Sing

Music is a very important part of every human life. There are many kinds of music all across this globe and each one portrays the essence and culture of it's people. Music speaks to an individual in a very personal way. I myself enjoy a wide variety of musical types from pop to country, hymns to gospel, classical to bluegrass, and Celtic to Jarocho and Batucada. There are some genres that I don't care for, but for the most part, I can listen to any music. Each one has it's own unique quality that can make me tap a toe or think of something in a very deep way.

Singing is a very integral part of a lot of music. There are some singers that are good and some bad while some are the absolute best and other are the absolute worst. I guess it's all subjective, but some really need to listen to themselves again before singing outside their house. I have several singers and groups that I really like to hear--Martina McBride, Linda Ronstadt, Selah, Nickel Creek, Il Divo, The Ten Tenors, Steve Green, Gaither Vocal Band, and many more. There are others I like, but I will be the first to admit that they can't sing just any kind of music. Has anyone heard the Dolly Parton/Rod Stewart duet "Baby, It's Cold Outside"? Rod needs to stick to "Maggie May". His voice was made for a rocker. Nothing more.

My absolute favorite singer is Wynonna. She can belt out a song like no other and turn around and send chills up your back with a heart-rending ballad. She can rock and she can also move one to tears just with a slight change in her voice. Her lastest CD is entitled Sing and is absolutely wonderful. In it, she covers several different songs from several different genres that have influenced her music throughout the years. All I can say is, "That girl can 'sang'!"

The title song from the CD talks about singing and how one with a singer's heart can't help but sing out on anything. Singing is their method of expression and their mode of communication.

It's in the wind,
Noise and steam.
'Neath your skin
And in your dream.
It's who you are;
It's how you feel.
A guiding star,
Your driving wheel.

Sing
(Let it take you,
Let it make you,
And never break you down.)
Sing
(Let it mold you,
Let it make you bold,
And never hold you down)
Sing.
Sing, your heart out.

Sing.
(Your songs of truth and pain;
All the things you can't explain.)
Sing.
(The way you feel inside;
Let the music be your guide.)
Sing, your heart out.

Sing it like you hear it,
Like you have no need to fear it now.
Sing it like you know it,
Like you're not afraid to show us how.
Sing from somewhere way down deep.
Sing and make the angels weep.
Sing and open heaven's door.
Sing 'til you can't sing no more.

Sing.
(Your songs of dark and light
Make your mark with all your might.)
Sing.
(Your songs of hope and fear.
Sing the song that sent you here.)

Sing, your heart out.

We, as Christians, should sing our hearts out. With the Almighty God living within us, there should be a song on our hearts and in our minds at all times. Singing shows how alive we are and that the Living Savior is transforming us into His likeness. God created music and we should use it to honor and glorify Him forever.

Funny Words

Today, I thought I would share some words and phrases I have heard over the years that have ranged from outright hilarious to deserving an eye-rolling, where-in-the-world-did-that-come-from look. We all should think before saying something, but what we say can make for some good laughs! Some of these are paraphrases because I can't remember the exact original.

Here we go...

That radio tower gets good conception. (Hmmm...don't you mean reception?)

What is that item used in Mexican parties? Jalapaleña (No...piñata!)

My daughter is a computer and she needs a sticker. (The embarrassed daughter was a commuter!)

The football team is playing Mongolia this weekend. (Wow! Isn't that a long way for just a football game? And I thought it was Magnolia in eastern North Carolina!)

The car has a stirning wheel. (Where is that located???)

How many orgasms did you dissect in biology in college? (Ummm...none!)

Who are with the children????? (I'm not sure, but I am sure they has everything under control :-)!)

I felt like I was about to smothercate. (Do you need a doctor?? That sounds serious!)

I have arriven. (Good. I have lefted!)

I would like to thank my family for many laughs over the years. I can always count on y'all to provide me with lots of entertainment!

Until next time, keep laughing!

Worry

For most English-speaking people, the word worry brings to mind concern or fretting over some real or imagined possibility or happening in one's life. But other meanings include "to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping" or "to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment". The word is descended from the Old English word wyrgan, which is a cognate of the Old High German word wurgen, which means "to strangle".

