Nine in 2009

Seems like a good day to revisit some New Year's Resolutions and see how I'm doing. One of the things I like about blogging (and categorizing my entries) is that it really makes it easier to check up on myself.



Sometimes it's difficult to stay focused.


For a couple of years I have read and contemplated Doug Phillips' year-end assessment. His is so lengthy (albeit excellent) that I have never started it other than in my mind. I do think I would have more success with his if I followed it throughout the year, creating an album that would be finished at year's end.

At any rate, here's a link to a short AJC article that I'm using this year for structure.

1) Get the family up and moving.

Not doing so great in this area, unless you count the fact that DH and I *relax* together in the evenings by NOT MOVING. Actually we have walked together as a family and now that it's staying lighter longer, I think we can work this into the schedule. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have yet to make good use of the stationary bike mentioned in this entry.

2) Give your spouse 15 minutes per day.

Since I work with DH, I think he appreciates when I dont talk to him :) No, really. The advice in this area is noteworthy: no griping during this check-in time. (I could be more careful about that.) But if I count in 5-minutes snatches, I'll bet we rack up 15 minutes with any problem at all.

3) Count your blessings.

Easy to do here. My list is long and I have no grounds for complaints. What I could do is *tell* those people more often that they are a blessing to me.

4) Reach out.

I'm on the receiving end in this arena. I have a *new* friend whom I met on Facebook! I did pay visit with an old neighbour in January; need to write that thank-you note; and have yet to clean out the closet.

5) Be optimistic.

Not a problem... I think I'm wired that way. Actually, no, I think it's a gift from God. I wake up happy and ready for each day the Lord gives me.

6) Do at least one thing each week that brings you enjoyment.

Collecting (books) and reading (fiction and non) - I carry them around with me; even if I dont have time to look at them when I'm at the office, I like knowing they're there.

See that book review in the upper right-hand corner? It's written by my favorite college history professor and prompted me to buy Dr Kirk's book.

7) Take a little time to answer tough questions.

Cindy over at Dominion Family gives me the opportunity to address signficant questions. We've been discussing pop culture in an online book club.

Carol at MagistraMater always writes about interesting topics. Thanks for suffering through my comments, Carol!

Plus I've been reading Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion - that's a real brain-teaser. Check out the site at Princeton Theological Seminary. I hope to post more about Calvin in honor of his 500th birthday (July 9th).

Per Phyllis McGinley:

Housewives deserve well-furnished minds. They have to live in them such a lot of the time!

8) Dont fall into a weight-loss trap.

I'm hopelessly trapped, weighing myself daily. I only *record* the number once per week. I know that I weigh TEN pounds more this March than I did last. There I said it! Now everyone knows!

I should have signed on with Amy at Humble Musings and dieted with that group. I'd be in much better shape. I might even be richer :)

9) Be good to your feet.

This resolution is interesting because wearing the right shoe size makes all the difference in the world. About five years ago, a good friend mentioned that she'd purposefully gone up a size, with amazing results.

With walking as my exercise, I've never experienced knee pain (hip or back either), but I routinely moan about my feet. Even with no regular pounding during this past winter, my right heel continues to hurt. That means I need to do more stretching exercises (per DH-MD).

And... time to schedule a pedicure ...

So I'll be ready for some new peep-toed shoes!

Spring Cardigan

















By this time of year, I'm ready for Spring even when Mother Nature may not be. In my area, it's cold and rainy today; and there is snow in the forecast for Sunday morning!!

Wearing this fun floral cardigan with a black skirt and red patent flats has already lifted my spirits. Scroll down to see the black/brown rendition of this outfit, winterized with tights and boots.

It's not too early to start thinking about new colors (black and white) or a statement accessory (oversized necklace?) and updating the wardrobe while cleaning out the closet.

What are you wearing in anticipation of Spring?

Eggs, Balogh and Culture


Would you hang this picture in your home?


You will find it at http://www.freespiritart.com/

A righteous life and rigorous training without a heart full of grace is like an
egg without a yolk — a fragile shell that will break under the slightest
pressure.

Not only are Pharisees a bore and an active bother, they
eventually crack under the strain of impossible expectations.

That is
only one side of the truth, however,

for though Pharisees are eggs without
yolks, those who try to exist solely on mercy without structure or discipline
are like eggs without shells —

a sticky, gooey mess.

Gary Thomas
Seeking the Face of God


I happened upon this egg quote on Cindy's sidebar... and kept mulling it over. I guess because I like eggs .... for several reasons.

I like paintings of them and poems about them.

I like to eat them, too. I think they are good for me. In fact, I know they are.

Here's a link to my *egg* training.

Furthermore, here's a link to an insightful article about culture addressing the issue of the artist versus the entertainer. Again I found it at Cindy's.

The author, Endre Balogh, who is new to me appears to be a talented musician and artist.

Here's a link to his version of a broken egg.

Who is new on your cultural horizon?

Myers and Murder Mystery

Great art, she felt, had a calming effect on the viewer. It made one
stop in awe, which is exactly what Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol did
not do. You didnt stop in awe; they stopped you in your tracks
perhaps, but that wasnt the same thing as awe. Awe was something entirely
different.

These are the words of Isabel Dalhousie, the main character in Alexander McCall Smith's book, The Sunday Philosophy Club (chapt 21), which I listened to over the weekend and reviewed here.

