A Gift of Music

by Rick Blumenberg / @rickblumenberg

The Lord God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, loves us (humanity) with an unconditional love and one of the most wonderful expressions of this great love for humanity is the gift of music. God built this wonderful gift into the DNA of the universe. It blesses our lives in so many ways, from the privilege of listening to its beauty, or perhaps, even participating in the creation of music through singing or playing an instrument. To some God even gives the gift of composition, so that He is able to share the music of heaven, by putting it into our hearts and minds so it can be written, and sung, and played, for the enjoyment of us still here on earth.

Recently I had the experience of hearing a recording of Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen, as sung by K. D. Lang at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I don’t know if either of them are believers—Cohen is Jewish, but I’m not sure if he is a man of faith. On the other hand, God must have great faith in him or he wouldn’t have given him such an amazingly beautiful song. The song is really about the brokenness of humanity, and how God is able to draw out worship from our brokenness so he can inhabit our praise and thus fill us with his healing Presence.

And God’s praise breaks out in some of the most amazing places! I’ve never had the least desire to even see the movie Shrek. I don’t care much for cartoons. But I understand this song was included in that soundtrack. It reminds me of the words of Jesus when he said, “If we don’t praise God the rocks will cry out.” In our day God’s praise is breaking out in some amazing places through the medium of music.

God is amazingly generous with his marvelous gifts of life and love….such as the ability to sing and play inspired music. For his wonderful gifts, let us give heartfelt praise, genuine appreciation, and most of all, sincere worship. Hallelujah is such a marvelous word of praise to be sung so beautifully and thus penetrate the hearts of those who are not yet believers, but cannot help but be so when they hear it sung or when they sing along in these words of exuberant praise to Almighty God.

Thank you, Leonard Cohen and K. D. Lang, and all of you “sweet singers of Israel” who use your gifts to praise the God of heaven and all creation.

I’m Rick Blumenberg, and that’s My View from Tanner Creek.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e26D3w5Glqk&list=PL19612EE4524F32A3&index=4

         

Building Up People

I love to build—people! (I don't mean create people of course—that's God's business.) But many times people have been beaten down by the circumstances of life, or mistakes they have made until they don't have a very good impression of themselves. When that happens they need someone to build them up—to help them see themselves as God sees them. Beautiful! Creative! Full of exciting possibility and unlimited potential!

That's what the church is all about—building up people. All of us who are in God's family (the church) are responsible to build each other up by helping each other to grow, to learn, to improve and to be all that God has created us to be. The Bible word for this activity is to "edify". We do the things that “edify” or build each other up.

The building in which the church meets is merely a tool to build up people. It is a convenient place to introduce them to the radiance of the living Christ, to help them to love him as we do, and to help us all to love him more and become more like him. The building in which people worship is a marvelous tool for which we fervently thank God, but it is only a tool and not the church.

It is time the people of God began saying no to our own limitations and Yes to God's unlimited potential. We can say it with our money, with our time, with our talents, and our energy. It is important that we all share the load so we can all share in the process of building people, as well as the satisfaction that comes in seeing a job well done.

A smile and/or a word of encouragement or compliment for a job well done is a powerful building tool. It makes for strong persons who will last through the hard times as God uses these encouraging thoughts by bringing them to our remembrance when we need them most—when we’re feeling down and detestable and really need to know there is someone who thinks we’re someone special and who thinks well of us even when we find it difficult to think well of our selves.

This attitude should be the norm for all our interactions with people, both in the church and in the wider world. Some people have the gift of encouragement and this comes natural to them, but all of us can do it if we try.

When buildings are needed to do the work of God, it is good to build them, but we must not confuse a construction project with building the true church. Our efforts may help to erect a building that will last a mere hundred years or so, or we can build up people who will live for eternity.

I'm Rick Blumenberg . . . and that's My View from Tanner Creek.