Portrait of my friend Mike Sharpe (Shapiro)

When I was a kid (teenager) I played flute on the original recording of  Spooky, which was composed by Mike Shapiro.  Mike play alto sax. It was an instrumental hit, which really doesn't happen that often. Some time later it lyrics were added and the Classics Four recorded it and of course it was a mega hit. 

The other day some musicologist told me Mike was playing a tenor sax. Unless I'm losing both my memory and my hearing it is an alto sax, "experts" notwithstanding - but stay tuned; maybe it oldtimers.  Four decades later I snapped a picture of Mike as I gave him a lift home from Charles King's instrument repair shop near down town Decatur, Georgia. Some months later I painted this "portrait" from that photo.  God Bless you Mike - I hope life is treating you well! 

Portrait of Mike Sharpiro (a.k.a. Mike Sharp) By Marion Robinson (a.k.a. Dr Butch)

The Original Instrumental Version

Classics IV Original Studio Recording

Mike Sharp, taken in the cab of my old F-150 Pickup. - God love you Mike.

Piano Butch Plays Jazz and Blues (Album Part One)

Okay, I have to admit it. One of my special and favorite friends is Emanuela de Paula, who is one of the 2011 Victoria Secret "Angels".  You see, I know her as the precious little Kendra. She is awake and alive and holds my heart for every success.  I hope success does not destroy how anchored she is to reality.  I met her when she was a child and have prayed God's protection over her every day since. 

The Girl From Ipanema

Another Day At The Depot - the Obama Economy

When that precious soul sung "Strange Fruit" she was so much more brave than me recording

Trenchcoat, Traitors, Heroes and Spys (pay attention!)

Depot Blues (my favorite piano riff) 

I wrote this in 1964. My buddy Bruce Martin and I recorded the McNasty Strut in 1987.  (notice the bodyguard's face -look familiar?  Twenty years later - go to The Girl From Ipanema recording and add 20 years. ) 

Your Are The Sunshine of My Life (Dedicated to the Lord Of All Life).

Giant Steps (Dedicated to my children, great and grand children.)

This Song Represents the Struggle and the JOY of living.  If today I was born anew and asked, "Who do you want to be?"  I would say "ME."  Why?  Well, I would not trade my experience of life with anyone who has ever sucked air to survived.  All these videos tell my story.

Piano Butch Plays Big Band Music

Recordings by Bond Robin and the GBP Group. (Artist and Arranger Marion Robinson - a.k.a. Piano Butch)

Fly Me To The Moon

Georgia

In A Sentimental Mood

Moonlight Serenade 

When Sonny Gets Blue

As Time Goes By

You Are Too Beautiful

These Foolish Things

Unforgettable

Alice In Wonderland

Yesterdays

The Symphony Hall Compositions

Music Composed by Marion Robinson. (a.k.a. Piano Butch, a.k.a. Bond Robin).

Starting in 1979 for five days every summer for fifteen years I would have Symphony Hall Atlanta to myself as I tweeked the 9' Steinway Concert Grands readying them for the Fall Concert Season. Every year I would compose a piece of music as I voiced and fine regulated the pianos.  So as you listen to these pieces picture a young piano tuner with no musical training playing his soul to an empty hall, listening carefully to each tone and more carefully to exactly how each note felt under his fingers. Each piece was a prayer, asking God to bless my work, the piano and the artists who would play them.  I hope you enjoy them.

Seascape

Innocent

Bierstadt

Dogwood Blossoms

Classical Romance

Far Away Eyes

I was in a 120mph headon collision in 1991. For some years I rarely played because it was painful and I didn't have the strength. When I started playing again this is the first piece I wrote. While I was recovering my wife moved us to this beautiful location on Lake Olympia in Western Georgia. I wish my music paid proper homage to the beauty of this peaceful place.

Lake Olympia

I wrote using the famous piece as it's base.

Elise Fantasia (Locomotion) 

Which Way to Sanity? - Living Prayerfully

Which Way To Sanity? - Living Prayerfully.
By Archpriest Symeon Elias

A Christian friend said to me, “I don't know when to help, when helping is really helping and not hurting. Some need to experience being really down and out to have hope of a better way.” She's right. She was speaking of the difference between intelligent help vs helping for ones own emotional needs - I think. I won't lay my interpretation on it, but this is what I had in mind thinking about how one knows and does the will of the Lord. How one knows that their actions will have good result.

So to the basic question when to help and when not to help? For the Christian I really don't believe there is a wrong answer. Acts of love (charity) are not a philosophical quest, and there is no pre-knowledge of result, except in the humility to know who is really in charge. Really this basic knowledge extends to a host of decisions. But this is assuming that the person is living prayerfully. And what could living prayerfully mean or as I would frame it, “What does it mean to participate in the Liturgy of Living”? I can only think of living prayerfully in terms of the earliest biblical reference to Christianity, when it wasn't Christianity, but "The Way."

When Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden, Genesis has this strange way of explaining how and why they were barred from returning. "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep THE WAY of the tree of life." (To preserve The Way) A literal translation of the Hebrew would be "to create a hedge around the entity, the life road." (The entity, the living road).

The Christian grasps that "the way" "the entity" "the life road" was restored to us and it is primarily NOT a religious thing. (Those who worship God won't worship at this place or that place, but in spirit (small s) and truth (small t). Literally in the truth of their own spirit. As my brother use to say, "From the gut.”

What allows this true worship to happen? It is an existential presence, Jesus, himself. His words come into focus when he says, "I AM the Way, the Truth and The Life." Although there are some excellent religious means of relating to Jesus, the vast majority of the experience of The Way, The Truth and The LIFE is not religious but lived, encompassing a 360% view of every moment. (The eternal moment - always alive in the moment - no past, no future, just now). Actions in that moment are without regard to past or future and are guided only by what is REAL NOW.

Grasping that knowledge one can easily see why the first Christians didn't use the name Christian but spoke simply of 'The Way." Isaiah didn't say, "I've lived in your judgements, O Lord" but " "Yea, in THE WAY of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee." Paul never taught "salvation" but "the way of salvation" the apostles never expounded upon the subject of God, but "the way of the Lord" and "the way of God." Not peace the concept, "but the way of peace" People were instructed in "the way of the Lord" a lived experience.

The Way is All action, all path not theory. So the concepts are the road-map not the road. The living is the road. It is why the Bible is scripture and the most perfect Icon of God, Icon of the Living Word , but Jesus is The Living Word; not to be confused. The LIVING is the road, and every moment lived isn't accidental but synergistically lived, the Holy Spirit in charge of every breath, of every apparent incidental moment, passing, meeting, sight, step. So rejecting "the world" isn't absenting ourselves from life, rather engaging life creatively - but rejecting the mind/soul numbing illusions and delusions of the world. (the myriad idols) And BECOMING that is, coming into BEING - His Being - along The Way, isn't becoming religious but rather becoming truly human. He is the True Human, we are to become as He is - truly Human.

There is huge freedom in this and massive creativity and the peace "to be" never to "act" as the actor, but upon the firm foundation of who we are. Actor and hypocrite share the same root word. A man cannot act contrary to his own nature, it is simply a metaphysical fact. If he chooses to act dishonestly and with pretense he is still acting upon the Truth of his nature, that is a liar, an actor, a hypocrite. In this it matters not whether his actions appear good, or appear bad, in both instances they share the same root: the lie.

The freedom To BE and not to Act is an enormous power. Because it also means that there is no time that is not right. No place that one can be "out of place" even if that place is hell. Any place we are is then "perfect" any state of our spiritual development is "perfect" (not complete) just perfect, in this time, at this place upon The Way. The honesty that is possible in this is healing, because no pretense is necessary before God and far less needed before men. You see, healing and salvation are synonymous – they share the same word in Greek SOZO. What must I do to be saved? What must I do to be healed? Same question. - same answer: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be healed and your entire household.

How can that be, they are sinners, unbelievers, deluded, confused, hurting? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be healed and your household. This is stone cold fact!

Even those in rebellion, having heard the Good New of the restoration of the "Live Road" "The Way" that is a person, are preparing to be healed. "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." Turning to the right - that hurt. Turning to the left - that hurt. NO This is the way, walk ye in it. It is this imagery where the saying, "The Way of the Lord is Straight and Narrow." Religionists read this as if it means that the way of the Lord is a "Straight Jacket" an impediment to living instead of the creative catalyst to liberty.

In the last few months I've spent an inordinate amount of time debating with young people over politics. Challenging them to see past their "fan based idolatry" and learn the history so that all claims may be viewed in context; to learn the system, learn the power structures, learn the core philosophies, the drivers of the candidates and so on. The ones claiming the greatest Liberty (the libertarians) are seen to hold the greatest mental/emotional bondage. And that is the trick of evil, the twist to everything, that what to the coldly rational or wildly emotional person seems self-evidently good is most times poison. This is the basic lie and deception of the un-regenerated heart. All the religions and philosophies, utopian plans, hope, change, American Constitution or Communist Manifesto cannot create anything but a slow or accelerated march to death without the leavening of the sons of God, actively alive in the mix, guiding, withstanding, teaching, reproving, leading or empowering others to lead. "Lord, if there are a hundred righteous?” the Patriarch asked.

A Christian can no more approach the function of citizenship, the right to empower leaders with a vote, the discussion of ideas and ideals removed from the Life Giving Flow than he can approach charity solely with reason, or solely with emotion. There is a higher way. The Way. And for the true Christian even the function of “secular governance” that MUST be secular and religiously neutral, is informed of what is Life engendering and Death engendering via the nature of his own nature, as he experiences LIFE in The Way.

