Musical musings on a milestone day

As I said last time, there is power in music.  Today, on this milestone day, I want to share a song that has been on my heart and mind lately.  Matt Papa and Matt Boswell wrote a powerful song that not only sticks in my head; it has riveted itself to my very soul.  I first heard it performed by the group Shane and Shane.  I don’t often quote an entire song, but I can’t bring myself to cite only pieces of this.  So here we go; this is a song titled “His mercy is more”:

“What love could remember no wrongs we have done?  Omniscient, all-knowing, He counts not their sum; thrown into a sea without bottom or shore.  Our sins they are many, His mercy is more.  [Chorus] Praise the Lord!  His mercy is more; stronger than darkness, new every ‘morn, my sins they are many His mercy is more.

“What patience would wait as we constantly roam?  What Father, so tender, is calling us home?  He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor.  Our sins they are many, His mercy is more. Praise the Lord!  His mercy is more; stronger than darkness, new every ‘morn, my sins they are many His mercy is more.”

“What riches of kindness He lavished on us!  His blood was the payment; His life was the cost.  We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford.  Our sins they are many, His mercy is more.  Praise the Lord!  His mercy is more; stronger than darkness, new every ‘morn, my sins they are many His mercy is more.”

On my 40th birthday, these words are my heart cry.  I praise and worship the Lord for His mercy, grace, and kindness to me.  Without Him, I am nothing.  Without His grace, I would be a complete train wreck.  Without His peace, I would have no song in my heart.  Without His transforming power in my life, I would be a man without hope.  It’s all about Him!

Kevin   

The final countdown

While I’m anxious to return to contemplating Daniel and his friends in Daniel 1, I want to post something else today. I do so because it is the final countdown. I am entering the final week of my thirties; soon I turn the big four-oh. 

In 2014, the CW TV show “The Flash” debuted (it may seem strange that I’m bringing this up now, but stay with me). I’ve seen every episode and have very much enjoyed it over these years. In the 3rd season of the show, Barry Allen – the main star, played brilliantly by Grant Gustin – sang a beautiful song to the love of his life, Iris West. After the song, Barry proposed, and she said “yes”! 

I want to focus on one line in particular that Barry sang to Iris. Melodiously, he stated, “This world can race by far too fast; hard to see when it’s all flying past.” I resonate with that. Here I am a few days away from 40 years old. Wow, times flies. Interestingly, in the months leading up to this event, I have endured various health challenges that I never envisioned I would face. These are episodes that the God of the universe, in His sovereign wisdom, allowed into my life. 

No matter what craziness I have faced in my life, through it all, God has been faithful. A helpful article from got questions.org states, “Many places in Scripture extol the faithfulness of God. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. So, what is faithfulness? 

The Hebrew word translated “faithfulness” means “steadfastness, firmness, fidelity.” The opposite of being faithful is to be ever-changing or wishy-washy. Psalm 119:89-90 says, “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations.”” 

Later on in the same article, the author writes, “We can trust that God will be true to Himself. He will never cease acting like God. He will never cease being sovereign, being holy, or being good (1 Timothy 6:15; 1 Peter 1:16). We learn through our own history that God has never failed us, either. One command God gave the Israelites was: “Remember” (Deuteronomy 8:2; Isaiah 46:9). When they remembered all God had done for them, they could more easily trust Him for the future. We need to intentionally remember all the ways God has provided for us and delivered us in the past.” An “amen” here wouldn’t be out of place! (Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/faithfulness-of-God.html)

In conclusion, I recently saw this sentiment on the back of a cell phone of all places: “When words fail, music speaks.” In light of how powerful music is, I want to end with a song of praise to God.  Here is a small sampling of an excellent song from Thrive Worship titled “A Thousand More”; “Who could measure what You’re worth? Who could fathom what You’ve done? I could write a thousand songs and never capture Heaven’s love. And O praise the Lord, the Holy One. And O praise the King of perfect love. A thousand times my soul will sing ‘hallelujah’, yet I will sing a thousand more. 

Who could heal the hardest heart? Who can hear the softest prayer? I could run a thousand miles, and still I know You’d find me there. And O praise the Lord, the Holy One. And O praise the King of perfect love. A thousand times my soul will sing ‘hallelujah’, yet I will sing a thousand more.” 

