Friday, May 1, 2020

One Minute and 15 Seconds

By David Bragg

    Few people actually get that elusive second opportunity of making a good first impression, but the rock band Chicago may have pulled it off when it came to their classic song "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?". That song, off their debut album Chicago Transit Authority, was their third consecutive top 10 single and followed two singles released off their second album, simply named "Chicago." It was only after twice tasting success that the decision was made to go back to their first album to release that timely tune. It is my untested opinion that if they had released that tune as it stood on their first album it wouldn't have resonated with the listening public. Perhaps it was for that very reason that when the single was released in 1970 the first 1:15 seconds of the song, a piano solo, was left on the cutting room floor. For Chicago, erasing that 1:15 seconds may have made the difference between an album track and a top 10 hit.
    Wouldn’t it be great if we could go back to those uncomfortable moments of our lives that we are not proud of and leave them on the cutting room floor? That is precisely the dangerous thing about time. No matter what we do, once a moment is gone we are powerless to alter it. If only it was as simple as turning back our clocks an hour for daylight savings time!
    You can not undo a deed or “unspeak” a word. You will, however, have to answer for that deed or word (Matthew 12:36-37). The choice we face is simply this: will we answer for it today by seeking forgiveness and making amends or will we wait for that final day of judgment when we are powerless to change the choices of this life (2 Corinthians 5:10)? Which will you choose? Only time will tell.
 
- David Bragg serves as one of the ministers at the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC and is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/ or his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/

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