music

Tired Thinking

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

I am strange and unusual. I have come to accept that and I am fine with it. I have weird thoughts and say weird things sometimes. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s just plain awkward.

I have learned that when I am extremely tired, my thoughts take on a life of their own. When I am exhausted, my thoughts don’t trend toward happy places. I go negative and dark and self-loathing. I am suspicious of other peoples’ motives and think the worst is going to happen.

I have thoughts like, “See how that person didn’t respond to your post? He/she is really mad at you,” or “See? That person has had it with you and you won’t ever hear from them again.” Or “You really are no good. You don’t deserve anything good.”

The irony is that tired thoughts will keep you awake, mind churning and your insides writhing, and make you even more tired than before. If you let them, they can take you to a place of hopelessness and despair and isolation, not a good place to be.

I’ve learned a few things. First, I know better than to trust my feelings, especially when I’m tired and my defenses are down. I like what I heard, that your thoughts and feelings will lie to you, so you go with what you know to be true about God.

Second, I have to realize that not all the thoughts in my head are from me. Satan can put a thought in my head and make me think that I thought of it. That’s where it helps to pray out loud that God would bind Satan from your thoughts.

Third, I have to tune in to what God is saying about me. I have to listen to the Voice that is saying good things about me. If I can quiet my thoughts, I can hear the sweet voice of my Abba singing over me, like He does every night.

Finally, I know that in the morning, things will seem a whole lot clearer and all those dire thoughts about people who hate me and have abandoned me don’t seem quite as convincing. When you call something by its name, it loses its power over you.

My prayer is that you can have a calm and quiet soul. Psalm 131 talks about being like a weaned child with its mother. That’s how God wants us to be with Him. Completely trusting, utterly abandoned, and resting in His everlasting arms. After all, it’s not what you say about yourself that matters, but what God says about you. And He is saying good things if you only have ears to hear.

Thankful

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 6 Comments

A friend of mine is in his last few days of life. He has brain cancer and isn’t expected to live much longer. That got me thinking about my own life. I really have a lot to be thankful for (to use the words of an old Bing Crosby song).

1) I’m thankful that I woke up this morning. To most people, it’s a given, but I know that someone didn’t wake up this morning. So I thank God I did.

2) I’m thankful for good health. I won’t be competing in any triathlons any time soon or scaling Mount Everest tomorrow, but I am able to do pretty much what I want and get where I want to go.

3) I’m thankful for my family and friends who show me what love looks like and who are Jesus to me on a daily basis. I am better for all of you being in my life.

4) I’m thankful for music and the right song at just the right time that speaks to me when nothing else can.

5) I’m thankful for saving grace and for new mercies and endless second chances that never will run out.

6) I’m thankful for a Love that will not let me go, for the warm embrace of my Abba Father who roots for me and calls me Beloved and looks at me and sees what Jesus did for me and in my place.

7) I’m thankful that somewhere someone will read this and be reminded that God is still good and He still loves them and there’s one more reason not to give up or lose hope.

I challenge you to have your own list of what you’re thankful for. I challenge you not just to think about it, but write it out someplace where it’s a tangible reminder of the goodness of God.

I finally challenge you to live out of gratitude. Thankfulness is so counter-cultural that people can’t help but notice. Thanksgiving as a lifestyle is the best advertisement for Christianity there is and you just may be the only Jesus someone will ever see and the only Bible someone will ever read.

So give thanks.

Some Things I Love

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

1) I love downtown Franklin, especially at night and even better when it’s not so stinkin’ humid that you can hardly breathe. I love the history and the ambiance of the place.

2) I love when Sweet CeCe’s has red velvet as one of their frozen yogurt flavors. I forgive Sweet CeCe’s for all those times when my hopes were dashed and I had to settle for cable car chocolate or cake batter.

3) I love anything and everything put out by Hillsong. I especially love the fact that I got to see Hillsong United in concert and hear all these songs live.

