That there are persons in one section or another who seek to destroy the Union at all events and are glad of any pretext to do it I will neither affirm nor deny; but if there be such, I need address no word to them. To those, however, who really love the Union may I not speak?
It certainly has been a very long time since my last post on this page. Much has transpired in my little world, and the world at large. This post is a aggregate of thoughts on some of those many events.
A clock ticks with monotonous regularity. Days dawn and evenings fade. Seasons yield one to another as time relentlessly presses on – and on – and on. With each year, each season; with each passing day and every tick of the clock, we march steadily toward the summation of man's time on earth. One doesn't need to have a religious bent to see an end to the order of things lining up in days yet unseen.
Much has been entered into the public focus concerning 'the end' in recent years. The magic and mystery of the year 2012, supposedly derived of Mayan mathematical origin, and post-modern cataclysmic movies are repeatedly sold to us through mass-media. Americans line up in droves for emotion-churning fabrications of fertilized minds in Hollywood. Whether Revelation, or Nostradamus, Cayce or Ezekiel, end times has long been a concern of mankind.
There is a five-dollar word that theologians use to encompass the study of end-times; that word is 'eschatology. Far more studied men than I have undertaken the topic and have written, some thoughtfully, some fanatically, and some mistakenly, intriguing lines that capture our imagination. Who remembers Hal Lindsey, or perhaps Edgar Whisenant, or more recently, Tim LaHaye? Hal Lindsey wrote 'The Late Great Planet Earth'. Whisenant wrote '88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 88' (1988, that was). LaHaye, of course, co-authored the wildly popular 'Left Behind' series of books.
The Word of God speaks plainly about the end of days. We read, yet often do not comprehend eschatological passages. We simply do not think the way God does. (See Isaiah 55:8,9) The same may be said of the writings of our nations forefathers. As a nation, we simply don't think the way we once did. We cannot interpret future without knowledge of past.
"That there are persons in one section or another who seek to destroy the Union at all events and are glad of any pretext to do it I will neither affirm nor deny; but if there be such, I need address no word to them. To those, however, who really love the Union may I not speak?
Before entering upon so grave a matter as the destruction of our national fabric, with all its benefits, its memories, and its hopes, would it not be wise to ascertain precisely why we do it? Will you hazard so desperate a step while there is any possibility that any portion of the ills you fly from have no real existence? Will you, while the certain ills you fly to are greater than all the real ones you fly from, will you risk the commission of so fearful a mistake?"
Do you recognize the author? How about this quote?
"To be a capitalist, is to have not only a purely personal, but a social status in production. Capital is a collective product, and only by the united action of many members, nay, in the last resort, only by the united action of all members of society, can it be set in motion.
Capital is, therefore, not a personal, it is a social power.
When, therefore, capital is converted into common property, into the property of all members of society, personal property is not thereby transformed into social property. It is only the social character of the property that is changed. It loses its class-character."
Now, a more recent quote:
"As I said to some friends yesterday in the press, you go through the gate. If the gate’s closed, you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll poll [sic] vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we’re going to get health care reform passed for the American people for their own personal health and economic security – and for the important role it will play in reducing the deficit."
What do these have in common? The latter is an excerpt from a published comment by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives. When I heard Ms. Pelosi speaking, I had to look up the printed text of that sound-bite to ensure that what I thought I heard was truly said. The text illustrates an attitude that sounds like an actual desire to destroy the Union as we historically know it.
Her statement, followed logically, shows an underlying disrespect for America and Americans, and our beloved Constitution. Before you protest, follow her statement: 'you go through the gate' implies that she understands that there are rules, limits, boundaries, or restrictions that are recognized by all Americans. But who goes over a fence? Those whom the fence is intended to limit or restrict, no? "If the fence is too high, we’ll poll [sic] vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in" strongly suggests - nay loudly exclaims - that force, force equivalent to armed invasion, is the means by which liberal political power intends to accomplish its will against the will of the people it purports to serve. In ignoring that citizens of the United States of America are supposed to be the governing force of our republic, these supposed power-brokers market destruction.
