Build Up Your Friends...Don't Tear Them Down!

A trumpeter was once captured by the enemy. He pleaded with his captors: "Please spare me! I have no gun. I am not guilty of any crime. I have not killed a single one of your soldiers. I only carry this poor brass trumpet and play it when I'am told to to." "That is the very reason for putting you to death," his captors said. For, while you do not fight yourself, your trumpet stirs up all the others to battle. It causes many others to kill." 

So it is with our criticism of others. We may not hate, mistrust, or avoid the person we criticize, but our criticism can cause others to manifest these feelings and behavior. 

There once was a woman to whom gossip and criticism were so utterly distasteful that whenever a visitor brought up something negative about a person, she would say, "Come, let's go and ask if this is true." The tale-bearer was always so taken aback that he or she would beg to be excused. But the determined woman would insist in escorting the reluctant soul to the subject of the tale to verify its truth or to hear the other point of view. After a while, no one repeated a tale or voiced a criticism in her presence!

What Rock Did For Me: A Personal Testimony of David W. Cloud

I have not been directly influenced by 'Rock' but here is what I have read about a man who has undergone a series of ups and downs while trying to battle against the influence of 'rock'. He is David W. Cloud. Well, it's his testimony, but I was blessed. Therefore, I couldn't wait to key in these and share it with you all. To be very specific, this write-up was written quite a very long time back in the 1980's...to be precise, 1987...the year I was born! I guess this is older than me, (I saw this while I was up on the attic browsing through and cleaning my dad's old and dusty books). I hope you all will be inspired to remain firm and stand up to face the very challenge before us as Christians...

"Before conversion, I was a typical rebellious youth of the 1970's. In Vietnam, I had become involved with drugs. Upon discharge from the Army I carried my love for drugs home with me. The first day I was home an old friend appeared, asked if I “got high”, and rejoiced that I had learned to “turn on”. (My friend had also gotten involved with drugs while serving in the Army in Vietnam.) Away I went with my friend to be introduced into the massive US drug culture. Soon, I learned that the marijuana obtained in the States was very weak. In the ever increasing search for the better high, I curiously moved on to the more powerful chemicals available in pill form. I used mescaline, LSD, opium, cocaine, psilocybin, and lots of different amphetamines, barbiturates, and hallucinogens. Drug abuse was a confirmed part of my life until conversion.

What does this have to do with rock and roll? Much! During the entire drug experience I ate, slept, and breathed rock and roll. While in Vietnam, I purchased a large amount of expensive stereo equipments and taped hundreds of rock albums. Most barrack, bars, and clubs there were equipped with LOUD rock and roll night and day. The G.I.’s tried to fight and work to the rhythm of rock! And it as and is the same back in the States. Upon discharge, we equipped our hippy apartments with amplifiers and large speakers to satisfy us morning, noon, and night with OUR MUSIC…rock and roll. If we stayed at home for a “quiet” evening alone, we played rock and roll. If we drove in a car, we played rock and roll. If we went to a bar, played on the beach, strolled through a park, or worked at a job…if it was all possible…we played rock and roll. LOUD!

Did rock cause me to use drugs? Or did the drugs cause me to like rock? Probably both. I loved rock long before I ever thought about using drugs, but drugs sure made the rock come alive! Why? One reason is that rock is created by drug abusers. Many rock recordings are written and produced by folk controlled by chemicals. Many rock songs and entire albums deal with drug abuse themes, glorifying the drug experience and calling for free abuse.

“Rock musicians use drugs frequently and openly, and their compositions are riddled with references to drugs, from the Beatles ‘I Get High With a Little Help From My Friends’ to the Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ … Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane told Cavalier in June of 1968, ‘We all use drugs and we condone the judicious use of drugs by every one. Kids are going to blow their minds somehow, and this is a better way to do it than racking up their car against the wall. Let them groove, do their own thing.’ Frank Zappa of the Mothers of Invention told Life that society’s major hang-ups could be cured by a drug and sexual openness.” (David A. Noebel, The Marxist Minstrels, page 72).

The rock world is the drug world; the drug world is the rock world. Only a very naïve or carnally blind Christian, it seems, would fail to observe this. Rock helped break down inhibitions and inspire me to drug abuse (and rebellion and morality). Drug abuse helped inspire me to rock. Where it would all end only the Lord knew.

I became depressed, defeated, lonely, and empty while using drugs. I lost most personal ambition to better myself intellectually, or mentally, or any way, really. I would go to bed depressed and wake up depressed. Even in a friendly crowd I felt separated, alone. And so restless! I would keep a job on the average about six weeks, then I had to GO. Place to place, job to job, philosophy to philosophy I travelled. No peace was mine, or satisfaction, or, toward the end, hope of change. I wanted out but couldn’t find the Door.

Then the Lord Jesus sent a man. This stranger loved me and patiently led me to the true Christ and to the true Book, the Bible. I gladly received the truth, and I became anchored safely in Jesus Christ never to roam again. Praise His Holy Name!

