M10 show week # 65

 

This week, we add two new debuts- and at least one has a (mildly) interesting personal story attached! The Song I wouldn't turn off week is 1984- the year the world didn't end- and our rolling Rolling Stone list of the best singers has two things as a theme: One is they are all bunched together for a change, and two is that they are extreme- all of them are either, "now THAT'S a singer!" or "that's a SINGER?"

Elvis:  I'm bettin' I'm in that first group!

Well, sure you are- just not this week yet!  In the meantime, I'd like to announce that my lazy butt FINALLY got around to updating my master M10 song list- not a big deal to you all, but since my last time updating the fool thing was November 9th, it was definitely an accomplishment for me!

What do y'all think the over/under is before he lets it get 4 months behind agin?'

Knowing me, take the under!  Anywho, our first debut at #10 is a song I heard on the radio a few weeks back- not surprising, it's currently #7 on the RWM alt chart- but when I tried to play it for Laurie, it sounded NOTHING like what I heard!  This week I looked again, and found that there are TWO versions- I've no idea why- And the one I like is the official studio version.  Then I found out about the band- the two leaders are the lead singer for alt band Blur, and the writer of the popular indie comic Tank Girl! On top of that- and I don't know how they exactly work this- but the band you see are animated and fictitious!  That's right, it's a 'virtual band'- and you may know them, they aren't new, they call themselves Gorillaz. Here they team up with rapper Bootie Brown and M10 growing star Tame Impala; without  further ado-

Yeah, that boat already sailed!  Here's the tune...

 

 

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Good song.  Too mucha yer intro, though...

So I suppose you're really gonna hate me doing the Rolling Stone list for this week, right?

I ain't on it yet?  I'm takin' a nap!

Fine.  Here's the next 10 I know from Rolling Stone's 'greatest singers of all time list.  But let me do it this way: First those I say, 'now THAT's a singer' too, and then the "more entertainer than crooner" list.  Here goes...

SINGERS

 132- Loretta Lynn; 127- Tammy Wynette. I think we can say both these country Hall Of Famers deserve their spots.

128- Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine).  She's got some powerful chops- almost made the M10 a couple of times- but until she gives with that hooky song that gets my attention, I'd have done her earlier.

126- Donnie Hathaway. Music lost what could have been a major player when he took his own life.  They made a great choice here.

123- Karen Carpenter. Okay guys, we ALL know she should be top 20 at a minimum.  This list was heavily tainted with style over substance.  Which brings us to...

NOT-SO-SINGERS (Not that I don't really love a lot of these, but seriously?)

134- Axl Rose.  Not even Knocking On Heaven's Door moves him this far up IMHO.

133- Neil Young.  There's a part of me that would love to put him on the other list.   It's not the part of me that's listened to Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, etc.  It is the part that loves to hear him jam with Crazy Horse,  though.

130- Courtney Love (Hole). This is just about a repeat of my Neil Young comment, changing the names to reflect the circumstance.

129- Rob Halford (Judas Priest).  I'll give him he deserves to beat Axl Rose by 5 spots...

And finally today...

125- Joe Strummer (the Clash).  Again, I enjoy the Clash. I love Train In Vain.  But 8 notches ahead of Neil Young?  Not gonna happen.

King, how 'bout that 2nd debut?

Since ya asked so nicely.  This is another radio tune- it's sittin' at #25 on the alt chart- to which Chris's boy KC quipped, "When did alternative become folk?" But Chris likes it, an' so do I.  At #9, here's Noah Kahan...

 

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My first contestant for lyric line of the year:

And I'll dream each night of some version of you
That I might not have, but I did not lose 

 That brings us to 1984, a year that had a lot of songs on this week's chart that I wouldn't turn off.  So I wrote down the highest 10, picked the top 3, and chose a #1.

Third would be Nena's 99 Balloons- preferably the English version, though I love both- which was sitting at #7.

Second would be Duran Duran's New Moon On Monday, sitting at #17.

And the top song I wouldn't turn off from this week in 1984- a song I bought the single to, back then...

At #54, the Pretenders and Show Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, bud, you got the M10 for the week in you?

Absolutely!

That's a 4-syllable word, dude, don't hurt yourself!

Well, har-de-har-har, someone made a funny!  May I continue?

8- Manchester Orchestra up 2 with The Way, comin' in at #81 on the alt chart...

7- fer a third week for Cafune and Reconsider...

6- pushed down a spot, Geowulf an' Lovestruck...

5- an' up 3, Fall Out Boy with the #2 alt song, Love From The Other Side... 

4- Imagine Dragons an' Follow You, down 2...

3- After one week at the top, Tennis an' Forbidden Doors...

2- an' back up 2 spots, Two Door Cinema Club an' Everybody's Cool...

An' our new #1.....

 

 

 

...Jason Isbell an' the 400 Unit an' Death Wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's it for another weekend!  Be cool!

Wednesday Bible Study: Ephesians Revisited part 4

 

You would think that a section that Paul basically bullet-points for me would be simple to draw the meaning I needed out of.  But nothing is easy with Paul- at least for me, so I've followed the Pastor Denny path and graphed it, followed my "understanding tips" of pyramids and reading backwards, applied the Kalko rule several times (which led me to see this was a two-chapter post), and perhaps I can digest this in a helpful way after all that.