Kevin

The power of a life of integrity

Check out this quote by the late Dr. Russ Frase in his work “Fight for Integrity”: “The blessing of our integrity will outlive us and guide others in the right path long after we are dancing on the streets of gold.  The impact and influence are eternal.”  I thought of my dad, Jerry Bauer.  My dad has been in Heaven since 2015, but his integrity, righteousness, and selfless character guide me, even to this day.  Twice in Psalm 112, we read this description of the man of God: “His righteousness endures forever” (verses 3 and 9); and verse 6 reads, “The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.” 

Don’t misunderstand me on this one: I’m not suggesting that my dad was some sinless super saint while he was on planet Earth.  That’s not what I’m saying at all.  Dad wasn’t perfect; he made mistakes.  No one can make such a claim of sinless perfection.  We all stumble, fall down, and fall short.  I know I sure do.  But Jerry Bauer, my father, was transformed by the power of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel.  And, as I started with from the quote from Dr. Frase, Dad’s integrity motivates me.  I want to live a life of integrity, selflessness, humility, and virtue as he did.

Incidentally, Dad would be so uncomfortable with all the praise I’m giving him.  I can practically hear him saying, “Shine that limelight away from me.  Put it on God.”  But the Bible says to honor your father and your mother.  So for today, I’m honoring my father, Jerry Bauer.  He is a man who deserves to be honored, for many more reasons than I’m able to give today.  I often think of the words Dad said in his sign-off of his radio broadcast.  As I see the continued unexpected twists and turns in my own life, I hold on to these words.  He said, “God bless.  Keep your hand in His hand, and keep on keeping on.”

Kevin

Representing God...in Babylon? (part 1)

In a few short days and weeks, I will hit a milestone birthday: I will turn 40 years old.  As this big event has been approaching, I have found myself inspired by a character from the Bible, like never before.  I want to look at this individual with you; today will basically just be the introduction.  Check out these words:

“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and surrounded it with his army.  This happened during the third year that Jehoiakin was king of Judah.  The Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to defeat Jehoiakim king of Judah.  Nebuchadnezzar took all the dishes and other things from God’s Temple and carried them to Babylon.  He put those things in the temple of his gods.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, the man in charge of his officials, to bring some of the boys into the palace to train them…he told Ashpenaz to teach these young men the language and writings of the Chaldeans.  King Nebuchadnezzar…wanted them to be trained for three years.  After that they would be servants of the king of Babylon.  Among those young men were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the tribe of Judah” (Daniel 1:1-6; ERV).

Daniel and his friend’s lives were changed when Nebuchadnezzar came in and defeated the king of Judah.  They were taken from their familiar surroundings and suddenly found themselves in a pagan nation.  But did you notice that the text says: “The Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to defeat Jehoiokim king of Judah” (verse 2)?  Nothing happened to Daniel and his three friends by accident or luck; surprisingly, it was all a part of God’s plan. 

How about you?  Has God allowed something into your life that you never would have expected?  Of course we can all point to 2020 and the covid-19 saga, but we all want to move forward from that.  Furthermore, I continue to learn that there always seems to be another crisis on the horizon.  Perhaps a new crisis has entered your life and it has disrupted your entire way of life.  Maybe you lost your health and physical strength.  If you were to ask me, I can emphatically state that God seems to consistently allow new challenges in my life.  It keeps me off balance, but it is one exciting ride!    

For the next few blogs, I want to delve deeper into Daniel chapter 1.  But for today, let me submit this important truth: God will allow events into our lives that leave us perplexed.  For Daniel and company, it was being yanked out of their country and thrown into Babylon, a country that wasn’t just foreign to them; the inhabitants worshipped pagan gods.  Talk about a culture shock!  What’s more, verse 5 tells us that they were expected to enter into a three-year training program in Babylonian literature and then ultimately serve the king. 

Despite all this, Daniel knew something that I confess I have to be continually reminded of myself: God’s will and plan for my life is infinitely better than anything I could ever dream up on my own.  But, as we will see, Daniel doesn’t just survive in this new life, he thrives!  The fact is while Daniel was in Babylon, he was not of Babylon.  He never lost his faith and trust in God.  As I said earlier, Daniel’s example inspires me.  As my 40th birthday approaches, I want to trust in God, no matter what unexpected life circumstance occurs, just as Daniel did. 

Kevin