Joe Walsh: Believer, New Ager or Twelve Stepper

It’s been a few years ago when the Eagles released a DVD set called “The Farewell Tour.” Now, I’ve always appreciated Joe Walsh for his musical talent on the guitar. His vocals are okay but not to the standard of Don Henley or Glenn Frey. But, he can still carry his own. During the concert he “set up” a new song called, “One Day At A Time.” He basically said that the alcohol was destroying him and he had to quit. I didn’t know how this song would go over as people in the world don’t want to be preached to. But, he did the song and I thought it was okay. I’m glad Joe beat his drinking.

Back about a week ago Joe released his new solo project called, “Analog Man.” It’s typically Joe Walsh. I’ve listened to it and I admit I love the sound of it and I’ve grown accustomed to his voice after all these years. What kind of got me about the CD were a few things. He did record the studio version of the song mentioned above which I thought was good. Then, he sings a song about “Family.” He talks about his blessings; about, “giving thanks, saying grace and breaking bread.” So it sounds like Joe has come full course in his life. He says he loves living in California and the things that he’s been blessed with. It made me think though, “Did he become a believer?” But, I’m never that easily convinced. He made this statement: “At Otatara Pa in 2004 Walsh said, "This is a special place, and it is very special to me. It was here on a visit many years ago, up on the hills, that I had a moment of clarity. I don't understand it, but I reconnected with my soul, and I remembered who I used to be. I admitted I had problems and I had to do something about it. It was the beginning of my recovery from my addiction to alcohol and drugs, and when I got back to America it gave me the courage to seek help." The lines, “I reconnected with my soul” bother me. For as believers we know we are never “not” connected with our soul unless we die. Unless he just meant it in a figurative sense. And he also said “when he got back to America.” So, was he in a lotus position in India somewhere?

Then, Walsh married Marjorie Bach, sister of Barbara Bach in Los Angeles on December 13, 2008, making him a brother-in-law of Ringo Starr. Now, after doing some reading on Starr, I don’t know how much New Age Ringo actually believes in or if he’s had any effect on Joe. But Joe had enough effect of his own I’m sure. This brings me to my final points. In this day and age it seems we need to be careful what we watch and listen too. Those who know me know that I’m not a legalist. However, as Paul the apostle said, “All things all lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.” I Cor 6:12. It’s not my job to tell anyone what music to listen to. That’s between them and the Lord. I would personally only encourage someone to really seek the Lord on that matter and let the Holy Spirit do His job in our conscience.

With that said, Joe ends his CD with an instrumental track. It’s heavily percussion, drum and guitar oriented. I’d expect nothing less than that from Walsh. Now I have to admit I really like this song. But, when I listen to it, I get just a little bit of a weird vibe for two reasons. And again, I’m not a person who sees a demon behind every bush or a legalist. But the song is called, “India.” And we know largely what religions are held in India. And the actual sound of that song has that very strong “Indian” feel to it. I so much want to like it, but it takes me back a bit. Earlier I spoke of his song where he talks about giving thanks, breaking bread and saying grace. But, he ends with this song. I think you know where I am headed. Did Joe just reunite with his New Age beliefs? After all, he said, “I reconnected with my soul.” It wouldn’t surprise me if he bought into the new age beliefs once again.

I guess that’s between him and the Lord. All we can do is pray and really hope that some are truly saved and didn’t buy into a false bill of goods. Sure, I’ll listen to the CD. There’s some good material on it. I might have to leave the last song alone. But, you may listen to it and go, “Man this thing rocks” and not give it a second thought. With that, here’s the synopsis. When we look at current events in the world, it’s not hard to see which way the world is headed. The Lord warns us about things and the way we should approach our lives. We are to look at our lives and examine what we do, say and think about the matters we have with the Lord. I do hope that Joe is a believer. Again, though, he’s made no profession other than reconnecting with his soul and he quit drinking. Even in the song about the alcohol, he just sings, “I just got down on my knees and said ‘hey’.” Well who was he praying too? So, if you are so inclined, listen to the CD. If not, that’s okay too. For those that I tagged in this note, I’d sure love your comments. Especially my musician friends Joel Griffith, Kevin Johnson and Dwayne Barker. I do trust you guys and your viewpoints. May the peace of Christ be with you always.

What In the World Is Going On?

I've seriously neglected this blog for a very long time. As noted in earlier writings I know I don't have but a couple readers here and there. And that's quite okay. I mainly write for a few reasons. One: my absolute love for writing. Two: It's nice to look back and to see what I was thinking at that given moment in time. It also helps me correlate events with the dates the actions took place. So if anything, it's an outlet that I do enjoy. So, I'm going to try to do a better job of keeping this blog up to date. Recently I had to go through and revise some older posts and delete some as they are no longer relevant to my life anymore. I think I'll be hitting home many of the ideas I have. Being the conservative person I am I know some of my comments will rankle the liberals I've known in my life. But I know where I stand. And if anyone has a disagreement, they can start their own blog and write just as much as any of the rest of us do as well.

