challenges the Romans, and us, to be dead to our old ways of life and live a life that is emblematic of the faith we have in Jesus. Because of this life transformation, we are eternally linked to Jesus and united with Him forever. In some ways that makes us justified AND ancient. 

Our unity with Jesus doesn't eliminate the constant tension we will feel because of our sinful natures and the dying world in which we live.  Paul reminds us that we cannot be sold out to Jesus and continue to live in our sin.  Our new nature will not, nor should it ever, compete with our old nature as there is nothing better than what our future is with Jesus. Because of Jesus' victory over death and the grave, we can live lives that celebrate our victory through Him.  I don't know about you, but far too many believers tend to appear defeated rather than joyful.  Far too many believers tend to appear to be okay with continuing their sin rather than being free and justified.  Far too many believers tend to focus on living in this world and not living for the next.  Paul challenges us as he did the Romans to be better than that! 

Paul's focus then shifts to the Jews in the church.  He takes a moment and shows them the ancient foundations of how God called them as His chosen people and how that should have impacted their influence through history.  Paul shows them that all of the benefits that they have seen as a nation have been a result of His mercy, not anything they have done.  The Roman Jews are then reassured that even with the sins of the past, they as a nation are not rejected.  They too, through Jesus, can be justified by faith in Him. 

With the culture of the time in Rome, Paul takes a moment and advises the church to have respect for their rulers, going so far as to say that they are to be "subject to the governing authorities."  Romans 13:1  Perhaps a reading of this chapter would be good for American believers to digest during this election year.  Romans 13 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV 

Paul takes the final portions of his letter to encourage unity among the believers in the church.  Remember the Jewish believers had been expelled by Emperor Claudius.  Five years later they were allowed to return and found a church that they almost didn't recognize.  Their attempt to apply ancient Jewish laws to modern Gentile believers resulted in disunity in the church.  Paul gently admonished this schism and encouraged Jewish believers that because of Jesus, they didn't have to live by the Mosaic Law.  They were free from the sin that the Law pointed out and their fellow Gentile believers were never bound by those laws. As Paul writes in chapter 14:1 - "Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not to have quarrels over opinions."  Ever had quarrels with believers over an opinion? How was that last business meeting at your church?...

Ok, so we live by faith, are dead to our sin, are living a united life with Jesus, and have our focus through the Holy Spirit's power on Him. What does this mean for our interpersonal relationships with others?  It's simple.  Paul reminds us through the back half of this letter to a church that was having divisions, that our love for Jesus should manifest itself by loving Jesus and then loving everyone else. The Gospel of Jesus according to Matthew, a tax collector, Chapter 22, verses 37-40 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV This kind of justified and ancient love will never cause a division.  This kind of justified and ancient love will cause a tremendous amount of mercy, grace, and joy among those who share it.  They might even shout..."Turn Up The Strobe!"  This kind of justified and ancient love causes a unity that serves as a magnet to the world.  You can't get that in an ice cream truck on the way to Mu Mu Land no matter if you do have Tammy Wynette leading the way...

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

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Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Double Vision" (Foreigner)

Well, it has officially started.  We mentioned it last week (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "(Just Like) Starting Over" (John Lennon)) and have begun to see the full force of the Presidential election of 2024 come to the forefront.  I can hear your eyes rolling...mine are too!  But, before you decide to click over to Facebook, let me make this point.  The 2024 Presidential election will be tedious, annoying, and frustrating in many ways.  But, as Americans, it is incumbent on us to listen very closely to what the candidates are saying.  Not what the media spin on both sides of the political spectrum might be, but what the actual candidates are actually and factually saying. 

I confess when I became voting age, I rarely listened to anything other than what the media reported about the candidates and their policies.  As I have gotten older and the media has changed significantly, the entire way we go about electing officials in the United States of America (a constitutional republic, NOT a democracy...there is a difference) has become fascinating.  

Words matter.  What folks say matters.  I want to encourage you to listen to as many of the candidates (there are more than 20 if you look at the minor parties and independents) that are running for President.  Listen to what resonates with your ideological belief and worldview.  Then make sure you vote (including in the primaries) at every opportunity that you can for the candidate that best fits that worldview and belief.  

Tuesday's Musical Notes is not a forum for one candidate over another.  While I do have a direction in which I am leaning, I am doing the same exercise that I just asked you to do.  We have to be very careful as we disseminate the myriad of information that exists about the candidates as that information is more readily available than at any other point in history.  Pace yourself.  It can be overwhelming...the surgeon general warns that consuming too much political information could cause...


