Music of Heaven

Have you ever heard a song that immediately turns your heart to heaven? Has music ever affected you to the place where you wonder how the heavenly music could ever be better? Have you wished that you could just absorb the melodies and watch the performers for hours on end?

I was blessed to experience that last week. I was visiting my parents in Arkansas and as part of our time together we visited the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View. This unique center houses craftsmen of all sorts that use the historic methods of making everything from candles to brooms to quilts and everything in between.

Music is a significant part of the Ozark Folk Center, and since Mountain View is called the Folk Music Capital of the World, you can expect to hear some quality folk music. Several evenings during the week local and visiting musical artists will take the stage to perform acoustic music written before 1948. These musicians demonstrate their skills on a variety of instruments and perform vocal numbers as well.

Age was no limit, and performers as young as 11 took the stage along side of men in their 80's. I sat spellbound as one musician after another brought music to life and enveloped me in the joy of music. While all of the music was exceptional, there were two groups that truly touched my heart. One was a group that had three brothers, ages 11, 12, and 14. With the help of an older gentleman providing rhythm guitar, their upright bass, mandolin, and fiddle music was truly unbelievable. The second group was three girls - two sisters ages 14 and 16, and a 17 year-old friend - playing a bass, guitar, and fiddle. Their instrumentals were also amazing, but their a capella voices brought down the house.

One of the greatest blessings of heaven I believe will be the music that we will not only hear but also participate in. Perhaps it will be like the music I heard from these young people.

If it was, I now have one more reason to be there!

God bless you abundantly!