French Horn What-ifs
Trying to sleep last night was a little rough, but Father I am grateful for You getting me safely through everything this morning. I am eager to see what You lay on my heart this morning!
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So, Saturday at the Columbus Symphony Orchestra was impacting enough that I want to share a few more thoughts.
I have mentioned before that in high school and for a year in college that I played the French Horn. It is a beautiful instrument both physically and in the music that can be coerced out of it in the skilled hands of a musician. Well, when I went to college my goal was to become a Minister of Music and I felt that in order to do so, I need to be a fairly decent pianist. So that is what I pursued. Now part of the problem was, I had had very little formal training and really, I wasn’t even at a collegiate level when I started my degree.
Long story short, I diligently pursued an applied area of piano for my degree but in the end, I was unable to pull off the required piano recital of memorized classical music. So, even after four years of effort and study – completing all other academic requirements – I have just a 2-year Associates Degree to show for it.
So, what would have happened if I had stuck with the French Horn? At least in my mind, I was pretty decent at playing it. What if I had just taken enough piano lessons to become a bit more proficient? How would my life be different? Those are things I will never know.
I would have gotten my Bachelors for sure. I believe I would still have fallen in love with Karen (who by the way is a wonderful pianist and continues to be a great asset to my ministry!) And we would have still gotten married, but would a different degree had changed anything? Maybe. Instead of completing an Adult Course of Study program to become an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene, would I have pursued grad school or seminary? One thing for sure that would probably have changed was how I completed the requirements to serve in the United Methodist Church. Again, I went the way of an Adult Course of Study Program but otherwise, I would have taken seminary level courses.
My time listening to the orchestra stirred those thoughts up once more. But the Lord works in mysterious ways, as they say. Here is the closing passage of Scripture from my sermon this past Sunday.
Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 AMP (emphasis mine)
Lord Jesus, only You know what might have been. I cannot live my life in the midst of what-ifs but must live in the here and now where we are journeying together. I am blessed beyond measure and do not wish to be anywhere but in the center of Your will. May my heart’s desire be to reach forward to what lies ahead. Amen.
Apr 29th, 2019, Mon, 9:23 am
Let Everything that Has Breath…Praise the Lord!
Thank You, Father, for pointing me to this new sermon series from the book of Joshua that I began this morning. The first sermon moved me and I pray is moving others. I am a vessel for You to use. Amen.
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Last night, Karen and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a performance of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and I absolutely loved it! I have only seen live orchestral programs a handful of times in my lifetime. I was on the edge of my seat a good part of the time soaking it all in!
We have a friend who is a musician in the orchestra and we had the privilege of sitting with his wife for the concert. In our conversation prior to everything starting she made a reference to a friend of theirs who plays the pipe organ for a large church in Columbus. She quoted her as saying that when she plays for church that that is when she truly worships. In giving of her God-given talent back to God, she glorifies Him. And I would dare say that our friend in the orchestra feels the same way.
There was nothing particularly “spiritual” about any of the pieces played or sung but for me, I worshiped! I didn’t worship the people playing or the conductor guiding them through from beginning to end… but I worshiped my Creator God who gave each participant their ability. And each musician used their ability to its fullest, to communicate messages far beyond words.
One piece, composed by Edvard Grieg, entitled “Ase’s Death” from Peer Gynt (Suite No. 1, Op. 46 for you music aficionados) really touched me. I know a little bit about music and I was just astonished that the strings could play so softly and yet still be clearly heard – it was just beautiful!
Glorifying God may not have been the intent of those who gave their gift but that is truly how I received it!
Each of us, myself and every single one of you, we all have gifts, talents, and abilities. No matter what we do, be it teaching or performing surgery or scrubbing the toilets in a public facility or preparing a meal for our family or sitting in your cubical day after day and on and on and on, all of us can glorify our Creator by doing what we do to the very best of our ability – being perfect as He is perfect in giving of ourselves each and every day!
Lord Jesus, empower us in Your strength and with Your wisdom to use the gifts given us to bring glory to Your name. May we bring You praise if we are before a crowd or even if it is just You and me and no one else. Thank You for the diversity of Your creation. May we all cry out and glorify Your name. Amen!
Psalm 150 AMP
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to [the abundance of] His greatness.
3 Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute.
5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
Praise Him with loud cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Apr 28th, 2019, Sun, 7:22 pm
Stony Hearts
Busy days sure keep me hopping, Father! This has been a very full week and it is not over. Thank You for strength, wisdom, guidance, and Your love to get me through it all. I am blessed to be called Your child!
Mark 8:11-13 (<<click to read the passage)
We first heard Jesus’ “sigh” when He was amongst the Gentiles in Sidon. He is once again given reason to sigh but this time it is in response to individuals who should have known better.