It may seem that I'm stuck in chapter seven of Ken Myer's book, All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes, but I am continuing to mull over in my mind the pregnant propositions he's making. As such, it is particularly appropriate to remember the above quote by Dalhousie found in the light murder mystery I enjoyed on my weekend jaunt to see my daughters in Michigan.

In addition to being an amateur sleuth, Dalhousie appreciates fine art. That means that I need to go back through the book and make a list of the paintings she has in her own home plus highlight the description of a suspect's living room in which she mentions over six artists.

Where are you finding applications of your Myers' reading?

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting


See what I did this afternoon!

A virtual birthday cake for DD#3 who turns 21 tomorrow.

Virtual because she's in Michigan and I'm in Georgia.

Close your eyes and make a wish!







1-2-3-4 Cake
(my grandmother's recipe)

1 C real butter
2 C granulated white sugar
3 C sifted flour (sift all purpose flour then measure out)
4 eggs (5 are better, but then the *title* doesnt match)

3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C water (or milk)

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs on at the time. Alternately add water and flour mixture. Add vanilla. Bake in three 9" prepared cake pans at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Invert pans onto wire racks and remove cakes from pans immediately to prevent overcooking. Cover each layer with damp paper towel, while they cool.

Chocolate Frosting

3/4 Cup butter, softened
4 cups XXX sugar
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, (i.e. Bakers squares), melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 oz water
1 oz choc liqueur

Using wire wisk blend until fluffy in mixer.
Makes enough to ice a 3-layer 9" cake.

Before the Revolution
Chapter Seven
All Gods Children and Blue Suede Shoes


Feeling pretty depressed at the situation after reading Myers, I'm not sure what to say

except that

now I understand better why I have never connected with pop art.


More later.

Scarves, Bows, and Sashes

Here's the *before* photo and a couple of questions.


Can you tie a square knot?



Is there any purple in your closet?



Will you wear a scarf today?




Yesterday a blogger friend, Donna at Quiet Life, posted a link for scarf-tying techniques. I thought it was helpful and I want to remember the site. So please meet *BigMama* who isnt so *big* :)




Here's my after photo, but you cant really see my square knot.

But I can do it.


Everyone always asks me to tie their sashes, bows, and scarves.... even ties.


And no, I didnt learn it in Girl Scouts.


My mother taught me.


Right over left, and left over right.


Try it.

Here's a link to see what the knot should look like



Here's another link - for tying lighter weight scarves at Brooks Brothers.

Or perhaps you're good at tying men's ties.

Here's a picture of the one most recently given to DH.






More about that handsome pattern here.

Better to Receive


Opening the proverbial can of worms, author Ken Myers addresses the invasion of popular culture on the liturgy of the church on pg 99, of Chapter Six in All God's Children & Blue Suede Shoes.

Oh, no!

Here not only do we go a meddlin' but we've flat out stepped on peoples toes... hard! The particular example concerns whether a particular song sung solo during worship was true, lovely, noble, or admirable.

Surely you can recall such an incident.

Acutally I thought we might avoid this type of controversy when the basis for the chapter was the analysis of C S Lewis's 1961 essay An Experiment in Criticism (mainly addressing books and reading), but Myers rightly extrapolates the argument into the church. I mean how can we ignore the Author of the reality to be grasped. So, even though Myers adeptly explains the factors Lewis proposed for evaluating books, music, art, etc, they can also be used within the sanctuary. In fact, it's a really good way to decide how and what to read, listen to, or regard.

But that issue of subjectivism has raised its ugly head. Never mind the opinion of the worship committee! Those are matters of taste; or "One man's kitsch is another man's art.*

And propriety?

How dare I suggest that such was not appropriate!

Why, I'm the one accused of rudeness for even pointing that out. Read Lynn Truss.

Yup. That's the triumph of the pervasiveness of popular culture, all those preconceived notions about what is proper, what is good, what is bad - they're now null and void.

Furthermore, that social egotism which runs rampant with this type of thinking?

That is exactly what is totally offensive to me. And I think God is offended ... first! Rightly spoken, I am offended for Him, for His Honor, for His Name. I am called to defend Him.

One of the ways I can do that is to be a *docent of glory* Here's a link to what I'm talking about. It also contains a reference to T M Moore's thought provoking article Can I Get a Witness.

But I'm digressing.

Our culture is sick on a number of fronts: high, low, folk, or popular. Take your pick. That is not to say every one or all persons involved are. Just generally speaking :)

Myers implies that it's a reflection of our spiritual health. I agree.

It probably starts with what we're reading.

Learn more about it at DominionFamily where our online book club discussion is taking place.


Update: 1/30/09 entry at my Xanga site addressing paintings in particular.

Peachy Tulips

In honor of Calvin's 500th birthday (July 10, 2009)I am reading his Institutes online with the help of Princeton Theological Seminary. Here's the link. Each morning, I follow along with the audio rendition. Addressing both the the eyes and the ears creates a better atmosphere for understanding. I recommend it.

But his birthday makes me remember other things about Calvin which I intend to detail throughout the year.

The first is an acrostic that many associate with a summarizing of Christian doctrine, exemplified in Calvin's systematization.



It's T-U-L-I=P


T=total depravity
U=unconditional surrender
L=limited atonement
I=irresistible grace
P=perseverance of the saints


In Southern this becomes P-E-A-C-H

P=pervasive perversity
E=election, external and eternal
A=atonement, limited by design
C=calling, effectual
H=heavenly home held by heavenly hands


Have you heard of this before?

