Playing Poker… with God….

Had an idea for a Science Fiction story last night….
Just after midnight….

What if Chance did not exist…?
What if Random Chance… was not… and never had been… random…?
What if the appearance of randomness was caused by man’s particular place in the Universe…?
And… our point of view…?

Of course… I developed some mechanics for that….
That I won’t bore you with today….

I also came up with an illustration of what it might look like….

Firstly… let me define my assumptions….
God exists….
And… for God to exist… in any REAL sense… he must be everything that he defines himself to be….
Eternal….
Omnipresent….
Omniscient….
Omnipotent….
All-Loving….
All-Merciful….
Absolutely Just….
Majestic.
Holy.

And… his motivation… must center on Glorifying himself….
A secondary motivation… is the Salvation of Man… but only because that Glorifies God….

Oh, yeah….
And… God is Sovereign….

Now… imagine… you’re sitting across the table… playing poker… with God….
Dealer’s Choice….
Dealer rotates… just to make it fair….

Do you have any advantages…?

Well… God is Just… in an unfathomable way….
God is Holy….
God is NEVER going to cheat….
And… you… can….
Or… you can certainly try….
You probably will….
You probably have….

Take a moment to think about the mechanics of this… game….

God knows the cards you will be dealt… before they are dealt….
God DETERMINES the cards you are dealt… before they are dealt… no matter whether he deals… or you do….
God has in holds in his hands… at ALL times… all possible hands….
Which means he holds all possible winning hands….
Which means… that no matter what you hold… God trumps your cards….
Whether he chooses to show a winning hand… or chooses to show a hand that is less valuable than the cards you hold… is HIS Sovereign choice….
He may choose to allow you to “win”….
Allowing you to win… may lead you to believe… that the cards are being dealt… randomly….
That chance… and strategy… and knowledge… are leading to your winning hands….

How does letting you win Glorify God…?
Well, God displays his Mercy.
God displays his Love.
But… what about his Justice…? His Majesty…? Shouldn’t God have won?
He did.

For God… even poker is never a zero-sum game….
Just because you win… does NOT mean that God loses….
And… just because you lose… doesn’t mean that God wins….
God transcends the human concepts of winning and losing….
God transcends the human concept of luck.
God transcends the human concept of random chance….

So… if God exists… and he is Good… then why does he allow Evil to exist…?
Because he is Merciful….
Because he loves Evil people, too.
Because he offers Evil people an opportunity to repent.
Because… he is Just….
Because… God wants to make sure that Evil people have absolutely NO excuse… when they are Judged….
Because… God is Sovereign… and uses Evil people… and Evil acts… to bring about his Will… including Salvation….

God also uses seeming Randomness… and Chance… to Glorify himself….

How does Random Chance differ from Answered Prayer…?
Faith….

One word of advice….

If you are going to play poker with God….
Go All-In….
God LOVES that!

Ungodly Anger… Directed Towards God… Death… and Thanksgiving….: jonah 4.

Jonah 4 English Standard Version (ESV)
Jonah’s Anger and the Lord’s Compassion

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,[a] and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant[b] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.[c] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Footnotes:
[a] Jonah 4:1 Hebrew it was exceedingly evil to Jonah
[b] Jonah 4:6 Hebrew qiqayon, probably the castor oil plant; also verses 7, 9, 10
[c] Jonah 4:6 Or his evil

Can a Christian be angry at God…?
For something as petty as not getting what they want…?

Obviously… that answer is YES!!!

What is God’s response…?

God is steadfast in his Love….

Jonah acknowledges that… but STILL doesn’t GET it….

Jonah was so mad that he wanted God to take his life….

Jonah CLEARLY was not acting in Love.
Jonah was pitiful.
Jonah felt pity for himself.
Jonah even felt pity for the castor bean plant.
But he felt NO pity for the city of Nineveh… nor the 120,000 inhabitants… not counting women and children….

In perspective… Israel was the largest it had ever been at this time… and probably had around 250,000 men, women and children…. Pretty close the same number population….

In contrast… God was concerned about not on the men… the women… and the children… but also the cattle….

