What's Your Purpose?

What are you doing here?  No, really what is your purpose in being here?  This is a question I have asked myself since I was old enough to think of such aspects of this thing we call…our lives.

What are we doing here?  I can tell you what my faith tells me.  I can tell you what my faith has answered me on this most important of questions.  If you care to hear the answer…then we have something in common with each other.  We’ve both been searching for so long for an answer; an answer that gives everything around us meaning and worth.    This is what my faith says:

“Seek love, it is what you were created to do and when and if you find true love…share it.  Share the journey that got you where you are today with your love…so others may find the hidden path that led you to the answer you seek”.

What other purpose resonates with every man, woman and child on this planet then to have our main purpose in life be to…seek to find, or create where absent…love.  Life would be so grand; we wouldn’t even know hate existed!!!  The concept of evil would be foreign to us…for we seek and create…love.

In your busy day today…try and find some love…create some love and share some love.  It comes in many forms and fashions.  It comes in many sizes and colors, but it’s out there and it’s inside you too.

A very wise man said many years ago….”in your day do three things everyday…laugh, cry and think…if you do these three things… laugh, cry and think every day…then you’ve had a good day…every day.”

That speech resonated with me…given by a man riddled with cancer, who knew his days were truly numbered on this earth…,well he found a way to love and the love he created has touched millions.

There are no words that can be added to Jimmy V’s ESPY speech.  It stands to me as what the power of communication can do.  It’s said information is power, well that is true and it is exponentially amplified in its power….when it is shared.  Never has the power of communication been greater than it is today.

We can’t add words to Jimmy V’s speech…but we can laugh, cry and think about the man and his words.  We can reflect on his life story… so well documented as those that live in the spot light can be.  And we can think about what his words mean to us today.

What purpose did Coach Jimmy V have besides winning at college basketball?  Oh my friend if you don’t know the answer to that by now…please listen to his words again and again if you have too…and I hope you will at some point hear it…it’s there…it’s sought, created and shared.

With your remaining days of this physical thing we call life…find it your purpose to love in three ways everyday…seek it…create it…and share it.  If you do these three things every day and know that the ultimate sacrifice of love was done on your behalf…than your remaining days will be good…as well as those in the afterlife. 

This is what my faith has said to me and my faith is not hope, it is reality.

My purpose in this life was stated very clearly on this blog at the beginning of this year.  I do not question the role I play in God’s plans…because I don’t know them.  All we can do is seek to find and hold with all our convictions what we have found…but not too close…for Love is meant to be shared.

Romans  Chapters 4 and 5....Matthew Chapter 7...Have a Love filled day. 

Best News of the Week

Best news I’ve heard all week….the Eagles “Greatest Hits Album 1971-1975” has surpassed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album as the #1 best seller in America of all time.  With that the halls of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame can rest easy…finally. 

I have both albums and of course it’s just my opinion but MJ can’t hold a candle to the Eagles.  My favorite songs on each...well for the Eagles it has to be “Desperado” and “Billy Jean” by Michael has a catchy beat.  But you have to look at the whole album…all the songs…and the lyrics.  Face it would you rather be stranded on an island with one album taking it easy while watching a tequila sunrise or listening to some Halloween chant.  Give me that peaceful easy feeling any one of these nights and you can keep your video of zombies prancing around. 

Worldwide “Thriller” still holds the #1 spot…just give it a bit more time for the world to appreciate the Eagles as one of the best…if not the best…rock band ever.  We all have our tastes, our likes and dislikes, but as I’ve said before the lyrics send the message while the music provides the beat.  Look closely at the lyrics of each album….each song….and you’ll see a stark difference in the messages.   

Even though there are folks that prefer the beat of “Thriller” the musical aspects, the pitch and tone changes, the rhythm and vibe, and the overall musical story line…all belong to the new #1 in America…the Eagles. 

Long may you rock and over your enemies....roll.

Owen and 7 Angels

I was talking with a friend yesterday about that “sense of timing” that I wrote about a few posts ago.  You know those moments when something kind of falls into place at an unexpected time that makes you think of your guardian angels, or a past memory of someone now crossed over, or a feeling of not being alone in that “special” wrinkle in time….even if it’s about someone you’ve never met.

I had one of those moments today….but strangely enough….it was almost expected. 

The back story is that I like to leave the store when I take my lunch breaks.  Over the years I have found numerous places close by to sit and relax and listen to some music or read.  I’m always on the look-out though for new places to spend a half hour or so mid-day. 

If you’re familiar with this blog you know that cemeteries do not intimidate me…from the “spooky” sense that many people attribute to them.  On the other hand I have found that they can be some of the most peaceful places on this earth.  Even if you know no one there….there is always something or someone to relate to.  It’s quiet….and if you let your instincts carry you, you never know what you may stumble across that adds even more to that humbling moment of time.