And what happened to the drugs? They were never again considered. But what happened to the rock? That hung on for awhile. Upon conversion I began to study the Bible for hours daily. Every day I would pick my Bible, find a private place away from distraction, and read and meditate upon the blessed Word of God. I had been deceived and in bondage to Satan for many years, and I was determined, now that I had received the truth, never to be deceived again. I yearned to be grounded thoroughly in the Scriptures, so I studied eagerly. But still I listened to rock.

There seem to be something wrong. I was cleansing and renewing my mind zealously with the truth, but there seemed to be a great hindrance to my learning and to my spiritual progress. I still could not retain the things I was learning from the Bible, and I continued to be restless and anxious. Often I prayed about this and asked for peace. “Lord, where is the peace you promise in your Word for those who come to Christ? Why don’t I have the peace and joy some of the Christians I have met have? Please, Lord, give me this peace.” At times I thought I was doomed never to enjoy experiential peace in this life. But still I studied and sought the Lord.

One day as I was driving in my car with the radio tuned to a rock station (as usual), I suddenly realized what was wrong. I actually was pouring garbage into my mind as fast as I was pouring in truth. ROCK AND ROLL WAS CONTAMINATING TH TRUTH AND HINDERING THE HEALING MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. No wonder I was still restless! No wonder I still had such problem concentrating upon and retaining the truth! THE BEAT WAS DESTROYING THE BENEFIT OF THE BOOK.

So I turned off the radio that day and rejoiced in what God had shown me.

That was not the end of the battle, though. Many times I would be tempted to turn that knob and be immersed for a few moments in the beat. It was so exciting. And sometimes I did just that. Yet I always knew that the result was injurious to my spiritual and emotional life. The rock would revive my old restlessness, depression, loneliness, and fears. Quickly I learned that ROCK IS POISON AS DEADLY AS DRUGS AND TO BE SHUNNED WITH JUST AS MUCH VIGOR. It weakens the will power and opens on to demonic influence.

I can honestly testify that giving up rock and roll was one of my most difficult battle since conversion. Leaving drugs behind was no problem. Cutting my long hair was little problem. But putting away rock was hard. As a matter of fact, giving up rock was as giving up cigarettes. And, as with smoking, the battle against rock music had to be fought and refought months, even years, after conversion. Why was this if rock is harmless and unintoxicating as some folk claim?

I cannot testify that after giving up rock I overnight lost all restlessness, depression, and inability to concentrate or to retain. Yet, I did begin to make much more rapid progress toward these goals. I knew in my heart that the Lord was pleased. And the Scriptures widely confirmed this feeling. Today, depression is infrequent and mild. The driving restlessness is gone, replaced by the ruling peace of God. My mind is sharper than it has ever been, and my memory excellent, especially in spiritual things. Life now is filled with miracles, ministry, and growth.

Would this still be true had I never turned off the beat? Most assuredly not! Had I continued immersed in the rebellious, carnal beat of rock, absorbing the loose, immoral message, the Lord could not have blessed my life as He has done. My mind would never have so rapidly been healed by the soothing touch of the spirit of God. My life could never have fully been refreshed by the pure, cleansing Word of God. I would have been torn continually between two worlds, anxious, worried, fearful, uncertain, and defeated. Quite possibly I would have been drawn again into the very world from whence I sought freedom. Victory is not for disobedient fence-straddlers.

Yes, there are a few people who have been truly saved, yet who still continue to love rock music. It hung on in my life for awhile after conversion. But these will never enjoy God’s richest blessings nor fulfill His perfect will until their feet are washed from worldly defilement. Did my giving up rock in itself secure the above benefits? Of course not. But it was an absolutely essential step in the right direction."
God Be Praised!

Do It When Deemed Best

Why do humans mostly acknowledge and regard the contributions or the worth of another person only when he/she is gone? We criticise and accuse the person throughout their lifetime for the things they have created, for the works they have done and contributed and the achievements they have made for the betterment of the world community. But now that they are gone, we surely have the guts to say he/she was a good human being, and honor them with post humus glories.

What? It could have been better, had they been praised and honoured while they were well and alive. After all those years of criticisms, we come up with a noble idea to speak praises over their parted soul.

Is this the reason why we call ourselves human? Being humane to deceased souls; when all their years of hard work and tireless dedication has been marked-up with criticisms and allegations?

I have heard of people who have been honoured and decorated after their demise; when they cannot hear the sounds of praises made about them by the same people who were their competitors and accusers, of which some of them are known publicly, while some only by their close associates.

Well, then if that is not so humane, let us start off by doing the humane way eh? Let us remember that, it is always better to acknowledge and praise the other person when he/she has the entire faculty and capacity of knowing what you are doing, than just to be doing the same, over a cold and lifeless junk. Yes, it is already a junk! Though he may be the President, when he is dead, he is not anymore. The praises are just for those who attend such rituals to hear. Had the person been alive that time, he/she must have been the happiest person in the world!

Let us also realise that, it is much better to do something for a person when that person sees and feels it. What a humane way it would standout to be, if humans encourage one another when there is still air in our lungs, our hearts pumping, and our brains still working to be able to infuse all that wonderful feeling.

When you are in the capacity to do that wonderful act, why wait for the other person to drop dead, then only  you start to think of doing all that rituals?

Let us remove bias, pride and prejudice from among us, and stop being hypocrites.

Let us be doers!