God demonstrated not only his dominion over ALL of his Creation… weather… water… giant fish… prophets… priests… kings… the Sun… the wind… castor bean plants… and even lowly worms….
But God also expresses his Love for ALL his Creation…. ALL life… is sacred….

Still… ALL things were Created by God to Glorify him… and only reach their ultimate purpose in their creation when they achieve that purpose….

ALL life is sacred… but life serves a defined purpose…. To Glorify God….

God is Lord over Death…. Because even Death… serves a purpose….

Death is appointed a time… in order to be subjugated to its purpose… which is also to Glorify God….

Jonah asked for God to take his life… but their is no Scriptural evidence that God fulfilled Jonah’s desire… because God seemed to still have plans for Jonah….

Again… Jonah reminds me of Job….
Job also asked God to take his life in Job 3…. But… God did not…. Because God was teaching Job…. And God had other plans….

Life is sacred to God. And… God is Sovereign…. God withheld Job’s life from Satan….

While I’m talking about Death… I’m going to throw out another passage… that I found during a VERY dark time in my life….
I was seriously contemplating how God can be Glorified… when Christians divorce….
God hates divorce…. Divorce is violence….
God states repeatedly that his purpose in Marriage… or Christian Marriage… is to raise up Godly Offspring….

In the midst of THAT… someone I HIGHLY respected… an advocate in the other camp… was dying….
And… I wondered… WHY???

I was angry… like Jonah… and I could not understand WHY God allowed… why God appointed… the events… and the people….

And then… I found… THIS:

Isaiah 57:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)
Israel’s Futile Idolatry

57 The righteous man perishes,
and no one lays it to heart;
devout men are taken away,
while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;
2 he enters into peace;
they rest in their beds
who walk in their uprightness.

Sometimes… God removes his Chosen from the fray… as a reward….
When their work is done….
When his Will is accomplished….

God is Sovereign….
God chastens his children….
But he doesn’t necessarily chase everyone….
Sometimes… God leaves people to their own devices….
To suffer the effects of their choices….
To allow their choices to chastise their flesh….
And… God removes his children from the difficult situation….

God prepares us for the battle he puts before us….

God does not promise any of us happiness….

Now… I’m going to backtrack a second….

Jonah was livid that God used him to deliver Salvation to the Assyrians….
Just imagine how some of us would feel if God sent some of the Mississippi National Guard over to the Middle East… and all of a sudden… because of their witness… ALL of ISIS… and ALL of Iran… were saved….

A WHOLE lot of people would be angry….
Would doubt their conversion….
Would be upset about some of their beliefs and practices….
And would not themselves be swayed….

While Nineveh… that GREAT city… followed God… Israel… God’s Chosen People… continued to backslide….
While those Sinners in Nineveh served the only TRUE God… and treated EVERYONE fairly… Justly… Israel continued to try to worship God… and Mammon… or money… and cheat and rob… their fellow man… and their God…. Steal…. Kill…. Divorce for no reason…. Defile themselves…. And… sit in their usual church pews… spewing their usual hate of those who they view as not being like themselves…. Not good enough….

While Joonah was hating… God was LOVING….
And BLESSING….

And… while Jonah was so busy being angry… he was too busy… with his own STUFF… to appreciate God’s BLESSINGS….

Be Thankful for how God has blessed you.
Appreciate how God has blessed others.
ALL life is sacred to God.
God is Sovereign.
Praise God!

Impressionistic Interpretation of Jonah 2.

In the depths of despair… Jonah finally prayed… and recognized God’s Authority….

Jonah 2 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jonah’s Prayer

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
3
For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
4
Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.’
5
The waters closed in over me to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
6
at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.
7
When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
8
Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

First… a warning….
Scripture should be interpreted via Exegesis… NEVER Endogesis….
Truth must be pulled out of Scripture….
TRUTH can NEVER be injected into Scripture….

So… what follows… should not… CANNOT… be considered Truth….
This is conjecture….
An impressionistic interpretation….

Jonah’s prayer reminds me of this passage:

Matthew 27:45-47 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Death of Jesus

45 Now from the sixth hour[a] there was darkness over all the land[b] until the ninth hour.[c] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
Footnotes:

[a] Matthew 27:45 That is, noon
[b] Matthew 27:45 Or earth
[c] Matthew 27:45 That is, 3 p.m.