Isn't that interesting? When we worry, we essentially harass and assail ourselves with thoughts and "what-ifs" that end up strangling us in our lives and cause us more problems than we had from the outset.

Over what do we worry?

We worry over health issues--unknown pains, chronic illness, possible accidents, etc.

We worry over financial matters--will there be enough to cover this month's bills?, from where will my next meal come?, will the economy ever recover?, etc.

We worry over political issues--will we ever have peace?, what will happen when such and such a bill is passed?, etc.

Why do we worry?

We worry because we do not turn our concerns over to God. We try to solve the problems ourselves instead of letting Him do it for us. Since He already knows the outcome, He knows what we will need and when we will need it.

Why do we not turn over our worries to God?

We want to maintain control. The pride in us wants to say that we solved the problem, we were able to get out of this jam in our life by our own efforts. But our own pitiful attempts fail and we begin to worry more and end up strangling the life out of us. We become more and more concerned about the problem instead of letting God use it to help us grow more into the likeness of His Son.

I am like my father. He and I have this God-given ability to not worry over much of anything. We view life with the knowledge that God is in control and that nothing will happed to us or anyone that we love without His foreknowledge of the esperience and outcome. Nothing catches God off guard. Back in May, 2005, Mom was very sick with a bacterial infection and had to stay in the hospital for three weeks. The day after we admitted her into the hospital, I had to begin my new position at work. I couldn't call in and say I can't come in because my mom is deathly ill. I was forced to be away from her. But during this very difficult time, I always had a peace that everything would be fine. There were several very scary moments when we didn't know if she would make it, but through it all, I knew that God knew the situation and was accomplishing His will through it. Thankfully, He healed her and she is still with us today.

Instead of pondering on our problems and concerns, why not turn them over to our all-knowing, loving God who will take our burdens from us and will use them to accomplish His will in our lives. We certainly will be the better for it.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath
are the everylasting arms: and he shall thrust
out the enemy from before thee; and shall say,
Destroy them.

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)

Groomed

More and more today, I am noticing that people are looking groomed up one side and down the other. It's almost as if they have their own personal grooming station at home and don't come out until they are satisfied with their looks. Can this trend be anything but another example of humankind's burgeoning pride? People cut, gel, pluck, buff, scrub, exfoliate, preen, wax, trim, style, apply all types of lotions and potions and generally make themselves a walking perfume/cologne bottle all in the name of "did you notice how gorgeous I am today?". Why spend all that time making yourself up?

Now don't get me wrong. I am the first to admit that I take a shower every morning. I go nowhere without doing so. But I certainly don't spend hours on end in the bathroom making sure I look like a million bucks before leaving the house. In my book, simple is better.

On the other hand, there are still people out there that need some tips on how to add a few extra steps in their daily routine. One of my grooming pet peeves is men with huge, bushy eyebrows that need a good combing. They just scream, "PLUCK ME!" Or how about a woman that wears clown makeup or a hairstyle that looks like a wig whirred in a blender before she placed it on her head? It doesn't take all that much time or money to make oneself presentable for public viewing.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just all meet halfway? The over-doers tone it down a notch or two while the underachievers take it to the next level. I don't think that is too much to ask? Do you?

Vacation Week

Well, it's been a week since my last post. I have been on vacation this week. Because of a last minute change in my plans, I ended up staying at home. I was disappointed, but I think it ended up being for the best. I have learned in life that you will have things come your way that will disappoint you but after the initial let down, you realize that you would have been more disappointed if the plans had gone through as planned.

I was a very nice week. I did whatever I wanted and that mostly consisted of chatting with my friends, flying airplanes, and growing crops (the last two are games! haha). It was nice to be able to just do "nothing". I didn't answer the phone; I didn't rush out of bed and into the shower; I didn't shave regularly; I didn't wake up early. I can sum all that up in two words

PURE BLISS!

Of course, the week is now over. I have been trying to come to grips with that fact all day. I guess I will just have to dive right in come 6:30 AM. The water will be cold and the fire will be hot but I must do what needs to be done.

