Sweet Rock

As I sit here tonight and listen to Jeff Parets Acoustic Storm on 95.7 FM celebrate the long weekend festival of Woodstock I can’t help but wish the wave of music that energized a generation back in the 60’s and 70’s could not reach out across our great country and bring us closer together as nation.

Rock and Roll and all its various forms and fashions will surely never die, but you have to admit it is getting rather grey around the edges.  This summer I went to several concerts and the average age was probably fifty…and I’m being generous there. 

Case in point was last night’s Kansas concert here in Charlotte.  It was at the Ovens Auditorium which seats around 2800.  Not only was the crowd aged like the other shows I went to…it wasn’t even sold out.  A Saturday night prime time concert for one of the hallmarks of prophetic rock…and Charlotte couldn’t even turn out…I’m ashamed and know we have more to offer this wonderful band.  Perhaps that’s why they only played 1 ½ hours instead of their other shows which have run two hours; don’t get me wrong the crowd that was there was enthusiastic…but the lone woman who sat in front of me kinda summed up the evening for me.  Half way thru the encore which was “Carry On My Wayward Son” she checks her watch and leaves.  It’s not like there was a crowd to beat…geez one of the most iconic rock songs ever…and she’s checking out…I’m ashamed.  I guess you reap what you sow and if you don’t sell out the show…then don’t expect the band to play a few extra songs.  They did put on a great show by the way…thanks guys…but you owe me “Song For America” next time.

I guess that’s why I enjoy Jeff’s show so much.  The Acoustic Storm delivers new songs and variations of old favorites that you don’t hear anywhere else.  It represents the heart and soul of the music that I grew up with and continue to cherish and enjoy today.  When I need a pick me up I turn on the radio or put in a favorite CD…it brings a new perspective to an often confusing world. 

It’s not just the beat…it’s the words, the message, the underlying overtones of the lyrics that reach out and strengthen my own beliefs and resolve to carry on and realize that even though we may be dust in the wind physically…our spirit remains…and our soul is enriched by some of the best music ever recorded. 

I saw my first concert when I was around 14…I think it was Marshall Tucker and Jethro Tull…two of my favorites to this day.  I was never into heavy metal or disco…although there are several groups and songs that I enjoyed occasionally.  With all these aging rockers with an aging fan base I truly wonder what the future of rock and roll holds.  Seems the torch has been passed to country and that’s Ok I guess, but I still prefer that old time rock & roll…to steal a line from Bob Seger.

Those familiar with this blog know what my Rock & Roll dream is.  I only wish at a young age I would have found the passion I have for music now.  Guess when you see something starting to fade before your very eyes…it makes you want to hold on all the tighter…and longer.

Guess I’m rambling a bit…but as a rambling man I tend to do that.  Here’s a poem I wrote that kinda sums this up….have a great week and find some time to enjoy some of your all-time favorites…and I hope it brings you back to a time when life was a bit simpler and we all could enjoy some good old pickin and strummin, as we hugged our brothers and sisters, no matter their race, creed or color. 

As I wander these lonely streets

I have thoughts of a magical beat.

Some say Rock & Roll is the devil’s heartbeat

I say sit right there and take a seat

And you’ll hear of glorious feats.

The old hymnals are covered with peat

As if masked in an old dirty sheet

Today some still sing when they meet

But their faith has taken a backseat.

I long for the days of old, such a treat

When the sound was sweet like mesquite

The music was praise to help defeat

Our enemies we drove into retreat

Running from the sound of the drumbeat.

Music is also a way for friends to greet

Sharing in the glory of a chosen fleet.

Rock will never die, it brings the heat

That some may say is too upbeat

We know better as we tap our feet.

Music in the old hymnals is truly sweet 

But the rhythms of rock make us complete

Do not be misled, do not fall to deceit

Glory to God is found in many a tweet.

What you prefer to hear in your suite

Will enrich your soul, like fertile wheat.  

Kinda corny I know….but like all of our lives…it’s a work in progress.

As Joni Mitchell wrote and was later immortalized by CSN&Y….

“We are stardust…we are golden…and we have to get ourselves back to the garden”

What you must know is that music is deeply rooted in all forms of spiritual beliefs, whatever yours are be open to those of us that know the devil always held a losing hand…he was just trying to take as many as he could with him on his tormented bargain.  Praise God you have hopefully been spared of that…and if you’re not sure, reach out to a local faith based group…for the beat of salvation rings all around us.

Psalm 150

The Best Meal I Ever Had

What do you do when you are penniless, hungry and tired?  When you have nowhere to call home and no family or friends to help….you are truly at the mercy of your surroundings.  Or are you?

