Shuffle Synchronicities: Volume 1 - #299
Guest Post by ? - "Psalm 45 (Fairest of All)" by Shane & Shane + "Limbo Jazz" by Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins - 11/12/21
Today we have a very unique guest post from an anonymous writer, who I’ve labeled:
?
? is the person I met this past weekend of whom I wrote about in the Saturday, November 6th post:
Within a few minutes, though, a woman walked by our blanket.
She noticed the Enneagram books and remarked that she had just taken the test.
I invited her to join us.
And what ensued felt truly graced by Spirit.
On my Dad’s birthday in the past two years, I would have wanted to be the one to tell my story and receive support.
In 2019, for instance, I invited my closest friends in LA to a basketball game to compensate.
But today it was this woman who needed to be helped.
I won’t go into details about what has happened to her.
To protect her privacy and because it’s her story to tell.
But it was an unspeakable tragedy.
Something that would put almost anyone else’s grief into perspective.
And it happened only a few weeks ago.
She’s still in the early stages of processing it.
But what’s perhaps more inspirationally remarkable is that in doing so she has started to write for the first time and to make music for the first time.
She was a nurse before this.
And had never done these things before.
But she felt compelled to write poems and sing songs of lament and praise to Jesus.
Later in our conversation, I mentioned Shuffle Synchronicities and offered to do that day’s shuffle altogether.
And right on cue, we got this “Brighter Day” song by Kirk Franklin, a Christian Gospel choir director, singer, dancer, songwriter, and author.
She seemed to enjoy the process so I offered her the opportunity to write a guest post.
And she’s taken up the offer this week and written a truly special one.
Here it is, without further adieu:
I’ve never considered myself a writer up until the last few months. In the blink of an eye, my life completely changed, and I lost it all. My husband, my kids, my friends, my city, my house. It’s only been a few months, and for the sake of my own privacy, I’m going to spare you the details, but to say that my life has changed would be quite an understatement.
From the place of unspeakable loss, the Lord began to fill the empty spaces with new dreams.
I started writing poetry and singing songs out of nowhere, literally overnight. I would lay in my bed the first week after everything happened and just sing worship songs, pray, and write my own songs. I had nothing left to give but my broken heart. Rhyming and words came so naturally…it was like I wasn’t even trying.
I’ve felt so locked up creatively most of my life. I would dream about writing songs, but what would I even write about? I thought all the good songs were already written, and it didn’t help that I didn’t like the sound of my voice. Everyone else’s was always better.
The Father was speaking to me about learning to fly. What if it’s not about our fear of failing but learning to fly? What does it look like to be free? What does it look like to soar on wings like eagles as in Isaiah 40:31? To explore the desires of our heart and not give a fuck what anybody else thinks?
I was a nurse for about 10 years and a stay at home mom for the last year or so. Let me tell you that a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs in the world. There are no days off and the days are monotonous, especially when your kids are very young. Laundry, groceries, diapers, cooking, cleaning. Rinse and repeat. I found very little time for myself, much less exploring any new avenues of creativity. Mad props to all the SAHMs who are rockin’ it!
Ever since August when my life got flip turned upside down, God began bringing back dreams from when I was a little girl. Now I actually have the time to explore my creative side, and it’s been in those places where I’ve felt healing happen.
For the last 5-6 years, I primarily listened to worship music. Bethel, UPPERROOM, etc. I like the real, raw, spontaneous moments. Worship leaders like Steffany Gretzinger, Amanda Cook, Maverick City, and Elyssa Smith helped foster moments with God that marked me. Moments that transcended time and space and took me straight into the Father’s heart.
I’ve always had a love for pop music too, and growing up in West Texas, country music was instilled in my blood. I can’t resist a good dance party, and my son LOVED Kanye West’s Jesus is King album, or as he called it “Blue Music.” Needless to say I love all kinds of music.
I’ve reconnected with all genres of music in the last few months. Old and new so my Spotify playlist is a little over 300 songs. There are times I ask God, “Did you write that for me?” They all feel like part of my journey. Even if I’ve listened to a song a hundred times, now it hits different. Kanye, Jay-Z, Kacey Musgraves, etc.
