Thoughts as we mourn those lost to baby murder

Over sixty million have died at the "convenience" called "abortion".  Yet elites forced down a Congress where all finances are lead by the same activists that want to force us to fund killing children.  It made me ponder the attendance in our own state at the Women's Marches when it seemed they outdrew our March for Life every year in all three years.  What gives?  (Of course, I have one of the most liberal legislators pushing for baby murder representing me.)  In fact, this year, our politicians were not at our rally as they were at a celebration that has cost me $10,000, my car, my college ring, my dignity, and even forcing me to wear symbols of the enemy, even signing my checks in enemy colours.

Hirono and The Bay Area Giant.  Our annual March for Life has the Knights of Columbus helping us lead the event, as I've noticed for all 22 years I've been associated with the movement.  But two Senators representing elite enclaves (Honolulu and San Francisco) decided to attack President Trump's nominees for judicial positions over being members of the Knights.  And yet there's also a "Personhood" legislator in our state that denounced the March for Life because the majority of marchers for being Catholic.  They know that they could not have won Roe, Doe, Windsor, Obergefell, Lawrence, or other major leftist victories without their judges.  They fear their arrogance is overturned by common sense of the people.

25 Years of Holly.  Former journalist Holly Gatling has led our state's National Right to Life Committee chapter for the past 25 years.  This year, in fact, the National Right to Life Convention is being held near the Charleston airport in celebration of her 25 years.  Attorney General Alan Wilson held a mock trial to celebrate her 25 years at our annual banquet.

The New York City-State.  Sen. Dirksen's warning of the city-state holds true.  New York City is its own city-state (actually three states in the Senate) but they singlehandedly passed a law that makes baby murder legal through all nine months, decriminalises baby murder, and more.  Gov. Cuomo then lit up the Freedom Tower in pink to celebrate -- but why are we celebrating this?  I've seen this month every ugly celebration being done on every New York building with the celebration that cost me everything above.  The Founding Fathers would be angry at seeing one city dominance.  One NFL  player in anger responded, "It is a sad and evil day when the murder of our most innocent and vulnerable is celebrated with such overwhelming exuberance."

Covington.  The attacks on parochial school are sad but a byproduct of today's humanist education.  In some ways I wish my parents never pulled me out of The City based on stereotypes.  I learned the hard way parochial school was the best because everyone was respected based on the standards of God's Word, not as the old Don Koch and Mark Harris song said, "the newest rage is to reason it out" and "man is a god and God is no longer alive".  Those that attack the Catholic school students have no respect of those who are in parochial education.  Of course, considering Stephani Germanotta's attack on Vice-President Pence as she has worked to advance propaganda, what do you expect from those that attack Biblical worldviews?  Now we hear one of the parties that tried to attack the Catholics tried to crash a mass.

Having been the victim of too many aggressors who lied about me and wanted me dead in classic Saul Alinsky style, I sympathise with the students.  National Review has an article about the lying "MSM" attacking.
 
You Attack Them Because Many are Catholics?  Notorious Libertarian Party candidate Steve Lefemine, who has pushed for a Personhood Bill in our state legislature, has blatantly attacked the local March for Life because Catholics are involved, even though Protestants are just as involved in the rally as Catholics.  This is a petty shame because he has fallen to a trap reminiscent of the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland wars.

Please DO NOT Push Heresy!  A college "praise team" sang at our March for Life, and it was set to karaoke.  As the event ended and we walked back to our cars, that group of vocalists sang some doctrinal malpractice that was heavily offensive -- but sadly, too many churches have failed to see the discerning ear.  The man-centred worldview of the song in question from an Australian Pentecostal NAR-affiliated denomination is troubling.  Maybe I've gone over the top but when you've sung Händel's "Israel in Egypt" and find more in sacred classics of 300 years ago while seeing nothing from modern pop music, and you've paid musicians at recitals in a karaoke world, it is jarring.  But to sing a tunes of a denomination that refuses to answer Biblical truths and ministers that refuse to speak Biblical truth, as Hillsong leaders refuse to condemn sexual perversion or baby murder is a warning to all of us that Albert Mohler stated Beethoven's songs are not suitable for worship because of his pantheism.   Likewise, the affirmation and not calling sin what is sin by this denomination whose songs that college group sang is a serious disturbance.

