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Our Daily Thread 7-13-13

Good Morning!

Happy Saturday! 🙂

On this day in 1585 a group of 108 English colonists, led by Sir Richard  Grenville, reached Roanoke Island, NC.

In 1754 at the beginning of the French and Indian War, George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity in southwestern Pennsylvania to the French.

In 1832 Henry Schoolcraft discovered the source of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.

In 1863 opponents of the Civil War draft began three days of rioting in New York City, which resulted in more than 1,000 casualties.

In 1972 Carroll Rosenbloom (owner of the Baltimore Colts) and Robert Irsay (owner of the Los Angeles Rams) traded teams.

And in 1982 the All-Star Game was played outside the United States for the first time. They played in Montreal, Canada.

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Quote of the Day

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

Thomas Paine

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This song was released today in 1959.

This one was released today in 1968.

And on this day in 1984 Philippe Wynne, former lead singer of this band, died on stage of a heart attack in Oakland, CA.

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Anyone have a QoD for us?

81 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 7-13-13”

  1. AJ, as I wait here at 9 in the evening, I appreciate that you get all these posts together each day. I can see that it is a lot of work and on Saturdays you do four posts. Thanks for keeping us all together. Blessings

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  3. 🙂

    I would have had them up sooner but it rained all night, so I didn’t get up early to go fishing like I planned to. 😦

    This weather is weird. Our 2 local rivers are about 10-15 feet above normal for this time of year, and muddy as coffee with cream. Not ideal fishing conditions. 😦

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  6. went to a baby party today. Not a shower, since we don’t bring gifts, there is simply nowhere to get gifts here.
    6 arrows, I hope that your little one is feeling better and that you get some sleep today

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  8. Thanks, Jo. I’m going to try going back to bed now, but if I can’t sleep before the household gets going, I’ll probably try to catch a nap later in the day.

    Kim, I’ll pray for your safe travels.

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  10. I have BG with me. I do not have Mr P with me. Losing my position two weeks ago left me open for a chance to help a friend on short notice. It is somewhere I have wanted to go for a long time.
    I have sparked out hints 🙂

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  12. Happy Trails, Kim. Since we were talking about old TVs last night, I thought I would make that reference to an old TV show. I am sure most of you over 45 years old can remember it. (And maybe a few of the younger ones.)

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  13. I’m a bit over 45 and I don’t remember any of those old TV shows.
    That’s true. I had very limited access to television until around 1973.
    I have never seen one of those late shows, like Jay Leno. At a New Year’s party once, I saw a DVD of reruns of the most famous one, whose name I’ve forgotten.
    I got hooked of a few shows, Get Smart, Have Gun Will Travel, and a couple of others, but that’s it. I saw two episodes of All In The Family. I used to watch Hee Haw, and The Beverly Hillbillies.
    Elvera watches Lawrence Welk every Saturday evening.
    If they had reruns of Hee Haw, I would watch that.

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  14. Chas, there are reruns of Hee Haw. I believe they are on RFD. That is a great channel for country music fans. Friday evenings they have quite a line-up. Saturday evening they have some good shows, also. My hubbie was on one of the shows, but it was long ago. You may not get the channel, but if you do, check it out.

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  16. Someone, on a study of Exodus, made a great comment:
    “The great illusion of leadership is to think we can be led out of the desert by someone who hasn’t been there.”
    The problem our nation has is that we’re being led by a community organizer.

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  21. Good Saturday…..Paul and I spent this morning at my dear friend’s land cutting down burned trees….lots of helpers there….the Baptist Disaster Relief workers are incredible!! May the Lord bless their servants hearts….all I can say is wow! Have a blessed day everyone 🙂

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  23. My Precious Baby Girl is not a traveler. She is miserable. I sent her dad a message that I don’t think we need to worry about her wanting to backpack through Europe EVER!
    I am currently on East Coast Time. Flight is delayed 30 minutes.

