This afternoon I noticed that one of my friends on Facebook had posted the song "In God We Still Trust" and the story behind it, asking others to continue to post it. It brought back a memory of when Diamond Rio had first sung the song. They played it at a concert in Las Vegas and immediately received a standing ovation. They decided to record it because of the feedback they were getting, but radio stations refused to play it because it was not "politically correct." I am proud to say that 102.1 WDRM, the country station in Huntsville, AL, played the live version anyways and encouraged people to buy it and spread the story. I remember distinctly sitting in the car the first time the story came out and WDRM played this song. I find it very interesting that radio stations refused to play it despite the obvious demand for the song. Of course, I am not sure if the response today to the song would be the same as the concert in 2005, when no doubt 9/11 was still fresh on the minds and hearts of our nation. Pray for America, that truly in God we would still trust!
You place your hand on His Bible, when you swear to tell the Truth
His name is on our greatest Monuments, and all our money too,
And when we Pledge allegiance, there's no doubt where we stand,
There is no separation, we're one Nation under Him.
Chorus:
In God We Still Trust
Here in America
He's the one we turn to every time
The goin' gets rough
He is the source of all our Strength
The One who watches over us
Here in America
In God We Still Trust
Now there are those among us, who want to push Him out,
And erase His name from everything, this country's all about,
From the Schoolhouse to the Courthouse, they're Silencing His Word,
Now it's time for all Believers, to make our Voices heard.
In God We Still Trust,
Here in America
He's the one we turn to every time
The goin' gets rough
He is the source of all our Strength
The One who watches over us
Here in America
In God We Still Trust
Here in America
Here in America
Here in America,
In God We Still Trust
Here in America,
In God We Still Trust
Here in America
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
This Is My Father's World
I know, I know. It's been a while. Summer has been busy, to say the least, and when I was concerned with my blogs, the only one I was concerned with was STOP and LISTEN, at www.radicallistening.blogspot.com. I'm going to jump back into cyber world with a post on one of my favorite hymns, which was sung beautifully by a lady in the church for the Offertory this morning.
"This Is My Father's World" is taken from a longer poem entitled "My Father's World," written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, a minister from New York. When he lived in Lockport, he would often take hikes along the Niagara Escarpment to enjoy the breathtaking views of upstate New York and Lake Ontario. As he left for these hikes, he would often tell his wife that he was "going out to see the Father's world." Hence the title for the poem, set to music by Franklin L. Sheppard.
I absolutely love the tune for this hymn. The tune is so beautiful! It really expresses the sereneness that Babcock must have seen during his long walks. It seems to personify what the earth must have been like before the Fall of Man. Ah...I'm not sure how to explain it, but somehow Sheppard managed to combine the beauty of God's creation, the depravity of the Fall, and the hope of Christ all in one tune. I never realized it until today, but if you listen to the tune again, I'm sure you'll hear it too. Another, completely unrelated reason I adore this tune is because it was used in the Lord of the Rings movies as the theme of the Shire. In case you haven't noticed, watch the film again. Variations of it are used a lot throughout the first film, as Frodo and Sam struggle with leaving the Shire and giving up themselves for the sake of Middle-earth. It's hard to notice the theme again, but it comes out strong at the end of the second film, I believe (haven't seen it in a while myself), as Frodo is confronting the Black Rider, and is very noticeable towards the end of the last film. When Frodo and Sam have finally destroyed the ring, and are lying on a rock in a sea of lava, expecting to die soon and reflecting on the Shire, that tune arises to tug at your heartstrings. I'm sorry, I just love music and enjoy dissecting the tunes in movies and when they are used, especially when it comes from my favorite series, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
Enough about music now; I went far to long down that rabbit trail. The words are really what is important and beautiful here.
First stanza: This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears, All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world, I rest me in the thought, of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.
Isn't that wonderful? This IS my father's world. As a musician looking at Creation, I see the personification of music. And it is amazing. I love the line "his hand the wonders wrought." Don't we too often forget that? The beauty of Creation surrounds us everyday and yet we pass it by with out a second thought about its beauty or the Creator who brought it into being.
Second stanza: This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise. This is my Father's world, He shines in all that's fair, in the rustling grass I hear Him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.
