"God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you're tempted to express the exact opposite quality!"
Wow. This is not something that I've given much thought to. It's true. Temptations are not evil. They also provide a choice to do good. "No temptation has seized you, except what is common to man. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but will provide a way out, so that you may stand up under it." That's some startling and good news. No matter what temptation we face, we always have the ability to take a way out. Sometimes that might involve losing face or being embarrassed, but it is the right choice and produces character in us.
GMA was a delight. I saw some bad and average performances and some good ones. But on Tuesday night I saw some wonderful ones. I felt like I had the fast track and a "showcase from Heaven," as I saw Mute Math, who are amazing. Here's the deal: Sting took over lead vocals in the band Coldplay, and changed the new band's name to Mute Math. Well, not really. And don't think this is a rip-off or heavy-handed copycatting. This is some real-deal authentic stuff. What I saw was amazing.
Then I went over to Blue Sky and saw Neal Morse provide a solo set. Oh my gosh! The joy that radiated from this guy and his music really made me remember standout people, like Rich Mullins, and how they used simplicity to be powerful. No tricks, no hype, no posing. Just excellence in music (talk about quality!) and straight-up lyrics. Awesome. Then I had a chance to see Homeless J. I'd heard a bunch about these guys and I was just waiting to be let down (plus I had a little bit of a "spiritual buzz," so to speak, after praying and worshiping during Morse's set). Well, I wasn't let down. This band is brilliant. The last song of their set, an unrecorded song up to now, is just phenomenal. And then this rapper came out. I was about to leave and go see Staple (who are really cool and really heavy), who were playing at Rocketown. But this lone guy in a dark grey hoodie stood with his back to the audience, and then moved mannequin/robitic/moonwalk style to every new beat and note. When Tonex let loose with his sultry voice, it boomed. This guy is amazing! World class talent. Oh my gosh! I could not believe how stinking good this guy sounded. I am not a fan of Prince, but if he sounds anywhere as good as Tonex, I'm going to have to investigate and listen more, because this stuff is awesome (he sounds somewhere in between Prince and Michael Jackson, but my limited exposure to both of those artists make me think this guy is even better). Wow.
And, I've tried leaving a couple of cool polls on our message board again. Vote!