We are in the 4th and 5th chapters of Ephesians, and in my Bible translation, he gives us seven consecutive 'therefores':

1. "Therefore have a walk worthy of your calling" (4:1-7)

2- "Therefore He says"(4:8-16)

3- "Therefore this I say" (4:17-24)

4- "Therefore each one speak truth" (4: 25-32)

5- "Therefore as dear children" (5: 1-6)

6- "Therefore do not partake" (5:7-13)

7- "Therefore He says"/"Therefore do not be unwise" (5: 14-21)

And that's a mouthful even like that!  But Hammering seven bullet points with 3 topics each into a cohesive whole, here's how I see it:  

Bullet points one and seven

Paul starts out beseeching us to have "a walk worthy of our calling."  And he ends telling us that to accomplish this, we need the filling of the Holy Spirit.  So in the first, he tells us what the walk entails, and in the last, he shows us how to get there.  Throughout this book, he has tried to explain the whys and wherefores of being unified under Christ, and he hasn't stopped here...

Eph 4:1  I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the calling with which you are called,
Eph 4:2  with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love,
Eph 4:3  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4  There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling,
Eph 4:5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. 

So the walk entails giving up of our own place, bearing with those who crowd the line, so that we keep the unity.  Why is the unity important? Verse 6- we are to become unified with the Father, who is unified with us.  How do we get there? That's where we skip ahead to mid-chapter 5, where Paul gives us three tips on how to do this- IF we don't get bunny-trailed by his "Do not be drunk with wine" comment.  Not that he didn't say that for a reason- people had- and have- a long tradition of using alcohol and drugs to reach a 'spiritual plane'. Or at least, an altered consciousness.  But Paul points us first to being filled- altered-lifted by the Holy Spirit instead; from there...

Eph 5:19  speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20  always giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 5:21  submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God. 

Encouraging each other, praising and thanking God, and submitting to each other.  Paul here goes on to explain just what he means by 'submission'; we will hit that next time.  But if we do these things, we shouldn't have a problem with the unity part.  But, we do; and Paul goes onto explain what those problems are, and how Christ overcomes them.

Bullet Points two and six

In chapter 5, Paul goes deep into the example to avoid- the world. 

 Eph 5:7  Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Eph 5:8  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light
Eph 5:9  (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
Eph 5:10  proving what is acceptable to the Lord.
Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
Eph 5:13  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

We are in the light, they are in the dark- and they will get exposed.  Instead of following them- as Paul says in chapter 4:

Eph 4:14  so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit.

Christ gives us gifts, and Paul says directly why:

Eph 4:12  for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Eph 4:13  And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 

 A lot of these early Christians tried to rate themselves by their gifts: the more flamboyant, the better you were; but that was NOT what they were for, and this is far from the only church Paul warned about this.  Once again the end goal is unity in growing into Christ's example.  So how do we get from where we were to where He is?

 

 

Bullet Points three and five

In both sections, Paul lists several sins that they have walked in.  You know the list: fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, etc. The root cause: alienation from God (4v 18).  Paul had previously told them not to be like children, in being naive and argumentative, easily fooled and uncomprehending.  But here, he gives us one thing to emulate children in- Following Christ (5:1). And to do that, he gives us one of his more famous commands...

Eph 4:22  For you ought to put off the old man (according to your way of living before) who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
Eph 4:23  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Eph 4:24  And you should put on the new man, who according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness.

For me, this means asking Christ to fill in the ruts of habit I've dug in my mind, smoothing it over that I may walk a new path.  It's an every day, every hour job.  But the endgame here is worth it, and it starts with how we treat each other...

Bullet Point four

-put away lies, since we are members of one another;

- do not get angry to the point the Devil gets a foothold;

- do honest work, that you may help the next guy with your earnings;

-drop the smack talking, speak to each other what teaches and helps each other grow.

And then Paul doubles down, repeating these same commands, after he reminds us...

Eph 4:30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption.

And in this passage, that means not only "do not sin"; it reminds us that our ultimate goal should be the same as God's and that goal is that we are all one people, one in being.  And that starts on earth, not in heaven.

M10 Show Week #64

 

This week, our perusal of the Rolling Stone top singers of all time has a common theme- most of them are names we don't know from bands we do- or at least, some of us don't! Plus, this week I have a new debut on the M10 and a rather wishy-washy Song I Won't Turn Off from 1985!  Elvis is mad because I ordered in last night instead of tonight, as I type, so I guess I'll have to do everything myself- including putting laundry in the dryer!  I'll be right back...

Psst!  While he's up there- C'mon?  Leaves me out of a Red Lobster order? What kinda friend does... uh-oh, here he comes...

 

Okay so that went very well. NOT.  You see, Misty- a doggie who never shed before, this year she sheds more every two weeks than in her entire lifespan prior to this.  I decided to wash our lounging blankets to remove some of the hair- and my washing machine managed to create about three minor hairballs and gave up the fight.  Hoping the dryer will have better luck.  Let me go get a Pepsi Zero and get started here...

Psst... Hee hee, you could put these blankets up agin a jet engine and not get that doggie hair off!  Oops, he he comes...