4) I love that my cat likes to hang around with me and occasionally sleep on me. I feel privileged.

5) I love discovering anything new that broadens my horizons, like new music or books or movies or friends or places or foods. Anything that stretches me, ’cause when you get stretched, you never can go back to your original shape.

6) I love long weekends and vacation days and those days when you get to sleep in to some ungodly hour.

7) I love all things U2 and Coldplay.

8) I love the fact that God’s mercies are new every morning and that His love is unfailing and that He won’t stop wooing my heart until the day I die. And beyond that day.

9) I love the fact that just about every day a song I hear or something I read or a conversation I have will give me one more facet of the beauty and faithfulness of my God. I will get one more thing to be thankful for.

10) I especially love the fact that everything I see on the news that makes me sick to my stomach and breaks my heart will one day be put right. There will be no more hurt or injustice or pain or loss ever again. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and we won’t be able to see for being bedazzled by the joy we find then.

11) I love most of all that my Abba is very fond of me and that He is also very fond of you, too!

More Good Music

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Lately, I’ve been listening to the same music. Sometimes you feel like exploring and sometimes you just feel like listening to what you know. That has been me the last week or so.

I’ve really been liking Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors’ newest album, Chasing Someday. I can see that one getting some serious play time in my car. It has a good “road trip at night” vibe to it and really clever lyrics.

I’ve been going back to some old and some not-so-old favorites like Adele and Hillsong Live and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. It just depends on the mood I’m in.

I’d like to know what you’ve been listening to in or out of your car, at work, or wherever you listen to music. Preferrably, the more off -the-top 40 – beaten path, the better. Though I’m not opposed to top 40 if it’s good music that just happens to be currently popular. Not all top 40 is ear candy.

I like to think that variety is truly the spice of life and musical variety goes along way to avoiding narrow-mindedness and expanding your horizons. At least that’s what I’ve found.

I recommend Gillian Welch, Jeff Buckley, The Civil Wars, and Over the Rhine, among others, if you’re interested in expanding your musical horizons. That’s where I’d start.

I really don’t go much for whether music is top 40, country, pop, alternative, or whatever. I just go for music that speaks to me and sometimes speaks for me when I can’t find the right words. That’s the kind of music I like.

PS I like some Christian music, too. Andrew Peterson and Sara Groves are a couple of my favorites.

Hillsong and the Night Ride Home

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I went to a Hillsong United concert at Allen Arena at Lipcomb University today, which I highly recommend you go see them if they are playing anywhere near you. As in 500 miles or less. They are that good.

Honestly, it was one of the most worshipful nights that I can remember. A top 5 night for sure. There was so much freedom and joy in the worship that made 2 1/2 hours seem like no time at all. The twenty minutes I spent looking for where I parked seemed a lot longer.

The song they closed with was Take Heart, a reminder that whatever you’re going though, God is able to get you through. In fact, He has already overcome whatever you’re facing. These are the lyrics for those who are living in the midst of those troubles Jesus promised we would go through:

“All our failure And all our fear
God our love He has overcome
All our heartache And all our pain
God our healer He has overcome

All our burdens And all our shame
God our freedom He has overcome
All our troubles And all our tears
God our hope He has overcome

All our failures And all our fear
God our love He has overcome
God our justice God our grace
God our freedom He has overcome

God our refuge God our strength
God is with us He has overcome”

Ok, so I normally don’t quote nearly an entire song, but I think this one merits it. Anything you can possibly imagine facing, anything remotely out there that is set against you, God has already taken care of.

As for the night ride home, I made it home with no GPS or maps and the window rolled down. It took less time to get home than it took to find my car. And now I go to bed or else tomorrow I’ll be one of the living dead zombies.

Thanks for allowing me to share my heart and my thoughts, even when they come from a sleepy brain. It’s been fun posting these and I hope to continue it for a while. God bless all of you.

