What Do You Do?

The Sunday School class I attend just started a study on VOCATION. The first session had some references to the oft-asked question, "What Do You Do?" and how that sometimes defines who we are. If anyone has seen the musical version of EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN there's a funny song included in that production.
The study reminded me of a song I wrote in 1994 for a retreat of volunteer missionaries in Japan, of which I was one. We were all ESL teachers and the lyrics depicted a classroom where students are learning the question WHAT DO YOU DO? The line about a student stating that he is "a waste management guy" is based on reality. One of my students was a garbage man, so that eventually led to him being a waste management guy. The rest of the story, a few years after I left Japan that WASTE MANAGEMENT GUY was baptized.

Here's the lyrics:

WHAT DO YOU DO?

I asked a student, "What do you do?"
He told me, "I am a farmer," it's true.
And to the next I said, "Where do you work?"
She told me, "I am a bank teller clerk."

(Chorus)
Then they said, "Teacher, what do you do?"
I told them, "I am a teacher," it's true.
Buth there is one more thing that I am,
By Jesus' call I'm a fisher of men.
Yes, by Jesus' call, we are fishers of men.

I asked a student, "Are you employed?"
He said, "Yes, I am a maker of toys."
Then to his classmate I said, "How 'bout you?"
She said quite softly, "A teacher, grade two."
(Chorus)

I asked a pupil if he could explain the work that he did
come sun, wind, or rain.
And then to my and my students' surprise,
He told me, "I am a waste management guy."
(Chorus)

There's all sorts of students in classes of ours...
Some of them drive bicycles, some of them cars.
And while we are blessed to be teachers and friends,
We're blessed most of all that we're fishers of men.
We're blessed most of all that we're fishers of men.

I asked a student, "What do you do?"

AND

Roller Rink Rock and Roll

In case you are wondering, there is a story behind the title of this song. Here it is:
I came home to Houston during Christmas Break of one of my years at Marquette University(I believe it was my junior year-1989) and volunteered to DJ a Christian music night and the local roller rink. I was majoring in broadcasting and had even produced and hosted a contemporary Christian music show on the campus station(WMUR), so I figured this was right up my alley.
I showed up at the rink with my feeble collection of music including Petra, Michael W. Smith, and if I remember correctly Stryper as well as a few more groups. I settled into the DJ booth, while the skaters started lacing up. The first song I played was THIS MEANS WAR by Petra, a Christian band with a hard rock sound. For many years their lead singer was John Schlitt who had been in a rock band called Head East. Before the end of the song's first stanza, a gentleman came in to the booth quite irate, asking why I was playing this rock music, etc. I wish I could say that I had a great strategy of listening to this man's complaint in an attempt to reach some understanding, but the truth is I was so stunned by his attack onthe TYPE OF MUSIC that Iwas playing that had been special to me that I couldn't formulate any response for several minutes. Eventually, several skaters offered to get some music from their cars that was a bit more "acceptable", so I did my best to play a mix of the two. If memory serves, the gentleman, who as best I could tell was a pastor/minister stayed by my side for at least 90 minutes. As I listened to him and got to explain a little bit of the positive ways God had used this rock and roll in my life, I was able to understand the crux of his argument. He even quoted that famous Scripture to me to defend it, it is from Paul's letter to the Classical Musicians, chapter 4, verse 1:"Thine beat shalt not override thine melody." (OK, OK that's not really a verse, it is April 1 after all). However, that was the main part of his argument, "the beat overrides the melody, therefore, the music is not of God."

Some events I have recently been aparty to have made me think again of that night at the roller rink. While the roller rink memory is a bit humorous with the emotions of the moment far in the past, the recollection is also a bit disconcerting to me. Even if I met that man today, I don't think I'd have much more to reply to his complaints and his attacks on me. Furthermore, there are times when my shortcomings and sins make it so no one's words can get through to me, and I know there are some people who perceive me as THAT GUY attacking them.

I say all this to portray some of the jumble in my mind as I composed the following lyrics. I know the writing of these lyrics reminded me that God's grace is sufficient to overcome(speaking of Paul) my failures. I hope they serve the same purpose to those who read them and hear the story behind them.

ROLLER RINK ROCK AND ROLL

Let your grace, Amazing Grace, override my melody
Let your mercy override the smallest corners of my song
Let your peace that passes understanding override my restless heart
Let your love, your hope and love, override me all day long.