Okay, so since there's only the one new song- and about five more waiting their chance to get in- Let me start off with the rolling Rolling Stone list....

151- Martha Reeves. While I would have no problem with her being even farther down the list, I can live with her here.

150- Bryan Ferry. He's the lead singer for Roxy Music, an English glam band whose only dent in the chart here was 1975's Love Is The Drug.  Not a bad song, but I need more than this, guys.

148- Levon Helm. Now don't get me wrong.  The Band did some truly iconic stuff.  But Levon as a singer? 

147- Barbra Streisand. This might floor a lot of you, but for me, she should be in the top 50.  That is a voice.

144- Darlene Love. Back in Time Machine days, we had several stories about the vast number of 1960's (and late 50's) hits she and the Blossoms were on, credited, uncredited, and credited to acts that didn't sing the record. I would have moved her up just on principle, but here is okay.

142- Russell Thompkins, Jr. That smooth falsetto from the Stylistics definitely could leap over some of the homeboys RS picked closer to the top.

141- Christina Aguilera. I put her on here because everybody knows her name, but honest injun, I looked over her discography, and the only song I can truly say I heard at least once was that cover of Lady Marmalade she did with a whole bunch of her girlfriends whom I only know by name as well.

140- Bono. I have a ton of respect for early U2. I listened to their latest last night and was not impressed. Listen to U2 and Pavarotti sing Miss Sarajevo and ask me why Luciano isn't on the list.

138- Merle Haggard. And now, to alienate the C&W fans here, I'll say this is a right good spot for him.

And finally this week...

137- El Debarge. If this name came in back in the 190's, I'd say okay.  Here, I have to say, "Who's Johnny?"

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And now, with the debut at #10- new stuff from Manchester Orchestra...

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Okay, so I looked at the Cashbox chart for this week in 1985, and at the top sat REO Speedwagon and Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore.  And I said, "There we go... hey, wait a minute!"  Because I have to be in the mood for this song, and there are somedays I just ain't, and I WILL turn it off.  So I went a bit further down and saw one I'm always in the mood for!  In between was one song I liked (Madonna's Material Girl), two I just got flat sick of hearing (Phil Collins' One More Night and Glenn Frey's The Heat Is On), and one, while I might not hate it, I certainly rarely waste earspace on it (Wham's Careless Whisper).  But at #6, a song I wouldn't turn off...

 ...Teena Marie and Lovergirl!

And now, the rest of the M10... eh?  You showed up?

Aw, I got feelin' sorry fer ya, so's I thought I'd come in an' do the M10 fer ya...

More like you got tired of hiding...

Ya knew?

Dude, I'm literally typing the dialogue, remember? So go ahead, the dryer just buzzed...

Man, y'all take the fun outta everything!

9- Linkin Park's Lost, down from 4...

8- Fall Out Boy an' Love On The Other Side, up 1...

7- Cafune's Reconsider, holding...

6- Aiden Bissett's Trippin' Over Air, holdin'...

5- Geowulf an' Lovestruck, up from 10...

4- Two Door Cinema Club an' Everybody's Cool, down 1...

3- Jason Isbell's Death Wish, up 2...

2- Imagine Dragon's Follow You, slippin' fromthe top...

An' at #1, for their third time...

 

 

 ...Tennis an' Forbidden Doors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, here he comes an... Good gravy!  What he heck is THAT???

 

 In case you lot didn't believe me, I just pulled this out of the lint trap....

Wednesday Bible Study: Ephesians revisited part three

 

This week, in Ephesians 3, Paul feels the need to "establish his credentials" for what he's trying to teach them. He started by talking about God's plan that He is working out for us.  Then, Paul went to what that means FOR us- and that it means that Jew and Gentile, and any other man-made division, are to be brought together in one Church body. Today, he wants to pray for them, but as he starts...

Eph 3:1  For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles--
Eph 3:2  assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you...

...he sees that he has made an assumption that the Jews in the congregation might just be asking- what gives Paul the right to teach us?  And when you look at how he answers the unspoken question, at least I see that it is the classic way you run a journalistic investigation,  He gives who, what, where, why, when, and how before returning some 13 verses later to his "For I..."

Now, here, maybe I need to 'establish my credentials'.  One of my Catholic friends in SM posted something recently, a list of what his church is (the way it is supposed to be) versus what it isn't (or what the Protestant churches are).  And it started with something like, "A Catholic Mass is not a Bible study, or a worship service..." But here's the thing, it SHOULD be!  Despite his love for posting that they follow what the "early Church did", Bible study and worship is exactly what churches like the one Paul is writing to DID do.

Act 17:2  And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Act 17:3  explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." 

Act 17:10  The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
Act 17:11  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Now, let's look at Paul's "credentials..."

WHO: Eph 3:7  Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
Eph 3:8  To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Eph 3:9  and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things,

Paul is the who, the who that was given the revelation of the Gospel he preaches.

WHAT: Eph 3:6  This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 

The what is what he taught them last chapter, a fact that although they should have known from their own scriptures...

Isa 42:5  Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:
Isa 42:6  "I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
Isa 42:7  to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

...but had decided to ignore in favor of a "just me" faith.

HOW: We've covered that throughout, but let Paul explain again:

Gal 1:11  For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.
Gal 1:12  For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

WHERE: Eph 3:13  So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

This refers back to the fact he is writing from a Roman prison.  So if HE still has faith, so should they.