All Creation sings His glory!! The birds, the sky, the flowers, all declare who their Creator is and sing His praises. Surely God is revealed to us everywhere through Creation, if only WE would take the time to look.
Third stanza: This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget, that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world: why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!
Today this verse really comforted me. Reminded me that "thought the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." I forget that so much. Don't we all? I panic about the sin in the world, or the way the economy is going, or who is in control, but GOD IS RULER YET. Why should my heart be sad? The LORD is KING! I should be singing His praises and trusting in Him, Ruler and Creator of this world.
I hope you're satisfied with this ridiculously long post after a ridiculously long break. :) I don't have the energy left to give you a youtube link, so if you don't know the hymn or want to hear it again, go look it up. This is my Father's world!! Rejoice!
"This Is My Father's World" is taken from a longer poem entitled "My Father's World," written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, a minister from New York. When he lived in Lockport, he would often take hikes along the Niagara Escarpment to enjoy the breathtaking views of upstate New York and Lake Ontario. As he left for these hikes, he would often tell his wife that he was "going out to see the Father's world." Hence the title for the poem, set to music by Franklin L. Sheppard.
I absolutely love the tune for this hymn. The tune is so beautiful! It really expresses the sereneness that Babcock must have seen during his long walks. It seems to personify what the earth must have been like before the Fall of Man. Ah...I'm not sure how to explain it, but somehow Sheppard managed to combine the beauty of God's creation, the depravity of the Fall, and the hope of Christ all in one tune. I never realized it until today, but if you listen to the tune again, I'm sure you'll hear it too. Another, completely unrelated reason I adore this tune is because it was used in the Lord of the Rings movies as the theme of the Shire. In case you haven't noticed, watch the film again. Variations of it are used a lot throughout the first film, as Frodo and Sam struggle with leaving the Shire and giving up themselves for the sake of Middle-earth. It's hard to notice the theme again, but it comes out strong at the end of the second film, I believe (haven't seen it in a while myself), as Frodo is confronting the Black Rider, and is very noticeable towards the end of the last film. When Frodo and Sam have finally destroyed the ring, and are lying on a rock in a sea of lava, expecting to die soon and reflecting on the Shire, that tune arises to tug at your heartstrings. I'm sorry, I just love music and enjoy dissecting the tunes in movies and when they are used, especially when it comes from my favorite series, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
Enough about music now; I went far to long down that rabbit trail. The words are really what is important and beautiful here.
First stanza: This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears, All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world, I rest me in the thought, of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.
Isn't that wonderful? This IS my father's world. As a musician looking at Creation, I see the personification of music. And it is amazing. I love the line "his hand the wonders wrought." Don't we too often forget that? The beauty of Creation surrounds us everyday and yet we pass it by with out a second thought about its beauty or the Creator who brought it into being.
Second stanza: This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise. This is my Father's world, He shines in all that's fair, in the rustling grass I hear Him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.
All Creation sings His glory!! The birds, the sky, the flowers, all declare who their Creator is and sing His praises. Surely God is revealed to us everywhere through Creation, if only WE would take the time to look.
Third stanza: This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget, that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world: why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!
Today this verse really comforted me. Reminded me that "thought the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." I forget that so much. Don't we all? I panic about the sin in the world, or the way the economy is going, or who is in control, but GOD IS RULER YET. Why should my heart be sad? The LORD is KING! I should be singing His praises and trusting in Him, Ruler and Creator of this world.
I hope you're satisfied with this ridiculously long post after a ridiculously long break. :) I don't have the energy left to give you a youtube link, so if you don't know the hymn or want to hear it again, go look it up. This is my Father's world!! Rejoice!
Monday, June 6, 2011
New Blog!
Oops! I forgot to mention that I started a new blog. This will be solely focused on educating people on atrocities happening around the world, such as poverty, modern-day slavery, sex trafficking, and others. I hope you will check it out! It's called STOP and LISTEN, at www.radicallistening.blogspot.com. Check it out!
