James v. Itunes

Yesterday I was working feverishly behind my computer screen writing talks and organizing year-end stuff. And so, of course, I had my Itunes MP-3 player on shuffle all day long.

One particular song transition in the shuffle was a bit jarring: going from Handel's Hallelujah Chorus (downloaded this past Christmas) to Kanye West's "Gold Digger" (downloaded in a moment of weakness last fall).

The movement from worship to frivolity coming out of the same speakers within seconds of one another reminded me of a favorite passage in James 2:

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

So I'm thinking that James probably wouldn't be a big fan of my Itunes playlist...at least when it's on shuffle.