Country for the Soul — Part 2

Posted on August 21, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

To remind you of what this series is about, I enjoy country music … especially when I’m in my truck. It can be raunchy and risque at times, twangy and bring out the best (or worst) of our redneck feelings {aw, come on, we all have them}. But, no matter what, it is always real — addressing real-life issues, warts and all.

I think that’s what I like most about contemporary country music. Life isn’t always hearts and flowers. There are breakups, separations, hurts, successes, failures, looking back, looking forward and everyday choices — not always good ones. There is hard driving, hard drinking and hard loving in life and the country genre deals with it all. The country genre lyrics are honest, honest to goodness honest.

But at its root, the country music genre is a compilation of life in America — not the America of cities, but the rural America. It may have been born in the south, but its sound resonates in every state … even upstate New York. Despite its sometimes shortcomings, it buzzes with traditional American values — God, family and country. It’s not unusual to hear a country song with lyrics like “… five-card poker on a Saturday night, church on Sunday morning …” (Boondocks by Little Big Town).

Country music tells a story in less than five minutes, especially contemporary ballads. It’s the lyricist’s story … it’s the singer’s story … It’s your story … It’s my story.

And then there are those times when a country story just stops you in your tracks. Whenever you hear it, you make that connection with God. It returns you to communion.

So this series is about those country songs that have — at least for me — a Christian message.

I’ve written before about Beer with Jesus by Thomas Rhett (https://wisdomfromafather.com/2012/10/13/beer-with-jesus/), which is ranked fourth as my favorite country songs with a Christian bent.  Last week, I shared my No. 10 pick, Alabama’s Angels Among Us.

Moving up my list is No. 9 Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dunn before they split up.

The dynamic duo released the song in 2003 as part of an album by the same name. In their biography, Ronnie Dunn said, “I knew we were going to call this album Red Dirt Road before the first song was even picked. I wanted that thread, that growing up in rural America and all the universal touchstones we all go through — that first beer, wrecking my first car two weeks after I got it, being taken to a revival by my cousins who lived a few miles farther down that road. That road ran through every major event in my young life … But that’s the power of life and roots and dreams — it can.”

I didn’t grow up in rural America, but I could still relate to those universal touchstones — my first beer … my first car wreck … where I found Jesus … figuring out the path to heaven is full of sinners and believers …learned happiness on earth ain’t just for high achievers.

Looking back through a Judeo-Christian prism — and a lot of adult years in rural America — when I hear the song, I remember life has a purpose. We all live on a red dirt road. And we learn “There’s life at both ends of that red dirt road.”

What about you? What have you learned on your red dirt road?

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Correction does much, but encouragement does more.

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The Rap Against K-Mart

Posted on August 18, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

Maybe I’m being too sensitive, but has anyone else been offended by the K-Mart back to school commercials?

If you haven’t seen them, there are two in particular that concern me … the Yo Mama school layaway clip and the My Limo ad. While I appreciate the fact K-Mart — like all retailers — have to appeal to the kids, I think they crossed the line by using the kids in the commercials.

The first starts with a gang-like confrontation, using the derogatory phrase, “Yo Mama” as its consistent theme. And with each put down — how I view the term Yo Mama — there is a corresponding “Ooh” from the assembled youth, all in the 10-13 age bracket. The problem is the kids look like hoodlums, sound like hoodlums and if the script wasn’t for selling, could be hoodlums. I was actually waiting for a knife or gun to appear when one of the kids missed their line. Is that the message we should be giving that age bracket? Gangs are cool?

I had less of a problem with the My Limo commercial which used rap to get the sales message across, but it still didn’t sit well with me. From my antiquated background, I just had a problem even understanding half of what the kids were saying … especially during their bridging chorus. The kids are proudly billed as Da Rich Kidzz, a group of kid rappers from Minneapolis ranging in age from 10-13 years old. Using urban kids to sell to urban kids — and suburban urban wannabes — may be acceptable, but I found it disturbing. And to top it off, there was a token white girl in the clip who, quite frankly, didn’t do too much. In the past, wasn’t that one of the complaints in reverse?