Mark 15:33-35 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Death of Jesus

33 And when the sixth hour[a] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.[b] 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”
Footnotes:

[a] Mark 15:33 That is, noon
[b] Mark 15:33 That is, 3 p.m.

The Jews would have recognized that phrase… as Messianic….

Psalm 22 English Standard Version (ESV)
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

22 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

3
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises[a] of Israel.
4
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7
All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

9
Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
10
On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11
Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.

Also reminds me of several passages in Job.
And… Isaiah….

Isaiah 27:1 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Redemption of Israel

27 In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

And… THAT… reminds me… of Genesis….
The Fall….
Genesis 3:1-5 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Fall

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Footnotes:

Genesis 3:1 In Hebrew you is plural in verses 1–5

The huge fish….
Leviathan….
The Serpent….
Are ALL associated with Sheol….
The Grave….
Death….
Hell….
Separation from God….

Jonah… who ran from God… and sought separation from God… learned to love… learned to seek… God… in his separation….

Which reminds me of this….
1 Corinthians 5:4-5 English Standard Version (ESV)
Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.[a]
Footnotes:

1 Corinthians 5:5 Some manuscripts add Jesus

Deliver this man to Satan… for the destruction of the flesh….

Does that not sound like… this…?
Job 2 English Standard Version (ESV)
Satan Attacks Job’s Health

2 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”[a] In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Why was Job sitting in ashes…?

He was expressing remorse….
He was mourning….
That was how the Ancient Near-East expressed guilt… and repentance….

That was what Jonah was expressing….
A cry of remorse….
Jonah deserved Death….
Jonah KNEW he deserved Death…. Eternal separation from God….
But… Jonah’s prayer… is a Prayer of Thanksgiving….
For Salvation….

One more odd impression….
The Harrowing of Hell….
Jesus descending into Hell… and defeating Death….

I don’t know if that is true… or just an impressionistic interpretation….
But here is one of the main pieces of Scripture….
Psalm 16:7-11English Standard Version (ESV)

7
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.[a]
8
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being[b] rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.[c]

11
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Footnotes:

[a] Psalm 16:7 Hebrew my kidneys instruct me
[b] Psalm 16:9 Hebrew my glory
[c] Psalm 16:10 Or see the pit

Do I have a point…?
If so… what is it…?

Sometimes… I feel separated from God….

Sometimes… that may by my own choice….
Because I seek separation….

Perhaps… sometimes… I may be separated in order to deal with my sins of the flesh….

But… even though I may FEEL separated….
May even BE separated….
I am NEVER forsaken by God….
Separation is for a period of time… for my good… out of God’s great love for me… if I am his child….
God chastises those whom he loves….
Painfully….
For our own good….
For our growth….
To develop our Faith….
For his greater Glory….

Jonah had to be swallowed by the fish… in order to be prepared to serve God in the way God was preparing him….

God prepared the great fish… to prepare Jonah… to serve God….

In other words….
Romans 8:27-29 English Standard Version (ESV)

27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[a] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[b] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Footnotes:

[a] Romans 8:27 Or that
[b] Romans 8:28 Some manuscripts God works all things together for good, or God works in all things for the good

God is Sovereign.
God is Great.
God is good.

Tough Love

Love is… at least on some level… emotion….

During stressful times… emotions run high….

During times of danger… accident… sickness… impending significant change in life circumstance such as marriage or divorce… during significant life change such as loss or change of job… death… financial hardship… even being lost trying to find a child’s sporting venue or get to the game or practice on time… human stress levels skyrocket….
Call it adrenaline.

During those times… we tend to fall off of the mountain top… back into our rut…. Our comfort zone….
We tend to want… strongly desire… STRONGLY desire… to do what historically works….
We tend to trust our gut….
If I am a Fixer… I will fix…. Make decisions. Because I trust myself and my decisions.
If I am a Failer… I will fail…. Fall apart. See no solution. Trust nobody. NO body….
Seek to avoid making any decisions. Dig a hole… crawl in… and cover the mouth with dirt… to hide….

