Devotion Wept by Jeff Redding

For sure, he was the head Worship pastor of a large growing congregation ... and as the team gathered together holding hands, as tradition deemed, within the circle of prayer (committing to the Sunday morning time of music for the LORD) ... And as they were all depending on his leadership; he had hidden well that there was a brokenness in his soul... a brokenness that he was terrified to reveal. He felt that the revelation of his soul constraint would interrupt and negatively change the course of their morning and all future perception of worship. Both Hype and Devotion were standing there waiting. He gave into the terror to rely on Hype, and he left Devotion standing there... once again... And weeping. Devotion wept. 

(John 4:4-26) True Power and Glory was momentarily resting and thirsty next to a strangers well, opening an opportunity for devotion ... But the issue of the superficial differences had to be conquered first. "There will come a time when they that worship God, will worship Him in spirit and in truth." ... This leveled the playing field; but the argument that had ensued because of pride, finally crumbled and folded when the Savior revealed that he knew her secret hypocrisy and still loved her. For this moment, Pride was left in the dust and Devotion rejoiced. 

Pride, disappointment, hype, provocation, position, prescription, possessions, passions, expectations, perceptions ... Will all jockey for the rightful key to the kingdom because it can only be fully realized through devotion. 

John 11:35 - "Jesus Wept." He saw all the wrong connections at the funeral of Lazarus ... There were professional ... Friends, mourners, traditions, reality's song; and feelings of disappointment and grief that could not be conquered by any thing other than devotion. Jesus tried to help Martha and Mary to connect the dots ... But neither of the women had realized the salvation connection yet, let alone the open arms of devotion. They were very close to understanding but six inches away is all it takes (from the head to the heart)  ..."If only You had been here ... (questioning His devotion)." Later the cross would cry so loud it would shatter all questions as to how devoted Jesus truly was to "whosoever". Oh How He loves us ... totally devoted. 

Love, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, trueness, steadfastness, constancy, commitment, devoutness, ... "Truly active unbroken loving connection" ... Not a Religious Service and not a time where we pause with the Lord in prayer and scripture and call it "Devotions". If we don't catch anything in this diatribe - I pray the Spirit challenges us to move ... from assigned moments of efforts that we hope to satisfy our guilt and prove our love; ... to a connected life of constant longing to be openly loved and truly knowing that "Overwhelming Love" ... His Love, that has no bounds, no measure.  

"Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." Son of Solomon 8:6 

HLFA, 

Jeff

Making Music: Use Your Smartphone to Learn to Play 

By: Charles Carpenter of Healing Sounds

Research shows that learning to play a musical instrument can strengthen mental capacities, improve memory function, boost comprehension and math skills, and better your coordination. Of course, dedicated music practice can also teach discipline, responsibility, and perseverance. Not to mention that learning to play a musical instrument is a whole lot of fun, too. Unfortunately, music lessons for your kids (or yourself) can be expensive and often don’t fit into your schedule. By using smartphone apps, anyone can learn to play an instrument anytime and anywhere for a fraction of the cost of in-person lessons. 

Before downloading the latest instrument learning apps, make sure your smartphone is up to the task. You need a phone with a powerful processor, crystal-clear display, and high-quality audio and video capabilities. The latest phones meet all the necessary specs, and some even have unique features that can help you learn to play music. For example, Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have the useful Now Playing function, which can automatically identify songs playing nearby, so you can easily add the music to your repertoire. 

Once you’ve reviewed your phone needs, check out these free and low-cost apps that can help you learn to play an instrument. 

Tunable 

Tunable is a low-cost musical app that is available for both iPhones and Android phones. This tuner app helps you tune your instrument, and also can help you stay in tune and on pitch while you are playing your instrument or singing. But this useful app isn't just a chromatic tuner, it's also a tone/chord generator, metronome, and recorder that helps you learn to play steadily, on beat, and in tune wherever you might be. 

Yousician 

The Yousician app is a fun choice for beginners who want to learn to play a musical instrument. This app listens to you play your guitar, piano, bass, or other instrument, then offers immediate feedback about your timing and accuracy. With this app, you also get very easy-to-follow video tutorials, as well as lessons and challenges tailored to your level that make learning enjoyable for children as well as adults. If you are just getting started with a musical instrument, the free Yousician app is a good place to start. You can also upgrade to the premium version for more features. 

Musicnotes App 

What's the fastest way to find high-quality sheet music? The Musicnotes app. This app allows you to tap into the world's largest and most trusted source of sheet music wherever you happen to be. It's compatible with iOS, so you can use it on your iPhone or iPad, as well as Android, Mac, and Windows. This app is an easy way to turn any device into a practice and performance tool with a massive amount of music storage. 

YouTube 

YouTube can also be very useful when it comes to playing music. If you want to learn to play guitar, then the JustinGuitar channel is the answer. Also, check out the website and corresponding apps for hundreds of different lessons at every level. For drum lessons where you can play songs from day one, turn to the Drumeo channel. They also have a weekly podcast on all things percussion. If you want to dive deeper into the music industry, tune into the Michael New channel, where his videos discuss music theory. 

Playing a musical instrument can be fun and beneficial for kids as well as adults of all ages. Even if you don’t have the time or funds for traditional, in-person music lessons, with a capable smartphone, the right apps, and helpful video tutorials, you can be playing a variety of music in no time. 

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