K-Mart isn’t alone in exploiting kids. I heard another on the radio. I don’t even know who the pitch was for, but what caught me was an obvious young teenage girl saying “OMG!” (Oh my God) then talking about, I believe, her shoes. “My friends are going to so jelly!” (jealous). Of course, Mom responds she doesn’t care about peanut butter or jelly, just pleased she saved money.

What bothered(s) me is the use of contemporary catchphrases — aka abbreviations, slang and shortcuts — in back to school commercials. No one knows how to spell anymore. No one knows syntax or sentence structure, when to use certain words or, more important, how to use proper words.

And in this day of bullying sensitivity, what was Hyundai thinking with its latest Santa Fe commercial? Somebody at the ad agency didn’t get the memo.

K-Mart may be targeting its audience with those ads. They certainly didn’t resonate with me. But I think it is the responsibility of advertisers to break stereotypes … not add to them. Then again, what am I thinking?

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: It is easier to build boys than to repair men.

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Country for the Soul I

Posted on August 17, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

My Five Minute Friend Lisa Jo Baker posted this recently on her Facebook page: “Sometimes there’s nothing so good for the soul as country music.”

Amen, Sister!

I enjoy country music … especially when I’m in my truck. It can be raunchy and risque at times, twangy and bring out the best (or worst) of our redneck feelings {aw, come on, we all have them}. But, no matter what, it is always real — addressing real-life issues, warts and all.

I think that’s what I like most about contemporary country music. Life isn’t always hearts and flowers. There are breakups, separations, hurts, successes, failures, looking back, looking forward and everyday choices — not always good ones. There is hard driving, hard drinking and hard loving in life and the country genre deals with it all. The country genre lyrics are honest, honest to goodness honest.

But at its root, the country music genre is a compilation of life in America — not the America of cities, but the rural America. It may have been born in the south, but its sound resonates in every state … even upstate New York. Despite its sometimes shortcomings, it buzzes with traditional American values — God, family and country. It’s not unusual to hear a country song with lyrics like “… five-card poker on a Saturday night, church on Sunday morning …” (Boondocks by Little Big Town).

Country music tells a story in two and a half minutes, especially contemporary ballads. It’s the lyricist’s story … it’s the singer’s story … It’s your story … It’s my story.

And then there are those times when a country story just stops you in your tracks. Whenever you hear it, you make that connection with God. It returns you to communion.

In fact, country music has promoted the Gospel so much so, beginning in 1988, the Dove Awards began to award in the categories of Country Album of the Year and Country Recorded Song of the Year.

I’ve written before about Beer with Jesus by Thomas Rhett (https://wisdomfromafather.com/2012/10/13/beer-with-jesus/), which is certainly among my favorite country songs with a Christian bent. I could have come up with dozens, but over the next few weeks, I’ll share some of my favorites — and why.

I’m not talking about artists who chose songs like Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art {there are so many great versions of these}, or Just A Closer Walk with Thee (Patsy Cline’s early ’60s version remains the standard as far as I am concerned}.

This week’s pick is Alabama’s Angels Among Us.

The song was chosen originally as a Christmas single in 1993, but it resonated with audiences far beyond the season. It charted twice on the Hot Country Songs charts and features backing vocals from the Sanctuary Choir and Young Musicians Choir of the First Baptist Church of Fort Payne, AL.

It could be a little schmaltzy at time, but it has survived the test of time. While we don’t hear it too often anymore, the song reminds me there are angels everywhere guiding us. It could be the person next door, the postman, our family and friends. It should be us.

“… They wear so many faces; show up in the strangest places.
To grace us with their mercy, in our time of need.

Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love …”

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Marriage is like poker – you start with a pair and end up with a full house.

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Five Minute Friday — Small

Posted on August 16, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

Here’s this week’s installment of Five Minute Friday. You might remember the task is to write for five minutes on a specific prompt word. The initiative was started by Lisa-Jo Baker (http://lisajobaker.com/2013/08/five-minute-friday-small/) who thought about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And she figured, why not take five minutes and see what comes out — not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing. I’m proud to be one of the hundreds of bloggers who take part each week and look forward to reading what others write. It’s always a treat reading different interpretations on a common word.

