no not one

"Ain't No Man Righteous, no not one" by: Bob Dylan When a man he serves the Lord, it makes his life worthwhile. It don't matter 'bout his position, it don't matter 'bout his lifestyle. Talk about perfection, I ain't never seen none And there ain't no man righteous, no not one. Sometimes the devil likes to drive you from the neighborhood. He'll even work his ways through those whose intentions are good. Some like to worship on the moon, others are worshipping the sun And there ain't no man righteous, no not one. Look around, ya see so many social hypocrites Like to make rules for others while they do just the opposite. You can't get to glory by the raising and the lowering of no flag. Put your goodness next to God's and it comes out like a filthy rag. In a city of darkness there's no need of the sun And there ain't no man righteous, no not one. Done so many evil things in the name of love, it's a crying shame I never did see no fire that could put out a flame. Pull your hat down, baby, pull the wool down over your eyes, Keep a-talking, baby, 'til you run right out of alibis. Someday you'll account for all the deeds that you done. Well, there ain't no man righteous, no not one. God got the power, man has got his vanity, Man gotta choose before God can set him free. Don't you know there's nothing new that's under the sun? Well, there ain't no man righteous, no not one. When I'm gone don't wonder where I be. Just say that I trusted in God and that Christ was in me. Say He defeated the devil, He was God's chosen Son And that there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

a stranger

// A Stranger // 4.17.07

never saw your face
only dreamt of the place
where we met by the shore
a chill shot through to my core

one day we'll meet
dancing on our feet

inspiration led the artist's hand
love wrote a song for the band
songbirds sing a tune
love's struck a chord in June

out among the wildflowers
i will not cower
love's sprung wings to fly
up to the sky, high

clouds clear out
the mountains shout
golden waves of grass
time has forgotten to pass

one day we'll meet
dancing on our feet

the impression becomes a face
on that day, we'll meet
dancing on our feet

Jai guru deva om

I suppose music ministers to me with a magnitude that runs deep through, touching places that naturally do not expose themselves. Maybe it's the harmony that aligns with my soul, maybe it's the beat that meshes with my own heartbeat, or maybe it's simply the tones and harmonics that resonate in the air passing through my eardrum...okay...maybe music just contains something special--something spiritual. Anyhow, this song really blessed me tonight as I see my world shifting around me...31 dead at Virginia Tech, death, horror, nuclear scares, AIDS crisis, suicide bombers...all the way to a more personal sphere containing an ambiguous future, love, sisters growing up and moving on, family, friends that come and go, transition, student to teacher... change.

Changes come.

Hearing this song, I remember my grounding in Chrsit. My footing lies in Him. Abide. Dwell. Rest. ...in His presence. He orchestrates everything, and I mean everything. The Beatles say it best, "Nothing's gonna change my world." There is a steady peace that resides inside me, that sustains me. I am confident in Him--TRUST. Through it all, I trust. Walk, walk in faith-- one day at a time.

"Across the Universe"
The Beatles

Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which
dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a
restless wind inside a letter box
they tumble blindly as
they make their way across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva

nostalgia

Listening to this song, I am taken back to childhood and something nostalgic stirs up. Though my roots lie not in Michigan, I feel every word and note that presents itself. Up late with a cup of coffee, my thoughts escape me as I wander back...a time of simplicity and innocence. Swings, clovers and honeysuckle, icecream cones and cartoons, hide 'n seek and tree houses. ... With influences of Copland and Bernstein, I venture through days of band as well...the musty smell of the band hall, the hours of practice, the sweat and tears, the accomplishments and applause, the teamwork and unity. ...I continue to be dumbfounded and quite amazed by the stirring a song can have on a man. The instrumentation creates "wistful desires to return home." This life brings new adventures every day, new seasons, and new memories--a tapestry forming ever so intricately by the Maker's hands. Take some time, if not today, to thank Him for the path He weaves for you. Every thread's being strung together with great care.


Hem
"Half Acre"
(Dan Messe)

I am holding half an acre
Torn from the map of Michigan
And folded in this scrap of paper
Is the land I grew in

Think of every town you've lived in
Every room you lay your head
And what is it that you remember

Do you carry every sadness with you
Every hour your heart was broken
Every night the fear and darkness
Lay down with you

A man is walking on the highway
A woman stares out at the sea
And light is only now just breaking

So we carry every sadness with us
Every hour our hearts were broken
Every night the fear and darkness
Lay down with us

But I am holding half an acre
Torn from the map of Michigan
I am carrying this scrap of paper

That can crack the darkest sky wide open
Every burden taken from me
Every night my heart unfolding
My home