How does it strike you?

Which letter was most difficult for you to accept.

For me, it was the *limited atonement* issue.

The one which just melts my heart?

Irresistible grace.

Who can resist the Lord God Almighty?

Today I am pleased to understand these doctrines because the Lord shed His Light on my heart and made my blind eyes see and my deaf ears hear.

May you be so blessed.

Fashion on Friday

Brown is a favorite color of mine, much preferred over black.

But the main point of this photo is the tights.

They're brown, too.

My girls may think I'm dorky.

But I like wearing tights, panty hose, or socks and am appalled at the new trend to go without.

I've done it, but I dont like it.


Thank goodness First Lady Obama wore panty hose at Tuesday's Inauguration Ceremony. It affords a more polished appearance. However, I wondered if her feet hurt at the end of that day? Those green heels were 3 inches!

How do you feel about stocking/panty hose/tights?

I dont, however, own any Spanx.

Even if I am a native Atlantan.

Do you?









Original Footless Pantyhose from Spanx: In 1988, Sara Blakely cut the feet off her pantyhose so she could get the benefits of shaping and an invisible panty line under slacks while wearing sandals. Two years later, the Atlanta resident introduced a comfortable, body-slimming, toeless garment to the market. The line now consists of over 100 figure-enhancing garments

Accounting for Taste

Gone to meddlin' some might say when Ken Myers broaches the subject of preferences (either music or cannibalism!) on page 77 of All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes and proves that matters of taste are not wholly private and personal.

The author had already begun to draw the line in the sand on page 76 by suggesting that if a particular culture form encourages the sort of individualism that presupposes that one has to discover who s/he is independent of family and community then there is a problem.

BINGO!

Here's the reason we mothers (who have no taste and wore short shorts - giggle) are reading this book:

What should attract more attention is the effect of consistent exposure to
popular culture, whether or not the content is objectionable, on the internal
dispositions. The habits of mind, heart, and soul. In short the
qualities of character.

AMEN!

Aesthetic judgment is one way of determining merit or evaluating form, but is by its very nature more elusive than the scientific (quantitative or qualitative) method will allow. It requires patience, training, and a willingness to submit. Those are qualities that I'm sure all of us are striving to develop in our children, our charges.

Myers quotes a 1966 article addressing the aesthetics of popular art showing its limitations by contrast:

Great art reveals something about human nature because it is forced to
conform to created reality. It selects its material according to the
demands of the "Author of the reality to be grasped".

Now that's a new name for God, but I recognized Him.

He is our reference point.

In this same referenced article, it is argued that popular art cannot bear the sustained attention that high art can. We might remain well-acquainted with it, but the relationship is always superficial, never maturing into intimacy. pg 83

I appreciated the explanation surrounding celebrityism, another attribute of pop culture, and how TV talk shows play into this. And how sentimentality, another attribute, and its lack of sincerity permeates the atmosphere even into evangelicalism.

Myers just explains a lot.

He challenges my sympathies.

Because I watch television, listen to music, surf the world wide web, and enjoy fashion.

But because I think my life is characterized by a rootedness in objective reality, the subjectivism of popular culture is impotent for me.

Or is it?

Popular Culture and the Restless Ones

Dictionary definitions and scholarly quotes abound in chapter four of AGC&BSS, as Ken Myers establishes the framework of culture: its origin, nature, and attributes. He particularly addresses the causative agents and does not overlook the responses (manners and social habits) of those affected by these new social forces.

There was so much to digest that I was tempted to make a vocabulary list in order to remember all the people, places and things he mentioned. I still dont know what the old SCTV troupe is. (pg 63)

At any rate, I am a little perplexed with the idea that popular culture (per se) is new. I mean there has always been culture and there has always been a populace. Also, if the main question for addressing the liabilities of popular culture is how to spend one's time, then we all know that that question is as old as the hills. (pg 55)

In fact, I think that in the chapter's title, Myers is referring to someone as old as the hills: Augustine of Hippo (4th cent). That creature of popular culture who goofed off (pear tree incident) and wasted time (debauchery) until he was almost thirty years old. Remember his poem where the final line is -

Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you

Fast forward to the 16th century and meet the French skeptic, Montaigne, who agonized over people not paying enough time to God and worried that *variety always solaces, dissolves, and scatters. He's talking about distractions (in the culture) here.

Blaise Pascal (also French) in the 17th century identifies the same restlessness and blames it on the lack of religion in the culture. So, when Myers promotes the television as the modern entertainment appliance unlike any other, I just dont buy its uniqueness. I dont know what were the previous artifacts in the earlier centuries that distracted the populace, but I'm willing to bet there was something.


I suppose, however, that in the chapter title Myers could have been referring to the 1965 Christian film entitled Restless Ones







or the '80s rock band, Bad English, which had a song called The Restless Ones.





But I'm thinking restless means *without or apart from God* and am going with the Augustine reference.

What do you think?

Back to the issue at hand and the after-effects of the big, bad Industrial Revolution (18th - 19th cent) which allowed for unprecedented discretionary time and income, which in turn *forced* people to look for ways to relieve boredom.

Okay, I'll go along with the idea here that *empty people search for fulfilment in all the wrong places*.

Jump into the 20th century where Myers asserts that popular culture (over and above high and folk cultures) has been a more dominant force in the past 25 years (1963-1988), a veritable valium of the masses. He suggests that the search for diversion (recreation) has become more and more desperate and requires greater and greater levels of stimulation.

