Recently a longtime friend of mine opined “As a Democrat it saddens me to realize that the Dem Party has sold its soul out to the devil! They are the champion of sexual deviancy and illegal immigration!”
I was moved to respond as follows:
I know your good heart. I’m not sure what triggered this outburst. It is unclear what you mean. Are you implying that all Democrats are champions of sexual deviancy and illegal immigration? After all, you are a Democrat.
What about Republicans who claim to stand up for sexual morality and family values but then turn a blind eye to President Trump’s dishonesty and immorality? Or those who out of fear are embracing white supremacist tendencies? Have they been deluded, succumbed to the temptation of power and money, and sold their souls to the Devil?
As an Independent, I see serious problems in both the Democratic and Republican parties. I also see many good people. I admire John Kasich on the Republican side and i find hope in the quality of many of the newly-elected Democratic members of the House of Representatives. Many recognize that the problem of unequal and unjust income distribution has to be addressed.
Most traditional conservatives – who believe in moral principles, fiscal conservativism, limited government, and a sensible defense policy – have distanced themselves from the Republican Party or are trying to figure out how to redeem it. Libertarians are in a quandary.
All of the parties are suffering from being attached to old paradigms in an age of rapid transition. We need new ideas and concepts to address the changing situation.
Many of these ideas are being generated on the local level where people are solving real problems affecting people in local communities.
On a global level, new ideas are being generated by those who are willing to engage in intelligent assessment and discussion, learning from the experience and wisdom of all nations and cultures in order to promote world peace, racial and religious harmony, shared prosperity, and true family values.
We should not be taking sides in irrational discussions where people demonize one another out of fear, anger, greed, or the lust for power. Rather, motivated by God’s compassion, we should be trying to reconcile conflicting parties in pursuit of peace, harmony, and true love.
Let us all
be humble and contrite
purifying our hearts
seeking a deeper personal relationship with God
in order that we may commit ourselves fully
to doing His will
Let us all work together
with God
in love
to assist
in the realization
of
His kingdom
Our Father in heaven
who is, was, and forever will be
The essence and source of all
We are in awe of your infinite majesty
We thank you for life and for your loving kindness and beneficence.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will be within us
guiding our thoughts, our words, and our actions.
We ask that you bless us with discernment to know good from evil,
wisdom to choose the good,
strength to turn away from the ways of wickedness,
so that you may guide us in the path of righteousness.
Help us to be humble and contrite
so that we may not succumb to pride, arrogance, and self-deception.
Teach us when to listen, when to ask questions, and when to speak.
Free our hearts from lust, greed, anger, resentment, and selfish gluttony
so that, with pure and grateful hearts,
we may experience your presence
and delight in your blessings.
Let us know when to be still and when to move
so that we may feel your peace and manifest the power of peace in action.
Help us to forgive one another and to reconcile our differences.
We thank you that you have enabled us to become your true sons and daughters
and pray that you may guide us to be loving brothers and sisters,
honorable men and women,
tender, caring, supportive husbands and wives,
and good, wise and compassionate parents.
Emmanuel, God with us and within us
We pray that working together with your heavenly hosts
we may bring forth your sinless kingdom of truth and love
in our community, our nation, and the world
on earth and in heaven.
Local folk musician Alex Colvin has been drawn to music since he was a young boy growing up in Montana in the 1960’s. I met Alex six years ago, in my small town of Fall River Mills, CA when he was performing at our local pub. From there, I was fortunate enough to be able to watch him perform several times, often late at night, after all the other patrons went home. He would pick up his guitar and start strumming before settling in for a variety show of folk music, blues, tin-pan alley, and my personal favorite, cowboy poetry. He is an unassuming, kindly looking gentleman with an easy smile. With just a guitar, harmonica, and a folksy-blues style of vocals, Alex’s music emanates a comfortable sincerity with every note. He is mostly self-taught but well-educated on his musical roots and a natural storyteller. John Alexander Colvin, 68, of Burney, CA is man with passion, soul, and depth. We sat down to talk about his musical background, influences, and philosophy.
