rhythm

Quick Question: What’s the difference between noise and music?

I realize that’s a subjective question, and each person will answer it in their own way. Typically, people from similar generations with similar cultural experiences have similar taste in music. Usually, we determine the “soundtrack of our lives” when we are young. If we had older siblings, our tastes may skew a little older. However, for the most part, we all think our generation had the best music EVER!

If you were a teenager in the:

50’s - Elvis, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry

60’s - The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix

70’s - Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin

80’s - Queen, Michael Jackson, Guns N’ Roses

90’s - Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Tupac

00’s - Eminem, Beyonce, Green Day

I think that’s natural, even though I have learned to appreciate a variety of musical genres spanning across generational boundaries.

So let me ask one more question: How do we ensure that our lives are more like music than noise?

The way in which you live and love has a certain rhythm to it. The new year is a good time to think about that rhythm. Ruth Haley Barton, notes that, “I cannot transform myself, or anyone else for that matter. What I can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place, by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep me open and available to God.”

What would it look like to develop a rhythm of worshiping, learning, giving, serving, praying, living missionally in this New Year? Don’t be afraid to tweak the things that are off key. Don’t be afraid to incorporate a new sound [MORE COWBELL]. Perhaps in the process of seeing our lives as the rough draft of a song we will realize we have the opportunity to create something beautiful.