I concur.

In fact, the phrase *I'm bored* is one of my pet peeves.

So, I re-read the chapter in order to solidify my understanding of this quest for novelty and instant gratification. I think my upbringing provided me with a built-in line-of-defense for avoiding some of these negative manners and habits, but the best mode of maintaining my preference for the permanent things (Eliot/Lewis/Kirk) is teaching my children (or others). I never bought into the liberal parenting technique that they had the right to choose. (pg 69)

Ask them if we had a television and how we used it.

Or what radio station we listened to in the car.

Ah, what about the Internet, Cindy asks?

Yes, as early as 1990, we had dial-up (they were too young to use it then). Then we signed up for high-speed (maybe 2004), but with parental controls and guidelines on a desktop computer in a family-room-type study for educational purposes. Yeah, right!? (grin) Above all it was made clear that these appliances were luxuries, not necessities; tools, not gods (icons).

High-speed access fits right in with the final pages of the 20-page chapter in which Myers addresses our impatience. I confess I kept counting to see how many more pages I had to read.

Does instant access to information on the world-wide web contribute negatively to pop culture?

It makes me wonder how people felt about the phonebook or the Yellow Pages when they were first published? Was it too much information about a person or a business to make available to the masses? Wouldnt the details be used improperly? To borrow a phrase from a Facebook friend, were the Yellow Pages comparable to Faceplanting?

This entry is far too long for me to expect that anyone would read it in its entirety. But that's okay.

I'm not restless.

I'm not seeking instant gratification in the form of lots of comments.

I'm seeking wisdom.

I'm not primitive. That's why I own a computer.

I live in a time and place where God has placed me to serve Him.

Oh Lord, make me ever mindful of Your presence.

MLK Day and Mass Age

.
This particular Monday in January always makes me pause and reflect. I can remember being in the elevator in the Canon House Office Building with LPMcD, my boss and representative of the 7th District of Georgia. He was waxing eloquent about Newt Gingrich's first vote as a new member of the House (1979): one in favor of establishing this federal holiday.


It also makes me want to re-read the speech that accompanies Dr King's famous line *I have a dream*.

It makes me want to search Scripture and wonder to which chapter and verse Dr King was referring. Was it in Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 23
25.
"I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies
in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!'
26.
How long will
this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions
of their own minds?
27.
They think the dreams they tell one another will
make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal
worship.
28.
Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the
one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?"
declares the Lord.
29.
"Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and
like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
30.
"Therefore," declares the
Lord, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly
from me.
31.
Yes," declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who wag
their own tongues and yet declare, 'The LORD declares.'
32.
Indeed, I am
against those who prophesy false dreams," declares the Lord. "They tell them and
lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint
them. They do not benefit these people in the least," declares the Lord.

It makes me really appreciate Blogger, a new cultural form, which has helped me keep track of my thoughts. Here's a link to a previous MLK Day entry.

Here's a link to some of my thoughts on integration.

Here's a link to how Alveda King, MLK's niece, thinks the dream incomplete. Do you know how your Senator or Representative feel about the Freedom of Choice Act.

And so, with respect to my current online book club where we are reading about Pop Culture (is there a war?), I wonder if the important focus is the message (mass age) or the medium on this holiday?

What do you think?

Fashion on Fridays

Sometimes on Fridays, I like to highlight my fashion. Nothing truly fantastic or trendy. Just a little creative comment: a challenge to find something in the back of my closet and update it inexpensively; or mention a new purchase.

This week I'd really like to talk about what Michelle Obama will be wearing to the Inaugural Ball.


I thought she looked lovely in this turquoise dress and brooch she wore during the campaign.

















First ladies can really take a beating from the media if they're not careful with choices.


Surely Michelle wont copy Mary Todd Lincoln the way her husband is borrowing Abe's Bible.
















What I'm really trying to do is bury a picture of my 1970s fashion. In the comment section of this Dominion Family entry about Pop Culture, there was a dare to post pictures of *short shorts*.



Here I am...1976 or '77


Oh, my!















Bonus for reading to the end :)

Four fashion trends that should be nuked.

Would You Take Jesus to See This Planet?
Chapter Three, All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes

Yes, but he might chuckle after the tour, knowing that much had been overlooked. In fact, I might not make such a good docent. After all I hardly *know* all God's children AND I told you that I'd never heard about Carl Perkins's song about blue suede shoes.

Am I fit to show Jesus around?

Myers says *yes*.

That God offered me cultural assistance when he clothed Adam and Eve. pg44

But because God recreated me and empowers me to walk His Way, I am separated from some parts of my culture. There are limits to what I can do because I'm not the only one here. pg 50

And while Christians are called to go out into every culture, I am placed in time and space to create that holy pattern in my garden (household). I love His Order. I am charged to influence my culture and to make it more consistent with the created nature; to sanctify my own life. pg 51


So, Jesus.

Come on over.

I'll show You around.

I'm not ashamed.

West of Eden by Renee Radell
Oil on Linen 72" x 66"
1986

What is Culture, that Thou Art Mindful of It?


Foundational questions and principles as solid as the Corinthian pillar pictured in this caricature are covered in the second chapter of Ken Myer's book, All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes.

The author wastes no time getting to meat (1 Cor 10:23-26) of the issue in the title alone.

