Living In Tune!

Greetings,

Well, now is the time I will explain my new perspective on life and how I view God.

LIVING IN TUNE!

Like I said earlier, I am not a theologian. I am not clever nor do I understand deep truths hidden in the Bible. But I do on the other hand understand music. I love it. I feel it. I need it. In my life I feel a connection to God through music. I see God reveal himself in melodies, and in harmony. I see God and feel his presence in hardcore breakdowns, and blast beats. I can sense him in scales and rudiments.

I had been fighting internally with my faith, and decisions I have made in my life time. I sometimes question my decision to come to AIM and move away from comforts and securities and of course music. I don't know why I said no to playing music and a possible career, or at least an interest in pursuing one and saying yes to leaving for the God I serve.

Then it hit me. The story of God is a beautifully composed and written piece of music. God knows how it is to sound, and how knows how he wants it to be played. The composer knows his music better than the musicians. Musicians sometimes have ideas they think are good, and things they think should add, but in the end, God's is better. In truly coming to grips with this, I also realized, that my life in an instrument in the song.

I sometimes think that I know what's best, or what would sound best. So, I play it. I go ahead and play that trill, or hold out on a hold a little too long, or I add an accidental where it doesn't belong. Sometimes it probably sounds good, and others like to hear it, but other times, it's way off key and it's repulsive. So, that's why my new out look on life is living in tune. I know I will always sound best if I play what God has written. I will be exactly right, when I play what God has written.

There are a few very simple, but very important rules in playing music composed parts for many people:

Listen- Listening is key in playing music. You are not the only musician. We are surrounded by musicians. Playing in and out of tune we need to discern what is the song of the Lord and we need to listen to others that are playing our song. We need to listen and we need to adjust ourselves to the music. We need to always remember to listen. When we listen we know and feel what to play. And in the end, we will learn to play in tune more often and easier.

Keep time- This is also very important. Let's face it, you won't play all the notes right every time. You will come to a run or a scale that is unfamiliar. Don't stop. When you hits those wrong notes, don't give up and quit. Keep the beat. keep playing the song, you will get it next time.

Always Watch the Conductor! - This is THE most important thing in all of playing music. The music is in front of us, but the director knows how to make the notes on the page come alive. you can play all the notes "right" and still sound bad. God is the one who makes the music a story. God is speaking to us through music. Ht knows when to cut and to rest. He knows when to slow it down and to build up for a dramatic bridge or chorus or refrain. You will miss all of the artistry of music if you have your nose stuck on the paper and not keeping your eyes on the one who wrote the music.

Sorry, this was so long, but I had a lot to say. This is how I see life. This is how I am trying to live. I don't understand a lot of things, but I do understand how music goes together and the impact it can have on someone's life. I am playing music everyday of my life. God has written a wonderful song, and I am LIVING IN TUNE!