Over the last couple of years, I have been collecting greatest hits and compilation CDs. You know, Greatest Hits of the '70s, 1 by the Beatles, etc. I was recently listening to my new U2 CD (1980-2000) and I started wondering what I was missing by only getting the "greatest hits." I mean, yeah, I'm hearing the big hits - the chart toppers, the ones everyone likes or liked - but what gems are hidden deep in the original projects? What 'B' sides am I missing that may eventually have become one of my all-time favorites? Am I cheating myself? Am I cheating the artist?
Then God used his divine 2x4: what are you missing about Me by only doing the popular things? Reading the verses everyone already knows - the ones everyone likes - the ones that are easy to 'get' or get hold of - the ones that bring that sense of nostalgia and charm because of their familiarity. What gems of truth am I missing in one of smaller or less 'popular' books or chapters? What would happen if I went against the stream and danced to a different tune than the popular ones that everyone is listening to?
Am I cheating myself? Am I cheating the Artist?
6 comments:
Dwight just bought the 'War' CD by U2 - it's one of his favorite bands! Then I just posted the lyrics to Pride (In the Name of Love) on my blog & now I come here to hear more about U2! Wierd!
Maybe for the Ladies Retreat, you could teach a class on Song of Songs! ;) I'd rather be 'Beloved' that that Proverbs 31 woman anyway!!!
Great thoughts...every time I take time to really read every word I see something I have never seen before. Perhaps I need to go home and read Obadiah.
Oooh, deep thoughts so early in the morning! I like it...
BTW - My gem this week has been Deuteronomy! Great stuff for the journey!
LOVE that particular book...!
I was a big-time U2 fan back in the late 80's and early 90's and, if my budget allowed it, I would own ALL of their early CDs ("Boy" through "Achtung Baby"). But alas, I have to limit my music purchases, so I went to the store to buy only one CD. Before I went shopping, I considered buying a compilation CD so I could get a "broader sampling" of U2's songs. But I'm glad I decided to get a "real CD"...
While listening to "War", I am transported back to the time when I listened to this music on a regular basis. I know what song is coming next. And...I get "the big picture" that U2 was trying to paint with the album. Most of the songs are good, but songs like "40" and "Seconds" have a whole new meaning when they're a part of the whole of the album.
In the same way, I think reading "snippets" of the Bible limits our ability to see the Big Picture that God has painted for us through the Word. It's obvious to most of us that taking "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" out of context is incorrect, but don't we do the same thing with other favorite verses ("sing and make music in your hearts", for example).
So...buy the album. Read the whole chapter (or at least the whole section). And never, ever judge a movie by it's trailer. :-)
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