This week’s prompt is SMALL.

Here goes. The timer is set for five minutes {clock starts now}

One of the perks in living in rural upstate New York — as opposed to an urban metropolis — is you get to see the sky at night, with all its flickering stars on a dark, dark blue canvas. It’s similar to standing on a beach and watching the endless ocean waves lap onto shore. You realize how small and insignificant you are.

That’s not insignificant as in you don’t matter. It’s insignificant as in how much of a little part you are in the greater scheme of things.

I need that reminder from time to time as I wander this journey. I tend to see the successes as my successes, the result of my savvy maneuvers. I get puffed up and need the be reminded I am just a part of the whole picture. And the sky scape or the ordered waves are a reminder of that.

Small is not insignificant. Sometimes we just have … STOP

… to be reminded of our place in God’s plan. He certainly has a way of showing us. Just look up!

Well, that’s it.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Alimony — bounty on the mutiny.

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The Gift

Posted on August 11, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

I was asked by some out of town followers to share this week’s sermon. To recap, our pastor raced to Connecticut to be with his daughter as she delivered her second child … leaving the pulpit empty this week. We had planned to have me fill the pulpit next week, but you can’t argue with God’s timing.

So, here it is, although texts are based on next week’s (Aug. 18) Lectionary readings, Isaiah 5:1-7, Hebrews 11:29-12:2 and Luke 12:49-56.

Know I take the words from Psalm 19:4 very seriously today. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

A Sunday school teacher at a church slightly larger than ours was testing the children in her class to see if they understood the concept of getting into heaven.

She asked them, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?”

“NO!” the children answered.

“If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard and kept everything tidy, would that get me into heaven?”

Again, the answer was “NO!”

“Well then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my husband, would that get me into heaven?” she asked them.

Again, they all answered, “NO!”

The teacher was just bursting with pride for them! She figured they understood the concept.

“Well,” she continued, “then how can I get into heaven?”

The room was quiet. Finally a five year old sheepishly said “yougottabedead.”

“What, Joey? Speak a little louder so we can all hear.”

The little boy shouted out, “YOU SORTA, KINDA GOTTA BE DEAD!”

Of course, what our school marm was after was we don’t have to do anything. It’s through God’s grace that we enter heaven. It has nothing to do with what we do, how committed we are, how much we give. Our ticket gets punched through the grace of God. As John Piper said, “What defines us as Christians is not most profoundly that we have come to know Him but that He took note of us and made us His own.”

But that doesn’t get us off the hook. We do play a key role in getting into heaven. While heaven is a gift from God, we have to accept it. We have to unwrap the present.

Certainly some of us just tear into that package. Shards of paper go flying as we rip open the wrapping to reveal the gift. Others are more deliberate, carefully unwrapping the box. It takes seemingly forever to separate the paper from the gift.

That leads us to our second responsibility. What are we going to do with that gift? Are we going to place it on a shelf and look at it from a distance? Or are we going to use it, enjoy it, share it.

You see, I think when we meet God face to face, He’s not going to ask us how much money we gave or how often we went to church or how we supported missions. He’s going to ask us two simple questions.

First, He is going to ask us if we believe in His Son.

I think everyone who passes themselves off as a Christian will correctly answer that question. You see, Jesus Christ — His Son — is the gift. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). That’s the good news.

But I think there will be a second question. What did you do with that gift?

It might be enough to get us into heaven just believing in Christ but if He is just a trophy sitting on a shelf to be seen only on Sundays and special occasions, do we really believe? Or are we fooling ourselves?

That’s why the second question is so important. We have to believe not only in Christ but in His power. And we have to use that power every day. And we have to share that power. And we have to allow Christ to shine through us in all we do and say.

Is it easy?

No. In fact, it’s hard … real hard. And there will be times when we fail to let Christ shine through us. We’ll do things we shouldn’t. We’ll say things we shouldn’t. We’ll go places we shouldn’t. We’ll try to outshine Christ, take His glory. It’s called sin.

