I had studied a
"Nashville Songwriting" handbook to learn that every song has got
some pattern to it, for example: intro, verse,
verse, chorus, solo, verse, chorus, tag. Armed with this I could creatively
orchestrate my own percussion contributions so as to play one rhythm for the
verse and another rhythm for the chorus, perhaps substituting a shaker for the
drum during the chorus, perhaps hitting a bell somewhere else, etc.
I would even take
the time to document all of my parts for each song on sheet music that I would
later display on stage with me on a music stand, sometimes to the amazement of
my band mates - percussion parts are simple and repetitive who needs sheet music?
The band was called
Divas and Cavaliers and there my brother Marc and I were again, just another
cover band for hire, among hundreds of others.
Playing somewhere in Spicewood, Texas one summer evening during 2009, there
came to the floor a young lady along with her aged companion, a physically handicapped man, could have been a
father daughter combination, to dance, perhaps for the last time, to one such
song, a song where I had worked out all of the parts in advance. Small parts, seemingly insignificant parts,
but at that moment, parts contributing to a something far greater than what I
could have ever imagined, a divine dance, the goodness of God made manifest.
"God desires
man to flourish, to become who he is meant to be by sharing in the divine
life" writes Bishop Robert Barron in his study book on Catholicism (http://www.wordonfire.org/). "Yet this requires humility and a
receptive spirit on the part of man."
Finally, after years
of practice, late night excursions, multitudes of shows and gigs I had
experienced something meaningful, the million dollar payoff; a moment of depth, the epiphany that made the whole pursuit worthwhile.
Here's my contribution Lord Jesus, perhaps meager, a
little effort, but just like the two fish that you turned into 5000 meals, I'm
confident that my small efforts will be magnified into something meaningful and
for your greater glory.
Our work, our
efforts, it's not for God - God doesn't need it, nothing can be added to God; God does not exist in parts and pieces, God is
everywhere all at once - omnipresent, THE source of all goodness and love.
It's really for you
and me, each an orchestrator of our own life before God, tasked to make our own
music with beats that will reciprocate our love back to God because God so
loved us first.
My brothers and
sisters in Jesus Christ I pray that in your life too, the beat goes on.
 |
| D&C on the outdoor stage at Angel's Ice House, Spicewood, TX, Summer 2009 |
