I'm trying to think of someone else, but right now I can't think of any one person that I'd rather hear sing than Ray Charles. Elvis is right up there--cheesy, maybe but he's still the king. No one's music can grip me like those two...especially Ray Charles. Not that there aren't bands I like better or albums I'd rather have, but just on the basis of the power of a vocalist...that intangible "wow, that's cool" factor.
Tonight I watched a PBS special on Atlantic Records and especially Ahmet Ertegün, its founder and legendary main man. The music that Ertegün produced is simply out of this world. Very inspiring!!
At the end of the show, the PBS style credits were rolling (the remote was out of reach) and the soundbite for the National Endowment for the Arts ran. They had a slogan that really resonated. "Because a Great Nation Deserves Great Art." Nice phrase.
It got me thinking about the beneficiary of art. I've thought of another phrase, with a nod to the spinmeisters at the NEA: "A Great God Deserves Our Best Art" Now I'm not saying its catchier than the original or anything...it just helps me re-focus on why I'm so blessed to be serving God and His Church as part of a great Arts Team. And to also re-focus on who the audience is--God.
The people in the chairs as well as the people on the stage are members of the same choir which exists to bless God with beauty, honor and humility.
I was reading in Malachi this morning. His message from God was all about their attitude toward God. "Because you do not set your heart to honor me..." That was what brought down God's condemnation on their sacrifices, their marriages, their kids, their tithes...everything. Scary.
It's not always the first thing I think about, but when I go to bed tonight (in a few minutes) I will pray for God to help me 'set my heart to honor him.'
And for you, here's some very good art (the song, not the video)...
Good night!
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