I Guess You Could Say I've Changed...

...although I hadn't thought so.
I know where I came from. I am extremely thankful to be brought up in the home I did. I didn't have the advantage of money, or any of the other things that other kids did. I was, however, brought up in a home where love is. I have the advantage of growing up in a Pastor's home. I was part of a family that loved music, and learned it early.
Any setbacks I suffered in my life were my own doing. I was lazy, shy, and incredibly backward. I have often taken the easy way out of situations, and have let anger get the best of me. I have become a little more bold these days, even though I am still a lazy, shy, backward person by nature.
My point? Continue with me. I spent years in band in school. My dream was to be a music teacher. Didn't happen, but that's another blog. I was privileged to serve seven years at my dad's little church as music director. I love the music in the Church Hymnal. Many of you know it as the "Red Hymnal," the "Red-back Hymnal," etc. I also have it in green and blue. I have quite a big hymnal collection. Nothing has changed in all that.
I love the King James Version. I grew up with it. I can understand the language. I believe the Book, the blood, and the Blessed Hope. I believe that all men are born with a sin nature and are condemned to hell. I believe there must be a sacrifice for that sin. I believe that sacrifice was completed once for all for us when Jesus came, lived a sinless life, and became sin for us. He died to atone for all we did or will ever do.
I believe what it says when it says if we confess our sins, He will forgive us.
In that, nothing has changed.
I know that as a father, I have to put my lazy aside. I have to work. I have a wife and two kids that need to eat and wear clothes. I have a car that needs to be paid for and have gas in it. In that, I guess I have changed.
I still love hearing "Victory In Jesus," "At Calvary," "I'll Meet You in the Morning," etc. I also love Elevation Worship, Lincoln Brewster, Chris Tomlin. I would love to hear an amazing guitar riff in a song that praises Jesus more than I would a song sung off-key, but it's okay, because they're making a "joyful noise." In that extent, I guess I've changed.
I don't exclusively use a King James Version Bible anymore. I still love it, but it's not my primary Bible. Part of that is that I realize that Rev. 22: 18-19 are talking about the Revelation, not the entire Bible, because the Bible was not gathered together when Revelation was written. Also, I realize the cyclical nature of such arguments.
Consider: people revolted against songs like "There is a Fountain" when it came out, opting for the older liturgical music. People were burned at the stake for translating the Bible into languages other than Latin. Many of the arguments that were used then are being used now.
I don't walk away from things like that anymore. In that extent, I guess I've changed.
Read a blog of mine from 2009 and come back to this one.
I guess you could say I've changed.
Still, I feel like I could be doing more with my life.
In that extent, I haven't changed at all.