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MUSIC BLOG

September 12,

KEEPING IT CLASSY

 

I have lived in North Carolina for over 20 years in two stints.  During those years, I have grown in my position in ministry, raised a family, and made a lifetime of professional and personal friends.  One of my lifetime friends is Pepper Choplin.  Our friendship began years before I moved to North Carolina, in Ft. Worth Texas in the early 1980’s.  Pepper Choplin has always been a source of humor, inspiration, and encouragement.  When we were in Seminary, Pepper was working towards a composition degree, and I was in conducting.  As part of my conducting requirements, I assigned a certain number of students to work on their conducting patterns and style per week.  Pepper was one of my students.  I don’t know if I taught him anything, but Pepper always taught me something, not that he purposefully tried.  He taught me to lighten up and laugh at the situation and maybe myself.  He taught me to work hard and expect good things from God.  He taught me that North Carolina was a home as well as a state.  He taught me to go beyond myself and expect more.  Today, I had a conversation with Pepper.  He and I continue to serve in local churches.  Pepper in Raleigh, while I serve in Fayetteville.  Pepper is in a very high-class church in the Raleigh area.  He wanted to introduce clapping and swaying to his choir on a particular gospel hymn.  He tried to spring it on them, knowing that they would love it as would the congregation, but realized to his credit that sometimes spontaneity must be practiced over and over.  He chose to be classy rather than right.  I was going over my litany of things to do and run-of-the-mill ministry frustrations with him and he laughed and said, “Oh, we’re keeping it classy?”  I laughed but the phrase stuck in my mind.  I did a quick internet search and came up with a few statements about being classy and what that attribute brings to the table.

 

  • Classy people leave a lasting impact. They have a way of making others feel
  • special without trying too hard.
  • Classy people’s actions speak volumes, setting them apart in a world that often values appearances over substance.
  • It’s not about wealth or status with classy people. It’s about character and how they treat others.
  • You can see it in the way they listen, the way they speak, and the way they carry themselves with confidence and grace.
  • Classy people have mastered the art of making meaningful connections and leaving positive impressions, no matter where they go.
  • Classy people’s habits are simple, yet profound, reflecting a depth of character that goes beyond the surface.

 

Solomon has many words on being wise in dealing with others, but Paul captures the thought perfectly for me in Ephesians 4:32.

 

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

So my word to you and to myself is: “Be classy this week.”  Don’t spout off the first thing in your mind.  Give others a break and the opportunity to be wrong.  Realize, that not everything has to go my way, and some days I may bat .000% in getting things my way.  That’s ok too.  God is in control. He wants and expects me to act like He is in charge.

 

Blessings,

Marty

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