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Welcome back, my friends, to the "Battle" that never ends.
We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside!
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This is 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB') where you listen to different recordings and vote for the one you like best. A new Battle gets posted on the 1st of each month and on the 7th, I place my own vote, tally 'em all up and announce the winner.
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Friend? Foe? Stranger? No matter, ALL are welcome. So pull up a chair, pour yourself 24 oz. of DOG BITE High Gravity Lager (or the poison of your choice) and turn it up to Eleven!
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[NOTE: Links to the first year of 'BOTB' (#1 - #24) can be found at the very bottom of this page.]

Sunday, April 12, 2020

HAPPY EASTER 2 U (Or, JEWISH CHRISTIANS AND MY NEW FAVORITE YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

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My Brothers & Sisters, I wish you a Happy Easter.
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OH, HAPPY DAY!
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Oh, Happy Day - Glen Campbell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96-pnIfl2fg

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O Lord, Our Lord - Marty Goetz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i67rjZn9ThQ

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As I've said before, I had an unexpected Spiritual experience and became a (Maverick) Christian in a Los Angeles apartment on April 6, 1994:
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In a sense, I think I've always had a kind of kinship with Jews. Part of it, certainly, must be attributed to my strong relationship with Martin Brumer - my best friend who was killed by a car thief in 1989. But there's more to it than that. It's a controversial topic I don't want to address here and now.
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About a year before my Spiritual experience, my 'Born Again' friend and co-worker, Don ("Big D"), was attempting to convert me to his Christian beliefs. We engaged in several friendly debates about religion and spirituality. One day, Don gave me a couple pamphlets written by the Messianic Jew Zola Levitt.
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I had never read The Holy Bible at that point, and I can still remember reading those pamphlets while on a road trip with my parents to Pahrump, Nevada. 'The Seven Feasts Of Israel' and 'The Miracle Of Passover' by Zola Levitt seemed like gibberish to me. I don't think I was informed enough then to question the idea of a Jew believing in Jesus. I was pretty ign'ant about Judaism and Christianity back then. I wuz just a dumb, dirty, heathen dog.
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Right after my Spiritual experience on 4-6-1994, I began reading The Bible. And after I had read God's Word from cover-to-cover a couple of times, I ran across those Zola Levitt pamphlets in one of my book cases and decided to read them again. This time, they just blew my mind! I was so impressed by all the insight that Levitt, with his orthodox Jewish background, brought to my understanding of things involving Christ Yeshua / Jesus Christ. I thought back on that day I first read these pamphlets and found them to be nuttin' but gibberish, and I shook my head. Amazing what a couple years and some background research can do for a person's understanding!
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Well, the night before last, I was watching a YouTube video, and I noticed a video in the Recommended Videos sidebar about a Jewish person who had become a believer in Christ Yeshua. So I clicked on it and found it so fascinating that I immediately watched another, and then another, and another.
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I became instantly addicted to these video testimonials from Jewish people who, (like Zola Levitt, and Joel Chernoff, Marty Goetz, and Barry & Batya Segal - musicians I've been listening to for years), had become Messianic Jews (i.e., Jews who recognize that Yeshua was the prophesied Messiah of Israel).
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The last two nights, I stayed up too late, watching these videos, and each one of them has been extremely interesting to me. I haven't seen a dud yet! In just two nights, [link> ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry has become my very favorite YouTube channel.
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One of the things that I have found most surprising about these testimonials is how many of these Jewish folks said that, prior to learning the truth about Jesus, they thought that He was a Catholic, and didn't even realize that Jesus was a Jew. Some of these folks had even been led to believe that Jesus was anti-Semitic, that He actually hated the Jews. SMH!!
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People, this is just one example of why you MUST research things for yourself and never just take some man or woman's word for something. Especially when the subject is truly important and the stakes are high.
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It being Easter Sunday, I'd like to share a few of these testimonial videos with you, and encourage you to check out some more, if you find them as fascinating as I do.
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I was the president of the synagogue! How could I believe in Jesus?


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WOW! A Jewish lawyer and a leader in her synagogue who turned to Jesus in a supernatural way!


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A Jewish boy challenged by a Christian Girl


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[link> The Kooks Met Messiah
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You will find many more testimonials and informative videos
at [link> ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry
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If you want to learn every essential point and principle of The Holy Bible in only about 15 to 20 minutes, read the five chapters of the First Epistle of John (1st John 1-5) [link> HERE.
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Happy Easter, all Y'all.
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Bless And Be Blessed!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Wednesday, April 8, 2020

BOTB RESULTS: 2020, APRIL 1 (Or, GARY PAXTON VERSUS MICHAEL CARD)

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Well, I'm a day late with this Results post, doggone it! But that's because (by the Grace of God) I've still got a paying job to do. Today, however, is my day off.
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My BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB) contest took place HERE, and it pitted Gary Paxton's song 'I'M A FOOL FOR CHRIST (WHO'S FOOL ARE YOU?)' against Michael Card's song 'GOD'S OWN FOOL'.
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I was surprised by the outcome of this Battle. I thought for sure Paxton's more gruff, Rock-styled song would beat up pretty badly on Michael Card's cleaner, higher-pitched, more heavily polished tune. But I was WRONG! (again). However, this was a pretty good contest. With 13 votes in, it was 7 to 6. The final tally looks like this:
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Gary Paxton = 7 votes
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Michael Card = 11 votes
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It was a pretty good contest with a nice turnout, and I thank each and every one of you for taking time to come by here, listen, think, and vote. And I hope to see ya all here again next time.
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Happy Easter, y'all!
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Bless And Be Blessed.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2020, APRIL 1 (Or, GARY PAXTON VERSUS MICHAEL CARD)