The chapter's title is a play on Psalm 8:4 where David is lauding the majesty of God and wondering why an awesome creator would contemplate a lowly creature.

The implication is that we humans think so highly of ourselves and our possessions that we're not aware of our surroundings (culture) - popular or unpopular, high brow or low.

Perhaps it would be premature for me at this point to claim that I am mindful. I am aware. I am not indifferent.

After all I am reading about it. That means I care, right?

Not!

I cannot bear to contemplate such cultural icons as Michael Jackson or Madonna. Or listen to their music.

Thankfully though, neither do I identify with the fiddler in this caricature. But Myers does force me to examine my own outlook by presenting the cultural apologies of such fine thinkers as C.S. Lewis, T.S. Eliot, Fredrich Hayek, and Derek Kidner.

Easily the author assesses the nature of culture by examining its religious base, its relativism, and its context. He does not overlook that it should be measured by Biblical standards and that it cannot be socially engineered. This is valuable reference material.

I wonder though?

Did I accept his arguments too quickly?

Perhaps.

But I know why.

By the grace of God He quickened my spirit and ignited my imagination: that realm of human experience that exists prior to that lower power which drives social critics.

Furthermore, I concur with Myers I need teachers and the fellowship of the saints , i.e. the local church because

applying Scripture to our individual experience is difficult for each of us,
often as much because we fail to understand the significance of our own
situations, the context in which we are applying it, because we fail to
understand the original, objective meaning of the text. pg 33

And so, I read and think (wisdom calls me to). I consider the rewarding task of taking dominion as described by my favorite apologist, Russell Kirk.

A culture is perennially in need of renewal.

A culture does not survive and prosper merely by being taken for granted;
active defense is always required, and imaginative growth, too.

Meet my contributions to the future of our culture.
















GMVP = God's Most Valuable Players, nurtured in the admonition of the Lord to love and serve Him as strong leaders in the 21st century.

Veritable roses, don't ya think?

It's amazing how much cultivation roses take in order to bloom.

All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes
Chapter One


My PCQ (popular culture quotient) was less than ten, so Mr. Myers labels me as *semimonastic*, thinking that I probably dont need to read his book.

But I am surrounded in my immediate family and with others (aka *the world*) who find the conduits of popular culture and its content far more entertaining than I.

Therefore, I cannot helped but be influenced.

The pervasiveness of the *noise* compels me to investigate the assaults on my senses (and those of my children).


The author set out to understand popular culture and not condemn it, so that he could be more obedient to God and glorify Him appropriately in everyday living.

That's enough to convince me to keep reading.

Interestingly enough, Myers does not believe that much would be improved in our society even if Christians somehow could take over all the instruments and forms of popular culture.

That's makes me want to skip to the last chapter.

But I wont.

I know that our culture has been conquered by King Jesus and that the King of Rock 'n Roll is only an icon....even if his birthday is January 8th (many are already celebrating including Gov Huckabee).

Chapter One starts out with an interesting example of a fellow who moves to a new city because he has a job there. However, the atmosphere (culture) of the new environs are so base that it destroys him and his family. I had never thought of Lot in that way, especially not as a righteous man.

Myers made me remember the good advice given to us in pre-marital counseling: always assess the possibilities for your church home when evaluating a move to a new locale. There is no substitute for the weekly hearing of the faithful preaching of God's Word because it constrains the Monday-through-Friday activities.

At this point, the author designates television and rock and roll music as the two basic forms by which popular culture is influenced. I think that is still true today, twenty years after the first publication of the book. Even though Myers tries to eschew the discussing of the content (of pop culture) in favor of the sensibilities, in reality, the two cannot be separated.

I maintain that it's not the instrument that is evil per se; it's the heart of man (Mark 7:15).

But do I regard my culture as an enemy? including TVs, XM Radio, Wiis, and Ipods?

You betcha!

And the best way to capture the enemy?

To know his ways.

However, Myers reminds us that

Popular culture is not a simple, homogenous abstraction that allows for simple
application of Biblical principles. Its challenges and temptations do not
confront us like the proverbial harlot whose seductions are clearly to
sin. It has many dimensions and contours and hidden agendas that require
some historical and experiential perspectives before we can evaluate it fairly
and, having understood it, conduct ourselves in its presence with wisdom.

Yup!

That's what I want to do:

Conduct myself with wisdom.

All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes

Basically aware of the book since its publication in 1989, I've never taken the time to read it. But now that Cindy at Dominion Family is hostessing an online book club, I decided to sign up.

I am committed to reading, thinking, and learning about popular culture.




The official start date is Wednesday, January 7, 2009; and I have resisted reading the book since the announcement of the club in December. But today I felt compelled to get oriented.

Besides holding and flipping through the book (tactile learner?), I've contemplated the Title, read the Dedication, glimpsed at the Table of Contents, overlooked the Acknowledgements, perused the Bibliography, waited on the End Notes, reveled in the Index, enjoyed the Introduction, and made notes through the First Chapter.

At this point, I must confess that I feel woefully ignorant, inadequate, and just plain dense. There may be something lacking in my education or family upbringing (gene pool), but I just dont retain much information about popular culture: music, movies, games. DH is the guru in our family.

Furthermore, to prove that statement, I will admit publicallly that I had NO CLUE about the reference for the Blue Suede Shoes.





My daughters wear blue suede shoes.


I think they're pretty.








But something told me that was not what Ken Myers was talking about.


So, I googled.


