Somewhere beyond
those stars
Is someone who
belongs to me
And know in my
deepest heart,
There's a place
for you
Until I find the
place You’ve made for me . . .
I am missing you,
Oh, I'm missing
you.
(Chris Rice)
Okay, okay .
. . I know most of you who know me also know how much I love music
and how I probably couldn’t function without it! The truth is,
music, especially Christian-based music, is my way of expressing
my love toward Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and God the Father.
There are some
artists who are extremely talented with writing lyrics and music.
God has given them a very special gift. They can actually state
things in such a way that I wish I had written it myself! They
can say exactly what I want to say__ but they say it so much better
than I can! I think God has given me the gift of appreciation
. . . the appreciation of their God given talents!
Music opens my
heart and mind to what the artist is trying to convey. It's good
to listen to others and their point of view. For instance, what
came to your mind when you read the lyrics at the beginning of
this article?
We really need
to listen to the song and then think about it. When I first purchased
this particular tape, I popped it into the player in my car. I'm
driving down the road enjoying the music, but a certain phrase
caught my attention. When the phrase "someone in heaven who belongs
to me" came across the speakers, I immediately rewound the tape
and listened to the song word for word. I was in love with this
song!
My first inclination
was to think he's talking about a relative or loved one who's
died and is in heaven. My mind jumped to my Dad, and wondered
is he really in heaven or is he in the grave? This brought a thousand
more thoughts to my mind to ponder upon. As I really listened,
I realized he was referring to Jesus Christ!
Do we claim him
as ours? He is named "Our" Savior.
We call him "My"
Savior, "My" God, "My" Rock, and many, many more I'm sure you
can think of But do WE claim HIM? This brought to mind a whole
new line of thinking about Christ and our relationship.
Do you now see
how music can enhance our worship and understanding?
I can sing that
song along with Chris Rice, in my car, and mean every single word,
because it's directed toward the one in heaven who really belongs
to ME!
We all need to
work on our upward expressions of worship. Without upward expressions
of worship, can our inward and outward expressions about God be
what they should?
I challenge every
one of you to listen to music, all kinds. I know we all have our
favorite type of music whether it's Bluegrass Gospel, Contemporary
Christian, Gospel, Southern Gospel, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or
Symphonic and Instrumentals. But listen to other types just to
get a different flavor in your worship experience.
I have teenagers
and I must admit, Christian Rock/Hard Rock/Heavy Metal does not
appeal to me. But there are a few songs that my kids listen to
that I have found I really do like. DC Talk has a great song that
contains a line "Hey, you, I'm into Jesus!"
I think all parents
who are Christian would be proud to hear their children sing that
song! I know I' m glad when my 5 year-old son sings it . . . I'm,
glad when my 14 year-old son sings it . . . and I'm delighted
to hear my 12 year-old daughter sing it!
And I know Jesus
Christ is glad too!
He would love
to hear you sing to him. Try it sometime, and if you are bashful,
you could sing in your car, too! The other motorists look at you
a little funny when you pass them on the road, but that's all
right. You'll be looking like you are having a lot of fun! And
you know what . . . I think you will be having a great time, just
you and God.
Driving down
the road, praising the Lord!
(Now I've given you a new mental
picture of me . . . HAHA! That's okay, too!)