Thoughts on the Speaker's comment melded into another; the nearly incomprehensible number posted on the U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK website (http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/), and this statement: "US dollars have value because they can be traded for oil and military equipment. Both oil and military equipment are highly valuable in today's world. This means that when the US has a deficit it does not matter (theoretically), because the US can just print more money. This money does not bring down the value of the dollar (inflation), because oil and military equipment prices control the actual value of the dollar." (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_the_government_finance_a_deficit)
To me, Congresswoman Pelosi's comments are very telling. Telling and very dangerous. Such thinking isn't representative of the people of the United States! It is, however, quite common among thieves and criminals. Much like militant plans from the mind of a despot to conquer and rule his own country by force. The second quote, if you don't recognize it, is from Karl Marx/Freidrich Engels. We know it as the 'Communist Manifesto'. Now, certainly, we recognize that Communism and Socialism are distinctly separate ideologies, and that our government is rapidly slipping down the slope of socialism, not capitulating to communism; but one of the things these ideologies have in common is the destruction of private ownership by 'the masses'. They both produce a privileged ruling elite and an impoverished public. Where private ownership has no value, the ruling elite can scale ANY fence, bypass ANY limit, ANY law.
We turn back to Abraham Lincoln's first Inaugural Address, reading again:
"That there are persons in one section or another who seek to destroy the Union at all events and are glad of any pretext to do it I will neither affirm nor deny; but if there be such, I need address no word to them. To those, however, who really love the Union may I not speak?
Before entering upon so grave a matter as the destruction of our national fabric, with all its benefits, its memories, and its hopes, would it not be wise to ascertain precisely why we do it? Will you hazard so desperate a step while there is any possibility that any portion of the ills you fly from have no real existence? Will you, while the certain ills you fly to are greater than all the real ones you fly from, will you risk the commission of so fearful a mistake?"
The Great Emancipator obviously bore these words with all the solemnity and gravity such a charge implies. Almost beyond our grasp, having lived in the fruit of the Union his presidency did preserve; "persons in one section or another who seek to destroy the Union at all events and are glad of any pretext to do it". He continues: "All profess to be content in the Union if all constitutional rights can be maintained. Is it true, then, that any right plainly written in the Constitution has been denied?" Whereas President Lincoln was able to confidently answer his own question with a resounding 'no', I submit that cannot be said by 20th and 21st century presidents. In a society where case-law is held as 'the law of the land' as opposed to legislation passed by a duly elected congress, we are condemned to be subject to individual interpretation of not only legislation, but financial strength as governance instead of governance of the people performed by the people through elected representation.
I suspect we will see an escalation of events that bring us closer to the Lord's return within the next twenty four months, but not because of the so-called Mayan prophecies concerning 2012. Financing more than twelve trillion dollars indebtedness with military hardware can only have one result. The twentieth century has been dubbed 'the century of warfare', but an entire world at war did not spend twelve trillion in materiel and oil in that century. Consider the human cost of defending ourselves against twelve trillion dollars worth of military hardware pointed back at us. That picture surely underscores a tremendous scale in Jesus' prophecy of wars and rumors of wars, and in the scope of the battle of Armageddon as seen by John. Pray that I am wrong. I would much rather be wrong in this assessment.
There is considerably more to this topic than this written here, less dealing with politics, more dealing with our discernment and sovereignty of the Godhead, and the Father's desire that we do not reach the end of our days unaware...
I conclude with Isaiah 55:6,7
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Quotation sources:
President Lincoln's First Inaugural Address http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln1.asp
Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels Communist Manifesto http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/mantwo.asp
Speaker Nancy Peolsi, Congresswoman, California, 8th District http://www.laphilanthropywatch.com/2010/nancy-pelosi-on-passing-health-care-reform-video/ dated Jan 29, 2010.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, July 31, 2009
Lights Camera Action! or Technologies and Worship Teams
We probably can't help it. It's so deeply embedded as part of the society in which we live, that we may never be humanly able to separate from it. It may even annoy you deeply to think that a church's worship team can benefit from observing 'tools of the trade' of actors and the stage. But, what is it that we do as a collection of worshipers? We sometimes go to great and verbose length to avoid saying it simply. We perform visually in music and in song for the purpose of leading our audience to a preplanned point of experience.