Bye-Bye, Borders (Farewell to Another Favorite Bookstore)

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Dear Borders,

I’ve read the news and seen the signs. You’re going away forever soon, and that makes me sad. Soon there will no longer be any more Borders.

You were my second favorite bookstore.  #1 bit the dust when David-Kidd went away, and now #2 is going bye-bye. I guess that leaves Barnes & Noble as my new favorite by default.

You were a place I could go and walk around when I needed to detox from a stressful day. You had books, music, movies, and those weird novelty gadgets to browse that made killing time such a pleasure. You had the cafe with those oh-so-good freshly baked cookies. Where will I get those now?

I confess sometimes I would see one of your products and go find it online cheaper. I feel bad about that now. Maybe if I had paid a few more dollars a few times, you might still be around after September. Or maybe not. Who knows?

I still have my Borders card, which is pretty much useless now, but I think I will keep it on my keychain for a while to remember all the good times I had with you. Even that weird night with all the older ladies wearing red hats. That was a little awkward.

I discovered some good music. I found some good movies. I even bought some hand soap (it was 75% off). But most of all, you were my happy place. You were the place I went to where I knew I would be happy for a little while.

Now I have one less happy place.

Thank you, Borders, for making my life a little better and a little happier. You were a little pricey and sometimes you didn’t have what I was looking for, but you made my inner book-nerd very happy. I always joked that I could put a hammock in one of your aisles and live there.

Now you’re going away. I will miss you and all your booky goodness. Thanks for the memories. The next time I read a good book with a freshly baked cookie, I will think of you.

Good Driving in the Dark Music

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I was driving home from downtown Franklin again tonight and I had to have the right nighttime driving music. Not just any music will do for me. It has to fit the mood of a summer night with or without the window rolled down (the windows were up tonight because of the humidity).

I went with Gillian Welch’s new album, The Harrow & The Harvest. It’s a wonderful album to play through while driving in the car. It has a deliberately slow and easy gait, a lazy summer day kind of rhythm, to it. The way Gillain and David Rawling’s voices mesh, the way the sparse accompaniment makes the music feel intimate, makes it perfect for driving alone in the dark.

I don’t ususally want fast and loud late at night. I want mellow and subdued. I want pensive, thoughtful lyrics with a sound that calms me down without putting me to sleep.

For me, I’ve found a few albums that qualify. Lori McKenna’s Lorraine, Don McLean’s American Pie, Eastmountainsouth’s self-titled album, or anything by Peter Bradley Adams, Over the Rhine, Gillian Welch or The Sundays will do. There are others, both old and new, that span countless genres. I’m not so much looking for a particular style of music, I just want a kind of mood or feeling from it.

What music brings you home at night? I realize most people probably just let the radio pick their music. Most people probably don’t even pay attention to the music coming from the car speakers. But there are probably a few of you who are more deliberate in your nocturnal musical selections. Like me.

PS I do like listening to Delilah at night. She always had a friendly voice and plays good songs and gives sound advice. Sometimes, though, the drive home needs a soundtrack that is more personal and less top-40 radio-friendly. Like tonight.

PPS Anything by Gillian Welch and/or David Rawlings will do for night driving.

Discovery

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I think I’ve established the fact over the course of the last year that I am one big music/movie/book nerd. I love me some good media. I think I could live at a bookstore like Borders, as long as I had a comfy hammock or sleeping back and a Chik-fil-a nearby.

I also love discovering new things. All the time at restaurants I am trying out new foods and new food combinations. One of my favorite things is to find a new author or artist that few people know about, one that hasn’t yet caught on or one that didn’t quite get there.

My latest musical find is a folk-duo group called The Story. They are (or were) Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball. Both have since gone on to more successful solo careers. I also really like The Sundays, a British group that probably very few have ever heard of.