WORKS CITED
Mark R. Harris and Donald A. Koch, "The Basics of Life," Universal Music Publishing Group, 1992.

Cameron Buettel and Jeremiah Johnson, "Hillsong & Worship," Grace to You, November 28, 2016. 

The View, October 30, 2017.  American Broadcasting Company. 

Sacred music from the Bible!

I've had it with Casey Kasem (or now Ryan Seacrest) and his American Top 40 charts being sung in churches, often with karaoke or rock bands.  It's worse now nationally than when a generation ago when I first began noticing the corruption in churches myself.  Add to that seven years of vocal training and eleven four-week series of Summer Chorus singing in the past ten years, and you can see where I've tilted heavy classical in my vocal chops, refusing to support the karaoke and feelings songs that have rampantly ruined churches.

If I'm in a certain city on Sunday morning, after run, spin, or barre class, I'll stop at a friend's church for services since I have a rule to never skip church even if I'm out of town.  Typically, I'll carry my Bible study book since it's the same book as used back home, but the service music is what I call in the "Kyle Larson line" where a slide job is done and a run in the high line is used instead of the low-hanging fruit of alleged church music that is doctrinal malpractice and man-centred that many churches have chosen to sing thanks to the cooperation between Universal Music and every notorious cult-like false teacher of Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation, and the ilk.

David Schwoebel (1957-) wrote "Ascription of Praise," which is often used as a benediction in churches.  I heard this when in one such city with their church.  This from the local junior college in Laurel, Mississippi, and performed at a major church there, is Mr. Schwoebel's setting of Jude 24-25.  Now Laurel just happens to be the hometown of both a legendary opera singer and also a singer that those who have read this blog will know very well because that 40-year old Laurel native and now mother of three taught me to sing.  Enjoy this setting of the last verses in Jude to music.  There is a place for good church music set from the Bible, not a Top 40 feelings song.

They call that a "worship experience"?

Seen inside a church bulletin:

"The worship experience will be led by (various rock bands and singers' names have been removed)."

Seriously, churches call a rock concert a "worship experience". I cannot see how this is a "worship experience" after noticing this video with music louder than a fighter jet taking off at the Air Reserve Base just a few miles down up US 178 from our home. Listen to the above and ponder: is this a worship experience or is it just another rock concert?  This has all the marks of the latter.

I cannot see any "worship experience" from people who stand up to loud rock music for three hours. Compare that to singing sacred music of a didactic nature, primarily from an organ or piano.

Bach's Christmas Oratorio: Day 12 - Adoration of the Wise Men

Epiphany is traditionally observed on January 6. However, since 1969 in Catholic and 1976 in Protestant denominations, the day is celebrated either on January 6 or on the Sunday that falls between January 2 and 8. Similarly, around the same time, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was also adopted in the United States for movable holidays (Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day). Such is why the Boston Marathon is no longer held on April 19 and the Indianapolis 500 is no longer on May 30, as they were prior to the rule change.

Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Day 10: The Journey of the Wise Men

Bach's Christmas Oratorio: Day 8 - The Circumcision and Naming of Jesus (Luke 2:21)

Bach's Christmas Oratorio: Day 3 - The Adoration of the shepherds

Bach's Christmas Oratorio: Day 2 - The Annunciation to the shepherds

Bach's Christmas Oratorio: Christmas Day, Day One of the Christmas season) - The Birth of the Christ Child

Church music regressing?

