TIME MACHINE

psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, praise the LORD!

This has been an incredible week for me. One that got me jazzed, pumped, and about a gazillion other adjectives. I found a treasure, and because of what I found, I bought myself a TIME MACHINE.

Been contemplating buying such a device for a while now, but always managed to talk myself out of doing so. But not this time. Walked into the store that had a selection of time machines. DISCLAIMER: Only those who have collected a few years upon this planet would look at such devices and see the potential for time travel. People who are much younger would not be capable of taking such trips or seeing the upside to owning a time machine. This, in no way, is meant to belittle those who are younger.

There it was! The one that caught my eye. It was sleek and built for travel. It just screamed..."Buy me!". I did. So I took my turntable home. Turntable? Yeah....you know...to play vinyl records on.....a turntable.

You see, earlier that day I was at the Center of Hope Thrift store checking out their books and music. Found myself amidst a stack of 8-tracks, cassettes, and sheet music, when I spied a bin of records albums. What caught my eye was the cover to Elton John's MADMAN  ACROSS THE WATER. It was one of my favorites. Alas...it was the album jacket, but the record itself had made an escape from the bin and was no where to be found. So I started to go through the stack of records. To my amazement, I found a copy of REZ Band  "MOMMY DON"T LOVE DADDY ANYMORE".

Glen And Wendy Kaiser's ode to the split of the American family and the damage that is done to children. Glen and Wendy were founders of JESUS PEOPLE U.S.A. in Chicago. REZ BAND was one of the first groups of Christian musicians that I heard when I came back from my wandering in the wilderness. 

I pulled the album from the stack and laid it aside.



Leaving through the stack, I passed a number of classical albums. I would have bought them, but I have no class. Wait a minute...what is this? Benny Hester? You've got to be kidding me. Music circa the 1980's.

 This album had one of my favorite songs ever. 
"GOODBYE SALTY" is God's promise to come back and take us to be with Him. Salty is used as God's nickname for His children, a reference to the verse from Matthew 5, where Jesus says we are the "salt of the earth".

Man!...
"No One Knows Me Like You"....
"Rubber Canoe"...
Many on the list I had forgotten.

What else could be waiting in this pile of Albums?


Few seconds later, there was a double bonus. No way!!! The Sweet Comfort Band..two albums...

"BREAKING THE ICE"...I had first encountered this album via a concert I saw on TV from Maranatha Music and Calvary Chapel. SCB's sounds was a mix of rock and jazz. Vocalist Brian Duncan was incredible. 

The term "Breaking the ice" refers to the power of the Holy Spirit to break through the coldest, hardest heart to bring conviction. 




"THE CUTTING EDGE" draws its name
from the power of the Word to rightly divide the human heart to reveal our need
for salvation.

Collecting my albums, I made my way to the register only to discover another bonus. Asking the cashier how much these treasures were going to cost me, he replied, "Ten for a dollar". Did I hear this right? I'm getting this part of my history....long since gone...for a dollar?" Hey, it was the best dollar I've ever spent.

Leaving there, I headed straight to the mall to purchase a turntable.
Finally reaching home and setting up said turntable, I placed the first album on the platter and hit the switch to start it. Sitting down on my couch, I watched as the needle arm lifted like a Saturn Rocket.....the arm moved over the album and dropped with the weight of a feather, hitting the first groove of the album with precision. What came next was when the time machine kicked in. With the first sounds of the song, I was immediately transported back to the early 80's.

Christian Brothers.....

I saw the faces of people I haven't seen in years. We were all so young....so full of fire for Jesus.....

I saw the coffeehouse on 6th street, and later when we moved it to Broad.

Quickly the time machine transported me to falls where the FALLS FESTIVAL was held. I saw Don Rakestraw manning the sound board, as Pat Terry was playing on the stage.

You make think me crazy, but what I experienced was the power of music to bring up memories, and for whatever reason, I needed those memories. I wish  not live in the past, but I am grateful for all the people God let me meet. People whose lives and love for Christ has made me a better man, and encouraged me to chase Him.

So I will be grateful for the past.....today...
And I will move forward into the future, unsure of what is around the next bend, or over the next hill.
But I am confident of one thing....Jesus will never leave me, nor forsake me.

On that, I can count on.

God on you...

mbb