A to Z challenge I is for J is for K is for an L is for

I am back and today it's only been less than the day between my post so that's a good thing!

Today I'm doing I through L

I is for

Billy Idol was one of the most well-known pop rock singers who came out in the 1980s he had many number one hits including Rebel Yell Eyes Without a face and White Wedding.

Here is one of his lesser-known songs It's so cruel.

J is for Joel

Billy Joel has been one of the longest most successful Rock and pop singers since he began singing in the 1970s and has had several successful albums from the very beginning which include

Piano Man, Turn Style and later hits such as 52nd Street River of Dreams has kept him on the charts.

No one expected that he would still be performing and recording at in 2020. 

One of his most beautiful and romantic songs he he ever wrote and continues to perform to this day is the standard 

Just the Way You Are.

J is for George Jones

George Jones was a popular country music performer who started his career in 1953 and was still on the charts until his hospitalization in death in 2013.

One of his most popular songs was Kiss an Angel Good Morning.

K is for Kalapana

Kalapana is a group that was formed in 1973 and it still performing today in the Hawaiian Islands and other parts of the world.

They are a pop rock group whose music is definenned by their Hawaiian heritage.

One of their first major hits was their song titled What do I do which which follows

L is for Liszt.

Franz Liszt was a Pianist and composer who lived  from 1811 until 1866, in 65 years he was able to write a variety of music.   One of his most famoush composition were the Hungarian rhapsodies

What follows is Liszt composition Love Dreams

A to Z challenge e e f g h

So sorry for the delay in posting, but posting, but I've really been under the weather for the last week.

So here I am Sunday morning trying once again trying to get caught up.

So E is for Edward Kennedy Ellington AKA Duke.

Duke Ellington from 1922 was a composer a Pianist and leader of his own Orchestra.

He was tremendously successful with various composition such as Moon indigo It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing and take the age rating among others.

In 1971 he released an album titled afro-eurasian eclipse, the overall thought behind the title was that the the world was beginning to move towards more of an Asian mindset and that all of our individual aspects would end up being absorbed into more of an Asian Eurasian construct.

Ellington released the studio album of the same title afro-eurasian eclipse the reflected this belief through the tracks of music it was a a suite in 8 parts

One track off the album is called didgeridoo.

E is also for Enya 

Enya is a Celtic singer who had been a member of the Celtic folk group Clannad 

She wants solo and has produced 42 albums on her own.

Her music reflects both her Irish heritage and her ability to also sing in English as well, besides singing she also plays piano and also things without accompaniment.

One of the most beautiful songs that she has recorded is evening Falls. Hope you enjoy.

F is for

Pink Floyd Has been one of the most Progressive rock bands in England, with a combination of their stage performances that are anything but normal, the powerful music that they have done throughout the years each time challenging their listeners more and at the same time challenging the BBC in in regards to how much further they can push against the wall.

Although this song doesn't fit the alphabetical pattern but I've been using his perhaps one of pink Floyds most powerful songs of last several years the song is on the Turning Away and it cameand it came out on their album a momentary lapse of reason in 1987.

This song since the late 1990s and even more correctly from 2016 onward has become an Anthem for me because of my own personal experience having been homeless.

G is for...

Gateway music, Gateway music is a group who performs at Gateway Church in Dallas Texas.

They sing contemporary Christian music and have recorded and numerous albums under their title.

Dean contemporary Christian group gateway's music is always upbeat and positive.

here is one of the more recent songs titled greater than

I

H is for 

George frideric Handel.

Handel was born in Germany in 1685.  By 1705 he was living in Italy em had composed 3 operas.

By the time does Handel was 25 years old 1715 he living in London and was part of the Royal Academy of Music. In 1727 Handel broke away and formed his phone Academy which was the new Royal Academy of Music.

He composed several well-known pieces his most famous being that of the Messiah he also wrote The Royal the Royal fireworks music.

A to Z challenge my favorite music music music

Hello my my name is Mark Paul Richards and it's been awhile since I've posted here on Blogger.

The last time I posted this was a couple years ago and I focused only on Christian music.

What I'm going to do this time for the A to Z challenge is to list some of my favorite music of all genres and all my favorite groups

Since I'm poor days behind I will combine a through d on this one page.

So let's begin

A is for

Abba: .This group from Sweden had a a series available rooms in the early 1970s and the music was featured in the motion picture Mamma Mia .

