jammin' with    God
a Christian musician’s perspective by Pete Caputo

Jam#14   Like a Puzzle

Well this is the feeling I usually get, while writing a new song.  I feel almost as if I’m reconstructing something that’s already been created.  Almost as if, I’ve heard it all before, but I just can’t quite put my finger on it.

Some of you may be saying… “Yeah, dude.  That’s called plagiarism.  You’re just ripping off someone else’s tune.”  Well, that’s not exactly what I meant, because conscious attempts at copying another song, without due credit, is just plain wrong.

But as artists, the thought is still always in the back of our minds, that maybe all of what we consider new, is not as new as we think.  Of course, at times, we’re deliberately “covering” an already established song and all we’re doing is adding our own “flavor” to it.  But at other times, we’re not quite sure where that seemingly familiar sound or rhythm came from.  It just get’s stuck in our heads and suddenly we feel the need to “get it all down” before it evaporates into the folds of our busy day.

Well no matter what the situation is, I’m always reminded of this scripture from Ecclesiasties 1:9… “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done.  There is nothing new under the sun.”

There’s something deeply profound about these words.  I believe it forces us to face two universal truths.  First, there’s more to what we accomplish, compose or create than what meets the eye… and the ear. 

As Christians, we realize there’s an unspoken agreement with the King that your creative energies are not all yours.  You may like to take the credit, but you’re only kidding yourself if you really think that your inventive prowess and subsequent dexterities begin and end from inside that skin suit you’re wearing right now.  So even though your combinations, sequences and color schemes seem unique and original… sorry Charlie.  No dice.

But don’t lose heart, ‘cause here’s the good news.  The Second Universal Truth is, we take solace in the understanding that creation is as endless as the expanding universe, itself.  The possibilities are practically endless.  And when we look at creativity from this perspective, suddenly, there really are no limits nor should we concern ourselves that there is “nothing new under the sun”.  Because hey… there’s billions of suns out there… countless combinations and constellations, innumerable stars and songs, limitless lyrics and words moving randomly throughout the myriad of musical space.  (Like the way I mix those metaphors?  Ah… who cares… we’re jammin.)

So here’s the skinny… I believe in light of these two truths, it’s possible to presume that everything we create has already been composed.  We’re simply tapping into an eternal pool of masterpieces and just translating them into our own language and style... that's all. 

The same way a stargazer may discover new heavenly bodies, never before seen by the human eye, we as artists discover what we believe to be new and different.  But all we’re really doing is just claiming newly discovered ground that’s always been there… that’s right… even way before we came along.

So, here’s what happens when I start writing a new tune, I sometimes imagine a table full of scattered puzzle pieces.  I prop up the box that it came in, with that finished picture on the cover, and then start rummaging through the random pile. 

The picture on the box represents the vision sparking my artistic desires… it’s what I’d imagined, even before I started to write.  Then, with every new chord or word, all I’m doing is trying to fit the right pieces into the open places on that puzzle.  And finally, when the work is done, I stand back and admire it, as a spectator.  Because, after all… I can only take credit for re-constructing the artwork of someone else.  I can only a lead an audience to view the timeless beauty and master craftsmanship of the one who first composed this piece far beyond and before time.

Time to go looking for the guys in the white suits again, right?  Well go ahead.  I’m used to it by now.  You see… one of the reasons why most of these jams seem so “out there” is because of this basic principal.  I honestly believe that none of us have ever had an original idea or thought pass through the grey matter between our ears.  Some are just better at putting puzzles together, than others… that’s all.

You may be familiar with the term, “zeitgeist”.  This word was used in Europe over a hundred years ago to describe an intellectual and cultural climate of a certain era.  It is loosely translated as, “the spirit of the times”.  The basic idea is that there is within a certain time frame and culture an unspoken force calling a random group of individuals to a common set of goals and achievements.

The funny thing about the zeitgeist principal is that in most cases, there is little or no communication or contact between those involved, yet they all end up contributing to the same basic goal.

The industrial revolution was an example of this phenomenon.  During the late eighteen hundreds, the world experienced a spike in new technologies and the understanding of mathematics and the sciences.  Great minds seemed to come together to accomplish wondrous feats of architecture, science, philosophy and the arts.  Like a great giant puzzle coming together, the world was experiencing for perhaps the first time a sense of unity, like never before, reaping the benefits of human progress at the hands of some very talented puzzle solvers.

However, almost immediately following was a zeitgeist of war.  And so, with two world wars within the span of thirty years, we witnessed the selfish ways of the “haves” and the “have nots” tearing each other apart at the command of the principalities of this world.  But I digress.  Suffice to say, some of us enjoy putting puzzles together, and others like to play bull in a china shop. 

Nonetheless, the point to be made is, as artists, all the creations we take part in assembling hold an eternal secret.  Because deep within the veneer of each masterpiece, lies a secret code, if you will… a cryptic eternal note revealing a message of hope, a song of deliverance, a sign of eternal life and ultimately, another glimpse of Love.  Forget about the Da Vinci Code… what I’m talking about seeps through every bit of art, ever created.  Because from beneath the skin… that common surface meant for the masses, there always cries another truth.  And whether the artist is aware of it or not… whether most people will ever hear it nor see it, doesn’t change the fact that it’s still there… it’s always been there.

So when you think about it, the desire, itself to create, becomes a bridge reaching between the temporal to the eternal.  Just go back to Genesis.  What do you see?  Infinite God reaches into time to create a masterpiece.  We call it the universe.  Now look at all our achievements, compositions and mighty feats.  Look at them as our human attempts at responding to Love’s initial act of genesis by reaching from this temporal existence back into the eternal.

This is why I believe it’s not possible for anyone to really create anything in this life, because since the basic definition of Genesis is… “Creating something from nothing”… well… that’s a one-way street baby.  Only the Jam Meister can take that ride.

So let me put the last puzzle piece into this picture for you.  Check out Jesus in John 8:58, when he ticked off the religious big-wigs, telling them that He was around way before Abraham was alive.  He said… “Before Abraham was, I am.”  Right away, they picked up stones and tried to kill Him on the spot.  Because with those words, “I am”, Jesus was professing to be God, and they knew it… and they couldn’t deal with it either. 

You see… they would have had to come to grips with the fact that Emmanuel, (God is with us), had come… and when Jesus left footprints in the sand of this earth and impressions upon our hearts, eternity was once again reaching into this temporary life.

And if you truly believe this, then what could possibly be more important than attempting to reach back into eternity whenever and however you can?  You see… all the pieces have been laid out for you.  Everything you need is before you.  And although we all have the same resources, no one else will do it quite the way you do, because no one else is quite like you.”

Oh, and here’s another little secret for you.  Although the puzzle pieces before you compose a masterpiece that’s already been created, consider each puzzle a gift from the King, himself.  Because you’re the only one who will ever be allowed to put that particular puzzle together.   So what are you waiting for?  Go for it!

Jammin exercise:                           The next time you’re compelled to create a new song or work of art… whatever it is… do this first.  Go to the King and thank Him for another new puzzle for you to play with.  Realize that it’s got your name all over it and no one else has one, quite like it.

Then, ask Love to show you why He’s given it to you.  What’s your message?  What’s beneath the skin?  Where is the code within the composition of the finished puzzle that will lead your audience back to eternity? 

But remember… it doesn’t have to be obvious to anyone else but you.  Don’t worry… let the critics have their fun misinterpreting your piece.  Just rest in the truth that there’s a glimpse of forever in there, somewhere… a gift meant specifically for you to enjoy, for the here and now.