Churches are posting signs about their choral Christmas shows, as expected.  Some churches are having their annual "Singing Christmas Tree" with an aerial artist flying above the sanctuary and house bands playing rock music.  Other churches are doing full theatrical shows, while many others are having full rock concerts, even replacing church Biblical preaching and teaching with their concerts.  But most churches, sadly, as I drive the hills and dales of our state, have regressed into singing whatever comes out of Warner Music or Universal Music karaoke kits.  It seems the sound Christmas songs we have known as singers are being whisked away because they are not trendy, and do not fit within the postmodern church ideals.  For adults, it may be as simple as a Universal "Christmas music" kit that boasts of being sung in one practice with karaoke accompaniment of the latest album from their mega-star artist.

For children, it may be simply making moves and lip-synching songs that are provided from the two aforementioned secular giants.  Whatever happened to simply having a 25 kid strong choir singing sacred music with the church musician and then doing handbells?  Have we regressed to the point that, as Albert Mohler said over a decade ago, the young boys are not singing in church while young girls are dancing to whatever is the Top 40 hit as church music?  Sometimes, you wonder if a new generation, not knowing of the past, have decided to try again thinking most will not remember the past, and their tolerance is only for whatever comes out of the annals of the entertainment giants, without any knowledge of the masters of sacred music, especially with their government school music courses teaching only Top 40 pop hits because they are "politically correct" as the true masterpieces have religious overtones, which offend the usual suspects of the elites.  And if you only use seasonal references to temperature, then are you offending those who drive Commodores, other Supercars, and play footy?

Think about it.  Whether it is church music regressing as leaders continue to sell out their programmes to the big entertainment giants, or leaders choosing to make dancing to pop music more relevant and take young singers out, leading to a generation that will not sing in church (in those Life Enhancement Centres with loud rock bands, there is no congregational singing, as it is one loud rock concert) or have dance troupes that do the worst of the worst, we have a serious problem.  Why are the denominations and leaders in these cathedrals following along with the fads of Big Entertainment?

Major scandal brewing at a "Life Enhancement Centre": is this what you want in a church?

The leader of a popular Life Enhancement Centre that boasts of 32,000 weekly attendance in 17 venues representing seven markets – Western Carolinas (Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Asheville), Columbia, Charleston, Pee Dee (Florence and Myrtle Beach), Charlotte, Augusta, and Savannah, has been involved in alcoholism that led to his termination recently.  However, the more serious issues with this venue that boasts of being a church are not just the alcoholism that led to their charismatic minister's termination as it is the Life Enhancement Centre being what can be called a “McChurch” if there ever was one (considering a newspaper was called, in its early years, “McPaper”) with those venues, as its base format is one central location is in Anderson (near enemy territory, a reason why I often say I'm at a Chevrolet dealership when everyone else is wearing powder blue Etihad Airways shirts) and the 16 satellite venues all feature one rock band and vocalists playing the same set list (all 16 venues are given the same set list to play), and some assistants (not always ordained), while the church service plays off a giant video screen, sometimes live and sometimes on tape.  (The live services from Anderson typically take place at their regularly assigned times;  if there is no service in Anderson at the time, it is transmitted on tape to that venue)  You can see the attitude of the venue in these clips of the said Life Enhancement Centre.  So many new churches in our area have copied that venue's concept with loud rock bands, and even some older churches have adopted the rock band similar to them, though often it is Universal Music's Top 40 hits that dominate.

Catholics in 1967 had The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, also known as Vatican II, that included the Musicam Sacram,where Sections 62 and 63 of Vatican II could be cited to ask if these pieces from the self-help venue in question would pass mustard in being approved by this meeting.  But it's not just Catholics, primarily led by Mr. Ratzinger (the Pope Emertius Benedict XVI), that would not be pleasing with these pieces.  Mr. Mohler and Mr. MacArthur would probably be in unison with regards to the music played at that venue.  How many of these songs used at that “McChurch” would ever be approved in a house of worship?