Seriously, has anyone heard Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" on the radio or streaming in the last 20 years?  I only mention it because unbelievably, that is the song that kept Foreigner's "Double Vision" out of the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 when it parked at #2 for 2 weeks in 1978.  Don't get me wrong, "MacArthur Park" is a goodish song, but it hasn't had the staying power of its #2 counterpart.  Coming from Foreigner's 2nd studio album,  I suspect part of the reason "Double Vision" does have staying power is its continued airplay and that Foreigner continues to use it as a staple in its live events and many times opens with the song.  

"Double Vision" is one of those songs that came about by happenstance.  Many have eluded to its title and suggested that it is about alcohol or other substance use.  However, Lou Gramm has explained that the title originated while he was at a New York Rangers hockey game.  It seems that one of the Rangers hockey players got knocked cold and had to be taken off of the ice. I guess that would make him..."Cold As Ice"?  Sorry, but I just couldn't help it. As the game progressed the announcers wanted to keep fans updated on his status and eventually confirmed that while he had not suffered a concussion he would not be returning to play due to continual double vision.  For some reason, the announcers continued to repeat the phrase and thus a song was born.

The certified gold hit (sales over 1,000,000) seems to relate to the physiological impact that frustration and even sorrow about a relationship can take.  There seems to be an escapism into the "double vision" that the writer takes as he navigates what the next possible move could be.  After having been from one to the other extreme, his double vision takes him out of his head and causes his focus to be on seeing double almost to the point of distraction from his situation.  

Redirecting focus from bad scenario to good is a theme often explored in history.


After his encounter with Jesus, Paul began a series of journeys throughout what we know of as the Asian continent.  After completing his third of these Gospel-spreading, church-planting endeavors, he took the time to correspond with several of the churches that had sprung up as a result of his telling the Good News about Jesus.  One such letter was to the reformed church in Rome.

Paul is writing the book of Romans for a recently reorganized church in Rome. The Emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews from the region during the beginning of his reign.  This caused the church in Rome to be left with only a Gentile population in it.  5 years later these Jewish exiles were allowed back into the city.  What they found in their church was a much less Jewish-oriented church than what they had left.  They immediately shifted from one to the other extreme and attempted to bring the church back towards Torah teaching and the Law.  This quickly caused unrest and a church that was the definition of an organization with a double vision.  

The letter of Romans goes to address the division and double vision the church was experiencing.  Paul goes back to the very basic tenets of faith, righteousness, and justification.  He leaves very little doubt about the fact that the church should have a single vision going forward and how best to get back to that unified body of believers that could continue its mission in Rome.

Paul begins by explaining that while the Torah and the Law are foundational, it is the Gospel of Jesus that should be the example of their lives now.  He boldly proclaims this thought by saying: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16 NASB The tenets of Abraham and the patriarchs were good to get Israel started as a set apart, chosen nation, but the nation had drifted so far from these beginnings that there was very little difference between them and the Gentiles to which they directed their complaints.  Paul points out that it is only the righteousness, the just and right works of God, as well as His faithfulness to His promises that they can put their faith and trust.  

Paul doesn't hold back in describing the wrath of God for those who don't believe.  He begins discussing a litany of infractions against God and the natural order of things that he has heard have been perpetrated in society.  Paul doesn't drift in his disgust at these sins, yet he brings things back around by saying that even those who commit these sins can repent, turn away from the wrongdoing, and turn to God through Jesus.  Friend, there is nothing you have done that can keep you from God.  He is calling out to you right now.  The next move is yours.  There's no double vision in His presence. 

Paul follows this indictment of sin by calling out the Jews of the region who were sitting in judgment on those caught in the web of this sin.  Their double vision kept them from seeing their pharisaical ways.  He tells them that their judgment and disdain are equally abominable to the righteous God and that they should be the first to forgive those who wish to be forgiven and exhibit the turning away from their sin.  We must be careful in the modern-day church to meter our calling out of sin, with the love and mercy of God's forgiveness.  I fear too many times all folks want to hear is the condemnation of someone else's sin, without the healing and forgiveness that is God's love.  