With all that is going on in this world, especially our country, it makes one wonder "What in the world is going on?" We are facing an election and really we don't have a good candidate to vote for. We either vote for the socialist and Muslim sympathizer, or we vote for the man who ciphers money to his cult in Salt Lake City. Then we have the Muslims using our freedoms to propagate their cause. It's outrageous that they will use our freedoms to push their intolerant beliefs. For if you don't agree with them, they believe they have a right to get us out of the way. We also have Cheshire cat smiling Joel Osteen back-peddling when he is asked if he believes that Jesus is the only way to heaven. He also squirms when asked about sin. Not even Fred Astaire could do the same dance moves old Smiley does when confronted with theological issues. I'd respect Osteen a lot more if he'd come right out and say "I'm a motivational speaker who happens to believe in God." But, for those of us who really believe in the Lord, we know that we must speak the "whole" truth. Joel can fill auditoriums because he "tickles the ears" of the listeners. If he really preached the truth, maybe the building wouldn't be as full. A long time ago someone told me, "Just because a person can fill up an auditorium doesn't necessarily mean God's blessing is upon them. Preachers and teachers are held to a higher standard.

Then we have good old Vice prez Biden that believes in same sex marriage. Zero is signing executive orders out the wazoo and people just look the other way. Sure, I'm going to be called a "doomsday" person. It's quite okay. But I do know when it's all said and done, I'm on the winning side. Also there are those that go to an Osteen type of church that says we should just talk about all the good, sweet and kind things. There are those that only want the "nice" Jesus. Well, you can't dissect the Lord. You either take all of what He said and done or you take none of it. Yes, I'm glad that the Lord loved us enough to die for us. But, He is holy too. There are some believers that don't even know that he made a whip of cords and drove out the money changers from the temple and said "You won't make my Father's house a den of thieves." This is the same Jesus that also rebuked the Pharisees calling them a "brood of vipers", "snakes", and "shiny white coffins that looked good but were full of dead men's bones."

In these latter days it's no wonder people are looking for ways of escape. They down more alcohol, smoke more doobies and give in to their base desires. They truly want to "escape." I do understand it. But, the only true answer is found in giving your life over to the Lord. We are in dark days. And I can only imagine they are going to get worse. I am not mad at the scoffers. Actually I feel sorry for them. They are rejecting the only thing that can save them from being eternally lost. Paul the apostle wrote, "Today is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time." My take on all of this is simple. If I am to go through some hard times I'd much rather go through it being in God's will than being outside of it. I've been both ways. The chastening hand of the Lord isn't easy but if it draws us closer to him and we clean up our acts, we have a way through all of this. I firmly believe the heat is being turned up. I know with whatever time the Lord gives me now, that I'm about my Father's business. Yes, there's a lot going on in this world. The bottom line will be: What did we do with Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God? Jesus did say that if you weren't for Him, you were against Him. There's no middle ground. Today we have choices we can make that can affect our future. I know when he returns, I want to be found faithful. What about you?

Green Bay Does It To Themselves

Well, it's over. For me anyway. Football for the year is done. Man, I love Green Bay but if they played every week like they did yesterday, you'd never know they were last year's Super Bowl Champions. Maybe it was that they had a couple of weeks off without playing. But, I don't want to give them an "excuse" for losing. With all due credit to the Giants, they played an incredible game. Green Bay pretty much beat themselves. Of course, technically, the Giants beat Green Bay. But most of you get my drift.

If San Francisco takes it that would be alright. But again, it really doesn't matter to me now. I have to refocus. It's only a game. I know how on edge I got during the World Series and the Rangers went down the way they did. In two games they were one strike away from winning and blew it. I used to laugh at those that got emotionally charged at a game. Then I found myself doing it. Well, now I can relax. Green Bay is out and I really don't mind who wins it now. As the old saying goes, "there are bigger fish to fry."

Sure, sports can be an escape and that's fine. But, when you look at the news, and the state of our nation, there are bigger things to take my attention. Well, it's a Monday. The start of a new week. And...Our God is good!

Denver goes down, My hope is Green Bay

Well, it was a beating. Not just a game, but a beating. Denver lost to New England by the score of 45 to 10. However, I have to give credit to Tom Brady that he did play an amazing game.
The news read:

"Tom Brady calls signals in Foxborough on Saturday during his record-setting six-TD performance in the Patriots' 45-10 rout of Tim Tebow and the Broncos." So if you're a fan of Denver or not, Brady pulled off a fine performance in last night's game.

We could go on and on about the media shark pool going after Tebow. That's been debated enough and I'll let it go at that. However, my big game is today. Green Bay with home advantage takes on the New York Giants. The Giants really beat the Falcons in a big way with their win over them by 24 to 2. Sure, I'm hoping that Green Bay wins. It would be great to see Green Bay win two years in a row in the Super Bowl. However, I am a realist. They could go down. Even if they do, they had a great season and played well. If they do win the Super Bowl, I will be elated.