WHEN: Eph 3:4  When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,
Eph 3:5  which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 

This could also be a 'why' for the Jews- WHY hadn't we heard this before? Fact of the matter is, they had- but no one had gone in depth with this before Jesus.  But now, it's a fact that stares them right in the face.

WHY:Eph 3:9  and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things,
Eph 3:10  so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 

Now verse 10 could lead us on a bunny trail to unpack- let me just briefly say that angels, not being affected by God's plan for us, had only one way of understanding it- by watching it unfold in us. Thus, we gave them a reason to praise God all the more.

So now, they get Paul's credentials in teaching the first two chapters.  And so, he loops back to "For I..."

 

Eph 3:14  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
Eph 3:15  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named...

And here I slam on the breaks because I saw an insight on v15 from John Wesley's commentary:

Of whom - The Father. The whole family of angels in heaven, saints in paradise, and believers on earth is named. Being the "children of God," (a more honourable title than "children of Abraham,") and depending on him as the Father of the family.
 

This is key.  Paul is trying to explain to the Jews it was time to translate from "Children of Abraham'- a title that was both their blessing, and because of pride, their downfall- to 'Children of God.' Just as we come to a point in our lives that we need to look at God as Our Father, instead of our physical father.

Paul continues on to pray for these people- and what he prays is basically faith, hope, and love.

Eph 3:16  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Eph 3:17  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
Eph 3:19  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Hope- that comes from being strengthened through the Holy Spirit.

Faith- that connects your walk to that of Christ.

Love- here we get back to what Paul has been saying for three chapters- that we can't begin to grasp HOW MUCH God loves us.  And he then closes all three with his following benediction:

Eph 3:20  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
Eph 3:21  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 

 

In a way, his prayer is asking them- especially the Jews to get past, "But this is been bred into us for generations, we'll NEVER be able to see us and them as equals", and show them they CAN come to see this through Jesus.  What's your 'never'? Do you fight it tooth and nail, like I do? Do you fight and fail, like I do?  Do you have to get back up every day and have to decide whether to just say, "It's impossible", or remember that God renews His mercy every morning? Thankfully we have this- that Paul showed us how to pray about the battle.

M10 Show week #63

 

Elvis:   Hey, how come ya left me out last week?

Because I had no time for bits last week, and not much this week!  So try to be funny in short bursts...

I'm best in short bur... wait, retract that...

Wise choice, there!  Anyway, now that we're a little closer to years with good music, I'm going to go from the top song I wouldn't turn off to MY top song I wouldn't turn off, as I found 9 of them!

I suppose you're gonna rattle off that whole list?  

No, we have too many lists, I may though just do a top three to build suspense. First though, here's our lone debut this week- the suddenly solo Star Kendrick, still identifying as Geowulf at #10...

   

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So I hear ya got this greatest singers of all time list from Rollin' Stone.  Where am I on it?

Later.  Do you really want to be in the back?

Um, no...

Okay, then.  Last time, we ended at 173 as we roll merrily down their list to seek out those I actually know.  We pick up then, with...

169- Sylvester. I rather think that instead of him being chosen because of the voice that spawned three top 40 hits with an average peak of #31, he was more likely selected because he was about as weird as you can possibly be and not be imprisoned in 85 nations.

168- Debbie Harry. Now THIS is a voice!  I would definitely have put her much farther up. Blondie, with her at the helm, recently had a #1 on the M10.

166- Morrissey. I do need to research him a bit more, as his recent hit on the M10 is all I know by him (at least by name).  But the little I have heard is good, so I have no problem here.

165- Ronnie James Dio. Other then the usual "but is it singing?" comment, I love Dio.  I'd have him on here just for Man On The Silver Mountain.

161- Brenda Lee. Yes, definitely, no doubt whatsoever.  I'd pull her up at least 100 spots.

158- Carrie Underwood. I just had to make sure she wasn't the one that did that I Feel Like A Woman song. Nope, that was Shania Twain.  Not a sexist comment, just that my daughter signed up for baton twirling one year, and I spent a summer hearing that song over and over and over... Carrie's fine with me.

157- Robert Smith (the Cure). I  have no objections, though I will note that just today, I said to myself, "I've never really understood the popularity of the Cure".

156- George Strait.  Oh heck yes.  I'd have put him minimum 100 higher.

154- Dion. Ditto.  He's a classic, versatile singer that can be doing rough and tumble The Wanderer one minute, silky smooth Teenager In Love the next, and send you home with the heartbreaking Abraham Martin And John.

And...

152- Michael Stipe (REM).  I would surley have him higher, maybe not as far as the last two.  His songwriting tops his voice, but it's two great tastes that taste great together...

Two great... man, that was dumb!

I know, but I'll make up for it in seriousness now.  Joining our ever-growing list of acts that have passed on is Bobby Caldwell.  A great voice but a one hit wonder, he came back from near suicide to hit the top ten in 1978 with this...

 

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And now, here's my top three songs I wouldn't turn off from 1986:

Third would be the song at #3, Mister Mister and Kyrie...

Second would be Dream Academy and Life In A Northern Town at #10...

But my top one, from a band y'all probably don't know or remember,  at #78...

