John Albert Thomas Solo Piano

How Do You Use Piano Music?

Everyone has their own way of using piano music to relax themselves, their children. Some even use it to cure road rage. I think the CDs make great coffee coasters, but that’s me. Write a comment to let me know how piano music fits into your life! Who knows? Your comment might end up on my newsletter. Have fun!

Claiming Territory, Or So We Think

I was sitting on our back porch swing this morning spending time in prayer when I noticed my dog Gracie, a small terrier mix, go ballistic and dart across the yard. She stopped under a tree, looked up and started barking. I heard some rustling and discovered that a small bird was the focus of her attention. Soon the bird flew off and Gracie chased it back across the yard. When the bird was gone, she ran back and hid behind the pool to see if it would come back.

I had to laugh. Here was my dog protecting her territory, which happens to be confined to the ground. The bird, on the other hand, was minding its own business in its own territory where Gracie could never reach. The two were on completely different planes, but Gracie didn’t recognize that.

Then it got me thinking. How much time and energy do we spend focusing on things that are outside our jurisdiction, our area of expertise, and our limitations?

Take the evening news or Drudge Report, for instance. I used to spend hours focused on those things. What changed? One splendid day I realized that they were outside my sphere of influence. I couldn’t change those things; I could only take them in and let them affect me.

So it’s been months since I’ve watched the news (actually got rid of satellite in exchange for local HD), and it’s been months since I’ve clicked refresh on Drudge. And I can testify that life is so much simpler and enjoyable when you don’t worry about things you cannot change.

So where should our focus be? Well, let’s start by asking these questions. Where would my relationship with God be if I started my day with Him instead of reading headlines? How would my relationship with my wife and kids improve if I left the TV off until after the kids go to bed?

I’m not saying stick your head in the sand, but trust me. If you don’t live in the 24 hours news world, you have enough friends who will keep you informed of what’s going on. They’ll always notify you of the important stuff, “Did you hear…?”

So my parting question is this: What are you barking at these days?

Facing A Mountain

Last week my wife left to lead her 5th/6th grade Sunday School class on a trip to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood in East Tennessee.  I have to admit that a week ago I was apprehensive about managing four little ones, a pool, a dog, a yard and a business on my own for five days.  It was a mountain to me, but you can’t stop a moving mountain.

Well, two things made the load a bit lighter:  1) Becky’s parent, and 2) starting the day and continuing the day in dependence on God for strength and wisdom.  And, as each day passed the load seemed lighter and the mountain seemed smaller.

Reminds me of my trip to Yosemite where I took a wrong turn and was separated from my crew while dehydrated.  The guys came through for me, came to find me and carried my load the rest of the way.

The moral of the story is this:  When you face a mountain, don’t go it alone.

1)  Surround yourself with people who love you and know your story. Let them carry your burden with you. If you don’t have people in your life who will do that for you, then be that person to someone else.  These favors have a way of repaying themselves.

2) Include the Heavenly Father in your day. We grow fearful looking at the ominous mountain thinking that we have to climb it alone.  But when we invite Him to climb with us, we find that the mountain is His footstool.  We don’t need the mountain to go away; we just need confidence that we will reach the summit. Confidence comes from trusting Him.  He already knows what’s coming and He knows how to handle it.