I shuffled the playlist and this is what came up:
“Psalm 45 (Fairest of All)” by Shane & Shane
Haha, of course. When everything went south, I sang songs and I started reading Psalms. And Psalm 45 was one I felt the Father speaking to me. Again I asked him, “God, did you write that for me?” I’ll highlight a few of the verses that stick out to me, but I recommend reading the entire chapter.
It starts out in vs 1: My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. (Definitely feel like a skillful writer)
7b: God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy (yep, He’s definitely poured that out on me in the face of the worst pain I could never have imagined, and my name means the Father’s joy)
10-11: Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
15: Led in with joy and gladness, they enter the palace of the king.
Jesus has given me some crazy revelations. I feel like He is releasing his Spirit on the earth in a fresh way, and I feel like my life’s new calling and destiny is to partner with him in his plans and purposes. I know…it’s crazy. Absolutely nuts. He has completely changed me in the process. He’s unlocking the limits that have marked my entire life. I believe that I am helping prepare the way for his return on the earth. LOL.
These are some of my favorite lines from the song:
You ransomed your bride
On the day that You died
Ascended to heaven in glory
She stands clothed in white
With her head lifted high, singing
“Come and return in Your glory”
Ten thousand strong
You’re the fairest of all
Fairest in heaven and earth
Of all the children of men
You’re the fairest of them
Fairest in heaven and earth
Come Holy Spirit Come…it’s something I started praying the day that everything changed, and it’s been the cry of my heart every day since. I believe that one day the feet of Jesus will touch down on this earth, and he’ll come back with my kids. He is the Redeemer, and he will restore everything that has been lost. It will be the most glorious day that the world has ever known, and I believe that we will see it in our lifetime. What a time to be alive!
If you made it this far, I’m almost finished. One last thing, I wanted to write a poem specifically for this post, and this is what I came up with. Hope you enjoy and feel the heart of God as you read it and go on about your life. He is more than we could ever ask for or imagine, and he’s not through with us or this earth. Fresh hope for today.
Come, now is the time to worship
Come, now is the time to give your heart
Come, lift up your eyes to the Son
Come, oh promised One and give us a new start
Everything we once knew
Coming to life fresh, anew
What once had life now looks like it’s dying
It’s time to give up, release all your trying
Take a deep breath and lift up your heads
Jesus the Christ awakening us from our beds
Get up, move it, the King is coming
Coming for a bride, look at him, he is running
With a smile on his face and a ring in his hand
We are his inheritance and this is his land
The King gets it all to rule and to reign
And the bride will be his, spotless, without stain
We will look in his eyes
The greatest surprise
The world has ever known
Jesus is coming to reap what’s been sown
There’s no escaping
What he is doing
We will shake and we’ll tremble
As he starts renewing
Renewing what’s lost, it will all be found
When His beautiful feet touch this beautiful ground
We’ll bow and we’ll bend, our voices will send
Prayers, songs, and cries of joy without end
We all get made new
To our King we’ll say, “I do”
We’ll behold the one who is Faithful and True
For all of our days
Wrapped up in all of His ways
Shouting, dancing, feasting, dining
Resting forever with King Jesus reclining
The work will end, heaven begins
A love ever after that knows no end
A bride and her bridegroom together forever
The richest and rarest most priceless treasure
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, ?.
I found it beautiful that your shuffled-to-song synchronistically had to do with an old testament psalm about a bride.
And I loved the way you spun that into your own sacred poem that’s a vivid new testament of being a bride of Christ.
I usually have more (often too much) to say about the guest’s posts but I’ll leave it mostly at that today.
I’ll just briefly relate that my song was:
“Limbo Jazz” by Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins
Which felt like a synchronicity because the word “Limbo” in some medieval Christian theologies included the supposed abode of the souls of deceased unbaptized infants.
I had originally planned to write about one of my favorite contemporary theologians, Stephen Mitchell, and how he appears, to me, to offer a different theology based on Jesus than what is expressed by ? in her guest post.
But the word “Limbo” makes me remember that even the well-intentioned sharing of theological differences itself can just as often divide as much as it enlightens.
So I think of the other definition of the word, “Limbo”, which is a type of dance that originated at funeral wakes in Trinidad, and which seems to apply much more to this joyous song.
It’s a reminder that even in mourning we can be like the children of the Kingdom of God, and enjoy music, dance, and play.
I hope you continue to, too.
Okay, that’s the two hundred and ninety-ninth Shuffle Synchronicities.