Fascination!

I came across a scripture recently that immediately sent me back to my childhood in the 1960’s.  Suddenly I found myself back in my parent’s home doing my Saturday morning chores.  As was our family tradition, we were all there, my older sister and brother and I, along with my mom and dad, each doing our assigned jobs of vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, shaking rugs, changing the sheets on the beds, doing laundry and so on.

But the specific part of the memory that was triggered by the scripture was the music that filled the house that was emanating from my mom’s large Silvertone Hi Fi console radio and record player in the kitchen!  It would be hard to find a time during the day when my mom was not listening to her large collection of LP’s or her favorite local radio station KSRO. 

And if my memory serves me correctly… on Saturday mornings… it was usually the crooners from the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s that dominated the air space in our home… many times with my mother singing along with them!  She was very musical and loved to sing and play the piano… and I think that’s one of the many reasons that my (classically trained pianist) and adventurous wife Piper fit in really well with us lively Berruto’s!  Piper’s home atmosphere was a lot more sedate than my family’s!

Well… in that recent walk down memory lane… that particular Saturday morning was no different than any other, except this time it was the smooth, easy voice of Nat “King” Cole filling the house with the lyrics

 ♫ “It was FASCINATION, I know

Seeing you alone with the moonlight above

Then I touch your hand and next moment I kissed you

FASCINATION turned to love” ♫

And it was the many memories and feelings of excitement, adventure and expectation that the ideals of FASCINATION stirred up in me… as I read in my Bible back home in my current life just the other day! 

In James 1:25, the pastor of the church in Jerusalem wrote about the effects of studying the Word of God by stipulating that,

“Those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty (the Gospel message), and are FASCINATED by it and respond to the truth they hear… are not distracted scatterbrains but men or woman of action… And they will find strength, delight and affirmation in their actions (of faith)” (James 1:25 – TPT/MSG)

Okay… be honest with me (& with yourself as well).  Are you FASCINATED by the Word of God?  Do you receive strength, delight and affirmation of your actions taken in faith after reading your Bible?  According to James… it should be an EXPECTED result of those who “gaze deeply” into the Word of God.

According to Dictionary.com, the word “FASCINATED” is defined as:

“Having the attention attracted and held by a person or thing having unique power or charm, unusual character, etc.; enthralled or captivated.  To be strongly interested or intrigued by something or someone.”

In the song “FASCINATION” the subject circles around a special, natural relationship between a man and a woman… and when I hear it, I can’t help but to think about my loving relationship with my girlfriend and then wife of 43 years.  I was always FASCINATED with her from high school to the grave.  I can look back throughout the years and recall countless special moments where she said or did endearing things that simply put… FASCINATED me.

And you know… for me… my relationship with Jesus is very comparable.  As I study His Word and then put it into applicable actions in my life, I find that I am constantly enthralled, captivated and intrigued when I see the tangible positive effects of His hand in my daily life!  It was this FASCINATION with Him and the powerful truth of His Word that my girlfriend believed… and actively pursued in EVERYTHNG she did… that drew me to Jesus in the first place.

I’m at the point now… where I EXPECT to be FASCINATED with the truth of God’s Word each and every morning when I sit down with my Bible, computer, notebook and cup of coffee.  It is my favorite part of the day!

How about you?  Does the Gospel message FASCINATE you?  Are you EXPECTING to be enthralled, captivated and intrigued when you read your Bible or go to church?

Hummmm… if not… WHY NOT?

So… Going back in my mind’s eye to the sweet days of my childhood brought back a lot of warm feelings and sweet memories.  It also got me to thinking about my courtship days with Piper… and I realized with all the singing, guitar playing and song writing I’ve done in the past… I don’t think I ever sat down and sang love songs to the gal that FASCINATED me from my teenage years on (and I definitely would NOT consider myself a Crooner)!   Oh well… I imagine I’ll get a second chance in heaven… I’d better get going and write some original love ballads… don’t ya think?

Have a great weekend!  We are in the midst of our first Arctic Blast of the year here in Tennessee but it supposed to warm up again (at least up from the 20’s and 30’s into the 60’s and low ‘70’s) later on next week!  But in the meantime, I’ll stay FASCINATED with God’s Word and EXPECT to be enthralled, captivated and intrigued every time I study His Word! 

WOW!  Isn’t God Good!