I am new to blogging. So be patient as I try out my fingers…my wings on this adventure.

Every morning when I wake up I have a song playing in my head. It’s different every day. Sometimes it’s a SCC tune “Its all Yours Lord, Yours Lord, Everything is Yours…” or “Anticipation, Anticipation is making me late, is keeping me waiting”. Two mornings ago, out of nowhere, “Love the one you’re with, Love the one you’re with, dit, dit, dit, dit, dit, dit dit dit”. This morning, though, it was an old (1990’s worship tune), “You have been a shelter Lord, to every generation, to ev’ry generation. A sanctuary from the storm, to every generation Lord…” I can’t explain why one tune over another. Perhaps today was because yesterday I was in church holding my new grandson worshiping the Lord!

Now I happen to think that the old guys who told us that the means of grace were “the Word, the Sacrament, Prayer, Church and Holy Spirit”, well…if they had had iTunes, they would have included music. iTunes is the greatest invention known to man since the printing press. When I wake up and I have a tune I haven’t heard in a long time, I go to the iTunes store and bam, I can listen to the whole thing. Music is a means of grace.

A man I was talking to about tunes playing in my head responded, “I wake up almost every day angry”. The man was a pastor. I understand. There is a lot about which he should be angry. There are a few churches that make me angry too…but I digress.

Music is a window into my soul. I fill a lot of my soul with lyrics that remind me of the truth about the Gospel and grace and Jesus’ love. Why? Cause there is a whisper in the Universe. It was put there in the garden…”God is not for you. Make life work for yourself”. Martin Luther said, “To doubt the good will of God is an inborn suspicion of God with all of us…”

For me, one of the means of remembering God has not abandoned me is music.

Luther continues, “In all these difficulties we have only one support, the Gospel of Christ. To hold on to it, that is the trick . . . All these things cry out against us, death thunders at us, the devil roars at us. In the midst of the clamor the Spirit of Christ cries in our hearts, ‘Abba, Father.’ . . . The Spirit cries because of our weakness…(and) is sent forth into our hearts…to assure us of the grace of God.”

For the sake of your soul, get an Mp3 player. Plug in, go for a walk and listen to some good tunes. Calming jazz, Steven Curtis Chapman, some great guitar music by Keaggy, the sultry sounds of Anita Baker or you hardly ever go wrong with U2, especially their new CD. Worship the Lord using hymns and spiritual songs.

Oh yeah iTunes has sermons, Key Life, and other great teaching. It’s truly amazing. I hope you begin to wake up with tunes in your head and not anger or something worse…doubting God.

Tom Wood has been a pastor for 25 years. He has planted and pastored two churches and has served as a church planting trainer and coach for the Presbyterian Church in America. He is currently the president of Church Multiplication Ministries, in Atlanta. His mission is starting, strengthening and multiplying grace centered churches and church planting networks, through coaching and consults with church planting pastors, leaders and emerging leaders.

In need of encouragement? Subscribe to Tom’s weekly dose of grace at GracedAgain.com.

 Email This Post This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 3:32 pm and is filed under Read, Tom Wood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.