Ray Charles

That Faith Chapter

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“All these I have mentioned died in faith without receiving the full promises, although they saw the fulfillment as though from a distance. These people accepted and confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on this earth because people who speak like this make it plain that they are still seeking a homeland. If this was only a bit of nostalgia for a time and place they left behind, then certainly they might have turned around and returned. But such saints as these look forward to a far better place, a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God because He has prepared a heavenly city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16, The Voice).

I thought about the next blog post as I drove down Concord Road on my way home. I had the windows rolled down, inviting the balmy and breezy night air in as Ray Charles bemoaned in the background. That really has nothing much to do with what follows, but I thought it might enhance my cool hipster factor a bit.

Here goes.

God is not ashamed of you. That’s the takeaway from tonight’s Kairos.

In Hebrews 11, there’s a long list of heroes of the faith. By faith, they conquered their circumstances and clung to faith in God in the midst of overwhelming odds.

Just about every one of them also had a major blunder or two on their resumes. We’re talking about adultery, drunkenness, lying, and the like.

Yet they’re heroes.

The longer I live, the more convinced I am that the real heroes are the ones who persevere and keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter what. They readily acknowledge their weaknesses and grab hold of God with everything they’ve got.

God is never ashamed of anyone who reaches out to Him in faith. God will never despise anyone who calls out to Him in the midst of a great despair.

It’s not about great deeds of heroism but small acts of kindness and faithfulness over a lifetime that leave a legacy. It’s the determination to keep going in spite of repeated failures and mistakes.

Ultimately, it’s much more about God keeping His promises to us than it is about us keeping our promises to Him.

God is not ashamed of you. The end.

 

Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and More Musical Magic

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Let it be known for the record that I was a Bob Dylan fan BEFORE he was a Nobel Prize recipient. I actually can’t remember when I became a fan, but it’s been at least ten years.

i geek out whenever I find one of his bootleg series albums at Grimey’s. I’m still buying CDs over vinyl because the former fits into my budget much better than the latter. Plus, I don’t really have a record player.

Periodically, I go back and revisit the older stuff, like Blonde on Blonde or The Times They Are A-Changin’, but my sentimental favorite is still Slow Train Coming, partly because of the Muscle Shoals sound he incorporated on it and partly because of the overt faith elements.

For my commute, I’ve embarked on Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings 1952-1959. I’m in music heaven. You really get the sense that you’re sitting in on the birth of R & B (although true musical purists will probably disagree with me). What no one can deny is that this music holds up even 60 years later.

I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Timothy B Schmit album via snail mail, hopefully by sometime in 2016. I’ve heard snippets on the radio, and I really like the old-school 70’s vibe on it. Think a dash of Eagles with some Poco thrown in, plus elements of country rock, funk, soul, and everything else in there.

I hope to continue my classic country music trend in the days to come. I hope I make it to McKay’s to supplement my already ridiculous amount of music.

I do love music. I still think one of my favorite things is driving at twilight on an overcast fall day with the windows rolled down and the perfect song playing. It takes me to my inner happy place.

That covers my musical adventures for the month of October. More to come at some undetermined time in the future.