Abba had several songs that begin with the letter A, one I am choosing is the song titled as good as new oh, that one of their better known pieces

The group began in 1972 and broke up in 198.

There is good news however for the last 2 years the group has been reunited and is currently doing concert tours once again.

So keep your eyes open you may be able to see Abba in concert.

check your local Ticketmaster for more information on concert information for Abba.

B ia for

Ludwig van Beethoven

I have always loved classical music and Ludwig van Beethoven was always one of my favorite composers.
Beethoven was able to write nine symphonies in his life the last a witch the 9th Symphony the Ode to Joy he was deaf by the time he completed composing the peace and yet he completed it .

Beethoven Lives only fifty-seven years and yet besides riding the nine Symphonies he's best known for he wrote 38 to piano sonatas including his most famous the Moonlight Sonata, one Opera and several other works.

Beethoven's music influenced other composers of his time and has an impact on contemporary thematic pieces of Music in Motion Pictures today.

C is for

Casting Crowns contemporary Christian

Casting Crowns started off as a student worship band in Daytona Florida in 1999 its original leader Mark Hall was a youth pastor at the time.

Thei music is continue to evolve. Weather most recent popular songs is only Jesus.

One of the most powerful songs in in the past several years is one called courageous and this song will will get you up on your feet and you will get up on your feet and feel like dancing to the power of this song it is so remarkable

D is for

John Denver country and pop music

John Denver was the stage name a John Henry Dutchendorf Junior he was a military brat his father was in the Air Force and he began his singing career with many other groups including the new Christy minstrels, and the Starland Vocal Band among others

Altogether he recorded over 300 songs of which he wrote at least 200 of those.

He had many number one hits and he also was a poet laureate as well as a humanitarian and an an activist

The song I am listing here is titled Dreamland Express

Sources are from Wikipedia and from the official Casting crowns website.





.

Vegas one title two different series.

In 1978 a TV series premiered starring Robert Urich in the series was titled Vegas.

The original cast included Judy Stevens as sergeant Bella Archer of the Metropolitan Police Department in the first Season her character was a major player in the stories and was always giving Dan Tanna (Utich)  ,
him information concerning the case that Tanna was investigating.

After season 1 her character was played down tremendously and and she became a background character primarily.

Julie Landers played the character of Angie Turner this character was very much a ditz who ended up causing more problems then being able to help.

At times her character was Dan Tanna's secretary and sometimes she was a showgirl.  Her character was phased out at the end of season one because you did not add anything to the series.

Tony Curtis was Philip Roth an an owner of the major casinos, again he was a major player in the series in the first season and he was once again made a background character or supporting character in The Following seasons.

Phyllis Davis play the part of Beatrice Travis who in the beginning other series was still a director of the show Girls at the Dunes Casino which was the primary setting for some of the action  in the first season.

By season 2 Beatrice's character became Dan Tanna's secretary And her character became less intelligent and more of the background woman in danger character.

Greg Morris Lieutenant David Nelson,  became the principal character at the Metropolitan Police Department.

Unlike Bella's character in season 1 David Nelson was more of a concerned friend and supervisor to some degree, in many ways he had a similar personality to the character Barney Cauler I'm Mission Impossible.

The storyline

In season 1 many of the episodes spoke to issues such as sex trafficking and rape among others.

The first season was so different from what Vegas became, after season 1 the series became a typical detective series, with the standard type of detective episodes it appeared on every other detective series such is Dan Tanna having to stop an assassination of someone to be killed at a secret conference concerning the impact of change at one of Roth's casino's.

When Vegas went off the air in 1981 the title was still there and some of the actors are still there but in all honesty it it wasn't the same series.

What started off as a interesting powerful and dramatic series it ended as just one more detective series on the air.

Mondays Music Moves me Let's party out loud

My beloved wife came up with this title and it is one that has brought me out of retirement, because for me I understand the concept.

A party is a celebration, and for me my spiritual path is a celebration every day of the week.

So here are my selections, starting with...

This next video is back to a spiritual song titled You Raise Me Up preformed by the lyrical and beautiful singing group Celtic woman

Next a song by Lauren Daigle with the simple title of Rescue.

Next is a singer by the name of Plumb and she reminds me of another singer whom I will end my journey in music.  This Plumb singing In My Arms

Last song is not a spiritual song but it ties in so well,  The song is Bring Me To Life and the artist is Evanescence.

Galatians Chapter 6 Paul wraps up

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

These two verses sum up the totality of the Gospels and in the simplest manner express that we are to "Do unto others as we would want them to do for us."