God knows we fail. And we’re in good company. Noah was a drunk. Abraham was too old. Isaac was a daydreamer. Leah was ugly. Joseph was abused. Moses had a stuttering problem. Gideon was afraid. Samson had long hair and was a womanizer. Rahab was a prostitute. Jeremiah and Timothy were too young. David had an affair and was a murderer. Elijah was suicidal. Isaiah preached naked. Jonah ran from God. Naomi was a widow. Job went bankrupt. Peter denied Christ … three times. The disciples fell asleep while praying. Martha worried about everything. The Samaritan woman was divorced. Zaccheus was too small. Paul persecuted early Christians. Timothy had an ulcer. Lazarus was dead.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters; not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what was foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

That was Paul’s take in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Do you seriously think God can’t use you?

God doesn’t look at our failures. He looks at our actions. He looks at how we share our gift.

With thanks to  Jerry Goebel of ONEFamily Outreach, today’s gospel reading is one of those gotcha moments. We see a side of Jesus we, well, don’t like. Who likes to hear I came to cast fire on the earth … or Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

Is that the power we’re asked to share? Divide people?

We want to remember the Lord who held children in His lap while teaching, who told the little girl, “Tabitha, rise little lamb.”

We know Luke’s passage takes place on the way to Jerusalem as Jesus neared the end of His earthly ministry. Were His words somehow less compassionate and harsher as His time neared?

Not likely. Yet to come, this same Jesus would still heal the blind beggar in Jericho. He would still heal the woman who had bled for 18 years. He healed the man of dropsy and dined with sinners. This was the same Jesus who looked down upon Jerusalem and wept. It was the same Jesus who shielded the poor and placed Himself between the seething crowd and the broken adulterous woman.

This same Jesus had a stomach that churned for the vulnerable and yet, seethed with anger at the temple priests who made a mockery of worship. This same Jesus who forgave a criminal on the cross and restored an ear on the soldier who would arrest Him would also condemn the religious leaders and even pierce Peter’s pride when the apostle tried to keep Him from His destiny in Jerusalem.

Confusing?

Not really. Jesus felt seething anger, anger that led Him to pull the cords from His waist and whip the temple coin changers, but His anger was never self-righteous. His anger was never self-protective or a “sudden mood-swing.” His fury was an anger of advocacy directed at any who stood between God’s love and lost sheep.

Is our anger so selfless? And, the anger we do feel, is it on behalf of the forgotten, the neglected or the discarded? Do we even feel anger over injustice?

There was a bonfire the Messiah came to light. But, is there one burning in us? Do we feel any fire beyond the anger at the car that cut us off in traffic? Would Christ look into our hearts and find it burning for anything worthwhile?

The Hebrew word for fire or trials is pur.  It is a root for purity or purification. In Scripture, fire is often used figuratively – like with the “fire of God” which transforms all it touches into light and likeness with itself.

To the Hebrew, baptism represented a ceremonial cleansing. It was used to make things or beings ceremonially pure. Through baptism, normally secular objects would be cleansed for a holy ‘pur[e]’-pose. Being clean was never an end in itself. Jesus was perfectly focused on being cleansed for a holy purpose. His purpose was to become a sacrifice for our sins and His baptism was the crucifixion.

God’s Spirit, like a holy fire, enlightens and purifies so believers can share more and more in His likeness. Indeed the fire of God brings the uninterrupted privilege of being transformed which happens by experiencing faith from Him. Our lives can become true offerings to Him as we obey this imparted faith from God by His power.

Is our anger even close to pur? Do we have any fire that has eternal merit? How I wish it were already kindled!

Are we consumed by a holy pur[e]-pose or a self-focus?

A holy pur[e]pose would be to bring God’s wholeness into the brokenness of our world. A selfish focus makes the world more broken. If someone walked 10 yards behind us throughout our day — a football first down — would he find a trail filled with more kindness than if he walked 10 yards in front of us?

The answer to that question would say more about our purpose in life than any message I could ever deliver.

