' a guitar, is a guitar, is a guitar '

July 14, 2010

‘ A guitar, is a guitar, is a guitar….’

What makes a guitar special to a musician? It’s the way it feels and the way it sounds. So with that statement, a guitar… is not just a guitar.
What is better a Fender or a Gibson or a Dollar General guitar? Which one is better is a personal choice. To those of us that have spent innumerable amount of years of playing time on this instrument, the name on the headstock really doesn’t matter, unless you are wanting to impress someone by having a named brand guitar.

I’ve said this as to say, that all Christian music, may not really be Christian. It’s all in the spirit that drives the music.

I have learned in these past years and experiences that ‘ALL’ art is spiritual. Music is a critter that seems to play on the heartstrings and eludes the serious temporal thought patterns. By saying, a song may grab at our hearts and move us to tears, or even conviction, and by moving us to deal with a sin that is corrupting our life, that we can prove a move of the Holy Spirit working through that song. What about the opposite? As we may find ourselves in a worship service, or a coffee house, and we hear a song that touches us and leads us to praise Jesus, is that a Holy Spirit filled song or artist? Are we really thinking about the lyrics and what they are saying, or the music, or are we just being carried away by a force that is truly ungodly? This thing we should ponder on.

Too many times, I’ve walked into a church where the praise team seemed more interested, and worked very hard to entertain the faithful, as if a feeling should be taken away from this venture. Why? To those musicians who are called of God to lend their talents to praising the Lord, they should be working together for one goal. EDIFYING JESUS! Not playing for the sake of their agenda.

I’d spent many years playing for the devil in bars or parties. I learned the value of entertaining the patrons I was playing for. I never considered myself as a great entertainer. I felt more of the mold of the troubadour , a minstrel that is more concerned at getting the point of the song across, than jumping through the hoops to have someone leave the ‘show’ feeling they got their money’s worth. I have then learned that there is a fine line between performance and praise, a very fine line. We must be careful to think consciously as we approach an opportunity to share with others what the Lord has given you.

I love to play the songs Jesus has given me. And I love to share the love of the risen savior.
Rock On !!!!!

Weeds In The Garden

July 8, 2010

This summer morning was cool with a light breeze. So I decided to pull some weeds from my Mother-in-law’s flower garden. As I was pulling the weeds , I felt the Lord Jesus speaking to my heart.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been harboring anger and resentment over a situation at the church my wife and I attend. As the situation had come to a head, and had escalated to a point to where I stormed out of a midweek service in anger. My anger was not that of the righteous kind but that directed from one human to another. Sin is sin anyway you look at it, and my anger was as sinful as it gets.

The Lord began to open my eyes to the fact that these weeds were like a cancerous growth of sin strangling out the life in the garden God was working on in my heart. I was holding this anger inside just for my own justification of the matter as I saw it. But I was not doing my eternal connection with my Savior any good. In fact, I was polluting the stream that flowed between us with poison.

1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

I was beginning to see that rebellion, which has stricken me for years, was tearing not only in my personal life to where I couldn’t get over a so minor a thing as the situation at our church, but it was literally tearing my life apart and destroying my relationship I have with Jesus. As the moment seemed to hold my mind fixed upon the situation at hand, I repented desperately to my Heavenly Father. I was so sorry for carrying this sin as an alter to my own righteousness , which we are told in the word of God, is but filthy rags. I was wrong and I had to get right!

I so love Jesus for loving me more than I could ever say. By pulling me out of hell, literally, He made the most profound statement on my life that my memory will ever hold dear.
I have repented for my sins and I have pulled myself up and dusted myself off. I will go forward with Jesus.

I pray what has happened to me will help someone else. Rock On!

Station Content Now at Soundclick

Butch has set up an account at Soundclick that has all his music and many of the commentaries and Bible teachings we featured when we were streaming. See sidebar for link

Audio Excerpts From Our Station

Sharecropper is not streaming at this time, but we invite you to browse the posts on this blog, many of which contain audio excerpts from our station.

Sharecropper Video Library

This Playlist Grows as New Video Segments are added Regularly

Sharecropper Christian Radio Random Segment 5

Jonah (ever devoted) and Sophia (still stringing him along) enjoy listening to this segment of Sharecropper Christian which features a testimony of supernatural healing from high blood sugar, a commentary on native spirituality from native leaders, and the music of independent artists on Sharecropper Christian Radio which streams 24/7 at www.ShareCropperRadio.com

Sharecropper Christian Radio (random segment 3)

Enjoy the peaceful interactions of Mr. and Mrs. Jonah (who are unfortunately separated at the moment due to domestic violence) while listening to a random segment of Sharecropper Christian Radio featuring a selected Bible reading, a Dorcas Network commentary (Christian response to domestic violence), the music ministries of THE FAMILY TRADITION and the PSALM RIDERS, and a dramatized Bible story. Listen 24/7 at www.ShareCropperRadio.com