The music business is cutthroat.  When I worked in the concert sound business, I once arranged for someone I knew to get hired into a very sweet deal, an annual contract that paid well.  Once he had the gig, he turned around and arranged for my company to be replaced.  When I confronted him, he said, “Hey, it’s just business!”  Just business…  dirty business.  But he was right: it was the way business in that field is conducted.  It also far too often, is the way life seems to work.  That’s why knuckles get broken.  But there is a better way than fists to respond, discovered and written down over 3000 years ago in Psalm 37.  Here it is, with my paraphrase and comments interspersed:

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;   
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.   (Psalm 37:1-2)

[Yes, he ripped you off, but don’t sweat it.  You don’t want to take the path he is heading down.  Instead, keep your eye on long term results, not the immediate perks that sometimes come to those who do wrong.]

To which you may be grumbling, “I don’t want to be a sap who is taken advantage of. Why should I always wind up with the fuzzy end of the lollipop?”  The answer is because it works better!   David continues:

Trust in the LORD, and do good; 

[No matter the circumstances, act out your confidence that God has not lied to you.  Even Jesus went peacefully and confidently to the cross, trusting in His Father, Who had said, “vengeance is mine.”  Do the right thing, even when others seem to prosper by trampling morality.]

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  

[Settle in and appreciate the circumstances into which God has you placed.  Unpack your bags and get comfortable there.  Get to know the character called faithfulness.  Become a good friend and let him rub off on all you do.]

Delight yourself in the LORD, 

[Instead of grudging obedience, find the thrill and joy of following God’s seemingly upside down, counter intuitive ways.]

Here’s the payoff:

and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.  (Psalm 37:3-5)

Simply put, do life God’s way and don’t sweat it.  In the long run, you’ll be very glad.

When the hotel fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night, it takes you a few moments to realize where you are and what you need to do.  Quickly!  Already the smoke is starting to seep from the elevator shaft.  Sensing heat, you turn away and rush to the nearest fire exit. Flames block your way.  Remembering another exit on the far end of the corridor, you turn around, knowing it is the only way out.

As you run, people emerging from their rooms are surging toward the elevators, unaware they are death traps. It is how they have always exited the hotel. Plus, since everyone is going that way they think it must be safe.  You try your best to turn them around.  Some listen; some don’t.  It is frustrating but you’ve done your best.

That is how Paul felt as he wrote these words:

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.  (Acts 20:26-27)

He knew how serious the “whole counsel” about Jesus was.  Jesus said it succinctly as He spoke these words to the most religious people of His day:

He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24)

Do Christians set your teeth on edge?  Read “The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller.  He gets it;  he knows how you feel and why. 

Here’s a link: 

Click here

Last year a shoe company hired some software geeks to develop an online catalog.  After the new catalog was up and running online, they discovered that every once in awhile, instead of a picture of fancy shoes, the program would display an image of raw meat.  Go figure…   In the world of software, stuff happens.

Since we opened the FREE AUDIOBOOK DOWNLOADS page, (See the MENU selection above or click HERE),  some of you have had difficulty downloading the file, especially the file designed for iPad and other iOS devices.  We have made a new link; please try again if you were unsuccessful.  

We are sorry for any inconvenience.  Our tests have worked well with this new link, but please let us know by replying below if you continute to have problems.

One detail that might be confusing, is that on some devices, it does not seem as though anything is happening for several minutes while the file downloads in the background.  This is a test of faith; do not be alarmed!

Also, for those of you who inquired about using Kindle, currently, the Kindle readers do not handle audio and will not work.  If that changes, we’ll post another link.

Happy New Year!  The folks at WordPress have just informed me that my readership has doubled over the past year and now includes people from 66 countries.  Yikes!  This is a brief shout out to you all, thanking you for tuning in.  If you feel like it, drop me a short note to tell me where you are reading from and what your situation is there.  Unless you give me permission to share your note, I’ll keep it private.  But I’m curious to know who you are, and what interests you.

And I’m glad to know you are there.

Gratefully,  Tom