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  25. adventures on the blog! Will Kim join up with someone on the blog? Will bg make it through the trip?
    Chas, I found on my last day in Cairns that I could watch Foxnews online. I haven’t had video on my ipad before. Nice, but I wish that I had discovered it sooner. Since we pay by the megabyte, I won’t be watching video here.
    Time to get ready for church on this foggy Sunday morning.

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  26. So the stylist is combing out my wet hair after she washed it at my appointment today when she says, “Oh. You have a scratch on the top of your head!”

    That would be from the cat, of course.

    She attacks my head when I don’t get out of bed fast enough to let her out at 5 a.m. every morning.

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  30. My computer doesn’t download fast enough to keep up with RC Sproul. I would be interested in his take.
    I am premillennial, pre wrath rapture.
    I studied Revelation under a Non millenialist.

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  31. Among his remarks was that he’s been through all the positions himself over the years as he’s studied, but he noted that he usually lands like a butterfly with sore feet at each point, realizing it’s a biblical topic that requires much humility. Runs for about 20 minutes I think.

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  34. Ephesians 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

    I pray today that we take time to understand what it means we are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. That because of the works that has been done in us at the cross, we are a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. To understand this idea of a dwelling place, should bring joy to heart to know that we are forgiven and we are a new creature in the eyes of God. No matter what society believe about us, we are made new in Christ, the old man and the old way of living is forgiven and under the blood of Christ. We are new creature, a new man, with a new life starting over in the eyes of God.

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  39. I think this is the key:

    “There’s no definition for what’s a hymn and not a praise song. But Keith Getty says it should be singable without a band and easy for anyone sitting in the pews to pick up. And it should say something bold.”

    “I think it’s to the church’s poverty that the average worship song now has so few words, so little truth,” he says. “[It] is so focused on several commercial aspects of God, like the fact that he loves our praises.”

    Also, when the instruments and song director, singhing through a mic, produce 75% of the sound in the church, people in the pew aren’t as likely to sing with the proper verve. At times, when we sing a verse without instruments, we discover that we can still sing.

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  41. Also, when the music director extemporizes in a congregational song, it just confuses things. It may work for the Gathers to do “alone” an octave higher and hold it longer, but it throws a congregation off.

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  42. Chas, “In Christ Alone” is no more complicated than many other hymns (“God of Our Fathers” or multiple others). I’ve sung it in several venues of “congregations” (one or two different churches, a conference or two). It’s a very good one, and quite singable. Like most songs, it takes a couple verses to catch it and join in with confidence, but no more than most, and less than some. (We sang a new song recently that had at least four verses, and on the final verse I still wasn’t grasping either the notes or the rhythm.)

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  43. Donna I love that audio/video of Christ Alone…it is beautiful
    The church we are attending only sings the Psalms…a capella….to the tunes of old hymns…Today we sang a Psalm to the tune of Rock of Ages….I wanted to sing the words to Rock of Ages…and it was difficult for me not to do so….I miss singing the hymns…but, I do sing them at home! 🙂

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  44. We sing “In Christ Alone” acappella quite frequently with no trouble. The music follows the common AABA pattern for hymn music [the first melody line (A) is repeated twice for the first and second lines of the verse. A second melodic theme (B) is used for the third line of the verse. The fourth and last line is a slightly altered repeat of theme A]. The same pattern is used for such easily sung hymns as “There is a Fountain” and “How Firm a Foundation”. When I think of a complicated hymn, I think of ones like “Heaven Came Down” with its irregular meter or “And can it be that I should gain?” with that difficult melody line in the chorus. Yet they have been sung so long and so often that even the most musically challenged can sing them. In a few years, people will do the same with “In Christ Alone” which has all the makings of a classic hymn.

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  45. Well, Chas, we somehow manage to sing it as a congregation. 🙂

    nancyjill, do you use the red psalm book that goes with the Trinity Hymnal? We used to use that at my former church.

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  46. “In Christ Alone” is one of my favorite hymns. I first heard it a couple years ago, and I was very pleased to see that it is in the new hymnal supplement our church recently purchased.

    We had an interesting morning today. First and Third Arrows went to early church, and Hubby and I with the three youngest kids went to late church, leaving home about 20 minutes after the older ones had arrived home.

