I have a little confession to make. I am a collector. When it comes to books and music I can get a little obsessive. Back before I crossed the pond I had seven bookshelves holding over a thousand books. Before things went digital I had amassed about 450 CDs. It was a hard thing to give those away to my local charity thrift store before moving but by that point I had already mostly gone digital.
On my ITunes folder I have four major playlists. The first one I call Dance/Techno/Lindsey. This is my smallest list. It currently holds 154 songs or nine hours, fifty-one minutes, thirty-seven seconds worth of playing time. I listen to this list for about thirty minutes every morning after I have had my coffee, devos, and done my early writing. It is my perk up, get ready, and head out the door soundtrack. My second list is called instrumental and contains 312 songs (25+ hours). This ilist is a collection of classical, jazz, and stuff like Bethel’s “Without Words”. I listen to it for about an hour most evenings after I have gone to bed. My third list is called Reading and it is the background for my reading/writing/class preparation. This list has 677 songs or just over two days worth of songs. My final normal list is called worship. It is the soundtrack for my morning and evening prayer time and it is also the source for most all of the songs I normally put in the respond section of my videos. This list currently 1994 songs strong which translates into seven days, twenty-one hours, fourteen minutes, and thirty-three seconds of praise. I just uploaded a Chris Quilala album today, though so it will grow.
There is one more playlist I just created two days ago and will be deleting in early January. This list has 8 gig worth of music so it can easily be stored on a 16g flash drive most of the year. You guessed it, I have 1171 songs or just over 3 days worth of Christmas music. To be fair it isn’t really 1171 songs. I mean, I actually have 27 different renditions of Joy to the World and fifteen of yesterday’s Let it Snow. (Penatonix and 1GirlNation were my only versions of Let it Go until I realized this fact and deleted them) I love me some Christmas music. Now… a couple more weeks into this series I might be singing a different tune but for now lets just let that joy sing forth.
I can sum up my life’s mission up in four words: pray, preach, write, read. These are the four things I strive to be excellent at and I will never compromise for sacrificing anything else to focus more on these. When other people talk about me, though, there are usually two other things they tend to mention first. “He is always smiling and/or he is always singing.” I don’t really feel that those are things that should set me apart as unique. Everybody, heck, all of creation should be doing these. Like the second verse of this song says:
Joy to the world the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy
Are we joining in with creation in rejoicing that the incarnated Son is on the throne? The Savior reigns. In those three short words is packed so much beautiful theology. Is it in you? Do you get it? If we do how can we not be accused of smiling and singing every chance we get? Every single song on each and every one of the playlists that make up the soundtrack of my life is in one way or another an expression of this joy. My God became a poor child, then a homeless wanderer, then a rejected criminal and now is a Risen King. How can this not put a song on our lips. Sing it out: Joy to the World!
This Christmas season may the Joy of an incarnated King infect you until you become almost obnoxious about it. May the smile of this season carry into every corner of your life. May the blessing of what He has done for You transform you into someone who radiates that blessing into others. May you become a song of His goodness that cannot help but be song. May you become a joy to your world.
THE RIVER WALK 
No need for those shelves no xxx
Wonderful song and verse to base your writing on as it beautiful and challenging in a positive way! One of my favorite songs is ” Emmanuel ” if that is the title,,,, ” oh come, ioh come, Emmanuel. One yesr at church it was played with a solo trumpet. So awesome!
Thank you!
I would love to have heard that. It is on my list so that song will be popping up some time in the next 22 days.
A brilliant piece , and so inspiring!
I can already feel the joy…I specially
Like….The Lord reigns!
And your motto of
Pray, preach, write, read…..
Continue to spread this joy!
Thank you,
Vincent
Thank you
I really enjoyed hearing Your songs and the hours you have!
Enjoyed that slice into your world and how you have music sync with your life – you also have good points – except not sure about the obnoxious part- maybe for some people but not all joy is expressed loudly – and at different seasons we have different modes and the whole last paragraph just – um – well
I just think joy, real and pure joy that Christ gives as we have peace and aliveness in and through Him, well joy is not always the extreme bouncy kind – do u know what I mean?
I did add the qualifier “almost”but I do agree with your point.
Thanks for the nice reply – and I almost did not write that – but I guess I have seen so many Christians get all high on joy to crash after Christmas like a bipolar thing – and not saying you are that way – but early December I see it – to the extreme – and do believe the power of the Holy Spirit gives us joy unspeakable and “oh the joy that fills me soul” – but I guess as I read I thought of the other side
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And again-
Really enjoyed hearing how music moves with you through the day
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Like the Morning routine and wow – you have some nice variety
Thanks Beejai, I needed that. Actually caught myself singing a Christmas carol when in the supermarket the other day!
Come Jesus, come.
I am totally with you on joy! The hallmark that should shout who we are. Christmas songs we will have to differ on. I’ve had to change radio stations cos non-stop Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving is not my cup of tea. However I don’t Grinch about it I just sing something else 🙂
By the time Christmas rolls in, I am totally ready to be done with Christmas music, but for those first few days after I pull them out I just can’t get enough.
Reblogged this on Musings and Rambling and commented:
Joy to the World is my favorite Christmas carol. Love the modern take in this video. Thank you Beejai for sharing! My heart ❤️ is full. Why are my eyes leaking?!? Oh happy tears of course. Hope your Saturday is awesome!
I must confess it isn’t my favorite but I do love it. Thanks and Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you too 🌲
What a blessing! I hope to return to this often.
I have written down your quote “May you become a song of His goodness” in the hopes that this will organize itself into an acrostic poem woven around your beautiful message. Thank you for pointing our hearts to the joy and beauty of our Creator. If only the world could truly realize that God is the source of everything good that we enjoy and that apart from Him there is no goodness, no joy, no beauty — what a different world this would be.
You are a blessing to many. Keep up the good work.
If it does, I would love to see it.
If it materializes, as I pray it does, it will appear first on my poetry blog. However, I would be glad to give you a pdf download of the poem. The acrostic forces 18 lines, which for some reason is a lot more intimidating than 14 for a regular sonnet. Feel free to pray for this effort. Thank you.
May joy fill every area of your life, on Christmas…and every day of the year. God bless you.
Beejai,
The song that affected me this week was O Holy Night. The phrase “Til He appeared and the soul felt it’s worth” got me. Can you imagine the heavenly collection of music and books? Wishing you peace within your walls and quietness in your towers this Advent season.
Choosing Joy,
The Expat Princess
❤ ❤ ❤ Thank you for this. God bless you 🙂 !!
Reblogged this on MFMCF Medilag and commented:
Merry Christmas in advance!!!