Friday, October 31, 2014

The Problem With Doubting Everything

“But the new rebel is a skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it. . . . As a politician, he will cry out that war is a waste of life, and then, as a philosopher, that all life is waste of time. A Russian pessimist will denounce a policeman for killing a peasant, and then prove by the highest philosophical principles that the peasant ought to have killed himself. . . . The man of this school goes first to a political meeting, where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts; then he takes his hat and umbrella and goes on to a scientific meeting, where he proves that they practically are beasts. In short, the modern revolutionist, being an infinite skeptic, is always engaged in undermining his own mind. In his book on politics he attacks men for trampling on morality; in his book on ethics he attacks morality for trampling on men. Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything.”
― G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy 


And here we are in America. Everyone revolting against something while tolerating things they should revolt against. What a mess this world is. As the apostle Paul said "If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) And as Bob Dylan sang in Saved, "I was blinded by the devil, Born already ruined, Stone cold dead as I steeped out of the womb. By his grace I have been touched, By his word I have been healed, By his hand I've been delivered, By his Spirit I've been sealed. I've been saved, By the blood of the lamb."
Man I love that lyric.

Bob Dylan - Hard Travel

Monday, October 27, 2014

Imagine Yourself As A Living House

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 


I love this quote from Lewis. As you get older you start feeling that most of the work has been done on your house (yourself) and you can take it easy and all of a sudden God's building a new wing and its quite upsetting. I find that I am more engaged in learning and growing in my faith more involved in other peoples lives and more involved with my grown children and their children there is no time to back off and think of myself. What a waste of time that is. I do know some people who as they have gotten older are more withdrawn, concerned only for themselves and have put up a sign "no new construction here" How sad for them.

Roll On, John - Bob Dylan - I love This

Bob Dylan - Dreamin' of You

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Cream bassist Jack Bruce dies, aged 71

Jack Bruce, bassist from 1960s band Cream, has died aged 71, his publicist confirms.
Legendary supergroup Cream, which also included Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, are now considered one of the most important bands in rock history.
They sold 35 million albums in just over two years and were given the first ever platinum disc for Wheels of Fire.
Bruce wrote and sang most of the songs, including "I Feel Free" and "Sunshine Of Your Love".
Born in the Glasgow suburb of Bishopbriggs in 1943, his parents travelled extensively in Canada and the USA and the young Jack attended 14 different schools.
He finished his formal education at Bellahouston Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, to which he won a scholarship for cello and composition.
He left the academy and Scotland at the age of 16 and eventually found his way to London where he became a member of the influential Alexis Korner's Blues Inc, where Charlie Watts, later to join the Rolling Stones, was the drummer.
He played in a number of bands throughout the early 60s, including John Mayall's Blues Breakers and Manfred Mann before joining Clapton and Baker in Cream.
Cream split in November 1968 at the height of their popularity, with Bruce feeling he had strayed too far from his ideals.
Bruce never again reached the commercial heights he did with Cream but his reputation as one of the best bass guitarists in the business grew throughout the subsequent decades.
In May 2005, he reunited with his former Cream bandmates for a series of concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Jack Bruce (left) with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton in Cream in the mid-1960s Jack Bruce (left) with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton in Cream in the mid-1960s
jack Bruce
Bruce's death was announced on his official website, and confirmed by his publicist Claire Singers.
She said: "He died today at his home in Suffolk surrounded by his family."
A statement from his family said: "It is with great sadness that we, Jack's family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father and granddad and all-round legend.
"The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts."

Jack Bruce feat. Eric Clapton - Spoonful / Sunshine Of Your Love - Recorded live at Bottom Line, New York City, NY, USA October 10, 1988

Jack Bruce - Ships in the Night - With Eric Clapton

Friday, October 17, 2014

Why Should Mankind Be Perceived As Special?

“If man is not made in the image of God, nothing then stands in the way of inhumanity. There is no good reason why mankind should be perceived as special. Human life is cheapened. We can see this in many of the major issues being debated in our society today: abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, the increase of child abuse and violence of all kinds, pornography ... , the routine torture of political prisoners in many parts of the world, the crime explosion, and the random violence which surrounds us.”
― Francis August Schaeffer, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?


When people say "I don't believe there is a God" and they talk about man's value, man's rights they are speaking in a contradiction. Man cannot have happened my mere chance and then have a special value that we must protect. Society today speaks in all kinds of double talk and sees no problem in saying contradictory things.

Lonesome Road Blues - Joe Bonamassa on Jools Holland

Steve Winwood - I'm Ready - Jools Holland Big Band

Billy Preston - Will It Go Round in Circles

'Stop Breaking Down Blues' and 'Little Queen of Spades' - Eric Clapton with Jools Holland & band, 31/12/2004.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

It Is Finished

The gospel is: It’s finished. Christ has lived perfectly in your place. Christ died shamefully in your place, and He has risen in power for you. That’s the message people need to hear. Here was the message recently taught to a very large group of christian students: "Figure out what you are really good at. Be the best at it in the world, and then people will listen to you when you want to talk about Christ." No, that's not the gospel that’s the message of the world, which is: "You have to be good to gain a hearing." The message of the gospel is: We’re sinners. We need a Savior and there is a Christ who has bought forgiveness for you. Live in the light of that. There is nothing more difficult to accept than the truth that you bring nothing to the table except your sin, and He has to bring everything else.

Muddy Waters - Long Distance Call - From Fathers and Sons LP

Foo Fighters with Zac Brown: "War Pigs" - David Letterman

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The True God

God is a God of outsiders because the true God is a God of grace. The true God offers His salvation regardless of merit, race, pedigree, gender or class. (The early church grew among the poor, the slaves, the oppressed)

The gods of religions and even the god of people who think they’re following the God of the Bible are gods who basically work with you on the basis of your performance and your spiritual attainment. If you pray enough, sacrifice enough, if you’re active enough in church, if you read the Bible enough, if you do the right thing, if you live morally good enough, then this God will work with you. But that’s not the true God!

Homer Simpson's Ebola Guarantee - D'OH!


Cantaloupe Island - Featuring Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams / Blue Note Concert Live - HD

Herbie Hancock - Jazz Fusion Cantelope Island

JOHNNY WINTER - Be Careful With A Fool

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

God's Grace Is Here If You Will Receive It

What God did at Calvary was grace. Jesus didn’t die for his friends, he died for his enemies, and he died for us. That’s grace. That’s going beyond the ordinary or what’s expected. All the human race can expect is divine wrath but God comes and says, “I’m going to give you grace instead of wrath because of my Son”.

The grace of God is here for the human race. Christ died on the cross for them. But the human race says, “No, I’m doing it my own way”. Jeremiah says, “That’s bad news because it’s not in you to direct your steps, to lead your own life”. This is the issue in man’s rebellion against God. Man thinks I can come up with my own way to save myself, I don’t have to believe in Jesus or all that Bible stuff, I can do it my own way. God says there is only one way. Jesus is the only door, he is not one of many doors. This is the struggle— the struggle for control.

You must understand this is the battle we face in presenting the gospel. To accept Christ man has to give up the control he thinks he has (which is an illusion anyway) he has to repent and believe the gospel. This issue of control is at the heart of all our struggles and still must be dealt with even after you come to Christ.

This is from the message "The Need For Brokenness And Correction"

Eric Clapton - Change the World

Eric Clapton - I'm Tore Down - Live TV Recording