Through our faith, we actively make choices to do something. Is that “something” always the right choice?

Probably not, but if it is guided by our faith, we’ll make another choice to correct it and get back on our original path.

We all look for the “flashes” of miracles, but we ignore the everyday miracles right in front of us.  That’s what happened 2,000 years ago. People were mesmerized by the miracles, but couldn’t figure out the message. That has happened through the ages. That continues to happen today.

Chances are, we are going to see few “flashes” of miracles in our lives. But there will be times when we get by — and not know how we did it. That’s our fish and loaves miracle. There will be times when our illnesses go into remission. That’s our healing miracle, even if it’s just temporary.  There will be times when we see the hand and heart of God with complete clarity — perhaps just a precious few times. That’s our burning bush. Truth be known, the burning bush is there all the time. We just fail to see it.

Even Jesus did things … made choices … performed actions. He instructed the servants on what to do when He turned water into wine. He told the disciples to find the kid with the fish. He healed the sick … but not everyone. He raised people from the dead including Himself — again not everyone. He took advantage of the circumstances at the time and used them for God’s good.

That’s what we’re called to do. Use the gift. Make choices. Do something. Be observant. Keep the big picture in sight. Let the Light of the fire shine through. Take time to witness the little ordinary everyday miracles. Watch spring spring. Enjoy the sunshine even on a cold, windy day. Hold a baby. Dance in the rain. Sing. Soak in life. Each day, angels visit the footsteps of the faithful, leaving gifts that quietly offer God’s grace, comfort and protection. All we have to do is recognize them and pick them up.

Some of us received the gift at an early age. I, for example, accepted Christ as an early teen when I received the sacrament of Confirmation. It was then I reasoned, if I was talking the talk of following Jesus, I had to walk the walk as well. And even though I’ve strayed from the path from time to time, I’ve tried to make sure my way was synonymous with His way. Others come to Christ later in life, an epiphany, an “ah hah” moment. They tend to be passionate about their faith. I call them Paul Christians, turning their back on their past on their own road to Damascus and using the gift to move forward.

Others, unfortunately, are still waiting. Some may be working on the wrapping. Others may be working on other presents — self, idols, control, anger, impurity, evil desires, greed.

It’s up to us seasoned and newbie Christians to let the power of Christ shine through for them, not by telling them but by showing them. You can’t preach or prod or persuade or nag them to salvation, but you can show them salvation. You can be the example. You can be the spark. You can be the conduit God uses to present His gift to another soul.

Analyze this present time! heralds our Lord.

This present time! Who did I drive by this morning? Who was I too busy for today who needed a word of encouragement?

The Jesus we read about this morning is angry. He is red-in-the-face and stating, “Forget about the ‘end times,’ forget about some day, quit yakking about My return. Analyze this present time!”

Don’t leave your Jesus in the pew. Bring Him home with you so others can see why Jesus — complex and complicated, simple and uncomplicated — is such a valued gift.

Don’t wait until you’re sorta, kinda dead to realize the importance of the gift we’ve been given. Let the Light shine through us while we’re very much alive.

What are you doing with the gift of Jesus Christ?

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Your gifts and talents were given to you so you could pour out into others (1 Peter 4:10).

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Please Pray for Me

Posted on August 10, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

I don’t usually ask for prayers for myself, but today is an exception. And, really, it is not for myself.

Our pastor raced to Connecticut to be with his daughter as she delivered her second child … leaving the pulpit empty this week. We had planned to have me fill the pulpit next week, but you can’t argue with God’s timing.

So, it appears I’ll be leading worship this Sunday instead of next Sunday.

My prayer request is the same as the psalmist, May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:4).

When I was first approached about filling in, I decided to talk on “Getting into Heaven.” I had about three quarters of it written before I bothered to look at the Scripture readings for the week [actually next week, Aug. 18] — Isaiah 5:1-7, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56. They don’t exactly blend into the storyline I envisioned. In fact, Isaiah talks about bad fruit in the vineyard; Hebrews, while a little more inspiring, includes the words …Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised … (16-39); and Luke talks of division. Who likes to hear I came to cast fire on the earth … or Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

So the challenge was integrating the message into the readings. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

That’s why, my friends, I need your prayers. Pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart are indeed pleasing in His sight.

