Such a joy last night to sing in front of such an appreciate audience of about 60-80 people most of who were from 'Sing Australia' and therefore loved singing and music. The pieces I sang were 'Holy City', 'Oh, Holy Night' and 'Comfort Ye' (Handel- Messiah). My voice felt strong and it filled the house and bounced off the walls with joy, singing this majestic music literally over Coffs Harbour!
When we eventually leave Coffs Harbour this will be a soaring memory to take with me. As I reflect back on our time here it has certainly had its ups and devastating downs but there was never a question that G-d was going to bring us through to a triumphant note.
Out of the blue, through a friend at the Church (Thanks Damo) where we have been worshipping, came an invitation to sing at the Coffs Harbour Mayoral Ball and from that came the invite to sing at the house last night.
The Lord Mayor (Denise Knight) gave me a big cuddle after my singing, so we have literally been embraced by the city. In the process I shared a stage with Ciarin Gribbin (lead singer of INXS), I have had wonderful concerts at the Art Gallery and have offers for more concerts in other venues in nearby regional centres and so the journey goes on.
If you are going through a difficult time don't give up! G-d will not only bring you to survive but to thrive and triumph! This is His will as you trust in Him! There may be times when you feel forgotten but He is present and will bring you through. As you trust, prepare, study His Word and pray. Work on your strengths, continue to train and exercise. One day you will stand and sing your anthem of triumph and oh, what joy!
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deut. 31:6"
The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7
But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
…………………………………………
For my other stuff see revronlaw.com
Saturday 21 December 2013
Wednesday 18 December 2013
Is there humour in the Bible?
This is part of an on going discussion I hope to continue with a comedian friend of mine…
In one of his excellent lectures on humour I heard him say that he believed J-vh (G-d) has no sense of humour and that was there is no humour in the Bible. I understand why he would reach that conclusion, looking at the Bible through the cultural lens of our day and age but I don't believe it is true!
I believe that Old Testament Judaism, the cultural roots of the Bible, was alive with gut wrenching humour that we miss because we don't understand its cultural context. In his lectures my 'friend' rightly points out that humour is a profound part of our make up, our DNA. Since I believe in a loving, compassionate Creator, I believe, also, that he created humour and since we are created in the image of G-d I believe that G-d is humorous- in fact I believe He is and must be absolutely hilarious!
Faith is personal, so in order to discover its context you need to know a little of my story. I love to laugh! Humour has been a part of my life since I was very young. Emerging from an emotionally turbulent childhood humour became an important way for me to survive by using my colourful imagination to change the shape and perspective on some pretty ugly things that were happening around me as a child and I think I saw it as a way to distract and protect my younger siblings. That was a type of twisted justification because they were actually the butt of many of my pranks and jokes.
In the middle of all the crap that happened in our home I hooked up with a Scout group that happened to be associated with the Salvos. When I was about 14 I went to a Church meeting that was called a 'Scout Parade' and I had the most amazing life changing experience of 'finding Christ'.
At it's heart Christianity is not about religion it is about a personal relationship with God. So on a personal level, I believe that God has a tremendous sense of humour because He has chosen a broken up, broken down dude like me to be one of his ministers or servants. Thats hilarious but entirely consistent with the upside down humour in the Bible expressed in the verse:-
"But G-d chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; G-d chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." (1 Cor 1:27 NIV)
Thats funny!
Firstly, let me say that I understand why someone would reach the conclusion that there is no humour in the church, the Bible or in God. Church often does not seem like a fun place. I have been a minister for about 30 years and not only can it be humourless place but it can be brutal, especially towards its leadership.
Ministry is mostly very fulfilling and full of joy because you play a very unique and important part in peoples' lives but there are power brokers and gate keepers in church life that express a sense of ownership and it can get ugly. Thats why there is a sense of 'calling' involved and it is not just a job!
I have used humour a fair bit from the pulpit. Pretty successfully (if I do say so myself) usually, though not always, weaving a joke or two in to my sermons. Let me say though, the church makes you in to a lazy comic! You don't have to work that hard to be funny because just the idea of a minister cracking a a half funny joke is better than the boring tedium of a long dry sermon. (Mind you I try to work hard to make sure all of the sermon relates and is not boring.) So, I may have an unrealistic idea about my own funniness.
I was reading a book by General Shwarskoff (or whatever his name was) who ran the gulf war and he said that when his buddies became Generals they believed they developed a sense of humour over night. i.e. everyone started laughing at their jokes (even the bad ones).