Paul then reminds them from Scripture (Psalm 14 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, Psalms 53 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV)  that there is no one righteous.  That should serve as a good reminder for us.  This thought bears repeating.  Just because someone else is struggling with a sin that you don't have a problem with, doesn't give you the right, with your background of sinfulness, to judge them.  Paul says that God's wrath will be poured out equally on those who judge as those who sin.  And let's face it, nowhere in Scripture do you find judgment as a spiritual gift or fruit of the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, Galatians 5:22-23 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV)

Paul then turns to the topic of justification, or to declare one righteous.  Well, how can this be possible if there is no one righteous?  Paul immediately unpacks how through Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary every person can be considered righteous through Having faith in what Jesus did.  Romans 3:21-26 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV  Paul takes it even further by detailing, again through Scripture (Genesis 15:6 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV),  how Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.  This went a long way to eliminate the double vision of the Jewish portion of the church as they saw that even Abraham, whom they revered, needed faith for his righteousness as God called him to be the figurative father of all those who believe.  

If God would impute His righteousness onto Abraham, He would certainly give it to those who serve as witnesses to the risen Jesus including those who are believers in 2024.  The church in Rome could be united in the fact that Jesus provides freedom from the Law (as well as the 600+ rabbinical regulations). The church, both Jew and Gentile, were seen as equally righteous because of what Jesus had already done.  This justified them to be able to do the works that Jesus was calling them to do without any double, double, double vision.

How do we accomplish this in the modern-day church when we want to be disjointed about small things?   Our unity must permeate from what Jesus has done and is doing in our lives.  We must eliminate the double vision of wanting to maximize the minute and minimize the urgently important.  The message of Jesus should be the driving force to help us see straight.  If we do that no longer will our eyes be filled by that double vision...

'Til Tuesday

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

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Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "(Just Like) Starting Over" (John Lennon)

Happy New Year!!!  Welcome to 2024!!!  It is a very interesting year that we have ahead of us.  

Why you may ask?  

For one, it is a Presidential Election year which means we should be getting ready to be inundated with every bad thing that is going on with our country as well as hearing much about people we will probably never even meet, but get to set the course for our country.  I don't mean to sound pessimistic, as I find this entire process fascinating and look forward to seeing who will be the nominees.  For my two cents worth, it doesn't need to be either of the current front runners who find themselves both under a myriad of investigations at the state and federal levels. 

Secondly, it is a leap year.  The time that rolls around when we get an extra day added to February and our calendar year consists of 366 days.  Usually, we find very little interruption to our year because of the extra day but it with the aforementioned circus does add to making 2024 somewhat unique.  

What else may happen in 2024?  We have all kinds of spillovers from 2023 that certainly need to be resolved.  Far too many for the length of a normal Tuesday's Musical Notes to mention.  But even with the remainder of things that need closure from 2023, there will be much that we will find that will be new, in fact in some instances, it might even be...


The last song recorded but the first single released from the Yoko Ono/John Lennon Double Fantasy album was today's featured song, "(Just Like)Starting Over".  Released on October 24, 1980, the song stalled at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 until Lennon's shooting death on December 8th of the same year.  The song instantly propelled its way to #1 and stayed there for five weeks becoming Lennon's biggest solo hit.  It ranked #8 for the year-end Billboard Hot 100 for 1981 and 62nd on its 2013 all-time Hot 100.  

"(Just Like)Starting Over" was a logical choice for Lennon's return to popular music after a five-year hiatus from the music industry.  The "(Just Like)" portion of the title was added to set the song apart from Dolly Pardon's "Starting Over Again" which had topped the US Country Charts earlier in the year.  

The song speaks to the stagnation of relationships when the "routine" becomes too routine.  Lennon is writing about having alone time that seems to have escaped his and Yoko's life in recent years.  He longs for days past and wants to insert elements into the relationship that will remind them of when they first started their lives together.  He longs for the opportunity to start over and make things like they used to be.  

With a new year, this thought may have occurred to many.  A new year, with its fresh resolutions and opportunistic landscape, lies ahead of us as we anticipate what could be next. We long for new relationships and the renewal of those we've allowed to fade in the previous year.  I don't know about you, but I tend to look at every new year in that light.  Yes, many questions may seem to elevate us to our highest imaginations, but the carry-overs from the past year seem to tether us to a foundation that seems familiar.  This feeling itself has its familiarity as we have sensed with each passing year, becoming more and more poignant as we get older.  

I'm not sure that this longing for past relationships to be stronger in the coming days is a new emotion, however...


While Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "A Little Good News" (Anne Murray)) held great consternation and admonishment as well as equally great encouragement in The Gospel, we find today's letter to be coming from a different time and perspective.  

