Last fall I planted some tulip bulbs and a earlier this spring they bloomed with vivid colors, announcing the coming of spring. They reminded me that summer was on the way and with it comes even more flowers and other beautiful growing things to delight my eyes.

Sometimes, I look around and see how beautiful our world is and how wonderful people are and how amazing life is and I wonder lots of things. How can tulips bloom right on time in the spring? Who tells them? Who makes the trees turn bright colors in autumn? How does a rose petal form so beautifully and smell so good? How can stars and planets just hang in space? How can birds sing so well that the musical genius Mozart, inspired by their chirping, wrote a piece of music based on the melody he heard? How can spiders spin webs? Really, how do they do this? How can the billions of snowflakes in the world all be different? How can an osprey swoop down from great heights and catch a fish? How does your ear process information just because a few invisible vibrations hit your eardrum?

This is all incredible and seems like a miracle, doesn’t it? Regarding miracles, do you ever stop to realize that every breath you take is another miracle? So are thinking, seeing, touching, and wishing upon the stars. They make life spectacular so it’s too bad that we often don’t stop to even think about them.

There are some beautiful sights in the world that will just take your breath away, just as an old slogan proclaims. The great musician Louis Armstrong must have noticed some of them because he sang these words:

“I see trees of green…….. red roses too
I see em bloom….. for me and for you
And I think to myself…. what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue….. clouds of white
Bright blessed days….dark sacred nights
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow…..so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces…..of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands…..sayin.. how do you do
They’re really sayin……i love you.

I hear babies cry…… I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more…..than I’ll never know
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world”…

Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World

For sure, our world is pretty wonderful and there are plenty of incredible places in our beautiful country. But, just breathing and eating and thinking and functioning every day are more impressive than seeing something that could take your breath away. Certainly, seeing is believing. But on the other hand, believing is seeing. If you believe our wonderful world was created, you’ll start seeing things in a new light. Daily observations and sights and sounds that you hardly noticed before will provide evidence aplenty of divine intervention and reveal the handiwork of the creator.

A quick example of this handiwork is the Ecuadorean Glass Frog. I’ve never seen one and you probably haven’t either, but if one crosses your path you’ll notice that you can almost see right through it. This hopper is so transparent that its beating heart is visible. No way! Yes, really.

Consider also, the bombardier beetle. It has two common materials in twin tanks on its back: hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone. By themselves, they’re harmless substances but when sprayed together, the beetle is able to blind predators looking for a meal.

That’s pretty amazing. It’s interesting to think about where these incredible critters came from. Are they the result of a cosmic accident or were they created?  You probably have questions about our amazing world and you might even know some of the answers or have some opinions. For instance, what do you think about the food you eat, the air you breathe, the strength you have and the people you love? Did they just happen for you or do you see them as blessings from the hand of God? Here’s what I think:

In trees and flowers of the field,
In creatures large and small,
We trace the watchful care of Him
Who planned and made them all. —King

Rock and Roll’s icons such as Santana, James Brown and Led Zeppelin are some of the most well-known and influential people on the planet. Why? Well, for one thing, because we’ve heard their music over and over again. It has endured the test of time. Consider, for example, Volkswagen’s recent use of Elton John’s forty year old song ‘Rocket Man,’ to sell cars. (By the way, just to sweep away any confusion, he didn’t sing, “Burning up the room with cheap cologne.” He sang, “Burning out his fuse up here alone.” I’ll bet you’re relieved to get this cleared-up after all these years.)

Hmm, after all these years, I wonder if everybody on the planet has by now heard ‘House of the Rising Sun.’ Well, maybe not everybody. But millions of us certainly have and lots of other songs are stuck in our heads as well. Elton John pointed this out, “The words she knows the tune she hums”…Tiny Dancer.

I was reminded of Rock and Roll’s omnipresence when my wife and I visited a local state park recently. I was driving and as we rolled slowly up to the window at the welcome center, the attendant stepped out to greet us. As she did, I noticed her Beatles baseball hat. It certainly wasn’t part of the standard-issue park ranger uniform which made it stand out even more than it would have to a fellow music lover!

Jumping to a quick conclusion (my only exercise that day) I figured she was probably a fan of Rock and Roll. I leaned out the window with both arms extended and hands up, as if appealing the ref’s call in a basketball game. With a big smile I proclaimed, “Don’t mess with me because I’m B-B-B-Bad to the bone.” In an instant, the lady’s face brightened and she started laughing. Her quick reply, “I’ve heard of that one!” Three other people in the little building overheard our strange little greeting and stepped out the door to join our conversation sharing their favorite Rock and Roll songs. Within seconds, I was 4 for 4. I had connected with four people because of a common interest. This made me smile and I hoped my wife was as impressed as I was to connect with others over music.