Earlier this week I pulled into a cemetery close to the store during my lunch break, I had never been there before.  There was a tear drop shaped drive that circled the property.  As I drove this road and looked around that sense of calm that we often need during a bustling day came over me.  Some of the plots were above ground encasements and as I made the far turn I noticed a white mausoleum plot…it stood out as the rest were of darker shades of grey, brown or black.  The forest was bordering the tear drop cemetery road out the passenger side and there were various markers and encasements between the road and the forest with the rest of the property out the driver’s window.  This individual mausoleum bordered the forest.

The white encasement had a concrete bench for visitors to sit….and contemplate their surroundings.  Then I saw the picture and the inscription.  This was Owen and he passed over at two-and-a-half years old; a beautiful child with striking curly blond hair and a glimmer in his eyes.  Over the years small toys had been left…there were several toy planes, sea shells, trucks and a tractor pulling a trailer with a horse in the back.  I sat at the bench for a bit, cleaned up the plot and dusted the cob webs off the mausoleum…but I couldn’t help but keep looking at that picture and trying to find some kind of answer as to how this child had been taken from his family at such a young age.  There were no other plots close by, so an accident involving the parents seemed unlikely.  But, I didn’t let the unknown distract me.  I rearranged the toys a bit….said a little prayer for a little boy…and left one of my own trinkets in the horse trailer.  About that time a funeral procession came in with numerous cars…so I wiped the tears, got back in the truck and went back to the store.  That was five days ago…and then there was today.

There’s a parking spot in the grass just before Owen's encasement.  Today I parked and sat at the bench for a bit…curious if my token was still there…which it was.  The pink flower I put on the back of the mausoleum had blown off.  So I put it up front with the other toys and trinkets.  I decided to play a little music so I got in the truck and moved up to Owen's site.  A friend had given me a CD of a local band to check out so I put that in.  One of the tracks is a cover for Willie Nelson’s “Seven Spanish Angels”.  Now nobody does it like Willie, but this was a good version, so I enjoyed the peace of the day and played a little harmonica for Owen.  Seven Angels has a story behind it…if you’re not familiar…check it out.

So the song ends and I look up and there’s a white car entering the tear drop shaped cemetery road.  I start the truck and slowly drive away and I notice the CD player isn’t playing the next track.  I switch to radio….nothing.  No display, no power to it at all. I turn it on and off a few times, nothing.  Now I’m at the end of the tear drop where it merges into a divided entrance….I stop the truck…turn it on and off a couple times…no tunes.  I get the manual out and locate the fuse box….but I need a nut driver to access it, so I start the truck up and drive on….and the CD won’t even eject.  And yes this was that wrinkle in time that I referred to at the beginning of this story.  I was not spooked by this, rather I knew it was another one of those “special moments” that I have had in the past and know you most likely have too.  Of all the times for my radio to stop working…right after visiting Owen and playing Seven Angels.

Now this radio has done this a few times in the past but it has always come back on after turning it off and back on…not this time.  I drove about five minutes to Target to get something and to be honest with you it was at that point that I knew that radio was going to work when I got back out to the parking lot.  And sure enough when I started the truck…the radio was on and working fine.

With all the overtones in a post like this I can’t help but think about what my friend and I talked about.  How it is strange that we don’t share some of the special moments we experience in our lives with each other more.  I struggle with sharing an experience like this, hoping I’m communicating effectively.   If you believe in your faith as I do….then you know moments like these make us appreciate the entire world around us…the seen and the unseen...and look for the wholesome spiritual messages they may contain.

So I ask myself what is the message the angels are trying to tell me here.  The obvious answer is that Owen was communicating to me thru my broken radio.  Now you tell somebody that and they might think you’re a bit looney tune….and that’s why we don’t share these private moments more often.

But I’ve had almost a full day now to think about my lunch break with Owen and what other meanings there could be out there.  I play the harmonica and my ears are critical to hearing the music and the tones.  I need to take care of them to make sure they work effectively.  I also feel I need to get more involved with some local musicians if I ever want to really get better at the harp.  I’m not getting any younger….and neither are you.  So the secondary messages I take from this is God...and Owen... telling me the music…and your life…can stop at any second.  On any given day at any given moment you may stop working and no matter how often you try to restart…you just can’t open your eyes and breeth.

As I sit here and listen to the closing of Live in Concert on 95.7 FM featuring Pink Floyd….I am inspired to find a way to follow my dreams and get a message of faith out there to those that need it most.  I hope the next time you experience a wrinkle in time you don’t brush it off.  Think about it and try to find the hidden meanings as to why what just happened…happened, just don’t consume yourself with it or you may find yourself in an endless cylindrical cycle.

Remember that reality and spirituality are the same….to those that have true faith.  Don’t be ashamed of your experiences, cherish them and share them…when you feel the time is right.  Hopefully that time will be before it’s too late for you to realize your full potential as one of God’s children.

Reflections: Isaiah 61…Ezekiel 43:1-12…Matthew 7…2^nd Thessalonians 3

Have a special Son Day.  2nd Kings 6: 8-23 

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