It's Party Time

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For many people, any time is a good time to have a party. The holidays are good, right? Just maybe some of our favorite ‘good-time’ songs are a reminder of what being in heaven feels like. You find the word heaven in a lot of songs and we talk about eating heavenly food, maybe divine dancing, or a wine to die for? Many really good parties combine eating, drinking, and dancing and The Voice seems to draw a comparison:

“In heaven there is no beer;

That’s why we drink it here.

And when we’re gone from here,

Our friends will be drinking all our beer.”

“In Heaven There Is No Beer” – Frankie Yankovic

Thank you, Frankie Yankovic – for a great reminder of what heaven feels like. When we need to forget our earthly cares, beer or other drinks seems to work for many:

“Roll out the barrel, we’ll have a barrel of fun
Roll out the barrel, we’ve got the blues on the run
Zing boom tararrel, sing out a song of good cheer
Now’s the time to roll the barrel, for the gang’s all here.”

- “The Beer Barrel Polka” – The Sauerkrauts

Notice the Voice is very subtly stressing being together and being happy. This togetherness, this oneness we naturally feel is obscured by the separateness of bodies. People love to get closer to one another because they really miss the feeling of oneness. On Earth, the closest thing we have to Oneness is sex, which some people seek and think about nearly all of the time. Dancing is often the next best thing. Here’s Irene Cara from Flashdance:

“Well I hear the music, close my eyes, feel the rhythm
Wrap around, take a hold of my heart.

What a feeling, bein’s believin’
I can have it all, now I’m dancin’ for my life
Take your passion, and make it happen
Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life”.

I think I can feel the longing for God’s Love when I hear that wonderful song. Dancing, whether alone or with another is just a poor substitute for the Real Thing.

Another that song I can’t listen to without nearly coming to the tears is “I Hope You Dance”. Sometimes I feel lonesome for the Love of the Father and then have to remind myself it is me, not the Father who is forgetting. I hear the Voice calling us to remember that Love is not a mistake, to keep the faith even if it looks like a mistake:

“I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they’re worth taking
Lovin’ might be a mistake
But it’s worth making.
Don’t let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter.
When you come close to selling out,
Reconsider.
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder
Where those years have gone)”

- “I Hope You Dance” – Lee Ann Womack

And then there’s this song by Exile that can be about sex, but it can also be an expression of the intensity of God’s Love for us… or us for God! Sometimes I feel like I’m in exile, too, but then I remember I have a choice.

“When I get home, babe, gonna light your fire.
All day I’ve been thinkin’ about you, babe:
You’re my one desire.

Gonna wrap my arms around you,
Hold you close to me.
Oh, babe I wanna taste your lips.
I wanna be your fantasy, yeah.

I don’t know what I’d do without you, babe,
Don’t know where I’d be.
You’re not just another lover,
No, you’re everything to me.

Ev’rytime I’m with you, baby
I can’t believe it’s true
When you’re layin’ in my arms
‘n’ you do the things you do

You can see it in my eyes
I can feel it in your touch
You don’t have to say a thing
Just let me show how much
Love you, need you, yeah.

I wanna kiss you all over
And over again.
I wanna kiss you all over

Till the night closes in.
Stay with me, lay with me,
Holding me, loving me, baby.
Here with me, near with me,
Feeling you close to me, baby.”

-“Kiss You All Over” – Exile

Wow! You can just feel the power of love. With sex, the boundaries remain and physical separateness prevails. Just imagine how much more intense and wonderful it would feel if we could be completely One? The attraction is definitely there, kind of like Walter Egan’s “Magnet and Steel”:

“You’re so close now,

I can’t let you go

And I can’t let go.

(With you I’m not shy) to show the way I feel

(With you I might try) my secrets to reveal

For you are a magnet and I am steel,

For you are a magnet and I am steel.

I can’t hope that I’ll hold you for long.

(Ooh) you’re a woman who’s lost to your song
(Ooh) but the love that I feel is so strong
(Ooh) and it can’t be wrong.”

- “Magnet and Steel” Walter Egan

The Truth is, at our core, we are all the One. Yes, we are just like the woman, lost to our song of separateness? Maybe it feels that way sometimes, but God is the magnet and we are steel. We just won’t feel right we are totally one.

Sometimes we confuse sex with real love, because sex is all about bodies. But real love is about way more than that. Bodies change and die, but true love never dies. It just is.

These songs reach us in emotional ways that books seldom do. I hope you can find songs that remind you of who you really are and where we really are. It transcends cultures and species, time and space. That’s why many of us like parties. They are full of joy and we do want to get on the bus to heaven!!

“We like to party
We like, we like to party
We like to party
We like, we like to party
We like to party
We like, we like to party
We like to party

I’ve got something to tell ya
I’ve got news for you
Gonna put some wheels in motion
Get ready ’cause we’re coming through
Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now
Happiness is just around the corner
Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now
We’ll be there for you

The Vengabus is coming
And everybody’s jumping
New York to San Fransisco
An intercity disco
The wheels of steel are turning
And traffic lights are burning
So if you like to party,
Get on and move your body!”

- “We Like To Party” – Vengaboys

Heaven is where the party and happiness never ends! Thank you for listening to the Voice For God right here… and inside your head!

As always, if you want to get the complete songs for your own remembrance, please download them from places like Amazon and iTunes. You’ll be glad you did! These artists deserve kudos for being the Voice For God for so many.