...Ontario's Honeymoon Suite and Feel It Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, bud, do the rest of the M10!

Sure, sure!

9- An' holding fer Fall Out Boy and Love On The Other Side...

8- down 2 fer Lauren Daigle's Look Up Child....

7- down 4 fer Cafune an' Reconsider...

6- an' up one fer Aiden Bissett's Trippin' Over Air....

5- An' up 5 fer Jason Isbel an' the guys with Death Wish... 

4- An' down 2 fer Linkin Park's Lost...

3- An' Up 2 fer Two Door Cinema Club an' Everybody's Cool... 

2- Up two fer Tennis an' Forbidden Doors...

An' #1 agin this week...

 

 ...Imagine Dragons an' Follow You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Food's here, gotta go!

Wednesday Bible Study: Ephesians revisited part two

 

This one's about prejudice.  At least, that's how it came to me.

I know I heard two messages this week on prejudice, and while the details didn't all stick, I had it guide me to the topic of, there is more than one kind of prejudice.

One is race hate.  This needs no explanation, and it's not what I'm about to deal with.  The other types are a bit more common, and a bit more insidious.

One is a way of looking at another group through stereotypes: the so-and-so's are lazy, they have poor hygiene, they are just waiting for an excuse.

One has nothing to do with actual hate; it's what you take for granted.  They have my same opportunities, they shouldn't mind that joke, because it's not directed at any real person.  It's just funny, why does it bother you?  If it doesn't happen to me, it doesn't happen to you.  That sort of thing.

And one I didn't really catch until the other day.  I'm going to save that till the end.  So what's that got to do with Ephesians chapter two?  You'll see.

This chapter is lined up in such a way that even Paul couldn't (unintentionally) obfuscate it.  There are two 'therefores', two pairs of 'fors', and two 'buts'.  And each tells a story that leads back to where I started.  And each starts with our start:

Eph 2:1  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
Eph 2:2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--
Eph 2:3  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

We start dead.  Dead to God, doing whatever.  That 'whatever' attitude is what leads to increasing degrees of prejudice- the joke that 'doesn't matter', the stereotype that 'usually fits', the 'hell with them'.

But note also, we have three enemies here: the spirit that is at work in the sons of disobedience, plus our own mind and our own body.  When you realize this, the battle becomes serious, and believe me, it's where I am.  And the "Buts" start with this- BUT God has a cure.

But #1:

Eph 2:4  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Eph 2:5  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--
Eph 2:6  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Eph 2:7  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

The first but has a few layers. First, God is rich in mercy, and has a great love for us- a love that put Jesus on the Cross. Then, His plan is to make us alive- and more, to give us a seat in heaven. Finally, He has a rich future in store.

But # 2:

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

This 'but' might make a little more sense if I strung things together Paul's way, but I see a lesson in splitting this all up.  And here, the lesson is that Christ should be bringing us TOGETHER.  And being together means standing a little closer than we 'naturally' would to people who are 'different' than us.

So the 'buts' speak of our before and after conditions; the 'for's' will tell us what God has done to facilitate that:

For #1:

Eph 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

WHAT is what He did.  He saved us, of His own good will, and we had nothing to do with that. IF we are saved- and here's a PSA on that:

Rom 10:9  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For # 2:

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Skipping the 'saved by works' battle that wastes all our time, the WHY is because He made us.  That's why He loves us, that's why He saves us.

For # 3:

Eph 2:14  For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
Eph 2:15  by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
Eph 2:16  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

This is the verse that every crusader, every priest that preached that the Jews "killed Jesus", missed. The hostility is to be killed, not the human being.

For # 4:

Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

And this is the NEED- our only need.  To have access to God.  And that, too, God has accomplished.

But, who is this 'both' Paul is mentioning?  Let's go to the 'therefores'...

Therefore #1:

Eph 2:11  Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--
Eph 2:12  remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Ah, see, here's where the prejudice started.  Israel, who was supposed to spread God's love, kept it to themselves and spread hate to others.  And I'm not saying Israel invented prejudice- but they sure injected it into faith.  And Paul had to deal with it, because it was so ingrained, so insidious.  So, why 'remember'? because the Gentile believers had to overcome prejudice at both ends.  They had to recover from the prejudice of the Jewish believers- and they had to stamp it out in themselves.  And there was lots of ground to cover- the self-righteous Corinthians, the foolish Galatians, the lazy Cretans.

Therefore #2:

Eph 2:19  Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,
Eph 2:20  and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph 2:21  in whom every building having been fitly framed together, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord;
Eph 2:22  in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit. 

 

One building.  One purpose.  No 'save the black stones for the lower levels, put the yellow ones out back, the steeple needs to be white ones'.  Remember last time me mentioning this:

Eph 1:10  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

The plan was always to unify us, all one people, with all our differences.  So now, what about that last type of prejudice I mentioned?

Well, I tumbled on to that when I had an old reaction to a new story.  Recently, 81-year-old House Speaker Mitch McConnell had a fall at a hotel, and got a concussion. And I reacted...