None of them, I believe, could be approved.  Each would be given the long illegal clue buzzer on Pyramid (not used in the Strahan version, which is a double short buzzer).  Judge for yourself.  I cannot see the virtue in these songs played at that Life Enhancement Centre at a mass, let alone a church service.  Yet we see people defend these services, when so many clones of this McChurch have developed (one such meets in a former grocery store building as part of what has been a purging of grocers here to two – the entire area where their version meets in in an area 25 years ago was just trees, and all stores opened in that area have closed – welcome to Sixth District Relegation, and they have a satellite campus 20 miles away in the remnants of a fairly recently built auto dealership building).  Most of these venues do not state its denominational affiliation, are sometimes called Community Church, and in some cases do not even state they are a house of worship.  Many of them you can walk inside the doors and see a stale nightclub atmosphere or a theatre setting;  in some cases, they meet in government school auditoria or gymnasia.  In the case of these chains, they have one rock band play the same set list everywhere and the service is played on a video from the central location.

As for this credentialed singer, I see no virtue in any of these Top 40 hits being used in church.  In one case, they played the theme to a raunchy movie, and a friend responded, “Get out the whips and blindfolds!”  This resembles a nightclub, not a church!

Example 1, Example 2. Example 3. Example 4. And example 5.

Is this what you think when you see a church service?  There are also numerous other bad songs from the Top 40 charts that they have used, and none of them make any sense.  As Mr. MacArthur says, the Biblically mandated teachings of the Bible in music has been ignored.

Oh, by the way:  In regards to an It's About TV column regarding the WSB-TV Independence Day parade of the past, the parade ended because WSB wanted a more diverse region to represent other than just the city proper;  for example, sports teams with Atlanta in their name no longer represent the city anymore.  (The Braves will move to Vinings next season outside 285, and the Boston Bruins' AA affiliate in the ECHL, the Gwinnett Gladiators in Duluth, changed its identity to Atlanta in September 2015, though staying in Duluth.)  They wanted more representation of Gwinnett and Cobb Counties, and not just represent the DeKalb and Fulton Counties.  Logistically, I cannot see it being held on Peachtree Street now because of Peachtree cleanup (and I ran it again this year).

Furthermore, WSB-TV is regarded as on of the most popular markets for ABC's struggling The View; the show wins convincingly the 11 AM time slot weekdays, surprising since in most markets, CBS' long running The Price Is Right (since 1972), which has been at the 11 AM time slot since 1979, wins its slot.  However, the 1990's television realignment has given the liberal gabbers a convincing win over the long-running game because of the weakness of CBS affiliates after their relegation to minor network status during the era.  Milwaukee and Detroit are two other notable markets where the same problem exists to this day where CBS could not find an affiliate after the 1994 relegation had CBS in virtually a last-minute attempt to find a new affiliate after losing major markets to Fox.

CBS found Channel 46, now WGCL, but they are typically fourth, fifth, or seven sixth place in Atlanta.  They regained major network status in 1998, but the damage was done;  The View was designed to capitalise on weak CBS affiliates that hurt Price, since ABC's way to capture the time slot that CBS has long held since 1979 was with a network talk show.  At the time, only one network daytime game show was remaining (CBS has since added a second), and with CBS having weak affiliates that were unavailable in outlying areas in major markets, The View has long beaten Price in those affected markets; with Atlanta being one of the best examples of ratings domination by the femme talk show. WSB needs their talk show to beat what has, since 2008 (because of the late start to Season 36 of Price with the new host, the season ran from mid-October to mid-July;  the experiment became permanent since 2010) WGCL's broadcast of the game show that has, in recent years, aired a new episode on the holiday (July 2 or 3 if it falls on a weekend).

Holy Week: "All Glory, Laud, and Honor"

All glory, laud and honor,
To Thee, Redeemer, King,
To Whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

NOTE:  The above refrain is sung at the beginning and after each verse below.