The only thing that will keep me afloat will be my next vacation in October!!!!

BRING IT ON!!!

Not So Common

Every single day of my life, I ask these two important questions...

Where did common sense go?
Will it ever return????

One of my favorite quotations (attributed to Walt Kelly) is "I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person". And I really do stick with that quote. I have little to no dealings with anyone that walks around with their head full of air. I am in constant amazement that people today really seem to not have a clue about anything! Is it because we are becoming too "educated"? Or maybe it's because we want everything "spoon-fed" to us? Or could it be that, in this world of instant everything, we have given up the need to actually think through our problems and come up with a solution?

I believe this lack of common sense has it's root in all three questions. Common sense is not learned but garnered through the process of learning and experiencing life. Some people don't have much formal education but are some of the smartest people I know. Why? Because they know how to use what they have in order to go through life.

The emphasis on more and more, and higher and higher education in this fast-paced, ever-changing world forces us to de-emphasize the basics and skip on to the more technical aspects of learning to live in this modern era. I believe there needs to be more concerted effort in learning the 1+1=2 aspect of education before moving on to the high-tech.

In my opinion, people today want to be spoon-fed their information in small, highly processed bites. They have no interest in searching for the answer nor do they want to figure it out. They want all information given to them by someone else. In fact, they are not very dissimilar from a baby that eats pureed food. They just swallow information without having to chew the facts.

And lastly and not far removed from the previous idea, people want everything NOW! No waiting or hindering them in their quest for the here and now. When a person receives everything he wants right now, he loses much from what he could have gained had he taken the longer journey to the information. One never knows what one can learn on a quest for knowledge. Not only will he learn about the information that began the search, but he will also learn facts and ideas that enrich his life, broaden his horizons, and all-in-all make him a better person. It is well worth the journey.

All of these circumstances have caused a widespread lack of common sense to befall the population. It doesn't take much effort on the part of the people to bring it back into everyday functionality, but the problem will persist as long as no one is willing to take the first step. I believe my second question can be an affirmative if we are willing to change.

Anyone ready for change?

Mountains

I love going to the mountains. I don't mean only the North Carolina mountains but mountains anywhere. I have seen some of the Rockies, other parts of the Appalachians, and mountains in Mexico and Albania. They are awe-inspiring and breath-taking all in one fell swoop. I have climbed parts of some of them and know how difficult a challenge each one can be. When snow, ice, high winds, and other natural occurrences are added in, the challenges are ratcheted up several notches higher on the degree of difficulty scale. I guess that's one of the reasons people love them. They are beautiful but also have a lot of inherent difficulty and danger included in the package.

Thinking about being in the mountains has brought these thoughts to my mind. Life is full of mountains and valleys. Most of the time, we view the mountains as being in a good place in life and the valleys as being in the depths of despair. But I think that sometimes, the mountains are the places we fear the most. These "mountains", i.e. seemingly insurmountable financial problems, grave health issues, or other such crises, loom out of nowhere and cause us to shrink back in fear from the danger and difficulty that we fear from trying to scale its heights. Climbing up such craggy pinnacles is not without unseen pitfalls and sudden peril. But I believe that God places these mountains in our life to show what He can do if we climb them with His help. We can climb these mountains knowing that God's hand is guiding us all the way and that He will never allow anything to cause us to fall. He knows our fears. He also knows what is waiting at the top and on the other side. His eternal view of our lives is from a much higher viewpoint than ours and He knows that when we look back, the mountain we have just labored to climb will look minuscule when compared to the joy unspeakable and bountiful blessings on top of the mountain.

Have you ever seen an eagle soar in the mountains? Mountains are great areas for eagles and hawks to soar effortlessly for extended periods of time. The updrafts are constantly being created by the uneven heating of the air surrounding the peaks and valleys. I often think that Isaiah either had recently watched or was watching an eagle soar with the thermals surrounding the peaks of Israel as he penned this scripture under the verbal inspiration of God...

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isn't it wonderful to know that no matter how high the mountain, God will be with us for each precipitous step and when we reach the peak, we will soar with the eagles? What a blessed promise!