music

ToTheCall™ Is UNSTOPPABLE, God Has a PLAN

Our years together as husband and wife, father and mother have brought us to this place of being prepared for a mighty work which God desires to do through us – and this work includes YOU – because Jesus had you in mind too when He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane that “those who the Father had given Him would be ONE just as He and God are One”. ALL the Body of Christ functioning properly is when His Light Shines Brightest and His Love effects Greatest.

Steve and I are also musicians, song-writers, arrangers of music and singers. We had one plan with our music, but as we gained more understanding about Not Divided™, we began to see our music being directed in a different way! We have accepted His call gladly – and we know that the word of God does not come back to Him without accomplishing what He has spoken, therefore if we fail to accept and follow His Plan, He will give another this privilege. As each passing day brings us closer to the October tenth Event, our understanding grows clearer that this must be a move of the Holy Spirit and not something that we contrive and control. So as scripture instructs, we “… labor to enter into the rest that God has for His people, ceasing from our own works… to allow … the Lord of the Sabbath to work… because that is where He works – in our place of ‘Resting in Him”.

What this refers to is PRAYER, INTERCESSION and SURRENDER to the leading of the Holy Spirit for surely God MOVES in and through His Willing and Obedient children/people. We are not to strive nor demand but to “let” Him have His way so that His Spirit can produce Life.

Steve and I have had many years of learning how to fine tune to His voice and to prove Him. Like anyone, we sometimes do not know if we have really heard God and that is when we keep seeking Him and, in some instances, we go ahead and take FAITH STEPS. Without faith, we know we cannot please God. He delights in our willingness to trust Him with our lives! 

Although Steve was raised in Taiwan and myself in Southern Texas, we met and married in Memphis TN, my birth city and state. I had returned there for only a short time and the same was true with him! Except for God, our paths never would have crossed. This fact and so many more have shown us the Divine Hand of God over His Creation. He is always working His Master Plan. 

I sought all my life for that perfect place of belonging and doing but never felt I had found it until – Not Divided™ was revealed to me, then to Steve, and again to me, the second time a more complete picture of the call appeared. 

We know now, it is clear that God is doing this work, using us… and YOU if you will accept His Call; together, Let’s do this!

Long Island Tea

I was playing at a Sheraton Hotel one afternoon when a friendly guest decided to buy me a drink.

“Do you like Long Island tea”? He asked.

“I love tea.” I replied.

So the kind guest made his way over to the bar and placed an order.

Eager to enjoy a refreshing few moments with my drink, I finished the number and took a break making my own way over to the bar to ask for my complimentary tea.

Joel, the bartender, explained he’d be with me in a couple of minutes that he was finishing up on the Long Island Tea for the guest.

“Oh, the tea is for me.” I proudly announced.

Suddenly Joel stopped everything, and gazed toward me with a stunned expression.

“This is for you?” he questioned.

“Yes. The guest bought it for me.”

Now I was the one gazing puzzled as Joel quickly hurled around, grabbing the Long Island, he rushed it over to a secluded section of the counter and picked up a fresh tall glass and began to remake the Long Island – only this time without any alcohol!

Handing it to me he carefully instructed, “Now sip this real slowly. Do NOT gulp it down fast! I didn’t know the Long Island was ordered for you. If you consumed a real Long Island – you would be laying out on the floor right afterwards!”

It happens that Joel knew I wasn’t a drinker – that is, I don’t drink alcoholic beverages. I suppose my customers and potential customers should appreciate that I do not drink since in my profession I am often in places where alcohol is served. I might be like some musicians I’ve seen who can hardly play because they get so ‘tipsy’. Personally, I am more interested in customer satisfaction than in drinking. As for enjoying myself, I always do that! Most of the time my customers are courteous and friendly and make me feel like I fit right in. I think it works both ways… they feel relaxed with me.