    We live out in the country on a little dead-end road, and we hadn’t gone much more than a quarter mile when we saw our 80-year-old neighbor’s cows out in a field where they didn’t belong. My husband pulled the car over, and tried to get the cows to head back in the direction where they should have been, but they weren’t budging. So hubby told me to go on ahead to church with the kids, and he would run back home and get 1st and 3rd Arrows to help him get the cows back where they belonged before they got onto the highway near our road.

    I whispered a little prayer for safety for my husband and older kids, and drove on to church, where the sermon today was about…

    The Good Samaritan, and being a good neighbor to those around us who are in need. 😉

    Thanking God for the good man He gave me, and the example he is to our children.

    (BTW, when the rest of us came home from late church, we saw the cows where they belonged. And 3rd Arrow remarked that while she was out helping with the cows, she was thinking, ‘Dad’s missing church because he’s doing what the sermon said to do.’) 🙂

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  47. We use instruments (sometimes only a piano, although most Sundays we have a couple soft guitars and even softer drums). But the music leaders at our church purposely don’t overwhelm the congregation (we have a good 300 people most Sundays).

    They “lead” in the sense that they let people know when to come in or to establish the melody and tmps (if it’s a new piece we’re doing). But mostly the sound we produce is of all of us singing together, which is nice.

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  50. I was thinking this morning, as I listened to a traditional drummer accompany our singing this morning (the electricity was out, so the keyboard couldn’t be used) that drums can be used a lot more tastefully in congregational singing than they generally are. Most of the drummers I have heard in North American churches alter the beat of the music, which changes how the words fit to the music, and they also dominate the music, driving it forward with their powerful sound. This drummer adapted himself to the music and blended with the singing. It was striking to see how this African drummer (who could drum rhythmic rings around any Western drummer) understood instinctively how the natural rhythm of English poetry should not be altered and how to enhance it.

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  51. Phos, I suspect thai this is because drums are more natural in their music. It appears to me, and note “appears” because I have an antipithy against effect they generally have. It appears to me, exactly as you said, that drums intend to dominate the musical scene in which they participate.

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  52. “In Christ Alone” is a wonderful example of what Christian music could be if the musicians followed Christ instead of letting worldly music industry managers tell them what to sing. In the last 30 or so years, Christian music has gone from being a niche market to an industry with many outlets. Musicians like Keith Green tried to bring it back to its Christian roots but he was unable to because too many young singers got duped by managers with dollar signs in their eyes. Sad.

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  53. Keith Green in my mind was a worship leader….I still play his music and worship at home alone….
    Donna, our church uses a dark blue Psalter….they sing no hymns, they believe singing the Psalms is the only true biblical worship….we don’t adhere to that theology and the leadership understands our view…it is difficult to for me to get use to, and sometimes I don’t know if we will remain here….we sort of feel like outsiders…we’ll stay until the Lord leads us elsewhere…..we love the people , but there seems to be some things they adhere to that I just cannot get past….

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  54. We sang “In Christ Alone” today. 🙂 The acoustic, electric & bass guitars, the drums and the keyboard simply supported and enhanced the worship. The leader truly lead today as well. Some of our leaders worship as they sing and don’t really pay attention if the congregation is being lead into worship by them. I still enjoy the music and singing but it’s so much better when the leader is aware of why they’re up there – it’s not just for their benefit, but they have a job to do that requires them to be aware and allow God to be the focus. I really enjoyed the worship in song portion today.

    Sermon today was about building bridges to reach our neighbours – sounds like chasing cows back where they belong is building a great bridge.

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  55. 6 arrows, what a great sermon illustration and how special that the kids understood what their dad was doing. A time of worship chasing the cows. We had a small ranch when I was growing up and I remember chasing the cows. We knew which ones were friendly and which ones to watch out for.

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  56. “There’s no definition for what’s a hymn and not a praise song.”

    Ten or fifteen years ago my church’s choir director (who is also Director of Choirs at University of Michigan) offered this tongue-in-cheek explanation of the difference. I don’t know where it originated.

