Jan Penton Miller

The soft sounds of the sax float through the air delighting me with the clarity of sound. The piano and bass guitar accompaniment adds depth, and even though it’s totally instrumental I sing along in my head to the classic tunes. The smooth sounds of Kenny G’s rendition of “Summertime” brighten this rather hot day.

One of only a few songs on the cd that has lyrics is sung by the wonderful late Fats Domino. When I hear “It’s a Wonderful World” I believe that it truly is a wonderful world, and I count my many blessings. This causes me to remember the old hymn “Count Your Many Blessings”, and I realize what a rich musical history I received when I sat for hours on a hard bench in the small First Baptist Church of Harrisville, Mississippi, where my first memories were formed.

The love of music is truly a gift and brings me such pleasure, but it seems almost comical that one who loves music so wouldn’t have a great voice to go with it. I absolutely have a hard time singing on pitch. If I’m seated next to someone with a strong and true voice I can blend right in, but if the person next to me can’t carry a tune in a bucket, guess what? I sound just as badly!

Filling my mind and heart with lovely things helps me as I go about my day, and I think back to a time when I didn’t really understand how important it was and is. In fact, I thought it was rather closed minded to believe that listening to song lyrics that went against God’s Word was much of a deal. After all, we all have a right to express ourselves, don’t we? Who am I to judge?

We moved from Harrisville to Pearl River County, and one night I once again sat dutifully on a not so hard bench as this one was cushioned. By this time I was a teenager and, like most teenagers of my day, loved rock and roll. Soon, instead of something palatable the pastor started meddling in my business. He began harping on rock and roll music and how bad it was for people to fill their mind with songs about drugs and sex. I’m sure he knew that not all rock and roll was detrimental to the listener, but I was just furious that he would even go there.

As the years have passed I came to realize that it is so very important what we fill our minds with. If we want God to guide us we must be careful about the books we read, the music we listen to, and probably most importantly the people we let into our innermost circle. As we surround ourselves with things and people that are lovely we clear the pathways to hear God’s gentle whisper.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)