To conclude, I learned that a Long Island Tea is definitely not tea! Someone said, “Think of a Long Island Tea as a small shot of 5 white spirits.” It has a higher proportion of alcohol than many other mixed drinks, so for a non-drinker… just imagine – this pianist would have been out for the rest of the day… and night – had the bartender not known or cared that the drink was for me! I am particularly thankful that he was not a practical joker. Imagine the laughs he could have won for himself had he decided to keep quiet and give me the drink as ordered.

Instead he instructed me to ‘hush’ because he could have been in a lot of trouble for giving me a drink with no alcohol when the customer paid for a very strong drink – to be precise, containing: triple sec, light rum, gin, vodka and tequila!

I took my tea, and sipped it very slowly, nodding a “Thank you” to the gentleman who made it all possible, the hotel guest… and Joel enjoyed a refreshing Long Island Tea… compliments of himself.

Copyright © 2008 LifeLite ® | No files may be copied without permission.

Feline Pianist, Jeremy Cat

I wasn’t fond of cats when I met and married my wife. Something she needed to learn was – no cats! She didn’t learn, rather, I was the one who learned and became fond of our little feline children when I realized they are smart and have interesting personalities, to say the least. I learned they are interesting creatures and I sometimes wish I could probe into their little minds when they give those cat eyes as if to say, “Oh yeah, says who?” just so you know who’s really boss. Of course, I really am the boss – when my wife and the cat decide so! Don’t tell them, but when I decide so!

The life span of a cat is much less than of people, so as you can imagine, I have now been the … well, I guess I’ll say it – proud dad of a few felines through the 32 years of marriage to my wife, who always had cats when she was growing up, so she is very fond of them. Let it be clear, however, I do have my two dogs which take me for a morning stroll up my long, long driveway each day, bright and early. The cat isn’t much into that, although my wife pulled a fast one on me and took our cat to the beach with us recently to my family reunion! She actually wore a leash (the cat, not my wife) and walked around!

Jeremy was a big member of our family for a few years. He had been de-clawed and it was planned for him to be an indoor cat, but he had other ideas – he loved the outdoors. He could climb a tree as good as any cat!

   One night I was doing one of my favorite things, playing the piano, only I was playing a keyboard because it had a built-in recorder and I was recording a song.

   We had noticed that Jeremy had an interest in piano and had seen him slip up on the piano bench and paw around on the keys. We knew he had potential because he wasn’t like other cats who tried to be like Jerry Lee, with their feet, walking up and down on the keys – no, Jeremy was more into classical and jazz, this was a given, seeing his approach. He stayed firm on the piano bench with his hind feet and raised up holding his front paws in proper position moving smoothly across the piano keys. Whenever I left a music book up, Jeremy tried to read the music. You can see this by observing him in his picture.

I was well into my recording this particular night, all was going well, no mistakes, it would be a take! Then into the room walks Jeremy. He made his way across the floor and before I could give any thought, He jumped up, almost like a basketball player leaping in the air, and throwing out his paw he slapped down on a couple of keys, playing them one after the other, not together – just in the proper beat and right at the perfect timing playing his part in sync with me! It was a take! I could no longer claim full credit for the song – now Jeremy had to be included on the label with me as co-recording artist!

The news got out… as told by my wife… and the story hit the local newspaper … Jeremy made the front page of the PETS section, of course – he was an overnight STAR!

This was the only recording Jeremy made, after his big thrill, he retired to more ‘catly’ things, like hunting and climbing trees. He’d had his one big recording success and apparently that was all he needed. Every now and then we’d see him climb back on the piano bench and dabble around, but he must have decided he’d leave the serious playing to me because he didn’t pursue music much farther. But then, that’s what I’d expect of a cat! We still loved him all the same even though he decided to be less ambitious – he was, after all, a feline, though he thought he was human. Sometimes, to us, he was, I’d say.

Copyright © 2008 LifeLite ® | No files may be copied without permission.