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Are You Listening?

                Sometimes, you get good reminders in the strangest places.
This past Friday night, Sara and I attended the Estevan Arts Council’s Stars for Saskatchewan concert featuring Canadian singer, song writer Luke McMaster. 
Though McMaster was raised in Brandon, Manitoba, he loves the sound of Motown and his latest project has him visiting, interviewing and recording with singers and song writers from that era.  As part of his show, he shared a video clip of his interview with Lamont Dozier who worked the “The Four Tops” and “The Supremes” among others.  If you have ever listened to this type of music, chances are you have heard a song written by him.
At one point, McMaster asked Dozier, “How is it that you are still writing music?  You are seventy-seven years old and have been writing for sixty years.  How do you keep coming up with new ideas?” 
I loved his answer! 
This is not an exact quote, but the idea was something like, “Luke, music is all around me.  I hear it in the beat of the windshield wipers on my car.  There is music in the wind blowing through the trees.  I hear it in people’s laughter.  I am not really creating music.  I am just listening and writing it down”.
That made me think about Colossians 2:6-7 which says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”. 
Do you see the parallel?
Just as Lamont Dozier said that he is surrounded by music, Paul says that we are to be surrounded by God and his presence.  The gift of Christ is not a temporary or one-time event.  Rather, we are to be rooted and built up in our faith.  Then, when that good news surrounds us all the time, we overflow with thankfulness!  Even when trouble comes, which it will, “We do not lose heart… For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17).
Paul was living in, looking for and listening to Christ and, because of that, his life overflowed with thanksgiving, joy and hope.
Life has troubles and, if you focus on them, they will drag you down. 
However, life is also full of blessings for which we can be grateful.  Beyond all of this, we have an eternal hope and home waiting for us.
Can you hear God’s joyful music?

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