The Old Rugged Cross

A couple of years ago I attended an exciting wedding! To be honest, I did more than attend a wedding; I was invited to play the piano during the ceremony and leading up to the main event.

I arrived at the venue about 45 minutes before the Bride arrived and started playing about 30 minutes in advance. I had a good stock of music on my iPad and in my head. As I relaxed and got settled in, the task became easier, and the music seemed to flow. I love playing music, but playing in front of an audience raises the stakes and produces some tension. 

It is no secret what God can do

Stuart Hamblen was an American entertainer who became one of radio's first singing cowboys in 1926, going on to become a singer, actor, radio show host, and songwriter.  From 1931, he began hosting the popular radio program Family Album in California. He also composed music and acted in films with cowboy stars including Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne. He did not cope well with the pressures of his high-profile career and sought relief in alcohol. Many times his drinking landed him in jail for public brawling and other destructive behaviour. 

In 1949 after years of struggle with alcohol, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival meeting. He decided to have him on his radio show presumably to poke fun at him. In order to gather more material for his show he  showed up at one of the revival meetings. Early in the service the preacher announced, "There is one man in this audience who is a big fake." There were probably others who thought the same thing, but Stuart was convinced that he was the one the preacher was talking about (some would call that conviction) but he was having none of that. 

95–98% of the population can sing passably!

Did you know that 95-98% of the population can sing passably? You say well I'm one of the 2-5%. I am sure you are not. It is amazing how many of us sing and the effect it has on our attitude and health. 

The summer has gone autumn has gone, winter is coming. We were just getting out and about and then things changed again. One of the COVID-19 rules is the recommendation not to sing in public gatherings. Singing is good for the soul. It lifts your spirits and creates a sense of community and kinship. I, for one, have missed community singing. Music and songs create passion in our hearts and evoke vivid memories. 

Hello, can you hear me?

 

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Adele once asked -  ‘Hello, can you hear me?’ Adele has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, won 15 Grammies and 9 Brit awards and is worth over $400 million. 

In 2021, Adele released her long-anticipated Album 30, which received rave reviews and is deemed a ‘masterpiece’ of songwriting.

Having listened to the album, I was struck by some of the lyrics in the song ‘I Drink Wine’.

‘They say to play hard, you work hard

Find balance in the sacrifice

Yet I don't know anybody

Who's truly satisfied'.

According to the 2017 Life Happiness and Satisfaction Survey, carried out by Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser, people are less satisfied and happy than they were in 1973 compared with 2017.

Thank you for the music

 

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Music and songs create passion in our hearts and evoke vivid memories. Some of these memories are good; some are sad! 

Songs are very emotive and help us store memories. A very effective learning method is linked to the rhythm in repeating words that somehow glue the words or the facts to our minds. Most of us didn’t necessarily enjoy it, but we often learned facts or figures (times tables, for example) by musical rhythm. If you were dragged off to Sunday School (maybe you loved going), you might remember learning bible verses, for example, “For God so loved the world that..” or “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ..”or maybe “Honour your Father and your Mother”. All of this was to get some important facts from the bible into your young mind for the purpose of living life and one-day meeting God.   

If I was asked to quote some great piece of literature, I would struggle, but if you whistled a tune of some popular song, I often amaze myself with my ability to recall the words. Maybe you do this as well. Music has a powerful effect on our memories in this respect.  

He's got the whole world in His hands - The Lord Jesus

 

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He's got the whole world in His hands.

Remember the song?  ‘He's Got the Whole World in His Hands’ is a traditional African American spiritual, first published in 1927. It became an international pop hit in 1957-1958 in a recording by English singer Laurie London and has been recorded by many other singers and choirs.

 

It's a celebration of God's loving embrace of everyone in this big old world and a good tune as well! I think it's a bit of an exaggeration, though. God doesn't need both hands to hold the world; in fact, the Bible states He is the One who has measured the waters ‘in the hollow of his hand,’ Isa. 40:12, and that 'In his hand are the deep places of the earth,' Ps. 95:4.