And right then, I caught myself.  Here was prejudice- in taking joy at one of our high and mighty politicians 'getting what they deserve'.  Does it matter it was one man, or a group? Republican or Democrat? Woke or dozing? I confessed the sin, and prayed for him.  Because politicians are part of 'one people' too.  So are gang members, protesters who throw paint on artwork, sports commentators who see racism where there isn't any.  Does this mean I should throw out my Three Stooges collection?  Not necessarily- But I better check the motives of my enjoyment... remember:

1Co 4:5  Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.

Martin World News

 

This will be a Martin World News of a different sort.  Bear with me, and we might learn something.

Story #1- BBC

...She was one of 57 confirmed victims in Greece's worst-ever rail disaster and like many of them she was a student.

This tragedy has shaken Greece. So many of the lives lost were young and it has unleashed a national outpouring of grief and outrage mostly directed against the country's ruling classes. Not for the first time, Greeks feel betrayed by their politicians.

If you haven't heard this deal, it was a freight train hitting a passenger train, apparently because of human error vastly compounded by technology that hasn't been maintained by the Greek government.

But for many Greeks this is all too little too late. According to early polling, 87% say there are other causes beyond human error, and guilt needs to be assigned. Every day new revelations about the sordid state of Greece's train network cause more horror, anger and distrust of the political class.

A class that neglected the rail system, privatised operations, spent millions on security systems only to let them rot and wasted vital EU funding. Greeks are angry that billions are spent on new fighter jets while critical infrastructure has been left underfunded and understaffed.

 

 "They don't care about us. They don't care about our lives," said a retired senior manager in my neighbourhood called Giorgos, who knew two of the young victims well: "What do I do? Who do I vote for? No one is worth it." 

 

The root cause of this? Greece is one of the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) who were forced into "austerity measures" in order to keep getting EU bailout money a few years back.  Here in the US, we complain about the UN and other international groups "infringing on our sovereignty", but we never saw it to the level that Greece had. The EU forced them to such measures that necessary items like the safety switches on the railroads had to be ignored, only politicians that went along with it could be elected, and that brings us to what we have here: An unsafe nation led by untrusted politicians.  EU, this is the Law Of Unintended Consequences, something I have found liberals to be absolutely ignorant of, and conservatives purposefully undereducated in. Next slide...

Story #2- again, BBC

As the BBC wisely points out, this is what the "Prosperity Gospel" brings you to:

Evarline Okello breaks down in tears as she tells me she is hundreds of dollars in debt, after paying a pastor to pray for her.

She lives in a tiny shack in Kibera, a vast slum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and can no longer provide for her four children.

Ms Okello hasn't earned anything for months, she tells me as we talk on the telephone. So when she heard about a pastor whose prayers could make life better, she wanted to see him. He asked her for $115 (£96; 15,000 Kenyan shillings).

This is known as a "seed offering": a financial contribution to a religious leader, with a specific outcome in mind.

Ms Okello borrowed the money from a friend, who took out a loan on her behalf. She had been told this pastor's prayers were so powerful that she would see a return on her money within a week.

But the miracle never came. In fact things got even worse, she says. The loan her friend took out has ballooned due to unpaid interest. She now owes more than $300, and has no idea how she'll pay it back. Her friend has stopped talking to her, and she still has no job.

 

I don't mean to poke fun at this woman.  But NEVER NEVER believe in someone who asks you to pay for anything from God.  God doesn't work on the lay-away plan, and Christ was not crucified on a cash register.  And don't blame God for this evil: These are "pastors"- and we encounter them everywhere- to whom it is just a money making job. They will tell you, "You need to have more faith, to give more." Jesus said you only need faith the size of a mustard seed, and you can get a 7 ounce bag of those for $7.49 on Amazon.  Thankfully, Evarline has learned her lesson, and hopefully gotten a better relationship with God out of the deal:

"I wouldn't say that church is bad. The church is good. It is the pastors who are doing wrong. They are the ones who are asking for money."

 

Story #3- Barron's, from AFP

This story is about a dual nationality Swedish-Iranian, who was apparently some level of dissident, and was kidnapped on a trip to Turkey, dragged back to Iran, and sentenced to death for "terrorism". Now obviously, his choice to go to another Muslim country which will nod and wink to fellow Muslim countries, when said nation don't accept the civilized concept of 'dual nationality', was not especially bright.  But, here's the thing I see, is Sweden being naive.  So you've let this man into your country, under the idea of tolerance.  You let him agitate against a foreign government, because "that's his business". You think that it is safe to let such a citizen go to a nation who laughs at your dual citizenship laws.  And then when the inevitable happens...

Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said the Swedish government and diplomats in Tehran "are working intensively to get further clarity" on Chaab's case.

"The death sentence is an inhumane and irreversible punishment and Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its use in all circumstances," Billstrom told AFP in an email.

Oh, dear, it's inhumane.  Have you not seen what Muslim extremists like those in charge of nations like Iran do, have you not watched ISIS videos, Have you EVER noticed that places like Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan are not exactly safe places for expats to visit?  I honestly don't know why the call it "woke" because it all sounds asleep to me.

Let's do one more- and prepare to be mad at me...

Story # 4- FoxNews

Arrested for holding Christian beliefs at a Christian school? Canadian Catholic high school student Josh Alexander claims that's the story behind authorities arresting – and charging – him for trying to attend class last month.