Thou art the King of Israel,
Thou David's royal Son,
Who in the Lord's Name comest,
 The King and Blessed One.

The company of angels
Are praising Thee on High,
And we, with all creation,
In chorus make reply.

The people of the Hebrews
With palms before Thee went;
Our prayer and praise and anthems
Before Thee we present.

To Thee, before Thy passion,
They sang their hymns of praise;
To Thee, now high exalted,
Our melody we raise.

Thou didst accept their praises;
Accept the prayers we bring,
Who in all good delightest,
Thou good and gracious King.

An L-shaped reflection

Now some random thoughts after L:

Team loyalty?  As was the case with a certain motor racing superstar, the Carolina Panthers came "before my time".  I was a college student by the time the team was announced and later the team had played its first game.  In my youth, the television primarily aired Washington Redskins games, as the Redskins were the team our region received weekly.  The most popular station in our city aired Redskins games on most weeks, not Falcons games, so we had many Redskins games on television.  (That motorsport superstar of today is mostly burgundy with his social media discussion, but he was a month from turning 21 when the first Panthers game was played.)

Bad halftime shows.  When CBS and the NFL made the decision 25 years ago that XXVI would be Minnesota-themed with a winter carnival, complete with figure skating legends Hamill and Boitano performing to cross-promote the upcoming Winter Games in France, it led to a ratings fiasco when viewers jumped to the adult raunchy late night comedy sketch show airing in prime time as counterprogramming. The NFL changed the game for halftime, and it's been worse.  For reference, I found the last five Super Bowl halftime shows before the NFL made the change as a result of the ratings fiasco when the adult sketch show drew enough viewers to concern the NFL:

XXI (Pasadena):  A salute to Hollywood's 100th anniversary.  Hollywood legends involved
XXII (San Diego):  Radio City Music Hall performance, with Chubby Checker and the Rockettes.
XXIII (Miami Gardens):  Elvis impersonators and card tricks.
XXIV (New Orleans):  A celebration of New Orleans and the Peanuts.  Last halftime with marching bands.
XXVI (Minneapolis):  A celebration of winter featuring figure skating by Boitano and Hamill, and G. Estefan performing.

Note that I omitted XXV, since that show was not broadcast as a result of Gulf War coverage.  (It was Disney's Small World with a popular teen pop group.  25 years later, the kids performing probably will still be angry that their moment in time was broadcast late at night.)

With catcalls from many regarding the artists performing at the Super Bowl halftime, which has become nothing more than a rock concert by the pop star of the time (look at the recent lists of left-wing elite pop divas), is it time the Super Bowl halftime show return to its roots as a family-friendly show with marching bands and localised themes?  Think of Houston with a celebration of the Rodeo, or New Orleans with a show celebrating the city's comeback from Katrina, or had it happened in East Rutherford a few years ago, a celebration of Broadway including the music of the Rat Pack and the Metropolitan Opera (that was the year La Belle Renée did the national anthem, remember?).  If the NFL would go back to basics, maybe halftime would be a greater celebration of the good with marching bands and themes that would be friendly for families.  Imagine in 2004 if there was a tribute in Houston to the Johnson Space Center, on the one-year anniversary of the STS-107 tragedy, of America's travel to space, and a memorial to the Apollo 204 test, STS-51-L, and STS-107 at halftime.  It would have been far better than the show that drew outrage.

As for the Electric Football game reference recently:  Back in the day, the goalpost issue between the amateur and professional level led to the reason the term "post pattern" was used -- the idea was to put the opponent into the post.  The goalposts were on the goal line as a result of the 1932 Championship Game indoors at the Madhouse on Madison.  By the mid-1970's, the goalposts were moved back.

New logo, now?  CBS Sports debuted a new logo for Super Bowl L, finally retiring the logo that had been used by the network since the early 1980's and had been part of the network's branding.

