Proverbs 28:5 Evil men understand not judgement: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.
Oh Friends, you know how every so often I joke about not seeing our names in the obits, well today while glancing through them I got a bit of a shock. No it wasn’t my own name (smile), but a picture of a long time acquaintance; a fellow by the name of Lance Ingleton, a proud product of Sherwood Forest in Portland, Jamaica. We first met sometime back in the eighties when I had a radio programme on a local radio station, and he was a Reggae promoter. Personally, I’d consider him the best that’s passed through Toronto; in the sense that he was the most gentlemanly and whatever he promised he usually came through with. He was a big part of why Toronto saw so many Reggae name acts in the mid-eighties and early nineties. I would advertise his shows and give away tickets on my programme, thus the strong acquaintanceship. We’d lost contact since I got out of the entertainment business, but I saw him two summers ago (2008) one night at a Reggae Concert at the Phoenix, can’t remember the artist, and he was still the same pleasant, gentlemanly person with his boyish, good-looking charm. He mentioned that he’d been sick for a while, but was then doing well. It sure surprised me when I saw that he’d passed away this past week, and only in his mid-fifties. Obviously, whatever was wrong, finally got the better of him. Thanks a lot Lance for causing us all to see the artists you promoted and hear their wonderful music. Toronto and all who enjoyed it, owe you a big debt of thanks, and I certainly hope that when the story of Reggae in T.O is told, your name will get the prominent mention it certainly deserves. No doubt you’re up there already promoting artists like Bruh Bob, Peter Tosh and the Crown Prince, Dennis Brown, cause although your education was in a different field, I know music was your passion. By now Friends you’ve probably guessed that I was quite impressed by Lance’s honesty and integrity, cause that’s all I ever got from him, unlike many of the other promoters, who would promise big names, or tickets to give away, or some other grandiose scheme, but never come through with them. Many are the nights I went to concerts expecting to see certain big draw acts that never materialised. Later on, you’d hear they knew nothing about coming to T.O. The promoters just used their names to sell tickets. But that was the general attitude back then, with a lot of unscrupulous people only out to make a quick buck off the unsuspecting public. I guess it hasn’t changed much in other walks of life since then either, has it? Greed and getting as much as you can for as little as possible is still the order of the day. However, I believe there was a subtle difference then; we at least covered our greed and wickedness with a touch, a veneer of humanity. Nowadays though, even that’s gone. It’s strictly a no-holds-barred situation. And that’s why Sol’s long ago statement is still so relevant today. ‘Evil men understand not judgement: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.’ And isn’t that the truth mih people! The perpetrators of evil certainly have no inkling of justice and it’s workings, otherwise they’d never commit the atrocities they do. The Psalmist puts it so nicely. ‘O Lord how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish (senseless) man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever. But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.’ (Ps.92:5-8) And all God’s people declared a loud, joyful, ‘Amen!’ Yes Friends, unfortunately the wicked don’t understand that at some stage in their existence, either here on earth or in the spiritual realm, they’ll pay for their wickedness, but pay they will. ‘But they that seek the Lord understand all things.’ And Friends, it’s not so much that we understand everything, but more importantly, we know where to find understanding. As Bruh David so rightly declared: ‘Wherewithall shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.’ Because ‘Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.’ (Ps.119:9,142) And that’s a fact! All believers, and even some sensible non-believers know it. (smile) What did Asaph say? ‘So foolish was I, and ignorant! I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.’ (Ps.73:22-24) Yes my people, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. The Lord will protect and guide us wherever we go, in whatever situation we find ourselves. So please, let us take Sol’s advice. ‘They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.’ (Prov.28:4) Yes mih breddren, it’s essential that we contend with and fight valiantly against the wicked, because their evil tentacles are spreading too far, too fast and too high in our world. For ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness (integrity), than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.’ (Prov.28:6) Another bit of gospel truth Friends! And what better way to end Today’s Bit, or any Bit for that matter, than with the words of our Lord and Saviour. Remember when Jesus prayed to the Father on the disciples’ behalf? ‘I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:14-17) And that from the Master’s lips my people, so there’s no doubting its veracity. So Friends, I implore us, let’s aspire to live in truth, by diligently and whole-heartedly LOVING our God, SPREADING His Word and LIVING our Faith. Till tomorrow then, God willing…Much LOVE!…in our search for truth…the ultimate authority is…The GOOD BOOK…
