NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Tim Pepper Music – Soulful Tuesday – Promises

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PROMISES

Genre-Description

It’s authentic. If “Authentic” isn’t a genre, it should be.

It’s visceral. I really didn’t want to us the word “Visceral” to describe this song. The word is worn out. Everyone uses it, but despite the overuse, there’s no mistaking how aptly it fits. This message emerges from the recesses.

And it’s universal. Who hasn’t quietly questioned “Where are the promises?” Even the greatest examples of faith – Abraham, Moses, King David and Job – entertained the question. It’s universal and to be expected.

If Guitars Could Speak

As songs go, the words to Promises are few but what the words don’t say, the guitar does. That’s one of the most prevalent qualities of Tim’s music. He talks with his fingers and this song is a good example.

Lyrics

Oh my children won’t you come to me
You’ve been broken if you need some peace
All your sadness I will gladly keep
For the price of your gentle sleep

Where are the promises you made to me
The road I travel has been hard on me
I’ve been searching trying to believe
Where are the promises you made to me

Oh my Father you said to me
Your path is straight and your way is ease
I am broken I am on my knees
It’s a struggle just to believe

Where are the promises you made to me
The road I travel has been hard on me
I’ve been searching trying to believe
Where are the promises you made to me.

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Ooh ooh oh oh oh oh ooh oooh [Read more…] about Tim Pepper Music – Soulful Tuesday – Promises

Tim Pepper Music – Soulful Tuesday

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EVERYBODY

Soulful Tuesday – Everybody by Tim Pepper

This song was recorded by Tim and mastered by Sage Audio. It can be downloaded from SoundCloud and/or shared to your favorite social media site. You can also play it here or listen on SoundCloud.

Gendre-Description

In a word, the song is soulish-bluesy-folksey.

Grabs your attention from the start. There is no lag. It is quietly dynamic, deeply soulful, the spiritual theme is clear and the guitar is compelling. It’s not a sound you can easily ignore.

The song is believable because it is relatable.

The lyrics, which follow, are clear but vague enough to leave room for personal interpretation. [Read more…] about Tim Pepper Music – Soulful Tuesday

Fear: By Tim Pepper

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What would have happened if abolitionists had only prayer?

The following is guest posted by Tim Pepper – single father to one, brother to one, friend to many, master of biotechnology, writer of over 100 songs and singer of many more.
 

Fear Causes Inaction
It Doesn’t Excuse It

Fear. “Fear will establish the limits of your life.” That statement really resonates with me. I think it’s because I have experienced the limitations that fear can place on a person. Not all fears are bad but I don’t think our lives are meant to be characterized by fear. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s healthy to live in fear and I don’t think a persons actions ought to always be determined by fear.

The counterbalance to fear is apparently Faith. But faith in what? Faith in God? That’s all very well but what is it about God that I’m supposed to have faith in? Am I to have faith that I will inherit a million bucks? Am I to have faith that I will experience no loss or disappointment or difficulty? The things I grew up believing are these: God is good. God is kind. God is loving. God is my father and friend and master. God has a plan. God has a partner for me. God has a purpose for me.

It is hard for me to understand or know exactly what all of that means. I don’t know if I believe anymore that God has a partner for me. I want to believe it but I find it hard to do. As for God’s plan; I don’t know what to believe about that either.

I think about all the problems in the world. Difficult things like idiot countries with idiot laws that oppress their people. Difficult things like people who rape and murder other people. In a world where these things exist it’s difficult to understand how God’s plan is taking shape.

I think about God’s purpose for me and I wonder if I’m right in the middle of that purpose right now? I don’t want to believe that mostly because I don’t really like where I’m at right now. It’s not what I want. But I pray and pray and pray for things to change and nothing changes. So I wonder if I’m supposed to actively try and change things or if I’m supposed to just try and accept what is happening in my life.

I don’t know the answer to that but I think about things like slavery and medicine and wonder what would have happened if the abolitionists had only prayed? What would have happened if a few people hadn’t stowed away some Jews under the Nazi regime? Where would we be if doctors and nurses hadn’t studied and hadn’t administered treatment and had instead only prayed? Would we be here at all?

If you have certain heart conditions you can reduce your chance of having a heart attack by taking half an Aspirin every day. If you simply make the choice to eat right and exercise you can possibly prevent yourself from getting those heart conditions.

There are actions that people take that change the course of their daily lives and even sometimes change the course of history. Sometimes those actions are as easy as taking an Aspirin but I imagine it wasn’t that easy to abolish slavery and I imagine it was fairly fearful to have Jews hiding in your attic when the Nazis came knocking on your door.

People do these difficult (and sometimes easy) things because something in their being tells them that they have to do them. Something tells them that what they are doing is the right thing to do. So they do them despite the difficulty and despite the fear. They do them because they believe in that thing that is talking to their conscience. They have faith. [Read more…] about Fear: By Tim Pepper

“Are You Coming” by Tim Pepper

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My son, Tim (lead singer in this video), spent most of his formative years in South Africa. He was eight when we moved to South Africa and thirty-two when he permanently moved back to the States. During those years he was in school a lot. He ended up with a Masters Degree in Bio Technology and taught high school biology for a couple of years afterward – I think he would be happy never to see the inside of a classroom again.

But what makes this story interesting is that during his university years he also learned to play guitar – self taught – and demonstrated an amazing ability to write lyrics, assign a tune and sing. He is a natural as a singer/song writer. Who knew?

Although he has never had music lessons to speak of (other than a few months worth of keyboard instructions when he was about 9 or 10 which he promptly forgot) he has written, I don’t know how many songs, and it has now become his passion. He has also developed some amateur recording skills and gotten experience working in more sophisticated studios recording some of his songs. [Read more…] about “Are You Coming” by Tim Pepper