Summertime, Worktime, Face-it-all-time
Well, once again, I'm apologizing for not posting in so long. Hopefully since it is summer, and I will be spending a lot of my time on my computer for work, I will take the time to post semi-often. Life goes on, always a vapor, and suddenly I find myself on the brink of my Senior year of high school. Yikes! It went by so fast...hard to believe it wasn't just yesterday that I was a dorky little seventh grader entering the campus with big scary high schoolers. Anyways, it is summer! Yay!! This summer, I have a part-time job as a research assistant, which is nice to keep me from being incredibly lazy. It's definitely good for me.
Since it's been so long, there's a lot I want to talk about. As you may have heard, there were some powerful and deadly storms that hit the South, including the area I live in. God was watching over us, and all the trees in our backyard fell away from our house. A few miles north of us, an EF-5 tornado went through, staying on the ground for 128 miles, leaving a path of destruction almost a mile wide. Praise God for providing for us! Even though we had no power for a week, we were able to cook all of our meals on the grill, and the weather stayed nice. Had it been Southern Summer hot, life without air conditioning would have not been as enjoyable as it was with the weather we had.
A couple of weeks after the storms, my great-grandmother passed away. She was an incredible person who loved the LORD and was ready to be taken home. She had been ready for sometime now, and though I miss her, I rejoice that she is with her beloved Savior, glorifying God in heaven. Throughout her life, she was a woman blessed with money who gave generously, never wanting the credit but instead SOLI DEO GLORIA, to God alone be the glory. Praise be to God for giving me such an godly example in my life! The fact that I got to spend seventeen years of my life knowing her and benefiting from her love is incredible. Most people I know never got to know their great-grandmother for that long. I was blessed, and am eternally grateful for the time God gave me with her. She was such a neat lady who loved the Lord, loved to travel, and loved her children. Whenever I cam to spend a week with my grandparents, she would take me out to spend one day with her, shopping, lunch, and playing gin. I have so many great memories, and I treasure them in my heart. I love you Grandmother Huddleston!
Do you know what it feels like when you suddenly realize that you seem to have drifted away from the Lord? That somehow, you stopped trying to live for His glory, you stopped putting thought into your prayers, and suddenly you realized instead of dwelling on Him, His word, and the things He taught us to dwell on, you were thinking about worldly things and putting them before Him? It's a dreadful and hopeless feeling. How did I get here? How do I get out? Was I ever really a Christian? Is my life even real? Doubt is an evil thing. I had one of those moments recently. I'm still struggling with the doubt and the lack of passion, but I think I've discovered what was going on. God always has a purpose, and this time, He was showing me my sin. I stepped back and realized how I was dwelling on ungodly things, how I was treating my brothers and sisters, thinking it was ok, and how instead of living for Christ like I tended to think I was, I was living for my own selfish ambitions, hoping people would notice me. It's a hard thing to grasp. That's where the "face-it-all-time" comes from in the title. It is time to face it all. It's time to face my sin and deal with it. It's time to beg for mercy and strength to fight. One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 10:13; "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." What a great promise! We will not be tempted beyond our ability to overcome. God will help us escape. And when we feel, as I do right now, just absolutely drowned in sin, this verse reminds us that we are forgiven and washed clean. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9.
Since it's been so long, there's a lot I want to talk about. As you may have heard, there were some powerful and deadly storms that hit the South, including the area I live in. God was watching over us, and all the trees in our backyard fell away from our house. A few miles north of us, an EF-5 tornado went through, staying on the ground for 128 miles, leaving a path of destruction almost a mile wide. Praise God for providing for us! Even though we had no power for a week, we were able to cook all of our meals on the grill, and the weather stayed nice. Had it been Southern Summer hot, life without air conditioning would have not been as enjoyable as it was with the weather we had.
A couple of weeks after the storms, my great-grandmother passed away. She was an incredible person who loved the LORD and was ready to be taken home. She had been ready for sometime now, and though I miss her, I rejoice that she is with her beloved Savior, glorifying God in heaven. Throughout her life, she was a woman blessed with money who gave generously, never wanting the credit but instead SOLI DEO GLORIA, to God alone be the glory. Praise be to God for giving me such an godly example in my life! The fact that I got to spend seventeen years of my life knowing her and benefiting from her love is incredible. Most people I know never got to know their great-grandmother for that long. I was blessed, and am eternally grateful for the time God gave me with her. She was such a neat lady who loved the Lord, loved to travel, and loved her children. Whenever I cam to spend a week with my grandparents, she would take me out to spend one day with her, shopping, lunch, and playing gin. I have so many great memories, and I treasure them in my heart. I love you Grandmother Huddleston!