I met Carl Perkins at Wikipedia.

I listened to THE song on an Australian Elvis Presley Fan Club site.

I requested a CD of Rockabilly songs from the library.

Basically I got a grip on the situation.

Here's a picture of the shoes that may have inspired the lyrics to the song.

















Should be interesting.

Hope you'll join us.

Happy New Year!!

Collard Greens

and

Black-eyed Peas









are cooking on the stove in preparation for our traditional dinner. Sweet potatoes are baking in the bottom oven, while a fresh ham has been roasting S.L.O.W.L.Y. in the top one since yesterday.

All the Christmas decorations are put away.

January first is a good day for rest, relaxation, and reflection.

And maybe a little football.

Watching, not playing :)

Happy Anniversary

All four couples in this photo share the same anniversary.











My parents started the trend in 1955. I copied them in 1980. Brother Will and his wife, Cynthia, married in 1985. And last, but not least, our daughter, Giles and her husband, Dean, honored us by choosing December 27, 2006 as their wedding date.

Do you know who shares your anniversary?

Christmas Menu

Honey Baked Ham
Corn Casserole
Brussel Sprouts
Beet Salad
Relish Tray
Rolls

Iced Tea or Shiraz

Orange Marmalade Cake

Coffee

Christmas Postcard































Here's a link to the original artwork for this postcard.

Stamp Art

Behold!

A virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.


Isaiah 7:14









The 2008 Christmas stamp features a detail from a work by the Italian master Sandro Botticelli, entitled Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist. This painting, tempera and oil on wood, dates to around 1490 and is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It presents one of the most common figural groups in religious art. (usps.com)


I like stamps. But I dont have a collection per se. I just like to buy and use different ones. Does that make me a philatelist?

Philately is the study of postage stamps, revenue stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postal cards, covers, and similar material relating to postal or fiscal history.

Probably not.

Dilettant?

Most definitely.

At any rate, this beautiful stamp is the one which will frank the envelope of the good tidings I'm mailing early next week.

Do you send Christmas cards?

Or a letter?

Once on a holiday tour of homes, I saw an attractive arrangement of framed Christmas cards in the foyer. Of course, they were the ones sent by the homeowner, not like a Hallmark museum exhibit.

So, I'm saving mine.

Good Tidings

Our mailbox is ready to send and receive the good news of the season.

Alas, the front door needs the obligatory wreath.

But I cant decide -




Artificial?

or

Fresh?


That will be today's mission.

The household is more quiet than in the past with two married daughters living *far away* and two daughters away at college. So, this year, I've been decorating for Christmas s.l.o.w.l.y. and savoring the moments, meanings, and memories.

Readings about the creation of Handel's Messiah have been the overarching theme for this year's approach to celebrating the birthday of our King. Today's devotional from Roger Bullard's Gospel According to Handel's Oratoria is from Isaiah 40:9

O Zion, that bringest good tidings , get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings , lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up , be not afraid ; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Messiah on Mondays


Dedicated on January 5, 1868, this Romanesque-style brick structure was the location where Messiah was sung thrice over the weekend.





While this photo pictures the church on a pretty Spring day, in reality we were there on a cold, snowy winter evening waiting almost an hour for the doors to this historic sanctuary to be opened.

It was a perfect setting for this Christmas tradition.

When we stood for the Hallelujah Chorus as did King George II in 1743, the congregation at College Baptist Church in Hillsdale, MI gave the conductor reason to glance over his shoulder. He seemed to feel our enthusiasm.

The Hillsdale Collegian had heralded the three upcoming performances in their Thursday online edition, but we knew we wanted to be there in person because we had two daughters singing.

One had been selected to sing three recitatives :)

In addition to the choristers, the Hillsdale College Orchestra complete with authentic harpsichord and pipe organ combined to make this a most stellar occasion that we will remember for many years to come.


Both flash photography and audio recordings of any kind were strictly prohibited, so we are looking forward to a promised DVD.



Who in your family is singing in a concert or playing at a recital?

Messiah: Benefit Concert

Susannah Maria Arne Cibber

1714 - 1766

Celebrated English Actress and Singer












The following is a newspaper report which appeared in almost identical form in the Dublin Journal, The Dublin News-Letter, and the Dublin Gazette, after the first performance in 1742

On Tuesday last (the 13th) Mr Handel's Scared Grand Oratorio, the MESSIAH, was performed at the New Musick-Hall in Fishamble-street; the best Judges allowed it to be the most finished piece of Musick. Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crouded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestick and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear. It is but Justice to Mr. Handel, that the World should know, he generously gave Money arising from this Grand Performance, to be equally shared by the Society for relieving Prisoners, the Charitable Infirmary, and Mercer's Hospital, for which they will ever gratefully remember his Name; and that the Gentlemen of the two Choirs, Mr Dubourg, Mrs Avolio, and Mrs. Cibber, who all performed their Parts to Admiration, acted also on the same disinterested Principle, satisfied with the deserved Applause of the Publick, and the conscious Pleasure of promoting such useful, and extensive Charity. There were about 700 People in the Room, and the Sum collected for that Noble and Pious Charity amounted to 400 pounds.

Clearly, this first performance was not church-related per se. From my point of view, it sounds like a gala event, slated around a holiday, and designed to raise money for a good cause by having *big name* performers, musicians, and conductor.

Mrs Cibber was one such attraction, despite the fact that she required prolong coaching.