And this is about what? Well, being Canada, trying hard to be the wokest of woke nations, this particular Catholic school had unisex bathrooms.  Josh had heard from various girls that they were uncomfortable with boys using their restrooms, and he decided to be active about it.  

Alexander said he pointed out the school's Christian identity, claiming he took a related discussion to school administrators, but they refused to hear him out.

"They removed me from the building for the remainder of the year and, when I attempted to attend class, I was arrested and charged," he continued.

His lawyer blames the nation's "much weaker" Constitution (compared to the USA) for allowing things like this to happen...

"There seems to be, culturally and legally, much less respect for individual rights and freedoms and much more interest in government having the power to do what it wants," he said, adding, "But there is legal recourse to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in this case… we think there's been religious discrimination on the basis of Josh's Christian religious beliefs, so we're going to file a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission…"

 

This is ridiculous on so many levels.  How is it that any school of a Christian faith can stoop so far into woke-ism to even conceive of unisex restrooms? How is it that a student can bring a faith-based question to a faith based school, and be expelled for merely bringing it up? and how is it that Canada will arrest anyone for bring up something well within his free speech rights in an arena where the topic NEEDS to be discussed?  And finally, with all the recently ripped open scars over the way your first nations were treated in their "Canadian-izing" boarding schools, how does no one see this is the VERY SAME THING?

Like I said, not your typical Martin World News.  Somedays, the world just isn't funny.

M10 show week # 62

 

This week, I've got a special to bring you- Rolling Stones came up with their 200 greatest singers of all time- and I thought we might go through the ones I actually know and played somewhere near the Martin Era time frame, or that may have hit or sniffed the M10.  That said, I have two debuts- one is an M10 newbie, and the other a vet (though not a 'superstar'-yet).  The vet is at # 10, and it's brand new from Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit...

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Okay, so once again, this is a big list, and I thought I would mention 10 at a time until we get to the top ten (or RS pulls the article, whichever), so starting at the bottom...

194- Kelley Clarkson- Let me be serious, I know her more for her Wayfair ads than her songs.  But the only other ones I even thought of knowing to this point were Billie Ellish (whom I've never listened to yet) and the singer from that X-Ray Specs band that Morrissey mentions at the end of his song.

193- Brandy- Whom I mention only because she won Time Machine's first Beauty Contest.

189- Joan Baez- Our first actual Martin Era act.  I loved Diamonds And Rust.  But, I heard a live version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and it just didn't do it for me without the backing chorus.

187- Bonnie Raitt- Not a bad choice, considering how low we are.  But as an actual singer, I prefer smooth to gravel.

185- Alicia Keys- If it wasn't for that credit card commercial, I might not know her, either.

181- Bob Seger- There you go, a bona fide star, a great entertainer, and like Bonnie, there are different definitions of great singer. (I'd have still put him higher...)

177- Patty Loveless- In the realm of country crossover ladies, I have my doubts Patty would have crossed my mind.

176- Iggy Pop- Of course, RS would have him in here.

174- Buddy Holly- With one to go, my favorite pure singer on the list.  I'd still go to Seger's concert, though.

173- Marianne Faithful- While I have no problem with her voice, she's better known to me as bedmate to a large share of the Rolling Stones (Thanks to a former bodyguard's tell all from a couple of decades back).  She'd beat out Brandy for this week's beauty contest, though.

Okay, that's the first ten I pulled out.  This is going to take a while, but considering that there were another 16 I didn't know (plus Lana Del Ray, who I didn't mention), we're skipping about a third of their acts, so this should only take us... oh, about 17 weeks more...

Anyway, before I hit you up with our "Won't turn off the radio" song, here's that other debut- and it's the first time both the #s 1 and 2 of the alt chart are also on my top ten!  At #9 on the M10, and #2 on Radiowavemonitor, here's one of KC's faves, Fall Out Boy...

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Well, that wasn't quite what I was expecting... but tres cool, anyway!  Now as for our song I wouldn't change the station on, this week in 1987 makes it easy on me- because it's in its fifth and final week at #1....

 

...Bon Jovi's Living On A Prayer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now for an M10 in which I almost made it a top 15 for the first time...

8- The Arcs slide 3 spots with A Man Will Do Wrong...

7- Aiden Bissett Trips up 2 with Trippin' Over Air...

6- Out of the top spot for Lauren Daigle's Look Up Child...

5- Let's just say everything from here on had a shot at the top this week, starting with Two Door Cinema Club, up 5 with Everybody's Cool....

4- And holding for Tennis and Forbidden Doors...

3- And holding for Cafune and Reconsider...

2- And holding for Linkin Park and Lost...

And the new # 1 this week...

...Imagine Dragons and Follow You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend, time to eat!

Wednesday Bible Study: Ephesians revisited part one

 

When I was a young Christian, and was finally convinced that I should try to memorize something, I started (and ended) with the first couple of chapters of Ephesians.  If you try starting there, you might just find that it's a little more confusing than it looks.  Sure, everyone gets Ephesians 2:8-9, but getting there, well... the first chapter's punctuation includes 27 commas, 4 semicolons, and one full colon.  And ONE period.  Second chapter is much the same.  You have to be really good at dicing and slicing to get through them.

