I Believe in Looking Forward - Episode 98
After having Chris on the show I decided to move his episode into our newest series, the Believe series. You will hear me introduce him as a By Request guest but I changed my mind. I’ve heard it said a woman has that prerogative. Giggle, giggle. Really, get ready for about a dozen truth bombs Chris drops on us throughout this episode. Very impactful, based in reality and ready to apply. Enjoy!
Are you ready to ask yourself some questions? Because you already have the answers to who you are. We don’t need to operate from a place of default. Let’s move into the space of design, where we get to pick our best life because we have that special thing that only we can share. Let’s look forward.
Generous. Compassionate. Trustworthy.
— Chris Barber
A Hearty Amen
Thoughts from I Believe in Looking Forward
In pondering all that Chris had to say, and you know how I love to ponder, I couldn’t help wanting to add a hearty amen. That quickly took me to a moment of trying to remember exactly what the word amen means:
Semitic root: firm, fixed, sure
Hebrew verb: to be reliable, to be trusted
Greek: so be it
English: verily, truly
For me these definitions have a solid, affirming connotation to them. I especially like so be it, and verily. Kind of cool words don’t you think? It seems to me when we look at what words mean they have more oomph to them. I take delight in them once I remind myself what is being captured by a selection of words. And maybe that’s why I enjoy writing this blog for you. I get pleasure from choosing words to convey some thoughts I have to go with the accompanying episode.
As far as the word amen goes, let me hit you with a few stats because Why not?, they’re fun. Probably most of us think of the word in connection with the Bible or at the end of a prayer. In looking that up the word, it is used about 30 times in the Old Testament and 52 in Matthew, Mark and Luke, 25 times in John (my favorite). Jesus is the one who says it. He is recorded as using it at the beginning of what he’s going to say, and typically he says it twice, verily, verily or truly, truly I tell you.
It does pique the interest to have someone say to you, in essence, Pay attention to this, it has value. How about if we start doing that a bit? It would be a fascinating social experiment when we have something big to share, to tell the audience, What I’m about to say is important, so pay attention and listen. I might give it a try. In the meantime there are 11,749 songs with the word amen in the lyrics.
While I looked around I found a fascinating fact you may already know. When there’s a drum solo during a song, it’s called an amen break. It is found originally in the 1969 song Amen Brother by the Winstons when they took a four-bar drum break which lasted six seconds. Fifty years of the amen break were celebrated in 2019 with a playlist of the 50 “best” songs using the amen break curated for the audience’s pleasure.
Whether you lean into the music side of an amen break, say amen after a prayer, at the beginning of big news, or don’t use it at all, it is a word that has permeated our culture starting from way back when. Remember it means really, doubtlessly. Truly, truly I say to you, be you.
Forever and ever, amen.
— A Randy Travis song
