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Is experiencing shalom at a James Taylor concert possible? Does God work only through people who are Christians?  Does God only show up when we’re doing explicitly Christian things?  Or can God be experienced anytime there is goodness and beauty and kindness?

Personally, I think God can be experienced anytime, anywhere–even at a James Taylor concert!  In this episode, I reflect on the themes of broken shalom and restored shalom–which are reflections of God at work in the world–in the music of James Taylor.

THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Markus and his wife went to Las Vegas to see James Taylor in concert--truly a moment of experiencing shalom!
• Markus had a bit of a spiritual experience during the concert.
• James Taylor’s songs all revolve around images of shalom and broken shalom.
• The song, Carolina in My Mind, depicts the broken shalom of homesickness and the restoration of shalom as he goes “to Carolina in my mind.”
• The invitation of God is, “Come home.”
• There are people who are longing for a place to call home. This is part of the immigration challenge in the world to today.
• “Home” is a place of experiencing shalom.
• How can the church help those without a home find a place that they can call home?
• The song, Fire and Rain, presents images of both broken and restored shalom, especially in regard to relationships.
• A broken relationship is broken shalom.
• The song, You’ve Got a Friend, is a picture of restored shalom, especially in regard to relationships.
• The song, Shower the People, shows what it looks like when people pour out love—experiencing shalom—on the people they care about.
• Shower the People is a picture of restored shalom.
• As Markus looked down on the crowd, he had a profound sense that all of these children are loved by God.
• The concert gave people an experience of the shalom that God wants for us.
• God wants to restore shalom in every aspect of our lives.
• God isn’t limited working only through church people. Experiencing shalom is possible anywhere.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS

• If you want to hear James Taylor’s best, this is a good one: 
  • James Taylor, Greatest Hits
• And this is the biography of James Taylor that my wife is currently reading: 
  • Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines: The Life and Music of James Taylor

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