From time to time I would feel like a bit of a fake in this regard and think to myself I would like to try the rigour and challenge of stand up comedy just to hone my skills. I would still like to do this. My family and friends think I am funny! One day…
Back to the subject… G-d and humour,
At times like these it is good to have a Rabbi in the family and I happen to have one! Rabbi Mark Solomon is cousin of mine and when I consulted him about humour in the Bible he said the following
"The book of Jonah is comedic - the runaway prophet who can't stand God forgiving people; as is the story of Balaam and his ass - who sees what the great seer can't. Sarah aged 90 saying "how can I have a baby - my husband is too old!"; Lot's daughters getting their father drunk etc.; Aaron saying "don't blame me! I just threw the gold into the fire and this calf appeared"; the Song of Deborah is replete with dark erotic humour (Sisera's mother imagining the sex slaves he's bringing home, while he has fallen dead between the legs of a woman, pierced by her tent peg); Samson the mighty man in thrall to women; and then there's the comedic book of Esther, where the men are desperate to control the women but the king ends up manipulated by his queen. I could go on ... I suppose it's mostly quite dark humour but there's loads of it." (Rabbi Mark Solomon)
In an article called "Humor in the New Testament", Leonard Greenspoon says "... it is clear enough that Jesus had a good sense of humor and surrounded himself with others who were similarly endowed"
A couple of examples that Greenspoon points out are:-
1) James and John- "Rebuffed by the Samaritans, they addressed Jesus: "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" (Luke 9:53–54). Although Jesus turned down this request and rebuked the requesters, nonetheless he nicknamed this duo "the sons of thunder" (Boanerges; see Mark 3:17). Given their futile desire to bring down lightning, and thunder, from heaven, this nickname, no matter how gently bequeathed, was bound to be the subject of much humor in numerous retellings of the story."
2) The Sermon on the Mount- "Much of the Sermon on the Mount, it seems to me, would have struck its earliest hearers as funny. Among the Beatitudes, with which the Sermon begins, we can well imagine smiles, if not out-and-out laughter, greeting this remark: "Blessed are the meek//for they will inherit the land" (Matthew5:5). What could be more foolish than this—the meek inheriting the land? That's what the strong do, don't they? Of course, this is humor with a purpose—to overturn our usual perceptions—but it's humor nonetheless. This statement of Jesus' is an allusion to, if not quotation of, Psalm 37:11: "But the lowly shall inherit the land&" (Tanakh). But its context there seems to lack the rhetorical bite, and thus the attendant humor, of the expression as it appears in the Sermon on the Mount."
3) The Parable of the Mustard Seed- "...parables owe much of their effectiveness to their being interactive or active rather than passive forms of teaching. With Jesus, parables often provided a touch of humor through exaggeration or hyperbole. One example can be detected in the relatively brief Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31–32): "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" That a tiny seed could have produced a bush large enough for birds to build their nests, this very idea must have struck many as humorous."
The article by Leonard Greenspoon quoted here can be read in full at "Humor in the New Testament"
I think it can be easily demonstrate that the Bible is chockas with humour but its hard for us to understand it without a bit of background and context.
Rev. Ron Law
No church? Try something new. New Church at Banora Point, Tweed Heads, NSW, Australia. Check out the details on our web site.
………………………………………..
Thanks again to Rabbi Mark Solomon
In one of his excellent lectures on humour I heard him say that he believed J-vh (G-d) has no sense of humour and that was there is no humour in the Bible. I understand why he would reach that conclusion, looking at the Bible through the cultural lens of our day and age but I don't believe it is true!
I believe that Old Testament Judaism, the cultural roots of the Bible, was alive with gut wrenching humour that we miss because we don't understand its cultural context. In his lectures my 'friend' rightly points out that humour is a profound part of our make up, our DNA. Since I believe in a loving, compassionate Creator, I believe, also, that he created humour and since we are created in the image of G-d I believe that G-d is humorous- in fact I believe He is and must be absolutely hilarious!
Faith is personal, so in order to discover its context you need to know a little of my story. I love to laugh! Humour has been a part of my life since I was very young. Emerging from an emotionally turbulent childhood humour became an important way for me to survive by using my colourful imagination to change the shape and perspective on some pretty ugly things that were happening around me as a child and I think I saw it as a way to distract and protect my younger siblings. That was a type of twisted justification because they were actually the butt of many of my pranks and jokes.