One of God’s attributes that is a bit challenging to grasp is the fact that He is the Almighty, All Powerful Creator of all there is. There is no doubt whatsoever! Yet…in all His might, as I have heard many times throughout my life, He is a gentleman. He loves us more than we can begin to comprehend but He has endued us with a free will. And he is a gentleman in that He will never make us follow Him. He calls us. He diligently pleads with us to forgo the eternal separation that will be ours if we do not abide in Him and accept Him for who He is – our Lord and Savior.
In this passage, Jesus sighs (and the Amplified Bible includes His groaning, as well) because the Pharisees “argue with him” demanding “that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.”
In frustration Jesus exclaims, “Why does this generation demand a sign? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, no sign will be given to this generation!”
He loves them, yes, but until they yield their hearts to Him, their hearts will remain hard and resistant – and no miracle of any sort will change that.
The picture for today’s post is from an album cover put out by the group Glad way back in 1983. I still have LP and the picture has stuck with me all these years. Christ demands that we give Him No Less than All as the album title proclaims. Withholding our acquiescence to His authority keeps our hearts hardened. Our only hope of changing our hearts of stone is to give them over to Him.
Ezekiel 36:26 NLT says,
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart [i.e. a heart of flesh].
Lord Jesus, we are prone to emulate the Pharisees. We plead, rid us of our hearts of stone and give us responsive hearts that we may abide in Your will in all we say and do. Amen.
Apr 25th, 2019, Thurs, 7:51 pm
Disappear Like the Morning Mist
What an awesomely beautiful day! Thank You, Father, for giving me the opportunity to take this trip with the FFA group. A nice ride, clear and crisp weather – overall a beautiful spring day!
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I tell you one thing; I rarely got to see what I see nowadays, those many years I worked in retail! This morning, the sun was just starting to color the horizon when I started my route and it was just cool enough that there was quite a bit of patchy, low lying fog. It was breathtaking! The only bad thing about it is the fact that I can’t have my phone out, so I can’t get any pictures! And it’s not like I can go back later this afternoon and snap a few shots!
That’s the nature of fog. It’s here for a while and then once it warms up – once the sun comes out – it’s gone!
In the Old Testament book of Hosea, we realize that saying the Israelites were rebellious would be a great understatement! They had forsaken the one true God and were worshipping other gods of their own making. And because of their insubordination, God spoke through the prophet Hosea saying,
“Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,
like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
like smoke from a chimney.” Hosea 13:3 NLT
Even the newest parts of the Bible are close to 2000 years old but slice it just about anywhere and you will find a microcosm of who and where we are today.
We are rebellious – another great understatement! We do what we want! We “worship” whatever we desire to place on that pedestal of our lives and proceed to thumb our nose at God. We are self-sufficient. We are independent! We don’t need Him…we think. But we do… Without our Creator, we are nothing… What we do will amount to nothing… We are here but for a breadth of time, then we “will disappear like the morning mist, like the dew of the morning…”
It brings tears to my eyes to think of how much time I have wasted in my own life. Time that, if I’d only given it over to my Father for His use and glory, could have been multiplied hundreds of times over! But how often have I thought that I knew better? At other times I was just distracted by the bling of this world. …worthless…wasted…the precious commodity of time that is mine to use as I will…
Oh, Lord Jesus, forgive us! Please, forgive me! In the course of eternity, my life is but a mist. Enable me to use it wisely. May I use it to the full for what You deem is worthy. Amen.
Apr 24th, 2019, Wed, 9:24 am
Genuine Gratefulness
I bow my head in reverence
As I come and sit close by Your side
I’d ask that You would speak to me
For my heart in You abides. Amen.
Mark 8:1-10 (<<click to read the passage)
So, did you grow up with this one?
God is great
God is good
And we thank Him for our food
By His hand, we all are fed
Grant us Lord, our daily bread. Amen.
Or maybe this one?
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest
May this food by you be blessed. Amen.
I’m pretty sure that as a child I recited the first one and remember my niece reciting the second one.
Simple. To the point. Maybe it was just a rote habit but seeds were planted and fruit continues to be produced.
My Life Application Study Bible has this to say. I would challenge you to not rush through it but to pause…and ponder as you read each line.
Jesus gave thanks for the food, and he serves as a model for us. Life is a gift, and the nourishment life requires, while it comes from the work of many hands, conveys God’s material blessing. Mealtime provides an opportunity to thank God for daily needs met, for taste and beauty, and for human company and divine companionship. Giving thanks keeps us from regarding a plate of food as a trough, our stomachs as bottomless pits, and our gathering to eat as a bothersome interruption. Keep up the good tradition of praying and thanking God before your meals. Let your gratefulness to God be genuine.
Apr 23rd,2019, Tue, 7:14 pm