The Worst Birthday Song...EVER!

So, I have a double treat for y'all.

First of all, here's the link to a site that will show you what song was #1 on the pop charts when you were born.

http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/member/birthdayno1.php

It's pretty fun to see what the obstetric nurses were probably singing to me and the other babies in the hospital nursery.

And, that brings me to the second part of the fun. It turns out that the #1 song when I was born was "Rapture" by Blondie. Now, until this moment, I had never heard this song. Boy, is it a WINNER! Do you catch the sarcasm? I hope so. Fortunate for y'all, there's actually a copy of the music video on YouTube!!! And, so, for your listening and viewing pleasure, here's "Rapture"--quite possibly the most wretched song to reach #1 in the history of all music. The only consolation is that now I know who to blame for all the "sing-rapping" that we're hearing these days from Fergie and Gwen Stefani, among others. It's Debbie Harry!!!

Anyway, enjoy! :D

Shameless Plug

I like listening to music while I'm working, but I've gotta say that I'm pretty fickle about it. One minute, I want pop music; the next, I want classical. Then, it's jazz. And classic R&B. My music tastes tend to jump around. ;)

Well, the other day I was searching for some Internet redio that played Christmas music, and I came across www.accuradio.com. Yes, they definitely had Christmas music...29 different playlists of it!!! And, that underscores the diversity they have in all types of music. They have a sub-channel dedicated just to "women of soul." Then, there's the sub-channel dedicated just to "country duets." Not to mention the sub-channel that only plays music by Scottish artists. Or the sub-channel that only plays comedy tracks from the 70's and 80's.

So, no matter how diverse or specific your music tastes are, Accuradio has you covered. Go check it out!

(Trey has not and will not receive any compensation for his remarks made in this post. He is not employed or affiliated with Accuradio.com or its parent companies.)

Gratitude

By Nichole Nordeman

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view
If no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
Everything we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessd beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace ...

But, Jesus, would You please ...

Is it me that I see?

I know the grammar for the title is incorrect, but it wouldn't rhyme if I said "Is it I that I see?" If lyricists can take that liberty all the time, so can I. :)

My Bible Study group is about to start a study on Heaven, so I figured now would be a good time to talk about my most recent pondering about the celestial glories. :) To be honest, I don't think as much about Heaven as I do other topics, so I just have disjointed thoughts instead of well-developed ideas. The student that's forever in me is annoyed by that, but no big deal. You don't mind too much, do you? ;)

Have you ever thought about exactly how different a person you will be in Heaven? Sure, there will be no more sin, which will make us drastically different people. And we'll spend our time worshipping God, which will certainly (and unfortunately) mark a big change in my daily routine.

But what about things like personality? Will we have the same personality? The reason I ask is because I realized today that things like cynicism won't be in Heaven. Along with that, there will be no need for skepticism or pessimism, and even the notion of "realism" will be turned on its ear. My whole personality will be shot! ;) All these personality traits are mechanisms of carefulness--ways of protecting ourselves from various types of harm. And without the potential for harm, there's no need to be protected from it. In its place will be a freedom from concern, of sorts. I don't know about y'all, but having freedom from being concerned about what might happen will be a huge burden lifted from me. There won't be a need for figuring out people's true intentions or for developing contingency plans. It will all have the resemblance of innocence...but along with wisdom. What an amazing combination!

Alright, so, thank God that, in Heaven, the dark clouds from our personalities will be lifted. But, here's another mindbender. With no dark clouds, will there be a need for silver linings either? Like, take hope as an example. Hope is an emotion that connects the present and the future; it's the potential for improvement. Well, if the present is as good as it could be, then there's nothing to hope for, is there?

It's all a lot to think about, but I like the fact that I can't figure out Heaven. Its mystery makes it seem so much more "of God" in my mind, and when I think about spending eternity somewhere, I want it to be the most "of God" place I can envision.