Or, if you have studied enough, and matured enough, just maybe God will gift you with the point that the first chapter's key is locked up in this verse:

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

This verse, and ones scattered throughout Paul's writings, tell us that, although we SEEM to be mired here on earth, we are simultaneously IN HEAVEN.  If God is eternal and beyond time, and every moment is now in His eyes, then we are already in Heaven in some part of the reality that is God.  And from that starting point, I have begun to unspool what Paul was talking about.  You see, we learn that Paul had a vision- or a trip- to heaven at one point, in 2 Corinthians 12.  In trying to translate what he saw in heaven, Paul is spinning together past, present and future into a handful of short passages.

The first cycle- and I'm going to try to do this without pasting a lot of Scripture (AKA the entire chapter), so bear with- contains past/present/future (henceforth 'PPF') this way:

Past: Choosing us before the foundation of the world (v4).  If you remember the 'single moment to Him' thing, what this means is NOT He chose you to be a good guy, me to be a bad guy.  What it means is, He knew how our lives and choices would go; and those who would choose Him, He smoothes that road for them.  Those who wouldn't choose Him, not so much.

Future: in vv 5-6, Paul talks about 'being predestined for adoption'. This is His purpose: that we accept this adoption, for which Paul lavishes praise. For Paul, this is a HUGE deal, for no man alive ever had so clear a picture of the divide between what he deserved and what he was promised.

Present: In vv 7-8, He describes how we get there- through the redemption in Christ's sacrifice. That is the now that we need- securing that redemption through faith. And, recognizing we needed to be taught that, Paul reminds us that Jesus revealed these things to us in v9.

Notice that this doesn't go p-p-f like time does, but as God views it- He set things up, designed the plan, gave us our part.  Then we go to the second cycle.

Past: And in v9 and more in v10, Paul tells us that God had a plan from the start- 'To unite all things in Him.'

Future: vv 11-12, He has set up for us an inheritance in heaven.

Present: vv13-14, we are sealed now by the Holy Spirit, which is our guarantee of that spot, " until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." So this cycle, God made the plan, set it all up, and secured our place in it.

 

Hmm, that sequence was told past-future-present as well.  Is there a significance? Stay tuned.

Then we get another cycle.

Past: Here, Paul is praying for the equipping of the saints of Ephesus, that what has gone before might be made plain to their eyes. Because he wants them to see God as HE did.

Future: Here I want to actually post the passage, so we can see the Promise held out to us:

Eph 1:18  having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might...

What we have here is what God promises to our future: the fulfillment of hope and all His promises; the riches of what's included in that promise, and His power to make it so.  Paul is praying for our transition from seeing things with human eyes to seeing with God's eyes.  Which is a hard task when we begin, consider:  God's view involves Him seeing Himself in His greatness, and by that greatness being bound to be good and faithful to His promises, but holy and not excepting the less. (I'm starting to sound like Paul, here!) His goodness is SO good, His love SO love.  It isn't easy to see through mortal eyes.  So, for the present...

Present: He has raised Christ from the dead- a physical reality. Christ has taken care of it all- the stuff we get and the stuff we don't.  This cycle, we have God allowing us to see what has been done, what will be done, and what is going on in us now.

Once we take out all the commas, straighten the timelines, and shift the perspective, we see that Paul is trying to describe to us the grandeur of the God, who is working in us, to bring us to an inheritance beyond our means to conceive.  And that explains why it went past-future-present: We had to understand what HAD been done, to set up what WILL come, to understand our part in the NOW.  And our part was/is to believe in the Christ who set it all up, and trust in the Spirit who seals us to it.

Yes, the camera still works...

 ...but I've been both lazy, uninspired, and  unlucky.  Today, though, I eliminated most of those problems.  So let me start way back... with 2 from the day after Valentine's Day...

The young couples always seem to find our "secret spots"...

Leap now ahead with me ten days, but still nine days in the past...

Here's me in the new glasses...

Now the crossing is not only a mess, but a mess filled with water...

Grey squirrel with a red underarm patch?!

Spring doesn't mean the robins return from anywhere.  They just return to worm digging.

Yesterday, the "wild boys", as Laurie called them, returned...

Todays project: remote control ramp jumping into bridges, lions, and dinosaurs

Grayson hadn't got the aiming thing down.  Frankly, neither had Isaiah or KC.

There we go!

Grayson: Proving to the world that 'sedation haircutting' would be a viable business.

Isaiah is a lot like me: His world extends out a little farther than the eye can see through 24/7 imagination.

Grayson can be the Devil incarnate for 90% of a visit.  Then he comes over and says or does something to melt your heart, and all is right with the world.

"Trying to cope"

Today, it was a nice 40-some degree Sunday morning, and after Church...

"Say Sam, great day isn't it?" "Sure is, Bill.  Who ya got in the race?"

(Singing) "Laaaa-zzzyyy Day..."

Two days ago, we had 8 hours of rain followed by 8 hours of 'return to winter'.  Thus the canal is full, and the Little Waterfall That Could was chugging away.

River's way up...

Just then, this big loggy thing goes hurtling by....

"Say Sam, you see that go by?  What was it?" "Dunno.  A big loggy thing."

And here comes another one!

Later, at the Pond...

"Hey Honey? See that big doggy thing? I'm gonna swim right towards it, see if I can scare it!" "Shirl, you kinda scare me..."