"For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope; for what anyone sees, why does he also hope for it?  But if we hope for that which we do not see, then we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers."

Islam's Christian Hostages

Islam's Christian Hostages




I have huge respect for Debbie Schlussel. She is a valiant voice of Truth against Jihadist and the Muslim historical falsifications and geo-political ambitions and aggression. In an article written on Christmas Day, 2011, entitled: "Tolerance": After HAMAS Canceled Christmas; Murder of Christianity in the Muslim World, Debbie publicized a very sad scene.

Here is her description:
"Sadly, the Christians still side against the Jews and bet on the Muslims, as recently happened when the Latin patriarch, last week, told Catholic and Greek Orthodox families to pray for the merger of HAMAS and Fatah.

"When the Latin patriarch came to Gaza’s Holy Family church to celebrate Christmas mass last week, he instructed a full house of Catholic and Orthodox families to pray for reconciliation. As the archbishop, Fouad Twal, stood at the lectern in Gaza City, Fatah and Hamas leaders were meeting in Cairo attempting to mend differences that have divided the Palestinian factions for four years and rendered Gaza a besieged Islamist enclave.

"Of the 1.5 million Palestinians now living in the Gaza Strip, fewer than 1,400 are Christian and those who can are leaving. The church hopes reconciliation will bring them back.

"Dream on. That’s a fantasy if I ever heard one: the joinder of two Islamic terrorist groups–both of which persecute Christians–will be better for Christians? Huh?"
_______________________________________________________________

Debbie is only partly right in the article. When Gallup did a survey this year nearly all Christians and even 70% of the Muslims living in the West bank did not want to become part of an Independent Arab state. They realize the freedom they have in Israel.

The Church Leaders do not truly speak for the Christians in Israel, The West Bank and Gaza

However, the Church OFFICIALS have not been "independent" for a very long time in that part of the world. Sadly, we could say it several ways and it is all true, but they are too often official servants of their Muslim Masters. After all the Church leaders ARE Dhimis.

I remember a few years ago when the Coptic Christians in Egypt were suffering yet another persecution, the police in a town near Cairo actually crucified a young Christian man upside down in the police precinct window. The Christian world was outraged and many here were covering up their congressman's offices with requests for the Bush administration to formally protest, etc. The Coptic Pope sent word to us in the West to please be silent and stop any protest. It is not that he is a traitor to his faith, he was simply trying to keep more Christians from being killed.

These Church leaders answer for the things they say in the blood of their people. For Debbie Schlussel to believe that the "actual" Christian people side with Islamist in the region is false. It is sadly true that the Church leaders will say whatever will not cause more Christian deaths. Morally right - morally wrong, I'm now going to judge them. And here is why - If I put myself in their position I realize it is one thing to say, "I will stand for truth and sacrifice my life" it is another moral conundrum to say, "I will sign some innocent person's death warrant by MY stand for truth." The Dhimi Church leaders are in the position of being extorted, it is implicit and sometimes stated explicitly. The whole of Christendom in the Islamic world is held hostage, used as ransom to coerce the Dhimi statements from Church leaders.

In public the Dhimi Church leaders talk about the "tradition of the righteous man" which is a ruse to pretend that Islam is a "way of salvation," and that the Church recognizes a good Muslim as a righteous person, etc. No need to share the Gospel nor teach about the True God.

Not even Roman Popes are immune from this extortion. Many times Church leaders have signed false documents accepting the basic Islamic lie that Christianity, Judaism and Islam worship the same God of Abraham. This is true for Christians and Jews, but sadly not for Muslims. It is a revision of history to try to make the lie work. Even the precious man John Paul II, who did so very much right, actually kissed (venerated) a Koran when he visited a Mosque near Jerusalem. When pressed as to how he could do such a thing he admitted it was to stop bloodshed. (He said it in a general way but it had specific meaning) Evangelicals and the like and even some Westernize Jews look at these things with "judgement." But so far they are not yet being extorted and their public words are not met with violence and the slaughter of the innocent. (Actually 9/11 proves this is not true - but they believe their words of TRUTH haven't yet caused blood shed.)

When Fear Is The Master

When Fear Is The Master - The Likes of Barrack Obama or Ron Paul Rule.

(This is written from a Christian perspective, so if that offends you stop reading now, just go away.)

There is Christian and pagan apocalyptic literature. In the last two decades the amount of pagan apocalyptic literature has increased exponentially. When the old evolutionary, systematic, slowly progressive earth science (geology) gave way to the new Chaos/Cataclysm model, and scientists had to remove their heads from their . . . sand and admit the enormous extant evidence of the massive assaults the earth has absorbed in her existence, suddenly appeared fear-mongering pagan-apocalyptic literature, t.v., movies, and science - Armageddon by a million other names. It has conditioned the young generation.

