The Power of Music

I remember when I was young (about five years old) I often sat beside a huge radio in my home and I listened to the songs and melodies of the time. I was fascinated by the difference of music and I distinctly remember how it influenced emotionally the moment I was listening.

As I grew older I became an avid music fan, without a specific genre. That does not mean that I don't enjoy some genres over others, or that I don't prefer some musicians over others.

So, for the last few weeks I often wondered, what happens to the soul when we hear a beautiful song or melody?

Is there more to music that touches us then we can even imagine? How is it that some music transposes 'light' into our emotions . . . and other music transposes 'darkness'?

Is there a musical pattern (of some sort) that we in are tune' with?

Is there a longing within us that needs to be fed?

. . . let me hear from you and share your experiences & thoughts.

Life in the Fast Lane . . .

I recently posted a picture/collage of Psalm 13 on the walls of Taffy's. I purchased the collage from a friend of mine in 1997 and always had it on the wall of my office. I recently decided to hang it over the couch at Taffy's.

The response to the picture was mixed!

Before I get to the comments of one of my friend and customer, I would like to share the visual in words: The collage is a depiction of Psalm 13 : 13:1 "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?"

Actually you must see the great collage to get the 'feel' for the meaning.

One of my good friends Chris A. questioned, why I would hang such a 'depressing' picture at Taffy's. I held my breath for a second . . . because I had never thought that it was depressing.

Is God not absent from us anyway? I believe that God is not present in our life at all. (That does not mean, that God is not present in the total picture) But is God available to us on a very personal level?

- I don't think so!

Although God knew us long before we were born in our mothers womb, and God certainly knows the the actions we will take; and God most certainly knows the outcome of our life on earth, . . .

But unfortunately God is NOT available on a personal level. If so, where would God draw the 'line'? Prayers are not answered when God fearing Christians ask to win the lottery and worse yet . . . in most cases we cannot even receive a physical healing from deadly cancer . . . no matter how hard we pray.

So, Psalm 13 for me represent the moment when we are no longer able to feel the footprint of God within us and the answers that were given to us personally (because I believe that all the answers for our questions are given to us by God, and are deep within us) long before we were born. The questions that remain unanswered transpose themselves into fear into our lives.

Fear and Love, the ONLY two component that motivate us in our life.

And that is really what the picture/collage is about . . . . seeking back the place of belonging; finding hope; comfort; and simply a moment of rest from the shadow of life that our God had never intended of us.

Come and see for yourself.

Lives we live . . .

As gasoline prices keep on climbing as if there is no limit, most of us learn to understand how this impacts all of us. No, I don't want to talk about the gas prices I leave this up to the political and economic process . . . . But it does raise an infinite awareness of how things work together and helps us to understand how all things are connected.

When we grow up, we are taught, that if we do the right "thing" (if we take the right action, etc), our life will be good and we will be able to succeed (whatever that means) and we will be able to enjoy the gifts life has to offer.

But, . . . is that really so?

The older I get, and the more people I have gotten to know I realize that my life depends more and more on them . . . their actions and their understanding of the 'truth' then on my actions!

In fact come to think of it 80% of our life depends on circumstances that others create for you and me, other peoples behaviors and actions, etc. (you lose your job, your spouse leaves you, your child resends you . . . you get the idea) Quite contrary what most of us have been taught, we are not the master of our life.

This sometimes leads us to wonder, to live puzzled, encounter hurt and of course to rejoice.

So, knowing this I wonder if we could realize that for most of us "truth" remains a subjective matter. Truth is based upon our experiences, our fears and our geo-political environment. If my last sentence holds true, then we could make an effort to look at our neighbor(s) and contribute to the joy of his/her moment and make life what it was meant to be.

I know many people who have done so in my life and I call them friends. Some of them will never know how they changed my life.

Come and join that process! By knowing that you hold the power of change and perception in someone else's life is reason enough to recognize that WE (not I) are the master of this life!

Why a Taffy's Coffee House Blog:

Hello everyone:

So... why a Coffee House Blog? I simply thought this would be a great opportunity to communicate with each others in a community that is very diverse.
As many of you know, Taffy's is not only a great place to get a cup of coffee, but it is a place where we have a chance to be who we are without judgment, where we may find answers, or where we can ask questions. . . or simply have a great cup of coffee.

So in this first post I would like to answer the question, which is asked of me the most: "How is it that you bought this place?"

I was a pastor for 9 1/2 years for a local church and I was simply exhausted. As my contractual year came to end, I decided not to renew my contract and I had no idea what to do. What I did know was that I had always enjoyed coffee houses and my all-time favorite (besides TAFFY'S) is "Sitwell's in Cincinnati/Clifton.
As I was meeting one afternoon a friend, who is a local Realtor, he informed me that TAFFY's was available for purchase . . . and so I purchased TAFFY's and the building.


As I have owned Taffy's for now over 4 months, I had a lot of time to think about my faith and my approach to life in general. (Yeah . . . sometimes we are able to change our perception of life and our reality changes.) Maybe I'll have a chance to write about this topic later.