Make note of the *Gentlemen of the two choirs* as commenter Kelly has been inquiring about the involvment of female roles/parts in Messiah. My guess is that because the choirs were under the auspices of the church, that indeed, there were no women in those choirs.

However, that said, the chancellor of St Patrick's, one of the choirs, was in the audience and had only praise for Mrs. Cibber's performance. According to late 18th-century tradition, when Mrs Cibber sang 'He was despised' the chancellor (Delaney), seated in one of the boxes, exclaimed,

Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee.

quotes taken from pages 127-128 of Handel's Messiah: A Celebration by Richard Luckett

Messiah on Mondays


The Ravished Ear:

The Music of the Messiah

Chapter Four

by Richard Luckett

If I focused briefly on the text and the librettist last week, then this week I am paying more attention to the music itself. While there is an overture or preface, the work is then divided mainly into three parts. To listen to the entire work requires two hours time.

In this fourth chapter, the author discuss the technicalities of singing solos, recitatives, choruses, and meditations and where Handel might have used the music in an earlier composition. Apparently, Handel wrote the score over the course of a mere six weeks....not like a letter per se, but as sketches:

Each is in the nature of an outline but germinative subject, a phrase of music,
emerging from words, tested back against those words. From such
sketches, Handel could begin to compose at length, writing the music in outline
first, then adding words, and completing the infilling last of all.

Frankly, reading Mr. Luckett is over my head when he says

Messiah is not an oratoria a chiave, sustained by particular significances for
given keys: it is constructed in blocks of keys, which establish their
local centres, and work through these, rather than according to any overriding
rules of reference.

But the author grabs my attention with the plain statement:

It is important to ask to what extent the work is governed by any general
principle of musical unity.

And he explains:

The unity of Messiah is a consequence of nothing more arcane than the quality of
Handel's attention to his text, and the consistency of his musical imagination.

Now that I can understand and grasp.

With repeated listenings and practice, I can hear what Mr. Luckett is trying to explain, but his book is very detailed and more useful as a reference book.

Nevertheless, I press on.

Thanksgiving Centerpiece
















This wine complimented our menu delightfully.


Roasted Free-Range Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Mushroom-Pearl Onion Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Green Beans Almondine
Sweet Potato Souffle
Roasted Cauliflower

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

Coffee

Mushrooms and Onions in Wine

By far one of the most delicious uses for pearl onions I've ever tasted.

This recipe is easy, elegant, and special.




I cant say that I've prepared it for any other meal than Thanksgiving.

Try it!

You'll like it!



Start by peeling lots of pearl onions.

I was listening to classical music and enjoying a glass of wine.



It took about 40 minutes to peel 60 onions.




Then I washed and quartered 3 lbs of mushrooms.

Here they are getting ready to be sauteed in butter.




Notice the sweet vermouth.

And the turkey (or chicken) stock.


Now for the acutal recipe.



After peeling 60 pearl onions, cook them in a glass dish in the microwave on high until done. It took about six minutes. After three, I stopped the oven and shook the dish. Set aside.

Wash and quarter 3 lbs of mushrooms. Saute in 1 1/2 cups butter in a large frying pan for five minutes. Add 6 tablespoons flour. Stir to coat, cooking some to brown the flour, but do not overcook.

Add 1 1/2 cups bouillon or stock. Cook and stir until a smooth gravy is created. Add 2 crushed bay leave and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg. Stir well.

Add the pearl onions. Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley. Stir until combined.

Add 3/4 cup dry sherry, Madeira, or sweet vermouth. Bring mixture to a boil, not allowing it to boil tho.

Remove from heat.

Transfer to a serving dish.



Remove from heat

Messiah on Mondays

Which came first the chicken or the egg is a common rhetorical question.

I propose that the same is true for the librettist versus the composer.





Nevertheless both components are equally important and necessary. And so, as I delve deeply into Handel's Messiah for the next six weeks, I dont want to overlook the vital contribution of Charles Jennens.

From the G. F. Handel.org website:

The libretto for Messiah was designed and selected from the New and Old Testaments with utmost care by Charles Jennens (1700-73), a literary scholar and editor of Shakespeare's plays who was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. However, despite his merit and ability, Jennens never gained his Degree or much recognition from society because he was a non-juror, refusing to acknowledge the Hanoverian dynasty as legitimate heirs to the throne of England. Yet Jennens could not be a Jacobite (i.e. a supporter of the deposed Catholic Stuarts) either because he was staunchly Protestant. Such figures are often forgotten by the over-simplification of history, but Jennens' upper-middle class background enabled him to live in some comfort at a fine house in Gospall, Leicestershire, and devote his time to artistic pursuits in the absence of a prominent public life.

This fascinating background on Mr. Jennens substantiates the importance of support personnel. I can so relate :)

But today I want to focus on the power of words. Mr. Jennens took Scripture and rearranged the words without changing the meaning. Just reading the text of the score is powerful. Hearing them sung is spiritually moving.


From Chapter Three of Richard Luckett's Handel's Messiah: A Celebration:

The text of Messiah is profoundly religious. (Whether the same can be said of what Handel made of it is another matter.) It will command the assent
of many (but not all) Christians; it requires the suspension of disbelief in
non-Christians. pg 77

How can one sit through a performance of Messiah and not be encouraged to know God?

Also, from Luckett:

Early word-books of Messiah are today extremely rare; issued roughly stitched in sugar-paper wrappers, they were both fragile and, evidently, intently read.

