I Am Grateful For Creativity, and For Music

I am constantly in awe of how creative human beings are. Whether it is through art, music, photography, music or whatever else people use their creative brains for, I am amazed that we keep on coming up with new ideas.

The way people continue to create new things boggles my mind. Every day someone is thinking of new ways to make our lives easier (think appliances) or more challenging (think exercise). New songs and books are written, movies are made, inventions are funded.  No one has woken up and declared 'there are no new songs to be written, everything that can be written is done'.

I am especially amazed at music and so grateful for those who write, sing, and play it. Lately I have been reading dystopian stories and have noticed that in these bleak futures there seems to be no music. Since music has been around since the dawn of man, it's hard to believe that even if the power grid goes down that the music will stop. People have been creating music long before there was media to play it on. Voices can never be silenced but in the stories people seem to be too depressed or oppressed to break out into song.  I have a feeling that no matter what happens, singing will continue and instruments that don't need power will flourish.

I remember when transitor radios made music portable. I was so thrilled to be able to listen to music wherever I was. Then came cassette players and we could record songs from the radio to listen to over and over again. We even called the radio station and requested a song so we could record it and then make our own 'mix tape' of our favorite songs. Now we can buy songs in a minute and download them to create a very personal playlist. The newest thing is streaming music where you can listen to stations that curate music based on our interests. I think we have come full circle and have returned to the radio in a new way.  They say there is nothing new under the sun but when I hear a new song that really moves me, I know that is not true. Keep the music coming.

Today, turn up the radio a little louder and sing along. And even if the world loses power, it can never take our music away.

To My Women Friends (and The Men Too)...You Are Enough!

  Have you ever looked at a magazine and the more you read, the more dissatisfied with your life you become? I noticed that many years ago when we bought our home in Washington. I was looking for decorating ideas but the more I compared the pictures in the magazine to my home, the more I became unhappy with my home. I eventually stopped getting those magazines and became a happier person.
  It is the same thing we are experiencing in our culture as we see, hear, and read about how we can improve our bodies, faces, etc.  The more we view the media, the more we think something is wrong with us.  And, we become dissatisfied. So, we spend our time, money and energy trying to fix ourselves.
  Fortunately, God does not look at the outside, he looks at our spirit and says "you are enough". Many people have the idea that we have to fix ourselves before we come to God. The reality is that we only have to give ourselves to Him and then He completes us. We just have to stop trying so hard.
  My heart hurts for the young women in our society that are being bombarded by the message that they need to look a certain way. I thought the women's movement of the 60s put an end to the idea that we are to spend all our energy making ourselves look good for a man. But, it seems like the messages in the movies and music tell them that the way to get noticed is to be the sexiest, most desirable one. What is on the inside doesn't matter, as long as you look good.
  I'm currently reading a book called "7, An Experiment Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker. I am being challenged in so many ways. How many hours do we waste on 'stuff'? One chapter in particular about clothing was especially challenging to me. How much time do I spend buying clothes and then thinking about what I am going to wear. While we can't completely live in a bubble, if we spent some of that energy focusing on the underserved, we would all be happier and less self-focused.
  My encouragement to my friends is that we can start by purging our closets, and also purge our minds of the negative image of ourselves and let God tell us that we are loved just the way we are.