In the middle of all the crap that happened in our home I hooked up with a Scout group that happened to be associated with the Salvos. When I was about 14 I went to a Church meeting that was called a 'Scout Parade' and I had the most amazing life changing experience of 'finding Christ'.
At it's heart Christianity is not about religion it is about a personal relationship with God. So on a personal level, I believe that God has a tremendous sense of humour because He has chosen a broken up, broken down dude like me to be one of his ministers or servants. Thats hilarious but entirely consistent with the upside down humour in the Bible expressed in the verse:-
"But G-d chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; G-d chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." (1 Cor 1:27 NIV)
Thats funny!
Firstly, let me say that I understand why someone would reach the conclusion that there is no humour in the church, the Bible or in God. Church often does not seem like a fun place. I have been a minister for about 30 years and not only can it be humourless place but it can be brutal, especially towards its leadership.
Ministry is mostly very fulfilling and full of joy because you play a very unique and important part in peoples' lives but there are power brokers and gate keepers in church life that express a sense of ownership and it can get ugly. Thats why there is a sense of 'calling' involved and it is not just a job!
I have used humour a fair bit from the pulpit. Pretty successfully (if I do say so myself) usually, though not always, weaving a joke or two in to my sermons. Let me say though, the church makes you in to a lazy comic! You don't have to work that hard to be funny because just the idea of a minister cracking a a half funny joke is better than the boring tedium of a long dry sermon. (Mind you I try to work hard to make sure all of the sermon relates and is not boring.) So, I may have an unrealistic idea about my own funniness.
I was reading a book by General Shwarskoff (or whatever his name was) who ran the gulf war and he said that when his buddies became Generals they believed they developed a sense of humour over night. i.e. everyone started laughing at their jokes (even the bad ones).
From time to time I would feel like a bit of a fake in this regard and think to myself I would like to try the rigour and challenge of stand up comedy just to hone my skills. I would still like to do this. My family and friends think I am funny! One day…
Back to the subject… G-d and humour,
At times like these it is good to have a Rabbi in the family and I happen to have one! Rabbi Mark Solomon is cousin of mine and when I consulted him about humour in the Bible he said the following
"The book of Jonah is comedic - the runaway prophet who can't stand God forgiving people; as is the story of Balaam and his ass - who sees what the great seer can't. Sarah aged 90 saying "how can I have a baby - my husband is too old!"; Lot's daughters getting their father drunk etc.; Aaron saying "don't blame me! I just threw the gold into the fire and this calf appeared"; the Song of Deborah is replete with dark erotic humour (Sisera's mother imagining the sex slaves he's bringing home, while he has fallen dead between the legs of a woman, pierced by her tent peg); Samson the mighty man in thrall to women; and then there's the comedic book of Esther, where the men are desperate to control the women but the king ends up manipulated by his queen. I could go on ... I suppose it's mostly quite dark humour but there's loads of it." (Rabbi Mark Solomon)
In an article called "Humor in the New Testament", Leonard Greenspoon says "... it is clear enough that Jesus had a good sense of humor and surrounded himself with others who were similarly endowed"
A couple of examples that Greenspoon points out are:-
1) James and John- "Rebuffed by the Samaritans, they addressed Jesus: "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" (Luke 9:53–54). Although Jesus turned down this request and rebuked the requesters, nonetheless he nicknamed this duo "the sons of thunder" (Boanerges; see Mark 3:17). Given their futile desire to bring down lightning, and thunder, from heaven, this nickname, no matter how gently bequeathed, was bound to be the subject of much humor in numerous retellings of the story."
2) The Sermon on the Mount- "Much of the Sermon on the Mount, it seems to me, would have struck its earliest hearers as funny. Among the Beatitudes, with which the Sermon begins, we can well imagine smiles, if not out-and-out laughter, greeting this remark: "Blessed are the meek//for they will inherit the land" (Matthew5:5). What could be more foolish than this—the meek inheriting the land? That's what the strong do, don't they? Of course, this is humor with a purpose—to overturn our usual perceptions—but it's humor nonetheless. This statement of Jesus' is an allusion to, if not quotation of, Psalm 37:11: "But the lowly shall inherit the land&" (Tanakh). But its context there seems to lack the rhetorical bite, and thus the attendant humor, of the expression as it appears in the Sermon on the Mount."
