The power of music

For mother's day, Shawn subscribed to a music magazine for me called Paste. I have been anxiously awaiting it in the mailbox and my first issue finally arrived last week. I have been slowly and patiently absorbing the articles, but my favorite thing is the CD that was included. August's issue is a sampling of interesting things happening internationally with music. It has been so refreshing for me to hear something unique and different from the usual Top 40 on the radio. I have absolutely loved hearing the different sounds used in the songs.

That's a long tease into what I am blogging about - the extraordinary power of music. In August's issue of Paste, I read an article about Emmanuel Jal, a musician whose past in Sudan is one of horrorible pain. I love his quote, "Music moves my emotions because music loosens me up, That's where everything starts. Music is the only thing that can speak to your mind and heart without your permission. I don't know what you can compare to music. If there was no music, this world would be mad."

I've thought a lot about that statement today. I am intrigued by the depth of passion that musicians experience world-wide. Music is an international language that closes barriers between races and people groups. Music is definitely the inroad into the soul. Music has extraordinary power to create moods, emotions, and to release whatever is in our soul.

I realized in reading this issue of Paste that I tend to think of music in isolated segments and in terms of how music applies to me. For example, "When am I going to have time to practice the worship set for next week?" It is indeed humbling to contemplate the passion and the level of extraordinary talent around the world. I have to confess that I certainly am relieved that my passion for music is not crazy, while at the same time I certainly feel that my level of expertise is quite inadequate and dissatisfying.