What would be interesting if Green Bay pulls off a win against New York they would then play San Francisco. That was an amazing game in itself against New Orleans. It went back and forth towards the end.



Also, if San Francisco does beat Green Bay if the Pack gets to play them, I'll still go for San Fran the rest of the way. I normally want any team that beats Green Bay to lose. But in this case, I defer to change my thinking. Not that any of us has done that! Grin.





I know it's only a football game. And many don't like sports. That's okay. However, there are a lot of worse things to watch, like reality TV shows! Ugh. Anyway, I hope Rodgers and company can hold their own and take down the Giants as David took down that dreaded Philistine. On tomorrow's blog I will be rejoicing or lamenting. Ha. Have a great weekend.

Happy New Year 2012

Well, we are a day away from the New Year. As always, people are making their new year resolutions. And there are some that are giving themselves a reason to party and to be in debauchery. As if they need a reason. But, as the New Year enters, people are going through their hangovers and the resolutions fail, so goes the show.

My attitude for 2012? Those of us that believe in our Lord Jesus Christ will strive to be closer and more like our Lord in the New Year. There are many things too that face us financially, physically and spiritually. Our country too is in dire straits. I remind myself that with each New Year that God is in control. He has my life in His hands and I trust in Him.

2011 was a difficult year for many people. I pray that we all draw closer to our Lord for the next year. Things on this earth are happening at an exponential speed. I firmly believe that the clock is pointing even closer to the coming our our Lord. May we be found closer to Him and doing what He has called us to do.

He is the one firm foundation we can all rely on. Plus in closing I'm grateful for the things the Lord has seen me through. I rely on His grace daily. Who knows what this new year will hold. All I know is that I want to be closer to Him than ever. May the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Blessings!

The Political Mess

Today, just as a primer, I'm getting back in the groove of writing. I didn't think I'd miss this little blog of mine. But after looking back over past posts I had forgotten some of the things I had written and remembering some events that occurred on certain dates. I have a fondness for writing even if no one else reads it at all. I had a couple readers at one time. But, I write more for the joy of it than for it to be read by others. However, if you do read it, I'm more than thrilled. Today, I'm just posting a thought or two and I'll really dig in more this weekend or the first of the week.

I'm thinking of the political mess that's going on. I have noticed on Facebook a lot of comments concerning the GOP runners. It doesn't seem we have any real solid contenders to take lead. One of my friends, Joel, said we cannot find another Reagan. Boy, has he got that right. Plus, who'd want all that scrutiny anyway? I was wondering why someone would want to run and possibly take over the great mess that the current administration has us in? Really, who would want that job? Rhetorical? Maybe not. There seems to be plenty who'd love to be the leader of the country.

I had just finished watching the series on "John Adams." This was a pivotal time for our country. Adams was overlooked I think in the big picture. He did a lot to help this country become a free nation, independent,and to help in the Declaration and so much more. We came real close for the Declaration to "not" even come into being. Back then, these founders would rather have suffered in many ways for they believed in freedom so much. They didn't worry about the press, polls and other such things. They had this dream of being a republic. Many put their lives on the line to secure the freedom of this nation.

What we have today is those that run for the office and many do it for the wrong reason. They will waffle on their opinions and views just to get elected. And it takes enormous amounts of money to get them the "highest seat in the land." Oh, how we have fallen so. I'm not saying our Founding Fathers were perfect. They certainly were not. They had their faults. They wanted freedom but thought owning slaves was okay. That's just one example. There are more.

We are in perilous times. High unemployment, businesses closing, the dollar at a low, our Triple A rating shot, et.al. Again, I don't know why someone would want the job. But, someone has to do it. And I hope it's someone that has a conviction in their heart for God and His precepts. I think it was in the movie on Adams where someone said, "If men were angels we'd have no need for government." How true.

Finally, I certainly believe we are closing in on the end times. Where we are at on the prophetical clock "exactly" I don't know. I DO know we are close. As believers we are called to pray for those in authority. We may not like who is in there, but we are called to pray. And let's pray that whomever is elected that we continue to pray. Really when it all boils down it comes down to this for me: Even so come quickly Lord Jesus. When He eventually rules from the Throne of David, it will be in righteousness. Have a great weekend everyone. And, it sure felt good to type again. I smile as I end this post! Be well all.

Making The Return

Okay, no news flash here! I've seriously neglected this blog as I said before. And, maybe I will be the only one who reads it. But, as I looked through this blog it jogged my memory of so many things. I think I want to write again! I got so hooked on Facebook that I dumped this entirely, not consciously though. On Facebook we can write notes and make comments, but on here I can truly write what I feel. And of course, you my friends, if you do read it may have differing opinions than mine. But, that makes us all unique. I respect those that have other viewpoints. I just sense this need to write again. As always, it will be a hodgepodge of different topics like theology, faith, sports, music and movies. So, in the title, "I'm back!"