If you happen to be in the Finger Lakes area of New York, I welcome you to join me at 9 a.m. at West Fayette Presbyterian Church, on Route 336 just east of Route 96A and a few miles south of Geneva and north of Sampson State Park. I invite you not to listen to the guy in the pulpit, but to enjoy the fellowship of the little church with the big heart.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: It would be better to marry for good than for better or worse.

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Five Minute Friday — Lonely

Posted on August 9, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

Here’s this week’s installment of Five Minute Friday. You might remember the task is to write for five minutes on a specific prompt word. The initiative was started by Lisa-Jo Baker (http://lisajobaker.com/2013/08/five-minute-friday-lonely/) who thought about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And she figured, why not take five minutes and see what comes out — not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing. I’m proud to be one of the hundreds of bloggers who take part each week and look forward to reading what others write. It’s always a treat reading different interpretations on a common word.

This week’s prompt is LONELY.

Here goes. The timer is set for five minutes {clock starts now}

Look  at all the lonely people. No, it’s not the song; it’s an observation.

See that guy laughing loud and hearty. He might be masquerading a lonely heart. {remember Tracks of My Tears?} See that widow/widower battling to just swing the feet out of bed and start a new day. {been there, done that} See those marginalized, longing for acceptance in the world from which they are ostracized. Look into your own heart. Even half full personalities slip into loneliness at times.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We do have a friend in Jesus. He can fill those longings and erase the loneliness. We just have to ask Him into our lives.

Does that mean we will never be lonely? Of course not … but it does mean we know the loneliness is temporary and will again be replaced with joy and fulfillment. STOP

Well, that’s it.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Nothing is ever lost by courtesy.

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The Sound of Music

Posted on August 8, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

Just before Karen died, she had been reading a book she received as a gift from JoAnn by Rodale Press for Hallmark. It was actually for both of us, but Karen was the reader in the family.

The book was 50 things that really matter.  She didn’t get through all 50 … her last chapter was 32. Ironically as I picked it up the other day and dusted it off, chapter 33 was “The Smell of a New Baby” — how fitting I rediscovered the book after experiencing the smell of not one but two babies over the past few months and a third just last week.

This book celebrates 50 of the simple things that really do matter in life. Within its pages are first person stories about the value of conversing over a good cup of coffee, the importance of hugs, the courage of living a simple life, the wisdom in a street musician’s words, the peace and relaxation in watching a candle flame.

I’m going to share some of these stories — the first person stories and my two cents worth — to encourage you, enlighten you and enrich your soul. But, most of all, I hope they may inspire you to see the real value in life.

This is the latest excerpt from 50 things that really matter.

 

Friedrich Nietzsche once said “without music, life would be a mistake.” I found the truth in those words several years ago, at a time when I had no music in my life.

I felt like something was terribly wrong, like I was losing my mind, but I couldn’t Figure out the problem. One cold November night, I tried to sort things out by running to the top of the highest mountain near my house. When I reached the top, sharp gusts of wind nipped at my ears. I stood there, wondering what to do next, when I swear I heard the wind shouting at me: “Listen! Listen!”

Astonished and bewildered, I cried out, “Listen to what?”

But there was only silence.

I listened to that cold silencefor nearly an hour.

Finally, I realized the silence itself was the answer. It was pointing out a void that music once had filled. When I was younger, I had always played music: piano at home; baritone horn in grade school; drums in high school. But in the two years before my visit to the mountaintop, I hadn’t even listened to the radio.

I climbed down the mountain and joined a local musical group the very next week. One month later, my unhappiness was gone — my spirits lifted by the rhythm and melody of live music. To this day, music cures whatever ails me.