That sits up a dirty situation….
A tough love situation….
It’s hard to love someone who is forcing you to do something your gut tells you is inherently dangerous….
Both Fixers and Failers see the other as dangers to their world… or at least world view….
Conflict arises….

The fact that all of these situations are stressful because they ALL have a common thread is not often recognized….
That common thread… is breaking new ground….
Life events are stressful not only because of the gravity of the situation… but also because the events are things with which we have little experience or knowledge dealing… and because they drag us kinking and screaming out of our safe little comfort zone….

Word…. No one deals with new situations well….

Obviously… if the crisis involves health issues… people who work in the healthcare field will have more knowledge and training and understanding… and understand the lingoistic jargon… and feel more comfortable in those situations…. If the crisis is financial… then financial and business people will feel more comfortable…. In any crisis people with leadership experience… or who consider themselves leaders will step up…. And in ALL crises… people who step up… are going to step on other people’s toes….
And become tough to love….

In a crisis… EVERYONE is trying to do what they think is best…. Safest….
At least for them…. If they have anxiety or depression or other issues that impair decision making… such as being taught not to trust doctors or government or other races or cultures… those issues will be amplified in a crisis… making good decision-making MUCH more difficult… because of fear and lack of trust….
Of course… that amplifies the stress level… and significantly increases the risks… elevates the danger level… and makes the situation explosive….
That… of course… makes loving even tougher….

The size of the crisis is immaterial….
Microcrisis….
Personal crisis….
Marital crisis….
Family crisis….
City-wide crisis….
Train-wreck….
Not liking the Christmas present we received….
Getting the order wrong at the drive-up window at McDonald’s….
Getting lost going to travel team game….

Of course… this brings up expectations….
Inappropriate expectations….
Responding inappropriately to not having our expectations met….
And that… brings us back to tough love….
FEELING like we are unloved… or insufficiently loved… because our expectations are not met… sufficiently… or… in reality… to our satisfaction….
Our elevated expectations… that we use as a test… of those we love… or want to love….

Setting up inappropriate expectations… is setting up people to fail… us….
That’s LOOKING for tough love….
That’s not treating others respectfully…. As WE want to be treated….
That’s not just inappropriate expectations…. That is inappropriate. Period….

Yet… we all do it….
And… while we may recognize when it is done to us… recognizing our own inappropriate actions is far more difficult….

Sometimes… when we are feeling frustrated… and our passive aggressive ploys are not working fast enough… we Christians may feel compelled to go on the offensive….
Attack someone who is not meeting our inappropriate expectations immediately with the most powerful weapon we thing we have….
Something that is unimpeachable….
Love….
Or… Forgiveness….
“I love you….”
“I forgive you….”
Give me what I want… NOW!!!
Telling someone you love them… when you are really just trying to find some way to manipulate them… is really underhanded….
Telling someone that you forgive them… out of the blue… when they are not acquiescing to your demands… is nothing less than a blatant attack… camouflaged to hide it’s true nature….
Saying something live: “My religion demands that I forgive you….” really means… “I don’t forgive you. I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t value you as a person. GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND DO IT NOW!!!”
If you really forgive… shut up and act contrite….
If you really love… demonstrate that through your actions…. Because if you demonstrate love and forgiveness through your actions… then the people you love will eventually come to recognize that….
And if you do not demonstrate love and forgiveness in your actions… then other people will recognize very quickly that you are nothing but a hypocrite….

What I’m saying…. Seek the right thing…. Then DO THE RIGHT THING!!!
Whatever the personal risks…. Whatever the inconvenience…. Whatever the pain…. DO THE RIGHT THING!!!

What I’m not saying….
Give in….

Tough Love requires intestinal fortitude, but also confidence….
Set your expectations appropriately….
You will NOT be rewarded….
You will NOT be appreciated….
You will NOT be thanked….
You WILL be ridiculed… threatened… castigated… treated shamefully… and without love….
ALL that you will get out of acting in Tough Love towards those you love… is the knowledge that you did the right thing….
So… understand that…. Steel yourself for the battle…. And… DO THE RIGHT THING!!!
Then… accept the consequences….
Your reward will very likely not be here on Earth….

Also… be constantly vigilant….
Look at your choices from outside yourself… and judge your actions with somber judgment….
Pray. And believe in the answer….

