Beyond the Sounds of Music

There is no running away from music.  I just closed my eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like without music in this world.  But I discovered that music exists all around. 

One of my dogs was barking at one pitch, then another across the village joined in.  Another of my dogs joined the chorus and soon all the others in the neighbourhood yapped in. At the same time a truck passed by and tooted his horn.  And another responded.  The two engines hummed at different levels and another zoomed past with the roar of a motorbike on its trail.  Someone was using an electric plane making an "Ooo-wah-ooo-wah" sound. A curtain flapping in the breeze that fingered its way through the swaying leaves of the coconut trees, could have easily been the sound of a sheep-skin drum.  In these parts roosters crow at will. I could not decipher whether that one was singing "I'm Not Sleeping" or "Are You Sleeping Brother John". The noisy refrigerator kept up a fast Rap in an unknown tongue.

When put together what I heard was a composition for an album that could be called "The Music of the Village".

Music affects the body, mind and spirit--for better or worse.  Notice how soothing or irritating it can be.  Your fingers, you feet, your head, your hips respond to it.  And when the right song is played, observe how it puts you in an atmosphere of adoration and worship for your Creator.

As a music lover I have bookmarked pages to my favourite music, and wanted to share with you, like I would my sugar-coned ice cream, the different flavours to be found online.  So please enjoy.

Note: [Nicer if you play in full screen]

This one is for young people:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM6PdBgyog4&NR=1


This next song sings about the extent of God's love for us and how much he is jealous for  our affection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_449103&feature=iv&v=OCBpSINhu6Q&src_vid=geHF1zbA25U


I love the next one because it is the true picture of the love between a father and child, and love how it brings out the tender and playful side of the Creator.  It's called "Peek A Boo Daddy".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMw-ntHYpG4



Francesca Battistelli makes you want to get up and dance.

Jewish worship music is absolutely wonderful always seems to be combined with dancing. See Barry and Batya Segal's "In The Latter Days".  So beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXZHNKq5wPE&feature=BFa&list=PL4F66B739D4982F7A&lf=results_main


 This is another of their well-choreographed dances to In the Latter Days.

And after this, here is a power-packed Jamaican song, good to exercise to and lose some physical and spiritual fat.  This is DJ Nicholas.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to purchase some of these as end-of-year presents for your friends and family?  Sometimes it is so difficult to decide on what to give. So maybe you can play them some samples from the above artists if you liked them, then start purchasing while it's still early.


And now forgive me if I throw in the last song: "Forgiven" by TrueVibe:

Because It Changes

Our last blog entry was on August 11, 2011.  It was a link to the Word For Today--short daily bite-sized messages that help to feed your mind, which then enable you to live sensibly.

That specific message was appropriate for the moment, since before I had read it there were some high profile scandals that shook the body of Christ. Because the embedded link was not static, readers clicking on it after that date would see the current date's message and not the intended one.  That's okay, because every Word for Today message has relevance.

However, since these message may be shared freely, I have taken the liberty to paste the direct text of the article of August 11, 2011.

The Stink or the Storm

 11 Aug 2011

 'Let my prayer be... as incense...' Psalm 141:2 Noah's ark is a picture of your church. It wasn't a luxury liner; can you imagine spending a year in that ark with all those animals, and just one window? But Noah had only two options - the stink or the storm. So what's the relevance here? That there are no perfect churches! Furthermore, if you found one and joined it, you'd ruin it! We all love to talk about the power of the New Testament church, but what about its problems? They had hypocrites. Remember Ananias and Sapphira? They had financial scandals (Acts 5). They had doctrinal differences that almost split the church down the middle (Acts 15). And they had moral problems. They actually had a man belonging to the Corinthian church who was sleeping with his stepmother (1 Corinthians 5). So what should you do when there's a big stink in your church? First, don't spread it. 'And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins' (1 Peter 4:8 NKJV). Second, work for reconciliation. '...If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself...' (Galatians 6:1 TM). Third, burn incense. When the lamps in the tabernacle were snuffed out each evening they left a bad smell, so God commanded Moses to burn incense. Don't be discouraged when 'flesh acts like flesh'. And don't be part of the problem by being immature; instead, be part of the solution. The Psalmist said, 'Let my prayer be set before You as incense.' When problems arise in your church, you should pray, walk according to God's Word, and believe Him to bring good out of the situation.

The Word For Today is written by Bob and Debby Gass, with Ruth Gass Halliday and can be found on the UCB website.

Please visit:   http://ucb.co.uk/

There you will find the best in free online TV and radio broadcasting.  A truly satisfying experience.