We don't like to think of preparing for a worship service the same as setting the stage in a movie, or performing a live gig. And with good reason. There is a much deeper purpose in our ministry than simply a good performance. But what makes good worship? In gaining experience as a worship leader, I learned something. There is a very thin line between actor/performer and worshiper. Especially for the leader of worshipers. As leaders, it is our task to combine the skills of musicians and vocalists; of songwriters and technical operators and mix that into some seemingly mystical elixir that somehow causes folks to say 'good worship'. There have been volumes written on this topic. The 'christian market' is flooded with publications from book to e-zine to DVD to traveling conference speaker on the topic of how to have a great worship team.
I will risk contradicting many of these esteemed colleagues in the simple act of repeating the work of another, because the goal isn't simply getting the congregation to say 'good worship'. A musician and lyricist of great renown penned these words, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." With one sentence David expresses the truth about what is the secret to having 'good worship' in our meetings. A pure heart and a steadfast spirit; what is that?
Is it two things? Is it one, stated two ways for better detail? How do you fit in the picture? To worship God, Jesus says we must worship in spirit and in truth. "What do I want when I step up to the microphone?", is a question I must ask of myself, each time I come to lead a church in worship. Whether visiting and leading for one night, or through a series of revival or associational meetings, or taking a long term or short term place of leadership in a local fellowship, that question must be answered before I begin.
The Word of God, we agree, does not contradict itself. So, since Jesus says God is to be worshiped in spirit and in truth, how do we get there? Is there a 'magic bullet' or a 'secret recipe' that makes worship happen? Of course not. We worship in spirit and in truth when our hearts are clean and our spirit is steadfast. Interesting phrase, that is. When our spirit is steadfast. We know about sin. We know about repentance. But what is a steadfast spirit? David cried out and begged for that. What did he mean?
It's easily overlooked. It's part of our culture to put on a show for others to see. The Greeks called it 'hypocritos'. Americans pronounce it 'hypocrite'. The word means actor or performer. It refers to someone who is not - in truth - what they portray to others. It is someone whose spirit is not steadfast. 'Double minded' is what James uses to identify the phenomenon. If that is an actor/performer, what is it that we can learn from the entertainment world's 'tools of the trade' as I mentioned?
The apostle Paul makes a telling statement about himself in Romans. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Can you relate to that? Would you asses that Paul had a steadfast spirit? Yet he makes this naked and honest remark, captured as part of the Word of God. Interesting phrase indeed, steadfast spirit. Paul recognized that driving his flesh wasn't the answer to a spirit-filled life. He recognized that going through steps to practice faith was irrelevant - and a wasted effort. David knew that, too.
David says much, much more in that Psalm. It's a song of of desperation, and hope. It's a song of sorrow and of joy. It's also a song of repentance. Let's look at the lyric David penned, and see what we might find in individual and corporate lives that look like David's words in the light of scripture. Read Psalm 51 on BibleGateway.com (NKJV).
What do you see here? Can you see where my sin can prevent you from experiencing God's fullness? Can you see where your sin does the same? What if a single one of us were to approach the congregation from a sinful place and stood to worship? That's what we can learn from the actor, and from the stage. We can become technically proficient at portraying a character that we are not, and in doing, we rob not only ourselves of worship in spirit and truth, but we rob each other of worship in spirit and truth. And, in turn, we rob the body of Christ of worship in spirit and truth.
Take a minute to look over Matthew chapter 6; the part we call the Lord's prayer. As I said before, we agree that scripture does not contradict itself. Let's recite it one line at a time
*Our Father, who art in heaven
- Our God is our Father who oversees all things - even the little things in our lives.