The words were seriously pondered by Messiah's early audiences at least, a fact voluminously attested to by the Reverend John Newton, who in 1784 and 1785, preached no fewer than fifty sermons on the subject. pg 80

I'm reading through the text before the performance I'm attending on December 5th purely for the purpose of being able to understand the words being sung by the chorus. I do this also when I attend a play, especially Shakespeare. I dont know if it's my aging hearing or what, but it greatly enhances my ability to understand, if I know AHEAD OF TIME what is being spoken.


Do you have a favorite text from Messiah?


Portrait of Charles Jennens is by Mason Chamberlin the elder

Fashion Brooches

Sitting in my jewelry drawer is this gaudy looking pin I bought about five years ago in the gift shop of a tea room.







I wore it boldly then.... on the lapel of a purple flannel wool jacket. I should find y'all a picture. It looked good :)

But it's time to wear this brooch again.

Have you noticed how prevalent pins/brooches are now that Michelle Obama wore them so fashionably on the campaign trail?

Even if you resist wearing one (just because), I'll bet there's one in your jewelry box.

There's probably a story behind it.

Did it belong to a grandmother?

Pray, tell!

November

November wears a Paisley shawl
To keep ker sagging shoulders warm.
Her bonnet's decked with rusty flowers,
An apple basket's on her arm,
And with a dusty, rustly sound
Her wide skirts sweep along the ground.


She trudges up the sunset hills,
In spite of winds a-blowing,
To seek a shelter on beyond -
She must know where she's going -
For, wrapped in Paisley red and brown,
She rustles, rustles through the town.


Hilda Morris


Aside from the fact that I like red and brown together, I was taken with this short poem found in Favorite Poems for the Children's Hour (1967).

The line that I am pondering today is *She must know where she's going*


I do.

Do you?

Messiah on Mondays

'Tis the season. Everywhere I turn, my blogging buddies are talking about music and which CD's they want to buy... for themselves or for others. So, in typical sheep-like fashion, I'm joining the crowd (herd).

No, really and truly, listening to music is new for me. I dont own a huge collection of CD's. I dont hum while driving or sing while showering. In fact, I struggle to remember the words to a song. And recall the name of the artist/singer? Never.

When I was ten though, I won the music class award and received an LP of Camille Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals. I listened to it over and over again. I wanted to understand it. It took some practice, but I have a special place in my musical heart for this composer.


All that to say that I'm planning to study Handel's Messiah in this fashion over the next six weeks. I heard it before, sung portions of it myself, and love hearing my daughters sing in performances of it.





Next one will be December 5th, d.v.

Fashion on Fridays

Last month I attempted the great *switcheroo*. That is, reworking my closet for the new season and storing the off-season clothing elsewhere.

While I did not complete the task, I did discover some fine additions to my Fall wardrobe that had not been worn in years!!


Highlighted is a paisley jacket from Orvis, a hand-me-down, from my clothes broker. I've worn it with a brown skirt to church and brown corduroy pants for those weekday errands.




Be entertained by this link to a poll about Michelle Obama's style. I cant say that I would buy any of her outfits, but I'm going to be watching her fashion and her parenting..... like a hawk.


Perhaps I will wear more brooches :)

What do you think?

Idols that provoke Jealousy


that cause me to sigh and groan:

National calamity has fallen on the people of God in OT Judah. God has abandoned His temple because *they were doing detestable things* (from Ezekiel Chpt 8)






1) mixing the religion of Jehovah with that of Baal - the Canaanization of the worship of the Lord, if you will.

2) church leaders portraying all kinds of creepy things on the walls of the Temple - hmmmmm, like icons or extra decorations in the sanctuary.

3) women mourning for Tammuz; historically when the women in a society lose their way, it is a sure sign of the demise of a culture.

4) ordinary members worshipping the gods of their enemies.

These acts of rebellion against the God of Israel by his own people are repeating themselves in our society today. Examples are clear to me. Do you see them?

It is unrealistic of us to think that there have not been nor will be consequences.

Look to Ezekiel 9 for some hints.

God sends seven angels to destroy the city. One is sent out ahead to mark certain citizens. Six others follow and are commanded to kill without showing pity or compassion.

Lord, this deterioration in our churches (and therefore, our nation) grieves me greatly.

Give me strength and grace to bear witness to You.

For Your Name's Sake.

Amen.


Listen to the entire sermon here.

Billy Graham

Since today is his 90th birthday, let's tell stories of how or when this famous preacher influenced our lives.










Unfortunately, I have a critical nature, and so, I tended to pick at Mr. Graham's theology. Then I became intrigued with his family, particularly Anne Lotz, and later his wife and her poetry.

I never went to one of his crusades.

But one of my life goal's is to be influential for the Lord in my 90th year.

Maybe I should take a second look at Mr. Graham's approach.

What do you think?

Election Day Sermons



Just wondering, ladies?

Did you hear a good sermon yesterday?

I did.

Here's the link to ours.

It made me think a lot about *undecided voters* who generally perplex me. HOW can one not be decided?

NPR did put a face on one in a radio segment I heard last Friday. She's a 35 year old white woman, single mother of two, working for the TN Department of Corrections and she voted in the primary..... for Huckabee.


I wonder how this undecided person would digest the information in this sermon.

Hearing this exposition of Ezekiel 11 gave me confidence to cast my vote with a clear conscience.