And cross promotions?  For the Friday "go home" episode of The Price Is Right leading to Super Bowl L, CBS pulled off the theme, complete with "Posthumus Zone" (the network's NFL theme) playing during the opening to the show and into commercial breaks, prize themes with the game, NFL legends modeling (including a car modeling skit where the ex=players were waxing the car), and Super Bowl tickets.  This is triennial because it is done only in years where CBS has the Super Bowl.

Welcome to the media, Jeff.  Fox will give Jeff Gordon his first primetime show on February 20 when he hosts his Daytona 500 eve party show that will air at 9 PM ET.  That's something none of the other two Fox motorsport analysts (McReynolds, D. Waltrip) have done, though the latter has posted a publicity photo where he hosted Ralph Emery's television show, which is a byproduct of his friendships he built as a young club racer in the area when he appeared on Emery's radio show. (https://twitter.com/AllWaltrip/status/692842149692313600)

So what's Marc thinking?  The leader at a PCA church who is a baritone for choral pieces I've had the opportunity to sing in the past is bringing a 90's female supergroup to perform at his church. Back in the pre-LaRoche Era Bobby, I'd attend their concerts when they came up.  But, of course, the LaRoche Era was a new era in how I thought of music, and I am thankful for the LaRoche era.

A good omen for the Socialists?  The two Socialist candidates for President have both attacked Wall Street.  The markets are likely headed for the shredder as the AFL beats the NFL, which is how the Super Bowl Index works.

Maundy Thursday reflections

I've heard Tina Stallard (a college professor at my alma mater) do it at a Maundy Thursday service.  But Bach's masterpiece is appropriate for Maundy Thursday.  The words themselves are all you need to reflect.  I cannot comment further.  Let's let the beautiful "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," a cappella (in this video, it was practice and only two verses;  it was from a Liberty University Chamber Singers practice).


O sacred Head, sore wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

Holy Week - Laßt uns erfreuen herzlich sehr

We often hear the beautiful church organ play a tune listed in our hymnals as "Laßt uns erfreuen" all throughout the year with various hymns and sacred songs, which we learned is sourced from 1623's Ausserlesene, Catholische, Geistliche Kirchengesange, published in Köln in 1623.  And this is the original German tune, not the Ralph Vaughan Williams setting that what we know in our churches today and is easily identified by the location of the Alleluias.  The original song was an Easter tune, no less, "Laßt uns erfreuen herzlich sehr".  And it's a different arrangement than what we've heard in our lives for this Easter tune:

Laßt uns erfreuen herzlich sehr, Alleluia
Maria seufzt und weint nicht mehr, Alleluia
Verschwunden alle Übel sein, Alleluia
Jetzt glänzt der helle Sonnenschein, Alleluia
Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Sag an, o freudenreiches Herz,Alleluia
Wo ist denn jetz, Ach, Weh und Schmerz? Alleluia
Glorreich vom Grab erstanden ist, Alleluia
Der Menschen Trost, Herr Jesu Christ. Alleluia
Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

O freudenreiche Osterzeit, Alleluia
Wo sich ein jeder Christ erfreut, Alleluia
Stimmt an den fröhlichen Jubelton, Alleluia
Singt alle, wer nur singen kann: Alleluia
Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

NOTE:  This translator doesn't do justice to the song metrically!

Let us rejoice heartily very, Alleluia
Mary sighs and weeps not, Alleluia
Be gone all evil, Alleluia
Now shines the bright sunshine, Alleluia
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Tell me, oh joy rich heart, Alleluia
Where is that book now, Oh, woe and pain? Alleluia
Is gloriously risen from the grave, Alleluia
The human consolation, Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

O Joyful Eastertide, Alleluia
Where every Christian delighted Alleluia
True to the cheerful Jubelton, Alleluia
Sing all, who can only sing: Alleluia
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Holy Week – Ride On

Henry Hart's 1820 sacred selection for Palm Sunday, "Ride on, ride on, in majesty":

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!
Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry.
0 Savior meek, pursue Thy road,
With palms and scattered garments strowed.

