To be heard

My dreams of reaching thousands with my words and/or music, or selling enough books and recordings to live on — well, they remain just dreams.

“Tell a story,” my self-editor murmurs. “People want to hear a story.” But the audience dips for the posts with an ongoing story, if I am to believe the almighty ANALYTICS.

My main story and message are about finally hearing the still, small voice whispering, “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself — upon these two commandments lays the whole of the law.”

And every day the news couriers relay word of a neglected God and hate for our neighbors — and few are as hateful as the ones who point their fingers and accuse their neighbors of hatred and bigotry, so blind they cannot see their own hatred and their flaming bigotry.

Yet I have no more right to be heard than anyone else. There is a board in my eye, so how can I criticize the speck in my neighbor’s eye? “You started it!” we shout at each other. “When your guy does it, you don’t think there’s anything wrong with it,” and round and round we go and no one listens.

I would rather tell stories and make music, and listen to stories and other people’s songs. I would rather be “too busy singing to put anybody down.” Is that any way to be heard? 

Is it that important to be heard? Well, yes, if I want people to hear that beautiful still, small voice with its important message. We are all neighbors, remember. You do remember, don’t you? Under all the shouting is that most important whisper: We are all neighbors.

Why stop at 9?

The latest social media “thing” is a tic-tac-toe grid of nine record album covers with the label “My 9 Albums.” The idea is to show the nine albums that best explain your listening life — some people use the subtitle “Nine albums that made me.”

As a chronic listener, I would probably be lost if I had to choose only nine albums that changed the trajectory of my life. Let me consult the Wayback Machine …

The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert – Benny Goodman

Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits – Neil Sedaka

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

On the Threshold of a Dream – The Moody Blues

Headquarters – The Monkees

The Beatles (The White Album)

Ladies of the Canyon – Joni Mitchell

John B. Sebastian

Bayou Country – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Led Zeppelin IV

Blue – Joni Mitchell

Thick As A Brick – Jethro Tull

Cosmo’s Factory – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Judee Sill

Paralellograms – Linda Perhacs

John Kongos

Will the Circle Be Unbroken – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends

Bachman Turner Overdrive

Not Fragile – Bachman Turner Overdrive

Band on the Run – Paul McCartney & Wings

Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Songs From the Wood – Jethro Tull

Star Wars soundtrack – John Williams

Age to Age – Amy Grant

E.T. the Extraterrestrial soundtrack – John Williams

More Power to Ya – Petra

Sunday’s Child – Phil Keaggy

Crimson and Blue – Phil Keaggy

Wildflowers – Tom Petty

Cracked Rear View – Hootie & the Blowfish

Mirror Ball – Neil Young

Conversations – Sara Groves

Imagination – Brian Wilson

O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack

Brian Wilson Presents Smile

Add to the Beauty – Sara Groves

Circlin’ Back – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends

Know – Jason Mraz

Dandelion – Ella Langley

See what I mean? I could come up with nine albums that boggled my mind without leaving the sixties. I could write a post about how each of these albums blew me away — in many cases I already have. And I’m pretty sure I have forgotten a dozen or so albums that belong on this list. 

But it’s a fun exercise and a good reminder of the value of the album as a music form. Now that I think of it, maybe I’ll fire up the turntable for a few hours.

Living and dying in the US of A

The death penalty has been back in the news, with word of a failed execution in Tennessee and discussion of how to proceed, not to mention the announcement that the firing-squad execution of a mass murderer will be live-streamed. And horrifying crime is again in the news after a jury failed to convince one holdout that it’s OK to strangle your three young children to death if you’re in the throes of postpartum depression. 

I am never OK with the forcible taking of human life. I believe only God has the right to decide who’s to live and die. I know that’s a song lyric, not a Bible verse — even the Bible contends there’s “a time for war” — but despite all attempts at rationalization or justification, I abhor killing humans under all circumstances, and I especially don’t want government proclaiming that sometimes it’s appropriate.

I was horrified from the start by the Supreme Court’s decision that condoned the slaughter of unborn children, and when accused of hypocrisy I could honestly reply, “No, I DO also oppose the death penalty,” and for good measure I might mention that I don’t condone war, to boot.

And so when the state botched the execution of an evil murderer, I was saddened in part because the state proved to be incompetent at yet another task. I have a somewhat inhumane reason for opposing the death penalty — since I believe in heaven even for those who sincerely repent of their sins and present their lives to Jesus late in the game, I believe in denying them entry into heaven for as long as possible until God decides he’s good and ready to take that once-evil soul. That makes me a big fan of life without parole for the most heinous crimes.

I do hope never to second-guess a person who defends herself and causes the death of someone who wants to kill her, but I do regret whenever a human dies, even a deranged would-be killer.

But I will not second-guess a decision to put a bungie cord around the necks of three defenseless children and squeeze the life out of them. There is a woman who must be put away in a place where she can never harm another human. Don’t waste your time trying to tell me “what drove her to it.”

I surrender the burden of choosing who lives or dies to my Lord and my Redeemer. And so, here is another day that Lord has made, and off I go to rejoice.