Thomas Andrew Dorsey was the first African American elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Association’s Living Hall of Fame. His notoriety and contributions to Christian music are amazing.
I have heard it said and asked, “Indeed, life is suffering. Contradiction, misfortune, disappointment, and heartbreak surrounded us. Why must we enter the Kingdom of God through many tribulations? Why does God allow suffering?”
Last week, we talked about contentment as a godly response to life situations. But maybe you were wondering, “Does being content mean that I shouldn’t try to improve my situation?” No! Contentment is not an excuse for laziness or inactivity, nor does it fly in the face of creativity and industriousness.
Some years ago, a friend of mine was transferred by his company to Texas. He was married with three school-age children. Being a northern boy, neither he nor his family took well to Texas. He loved his job, but for a variety of reasons, they found it difficult to adapt to Texas.
We don’t want to be quitters; we want perseverance in our lives. And we desire strong, godly character. We want to be positive men full of hope.
Living life by formula is an easy trap to fall into. When life doesn’t turn out like we expect, eventually disappointment and frustration can well up into resentment and disillusionment. What we really create with all our formulas for living is a formula for disaster!
I enjoy the beautiful, award-winning photography of Idaho photographer Tim Christie. He has a way of capturing the outdoors on film that truly honors and glorifies the Creator. Of course, capturing these shots can be quite an adventure… sometimes more than he bargained for.
At times all our finger-pointing and bickering ends up doing us all in and nothing is accomplished. If we find ourselves constantly amidst controversy and strife, we need to take a good hard look at ourselves. What are we really fighting over? How is God being glorified?
As believers, we know that life is made up of a series of struggles and challenges, all of which help us develop character, patience, and obedience. So, if we know struggles are essential to spiritual maturity, why do we do everything we can to avoid pain? And why do we try to rob others of the opportunity to grow by “rescuing” them?
Many people are on a quest to find what the world defines as “success” and “personal happiness.” Our culture provides countless models of wealthy, famous, well-dressed people who project that if we can just become like them, we’ll be happy. But what Hollywood and professional sports often project as “winners” are really unhappy and unfulfilled people.
Gordon is one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met. Despite his blindness, he is one of the most sought-after musicians in Nashville. If you look at the credits of a Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, or Martina McBride album anxious to find the name of the great piano player who adds so much musical flavor to those top-selling records, the name Gordon Mote, an accomplished musician, master prankster, and devoted Christian will appear on the album jacket.
