Got Music?

“Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.”  --Psalm 33:3

Do you ever feel like there is something missing in your life?  Or maybe you’ve felt really stressed out and you’re not sure why.  Could it be that you need to add some music to your life?  It has been said that music can soothe the savage beast.  In 1 Samuel 16:14-23, the Bible relates an incident in which King Saul was greatly troubled, but was soothed when David played the harp for him.  Studies have shown that music, and especially singing or playing an instrument, can, indeed, help relieve stress.  Singing or playing an instrument increases oxygen intake and exercises your lungs and heart, and if you sing or play with others, it can create a sense of unity and belonging.

Music also helps with learning.  People who have learned to read music and play an instrument usually score higher in math and science.  And we can often remember something more easily when it has been put to music or song.  It's not just for children.  Hundreds of years ago when most people couldn’t read, Scripture was put to music in the form of hymns like “A Mighty Fortress” to help an illiterate congregation learn.  Have you ever gotten a song stuck in your head?  Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."  It doesn’t say anything about having a good voice.  So, what are you waiting for?  Sing and make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Hugs and Kisses

“Greet one another with a kiss of love...”  --1 Peter 5:4

I am participating in a group on Flickr called “52 Weeks of Gratitude~”.  I love and am thankful for big, warm hugs and soft kisses.  During our Sunday morning worship services at church, we have a time of greeting one another.  While a few may greet a close relative or loved one with a kiss on the cheek, most simply shake hands, and some are like me, who love to give hugs.  I especially delight in the hugs and soft kisses of children, because they are genuine expressions of love and trust and not an attempt to get something more in return.  As a child of God, I sometimes wish I could give my heavenly Father a hug, but when I consider His awesome holiness, I think I would be more like the immoral woman who fell at Jesus feet.  She washed his feet with her tears and hair, anointed them with oil, and kissed them out of genuine love (Luke 7:36-50).

I also think of how Jesus must have been with all the little children who loved Him. When we read that Jesus "...blessed them", please don't think our Lord was somber and solemn! Can't you see Him sitting with little kids just crowded around laughing and giggling and Him laughing with them? And hugging them and they Him? How refreshing that must have looked and how surprising it would seem to some of us! Yet maybe that's a key? Didn't the Lord say we had to become like little children to receive the Kingdom?

Do you know someone who could use a big, warm hug... or a gentle kiss today?

I See You

“To be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known...”

--Chris Kinsley and Drew Francis

Who turns their own face into an Avatar?  A nerd?  A geek?  A sci-fi fanatic?  Or perhaps just another narcissist on the internet.  Well, being a photographer and a Photoshop fan, when I first saw the movie poster for Avatar, I couldn’t help but notice the eyes.  Eyes can say so much, can’t they?  Although my eyes in the picture above have been manipulated, they are still my eyes.  What do you see?  Do you see a nerd, a geek, or a scif-fi fanatic?  Or do you see more?  Do you see... me? 

I was deeply touched by Chris Kinsley’s and Drew Francis’ monologue called The Woman at the Well, a soliloquy based on the Samaritan woman whose life was changed by her encounter with Jesus.  In it the girl said, “To be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known...”  When the Na’vi in Avatar greet one another with “I see you”, it is more than a greeting... it is an acknowledgment... a knowing.... an understanding.  The Bible says that we love God because He first loved us.  He knows us and has made the effort to make Himself known. [Warning:  If you haven’t yet seen the movie, you might want to skip down to the next paragraph, because this post contains a spoiler.]  At the end of the movie, Jake’s avatar body went limp, because the colonel had damaged his pod inside the science station.  Neytiri assessed the situation and desperately searched the station for the real Jake.  When she found him, she immediately knew it was him even though she had never seen his true physical form and even though he was unconscious.  She knew he was her Jake.  *sniff*  She could see him.

Earlier today, a young friend and I shared a brief exchange on Facebook.  He’s a witty young man, but he argued that I was funnier.  He’s wrong.  You’re wrong, Jesse.  I’m really not funny.  I wish I was, although I have had that occasional moment in which I’ve made someone laugh.  It’s a nice feeling.  I mean, who doesn’t like to laugh... well, except maybe someone with a broken rib.  Anyway, our exchange reminded me of one of my favorite quotes.  George Bernard Shaw said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”  I guess transforming my face into a Na’vi is one of the ways I play.  Even though I’m nearing the crest of life’s hill, I’d like to think I’m still young at heart.  Can you see that in my eyes?  Can you see me?