Music: I'm in a retro mood

I have been going through my 300 old tapes under the bed lately, because I (aided by some serendipitous browsing at the library by my 14-year-old daughter) have been transferring my old casettes to CD's. Neither car has a casette player, one of the boomboxes casette doesn't work, etc . . . So like many, we turned into a CD-listening family. And untila bout two weeks ago, I had no clue what to do about my tapes, except -- to my wife's annoyance -- keep them. But not I can CD-ify them, so have been working on that as a spring/summer project.

Well, I ran across one last night that I was kind of dreading listening to again, because I really liked this guy, bought about 5 albums, went to a concert or two, but he has disapeared from the CCM and Christian Rock scene after an ugly attempt to "cross over;" Anyway, I thought the music would not hold up, that I'd be disappointed, blah blah blah, but I went ahead anyway and listened to a couple of old Mylon LeFevre albums.

Let's be honest about Mylon; the LOOK UP project did not work (it is not even available on the website store, though I did not dig through every page), and shortly thereafter he headed into worship leading and a teaching ministry, disappearing by his own choice from my radar screen -- until digging under my bed last night for music between Justus and the Level Heads. There this tape was.

You know what? Sheep in Wolves' Clothing and Crack the Sky still hold up as fun musical experiences. They are definitely 80s albums, you can't hide that, and the theological depth is not on the scale of The Choir or Rez or DA, but for what they are trying to be, they succeed. Straightforward, Southern gospel rock that even after twenty years made me smile again.

An Inordinate Fondness For Beetles

This is an expression that a famous evolutionist coined in determining what God must be like. He answered, that based on his obervations of the material world, God must have "an inordinate fondness for beetles." The statement purports to place man in his proper context by showing the wide variety of beetles. It is meant to be a statement that calls into question God's role in Creation. I think the statement points out God's creative whimsy. I am very comfortable with the statement, and what it ways for God and us. It reminds me that not a single bird can fall to the earth without His knowing. Similarly, not a single beetle was designed without his care.

Called, Chosen, Invited, and Welcomed

These are all New Testament words that are used to describe the overtures that God makes to man. I am not a scholar of the original languages, and make no claim to be, but it seems that there are fundamental differences in these terms that may be significant. "Many are called, but few are chosen" is one of the most intiguing passages in the Scriptures, and I think it is significant as an indicator of God's and our separate and distinct roles in salvation. Then we run across Luke 19:5, where Jesus interacts with Zaccheus. In this case, Jesus clearly announces his intention to relate to Zaccheus, who responds by "welcoming" him to his home. Was he called, chosen, or invited . . . what was Jesus' role in this interaction, and what was Zaccheus'? Then we get into predestination and free will, and my mind explodes . . .

I AM STILL GOING TO LINK TO IT!

It has been pointed out to me that Cornerstone Magazine has ceased publication, and it has been suggested that maybe I should stop linking to it. I don't think I am gong to take that advice.

You see, the vibe of C-Stone Mag is similar to what I am trying to convey here, so the link sends a message about this blog. And don't forget that there are some valuable archives at the site, as well as links to the fest and other important sites and info.