Posts Tagged: hearing the music beyond the recording
“HEARING THE MUSIC BEYOND THE RECORDING”
Here is a wonderful thought from one of my Hazelden Publishing 12-step recovery readings:
“Monday, November 25
All music is what awakes from you when you are
reminded by the instruments.
—Walt Whitman
A small group of friends sat in a room around a record player. It was a heavy
old thing, with parts that had to be operated by hand and only one speaker –
nothing like a modern stereo at all, but more like an antique phonograph. The
record – a recording of their favorite music – was old, too, and scratched, its
grooves worn smooth as a stone in some places. The tone arm skipped and
scratched, and the sound was tinny, hard on the ears.
Most of the friends squirmed in their seats as they listened, and several
grumbled that it was impossible to hear the music with such inferior equipment.
But one of the group sat listening, her eyes closed, swaying to the music and
humming softly to herself.
“How can you enjoy this?” the others asked.
“Ah,” she said with a mysterious smile. “I am listening beyond
the recording to the music I know is there!”
Can I find the music that’s playing for me today?”
(From Today’s Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.)
Am I—are we—listening to the music I know is there?
As I write this journal entry, my wife is asleep. Sitting here, listening to the rhythm of her breathing, do I hear the blessed hymn of her rest? What a wonderful symphony Sharon is, even when she is asleep!
Will I hear the music that I know is there today when I attend scholarly lectures at the annual Society of Biblical Literature meeting? Scholarly presentations are merely the notes on the page. They are not the music. But the music is there.
And then, there is my own music. Do I really listen to the music of my own life: the dramatically dark movements and the passages that are filled with light and joy? Does God enjoy listening to the symphony that is me?
Today, I will listen to the music that is beyond the recording.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
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- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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