Music is in my soul! As a Born Again believer in Jesus Christ, I totally get into anointed spirit-filled worship music of my Savior Jesus Christ. However, there’s one other form of music that also speaks to me whenever I hear it.



Raggae



I grew up in the Midwest (OH, IA, IL, IN, and now MO), and was therefore landlocked up until my sophomore year in college at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Then, several of my friends and I made the trek to FL for spring break. One day we decided to join the all day deck party going on out back of our hotel on the Cabana pool. As I strolled outside, the warmth of mid 80s air surrounded me, cool breezes blew in from off shore tossing my hair out of place, the sun’s rays warmed my back, bikini clad lady’s bronzed themselves upon every available lawn chair, the smell of coconut oil circled with each one that passed by me, thong bikini waitresses selling beer bongs, tequila tubes, and Bahama Mama’s all day long, a beer keg was being tapped every 15 minutes it seemed, beer belly flop contests by the pool, wet T-shirt/bikini contests on the upper deck…AND THEN THERE WAS THE BAND. All day long, they played reggae music from above me on the upper deck. And somehow, the WHOLE environment would NOT have been the same without them there. The upbeat reggae rhythms, the mixing harmonic vocals, and the deep penetrating bass all seemed to impose upon my disposition a feelin’ that “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” It seemed as if the entire deck party itself swayed in tune with their groove. But their version of Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie” (first song in playlist) seemed to stick with me as a fond memory of that day, which embedded reggae deep inside my soul.