Christian Living

---

Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday April 18, 2006

My adoptive father, George M. Lilly, was an ordinary man in many ways, yet in some ways he was a genius and a gifted musician. His musical gift was expressed as trumpet player and later in the string section of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. My earliest memories are old 78 recordings of the era of the 30's and 40's of orchestra music. To this day I love it, and for the most part endure other types of music.

In 1952 when I was 11 years old, my big sister, Isabel, went to work for Uncle Alex Campbell, at the time the Hillbilly Music guru of our area. His radio program ran for hours every day and my sister was the D.J. I recall that when I would walk by the station, I could see my sister working through the large bay window that was so close to the sidewalk you could touch it. Isabel would invite me in to say a few words. I loved every minute of it and would find a reason to walk by the station! Of course with MY sister being the big honcho at the station, I listened to the music in hopes of hearing her voice, which is lovely to this day.

For the neophytes, Hillbilly Music as it was called is now called Country. The main difference is the dollars.

1952 was the year that a near brawl broke out in this music field so severe that many stations would not play the breakout record of a sweet little mountain girl, Kitty Wells. Her song was an in your face answer to the charge by Hank Thompson in his song The Wild Side of Life, that God made honky tonk angels. J.D. Miller wrote the song to lambaste the lyrics of Hank's song and Kitty Wells, hit the road and the charts to fame with this song. Her song asserted that It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.

I counseled with a family this weekend and as I was listening, a line from Kitty's song crept into my mind. I can still hear Kitty's twang as she put the pain of many a girl's heart into words, words that ring tragically true in whatever musical genre.

"Too many times men think that they are still single. This has caused many a good girl to go wrong."

Things haven't changed much since Kitty belted out these words 54 years ago. Each year I hear of Christian workers who find their marriage breaking up due to the fact that "Too many preachers think that they are still single. This still causes many a good girl to go wrong."

When will we ever learn? What we men need to know is right in the scripture and it is plain. Paul made the essence clear in 1 Corinthians 7:33 "But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife."

Pleasing Jesus and your wife are not mutually exclusive actions.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2006 Use with credit.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE