I love great music.

I believe that most beautiful music in the world has, as one of its elements, harmony.

When two or more different voices or instruments unite on the same song and are in perfect harmony, it is something that is beyond words. It is a thing of beauty. Art. Harmony has a way of making us feel something. We feel something that we can’t even explain. We’ve all experienced it before, whether from a church choir, a great song on the radio, from a string ensemble, or from an acapella act, or maybe just from the simple chord of an acoustic guitar. Harmony is noticeable. In short, when we see or hear true harmony…we are moved by it.

Growing up in this community: I played baseball at Mobil, McGregor, Baker and City Pond Fields. In middle school, me and my buddies would walk to the Square and climb the famous courthouse clock tower to see the gears and the giant bell from the inside. My first job was a bag boy at Red & White Grocery store where Scoops and The Lofts now reside. Before there was a Wal-Mart, I worked at the J.C. Pool Company and sold men’s suits, Pointer brand coveralls, and Stacey Adams dress shoes. I took swimming lessons at the community pool where the Covington Family YMCA now sits. I bought cassette tapes from Record & Tape World in Newton Plaza where the teenagers would cruise on Friday nights. And I’ve even eaten chitterlings at Henderson’s Restaurant (RIP Henderson’s). I say all of that with great pride, and with NO shame, and that’s because I love this town.

Of course, at the time I had NO IDEA how great Covington/Newton County was. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t wait to graduate from Newton County High School and get out of here. I wanted to see the city. I wanted to see how other people lived. I wanted to experience a different kind of diversity.

So, after high school I tried my hand at college at the University of Georgia, but the University wasn’t offering a degree in club-hopping at the 40-Watt or the Georgia Theatre. So, I did what all good UGA students did back then, I started a band with a buddy of mine. We got lucky and ended up with a Nashville recording contract. And for several years we toured a good bit of the United States.

I’m not boasting. Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad I had the opportunities that I did. But living out of a van and cheap motels and eating pizza every night is NOT what you read about in Rolling Stone Magazine.

I learned a lot from being a musician and a starving artist. I learned how individual notes make a chord. And how a chord creates harmony. I also learned the value of hard work and thrifty living. And maybe most importantly, I learned that the U.S. is filled with towns just like Covington.

Sure, each small town had its own ethos…its own vibe. But for the most part, they all seemed the same to me. Each state had a big city surrounded by the metro area, and then further out were the rural small towns. And all the small towns were the same, just with a different accent.

In all my traveling, I didn’t find a place that ever felt like home.

And that’s because, it is the PEOPLE that make a community.

Not the landmarks, the restaurants, the civic groups, or even the churches. No, it is the PEOPLE, living in harmony, that make a community.

Business and economic growth is important. A good school system is important. Vibrant authentic churches are key. A history and legacy that attach you to something bigger than yourself is important. Top-notch public service is important. And cultural diversity gives depth and beauty.

But it always comes down to the PEOPLE! And that’s why I came back home. Because of the PEOPLE.

Covington/Newton County, with all our flaws, and believe me, we’ve got some flaws, this is still an incredible place to live. Despite the changes of scenery, the increase in traffic, a few more apartments, and increasing property values…it is still about the people. I believe IN the people of Newton County. And I believe our best days are still in front of us.

The Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians 3:12-14 implores his readers to:

“…put on (or to wear) compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord

has forgiven you…and above all these put on LOVE, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Isn’t that the character we want for our community? Harmony!

Harmony, like in music when different parts (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and different instruments come together to make one beautiful chord…Harmony!

And when there is a simple wrong note, a small mistake, we look past it. Because sometimes it is ME who sings the wrong note, and I need your grace. And believe it or not, there will be a moment when you sing the wrong note, too. And I’ll show you grace. We may not always sing perfectly, but we CAN sing in harmony.

But sometimes, every now and then, we can find ourselves in dissonance. Dissonance is when the notes collide. Dissonance is the absence of harmony. It is in these moments of dissonance that we need a Simon Cowell. You know Simon Cowell, the brutally honest British fella from American Idol and The X-Factor. He’s the guy who doesn’t mind telling the poor off-pitch girl singing her heart out, “You are the worst singer I’ve ever heard.”

Here’s what I mean when I say we need a Simon Cowell in our lives. While we won’t get all the notes right every time, there’s grace. But when we get it wrong repeatedly, yet we THINK we’re singing the right note, we find ourselves deceived. And we need a Simon Cowell to tell us the bitter truth we cannot see. Maybe sweet ole grandma told us we sounded great. Maybe our loyal friends told us we sounded awesome. But truthfully, we’re awful, and we’re simply singing the wrong note over and over, again. It takes a truth-teller like Simon Cowell to tell us what we can’t believe about ourselves.

In other words, maybe there are times when we believe we are doing the right thing. Whether it be an extreme right or left political viewpoint, or a dogmatic religious belief, or our personal thoughts on community “progress”. We excuse our beliefs and behavior with justifications like, “this is just the way it is”, or we’ve been jaded by real life experiences, or worse we’ve been indoctrinated by the media. And so, we perpetuate our biases, our presuppositions, our implicit racism, and we continue to sing off key. But all along we’ve got people telling us that we’re nailing it. And what we truthfully need is an objective Simon Cowell; someone who will tell us the truth.

To move our community into the future, to continue being a great place to live, work and play…I ask you to speak up. Be a Simon Cowell to your friends, to your department, to your sphere of influence. When you see someone who is singing off key, and they don’t realize it, speak up! And whatever you do, don’t encourage, or ignore their dissonance. Oh, and be ready to hear the truth about your own singing, too.

If we truly want harmony in our community, then we need humble ourselves and allow others to correct US. Over time we become tone death to our own prejudices. We become jaded. We can begin to believe that we are justified and right…yet all along we’re ignorantly singing the wrong note.

Let’s speak up when we hear the wrong note in our own social circles. Together, let’s aim for harmony. Harmony NEVER happens in a solo. Harmony only happens when there is more than one note being sung. And harmony happens not when we master our own note…but when we LISTEN to what others are singing and adjust our note to match theirs. You don’t have harmony if everyone is singing their own note, and no one is listening to each other.

So, be brave and speak up. Tell your friends and tell your co-workers when you realize they are singing off key. Don’t be like grandma and placate them. Be brave enough and CARE enough about true harmony to speak up and speak the truth in love. And be ready to accept that you might not have perfect pitch too.

As the psalmist writes: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

The harmony of our great community depends on YOUR honesty. Be brave. Be honest. Listen to each other. And let’s endeavor to sing in perfect harmony.

Trey Bailey is a proud native of Newton County. 27 years ago, he married his high school sweetheart, Alonda Hodges Bailey—a teacher at Mansfield Elementary School. Together they have three daughters: Anna (18), and identical twins Kaitlyn & Kristen (15).

Trey is a Pastor at Eastridge Church, where he’s been on staff for 20 years.

Trey has served the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce as Chairman of Leadership Newton County with five years’ service and three years on the Special Events Committee. He and his family and have a great appreciation for the arts and have volunteered with both the Covington Regional Ballet and the Arts Association of Newton County. Trey currently is serving his second elected term with the Newton County Board of Education as a representative for District 1. This is his eighth year in office.

Trey has a passion for learning, leading, and community unity. His level-headed logical approach to politics coupled with his diplomatic style of dialogue has given him an audience with citizens on both sides of the political aisle.

To read more of his thoughts on education, ramblings about life, and inspirational messages, check out his blog at www.TreyBailey.us.