3) The Parable of the Mustard Seed- "...parables owe much of their effectiveness to their being interactive or active rather than passive forms of teaching. With Jesus, parables often provided a touch of humor through exaggeration or hyperbole. One example can be detected in the relatively brief Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31–32): "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" That a tiny seed could have produced a bush large enough for birds to build their nests, this very idea must have struck many as humorous."
The article by Leonard Greenspoon quoted here can be read in full at "Humor in the New Testament"
I think it can be easily demonstrate that the Bible is chockas with humour but its hard for us to understand it without a bit of background and context.
Rev. Ron Law
No church? Try something new. New Church at Banora Point, Tweed Heads, NSW, Australia. Check out the details on our web site.
………………………………………..
Thanks again to Rabbi Mark Solomon
Wednesday 27 November 2013
Searching for a Word
At my last concert I said to my audience that I was reaching for a word that expressed the feeling that I have as I sing some of the beautiful music I have been singing. Sometimes it glows inside me for a long time after I sing a song. It is a buzz, it is a high but it is more than that because I know you can get a high from drugs and things like that but negative things take away from your self respect.
Someone came up to me and said that it was simply 'joy'. Whilst I agree that joy is certainly part of it, this is something else again. It is a wonderful delicious feeling. It is dignifying!
They say that in 5 years you will be the same except for the books you read and the people you associate with and I think I can add to that, the songs that you sing because I walk away from these beautiful songs, resonating with hundreds years of history, a better person.
In the movie, 'As Good as it Gets' Jack Nicholson's character says to Helen Hunt's character. 'You make me want to be a better man" Thats how I feel about some of these songs. They make me want to be a better man.
Maybe you could help me find the word? http://reverbnation.com/ronaldlaw
Learn more about my music and ministry at
http://www.revronlaw.com
Learn more about my music and ministry at
http://www.revronlaw.com
Music and Trauma
Over the last two years I have gone through a horrific ongoing experience through my work in which I was continually bullied and harassed. Without wanting to go in to details too much at this point, one of the wonderful things I did through this time was enrol in grades in classical singing through my local conservatorium.
Though I have studied some classical music previously, the wonderful enriching music that I was exposed to during this time from Beethoven and Schubert and Schumann and others enriched me and strengthened me in areas where my self esteem may have eroded.
I received honours in 5th Grade and 6th Grade singing and now I am attempting 7th Grade all under the steady guiding hand of Margaret England at the Coffs Harbour Conservatorium.
It continues to be a wonderful 'classical journey'. In fact, that is what I have called the collection of songs that I have just recorded. 'A Classical Journey'.
Joining Margaret and I on the journey has been my Accompanist, Elaine Sparrow. We have now performed in several very successful and fulfilling concerts in which I have been able to share a small part of our story.
Next week I will be performing at the Coffs Harbour Mayoral Ball. What an honour! I believe that music is a gift from God who gives us music for enrichment and for nourishment, for connection and to honour Him.
If you listen to some of my music and it blesses you please let me know. I am available to sing and speak to gatherings of any size/ Please email me at revronlaw@me.com
Learn more about my music and ministry at
http://www.revronlaw.com
Learn more about my music and ministry at
http://www.revronlaw.com
How to Increase Your Influence
Handwritten notes.
In a book called "The Difference You Make" Pat Williams makes an observation about Rich DeVoss, one of the founders of the Amway Corporation. DeVos would regularly send hand written notes to people.
"Rich is famous for his handwritten notes; I have three of them framed on my wall. He always signed his notes, "Love Ya! Rich." Whether he knows you personally or not, Rich really does love you , because he loves everybody, encourages everybody, and motivates everybody whose life he touches.
Tom Peters, co-author of "In Search of Excellence", is a big believer in the power and impact of a simple little handwritten note. He writes:
"we wildly underestimate the power of the tiniest personal touch. And all personal touches, I find the short, handwritten "nice job" note to have the greatest impact. (It even seems to beat a call – something about the tangibility.)
A former boss (who's gone onto a highly successful career) religiously took about 15 minutes (max) at the end of each day, at 530, 630, whenever, to jot a half-dozen paragraph long notes to people who'd given him time during the day, albeit made a provocative remark at some meeting. I remember him saying that he was dumbfounded by the number of recipients who subsequently thanked him for thanking them!"
If you would like to increase your influence take the time now to write a handwritten note to someone who has done something for you today.
Learn more about my music and ministry at
http://www.revronlaw.com
Learn more about my music and ministry at
http://www.revronlaw.com
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