As my experience showed, music can heal the soul. It has the power to create inner peace and harmony. Any type of recorded or live music can have this soothing, comforting effect: the gentle strum of an acoustic guitar; the deep groove of a jazz trio. These and other sounds are music to my ears. And they can be yours, too. All you have to do is listen.
By David Joachim, 50 things that really matter, Rodale Press for Hallmark

 

I can’t play a musical instrument and don’t know the difference between a sharp and a flat. In fact, I never played a musical instrument in my life. No piano — not even Chopsticks. No horn. No drums.

But I do appreciate music. It’s part of my life … the sound of it, the melody and even, sometimes, the words. I always have, dating back to those days of the transistor and AM only stations. It was/is a way of soothing me, even the loud music of my youth. And I generally play/played it loud enough to scare critters off the road or let people know I am arriving.

I don’t like all music – jazz, opera, hip-hop and rap come to mind – but I think I have a melodic palate that includes Christian to Adult Contemporary, Southern Gospel to Oldies/Classics, Country to Classical. On any given day, you can hear Third Day, Katy Perry, Gold City, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Carrie Underwood or the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing Beethoven’s Concerto No. 4 in G Minor coming out of my computer speakers at work and even overnight. And thanks to my SmartPhone apps like I♥Radio, Pandora, radioPup and TuneIn Radio, and a Wagner Sleek signal booster, my enjoyment extends to my car.

Often I’ll have music piped through the TV while I work. It’s background noise. In fact, most of the time, I couldn’t tell you what is playing. However, if True Love or When a Man Loves a Woman or Remember When or You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me or Because You Loved Me or I Will Always Love You or — well, you get the picture — start playing, you have my attention.

Studies say background music helps spark our subliminal mind which leads to increased creativity. It’s not recommended if you’re trying to memorize a list in order — facts, numbers, elements of the periodic.

I don’t know, but as far as I’m concerned, the sound of music is just another thing that really matters.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Live and let live is fine, but live and help live is better.

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S Is For Silly Squirrels

Posted on August 7, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

I have no idea where squirrels fall on the ecological ladder. I mean, they’re just overgrown rodents with bushy tails who can alternately entertain and frustrate you.

thLet’s deal with the frustration first. In rural America, these furry friends like to romper across the road. Normally, that’s not a problem for drivers … until the squirrel suddenly changes direction, altering the trajectory between rodent and car. The result … a sudden brake that sometimes — but not always — works. The frustrating thing is most of the time, the stu… no, I’m going to be nice, the intellectually challenged squirrel already made it to the other side before unexplainably reversing direction.

And who among us have not been plunged into darkness because one of our furry friends decided to chew into a power line? What were they thinking? There’s a nut hidden under the plastic covering? And remember, squirrels don’t have nine lives!

My personal frustration with squirrels happened in urban Maryland. Our townhouse had a back deck overlooking green space — trees and bushes that harbored many bright birds like orioles, jays, cardinals and songbirds. We figured it would be nice to keep these colorful chirpers coming, so we purchased a feeder, placed it on the railing and loaded it with songbird-attracting seeds and nuts. The squirrels feasted.

Karen suggested we put the feeder on a pole. Good point. So I did … and the squirrels would climb up the pole, despite the fact it was polished aluminum.

My next bright idea actually worked … for awhile. I basted the pole with Crisco. The squirrels would try to scurry up the pole, but slide down. Success, I thought. But since they are stu…, sorry, intellectually challenged, they kept trying, clawing at the Crisco or waiting until the sun softened the already soft goo until they could get down to the pole … and up they would go. And they had a certain glisten to them, too, so you knew who the culprits were.

During this escapade, one of the squirrels had the bright idea of jumping off the roof onto the feeder while his friends labored with the pole. Of course, when he landed, the feeder started shaking out all of its delicacies to the waiting mouths below. The jump became the standard from that point on.

I gave up. Squirrels 1. Humans and birds 0.

But the frustration often morphed to entertainment. Watching the resilience of the squirrels became entertainment. I can’t count the number of times Karen said to me or I said to her, “You won’t believe what the squirrels did today.”

Even their erratic road crossing antics brought me guffaws. I remember one day when a squirrel successfully crossed the road — sidewalk to sidewalk — when something spooked it and back he went … right into a telephone pole. He shook it off, climbed the pole and crossed by wire.