Here’s the way I see it: I’m not sure we’re hooked on phonics but we sure seem to be hooked on Rock and Roll and we probably always will be. Consider this comment from musician Toni Braxton, “I’ll probably be 80 years old and still performing. Music is like fashion, it changes. But some things will always be the same.” One thing that stays the same is that we’re always in the mood for a melody, looking for something to make us feel alright, just as Billy Joel pointed out in his great song, Piano Man.

Rock and Roll has us hooked and we are hooked in a major way. Boston knew this when they told us, “Nothin’s gonna help you more than Rock ‘n’ Roll”…Feelin’ Satisfied. They have a good point but they’re off by a few degrees because March Madness is here. This time of year college basketball is bigger than almost everything – even Rock and Roll – but only for a few more weeks. After that, rock on!

Check out the new book reviews we uncovered for ’13 Things Rock and Roll Can Do For You!’

One is at Events in Music and the other at Ignition Music! If you’ve read the book, why not write a review and let us know what you think?! If you haven’t read the book yet, what are you waiting for? Pick up a copy today and find out what you’re missing out on!

Many of you are likely going to stand in long lines for great deals on Black Friday. With so many stores opening on Thanksgiving day this year many will even be in line right after Thanksgiving dinner. Why not bring along some great tunes and a copy of “13 Things Rock and Roll Can Do For You” to keep you company while you stand in line? The book is available as an e-book, too, so you can read it on your phone, iPad, Kindle – or whatever fancy electronic device you’re picking up this year!

Here’s what I think: “Music is the traveler crossing our world. Meeting so many people, bridging the seas”…The Moody Blues, I’m Just a Singer in a Rock-N-Roll Band. Music does bridge the seas. It connects different worlds.

Here’s an example – In February 2012, Mick Jagger and B.B. King stopped by the East Room of the White House to play some blues for the president, his wife and others in the packed room. Mr. Obama couldn’t resist the urge to get involved so he got up and sang, “Come on, baby don’t you want to go.” Clearly savoring the moment, the President declared, “This music speaks to something universal. No one goes through life without both joy and pain, triumph and sorrow. The blues gets all of that, sometimes with just one lyric or one note.”

The musical group O.A.R. put it this way, “Something always comes from the music anyway. Came into my life and it stole me blues away”…Anyway. Billy Joel offered this assessment, “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” Okay, I’ve made my point so I’ll move along. Before I do, though, here’s one more testimonial for the value of music, “There are two means of refuge from the misery of life – music and cats” – Albert Schweitzer. While I’m not too sure about the cat part I definitely agree with him on the music part.

Indeed, there can be misery in life. Perhaps because of this stark reality, Muddy Waters, in his cool song Hoochie Coochie Man, asserted, “Then the world wanna know, what this all about.” That’s for sure. We’d like to know what life is all about because at one time another, each of us has probably asked these questions, or ones very similar: What is the meaning of life? Why am on here on this planet. Where am I going? What is my purpose? What is my destiny? What happens when I die? These are normal thoughts, just as Theologian Thomas Aquinas asserted, more than seven hundred years ago, “There is within every soul a thirst for happiness and meaning.” Well, we can find happiness and meaning because rock and roll offers up some great insights worth considering. Consider this advice from Billy Joel because it might point you in the right direction:

“Don’t go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don’t imagine you’re too familiar
And I don’t see you anymore
I wouldn’t leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I’ll take the bad times
I’ll take you just the way you are

Don’t go trying some new fashion
Don’t change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care

I don’t want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.”

You and I might as well put to use the helpful stuff we learn from rock and roll because these valuable nuggets of wisdom can keep us out of trouble. This is easy to do because rock and roll is a timeless gem that has entered our lives, stuck in our heads, and become a mainstay in society. It’s been a long strange trip, just as the Grateful Dead told us. But, the journey is far from over. Read my book, 13 Things Rock and Roll Can Do For You, to learn more.

It’s funny how time changes our perspective on things. Over the years our views shift as we learn more, gain life experience and get a bit of experience of our own. Hindsight is 20-20 and time brings a lot of clarity. We have lots of opportunities to learn from those around us and the sooner we open our eyes to the wisdom of those around us the better off we’ll be for it. I’ve learned this lesson myself over the years in how I viewed my father and the wisdom that he held. Turns out, he was right.

4 years old:      My daddy can do anything.

5 years old:      My daddy knows a whole lot.

6 years old:      My dad is smarter than your dad

8 years old:      My dad doesn’t know exactly everything

10 years old:    In the olden days when my dad grew up, things were sure different.

12 years old:    Oh, well, naturally, Father doesn’t know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.

14 years old:    Don’t pay any attention to my father. He is so old-fashioned!

21 years old:    Him? My Lord, he’s hopelessly out of date.

25 years old:    Dad knows a little bit about it, but then he should because he has been around so long.

30 years old:    Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he’s had a lot of experience.

35 years old:    I’m not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.

40 years old:    I wonder how dad would have handled it. He was so wise and had a world of experience.

50 years old:    I’d give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn’t appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.