By Scott Coner
Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author
Years ago, I did a paper
while in college about glossolalia. Basically, glossolalia is the gift of
speaking in tongues. I found myself in a Pentecostal church for a while, but
I’m actually a Baptist. I know plenty of people that feel it is pretty
important to receive this gift. I don’t speak lightly of it because I do
believe in the gifts of the Spirit. I believe that God can do anything He wants
so, I’m certain he can allow someone to speak in a foreign tongue or a dead
language if it glorifies Him in some way.
For a while, I remember being
troubled that I didn’t ever have such a gift given to me. I think a lot of
people probably thought I wasn’t living clean enough to meet the standard. They
might have been right. I just don’t know. But, now all these years later, I
look back and see a flaw in their approach. I think maybe they were trying to
put the Power of God in a box. They knew a few utterances that they seemed to
provide to the church body every single Sunday during the service, but that was
about it as far as I could tell. They might hop around a little with a
tambourine, but I am not for sure that was the Spirit. I think most of it was
overkill. But you know, it’s not for me to judge. I was just a guy trying to
find his place in the world and apply a little bit of Truth along the way. I
remember wishing they could try to get a handle on things before the lunch
lines in town got so long. It seemed to me that just about every Sunday during
final prayer so and so would want to start winding up about some sin someone’s
husband was involved in and jack up my cafeteria time.
I find my quiet time
alone is usually when I can think the clearest. I can pray. I can thank God for
what He has done and continues to do in my life and in the lives of those that
I love. I have also found that songwriting is probably His gift to me.
Songwriting has allowed me to better understand myself through the years. It
has allowed me to process certain things that have happened and given me the
chance to measure my own response and how I choose to live. I’m not perfect.
None of us are. But I think as we get a little bit of age on us we begin to
look back and see certain things may have happened for a reason. Other things
happened, and we made the best of whatever it was. And sometimes life throws
curve balls that make no sense at all and never will as long as we live on this
earth.
I have found quiet
moments with some paper and a guitar and allowed my mind to go over to that
place that speaks for me. I may sit there and play some chords and all of a
sudden a melody or a phrase just presents itself. I follow the rabbit as it
leads me down some unknown path and sometimes it can be quite surprising. The
very concept of a song may speak to me on a personal level that allows for some
explanation that I can apply to my own thought process a little bit later. I
feel like that is a gift from God. He works through some very limited vessels
sometimes I am told.
There are those around my
hometown that grumble a little bit as they eat their fried chicken in their
polyester flower print dress. They talk about how I have wasted my life because
every single song I sing and write isn’t always about God. They seem to like
the idea that I am probably miserable, and there is no way I am happy. Well, I would be lying if I told you that I
care even a smidgen about what those people think. But let me tell you what the
whole thing is about. I have written many songs about my relationship with God.
I have written about my beliefs and understanding, and I am proud of those
songs. But, I have been living a life while those church ladies have been
talking me down while eating fried food. I have fallen in love. I have raised
kids. I have made mistakes. I have accidentally hurt hearts that I care about.
And I have pursued a career in music that allows me to share my songs with a
lot of people at a level that has surprised me more than you could imagine.
Mostly, though, I have found happiness.
You see, I think God
gives us all kinds of special gifts. If we look around, it doesn’t take long to
see them. I was in the back of our farm today by the creek. The sun was coming
through the thick leaves of the trees. The birds were making all kinds of cool
sounds, but in the midst of it all there was a dove hidden somewhere that
continued to make his song speak to me. This is just one little moment when I
can feel the presence of God. The warmth of the sun, the beauty of the water
and the woods, and the breeze that we can’t see are all reminders of His hand.
The music that is in my
life is just one component. It is important, but there are many pieces and
parts that make up my life that I want and require. Your life is just like
mine. We may not have the same interests or backgrounds, but we are still
pretty much the same. The Gift of the Spirit is what is living and breathing in
our world. Yes, I am sure if you want, you could receive the gift of “tongues”,
but there is so much more. I wrote a song years ago that speaks about the
presence of the wind itself. You can feel a cold wind, can’t you? But you can’t
see it even though you know for sure it’s there. Music is my thing. I love to
listen to it. I love to write it. And I love what it has allowed into my life. I
truly hope that you have something in your life that is just yours. It can be
anything. But just remember to take the time to allow whatever it is to flow
through your world. Let it give you the enjoyment that you need and deserve.
Man, sometimes I read my
blogs, and I think I might be Joel Olsteen without the giant smile. But I swear
to you that what I’m telling you is important. Life has so much to give, and I
don’t think we take the full helping sometimes. Maybe we feel a little bit
guilty. Maybe we think we have as much as we can handle. Or, maybe we don’t
feel like we even deserve anymore because of past mistakes. I’m here to tell
you that all of those thoughts are wrong. We all have it in us to be more than
we are. We all have it in us to chase our dreams and grab those suckers by the
throat. You go grab a hold of what you want!
And let me say one last
thing. If you are that person that had his ears perk up a little a ways back
when I was talking about speaking in tongues, I’m going to tell you about a
shortcut. Go outside and slam your hand in your car door. It will be like
magic. You will find yourself speaking in a language nobody else can interpret,
and you may actually even see God. You are welcome.
Keep in touch!
Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at his music page.
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