Monday, February 18, 2019

Jazz Great George Shearing 2011 Obituary - And Sharing The Gospel

Today, searching my archives I came upon the post below from 2011.  I posted it on the TimesDaily Religion Forum, in my Facebook Notes, and sent it as a Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries eNewsletter in February 2011.  And now, with some changes to bring it up to date and more relevant, I want to share it once again with all my Friends.

Bill Gray February 15, 2011 ·

JAZZ GREAT, GEORGE SHEARING, HAS DIED!  -  Today, I was reading the obituary for jazz great, George Shearing, in my hometown newspaper, the TimesDaily.  It announced that George Shearing had died at the age of 91.

In 1956-57, while stationed in the Air Force in Korea and Formosa, my best friend was a jazz guitarist named Bob White.  After the Air Force, Bob went on to help found the Funk Brothers inhouse band for MoTown Records.  During our time in Korea and Formosa, Bob formed a Jazz Trio which would play on our base radio station.  During that year, since Osan Air Base was the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing Headquarters, the regional competition for the worldwide Air Force Talent Contest was held on our base.

In that competition a one in a million thing happened to me.  The first evening of the competition the organizers realized they had not printed enough programs for the two night event. They asked us to return our programs so they could be distributed the second night.  Would you believe that on the second night I was given a program which had been used by a judge the previous evening?  The judge had written notes on the program.  The judge's comment about the Jazz Trio, "Guitarist obviously professional."  Bob was not professional, but he was that talented.  And what are the odds that in a full auditorium Bob White's best friend, me, would be given that particular program the second evening?

Since Bob was in Communications and I was in Radar/Electronics (the aircraft mechanics called all electronic techs the Whiz Kids) we were in the same quonset hut and had bunks side by side.  Between our bunks Bob had a record player (yes, long before CDs, cassettes, iPods, etc.).  We would go to the Base Exchange and buy 33 rpm records (no smirking from the younger audience) for our off duty entertainment.  He taught me to love jazz and one of the many jazz greats he introduced me to was the George Shearing Quintet.  I have been a fan of Shearing and all jazz music since then.

Many of my TimesDaily Religion Forum Friends complained about my posts, asking why we Christian believers insist upon sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ all the time.  Think about that.  Non-believers come on the Religion Forum to post - and complain because we believers share our Christian faith.  That should make you go, "Hmmm?"   Always my response to them is that we share the Gospel, which means "Good News" - because we are so blessed to be Christians and we want to share this "Good News" with all the world.

And our second, and very important, reason is that we cannot just step aside and allow atheists, agnostics, secularists, cults, and world religions to have the podiums all to themselves to preach their "bad news" to the over 11,000 TimesDaily Forum members and the untold number of other TimesDaily readers who come to the Forum just to read, but never post.  And we want to share the "Good News" to the billions of unsaved and unchurched people in the world.

Several George Shearing quotes really struck a chord in my heart.  His reasons and thoughts behind sharing his music with the world - are the same as we Christians feel about sharing the Gospel with the world.

In a 1987 Associated Press interview, Shearing said the ingredients for a great performance are, "a good audience, a good piano, and a good physical feeling, which is not available to every soul, every day of everyone's life."

"Your intent, then, is to speak to your audience in a language you know, to try to communicate in a way that will bring to them as good a feeling as you have yourself," he said.

As Shearing grew older, he spoke frankly of aging: "I'm not sure that technique and improvisational abilities improve with age," the pianist said.  "I think what improves is your sense of judgment, of maturity.  I think you become a much better editor of your own material."

Indeed I do agree with George Shearing.   We do want to "bring to them as good a feeling as you have yourself."  Can you imagine a better reason for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know Him?

Then reflecting upon Shearing's second quote regarding growing older:  As we age and mature, "what improves is your sense of judgment, of maturity.  I think you become a much better editor of your own material."  This is called becoming a mature Christian and a more mature witness to the world, sharing our Lord's Gospel in a more mature, knowledgeable manner, better tuned through age and maturity in Christ to share with those who are, or should be, seeking an answer to life's questions.

But I will caution, maturity in Christ and His Word are not always linked to chronological age.  I have seen and know many young people who have a God given maturity because they have applied themselves to growing in Him.  In our church, International Bible Baptist Church of Riverside, we have many very mature young people who are very involved in ministry and outreach.  I am so blessed by them.

And I will never forget an evening in the early 1990s when I was in my early 50s and a relatively new believer.  Dory was out of town on a business trip, so I went alone to the Almeda home for our Friday Night Bible study, only to find that the parents had to be away that evening - and I did not get the word of cancellation.  As I was about to leave, their young high school daughter, Audrey, suggested that we - she, her brother Arnel, and I - have a Bible study.  Since I was not yet ready to lead Bible studies - this young high school student, Audrey, led a very good Bible study in the book of John.

While George Shearing was speaking of his love of music - he could just as easily have been speaking of our love of Jesus Christ and what He has done for all who will, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ - believe and receive His "paid in full gift" of eternal life.

In George Shearing's memory I say, "Thank you for many years of beautiful music."

To all my Christian Friends, I say, "For you who are also believers, I praise God.  Now go to the world and share that Good News."

And, to my Friends who are not yet believers, I say with sincerity and a heart felt plea, "Why do you gamble with your eternal, immortal soul by waiting?  None of us knows when our next breath will be our last.  Why gamble that you might suddenly breathe your LAST breath because of an accident, heart attack, etc., and not be prepared?   Why wait until it is too late - before you take the time to assure your eternal home in heaven?  Why gamble when you are only a breath away from eternity - in heaven or in hell?  Make that decision today, right now.  Make your reservation for eternal life in heaven, today, now."

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on image to enlarge:
 

No comments:

Post a Comment