Most people would not survive very long on the streets of a big city.  So what do you do to make the situation better?  Beg, borrow or steal?  Hard to borrow when you have no way to pay it back, stealing will land you in jail or beat to a pulp and begging should be reserved for the truly helpless.

Any situation is what you make of it.  The following story is one way I overcame (with a little help from above) the helplessness of being so hungry I just wanted to sleep and take away the hunger pains.

As you may know from other posts, in the mid-eighties I was homeless, hungry, tired and drifting.  I was in Dallas, Texas and I must have been a site.  I remember it was a bit cold so I was walking around the big city with an orange sleeping bag wrapped around me.  I had nothing of value visible except some rings on my fingers.  They were not worth much at all and my favorite was one that I had hand made in art class when I was in junior high school.  It was oval with imitation turquoise and specks of sea shells surrounding an inner oval with a cross inside.  The others were mere trinkets, a corral ring carved in the shape of a feather, another that looked like it was made of gold leaf…but it was fake gold and I had another that was a simple wood band.  You could get them at any convenience store but the one I made was priceless to me.  Many times I would look at it and the cross inside would give me strength and encourage me to carry on...and trust in my faith.

I must admit that was hard to do when you’re homeless and hungry, but in all those years of traveling I always found a way to survive.  My surroundings were not obstacles, they were opportunities.  Until you turn down the wrong street in a big city anyway.  I had walked smack dab into a street gang and they had their eyes on me and my rings.  I don’t remember the exact words exchanged, I think they realized I was no threat and pretty much just a drifter…but they wanted those rings.

There were eight of them and one of me and in those days I couldn’t have weighed more than 150 pounds…so I deciphered it was better to see another day than end up in the hospital or worse.  One guy in particular wanted those rings…so I gave them up…including the one I had hand made.  They let me walk on…which I did rather quickly before they soon realized what they had was worthless, monetarily anyway.

It was early evening and I was tired and still hungry and had even less to my name now, but at least I still had that puffy sleeping bag to keep me warm.  As I said your surroundings are what you make of them and at that point in my travels I had grown fond of hotels.  Not small motels, but large fancy hotels.  The kind that if you are resourceful enough can provide almost anything a homeless guy would need.  But you had to be careful and watchful for the moments of opportunity that are put before you.

It was the downtown Dallas Hilton, a magnificent building with all the glitz and glamor of a 5 star hotel (back then anyway).  I watched the back area of the hotel…stashed my sleeping bag and snuck in the back maintenance door.  I quickly took a freight elevator as high as it would go…then found an open maids closet to rest.  I remember there were hundreds of towels, sheets, soap, lotion and all kinds of luxuries that would make a homeless guy think he was in Heaven.  But I was in no such state of delusion; I knew exactly where I was and what I needed to do.  I shut and locked the door went to the back of the room, covered myself with sheets and fell fast asleep.     

I woke up sometime after midnight and even though I was now rested I was light headed from hunger, I needed to eat and I didn’t really care what it was.  Little did I know the best meal I ever ate was waiting for me…just moments away.

I found a stairwell that took me to the roof.  Now I must say that a lot of what happened during my drifting days…well just seemed to happen.  I don’t know why I was compelled to go to the roof…but I was determined to find a way up there.  I found the access door and went out on the roof of the hi-rise hotel and all of Dallas was in my vision.  It was a beautiful night and the city lights sparkled along with the stars as I cast my eyes on the most precious site I had seen in a long…long time.

There before me were the remnants of an evening’s dinner party.  There was left over roast beef, rolls, veggies, deserts, coffee, and all sorts of food spread out over dozens of tables and it was there just for the having…and nobody was there to stop me.  I don’t know how long it had been there…and I didn’t care…I ate my fill and kicked back and looked down on the city streets.  When I had rested a bit I had seconds, then thirds, then dessert, then a half a pot of some of the best coffee I ever had.  For a moment there I thought maybe I was in Heaven.

My faith has guided me for many years.  It has been dormant at times, but no matter what I was going thru I knew I could find a quiet place and the Lord would guide me to where I was supposed to be.  I have no doubt that my steps were being guided to that roof top and it was for more than just food.

You see there’s an old saying…the Lord taketh and the Lord giveth, ...it’s what you lose and gain in the process that matters most.  I had lost my most precious ring, but I had found rest and food. 

To this day it is the best meal I ever had…not because it was so tasty…but because it was at a time when I needed it the most…and I learned some valuable lessons along the way.  Your surroundings are not obstacles, they’re opportunities.  Make the best of your world, be resourceful and have faith. 

