My Idea of a Joyful Noise - Bruce Atchison

I'll admit it up front. I'm not a good musician. Even so, I had fun dabbling in electronic and experimental music. 

I must have done something right because program hosts in Moscow, Warsaw, Trondheim, and Paris figured my music was good enough to air. Even the CBC played one of my compositions and paid me a hefty royalty cheque.

Though my keyboard skills aren't up to professional standard, I worked diligently on each piece. I layered each instrument's sound on my multi-track machine in the way I felt worked best.

I also made chrome cassette copies of my music from the mix VHS tape. I could have skimped on the quality by using regular cassettes but I wanted the clearest sound possible. When I bought a new computer with a CD-R burner, I made my own disks for sale and to send to radio stations.

The Apostle Paul certainly understood the value of making use of our talents. Romans 12:6-8 (Bible in Basic English) does encourage us to use our talents. "And having different qualities by reason of the grace given to us, such as the quality of a prophet, let it be made use of in relation to the measure of our faith; Or the position of a Deacon of the church, let a man give himself to it; or he who has the power of teaching, let him make use of it; He who has the power of comforting, let him do so; he who gives, let him give freely; he who has the power of ruling, let him do it with a serious mind; he who has mercy on others, let it be with joy."

And as Proverbs 11:27 (BBE) says, "He who, with all his heart, goes after what is good is searching for grace; but he who is looking for trouble will get it.

Now some might say that my music was a vain waste of time. Even so, I knew that God used my compositions to bring disparate non Christians into my life. And as Isaiah 55:2 (BBE) says, so I modeled good Christian conduct in the hope it brought folks to salvation. "Why do you give your money for what is not bread, and the fruit of your work for what will not give you pleasure? Give ear to me, so that your food may be good, and you may have the best in full measure."

Even today, my music videos are on YouTube for all to see and hear.

A City of Lights by Susan Barclay

Partway through this year I discovered that the United Nations had designated 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light Based Technologies. According to Wikipedia, the observance  "aims to raise awareness of the achievements of light science and its applications, and its importance to humankind."

Did anyone else know about this?

There are a few ironies here: 

1. The proposal for the International Year of Light (IYL) was made in Paris, "the city of lights," in 2012.

2. The IYL launched in Paris on January 19, 2015, just 12 days after the Charlie Hebdo attack.

3. One of the launch activities was the unveiling of "the world of Ibnal-Haytham," an Arab scientist who lived from 965 B.C. to 1040 A.D.

4. Paris experienced a second terrorist attack in 2015 on November 13.

5. From the standpoint of world events, 2015 has been anything but a year of light. Boko Haram and ISIS are just two examples of a greater darkness into which humankind seems to have plunged. For more on the events that took place this year, I recommend visiting InfoPlease.

I administer a private Facebook group called 'Light.' This is a group where members can encourage one another and discuss living as salt and light in a world that seems to have lost its flavour and to prefer darkness. If you are interested in joining, let me know and I'll invite you. Just a few days ago, I posted 'Here I Am to Worship,' a song that begins with the words, 'Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness...' I'm so thankful that He did, and that God has not yet removed His Holy Spirit from the earth.

Sometimes I find myself singing the old hymn, 'Let the Beauty of Jesus be Seen in Me'. Sometimes I've sickened myself because it has come out of my mouth on the heels of unChristlike behaviour. Only as I'm writing this today do I realize and accept that this is exactly the reminder I need at such times. 

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

All his wonderful passion and purity

O Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

As Christian writers we need to examine our hearts and motives around writing. What do we hope to accomplish? Do we have a message we want to share with readers? Do we want to connect? Are we looking for personal glorification or to glorify God? Our answers to these questions are important, so be honest. If you need to, ask God to give you a clean heart.

I like the chorus of Francesca Battistelli's 'He Knows My Name,' which goes (in part) 

I don't need my name in lights

I'm famous in my Father's eyes

Make no mistake/He knows my name

Friends, the battle between light and darkness is ongoing, within and without. In the end, Jesus wins. Let's let His light shine through us like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).

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For my website, please visit www.susanbarclay.wordpress.com