Cue the Twilight Zone music

So I'm sitting out on my balcony on Sunday afternoon, enjoying a gorgeous Indian Summer day. My arms are getting tan in the sun, as I idly turn pages in the book I'm reading. All of the neighbors have their balcony doors open and the sounds of children arguing, a yappy dog, a vacuum cleaner, and someone's television are all wafting on the breeze that blows over my balcony. Suddenly, I hear Michael W. Smith singing "Above all Powers" in English. Instinctively, my head turns toward my spare bedroom/office, as if to wonder if my ipod has somehow turned itself on and is broadcasting praise music through the apartment. Almost instantly, I realize that's not possible, and what's more, I think the music is coming from my next door neighbor's apartment. By this point, I'm standing on my feet, looking all around as I try to "tune in" which apartment the music is coming from. I'm tingling with interest, wondering are some of my neighbors Christians?--why are they listening to praise music in English?--is there something I can do to meet them?--can I be sure which apartment its coming from? when suddenly, the music stops and never comes back on. Its driving me crazy that I don't know the whole story! I have never seen anyone else in my parking lot going to church on Sunday morning, so I didn't think anyone else in the building were Christians, but who knows? Maybe the music was a gift from a Christian trying to witness through music? It was just a weird moment, like suddenly finding myself in another dimension.

Comments

Dad said…
It was Rod Sterling visiting the dimension next door. He wasn't in the earthquake, He wasn't in the storm, He was in the radio next door.
3:44 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A lot of work for cheap bookshelves!

Continuing the “catch-up” on old posts . . . Feb. 25, 2006 I thought you would enjoy the (mis)adventures of my day today. I had the day off of work, so I decided to go to Ikea to get some bookshelves. Ah, the beauty of a plan! Are you also one of those people with a “to-do list,” evenly checked or crossed off, that keeps you on track? My whole life seems in order when I have that piece of scrap paper in hand, telling me what to do next! So this morning, I was up, ready and out the door by 9:00AM. Ikea is six or seven exits up the beltway, so it’s about 20 minutes. I was actually early. They opened at 10:00 AM, so I sat in the car and made a grocery list, because I have no food in the house (having been gone all last week). In fact, I had so little food, I had to eat French pastries for breakfast (the only store open yesterday was the corner bakery). Now, I know you are thinking, “French pastries? Poor Ariel!” But really, I don’t like to eat them for breakfast because they ...
Read more

Ethan Allen Faith in an Ikea World

Image
I had a conversation with my brother recently, while moving furniture, that Ethan Allen furniture is really great stuff. It's built to last forever, and it's worth the high price. Unfortunately, most people can't afford to decorate their entire home in one fell swoop from expensive furniture stores, so half of their furniture is hand-me-downs, a few pieces are high quality, and a few pieces are from places like Ikea. You can only afford to do so much at one time, and when you first move into a new home, you need things immediately--beds to sleep in, tables to eat on. You get what you need at the moment. The problem is that you get what you pay for; buying furniture from Ikea means you'll have to replace it in about three years. In the past few months, I've dealt with a few things spiritually that have been difficult for me. I was praying this weekend about it, and I questioned God about these particular trials. I was reminded of my furniture conversation. My faith ...
Read more

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

Image
I have a commute to work every day. Until our office moves in a few weeks, I continue to drive thirty minutes to work and thirty minutes back. I spend that time either deep in thought—once I even missed my exit—or singing at the top of my lungs. I suppose it depends on my mood. I try to redeem the time by listening to French music, learning through musical osmosis, if you will. But sometimes I take a break and this week I am listening to Switchfoot ’s second album, Nothing is Sound . My brother and I are both fans of Switchfoot, and we spent some time over my vacation discussing the merits of our various favorite songs. Until this week, I wouldn’t have said much about the song, “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine.” It’s got a fairly singable melody, but it wasn’t one that jumped out at me. However, this past week, I was reading Psalm 22, which starts with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” One of the most famous quotes of Jesus as he was dying on the cross, this reference stayed ...
Read more