March 3, 2008

Reggae

Two nights ago I was attending my dear friend Tim's birthday party. Tim is the guitarist for Anchordown. I met a woman attending the party, who told me over chips and dip that reggae music makes her "happy". As she said the word "happy", she put her hand out. Laying it flat she swept it across the space between us as if she was petting the back of an imaginary dog.

Last night, Anchordown led worship with my favorite gathering, Living Stones. After the 5pm service, a man approached me and said;

"I finally bought an Anchordown CD, and it's been in my truck for the last 2 weeks. I know you probably wonder whether what you do has any effect, but I wanted to tell you that every time I listen to your album, God brings me back down, back to where I need to be."

As he said that last phrase, he put his hand out. Laying it flat he swept it across the space between us, as if petting an imaginary dog.

His kind remarks were deeply affirming, and yes I do wonder those things. I didn't realize it at the time, but his words would stay with me the rest of the evening. It's a statement that sounds weird, and the two options are certainly not mutually exclusive, but I think I would rather have God bring me to where I need to be, than be "happy".

The deepest happiness (or joy as I prefer to use) is found in and through Him (Romans 5:1-3). Reggae or rock, merely 2 options out of millions including polka, mowing the lawn, and feeding the hungry, can only be means by which God authors that connection with Him, thus causing joy. I guess that makes sense, because human happiness, blades of grass, as well as music, were His original ideas.

DZ

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