There’s something grand about discovering new things. I think the life of faith is like that. Every morning are undiscovered new mercies and graces and fresh starts. Every moment is a potential do-over and a clean slate. There is no failure or even fiasco that God can’t turn into something glorious and victorious. Even you and me.

I am thankful for a God who doesn’t keep score or maintain a record of wrongs and broken promises and failed attemps at obedience. I’d be seriously screwed.

I’ve said it before many times, but I really love the fact that God looks at me and sees Jesus and is pleased. He not only loves me, but likes me, too! He’s not angry or disappointed or frustrated. He’s not about to give up on me (or you).

What would it be like if you and I could discover one new facet about the mercy, grace, and love of God every day? I don’t know how long it would take, but I’m sure it would be longer than the Oliver Stone’s director’s cut of JFK. I imagine it would take an eternity.

I guess it’s a really good thing we will have an eternity to find out, eh?

What’s in Your Car’s CD Player?

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

I’m old-fashioned. I buy these round silvery things called compact discs that have music on them, and when you put them in a compact disc player, music comes out. I still haven’t figured out how they get those tiny people inside the radio yet, but I’m working on that one.

I never thought that buying CDs would make me old-fashioned. Yes, I do have a Zune (think iPod but more cool and less expensive). But I still prefer to put a CD in and let it play all the way through an entire album. I’m crazy like that.

Lately, I have been listening to Peter Bradley Adam’s Leavetaking a lot. That and Eastmountainsouth have been in heavy rotation in my car, along with Brooke Fraser’s Albertine, Lori McKenna’s Lorraine, The Civil War’s Barton Hollow and a few others. My musical tastes tend to change weekly, and lately, I’ve been going for music that invokes moods of tranquility and calm.

I do like Christian music, but a lot of it is too commercial and pop-y for my tastes. The older I get, the more obscure my music gets. I like that. If you’re a strickly top-40 person who never ventures past what they play on the radio, that’s fine. That got old for me a while back, but I’m all for people who like music of any kind, as long as they are passionate and sincere about it.

So, who are you listening to in your car? Are you like me and go old-school with CDs or do you rock an iPod or iPhone? Are you into country? Pop? Heavy metal? Adult contempary? Christian? Bluegrass? Americana? I’d like to know.

I’d also like to know what off-the-beaten-path artists you’ve discovered that no one else seems to know about. And for the record, I bought that Norah Jones album long before she got all popular. I was a trend-setter, not a trend-folower.  Just sayin’.

U2 and Other Random Thoughts

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

I’m sitting here blogging away at my PC while so many people I know are at Vanderbilt Stadium watching U2 in concert. I have previously mentioned that seeing U2 in concert was on my bucket list, so I am more than a little envious of them at the moment. I’m also happy for them and hopeful that one day I will get to see my favorite band of all time in concert.

There’s always hope.

I hope for a lot of things these days. Some seem reasonable, some far-fetched. Some I look forward to, some I can’t even begin to see how they can ever happen.

But still I cling to hope.

While my hope and faith may waver, the God of my hope and faith remains faithful. I am glad these days that it’s not the size of my faith, but the source of my faith that matters. It’s not how much hope I have, but Who my hope is in and Where my hope lies that counts.

I also know that a hope deferred is hard, but the wait is always worth it. Hopes denied mean that God has something better in mind, usually something much bigger than my small mind could have conceived. Many times what I hoped for and longed for would not have been what I wanted when I got them, and usually would not have been good for me.

But God know that.

I havbe heard that we should trust God’s heart over God’s hand. That is, we should trust in what we know to be true of God as revealed in His Word over what we see of His activity. We should remember that God’s silences are sometimes the most powerful way He speaks to us and the most beautiful changes come during seasons of seeming inactivity on God’s part.

So, yes, I would love to see U2 in concert some day. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.

But one day I will see something much greater by far. I will see the face of my God and know whatever it cost in waiting and delayed hope and denied dreams was completely worth it.