Friday, October 26, 2007

Rhythmic Speech

I had a pre-production meeting today with the elementary music teacher. She described one of the children's songs as 'rhythmic speech.' This is going to sound corny, but I was struck at that moment with a twinge of wonder. Wonder over rhythmic speech? For some reason, I had a nanosecond amazement over how many ways we humans communicate; words, voice inflections, singing, rhythmic speech, our hands, eyes and body posture. Our pets communicate but their ability is limited. Psalms 139:14 says we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and when you take a moment to think about it, we really are!We write: words become stories and songs. We paint: color meets canvas and the artist's thoughts find expression. We photograph: moments are captured and preserved to enjoy again. We dance: an infinite combination of movements convey joy, love, sorrow, passion, praise, worship.
Imagine if we only used this miraculous gift of communication for good. Words of affirmation that build up the soul. Stories that make your spirit soar. Songs that make your heart sing. Art that fills you with wonder in its beauty. Imagine.

Here's Psalm 139 again in The Message version:

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

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