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.
The Problem Of Noise
We are bombarded with noise every day.
I’m not just talking about the kids whooping and hollering around the house about this and that and the unfairness of it all. I’m talking about stress factors in general.
In the case of children, the noise is aural. It impacts the ears. Other noise we introduce to ears is music and talk radio. TV impacts the ears and the eyes. We have to leave the radio and TV off at dinner time so that we can listen to each other.
There’s another kind of noise that impacts the mind. It comes from email telling us that we need to accept money from a Nigerian foreign minister. It comes from 24-hour news. Dare I say, it also comes from Twitter and Facebook conversations.
Every time we introduce these things to our minds we are presented choices. What do I do with this information? Chuck it or store it? Where do I store it? What do I do with all of this stuff I stored?
We don’t realize just how much noise we are taking in. If we’re not careful we will lose the ability to listen to ourselves, to remember where our true passions exist, to remember the things God has called us to do. We will grow deaf to His whispers.
Jesus showed us how he handled this problem:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, NIV)
So my challenge to us today is this: unplug from the noise. Go somewhere quiet where there are no inputs except those generated by nature itself. Breathe. Relax. Pray. Listen.
Then come back here and share your experience.
Advice From A Mule
These past two weeks I withdrew for some much-needed “creative solitude” to contemplate how to best accomplish my musical and financial goals. In the process I rediscovered the joy of starting the day seeking God through reading the Bible and through prayer, and trying to walk in dependence on Him throughout the day. Here’s how it unfolded.
One miserable afternoon I expressed my frustration to God, saying, “I wish you were here standing over my shoulder telling me what to do.” The next morning, King David reminded me in Psalm 32, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”
Ok, so I’ve been a mule. (I’ve heard there’s another word to describe this.) I had gotten into the bad habit of jumping into workday decisions without asking for His input. A better habit would be to consult the One who programmed this universe in the first place. He knows His way around!
John Albert Thomas began composing original, melody-based piano works when he was 12 years old. His compositions have the simplicity and thinly-layered delicacy of Mozart, combined with a contemporary sound reminiscent of Enya, George Winston, and Jim Brickman. In 1995, John graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, with a bachelors degree in Music Theory and Composition. Upon graduation he moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he now lives with his wife, Rebecca, and their four children. John has released several solo piano albums, and continues his work on future projects. 
