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Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."
All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."
Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late."
More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.
One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."
The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - - ever makes it alone!
Posted From [Tidbits via Lola Conley's Christian Devotional]
I believe that the only way to salvation is through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I don't consider myself perfect, not even close! But I do know that my sins have been forgiven because Jesus paid the price for them on the Cross.
Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to find peace and fulfillment in this world. You can walk down the paths of money, sex, drugs, power or fame looking for thrills, but these will all bring you to a dead end. The only path that will lead you to happiness is the path that leads to the Cross. You will never find true contentment until you accept the fact of His sacrifice for your sins and submit your will to His. This will not guarantee that the rest of your life will be smooth sailing, but you will have the greatest power in the universe available to call upon in your time of need and the knowledge that you will have an eternity to spend with Him when your short time here on Earth is finished.
If you haven't yet accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please think about it. Get hold of a bible and read the Gospels to find out what Jesus said and did. Read the Old Testament to see the promises God made and how He kept them. Read the epistles to see the practical applications and benefits of the Christian life. If you have questions, or want to commit your life to Him, find a minister that preaches the Gospel and go to him for assistance. You might even take a look around the place where you work. Those sneaky Christians are everywhere!
As a Christian, I know that I have the responsibility to spread the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel to those who have not yet heard and to help them understand and accept the gift of salvation that is offered to all men. I believe that I have been called to do this through music ministry. As I mentioned on my music page, I am a music minister at the First Baptist Church in Babylon, NY. As such, I am responsible for the presentation of inspirational performances for the congregation and leading and accompaniment of congregational singing. Music is an integral part of the worship service. It sets the mood for the worship experience and communicates gospel truth through biblical and inspirational texts. But the music must not become an end in itself. Where church music is concerned, the performer must always be secondary to the message and where vocal music is concerned, the technical virtuosity of the music must not overshadow the message of the words.
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This was written by my daughter, Jessica.
Our high school just had a concert, and we went through a long and trying 2-hour practice the afternoon of a concert. As we sat down to play, this came to mind. Hope you like it....
Life is like playing in an orchestra. First, God gives you your instrument and some music, and you sit down to play, but you say, "God, I've never played this piece before! Look at all of those notes!! I'll never be able to do it!" But God gets up on the pedestal and holds His baton in His hand. He winks at you and says calmly, "Just follow me." You say, "But God, that will be too hard...can't we play this other song? It looks a whole lot easier and a lot more fun to play", but God says, "No, follow MY lead" Well, you decide that it doesn't matter what God says, you want to play the other song. So, as He raises His baton and begins to conduct, you ignore Him and begin wailing away at the piece you wanted to play. However, it just doesn't quite work. The music doesn't sound beautiful at all, because it's not the way God wanted you to play. After a little more playing and a whole lot more frustration, you realize that it would be better just to listen to your Conductor. So, with a red face you silently search for the piece God wants you to play. "But God, it looks so hard"....But God just smiles caringly and taps the baton on His stand. "No matter what, follow Me. Just look up at Me, and I will lead you," He whispers. So, you begin to play. In the beginning, it seems as though you will never be able to play this piece. All you can see are those notes rushing by. Then you remember what God said..."LOOK UP"...so you look up and see God carefully counting out the beats for you, and if you listen really carefully, you can hear His Voice humming your part. The song is the most beautiful song that you have ever heard, and you find that as long as your eyes are fixed on the Conductor, you are able to play along. All you have to do is look up!!! Sure, some parts are REALLY tough, but as long as you follow the Conductor and listen to His steady rhythm, you can make it through. All you have to do is LOOK UP!