*Hallowed be Thy name
- The greatness of God calls attention to our low importance.
*Thy kingdom come
- His kingdom is a kingdom of priests. His kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness - His righteousness in us.
*Thy will be done
- It's the biggie. Not what I want. But what you want, great God who oversees all, and who makes me a righteous priest.
*on Earth as it is in heaven
- Where? Right here. Right now. Every day.
*Give us this day our daily bread
- We can't do it without you, regardless of what we might think.
*and forgive us our debts
- Understanding our position in the greater light of His word.
*as we forgive our debtors
- Putting into practice what He has shown us.
*and lead us not into temptation
- Don't take me to that place where I might want to rebel, or try to do my own thing
*for thine is the kingdom
- Because I am Yours, and all I have is Yours.
*and the power
- And all power, authority, position, status and credibility is yours.
*and the glory
- and all recognition of that power, authority, position, status and credibility is yours.
*Forever, Amen
- without end, I agree that all this is so.
TJMac
My First Grandson
We don't have pictures yet.... but here's the scoop! Elijah is the youngest of our 7 grandchildren. And the only grandson as of yet. He was born yesterday, and came in a a whopping 9 pounds!
Mom and son are doing great, my son is his typically understated self - which means he's walking on air. ;)
Welcome, Elijah! May you fulfill your name with each breath you take, and each day you live!
Mom and son are doing great, my son is his typically understated self - which means he's walking on air. ;)
Welcome, Elijah! May you fulfill your name with each breath you take, and each day you live!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Bizzy or Dizzy? It's hard to tell
We've moved again!
A parts store manager I once worked for used to always respond to 'Are you busy' with 'Do you spell that with a 'B' of a 'D'? As time goes passes, I better understand his perplexity.
Anyway - We now have a cute little house in Twin Falls, and no more duplex. Since the daytime temperatures have been at or near 100 degrees during this project, I haven't gotten much done. And, once we're all moved in, I'll get those grandkids and great grandkids pictures Ken asked for.
Till then,
TJMac
A parts store manager I once worked for used to always respond to 'Are you busy' with 'Do you spell that with a 'B' of a 'D'? As time goes passes, I better understand his perplexity.
Anyway - We now have a cute little house in Twin Falls, and no more duplex. Since the daytime temperatures have been at or near 100 degrees during this project, I haven't gotten much done. And, once we're all moved in, I'll get those grandkids and great grandkids pictures Ken asked for.
Till then,
TJMac
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Hey ! What's that sound?
Nah, this isn't a 'protest' blog. It's not about Buffalo Springfield either, as cool as they were... But here it is! The first post on music. As I mention in my profile, I am a Christian musician. Common as we are - almost every church has at least one - I find that I have something to offer that is unique and might be helpful to worship teams anywhere.
The church I attend uses an acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and 3 vocals in its band. The church has seen 'rock'n'roll' guitar in worship services before, and is no stranger to the likes of Chris Tomlin or Jeremy Camp and the lead guitar that goes with that kind of sound. So for this band I've offered my apparently unique idea.
Lots of worship teams face resistance to an electric guitar. Whether that resistance stems from problems with one in the past, or from the body hailing from a more conservative approach to church meetings, or any ground between, using an electric guitar in worship music might not quite be what your church wants to see. But you and the other musicians know what one can add to the music. This concept is one way to bridge that gap.
Have you ever seen a standard acoustic/electric guitar outfitted with nylon strings? I stumbled into it by accident. I needed a classical guitar for a piece I wrote and was recording, but I didn't have one, and didn't want to buy or rent one, so I improvised. In the course of laying those tracks, I stepped into distortion and had an epiphany! I'm now using my third iteration of this configuration.
I tried several string types and guitar models to narrow down what works best for me. A standard dreadnought is simply too big for this set up. You get too much bottom, and the effect is over-ridden by the output from the guitar. A concert size, also know as 000 or triple-ought, works well. Its smaller size reduces the natural acoustic output, as compared to larger guitars. But a cut-away is nice feature, so you might have to shop around for that.