Have the faith that even when you’re at your lowest in life, you can find a feast…in the waiting.

Bon-appetite…Proverbs 12:28…Luke 12:22-34

The Face of Evil

We carry the baggage of good and evil in this life we travel.

We walk streets not of gold, but gravel. 

We hope to be spared the judges guilty gavel.

What do we do, to put the hate and pain behind?

What do we do to have our acts be just and kind?

For me, it happened long ago when I stared evil in the face.

I do not share this often, but on one star filled night…I put evil in its place.

In my early 20’s I was drifting, searching, and traveling the hi-ways with my thumb.

I was hitch-hiking to a destination unknown…hoping kindness would my way come.

With nothing more than the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet

It was around 1984 I guess and I prayed some angel I would meet.

I had a small pack and in that pack was all my life treasures

They say a man is worth the possessions you can measure

For me it was a couple dollars, a knife, a lighter and my notebook.

I guess I was not of much value if measured by possession.

But I had something else worth more than the dollars obsession.

I had a King James Bible, with His words in red to console

I would spend hours off the hot pavement enriching my soul.

I would just open and read, letting the Spirit guide me to hidden treasures.

With no friends close and all the doubt about my future, this was my pleasure.

I prayed to understand the words, often a smile but mostly tears

I cried to the heavens to erase the daytime doubts and nighttime fears.

I have many stories from those traveling and searching days

And I met many people who helped along the way

But this is a story about a personal battle I was cast to play.

The night I put evil in its place, I was walking a high class subdivision.

I was somewhere in Texas, with the moon and stars in my vision.

I’ve never had much luck getting rides at three in the morning

Only time worse is when it’s storming with rain pouring.

So I wandered off the hi-way into a beautiful area of homes

There were landscaped yards and even some decorative gnomes.

I remember thinking…one day Lord…one day I’ll see this glory

But in the meantime I’ll hold to the faith that drives this story.

As I was walking down the middle of one of the calm streets

A pack of dogs from around the corner I would meet.

There was at least six or seven and growling with hate

I prayed…. Lord please don’t let this be my fate

When out from behind the pack I saw a magnificent sight

He was mostly marked in white and much bigger in height

This was no ordinary dog…he was wild and he was the Alpha.

He passed through the pack and stood there starring me down

I stood my ground and starred back their intentions unknown.

The big Alpha dog took a step forward, so I did the same

The rest of the untamed pack was familiar with this game.

Then I took the next step and bent to one knee

He took a step back and I was surprised to see

The rest of the pack slowly turned and walked away

The big Alpha turned and disappeared into the gray.

But that was not the evil that I would face that night

That was just a test of nerve, preparation for the fight.

So I continued my walk on a star and moon filled night

My soul yearning to take my spirit away in flight.

I was tired and eventually found a field to rest

In the middle stood a lone tree so I thought it best

To take a slumber under that old ancient tree

Let my worries be free and my dreams to see.

I felt protected by the trees branches

With the night I would take my chances.

Sometime later I awoke and was starring up through the tree

It was still dark but a vision I thought I could see.

As I lay there looking up the vision became more clear

It was a face, the face of evil and I was grasped in fear.

I felt paralyzed as I could not move, my eyes starring at this face.

I knew I could not stay; I had to get out of this place.

The face was like death…narrow cheeks and dark eyes

Blood stained teeth and my soul it seeked as a prize.

It looked down at me as if to laugh and in that moment the grasp was lost

I gathered up all my energy to get up for my soul was at stake and the cost.

This face of evil was not going to win and I began to back up away from the tree

The field had clumps of grass and I stumbled and fell backwards trying to flee.

Now he had me and the face grew larger as it came for me in my grief

But not this night for God had other plans and granted me relief.

As I scrambled to move my hand touched a rock, then two

The face was almost out of the tree and his skin was a grayish blue

I scrambled to my feet and found two piles of rocks at my feet

I was not going down without a fight, my spirit yet to taste defeat.

I started hurling those rocks at that face and every one that hit

Made that face fade and retreat…at one point its forehead I split

Back to the heights of the tree it went and disappeared from my sight

In all my days I cannot remember a more gratifying fight.

I had put evil in its place and some may say it was merely a dream

But proof remains that to this day in reality it would seem.

I remember looking at the ground and seeing one last rock

I picked it up and put it in my pack as the day started its clock.

Now was the daylight and on my way I had to be

In glitzy neighborhoods I was not what they wanted to see.

Sometime later as the day grew hot and I reached in my pack

There in the bottom was that rock that saved my back.