    An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

    “Well,” said the farmer. “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”

    “Praise choruses?” asked the wife. “What are those?”

    “Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

    “Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife.

    The farmer said, “Well it’s like this … If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you, ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, in the CORN, CORN, CORN, COOOOORRRRRNNNNN,’ then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus.”

    As luck would have it, the exact same Sunday a young, new Christian from the city church attended the small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

    “Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

    “Hymns?” asked the wife. “What are those?”

    “They’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

    “Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife.

    The young man said, “Well it’s like this … If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you,

    Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
    Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
    Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
    To the righteous, glorious truth.

    For the way of the animals who can explain
    There in their heads is no shadow of sense,
    Hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain
    Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

    Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
    Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
    Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
    They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn chewed.

    So look to that bright shining day by and by,
    Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn
    Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry
    And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn,

    then, if I were to do only verses one, three and four, and change keys on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.”

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  58. nancyjill, we had a couple elders in my last church who felt persuaded that only the psalms should be sung in worship. While I love singing the psalms I think that’s unnecessarily restrictive.

    I’ve since transferred to a larger church (but in the same denomination) in a neighboring town and as far as I know the issue has not come up there.

    But I’ve received great teaching and sound theology at both churches. Some things you give a little on, depending on what your church options are.

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  59. New Testament scripture is so clear on using more than the psalms, that I cannot imagine why anyone would restrict their singing to that.

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  63. We have a dear dear friend who is a Dutch Reformed pastor….he loves the hymns and he told us singing Psalms only is his only “bigger issue” with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of NA…..they also do not celebrate nor recognize any holiday in the church…outside of the church setting, many do celebrate….but not all. In this church, I do know many members recognize Christmas and Easter….but it is never ever mentioned within the walls of the church….I did have an honest discussion about this with our Pastor…what a sweet young man he is and very kind in his explanations…and he does understand my hesitations….there are a couple of members who sort of give us the feeling that we are…outsiders…but, for the most part…the members are very warm towards us….

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  64. My former church also moved in that direction before I transferred, nancyjill — we would hang very modest/tasteful wreaths in just a couple spots in the sanctuary for Christmas but they decided against hanging them at some point. I understand the position, just don’t wholly agree with it.

    Fortunately I live in an area where good reformed churches can be found — and in my case I was able to transfer to another that was within the denomination but was closer to my views in some of those side issues.

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  67. As I believe I said before, we don’t have a church here, just an English service. So what we sing and the style of the service is entirely up to the one who volunteered to organize the service that week. We have had anything from the 7th grade youth to a high church Lutheran. Every week is different, but if you don’t like something you can always wait until next week. or volunteer to lead the service yourself.

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  68. Checking in from The Little House on the Prairie.
    1. I have already seen one snake.
    2. It’s a good thing I like it here because I don’t think I could find my way back to town to find a way back to the highway to get back to the City and I don’t think I would want to drive that road myself anyway.
    3. The neighbors and church people are nice.
    4. Apparently I am here to cook and declutter. So far I have done neither. Although I have determined that we will have chicken and dumplings for Dinner (because it is the big meal at 11:30 am) tomorrow.
    5. When I talked to Mr. P he started singing the song from Green Acres.

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  71. Funny, Kim, but in the country there aren’t that many roads, so you probably could find your way to somewhere. I love traveling here by air because it begins with aviation guys coming to your home to pick you up and they will even carry your suitcase for you. Easier to fly to Australia than to get somewhere actually in PNG.

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  72. Jo, yes, God provided such a great sermon illustration for our kids with our neighbor’s cows getting out the same day.

    I grew up on a farm, so I’ve had experience with chasing cows, too, as you have. I wasn’t going to do it today, though, wearing a skirt and heels. 😉

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  74. Oh, hi Jo, I didn’t realize you were around here just now. I’d love to converse, but it’s past my bedtime, and my husband just came downstairs and said, “You’re still up?”

    Have a good day!

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  79. “…a little help from his friends” reminds me of a Beatles song.

    Except most of the lyrics DO NOT fit the situation here, so I’ll not link to that video. 😯

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