All Kinds of Music for All Kinds of Lives

Author: Mark Fenstermacher
July 23, 2021

For three of my years in college, I lived in a dormitory (Wilkie South) in Bloomington. There are a lot of stories I could tell you from that time in my life but they’re not going to get told here. Now. Or later. (Honestly, I was a rather boring guy living a rather tame life during my years at IU.)

One part of that time in my life I will tell you about has to do with music. And I’m sharing this as we continue exploring the book of Psalms in our series Soul Songs.

If you know what was happening in the world of music from the mid 60’s through the mid 70’s, it was a time of incredible creativity and excellence (generally) in the world of popular music. There was the “British Invasion”, which included the Beatles. There was the poetry of people like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Van Morrison and James Taylor. Music by black artists like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Little Richard fueled much of the creative energy of white artists. There was the Motown phenomenon with people like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, the Temptations, the Supremes, and more. There was amazing stuff coming out of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Started by two immigrant Jewish brothers on the south side of Chicago, Chess Records recorded people like Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf and John Lee Hooker. There were stunning soul singers like Etta James and Aretha Franklin.  Finally, there was the harmony of the Beach Boys on the West Coast and groups like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on the East Coast. There were artists as varied as Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix.

We’ve not even mentioned the world of jazz with people like Coltrane, Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery. We’ve not even mentioned music from Broadway or standards by Sinatra, Bennett, and Ella Fitzgerald.

There was all this music. There was all this variety. For nearly every moment in life. There were the blues for down times. There was upbeat music for upbeat times. There were songs that spoke to private, individual moments and songs that spoke to our shared, communal experience…blessings and challenges.

I’m thinking of all that music as we continue our series Soul Songs because what we find in the Psalms is a stunning variety of songs. What God gives us in the psalms—some written by David, many written by others over hundreds of years—is a variety of songs, of poetry, that speak to...give voice to...almost every situation in life. I don’t they is another book in all of literature that speaks so honestly to the human condition, and so completely expresses what it is like to walk with God.

As we explore the Psalms and the experience of praise this weekend in worship, I wonder who are the artists whose music has shaped your life? I also wonder what psalms feed your soul and speak to where you are right now. And, if you were asked to write or sing a song of praise to God, what words would you choose? Psalm 95 says, “Come, let us praise the Lord! Let us sing for joy to God…"

Join us Sunday online or in-person for worship at 8:30 or 11 am this Sunday as we explore the power of praise.

Remember Party in the Parking Lot on Wednesday, July 28, from 6pm to 8pm You can help by spreading the word and helping us welcome the community.

We’re also looking forward to a special day on August 15 as we bless backpacks and those heroes who serve as educators and support staff. 

I am so joyed by our journey together in Christ. Come, let us praise the Lord!

Pastor Mark

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