I Get By With a Little Help from My Tunes

Photo by Darius on Unsplash

Music has always been an important part of my life, whether it was church choir, high school band, high school choir…or the fact that I had a brief turn as a music major in college before I accepted the fact that I didn’t have the temperament or the necessary background in theory and math. Yes, math. If you know, you know.

I almost always have music playing in the background, if not just in my head.

When I’m asked my favorite type of music or what concert I first attended, I have a hard time answering that.

I grew up in a church and in a time when gospel music was important. On Sunday mornings before church the television would be playing the Happy Goodman Hour and others.

The old gospel tunes and hymns of the faith are woven through my identity.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s also a good selection of 60s and 70s music in there as well. I mean I’ve written before about how Karen, Olivia, and Linda used to fight over me. It was a little embarrassing.

As an actor, I could belt out some show tunes and there are directors out there who will always regret not casting me in certain roles. Or is it that I’ll regret that they didn’t cast me in certain roles.

And we can’t forget country music. I grew up thinking I hated it, but the older I get the more it speaks to me…the real country music, not necessarily what passes as country today. I mean come on, what’s not to love about Patsy Cline or Johnny Cash?

But it’s the hymns of the faith and the older contemporary Christian music that I most often turn to. Sometimes in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep I’ll put on my favorite Pandora stations or YouTube channels.

More recently when I’m doing my daily therapy which includes time on a recumbent bike, I’ll softly sing through some of my favorites. I wish I could remember more lyrics, but I’ll turn back to the songs from my childhood and my youth.

The great hymns of the faith are full of theology that I’m afraid we often miss today. Don’t get me wrong, there are some songs in the contemporary world that is today’s church music that speak to me. But I don’t always know the lyrics and can’t quite sing through them.

While I’m on the bike then, I have a playlist of my own that rolls through my head.

One of the songs is one I used to sing back in the era when I went to a church where I was considered a soloist and had my own list of favorites. The song comes from the musical The Apostle. I first sang it around the time I was in college and would often sing it for my home church.

In those days, I don’t think I really knew what trials were. At least not to the extent that I’m facing them these days. But the words still speak to me and I find comfort and strength when I sing them to myself while on that bike.

I want to mean these words. I want to be thankful for the trials. I’m not sure that I always am.

But I know that the important thing is to see His face. One day I’ll see it and I won’t be worrying about not being able to walk or about joint pain or heart issues or anything else.

For that I say Thank you, Lord.

“THANK YOU LORD”

Thank you, Lord,
for the trials that comes my way.
In that way I can grow each day
as I let you lead,
And I thank you, Lord,
for the patience those trials bring.
In that process of growing,
I can learn to care.

But it goes against the way
I am to put my human nature down
and let the Spirit take control of all I do.
‘Cause when those trials come,
my human nature shouts the thing to do;
and God’s soft prompting
can be easily ignored.

And I thank you, Lord,
with each trial I feel inside,
that you’re there to help,lead and guide
me away from wrong.
‘Cause you promised, Lord,
that with every testing,
that your way of escaping is, easier to bear.

( REPEAT CHORUS )

And I thank you, Lord,
for the victory that growing brings.
In surrender of everything
life is so worth while.
And I thank you, Lord,
that when everything’s put in place,
out in front I can see your face,
and it’s there you belong.

From the musical The Apostle, recorded by The Continental Singers in 1973.

Looking for Mr. Good Prompt

Image: Freddy Castro via Unsplash

What do I write?

I mentioned earlier this week that finding a daily blog topic is a challenge. I’ve often wondered how regular columnists do it. How to they consistently crank out good work on a daily basis.

I used to have the excuse that I was writing while maintaining a day job.

I no longer have that excuse.

Then again, I’ve been a little consumed by other circumstances over the last few months.

While mentally and emotionally those circumstances kept me from writing, or at least I used that excuse, there’s nothing that stops me from showing up at the keyboard on a regular basis.

I just don’t want to spend all of my time writing about those circumstances.

I don’t think it’s healthy. I don’t think that it will help the healing process to only focus on my troubles.

I need to look forward.

I need to look up. If you know, you know.

This really isn’t a form of writer’s block. I have other writing projects. They’re just not ready for prime time.

So today, dear reader, you get some mindless babbling.

As I get back into more of a routine of writing here daily (again, Monday through Friday), I think I’ll do better with subject matter.

At least I hope I will.

I’m sure you do as well.

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