Do you know what it feels like when you suddenly realize that you seem to have drifted away from the Lord? That somehow, you stopped trying to live for His glory, you stopped putting thought into your prayers, and suddenly you realized instead of dwelling on Him, His word, and the things He taught us to dwell on, you were thinking about worldly things and putting them before Him? It's a dreadful and hopeless feeling. How did I get here? How do I get out? Was I ever really a Christian? Is my life even real? Doubt is an evil thing. I had one of those moments recently. I'm still struggling with the doubt and the lack of passion, but I think I've discovered what was going on. God always has a purpose, and this time, He was showing me my sin. I stepped back and realized how I was dwelling on ungodly things, how I was treating my brothers and sisters, thinking it was ok, and how instead of living for Christ like I tended to think I was, I was living for my own selfish ambitions, hoping people would notice me. It's a hard thing to grasp. That's where the "face-it-all-time" comes from in the title. It is time to face it all. It's time to face my sin and deal with it. It's time to beg for mercy and strength to fight. One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 10:13; "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." What a great promise! We will not be tempted beyond our ability to overcome. God will help us escape. And when we feel, as I do right now, just absolutely drowned in sin, this verse reminds us that we are forgiven and washed clean. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Legacy
It's been waaaaay too long. Sorry about that. What can I say? LIFE happened. I know. It's horrible. Well, some great stuff has been happening. I went to Allstate Orchestra the second week of February and placed Principal Violist in the highest orchestra! Which was sort of frightening at first, but ended up being the most fun I've ever had in orchestra in my life. It's such an amazing experience to go play with the best, most talented young musicians in the state. People who love music, who have PASSION for music, and who can play incredibly well. It just makes the whole orchestra sound amazing, makes the pieces you play epic, and creates an awesome musical atmosphere. I had grown rather tired of the orchestra I play in in town, and Allstate reawakened in me my love for music. More to come about my love for music!!
The weekend after Allstate, my junior class took a field trip to the Tuskegee Airmen Field, the Tuskegee Institute, and the Voting Rights Museum in Selma. It was a very interesting field trip. I had no clue as to the great amount of people involved in the Tuskegee Airmen. Thousands of volunteers in all vocations. After we had gone through the voting rights museum, they had us walk across the Edmund Pettus bridge, just like the protesters walked across it on Bloody Sunday and the Montgomery marches so many years ago. Anyways, the photo that is now the background of my blog was taken halfway across that bridge by my friend Jacob. I love that picture. The way you can see the rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds to touch the earth makes me think of God reaching down to touch the earth. It's a glorious sight.
Well, now it's the last day of spring break. And this has been probably the best spring break I've ever spent. I got a prom dress on Tuesday!! And then a puppy on Wednesday!! The puppy is a golden retriever named Lucy. She is seven weeks old and incredibly cute!! I discovered a new restaurant, Mei Wei. It's an asian bistro, not too expensive, and VERY good. And today I discovered a new band! Arcade Fire. Their album, "The Suburbs," won album of the year at the Grammy's. I heard that on the radio and thought I'd check it out, and now as I'm listening to their indie rock album, they're growing on me. Well, here's some photos of my experiences!
At Allstate after the concert with the conductor
Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, AL
Lucy!! Isn't she adorable?
Album covers for "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire
The weekend after Allstate, my junior class took a field trip to the Tuskegee Airmen Field, the Tuskegee Institute, and the Voting Rights Museum in Selma. It was a very interesting field trip. I had no clue as to the great amount of people involved in the Tuskegee Airmen. Thousands of volunteers in all vocations. After we had gone through the voting rights museum, they had us walk across the Edmund Pettus bridge, just like the protesters walked across it on Bloody Sunday and the Montgomery marches so many years ago. Anyways, the photo that is now the background of my blog was taken halfway across that bridge by my friend Jacob. I love that picture. The way you can see the rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds to touch the earth makes me think of God reaching down to touch the earth. It's a glorious sight.