Today, I use a thin bodied instrument that is just smaller than traditional dreadnought size, and is slightly thicker than my Gibson Les Paul. Its narrow acoustic cavity allows it to curtail the 'bassy' low end that you find when you string larger instruments in nylon. The once I use cost under $200 brand new, which was very cost effective given the changes I needed made to it.
For my purposes, I use Ernie Ball's Ernesto Palla Black and Silver 2406 ball-end nylon strings. Black and Silver offer rich tone, they provide plenty of bass, and have clear treble. They fit the pins at the bridge just like conventional acoustic guitar strings - no tying off needed! The silver wind seems to support distortion far better than bronze wind. Black trebles are richer and cleaner than clear trebles, and where they support distortion well, the tone isn't 'clicky' or too bright when picked, or when you slur across a fret. When paired with a Fishman Matrix pickup, the clarity and character is great! You may not want spend as much as needed to change your pickup, but there are a few low-cost alterations your guitar will likely need to give this concept the finishing touch for best playability.
You'll probably find that the nut will need filed to accept the larger gauge of nylon strings. The nut is that part at the end of the neck where the headstock begins. It keeps the strings in proper alignment and height after they leave the tuners and run toward the saddle or bridge. You may also find the instrument will need the neck's truss rod adjusted, since there's less tension provided in nylon strings as compared to steel strings.
These changes are easy to accomplish for a luthier or guitar tech at the music store. If you're in Southern Idaho, contact me for this work if you wish. I am equipped to perform repairs, upgrades, customizations, and new guitar builds in both acoustic and electric guitars. Experimentation is fine, but be very careful, take care that you don't damage an instrument due to inexperience!
Once converted, I use mine just like an electric guitar. Complete with full effects such as distortion, chorus, vibrato, delay, etc., I get a solid electric guitar sound out of a nice easy to play acoustic. Whether heavy rock distortion as used in Aaron Shust's Matchless or bright creamy lead as heard in Chris Tomlin's release of Your Grace is Enough, to the soft jazzy styles of Jay Leach in Integrity's instrumental praise pieces, I can get most flavors of guitar needed to support a band with just one nylon stringed acoustic and a multi-effect pedal.
It's not like I don't have an electric guitar to play, far from it. I've got several, as well as other acoustics. The combination makes for superb utility! What makes this unique blend work is that it creates a wonderful example of unity. It provides the sounds the ear expects in a musical piece, especially where a worship team selects its repertoire from Christian radio, like ours does. The appearance isn't threatening, or offensive at all. It will do almost everything I ask of it, within limits. I can't replicate a steel stringed acoustic of course, and it doesn't bend notes well. But on the multi-effects pedal, I dialed up a patch that emulates a clean electric wonderfully. And as a natural nylon stringed acoustic, it adds a softness to an acoustic guitar duet or a piano and guitar duet that's pretty hard to beat! Now that's great Sonic Barbeque...
You won't hear this on Mythbusters! Try this at home some time, it might surprise you!
TJMac
The church I attend uses an acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and 3 vocals in its band. The church has seen 'rock'n'roll' guitar in worship services before, and is no stranger to the likes of Chris Tomlin or Jeremy Camp and the lead guitar that goes with that kind of sound. So for this band I've offered my apparently unique idea.
Lots of worship teams face resistance to an electric guitar. Whether that resistance stems from problems with one in the past, or from the body hailing from a more conservative approach to church meetings, or any ground between, using an electric guitar in worship music might not quite be what your church wants to see. But you and the other musicians know what one can add to the music. This concept is one way to bridge that gap.
Have you ever seen a standard acoustic/electric guitar outfitted with nylon strings? I stumbled into it by accident. I needed a classical guitar for a piece I wrote and was recording, but I didn't have one, and didn't want to buy or rent one, so I improvised. In the course of laying those tracks, I stepped into distortion and had an epiphany! I'm now using my third iteration of this configuration.
