Take Me Home and Things that Bring Us Together

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been watching this year’s FIFA World Cup. Wednesday night, Terri and I watched the USA beat Bosnia Herzegovina. At the end of the game, the crowd broke out into John Denver’s folk anthem “Take Me Home Country Roads”. It was AMAZING.

In these divisive times it’s a heartfelt blessing to witness a song bring people together.

Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves we are the same.

John Denver

I spent some time catching up with all things John Denver, including learning more about his life as I streamed his music, starting with one of his first albums, Poems, Prayers, and Promises, released on January 1, 1971.

Denver was a larger than life artist who, in addition to being a passionate photographer, did something to address what he viewed as important issues of the time, like ending hunger, protecting the environment, and helping other artists express their creativity.

According to Trusty the Internet, John Denver started:

The Windstar Foundation (1976): Co-founded by Denver and Tom Crum, this non-profit in Snowmass, Colorado, focused on wildlife preservation, sustainability, and global peace.

The Hunger Project (1977): Co-founded alongside Werner Erhard and Robert W. Fuller to sustainably end global chronic hunger.

Windsong (1975): Denver’s own record label, founded in Snowmass to support artists sharing his artistic and environmental vision

Plant-It 2020 (1992): Founded by Denver to promote tree planting and environmental restoration in degraded forest areas.

Honestly, I’d forgotten how many great songs Denver had recorded. There’s Sunshine on My Shoulders, Rocky Mountain High, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and Thank God I’m a Country Boy, in addition to Take Me Home, Country Roads, to name just a few.

As I listen to his music, I’m pleasantly surprised by the weight and cutting edge of some of his songs, like Wooden Indian and The Box. He also wrote and sang fun songs, like Homegrown Tomatoes, which I learned last year was a friend’s favorite song when I attended her funeral.

We are at our best as a civilization when we are together, united, rather than divided. There are those who, for whatever reason, sow division and discord. They strive to divide us, not only as a nation, but as a civilization. Truth is, most of us are more alike than we are different. We need to learn to communicate better, starting with listening rather than talking.

Proverbs teaches us that the one who sows discord among others is an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 6:19).

The Apostle Paul warns the church to “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles” and advises believers to avoid them (Romans 16:17-18). Furthermore, Titus 3:10-11 states that a divisive person should be warned once or twice, and then ignored, as their own sins condemn them.

Today, as we celebrate 250 years of America, let us pray and strive for unity. Let us beseech the Lord to heal our land, our people, and our nation and may He do so for all people everywhere. Let us turn our eyes to Jesus. It is Jesus, after all, who reminds us that “blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).

As I sit hear in my living room singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” I am reminded of the goodness of people and the shared ideals of common men and women like love, peace, and a better world.

Not only can we do better, we must.

Love one another. Be for one another, like you are for yourself. Be gentle, be kind, be humble. Celebrate with those who are celebrating and mourn with those who are mourning. Be there for each other.