Paul's 2nd letter to the church at Corinth expresses some of the same desire as "(Just Like) Starting Over".  Paul had been hurt by the church that he started in that they rejected many of the things that made them great in the beginning.  The church had even rejected Paul as an apostle of Jesus.  They had succumbed to the "flashy", well-spoken orators who had come through and polluted the Gospel.  These prosperity types had even gone so far as to question Paul's authority, which the church at Corinth began to echo.  (why does this sound so familiar?...)  

Paul's answer came in the form of a visit to the church where he attempted to right some of the wrongs.  The results of this visit were mixed as Paul mentions them in chapter 2 of 2nd Corinthians.  The ESV goes so far as to translate this encounter as "the painful visit".  As an aside, I wonder if there are not many modern journeys that need such an encounter, but I digress.  

This 2nd letter addresses some of the reconciliation that Paul felt and had heard of from his "painful visit" time.  He realizes that there are still many who do not accept his authority as an apostle and takes this second letter to address those arguments.  He takes the beginning of the letter to encourage further reconciling and encourage the church.  

Paul then takes on some of the issues that the church had been having.  He goes so far as to question where their loyalties may lie as their actions, their fruit of being Christians, did not appear evident.  

One of those basic tenets of Christianity that Paul questioned was the church's generosity.  The church in Jerusalem had fallen on hard times because of a famine.  Paul had requested funds from the churches.  It seems that all of the churches except the church in Corinth had been very generous, in fact, the other churches were enthusiastically generous with their gifts.  Paul questions the Corinthian's values as believers as he attempts to lovingly admonish their actions.    He reminds them of the generosity displayed by God in sending Jesus as the redemption for mankind and challenges them to live up to that standard.  These are also reminders that we need in the modern church.

Paul wraps his "starting over" letter up to the Corinthians by addressing some of the questions the church had regarding his authority.  He does so not to be braggadocious, but to let them know the "flashy" folks are not the only ones God calls to be leaders.  In listing his credits, Paul shows them that his authority is as good, and in many ways better, than their well-spoken orators.  Ultimately, Paul addresses the lifestyle that he leads as one that emulates that of Jesus and encourages the church to adopt that mentality, regardless of who may be speaking to them on any given occasion.  

Paul's 2nd Corinthians is a letter that I think needs to be used more often in today's church.  In many instances, the church, in general and perhaps many more specifically, needs a "starting over" moment.  They need to reconcile themselves back to the original love they had for Jesus and attempt to live out the life to which He called them.  They need to be more generous than the Salvation Army, or Red Cross, and show their communities that they care for the poor and underserved.  All the while their leaders need the credibility of following Jesus, not the latest book or "flashy" preacher.  

Since I mentioned it.  There are many great Christian life books out there.  I've read many of them.  I agree with some and don't agree with others.  But recently, I have concluded that perhaps these books are our modern-day pharisaical offerings meant to lead folks into more "I've got to follow what this book says or I'm not going to be with Jesus" mentality.  They burden us with things that have a Bible sound and are based on Scripture but sometimes take that Scripture completely out of context.  At the very least, they are certainly some person's interpretation of what the Bible is saying about their topic of the week.  

Again, there is some good Christian life literature out there, however, the best will always be The Book,  The Word,  The Bible.  Yes, there are difficult passages to read.  Yes, there are difficult passages to understand.  Yes, some of the language is foreign to our modern ears.  But as believers, we must beg the Holy Spirit to show us what we need to know...for that day.  His mercies are new every morning.  Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV  We want to understand ALL of the Bible when it was never meant to be understood in one reading.  If you've never read the Bible use this New Year, this "starting over" moment, and begin in Genesis.  Look over to our friends at Bible Gateway and find a translation or even a paraphrase that resonates with you.  You don't have to get it done in a year.  (That is a good time frame and many good reading plans accomplish such.  One such that we can recommend is The Bible Recap) But the main thing is to go at your own pace and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you for what you need at that moment.  Don't be overwhelmed by yesterday or what might happen tomorrow.  Read for today.  The only true authority about life and everlasting life is God.  Read HIS book.  He is the only credible source you need.

Paul takes his last portion of 2nd Corinthians to challenge the believer's belief.  Based on the things in both letters do they truly get what the Jesus life is all about?  If so, what will they now do about it?  Perhaps it could be "(Just Like) Starting Over"


'Til Tuesday

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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