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
0 Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
O’er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!
The angel armies of the sky
Look down with sad and wondering eyes
To see the approaching Sacrifice.

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh;
The Father on His sapphire throne
Expects His own anointed Son.

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain.
Then take, 0 Christ, Thy power and reign.

Holy Week reflections

Whew!  Very tired from the Cooper River Bridge Run XXXVIII, naturally, though it was disappointing after I started off too fast!  Love the 10km run.

But it's Holy Week.  And many of us are tired of bad church music that is everywhere, especially Haugen-Haas or Universal.

This was a song that I have in my Sacred Songs songbook that Serena LaRoche and I had during our time working together.  Being that Palm Sunday is first, we have to find that old standby, Jean-Baptiste Fauré's "Les Rameaux" (The Palms), for this meditation of Holy Week.

Biblical definition of "Hell" not acceptable? (C-SPAN censorship of it)

The seven words you cannot say on television have become commonplace.  But we know there is a hatred of God in today's society.  It reminded me of a turn of the century pop song made famous by the "Gold City" quartet (now this was pre-LaRoche era, folks!) that at the end said, "I got saved because of what the old time, hell fire, brimstone preacher said![1]"

The last line I quoted mattered when I observed C-SPAN's video from the National Prayer Breakfast. Fox broadcaster Darrell Waltrip was making his speech at the event, which was attended by the President and Dalai Lama among others, when during his speech, he referenced the 1983 Daytona 500 crash that he admits changed his life.  During that portion of his speech, the Nashville-area businessman who owns auto dealerships representing Honda, Fuji Heavy Industries, Geely, and General Motors went to the classic "fire and brimstone" that C-SPAN cameras decided to censor.

"If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, if you don’t have a relationship, if he’s not the master of your life, if you’ve never gotten on your knees and asked him to forgive you of your sins, or if you are just a pretty good guy or a pretty good gal, you’re going to go to hell.”

For simply saying those who are not saved will be sent to the Lake of Fire, C-SPAN decided to censor him.  So you can air obscene language on television, you can air raunchy content, but if you say Biblical truth and go fire and brimstone, that's worth censoring.  Go figure.  The incident takes place at the 17-minute mark of the speech.  Rob (No Hell) Bell and his minions would praise the censoring, but there is hell, and there is a place for punishment.  Why can a television broadcaster censored for saying the Biblical truth?



REFERENCES  
1.  "He Said," Dianne Wilkinson.  Centergy Music, 1999.

The cruelest irony

This past weekend was the seventeenth anniversary of gospel music singer and songwriter Rich Mullins' death.  The 41-year old pop singer and his 24-year old protégé, Mitch McVicker, were in a Jeep, driving to Kansas when Mr. Mullins lost control of the short-wheelbase, high centre-of-gravity truck, overturning it.  Both were tossed, with Mr. Mullins hit by a tractor-trailer in the immediate impact of the crash.  Mr. McVicker survived, but admits to injuries that he still suffers today, now at 41 himself, mainly double vision.  Neither was wearing a seat belt.

Sadly, it took Mr. Mullins' death to win his awards, Artist of the Year in 1998 and Song of the Year a year later, in what some called a sympathy vote for the popular songwriter from Kansas, and devoted to St. Francis of Assisi, including a reference to it in his music publishing (he had signed with the independent Reunion label (now part of Sony) from 1982, but had just defected to Word (now part of Warner Music Group) shortly before his death, and had masterworks of his next album already in development;  the rough drafts became known as the first disc of The Jesus Record;  friends finished the songs for commercial production).