Clearly we are meant to help each other with the burdens that we bear.

Paul does warn us to be cautious when it comes to helping one who is struggling because we could be tempted into the issue that our brother or sister is struggling with.

3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 

Verse 3 reminds us to be cautious not to believe that we are more than what and who we are.  We may be called to helping those in need but if we elevate ourselves to the level of Jesus we are deceiving ourselves.

We may be able to do healing greater than he, but we are not and never will be him.  Illusions will lead us into false sense of power.

4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.

Verse 7 and 8 are simple reminders that our actions determine our outcome.  

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Paul reminds us again in Verse 9 and 10 that we need to stay focused on doing good for all, including those who are part of the family [body/church]  and not to be worn down by doing good.
Verses 11 through 18 is a restatement of points Paul addressed in Chapter 4 in detail and again in Chapter 5.

Like any teacher he is making a final statement about how we are to not allow those in the flesh, ways of the world to influence us and try to lead us away from the transformation of our baptism in Jesus's sacrifice on the Cross which set us free from the sins of the world.

Galatians 5 the presence of The Holy Spirit

In Chapter 4 Paul explains about how people by being under the law are in a manner being slaves and tied to the laws of Israel.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Paul once again is speaking to people who are torn between custom, tradition, ritual and obedience to the Law as they have known it.

There is a sense of fear by these new followers of Jesus, what if they offend God by not following through with a tradition that has been part of their lives forever.

Paul explains that it is not the law that matters, it is the fact that one lives in the presence of Faith through God's grace, his eternal love that is more powerful than a ritual.

Starting in Verse 13 Paul begins to speak on one of the most important aspects of living in the presence of Jesus.  He talks of how we are to live through the Spirit and not by the Flest aka the ways of the world.

Verses 13 and 14 give the example of how we are to live.

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b 

Paul then gives us a list we should memorize, this list illustrates what we should not do.  The list is very interesting if you take the time to read it and consider it,  I will come back to this after listing The Acts of the Flesh.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; C19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.orgies, and the like.

If we pay attention to this list, all the things mentioned are what we consider in one for or another as normal and to some degree acceptable behavior in our society.

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness,  are aspects many of do not even think about, we act in these manners without consideration.

These are part of our day to day existence in one form or another.  We are raised in a society where selfish ambition is not even thought of as being wrong, it is as it is.

We live in a society today where dissensions factions and hatred are normal behavior.  We do not talk things through, we build barriers based on differences and form factions.

Envy is common, I see a neighbor with a car or a spouse or house that is better than mine and I envy them for their possessions.

Society is structured on these things.  Tare each other down, do not trust, think only of my own needs and desires.  Maintain things as they have been since the beginning of time.

Here is what Paul states should be our guidelines in society.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Granted these are in no way simple things to do on a daily basis, but they are also in some cases completely different from what we may think they mean.

Love, is not Sex.  Sex can be an expression of love but they are not the same thing.

Love in this regard is acceptance of people, no matter how different that they may be from us.  Not judging one and other and being open to helping one and other in times of difficulty,

What is Joy?  It is a sense of feeling good because of what we are doing, it is not based on a person or success in being wealthy.  Joseph Campbell said it best when he was being interviewed by Bill Moyers back in the early 1980's.

Campbell said that Joy comes from "When we are following our bliss."  He went onto explain that this comes from when we find contentment in what we are doing, not because we are paid a million dollars, but because what we do brings us joy it brings us a sense of peace.

Peace is a sense of calmness, the ability to be calm no matter how bad the circumstances around us may be.

Forbearance.  To forgive one of a debt or action.

Kindness,Goodness and Gentleness are all related concepts.

Kindness instead of being rash and judgmental we are kind, we treat all people with tenderness and respect.

Goodness acting and thinking in a positive and uplifting manner, bringing out the best in ourselves and in others.

Gentleness again being kind, considerate, compassionate tender.  Treating one and other as we would like to be treated.

Faithfulness not to betray a trust whenter in a personal or business relationship.  To not give into temptation to abandon or harm another.

Self Control.  Not allowing oneself to give into anger or rage or selfish desires.  To be calm and to be focused on a positive result.

These are what we need to focus on, when we do we change the focus of others, who in turn do the same.  Over time this collective process transforms us and our world to a place of endless possibilities and potential because we work toward the positive the uplifting of one and other and let go of the negative and destructive aspects we have allowed to control the world for over two thousand years.