Although the new model of "earth science" is much more reality based than the previous "modern mythologies" I don't engage in communication via apocalyptic literature and think most of it is very cynical and yes, fear mongering. I don't say it is fear mongering lightly but having lived all this time witnessing it, it is with knowledge I so conclude. Over the decades, very little of it has been real and some of it has made cynical men rich on the fears of others. Ron Paul is such a man.

When I was trying to draw a distinction between Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich I realized what the major distinction is. One is Faith Based and the other Fear Based.  One thoroughly acknowledges the problems, matched with "possible solutions," while the other whips up fear, plays on the psychosis of every paranoid conspiracy idea out there and offers nothing but retreat into some idealized (romanticized) idea of the constitution that has never been the reality of our Republic. Now speaking of solutions, I'm not painting a rosy scenario, in fact, things are bleak enough without apocalyptic paranoia.

Evil for some time has been hiding in plain sight. Some have ignored it, most have been totally blind to it and quite a few in fear have simply been paralyzed by it. They live their lives pounding the alert drums forgetting to live their lives, thus replacing Faith with Fear.  I think I'm far more aware of the new dark ages headed our way (except God in his mercy spare us) than all but a few people I ever met in my life. I think I was susceptible to see the "dragon in playground" decades before most because of my early-life friendship with Corrie Ten Boom.  So without creating another piece of apocalyptic literature let us just say quite simply the darkness is very deep. But saying that, when viewing the darkness, if it isn't from a deep base of Faith and LOVE, we only increase the darkness and paralyze ourselves and others with fear.  Knowledge and fear are not synonymous, but the observation of circumstances viewed without FAITH is synonymous with fear. The latter fits the situation of 99% of the many Paul supporters I've challenged in these last few months.

Most people through fear end up being easily manipulated. To Wit: Four years ago an entire generation paralyzed by fear and seeing salvation in the likes of the god and ultimate savior Barrack Obama blindly leapt into Hope and Change: an act of Faith, but truthfully pagan faith. They leap with the same ignorant faith that the citizens of ancient Rome worshipped Caesar as a god. Now three years later the Obama-god is tarnished, having grossly disappointed so the same people now more cynical are trumpeting a vacuous little fear monger, the new god named Ron Paul. It is very sad to watch.  Obama's ode was Hope and Change. Ron Paul's ode is retreat into a constitutional fantasy-land that never existed.

God is not absent history, not now, not anytime, and he does raise men up to meet the challenges of history when the faithfulness of the people demand it.  However, Ron Paul is not a savior sent from God. Not only is he not a god, he is not a sincere man. Why do I level that charge? Here is a bit of wisdom if you are capable of hearing it. I've heard from Newt Gingrich's own mouth more than a few times in the last 30 years words like these: About politics - "That was a mistake, we only partly understood the problem" "If I had it to do again I might do it differently, in fact I know I would do it differently." "It wasn't a good idea but seemed the best we could do at the time." and on the personal level "I fully acknowledge the moral failings in my life" "I failed my family, I failed myself, I failed God. I was wrong" and "I sought forgiveness and have faith that I've been forgiven."  In the same 30 years I've never once heard Ron Paul admit a mistake or even an error. Just like Obama, everything is someone else's fault. Even when confronted with the clear evidence of him making millions by fear mongering, publishing a race baiting and anti-semitic rag, he can only deny, excuse and blame others.  The inability to admit error is the bedrock of evil. It is the diametric opposite of living in humility, consciously aware of one's own weakness and failures, in communion with our "Strength and Goodness" who is a Person.

I guess the reason I'm not impressed with apocalyptic literature (Pagan or Christian) is that I know the story of Christians being prepared and not suffering is an Evangelical myth. They have raised generations thinking that they will be rescued before the great tribulation. The death toll of Christians killed for being Christian in the last 140 years at the hands of Islam and Marxism is in excess of 120 million people. In the not too distant future the death toll of the last 150 years will represent more Christian martyrs than all of previous Christian history combined. Those people who like to wax romantic about the age of Martyrs are removed from reality and exist in a religious-sickness-dream-world. If THIS isn't the early stages of the great tribulation already upon us, what can be? Someone told me this month that the rate of present deaths by persecution is a sacrificed Christian every 8 minutes and this is a sort of lull. But here is the fact, the greatest plots of Satan are powerless over the Christian, IF the Christian is Christian indeed. And all the knowledge of the intricacies of satanic methods is meaningless unless the Christian can answer that one question that sooner or later he will have to answer. He cannot gain the strength to answer by being totally aware of the plots and ploys of Satan. He can only answer by knowing Who is in his heart.