With the 45th Gospel Music Association Dove Awards coming next month, the 15th anniversary of the duo's popular win (in March 1999, before the GMA moved the awards show to October in 2012), there was one cruel irony of winning Song of the Year 18 months after his death.  Considering neither was wearing a seat belt, this screenshot from the original GMA Dove Awards broadcast could show the irony as Mr. Mullins (represented by his brother David) and Mr. McVicker were named winners.  And the irony was even crazier considering the last time the very same presenter pairing had presented at the very awards show seven years previously, they gave Sandi Patty her 11th consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year (she never won again).  Later that year, something happened to the male presenter -- and he never did it again.  This time, the cruel irony of the award was because of the way the singer died, and the awards presenter.  Think about it.  Can you see the cruel irony of the Rich Mullins Dove Awards win in this photo?

An All-State Garage Rock Band for Churches?

I was reading a list in church regarding the youth music traditional Honours and All-State choruses in churches, and the All-State orchestra. Considering I had a cup of coffee (as they say in sports) through youth education in parochial school, and had a piano class in college to comply with art mandates, and did not take private voice lessons until I was 26, and sang in his first "true" choral gig at 31 (discarding my church choir because of its abusive tactics against musicians by advancing karaoke, which I referenced church musicians were treated as Powerade bottles), I consider how it would have been if I had started music lessons at a younger age.

What unfortunately caught my attention was a newer All-State group, the "All-State Praise Team," which in postmodern doublespeak is code for "garage rock band spoken here," where the church is turned into a club where rock music plays. We go from the Hill, Kinosian, Nakahara, Nagel, Curry, Hein, and other distinguished musicianship of trained musicians, the LaRoche, Gunnels, Harrison, Hungerford, Will, Stallard, Cuttino, Fox, Briggs, and other trained vocalists that sing timeless sacred song that is sound in both doctrine and theology, to the garage bands wailing the latest from the Michael Jackson library (those who are new here should understand that this references the 2011 acquisition of leading modern worship church publisher EMI by a consortium of the Michael Jackson Family Trust, their music publishing partner Sony ("Sony ATV"), Blackstone, and Mubadala -- yes, the hat sponsor on the Scuderia Ferrari (#&%^%#! team), often lacking any sound theology (some notable heresy houses have their own music publishing houses in-house, as Australia's notorious prosperity gospel house has one, and many churches use their material, which was even performed on a popular television programme in the States). At this note, Haugen and Haas would be perfectly acceptable in the church, which is something that my Catholic friends object (and yes, the problem is notorious even in Protestant circles; Haugen and Haas is found in the 2008 Baptist Hymnal, which is dominated by material from the Michael Jackson Library, most of which became part of such after the 2011 acquisitions).

Why have we dumbed down our standards where morbidly unhealthy rock music (morbidly unhealthy both in body, as we learned about one musician at a church recently, and in teachings they offer) is regarded as better than a musician whose is a full 140.6 Ironman race finisher? The songs of the postbellum church are violently toxic with light material based on feelings, and not the serious, wholesome material we've learned including the setting of the Nicene Creed and songs from the Bible that have come from our choral training. In a modern church, if I walked into the room with my violin, piano, and vocal friends to practice serious music, we would be laughed off by the postmodern emotional types because of a hate, especially being taught today, of a certain group ("dead white males") that is a popular teaching in today's Common Core (which, if you've studied the issue, you will discover that it drops people's academic levels down two entire grades, or worse).

It seems when an All-State Praise Team is much easier to find when an appreciation of Biblical Doctrine and Theology are sacrificed in favour of the beat and feelings, and the "look at me" type popular music vocalists and musicians have supplanted sound teammates who sing sound doctrine and theology in groups of 30-100 voices of music that matter. At this rate, will there be serious musicians left out cold when the garage band is praised, and trained church musicians are now mocked, when All-State garage bands are more popular than orchestras for youth?

We are teaching a bad lesson to this generation when the banal that requires no thought replaces material that requires serious reading of God's Word. ◙