From Now On ( #BOTB )

        Home is not just a physical place, but it's also an idealized vision of something that can be different from one person to the next.  If home is where the heart is, I wonder what happens when someone gets a heart transplant?...

     
        I'll be honest--I'm a bit of a homebody.  Now that I'm retired I spend a great deal of time at home and I'm completely comfortable doing so.  And yet, if tomorrow I had an opportunity to take off to live on the road doing something I enjoyed (and able to afford to live the lifestyle in comfort) I'd be gone without too much thinking it over.  Still, I'd want to have someplace that I could think of as my home base--a place where I keep my stuff and lay my head when I need a break now and then.

       I want the best of all worlds.  I want to be true to my own self, but to consider those for whom I care the most.  That's what I think.  Is it what I do?

Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.


From Now On

         For anyone who has been reading my blog posts this year, you are probably aware by now that I have become a fanatic about the 2017 film The Greatest Showman. Since I've said a great deal about this film in previous posts, I won't delve into this more in this current post.  However, I'm going to use another great song from the film for another Battle.  The film has so many great songs that have inspired a myriad of YouTube covers by some very talented artists and I keep finding more of them.  Here are some recent finds that are covers of the song "From Now On".

         In the film, this song expresses the revelation to the re-imagined historical figure of P.T. Barnum of what is most important to him--family and friends and home.  This is a message that can likely resonate with most of us.  No matter how hard we pursue our dreams or how far we go from our roots, our hearts yearn for the love of those who support us and encourage us onward.  If we forget those who gave us our lives, we have lost the truest essence of who and what we are.

        Initially I was a bit surprised to find so many Christian interpretations of songs from The Greatest Showman, but as I watched those videos and listened to the lyrics I soon realized why.  The film is decent family-friendly fare that extols the values of love, acceptance, friendship, and heritage.  When I received notification that a band that I've started following had released their own Christian version of "From Now On" then I started researching the other versions and hence a Battle was born...

Susan Shiebler & Company   "From Now On"  (2018)

         From East Patchogue, New York we have this video that is apparently a Christmas greeting of sorts produced by the Susan Shiebler Photography and Arts Studio.  I didn't find much in regard to the performance artists or video producers other than the statement on YouTube that explains:  "Each person in this video is a survivor, a survivor of cancer, abuse, anxiety, addiction, bullying or depression; all rescued by the restorative love of God." Take a listen and see if this version provides you some inspiration...

Forsaken Hero   "From Now On"  (2019)

        One of my dream places to live is Marion Virginia.  My discovery of the Christian band Forsaken Hero came when I was perusing YouTube for videos about the town of Marion and found the band's live performance version of the song "This Is the Greatest Show."   As I started exploring many of their videos on YouTube I took a liking to the band and began following their social media accounts. A few weeks ago I was notified about their latest CD (now available) and after listening to the cut of "From Now On" another Battle was born!  I've been disappointed that the band has for some reason taken down most of their YouTube videos, but I guess maybe they have their reasons for doing so.  In any case we at least have this video for now...





Time to Vote!

     In this round we have a couple videos where the musical arrangements are similar, but the presentations are somewhat different.  Both groups are very talented and I like them both, but I'm going to vote for one as my favorite.   What about you?    What's your favorite between these two choices?   You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

         Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.




Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Angel's Bark  

Debbie Doglady's Den

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Cherdo on the Flipside

A I Love Music


Winner of this Battle Announced on Friday June 21st.

        It's the summer blogging slowdown I think. Or maybe blogging is just slowing down.  I'll be just here counting the votes and reporting the outcome in a week.  I'm living my life here at home--for now.

         Where do you think of as your home?   Do you have a tendency to be content wherever you are as long as the circumstances are reasonable?    What are reasonable circumstances in your view?  Have you seen The Greatest Showman yet?

Do You Think Bible Prophecy Is True? (#BOTB Results)

If It's in the Bible, Is It True?

        One thing that I've found over the past week is that the topic of abortion can piss more people off than talking about Jesus.  But I guess nothing pisses some people off more than President Donald Trump.  I'm still hoping that during the Trump administration, and soon at that, the United States moves its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and we build even stronger ties with Israel.  That will likely piss the whole world off and I'm ready for that.

        I don't know what other religions of the world are so grounded in prophesy as much as the Judeo-Christian tradition.  From my understanding of Islam, the Hadiths and maybe some other writings contain something they refer to as prophesy, but I see no real trustworthy prophesy of future events in any Islamic writing.  They call Mohammad a "prophet" but I'm not sure what he actually prophesied that can be put in any believable context.  Then again (oh wait for the gasps and stirrings of indignation) I don't accept Islam as truth.

        However, the prophecy of the Bible gets pretty darn specific when you start studying it all closely.  And these prophecies started coming thousands of years ago in regard to events we see coming into shape in our time.  Sure, some might say that its all just generic statements that can be applied to anytime and anything, but places are named and signs are indicated and we can see this all coming about in our age.

