"Save Me From Myself!"

Have you ever heard this painful desperate cry for help? I have- all too many times. And it comes from me. From my mouth. From my mind. From my heart. Many times, I do and speak and think in ways that do not honor God or show Him that I am truly following his commandments. Are you like me? Do you struggle with treating people well or speaking kindly? Do you struggle with lust, greed, envy, addiction, rebellion, or pride? (Don't these all sound like cable television channels that reinforce and event celebrate the bad side of human nature?) With that in mind, the following comments are for those who claim to be followers of Jesus...

In the Bible's letters to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul's list of what breaks God's heart and what is against His commands is fairly inclusive. If we want to call ourselves Christians (those who are trying to be Christlike and following Him), faith in Him as well as striving to live a life of purity is necessary. Remember, it's an exchange: He gave his life for us- we give Him our lives in return. Living in a godly manner brings him glory. 

There's a better way! 

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18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. 

21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, 27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 29 They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.

There is hope in Jesus!

The words of the Apostle Paul sting! Those who are believers in Jesus Christ the King (like me) fall short of His Holiness every day. Where is my hope? And where is there hope for those people who do not know Him yet? This list means it is impossible to please God by our own strength. And that's the point. And it directs us to God for salvation and hope. Look earlier in the chapter at verses 16 and 17:


"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.”

What is the Gospel? It's the Good News that Jesus came to the earth in human form to pay the price for our sins. Those who believe that He died and was resurrected, who trust in Him for the forgiveness of their sins, will be saved from an eternity in Hell and instead will enjoy Him in Heaven forever. This message is truly good news! It doesn't matter what you've done in the past- or what you struggle against presently. This gift is God's offer to you - because He knows a perfect and sinless life is not possible.

Don't give up!

Perhaps my sin may be different than your sin. The consequences of our choices may even be different, but God sees them all as actions, words, and thoughts that separate us from Him. So... before you judge me or focus on my sin (and before I judge you and single you out for yours), let's take a moment to read the words above from Paul and celebrate God's heart of love for us! It can be a long, hard struggle to live in a way that pleases God. It will not always be this difficult. Being a Christ follower will and should involve sacrifice of choosing His way versus ours- but the eternal gifts are worth the temporary struggle we have. Keep fighting, and ask Him to give you the strength you need!

(Top Photo from Freepik.com)

The Voice Loses in the New Season

I love NBC's "The Voice". Yet, the opener for this season lacks in so many ways. 

Blake Shelton and Adam Levine are back, bringing the show its original spark of bromance and wise old sage advice for hopefuls wanting to make it big in the world of music. They each continue to charm contestants, viewers, and each other.

Newcomers to the chairs bring much less than those who came before. Gwen Stefani seems totally lost. Pharrell Williams is monotone and boring, not at all like the recordings he produces. Even the opening musical number, the superstar performance, left me wanting more. Perhaps both coaches will shine in later episodes when they actually get to direct and inspire their team members, but for now, the show suffers compared to its best seasons with Usher and Shakira joining Adam and Blake. Even the singers themselves are less interesting. Perhaps its time to give American Idol another chance.

Missing Miss Whitney

Wrapping up this season's reality vocal competitions makes me think of what a tremendous loss it is to no longer have Whitney Houston with us. Sure, her life ended poorly, but I find when I watch shows like The Voice and American Idol, I find myself looking for the next version of her. And that will never be.

Mariah Carey sings wonderfully, and Christina Aguilera is a powerhouse, but something is missing when I compare both of them to a young and talented Whitney. There's a charm and wit that she had that cannot be duplicated. And when you put Whitney in front of the camera, she sparkled without having to be blatantly sexual. It had a mesmerizing effect on me... and it still does.

Whether it was I Will Always Love You, I Believe in You and Me or I have Nothing, (three of my favorites), Whitney was believable. If she was just a very good actress, well, she convinced me. Her latter years were filled with mostly mediocre material and relatively poor vocal abilities, yet nonetheless, Whitney will always be firmly implanted in my mind as she was at her peak. Rest in peace, Miss Whitney.

The Voice's One to Beat

James Wolpert showed incredible chops and finesse doing Queen's great Somebody to Love, but it is Jacquie Lee that's the one to beat.    

Her incredible version of the Jackson5's classic Who's Lovin' You - wow- nothing short of stellar. Sets her apart for The Voice crown.

Lovin' The Voice

As a long time American Idol fan, I have to say that The Voice hits all the right notes. The nicer than last season Christina Aguilera still annoys me at times, and the talented Mr. Green's antics with the ladies are just creepy, but the constant bickering between bromancers Blake Shelton and Maroon 5's Adam Levine make for interesting television. Ultimately, the main gimmick does not tire out, and the contestants themselves are the real reason for watching. Talented and gutsy. It's competitive reality television at its best.

(Photograph copyright NBC/The Voice.)

They've Got the Moves Like Jagger

Another smash hit in a long list of hits, another guilty pleasure from Maroon5.

Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera come together for what could be the catchiest song since Katy Perry's California Gurls. Adam's sinewy voice slides up and down the scales backed by the most tasty ear candy whistling hook ever recorded. Just when you think you've got the bulk of the song and know where its headed, Christina jumps it and adds the grit. Wish there was an alternate version without the admittedly minor four letter word. I won't buy it because of this- until its edited, but I gotta say, the song's terrific.

The Voice Takes on American Idol

Just browsing through the selection of television shows the other night, and I happened upon The Voice. What a great surprise!While I expected this to be a slight variation of American Idol, this is actually something very, very different.The judges are actually the coaches as well.

The kicker is those auditioning do so without the judges being able to see who is competing. Brings the competition into a whole new arena. It's quite fun, especially when the judges turn around to see the contestant for the first time. Sometimes, they just cannot hide the shock on their faces when the voice doesn't match what the mind imagines.

Nowadays, a video friendly persona is a must, but it wasn't always that way. Back in the 1970's, artists were judged more on their craft than their appearance. Case in point: Karen and Richard Carpenter.

Over at A&M Corner, where many Carpenters fan congregate, there's always some sort of discussion about the poor image representation of Karen and Richard, their less than stellar album covers, and their fairly cheesy videos. It wasn't until late in their career that A&M Records executives finally understood how to market them. But back to The Voice...

All four judges/coaches, Adam Levine- the lead singer with Maroon 5, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, and the always flamboyant Christina Aguilera, make for an intriguing team. Each brings wit, charm, enthusiasm, and in Cee Lo's case, a bit of raunch to the proceedings. (Why does it feel as if he hits on each of the female contestants? Is he trying to teach them it may take some moral compromise to get to the top?)

Adam- who has one of my favorite modern voices- comes across as very sweet and kind, while is Christina everyman's best friend. Blake Shelton, on the other hand, seems like the savvy music executive with a heart of gold. Always supportive but ready to make the right choice, showing great restraint in his selections. Think Idol's Simon Cowell without the bite. It's a nice change of pace.

Each judge builds a team of eight and the competition continues on from there. Lots of talent here and an very pleasant way to spend an hour. Sidenote: keep an eye on one of Adam's picks, Javier Colon. Not only is he an established recording artist, his October Sky duet with Vanessa Williams is an amazingly beautiful composition of his.

Once you check the show out, you may be hooked. The Voice has it all. I know I'll be watching each week!

Christina Going Bionic

Love her, hate her, or tolerate her, former Mouseketeer Miss Christina Aguilera has a great voice. I keep hoping she'll do something with a bit more class than acting like the slut next door. Doesn't seem like the new album will fit the bill. Maybe next time, next year.