LS029 - The Road Ahead

Hello everyone!

My last devotional post really got me thinking about a lot of issues I've walked through since leaving !Audacious and most of them were, as I've said already, related to the damage being at a place like that was actually doing to me.

I don't belong there anymore so it's time for me to continue to fix my eyes on the road ahead towards the destiny for which Christ is calling me onwards...

Off the Scale #35 - Brandenburg Concerto Number 4 by J.S. Bach

Hello everyone!

Welcome to "Off the Scale" a series where I aim to unveil and celebrate the most inspiring and uplifting classical music pieces of the last several centuries with a view to connect some of you up with it. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do because it's going to be around, hopefully, for a good long while yet.

Today is week four of my J.S. Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto" celebration and it is the turn of concerto number 4...

LS028 - Leaving the Past Behind

I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above.

Philippians 3:12-14 (GNB) emphasis mine

Greetings!

Today, I want to take a slightly left-field approach compared to recent posts as I have some stuff I want to get off my chest and I don't really have anybody to talk to about it so let's see what happens, shall we?

I recently admitted to having flaws (I know, I know, shock horror right?!), one in particular is my stinging nettle and that is sometimes, I fail to control my tongue in the manner that I would like. I am realising, over time, that though I will never be responsible for how somebody takes what I say to them, I will still be responsible for how I say it in the first place.

This has caused me problems and led me to a point where I realised the truth that some people in my life were beginning to be a negative influence upon me...

Off the Scale #34 - Brandenburg Concerto Number 3 by J.S. Bach

Hello everyone!

Welcome to "Off the Scale" a series where I aim to unveil and celebrate the most inspiring and uplifting classical music pieces of the last several centuries with a view to connect some of you up with it. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do because it's going to be around, hopefully, for a good long while yet.

Today is week three of my J.S. Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto" celebration and it is the turn of concerto number 3...

LS027a - The Way Everlasting II - To Raise a Higher Standard

Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139:23-24 (GNB)

Hello everyone!

Last time I looked at what it meant to live in the everlasting way and came to the conclusion that I'm sure we can all agree on; that we cannot run our lives ourselves because we don't live our lives mistake-free.

This time, I want to bring my emphasis back onto the verses I've chosen for this series of posts, Psalm 139:23-24...

LS027a - The Way Everlasting I - Commandments Ten, Man Zero

Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139:23-24 (GNB)

Hello everyone,

Today I'm going to be looking at what it means, to me, to follow in the way everlasting, or God's way.

I am hoping that, over recent weeks, I have helped answer some questions that you may have had about Christianity as I seek to bring light to subjects that are often misunderstood and as a result can give you the wrong impression about why faith is such an important part of my journey.

First up, I'm going to take a look at what it means to walk in the way everlasting...

Off the Scale #33 - Brandenburg Concerto Number 2 by J.S. Bach

Hello everyone!

Welcome to "Off the Scale" a series where I aim to unveil and celebrate the most inspiring and uplifting classical music pieces of the last several centuries with a view to connect some of you up with it. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do because it's going to be around, hopefully, for a good long while yet.

Today is week two of my J.S. Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto" celebration and it is the turn of concerto number 2...

LS026b - The God of Mary or the God of Martha?

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

Hello everyone,

Last time I raised the question over what sort of life we are called to live if we say we believe in Christ. I looked at the example of Mary and Martha and put forth the idea that, sometimes, we can get obsessed with details when God just simply wants us to live a life of simplified, child-like trust in Him. I hope I have challenged your perspective as that is all I am trying to do, whether you are a Christian or not. I am simply trying to raise some questions that hopefully inspire you to seek Jesus as the answer.

This time, it's the turn of those Mary-types of people. You know, the ones who are content to trust in a higher authority and rest and relax knowing that everything, no matter how chaotic, is still under control.

Off the Scale #32 - Brandenburg Concerto Number 1 by J.S. Bach

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the latest instalment of my "Off the Scale" classical series where I celebrate all things classical music. From composers, to music that has inspired me over the last ten plus years, I aim to do my part for classical music to ensure that it is never a dying breed.

Today, I'm starting off a series on J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto and, given that the entire piece is well over an hour long, I'm going to break it apart and celebrate it in its entirety...

LS026a - The God of Mary or the God of Martha?

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I last did an article so I thought I would start by asking you what you think of when I say the word "Christianity" to you.

Do you think of rules? Regulations? Pews?

What if I told you that there was another way to live? God's way that leads to freedom and to life eternal...

Off the Scale #31 - George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

Hey everyone!

The "Off the Scale" machine rolls ever onward today as we look at a piece that, at the time, confused the scene as it was an attempt to fuse the rhythms of piano and jazz band together to form what became known as "Rhapsody in Blue".

I picked this up from a Leonard Bernstein CD I purchased earlier this year and, as promised back in episode 2, I've finally got around to dedicating an episode to this enthusiastic and enervating jazz/classical fusion piece.

Enjoy...