        There will always be the scoffers--more of them than believers--but before anyone scoffs too heartily I would encourage a closer study of the prophecies with a comparative look at world events. Is Jesus coming soon?   To me it would appear so, but I'm not going to be one to predict when.  For now I'll just be a watchman on the wall.  

         By the way, for those who are familiar with the Bible, have you noticed how much the Bible talks about walls?   So who says building walls isn't a Christian activity?  In fact, despite what some will say, to my knowledge there is no mention of building bridges in the Bible.   Well, other than a metaphorical bridge which is Jesus Christ.  

           Did I offend anyone today?   I hope not.  I didn't mean to offend, but only to tell truth as I see it.  My hope is that maybe you'll think about what I've said here and perhaps even do some research about what I've said.


Battle of the Bands Results!

     As is often the case, my latest Battle of the Bands was not easy for me to prognosticate the outcome.  However because of the more contemporary more mainstream sound I figured the win would go to the 1970's group Dogwood.  Initially that was the group I was favoring for my own vote, but as usual as the week progressed my vote wavered back and forth between the two choices.  After all I usually pick out two versions that I especially enjoy.  In the end though I decided to go with the traditional Southern Gospel sound of the Blackwood Gospel Quartet despite that strange video they had put together.  Based on the audio only I thought they captured the spirit of the song best.

     From the outset of voting, Dogwood took a rapid lead and it looked like it would be a massive win for them.  Then in the final quarter, like the Superbowl champion Patriots, BGQ raced forward as they captured most of the final votes.  Still it was not enough for a win as Dogwood maintained the lead by a mere two points.  What a contest it was!  I thank you all for voting on this song that I thought might be a turn-off to most, but things didn't turn out too badly at all.

Final Vote Tally

Blackwood Gospel Quartet     11 votes

Dogwood                                   13 votes


Holy Naamgenoot!

        As I alluded to in my BOTB post, one of the featured groups, Dogwood, was not to be confused by a very different Christian punk metal band also called "Dogwood".    This latter band which hails from the San Diego area has been around since 1993 and continues to be active.  The band has ten albums behind them as well as contributions to a number of compilation albums.  For the sake of contrast I'm offering a few of their songs for your listening pleasure--or perhaps I might call it curiosity since you might not care for their style.  I find them to be kind of interesting and it's good to hear their message attached to music that might appeal to a younger crowd.  See what you think...


Dogwood  "Feel the Burn"  (1999)





Dogwood  "Building a Better Me"  (2000)






Dogwood  "Never Die"  (1998)







Next Battle of the Bands Coming Soon!

        Another Battle of the Bands match will appear on my blog on Wednesday February 15th.  This Battle will be related to a post which will precede it next Monday the 13th--a post which may raise ire (so what else is new?) or have some of you nodding your heads in agreement.  As you might have guessed it will be another post in my  President Trump Acclimation Series .   I mean really, there are still many ridiculous voices yammering on about the President of the United States so I might as well keep debunking that nonsense.   I probably won't continue this much longer, though on the other hand, if the antis keep up their fight then maybe I'll keep pushing back.   After all, what else do I have to blog about?

         What else would you like me to talk about on this blog?   Do the controversy posts turn you off?    Would you rather I talk about writing or some such subject?

Does Contemporary Christian Music Really Glorify God?

            I am a big fan of contemporary Christian music.   I'm a big fan of music period, but there is something about the concept of the music I enjoy having something to do with God and spiritual matters.  I like knowing that the music is somehow intended to lift us up to a higher spiritual plane and to make us think about the deeper meaning of the lyrics.   Does contemporary Christian music really do this effectively?

             We are told not to conform to the ways of this world.  Rhythm laden music is often associated with promiscuity and uninhibited behavior which can lead to alcohol and drug abuse.  The fans of many modern music styles are more prone to egocentric behaviors and trends like tattooing, piercing, and provocative clothing.  Combined with loud volumes, hypnotic lights, and elaborate performance presentations the music can become a thrill-seeking experience rooted in providing self indulgent pleasure.

            The values of the performers might even be questioned.  Some have had problems with substance abuse and have led what might be considered lifestyles of dubious moral integrity. The artists often succumb to the entrapments of worldliness and immorality while acting as proponents of Christian living.  In the end they are merely fraudulent examples of the Christian life they are supposed to be emulating.

My question up for debate today:

Does contemporary Christian music really glorify God?

        Is the genre really of any spiritual value?   Is it misleading millions into a false form of worship?  Has contemporary worship music trivialized our church services and perhaps even driven some away from God?
Has the music industry started to dictate values, practice, and even theology?  Is something like Handel's Messiah glorious, whereas the music of a group like Delirious actually kind of delirious like the name says?  Do you like Christian rock music?   What is your favorite type of Christian music and why?