Oh Friends, you know how every so often I joke about not seeing our names in the obits, well today while glancing through them I got a bit of a shock. No it wasn’t my own name (smile), but a picture of a long time acquaintance; a fellow by the name of Lance Ingleton, a proud product of Sherwood Forest in Portland, Jamaica. We first met sometime back in the eighties when I had a radio programme on a local radio station, and he was a Reggae promoter. Personally, I’d consider him the best that’s passed through Toronto; in the sense that he was the most gentlemanly and whatever he promised he usually came through with. He was a big part of why Toronto saw so many Reggae name acts in the mid-eighties and early nineties. I would advertise his shows and give away tickets on my programme, thus the strong acquaintanceship. We’d lost contact since I got out of the entertainment business, but I saw him two summers ago (2008) one night at a Reggae Concert at the Phoenix, can’t remember the artist, and he was still the same pleasant, gentlemanly person with his boyish, good-looking charm. He mentioned that he’d been sick for a while, but was then doing well. It sure surprised me when I saw that he’d passed away this past week, and only in his mid-fifties. Obviously, whatever was wrong, finally got the better of him. Thanks a lot Lance for causing us all to see the artists you promoted and hear their wonderful music. Toronto and all who enjoyed it, owe you a big debt of thanks, and I certainly hope that when the story of Reggae in T.O is told, your name will get the prominent mention it certainly deserves. No doubt you’re up there already promoting artists like Bruh Bob, Peter Tosh and the Crown Prince, Dennis Brown, cause although your education was in a different field, I know music was your passion. By now Friends you’ve probably guessed that I was quite impressed by Lance’s honesty and integrity, cause that’s all I ever got from him, unlike many of the other promoters, who would promise big names, or tickets to give away, or some other grandiose scheme, but never come through with them. Many are the nights I went to concerts expecting to see certain big draw acts that never materialised. Later on, you’d hear they knew nothing about coming to T.O. The promoters just used their names to sell tickets. But that was the general attitude back then, with a lot of unscrupulous people only out to make a quick buck off the unsuspecting public. I guess it hasn’t changed much in other walks of life since then either, has it? Greed and getting as much as you can for as little as possible is still the order of the day. However, I believe there was a subtle difference then; we at least covered our greed and wickedness with a touch, a veneer of humanity. Nowadays though, even that’s gone. It’s strictly a no-holds-barred situation. And that’s why Sol’s long ago statement is still so relevant today. ‘Evil men understand not judgement: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.’ And isn’t that the truth mih people! The perpetrators of evil certainly have no inkling of justice and it’s workings, otherwise they’d never commit the atrocities they do. The Psalmist puts it so nicely. ‘O Lord how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish (senseless) man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever. But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.’ (Ps.92:5-8) And all God’s people declared a loud, joyful, ‘Amen!’ Yes Friends, unfortunately the wicked don’t understand that at some stage in their existence, either here on earth or in the spiritual realm, they’ll pay for their wickedness, but pay they will. ‘But they that seek the Lord understand all things.’ And Friends, it’s not so much that we understand everything, but more importantly, we know where to find understanding. As Bruh David so rightly declared: ‘Wherewithall shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.’ Because ‘Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.’ (Ps.119:9,142) And that’s a fact! All believers, and even some sensible non-believers know it. (smile) What did Asaph say? ‘So foolish was I, and ignorant! I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.’ (Ps.73:22-24) Yes my people, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. The Lord will protect and guide us wherever we go, in whatever situation we find ourselves. So please, let us take Sol’s advice. ‘They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.’ (Prov.28:4) Yes mih breddren, it’s essential that we contend with and fight valiantly against the wicked, because their evil tentacles are spreading too far, too fast and too high in our world. For ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness (integrity), than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.’ (Prov.28:6) Another bit of gospel truth Friends! And what better way to end Today’s Bit, or any Bit for that matter, than with the words of our Lord and Saviour. Remember when Jesus prayed to the Father on the disciples’ behalf? ‘I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:14-17) And that from the Master’s lips my people, so there’s no doubting its veracity. So Friends, I implore us, let’s aspire to live in truth, by diligently and whole-heartedly LOVING our God, SPREADING His Word and LIVING our Faith. Till tomorrow then, God willing…Much LOVE!…in our search for truth…the ultimate authority is…The GOOD BOOK…
SCRIP-BITS 