People See What They Want To Hear

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People See What They Want To Hear

Last year I watched a movie about the life of teen idol Bobby Darin, husband of Sandra Dee. When Bobby’s singing and movie career went south, so did his heart! It was during the Vietnam war that Bobby decided to jump start his career with a comeback performance in Los Vegas. Dressed in blue jeans and with guitar in hand he started his stage show by singing anti-war protest songs. Sadly the vocalist of “Dream Lover” was booed off the stage.

Disappointed, that his fans didn’t embrace his performance, he became depressed. Several weeks later he remarked to his wife, “Honey, you will always be Sandra Dee the movie star” and she replied “Bobby, people see what they want to hear.” This was a light bulb moment for Bobby. So he decide to try again. He went back to Vegas, walked on stage dressed in his usual suit and tie, with musicians and back up dancers, Bobby sang his beloved anti-war protest songs. You see the song hadn’t change only the tempo and musical presentation and the result were a roaring success for that "one cool cat" on stage. Sandra was right “people see what they want to hear.” Do we see things, not as they are, but as we would like them to be?

In the book “Slouching towards Gomorrah” conservative scholar Robert H. Bork writes

“A nation’s moral life is the foundation of its culture. If there are signs that we have become less concerned than we should be with virtue, there are also signs that many American’s are becoming restless under the tyrannies of egalitarianism (doctrine of equal political, economic and legal rights) and sick of the hedonistic individualism (devotion to pleasure while avoidance of pain) that has brought us to the suburbs of Gomorrah.”
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“But for the immediate future, what we probably face is an increasingly vulgar, violent, chaotic, an politicized culture. Our hopes, our struggles, and our optimism must be for the long run. The first requisite is knowing what is happening to us...and the second step is resistance to radical individualism and radical egalitarianism (equal rights) in every area of culture."

When Bobby Darin walked on stage dressed like a hippy, this certainly was not an image his fans had expected which was why he was booed off the staged. Is this why some churches have changed the visual image of faith to conform to society expectations? Is this why we see large screen TV’s on stage along with rock bands belting out tunes of faith? Is this why God’s word has been water down to just one verse teachings and why sin is not condoned and repentance is not encourage? Or is the message still the same, only dressed up to entertain the masses?

The psalmist writes: “Sing to him (the Lord) a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all he does." Psalm 34: 3 So what song are you singing? Is your song: "I Will Follow Him", "Only The Lonely", "Walk Like A Man", "Big Girls Don’t Cry", "Just As I Am", or "Slip Sliding Away?" Granted we sing different songs at different times in our lives but please be careful which theme song you choose as your life song sings.

Don't just see things as they are or how you would like them to be. Remember that God watches where we go and he sees every step we take. This week observe that which speaks mightly about God's care and concern for you and your family, in nature, and in world events? You might just surprised yourself.



Words to Warm the Heart

"If you accept the authority of Jesus in your life, then you accept the authority of his words." Colin Urquhart

"Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Matthew 28:18 NRSV

"To you is granted to understand the secrets of the kingdom of God; for the rest (of the world) it remains in parables, so that they may look but not perceive, listen about not understand." Luke 8:10

God speak to us so that we may enjoy our life!

"God speaks to us -- sometimes one way and sometimes another -- even though people may not understand it. He speaks in a dream or a vision of the night when people are in a deep sleep, lying on their beds. He speaks in their ears and frightens them with warnings to turn them away from doing wrong and to keep them from being proud. God does this to save a person from death, to keep him from dying. " Job 33:14-18