Dreams don’t often leave tangible proof of their realities

But here was that last rock, proof my encounter was no fantasy.

I put evil in its place that night…and thanked God for delivering me

To that place and space in time for me to see

All through my travels in those early years of searching

I knew behind every corner danger was lurking

But I held to my faith and believed in Words I heard long ago:

“Go into the night without a doubt or any fright.  Go into the night with confidence and open sight.

Go into the night knowing it has no power over you.  Go into the night and do not fear any evil. 

Go in Peace and those that hate will fall on their own swords…as I will be with you”.

Evil certainly still exists in our world…do your part to put it in its place…no matter the perceived realities.  His light is the rock of our faith that will split the darkness and shine forever. 

Luke Chapter 11 vs. 29 – 36….1^st John Chapter 1 vs. 5-7…. Psalm 150

Protecting Us...From Us

Why do we have all these laws?  Why are we instructed from an early age not to go near the stove when grandma is cooking?  Why are there speed limits on the hi-ways?  And why do we live in a country established on the rule of law?  Quite simply it is to protect us…from us. 

Throughout history great societies have come and gone.  Remnants remain but the more these societies strayed from the basic tenants of law the more they struggled and eventually fell.  Is our country on the same path?  There are certainly endless similarities between the lawlessness in this country and the lawlessness of other great societies that exist no more.

It can be argued that ancient Rome was the greatest society this world has ever seen.  But as time passed its leaders were polluted with greed and the lust for power.  Their people became gorged with the good life and left behind the teachings that made them great to begin with.  Many of the people believed no one or nothing could defeat them, their military was invincible, their commerce strong; their entire world bowed to their demands and their rein would last forever…or so they thought.  Do you not see the parallels; do you not see the same fate could easily befall our great country? 

Laws protect us…from us.  And when these laws are twisted and compromised more laws are created that only confuse the simple ways of a once uncomplicated society.  Such is the case in one of our states where there is legislation being considered to ban religious materials from all public spaces as it offends some people…this from the same state that found it necessary to ban plastic drinking straws.  Strange how the people who want the most freedoms seem to enact some of the most ridiculous laws that restrain the very freedoms they desire.  They want open borders but cannot support those inside already.  They want to flood their population base with people that will continue to vote them into office so they can think of more ways to restrict freedoms while lining their pockets with blood money from their supporters, many of which have underlying anarchist, communist, socialist, jihadist, or some other anti-American ideals.  These ideals evolve over time as they seep into a once fundamental society.

So what we have today are heated arguments over what is right and wrong, over basic individual human rights and complex societal legislation. But forget all that and break it down to its simplest form and you have the building blocks of a humble nation.  Of a nation that knows its limits and knows where its greatness originates from… even as some of its states and municipalities wander from the basic foundations of truth.

Today many criticize our founding fathers.  They want to remove the corner stones of our foundation so some man made utopia exists.  Fools…utopia itself is based on the rule of law and the Word of God.  They do not see they need protection from themselves for in their modern fantasy world there is no need for laws, because everyone apparently loves each other and life is just a big peach.  Foolish people, do they not see the very trust they put in their fellow man will be their undoing.

Laws protect us…from us.  Our founding fathers put in place a system of laws and a government structure that is designed so no one authority would ever have ultimate power.  A measure of checks and balances was put in place, the various branches of government, so it would foster compromise and assure we the people were at the heart of our great country.  Unfortunately, over time the fundamental values that made this country great have been diluted with divisiveness and polluted with greed.  

Our founding fathers knew that so long as lawless men existed, laws were needed.  So long as greed and power lust existed, a structure was needed to contain such destructive morals and behaviors.  Many today want a free and open society, where there is little law; everything is free and shared openly.  What they aspire to is Heaven on Earth, but they do not realize that what we have today is far from Heaven, it is more like hell’s battlefield.  The wicked prey on the weak and the rich stuff their pockets with the misfortune of others and enact laws that bolster political egos across both aisles of the House and Senate.  Certainly some great men and women exist on the hollowed floors of our nation’s capital…but it is also a place where honor and integrity is often left at the chamber doors.

Only One can bring about Heaven here on Earth and until that time we need to remember our founding fathers words “In God We Trust” walking  humbly with love and mercy but also with the laws that govern the actions of a just and God fearing society. Laws are not made to be broken, unless formed of a flawed and cracked foundation and unjust moralities.  Our foundation is solid…it is us as a nation that is flawed and cracked.  That is why we need laws, morality and a strong constitution…to protect us…from us.

Plastic straws or not…give me Liberty and Life, for death has already been conquered.