Alex grew up listening to his mom’s favorite music which included her favorite jazz albums. “Louis Armstrong and the Hot Five as well as other jazz musicians from the hot jazz era have always been a favorite. That style of music (carried on through Louis Prima and Brian Seltzer) has a recurring timelessness. I also like the old tin-pan alley songwriters who, by the way, were also an influence on Paul McCartney and the Beatles. My mom and aunt’s also used to sing a lot of the songs from the thirties and forties kind of like the Andrews Sisters. It was a lot of fun and laid a foundation for me that music was fun.” (Colvin)
As a child, Alex discovered a love for singing through his mother’s example and through participating in church and school choirs. He particularly loved singing old hymns and began to study piano. The piano lessons gave him a brief introduction to reading sheet music and music theory. The piano lessons did not stick, but when he was 15 years old, Alex picked up a guitar so he could accompany himself singing. After briefly studying music theory at the University of Montana in the 1970’s, Alex became a lay missionary. “In my early 20’s I was writing a lot of songs and wanted to play to influence the world, convey a message of love and peace and make enough money to survive. When I was 23, I became a missionary and for years played primarily to accompany worship or uplift although I continued to write songs for self-expression.” (Colvin)
When asked about his musical favorites and inspirations, Alex can list such a wide range of artists that it is easy to understand why his musical talent has so much depth. Like, I suspect, most young people with a guitar, Alex challenged himself to learn and play as many songs as he could. He told me at one point, he knew over 300 cover songs. His goal was to learn songs he liked, try to make them his own, and play them from the heart.
The concept of playing from the heart has been a cornerstone of Alex’s musical philosophy all along. Almost 20 years ago, he experienced a type of rebirth as a musician and found that he still had a passion for performing. “About the age of 50, I began playing music publicly again as a singer-songwriter. I went through a new period of songwriting and interacting with other artists, poets, and songwriters. I hoped to make a living doing it and hoped that my songs would become known. I also wanted to help encourage and foster other musicians so I participated in and hosted open mics. Then I spent a period of time when I concentrated more on art and painting than music. Subsequently, I have focused on just gaining wisdom and using my talents to uplift, unify and edify people.” (Colvin)
Alex at Hat Creek Beer and Wine Fest 2017
Today, Alex can be found living a peaceful life in a rural mountain community where he routinely plays at the local senior center. He performs at small, local festivals, fundraisers, and hosts a monthly sing-along at a local mental health facility. Through his music, he embodies his philosophy of always trying to lift people up. However, he is not without wit or humor as can be found in his repertoire of music. His original songs include titles like; Traveling in the Mainstream of Love, Don’t Think About It, No Reason for this Conversation, Pink Underwear, and Sitting by the Lake, and he lists Get Together by Jesse Colin Young; Just Like A Woman by Dylan; Be My Baby by the Rondelles, Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson as some of his favorite oldies to play. The rest of his selected playlist was broken down for me by genre. In jazz: St. James Infirmary by Cab Calloway; Blues: Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out by Eric Clapton, Stormy Monday by Allman Brothers; Western: Don’t Fence Me In and Back in the Saddle Again by Gene Autry; Rock: Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits; and Gospel: Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Sweet Sweet Spirit, and It is No Secret.
When he performs, Alex’s musical influence and eclectic tastes are apparent. He mainly plays guitar and will sometimes accompany himself on harmonica. In the past, he has played mandolin and a little slide guitar but not so much anymore. “Sometimes,” he says, “I like to play bongos for fun.” Alex’s performances can be described as simple in that he doesn’t have a big set up and requires very little introduction. A singer-songwriter Yamaha Stagepass 300 system for guitar and microphone is all he needs to fill a room with his music. I asked Alex about how he approaches his performances because, as I have seen firsthand, he moves so seamlessly from one song to the next that it feels like a conversation with a friend. The stories in between and the transitions feel organic and always fit the mood and event. On the subject of planning he said, “I usually have a prepared set list that I have worked on but I always go with the flow. I like to combine conversation, story-telling, and even philosophical speculation with the musical performance.” (Colvin)
The influences in Alex’s musical journey have blended together to give him what I would consider to be a unique style all his own. “The first songs I remember hearing on the radio were Travelling Man by Ricky Nelson and I’ve Told Every Little Star by Linda Scott. I also liked Hey Hey Paula by Paul and Paula. And then of course I was a baby boomer of the sixties so I was strongly influenced by surfer music, the Beatles and British Invasion, early Bee Gees, Donovan, Barry McGuire and folk music. Folk music lead me into Woody Guthrie and also into blues artists like John Lee Hooker, Leadbelly, and Mississippi John Hurt. Other primary influences were Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Jesse Colin Young, Neil Young, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Early county influences were Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens, and Kris Kristofferson. All of these musicians and singers have inspired me and shaped my own music.”(Colvin) Alex said he would label his style of music as American Folk, New Orleans Jazz, and Blues, so it’s a combination of music derived from European and African American sources (Titon, 2009).