Often in the morning in the gazebo, I watch or at least listen to the squirrels cavorting around. Usually there are two and I’m not sure if they’re playing tag or if it’s foreplay. One morning I watched as the pair zipped from the roof on the porch next door, to the fence, down the fence to the driveway, back up the fence, onto the garage roof, zig zagging back and forth to a tree, going down the tree by circling it, across the back yard, up another tree (also in a circular route) onto my garage, back to the tree, down to the back yard and up to their nest in another tree. I thought to myself, “Wow, squirrels are easily entertained.” Then I realized  I watched as the pair zipped from the roof on the porch next door, to the fence, down the fence to the driveway, back up the fence, onto the garage roof, zig zagging back and forth to a tree, going down the tree by circling it, across the back yard, up another tree (also in a circular route) onto my garage, back to the tree, down to the back yard and up to their nest in another tree. What’s that say about me?

The other morning, my two furry friends climbed a staff that hosts chimes. Normally, there’s at least a little breeze so the chimes offer a soothing melodic backdrop. But this particular morning, it was dead still and chimes were quiet. There they were, up at the top of the staff looking around. I still can’t figure out what drew them to the staff … the prospect of hidden food? … the quiet? … just for sport?

At any rate, after a few seconds, they figured there was nothing there and down they went … only to start running around.4

I have no idea where squirrels fall on the ecological ladder. I mean, they’re just overgrown rodents with bushy tails who can alternately entertain and frustrate you. And maybe that’s the purpose they were created for.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Diplomacy is the art to getting someone else to have your way.

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Color the Bug

Posted on August 4, 2013 by wisdomfromafather

I was in the office the other day and started hearing an “arrr arrr pop putt putt putt putt” sound from the garage. It was uneven and rough, but the Beetle was alive again!

312313_499282780147357_1689334167_nThe Beetle is a ’71 I picked up for Karen back in the spring of 2007. I had spotted it across the street from Minardi’s Bakery when I went down to visit my Dad in New Jersey. A couple of trips later with Karen in tow, she was the proud owner of a purple bug.

It was in pretty good shape. The glass was good. The interior was like new. It had to be jump started, but it purred like a kitten, despite the fact the owner — who had intended to strip off the skin and use it as a dune buggy — had replaced the single stock carburetor with duals and added a turbocharger. There were just a few spots that needed some cosmetic work.

It featured spikes on the bumpers and wheel covers, a few in the interior, tear drop California styled tail lights and a hand-painted skull and cross bones painted on the gas lid. I did have to get the front floorboard welded and the heat/defroster was, well, vintage VW — non-existent.

It handled quite well for a tiny bug and quickly became Karen’s pride and joy. She wasn’t afraid to take it on the road and with its turbo and dual carburetors it would easily stay with highway traffic and handle hills. She decided she wanted custom plates — JSTMYBUG — and used that car instead of the pedestrian Taurus whenever she could throughout the summer of 2007. She only took it out once in 2008 as she battled the effects of her cancer.

I periodically started the car after she died for awhile, but eventually it just sat there in the garage … until my son and grandson started tinkering with it. After tracing wires, repairing those chewed by mice and cleaning out mouse nests, they got to the intended sound above. Since then, they have been spending time in the garage. I know they have to put in a new wiring harness and do some brake work, but Jay and little Jay think they have a game plan that will put it back on the road by next spring.

The other day Jay came in to ask me what color I wanted it painted. That’s a good question. It’s faded purple right now. I thought it was originally blue, but Jay doesn’t think so.

Little Jay wanted it flame colored — he is 10! I’m not sure I’m ready for that! I was thinking about yellow or deep blue, popular colors of the year. But the more I think about it, perhaps purple would be more appropriate. I bought the car for Karen and purple was her favorite color. I can envision it in my mind’s eye — a deep purple fleck with JSTMYBUG custom plates.

What do you think? I’d love to hear some thoughts on what color to paint the bug.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone’s feelings unintentionally.

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