On Being Unintentional….

Just going to throw this out there….

A lot of people nowadays chant a mantra….

Their Om seems to be… Intentionality….

Here’s my take….

Most every major problem or life-issue that I have ever solved… has been best solved… through the power of my subconscious….

That jives completely with most of the work I have read on the Creative Process: the Subconscious does most of the work. Or… at least the BEST work…. We just need to find a way to get our conscious minds out of the way so that we do not delay… distort… destroy… the integrity of the process too terribly much….

I claim to be a Conservative Christian. Theologically Reformed. My most deeply held religious beliefs mesh perfectly with the idea of the power of the subconscious mind… because how else could I expect God and the Holy Spirit to work…? God reveals… to me… through the power of the subconscious mind…. That’s why meditating works.

God is Glorified when I get out of the way….

Intentionality… seems to me… to be all about taking control… instead of allowing things to happen… and attempting to understand the shaping forces… the reasons… behind what is happening…. Attempting to alter the course of history… without bothering to understand… seems… a touch cavalier… to me….

Radical Intentionality… seems to me… to be… glorifying self….

Please don’t think I’m anti-Intentionality….

When I was younger… that was my mantra, too….

Grab the bull by the horns… and make it change… through the power of… myself….

My mind. My intellect. My personality. My personal power.

My. My. My….

Me. Me. Me….

Maybe… there’s another way….

Maybe… there’s a better way….

Maybe… I would better spend my time and energy… intentionally… attentively… seeking THAT way….

Unintentionality… is a test… of Faith….

Pray. Expect an answer. Accept THAT answer….

God is Good (Rough Knight mix)

Rough day….

I feel like I have been biting dirt in the tilting pit all day long. And a long day it seems to be….

Thought I’d just pound out God is Good. Didn’t happen that way. Didn’t go well. Not happy with result.

Guess hubris will do that to you: inappropriately set my expectations….

Not sure any of this will be useful. But… it at least shows the direction… to some extent.

I was distracted and couldn’t get my mind focused. And… it shows in the playing… and in the vocals….

River… Extremely Raw

I had an idea for a project. A long time ago.

Never got a round tuit.
Never took the time to actually get down to it….

If I were to actually try to work on this is sort of what it might sound like….

First some confessions….

1. I said I played Fantasizing a Sorrowful Man in Open D. I lied. Today… I tuned. That was almost Open C. Not quite.
2. I have never actually played Down to the River to Pray all the way through. Ever. Never sung it. Nothing….
3. I made the guitar and some of the vocals up as I went…. This is Improv….
4. I do not consider myself an artist. I am not a guitarist. I am not an instrumentalist. And… I am certainly not a vocalist. I am also not a Sound Engineer or a Mix-Master.
5. All of these tracks are EXTREMELY raw. Just ripped them this morning. Absolutely no editing. I will TRY to work this into some less reprehensible form… but I’m certainly not there yet.
6. Oh… and I looked up the fingerings for some of the chords this morning… and just made some of the rest up on the spot…. You can hear me fumbling around a bit on some of these….
7. Incredibly imprecise on the some of the slide work. Trying to watch too many things. And figure out where I should be on the fretboard at the same time….
8. Would probably be helpful to be able to make it all the way through without tearing up….

With those caveats… here is what I did this morning….

River (Open D tuning Acoustic Rhythm part First pass)

River (Open D tuning Acoustic Rhythm with slight embellishments Second attempt)

River (Open D tuning Acoustic Slide Rhythm with embellishments only attempt)

River Medley (Vocal First Time Ever)

One other thing…. That metronome you might hear in the background going ka-WHUMP ka-WHUMP ka-WHUMP ka-WHUMP… it ain’t the Rhythm Section. It’s the washing machine.

River of Life (a brief prayer from an egregious… grieving sinner)

River of Life
by BaHR
14 April 2015 0854-0904

River of Life flood my soul.
Wash me clean. Make me whole.
Oh-oh-oh… drown my sin…
Make me loose control…
Of my life.
Come. Take control.

River of Life come like a flood.
Wash me clean in my Savior’s blood.
Help me know-ow-ow…
God is so good!
Oh-oh-oh… Oh! God is SO good!