Alex is passionate about spreading his message of love, peace, and hope in his community. He may lack formal musical education but has more than made up for that with his desire to fulfill himself and the lives of others with a positive message. He said that nowadays he loves to simply play with and for friends in homes and small get-togethers. He is a talented artist with no discernible hubris who believes in using gifts to serve. Our interview ended with me asking him about what impact he hopes his music has on the community. I will close with his answer because I honestly cannot sum up what this man and musician is about better than he does.
It was truly a pleasure to spend time with him for this project. ” I think that there has always been a meaningful aspect to my music that people have related to, combined with an element of humor and fun. Some of my songs are a bit goofy but there is always a message that has the potential to change people’s lives: to help them introspect, discover themselves, come closer to God, and live better lives. I hope that some of my songs live on and help to create a better world.”
References:
Colvin, Alex. Personal interview. 8 Dec. 2018.
Titon, J.T. Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World’s Peoples. Schirmer/Thomson Learning, 2009.
“I’ve got a garden with flowers so rare
But somehow it’s empty with no one else there
And you have got treasures so precious and fair
But what are they worth with no one to share?”
– From the song “Stay Awhile” by Alex Colvin
Something wonderful happens when two or three people are able to communicate openly and honestly with one another in a spirit of mutual love and respect.
Inspiration flows. The mind is quickened and thoughts are stimulated. Deep feeling is awakened and the heart is enriched. Communicants discover that they are tapping into a common mind and heart.
Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mat 18:19-20)
Private prayer is the foundation of personal faith. Individual study is a fundamental step toward gaining knowledge. But when two or three are gathered together in a spirit of love and humility, God blesses us.
Knowledge blossoms into understanding. Hearts open in the experience of love and oneness. God can lead us into the truth and reveal his heart and healing power to us, in us, and through us. We experience a holy state of communion in spirit, truth and love.
To once again quote Jesus in Mat 18:18-20, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Therefore, let us gather together as friends in groups of two of three to study and discuss, to encourage one another, and to pray for God’s Will to be done.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ” Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Mat 6:5-13)
Jesus reveals to us that we have direct access to the Most High God, the essence and the source of all being. Moreover, he reveals that this Most High God is Our Father. Our relationship with God is a parent/child relationship.
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4)
Think on this. Childlike humility before God is important because before God you are a child. Ask yourself, “What does it mean to be like a child before God?”
Jesus then gives advice on how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. He doesn’t say you have pray exactly like this. He give the prayer as a model and says, “Pray then, like this.”
His example is a starting point for people who are grateful to have been a new start through Divine Grace; who want to be delivered from the power of evil, forgiven for past sins, and cared for; and who want to do God’s Will and help to bring his Kingdom on Earth.
Private prayer springs from a deep heart of gratitude. It is a confidential, honest, sincere, introspective, reflective, conversation between you and your Divine Parent, who also happens to be the source and essence of all love, consciousness, and existence.
This wonderful opportunity is available to all of us all the time. Begin with a childlike attitude using he model that Jesus provided and ask God to help deepen your faith and lead you into the truth. The possibilities and potentialities are infinite.
I didn’t know enough Thanksgiving Songs so Linda and I made one up the day before Thanksgiving and sang it at the Senior Nutrition Center and the Circle of Friends.
Lyrics:
Give thanks to God who sees and provides
Give thanks to the Spirit that loves and guides
Thanks for friends and neighbors
In whom love abides
Thank you God for being you
Without you what would we do
Even when we’re in a stew
You are true
Thank you God for being here
Freeing our hearts from doubt and fear
Now we bow our heads and pray
In thanks this day.
Notes and Corrections:
The “God who sees” is from the story of Hagar in Gen 16:13 – So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “Thou art a God of seeing”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?”
I misspoke in this video when I said it was the episode where the well appears. It is actually from the earlier episode when Hagar fled before Ishmael was born. Both stories are worth reading because Hagar is one of the few women in the Bible for whom a theophany is recorded not just once but twice. The second occurs in Gen 21:17 after the birth of Isaac, when Abraham sends her and Ismael away at Sarah’s request.
The “God who provides” is from the story of Abraham and Isaac. Gen 22:14 – So Abraham called the name of that place The LORD will provide; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
Happy Thanksgiving! May your heart be filled with gratitude to our loving Heavenly Father who sees and provides.
The Flawed Guru 