Let’s start our Sunday with a classic hymn, here sung not as a performance, but as part of a church service. This hymn, by Felice DiGiardini (1716-1796), may be more familiar to you as “Come Thou Almighty King”–same music, different lyrics. Our church had them both in its hymnal, on adjacent pages.
Think about that line, “The world to Christ we bring.”
As Christians, that’s what we’re supposed to do. And you can bet the world doesn’t want to be brought to Christ. But I would rather not talk politics today.
Let the words and music of the hymn speak instead.
Let’s get away from the mess the world is in, and enjoy watching these two pet rats do their stuff–in this case, pulling up a basket on a string to get the snacks inside.
Rats make wonderful pets, very affectionate, very smart. We had two rats, and the only thing they couldn’t learn, apart from figuring out the stock market, was how to get along with each other when we turned out the lights at bedtime. Within seconds of the room going dark, you would hear thump-thump-wack-wack-SQUEEEEAK! But if you turned the light back on, you’d see them just standing around peacefully, maybe whistling, with one of those “Who, me?” looks on their faces.
Here’s another beautiful song which many of you have heard without knowing what it is.
“Lorena” was written in the 1850s and was very popular during the Civil War, and for quite a few years afterward. It’s been used countless times in movie and TV sound tracks. The name is an anagram for “Lenore,” the name of the song-writer’s lost love.
Does this hauntingly beautiful melody sound familiar?
It’s called “My Love’s an Arbutus,” and it is used as theme music for Alice in the classic version of A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Sim. But it’s good any time of the year, and tonight I thought I’d like to share it with you. Relax and let it stroke your cheek.
Just skimming the headlines this morning reminded me of that old Car 54 theme song, from 1961–only worse, of course. Great Scott, what a mess!
But as long as you’re here, why not help this blog fulfill its purpose, and take a look at my books? Just click “Books” and you’re there.
True, in my Bell Mountain series you will search in vain for any mention of Planned Parenthood, Black Lives Matter, Obama, the Republican Party, Democrats, homosexuals, exciting new forms of “marriage” endorsed by Satan himself, or special martial arts that enable 9-year-old girls to annihilate able-bodied grown men. I have purposely left them all out. You’ll just have to read about a world in which none of those things has even been thought of.
Liberals and progressives will be unhappy if a lot of people read my books. They will even be unhappy if just some of you read my books.
There are seven in print, with No. 8, The Temple, in pre-production and No. 9, The Throne, still being written.
Read the amazon.com Customer Reviews.
You know what? I wish I was you, so I could read these books without already knowing what’s in them.
Before we get into the daily swill of this dark age, let’s rest a few moments in the light. God’s holy light has many ways of manifesting itself–here in a piece of old Welsh music, played on the harp.
I don’t understand a word of it, and yet it speaks to me.
This song is called “Caro Lan,” which I think means something like “Pure Heart.”
And of course there’s always atheist music, for those of you who want it.
Howdy, Mr. Nature here, with a video treat–a chameleon having his lunch.
For those gardeners out there who have been plagued by tomato hornworms, those big green caterpillars, it may be pleasant to contemplate what a squad of chameleons could do in your garden.
The individually turreted eyes zero in on the target, the prehensile tail and mitten-like paws get a firm grip on the branch, and zap! The chameleon’s amazing tongue bags another bug.
And in addition to all that, they can change color. Very cool animals indeed.
I wonder what it’d be like, if a bunch of chameleons gathered around a table for Thanksgiving dinner.
So this time socialists and progressives and the rest are really gonna make us all equal, no shit, this time it’s really gonna work, all we have to do is put them in office and give them tons and tons of power over us, you’ll see, honest, there won’t be any more inequality or poverty…
All right, all right, that’s enough of man’s stuff. What bunk. It’s incredible that anyone can stand to listen to it, let alone believe it.
Let’s turn instead to a bit of God’s stuff, which always works.
Here we have water striders, insects that live on the surface of the water (but they can also fly, if necessary). Yup, they skim around on it like it was a skating rink.
Why don’t they sink? Because God created them with the ability to take advantage of the surface tension of the water. What’s that? Put some water in a clear glass and look closely. You’ll see it sort of curves up around the edges. This is why anything floats. If water didn’t have that property, distinguishing the surface from the rest of it, nothing, absolutely nothing, would ever float.
St. Paul: “[T]hat which may be known of God is manifest in them: for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…” (Romans 1:19-20)
The opening words of this classic hymn are from Paul’s first Epistle to Timothy, Chapter 1.
The thing about Paul’s epistles is, they’re full of real people. We know a lot about Timothy–his grandmother, Lois, his mother, Eunice, his pagan father (whose name is not given), and his less than robust state of health, for which Paul advises him to take a little wine with his dinner, instead of water.
If we belong to Jesus Christ, we are in fellowship with these saints of old; they are our family. We can love them. Meanwhile, we are in fellowship with saints in Africa and Asia and other faraway places, whom in this life we will never see face-to-face but who are nevertheless knit to us in a holy bond. They, too, are our family in Christ.
I can’t help it–this guy makes me laugh. I may have to post some more of the usual bad news later on today, so let’s grab a laugh while we can.
Because it’s been 50 years since I’ve heard any of Allan Sherman’s songs, I’ve forgotten most of the titles. So, folks, if you’ve been enjoying these and would like to hear more, please feel free to suggest whatever additional titles you may remember.