I tried several string types and guitar models to narrow down what works best for me. A standard dreadnought is simply too big for this set up. You get too much bottom, and the effect is over-ridden by the output from the guitar. A concert size, also know as 000 or triple-ought, works well. Its smaller size reduces the natural acoustic output, as compared to larger guitars. But a cut-away is nice feature, so you might have to shop around for that.
Today, I use a thin bodied instrument that is just smaller than traditional dreadnought size, and is slightly thicker than my Gibson Les Paul. Its narrow acoustic cavity allows it to curtail the 'bassy' low end that you find when you string larger instruments in nylon. The once I use cost under $200 brand new, which was very cost effective given the changes I needed made to it.
For my purposes, I use Ernie Ball's Ernesto Palla Black and Silver 2406 ball-end nylon strings. Black and Silver offer rich tone, they provide plenty of bass, and have clear treble. They fit the pins at the bridge just like conventional acoustic guitar strings - no tying off needed! The silver wind seems to support distortion far better than bronze wind. Black trebles are richer and cleaner than clear trebles, and where they support distortion well, the tone isn't 'clicky' or too bright when picked, or when you slur across a fret. When paired with a Fishman Matrix pickup, the clarity and character is great! You may not want spend as much as needed to change your pickup, but there are a few low-cost alterations your guitar will likely need to give this concept the finishing touch for best playability.
You'll probably find that the nut will need filed to accept the larger gauge of nylon strings. The nut is that part at the end of the neck where the headstock begins. It keeps the strings in proper alignment and height after they leave the tuners and run toward the saddle or bridge. You may also find the instrument will need the neck's truss rod adjusted, since there's less tension provided in nylon strings as compared to steel strings.
These changes are easy to accomplish for a luthier or guitar tech at the music store. If you're in Southern Idaho, contact me for this work if you wish. I am equipped to perform repairs, upgrades, customizations, and new guitar builds in both acoustic and electric guitars. Experimentation is fine, but be very careful, take care that you don't damage an instrument due to inexperience!
Once converted, I use mine just like an electric guitar. Complete with full effects such as distortion, chorus, vibrato, delay, etc., I get a solid electric guitar sound out of a nice easy to play acoustic. Whether heavy rock distortion as used in Aaron Shust's Matchless or bright creamy lead as heard in Chris Tomlin's release of Your Grace is Enough, to the soft jazzy styles of Jay Leach in Integrity's instrumental praise pieces, I can get most flavors of guitar needed to support a band with just one nylon stringed acoustic and a multi-effect pedal.
It's not like I don't have an electric guitar to play, far from it. I've got several, as well as other acoustics. The combination makes for superb utility! What makes this unique blend work is that it creates a wonderful example of unity. It provides the sounds the ear expects in a musical piece, especially where a worship team selects its repertoire from Christian radio, like ours does. The appearance isn't threatening, or offensive at all. It will do almost everything I ask of it, within limits. I can't replicate a steel stringed acoustic of course, and it doesn't bend notes well. But on the multi-effects pedal, I dialed up a patch that emulates a clean electric wonderfully. And as a natural nylon stringed acoustic, it adds a softness to an acoustic guitar duet or a piano and guitar duet that's pretty hard to beat! Now that's great Sonic Barbeque...
You won't hear this on Mythbusters! Try this at home some time, it might surprise you!
TJMac
Thursday, July 9, 2009
You're Invited!!
I've heard from several of my friends and family who have found my blog.... Please click on the 'Follow' button, and join in.
This page is intended to be a conversation place for exchanging ideas and thoughts, not just my own little soap box. :D
Join in and comment... I encourage it! As an incentive, I'll toss in a picture of the newest granddaughter. Meet Kammile Rey -just one day old in this pic!
TJMac
This page is intended to be a conversation place for exchanging ideas and thoughts, not just my own little soap box. :D
Join in and comment... I encourage it! As an incentive, I'll toss in a picture of the newest granddaughter. Meet Kammile Rey -just one day old in this pic!
TJMac
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