Music, music, music

Hi y'all!  Music is a very important part in civilization.  Look in the history books.  Even when marching into battle, there were drummers, beating out the tempo and conversely, lifting the spirits of the soldiers as they "marched to war".  And where there are soldiers, it seems music is close by. During  wartime downtime, there are relaxing areas that have music playing all the time for the warriors to recover, revitalize and just plain relax.  Music can sooth, music and incite, music can excite, make you laugh, or make you cry. Some kinds of music refer to common things, like Mom, pick up trucks, prison, and trains.  There are love songs, meditative songs, humorous songs, sad songs, happy songs, and then there are screaming songs-that don't make any sense, but some like them, so there they are. But they all have one thing in common.  Notes on staffs and a rhythm.  So you see, music can be, and is, to quite a lot of people, a very important part of living.  It is usually subliminal in our lives as it is so common.  In fact, there are quite a few TV commercials that have music in the background playing and we don't even hear it or pay any attention to it, but its there.  One in particular which I laugh at ALL the time is the GICO commercial with the camel.  In the end it has the two guys (one with a mandolin, and the other a guitar) giving the punch line.  What a funny commercial.  Music is a connector of thoughts.  Songs are a connector of emotions, and words.  Put the right THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, and WORDS together and add music to them and you will have a powerful song.

I love making music.  The words usually slip by me, which is why I need to have them in front of me.  It is a reassurance thing for me.  A crutch, so to speak.  I play and sing a wide variety of songs.  Before I do, I have to hear it first. IF it grabs my attention, I will spend some time learning it, notating it with the guitar chords and practice it.  Trying to commit it to memory, sometimes being a "mission impossible", but I try all together.  That is why I admire REAL musicians and singers so much....they have a knack for remembering the words and the tunes!  Seems the older I get, the less I can remember.  My theory is my brain is so full of stuff that I have remembered, it is now overflowing into the rest of my body for storage and that is why I have gained all this weight from the 135 lbs that I was when I got married 46 years ago.  So that's the problem.  There is very little recall from what I used to know, from where it was stored at.  Must be a physical thing.  The memory passageways got disconnected by "heaviness".

Every once in a while though, an OLD memory surfaces.  Like the pathway was cleared out for a moment, and it suddenly broke through!  One of those occasions was when my home office changed rooms, I came across some pictures that I haven't seen in 12 years.  There were several photo of our church (Henderson United Methodist Church) celebrating NEVADA DAY 2001 in our parking lot.  We had a terrific time with yard sale stuff, VFW hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and fun, dunk tank and entertainment.  There were various acts, etc. during the day.  That's where the following pictures come into play.  The lady is Carol Hagen, she was a prayer and singing partner with the Celebration Music Team (we've talked about this before) at Sunday Morning Worship, and a good friend along with her husband (a non-singer, but great friend, non-the-less).  Can't remember the song(s) we were singing, but looks like we were having a good time.

Standing room only?  NOT, but the fun had begun anyway.
Hey, it was hot out there sitting in the sun!

Singing the day way!

Sound equipment thanks to the RANDY ANDERSON BAND.  Great folks. 

Then during a break, I was able to capture Herman along with a grandson on the church patio.
Good friends, they are.

Aren't they a great looking family?

Music does bring back memories.  It also makes memories.  Music draws friendship closer, even when one is not a singer or plays an instrument, the music that is in the background of life is playing an important role in who we are and what we do.  Kind of scary when I think of some of today's music, but I remember my grandparents speaking of "our" music in the 60's...so nothing much has changed in that regard has it?

the Point of the Story:  Take music into your heart. It is another doorway to knowing God's love for you.  There are hundreds of thousands of songs inspired by God's love and affection for YOU, His child.  Listen to the melody.  Take in the words.  Let is absorb into your being.  You will be rewarded when you feel God within, coming from the music.  I know, it sounds weird, but it is what it is.  Sit back, take in a song or two, close your eyes, listen to the words, listen to the sounds....

Keep singing, keep laughing, keep smiling,

Blessings,
Gary