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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Yes, it's time once again for Battle Of The Bands (BOTB).
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When my good friend Doc Cherdo suggested we use a 'Fool / Foolish' theme for our April 1st (April Fools' Day) BOTB installment, I was initially a bit skeptical of the idea. I started thinking of songs with the word "fool" in them: 'Fooled Around And Fell In Love' by Elvin Bishop came to my mind first. Then 'Fool For The City' by Foghat. I'm not much a fan of either of those. The third song that came to me - which I DO like - was 'What A Fool Believes' by The Doobie Brothers. And that made me think to myself: What does a fool believe? Being a [Maverick] Christian who has read The Holy Bible from cover-to-cover about 25 times, that question was immediately followed in my mind by the following Bible verses:
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HOLY BIBLE. Condition: Used to the point that it has become the HO BIB. 
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For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
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I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
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Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
~ 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
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Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
~ 1 Corinthians 3:18
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In the middle of the day, on April 6, 1994, while I was reading a book in the Los Angeles apartment where I lived, I had a Spiritual experience which transformed me into a Maverick Christian.
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Today, I have some Tervis Tumblers that I love and use for drinking everything from coffee & buttermilk to Grand Marnier. These tumblers commemorate the day Jesus Christ came to get me:
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Muddy waves from the second floor window of the Los Angeles apartment where I was Baptized by Jesus and transformed into a [Maverick] Christian.
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To me, the L.A. represents the Dodgers and the city of my birth and Baptism. But reversing the order, the A.L. stands for Almighty Love, which God said He is.
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The same year that I turned to Christ, Christian singer-songwriter Michael Card released his album 'JOY IN THE JOURNEY: 10 Years Of Greatest Hits'. The album included a few new songs, including 'Why?', which had a line that showed me just how talented a lyricist Card was:
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"Why did there have to be a heavy cross He was made to bear?
And why did they nail His feet and hands 
When His Love would have held him there?"
~ 'Why?' by Michael Card
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Another song on that album is 'GOD'S OWN FOOL'. Bingo! Now I knew what direction I wanted to go in with this BOTB installment!!
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For those who think that Christians are just fools, there's this to check out:
[Link> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Card
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Michael Card is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melodies and instrumentation with an in-depth study of the Bible. ... He is the son of a doctor and the grandson of a Baptist minister. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in Biblical studies from Western Kentucky University, and was awarded University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. His studies in physics and astronomy led to a job at a planetarium, allowing Card to fund his education. In 2005, Card worked on a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Classical Literature.
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So, now I just needed to find another "Christian Fool" song and I'd have myself a Battle. It didn't take long for me to stumble upon 'I'M A FOOL FOR CHRIST (WHO'S FOOL ARE YOU?)' by Gary S. Paxton.
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I don't think I'd ever heard of Gary Paxton before, but - HOKEY-SMOKE! - when I read his bio at Wackypedia, it boggled my mind, and I highly recommend that you read it, too. [Link> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_S._Paxton I wanna say that Gary Paxton was apparently 'The Tiny Tim of Gospel' and, like Tiny Tim, he was a guy I wish I could have met. He lived an extraordinary life. For a few examples:
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Paxton was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and The Hollywood Argyles and was the producer of two number one Billboard Hot 100 singles, "Alley Oop" for The Hollywood Argyles in 1960 and "Monster Mash" for Bobby "Boris" Pickett in 1962.
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In 1965, he produced "Sweet Pea", a hit for Tommy Roe, and "Along Comes Mary", a hit for The Association, winning a Grammy nomination in engineering for his efforts. The following year, he produced another hit for The Association, "Cherish".
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Explaining how he came to Jesus, Gary Paxton said:
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"I was very strung out, in all ways, and in 1971 my business partner committed suicide. It stopped me in my tracks. I walked into a church - stoned on drugs - and got saved!"
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Paxton likened himself to "an armpit in the body of Christ" and said, "Jesus is my Lawyer in Heaven". (If you really understand the Gospel message, then you know that in a sense, Jesus Christ *REALLY IS* our Defense Lawyer in Heaven. That was a brilliant line!)
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Link:
https://tributetogaryspaxton.com/gary-s-testimony-in-his-own-words
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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I'M A FOOL FOR CHRIST (WHO'S FOOL ARE YOU?) - Gary S. Paxton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L-j-W3_fME

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1985
GOD'S OWN FOOL - Michael Card
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEJrjGa106U

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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
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After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there alsoVote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ THE DOGLADY'S DEN by clicking HERE
@ CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE by clicking HERE
@ CURIOUS AS A CATHY by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC by clicking HERE
@ STORMS & STARDUST by clicking HERE
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As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th of each month to post my own votes and announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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