Over the past few weeks, I have been experiencing a more genuine Jesus that I have ever known. He is the Jesus of the New Testament, and his agape love is more powerful than anything else. This genuine Jesus has finally become more exciting to me than anything else, including his main competitor for my attention: music.
I love music so much that it has become a drug. I need higher and higher doses of it to feel the effect (20 new albums a day, at this point). I worry about losing it or going without it. I’m addicted.
So today, I’m cutting off my music consumption. I will not remove music from my life because it is a beautiful thing and I use it to worship God and experience his beauty. But I will not be its fucking slave any more, I will not let it drag me into sinful and illegal acts, and I will not let it consume time that should be spent with the Holy Spirit.
God, purify my heart! Burn away the dross and make me yours!
November 5, 2006 at 10:38 pm
Best of luck in your religious endeavors.
I don’t know if God reads WordPress, though. Internal monologue suits the New Testament Lord better than italics.
Matthew 5, 5:And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6: But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
thanks for the music
November 5, 2006 at 11:02 pm
anonymous,
I try to steer clear of religion. I’m going straight for Jesus instead. I’m glad that you’re familiar with him.
I think the spirit of Jesus’ words speaks to the heart. Jesus condemns showy prayers that come not from the heart but as an act of pompous religiosity. But if one’s heart is truly in the prayer, praying righteously in public can actually edify the body of Christ. I know I have been edified by the prayers of genuine lovers of Christ because they were offered in public.
November 6, 2006 at 11:29 am
When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a Shinshu priest, who believed in salvation through the repitition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him.
Bankei was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared, but the fellow made such a disturbance that bankei stopped his discourse and asked about the noise.
“The founder of our sect,” boasted the priest, “had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river, his attendant held up a paper on the other bank, and the teacher wrote the holy name of Amida through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing?”
Bankei replied lightly: “Perhaps your fox can perform that trick, but that is not the manner of Zen. My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink.”
November 6, 2006 at 1:48 pm
I consider religious endeavors significantly different than relgion. Many endeavors does not a religion make. My own father had about 20 years of religious endeavors in every house of worship imaginable.
I was hesitant leaving the first message, I didn’t want it taken the wrong way (particularly because I’ve enjoyed your music blog and other projects). I may not have a religion, but I do have my views on how religious experiences should be dealt with–and it is Matthew 5:5-6 that I always come back to when I see public expressions of prayer.
What I gathered from the words of Jesus is that the rewards of the Father will come through personal prayer, while the rewards of man will come to those who pray in an audience of men. I think that Jesus states that you cannot in fact make righteous prayers in public, not that some public prayers are pompous but all of them. Prayers in the public are tainted by the eyes and expectations of other men, let alone the person praying. There can surely be a reward for public prayer–but I think it can only be a material reward, the reward of a man’s respect or the like. Perhaps one can be edified by public prayer–but it is not a material type of edification. It takes on its mundane definition of instruction instead of the more spiritual connotation of spiritual upliftance.
Only when prayers are offered in private can one truly experience a spiritual edification.
On the other hand, I find it personally reasonable to be a follower of Jesus and to take issue with some of the things he says and does. You don’t see me withering every fruit tree that does not have fruit, for example…
Take care and I hope Jesus’ teachings become clearer and clearer as you continue. Man, you GOTTA love them parables.
November 6, 2006 at 2:10 pm
I misspoke:
“Perhaps one can be edified by public prayer–but it is not a material type of edification.”
I meant to say “it IS a material type of edification.”
Sorry.
November 6, 2006 at 11:03 pm
To joshu…
I agree!
November 12, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Just one question: why do they have to be mutually exclusive? there are alot of beautiful non secular pieces. If God created everything didnt He create music and composers too? Are they not of His creation? One beautiful way glorify the Lord than through music
Just a thought
Will
November 17, 2006 at 10:02 pm
My advice would be for you to start a small record label.
Look into the cost of running a small CDR based label – it’s not much.
You have great taste in music, and (it seems) time on your hands.
It’d be a great way to make use of your love for music.
November 23, 2006 at 9:49 am
My advice is delete all music, burn all records, start growing wineplants and stop shaving.
All the best!
November 23, 2006 at 11:26 pm
OPEN YOUR MIND, NOT YOUR BIBLE
November 28, 2006 at 11:29 am
I am the Resurrection and the …. oh what the fuck. Dude, wake up already! You must be fucking kidding me! You’re giving up music for Jesus?
November 28, 2006 at 5:12 pm
No, jesus christ, I still listen to music constantly. I’m just not going to be a slave to that ravenous desire to consume more and more music. Instead, I’m going to be a slave to the revolutionary love of my Savior.
November 29, 2006 at 12:49 am
You might want to consider makng some music of your own. I’ve been told these new computers make it very easy.
/js
November 29, 2006 at 7:31 pm
a ’slave’ to revolutionary love? I thought it went, ‘the truth shall set you free’?
what’s the difference between this alleged slavery to music and your current admitted slavery to religion? as a former Christian, I fail to see how that is better.
addiction to music may be bad, but dogmatic religion is worse, regardless of how ‘revolutionary’ it is branded by modern evangelists to be.
November 29, 2006 at 10:41 pm
lukepop, that is an excellent question. I’ve replied to you fully, here.
January 19, 2007 at 5:48 pm
I prefer to be a slave of music (really I am) than a slave of religion. Do you know a war that begins due to music? And due to religion?
Think about it and open your mind!
Sorry my poor English!
Edson.
From Brasil.
January 20, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Be careful not to blame the “addiction” to music on the music itself, it is ridiculous to think than music is the problem. If you have a problem with music, you have to look inside yourself. By donning the mantle of the supernatural you are just covering up the problem that you have with your relationship to music, what you are really struggling with.
January 23, 2007 at 6:16 am
rickdog,
It’s definitely not the music’s fault. But one does not become sober hanging out in bars.
January 28, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Dear Knowby,
It is with great sadness that i have got to know that you are no longer blogging on “Classical Music MP3’s” that are out of print.
I live in South Asia, where high quality Classical Music is impossible to obtain.
I pray and hope that you will return to blog on clasical music in the near future.
I was born and raised on the Classics of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Handel from the age of 7 but this music is unfortunately not easily available in my country.
Please ! Please ! Blog once more.
Your Blog is awesome even as it is now.
February 12, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Wow, quite out. I just happily discovered your “Classical connection” through this site:
http://www.netlexfrance.info/?p=1391, and thought “Wow, impressive” and saw it had died out, but was luckily linking to this new blog, which I, again, bookmarked thinking ‘I might find a lot of great music here in the future’ only to be let on to this page…oh well. Good luck!
Regards
Marcus
April 6, 2007 at 3:37 pm
I read Heaven Is So Real. To me it seems that Jesus loved music.