Well, now it's the last day of spring break. And this has been probably the best spring break I've ever spent. I got a prom dress on Tuesday!! And then a puppy on Wednesday!! The puppy is a golden retriever named Lucy. She is seven weeks old and incredibly cute!! I discovered a new restaurant, Mei Wei. It's an asian bistro, not too expensive, and VERY good. And today I discovered a new band! Arcade Fire. Their album, "The Suburbs," won album of the year at the Grammy's. I heard that on the radio and thought I'd check it out, and now as I'm listening to their indie rock album, they're growing on me. Well, here's some photos of my experiences!
At Allstate after the concert with the conductor
Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, AL
Lucy!! Isn't she adorable?
Album covers for "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Books: Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Ah, where to begin? This book has delighted the female world for...well, maybe not centuries. But a long while. This is a perfect book to read on a rainy day when there is nothing more important to do.
I absolutely love this book. I was first introduced to Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Austen, when I sat down with my Mom and Grandmother to watch the A&E Miniseries production of Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett. I loved it, and went to read the book. If you have never read the book, I recommend watching this movie before reading. It makes the reading much more enjoyable. :)
Jane Austen provides wonderful character sketches that allow the reader to become completely immersed into the main characters and provides a very apt description of minor characters in order to give a complete understanding of the way the society works. You get a perfect picture of the irritability many characters feel at being subjected to the complaints of Mrs. Bennett, and a wonderful description of Mr. Bennett's quirkiness, delight in vexing his wife, and care he has for providing for his children. You see how both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy change as they come to understand and love each other, and feel no harsh feelings toward Mr. Darcy for his pride.
Aahh...I'm not doing a very good job of explaining the wonderfulness of this book. Just read it. And watch the 5 hour movie. It's worth it. :)
I absolutely love this book. I was first introduced to Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Austen, when I sat down with my Mom and Grandmother to watch the A&E Miniseries production of Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett. I loved it, and went to read the book. If you have never read the book, I recommend watching this movie before reading. It makes the reading much more enjoyable. :)
Jane Austen provides wonderful character sketches that allow the reader to become completely immersed into the main characters and provides a very apt description of minor characters in order to give a complete understanding of the way the society works. You get a perfect picture of the irritability many characters feel at being subjected to the complaints of Mrs. Bennett, and a wonderful description of Mr. Bennett's quirkiness, delight in vexing his wife, and care he has for providing for his children. You see how both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy change as they come to understand and love each other, and feel no harsh feelings toward Mr. Darcy for his pride.
Aahh...I'm not doing a very good job of explaining the wonderfulness of this book. Just read it. And watch the 5 hour movie. It's worth it. :)
Friday, January 14, 2011
Snow, snow...and more snow.
So yeah...I took a little break. But I'm back with more snow. Sunday evening through Monday morning my neighborhood received eight and a half inches of snow. I've never seen so much snow in my life. I thought three inches was a lot for north Alabama, but this? Insanity! But so beautiful! How lovely is God's creation? How beautiful His glorious paintings? We had a lot of fun tramping around the neighborhood, failing at sledding, snowballing our pastor's home, and generally burying each other in showers of snow.
This weekend altogether was one of the best I've had in a while. I attended a great theology conference at my church Friday through Sunday, brought in the snow Sunday night with the five-and-a-half hour long "Pride and Prejudice" rendition (the best in my opinion, word for word from the amazing book by Jane Austen), snow fun on Monday, and then Monday night....WOOHOO!!! AUBURN NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! WAR EAGLE!!!
Yep. Pretty much an amazing weekend. But it kept on going! Due to the snow, four days off of school! Which meant lots of cleaning. :) But it was fun.
All my wonderful brothers and sisters around our snowman!
Anna Claire :)
This weekend altogether was one of the best I've had in a while. I attended a great theology conference at my church Friday through Sunday, brought in the snow Sunday night with the five-and-a-half hour long "Pride and Prejudice" rendition (the best in my opinion, word for word from the amazing book by Jane Austen), snow fun on Monday, and then Monday night....WOOHOO!!! AUBURN NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! WAR EAGLE!!!
Yep. Pretty much an amazing weekend. But it kept on going! Due to the snow, four days off of school! Which meant lots of cleaning. :) But it was fun.
All my wonderful brothers and sisters around our snowman!
Anna Claire :)
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