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Our Daily Thread 11-16-13

Good Morning!

The weekend has arrived.

On this day in 1776 British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution.

In 1864 Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his troops began their “March to the Sea” during the Civil War.

In 1907 Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state.

In 1952, in the Peanuts comic strip, Lucy first held a football for Charlie Brown.

In 1959 the musical, “The Sound of Music” opened.

And in 1973 President Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law.

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Quote of the Day

“I was lucky enough to be the lady that was asked to be Maria in the Sound Of Music, and that film was fortunate enough to be huge hit. The same with Mary Poppins. I got terribly lucky in that respect.”

Julie Andrews

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This movie opened today in 1978.

It’s also the birthday of Diane Jean Krall, who I had no idea was married to Elvis Costello.

And it’s also the birthday of the man they call “The Father of the Blues,” W.C. Handy.

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Anyone have a QoD?

61 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 11-16-13”

  1. Who is Elvis Costello?
    I know! Chas, look it up.

    It was “Sound of Music” or “My Fair Lady” that was the first movie I ever took Elvera to. We had been married about 7 or 8 years by then. But Julie Andrews was more than lucky. She and those movies were made for each other.

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  2. Morning all. I love the Sound of Music. I showed it years ago to a couple of national teachers here. One lady really didn’t want to watch it, as most videos shown here are bad. Both were so pleased afterwards. They didn’t know that something good could be on film.

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  3. I looked up Elvis Costello and discovered why I had never heard of him.
    As for movies, I liked Shirley Jones in “The Music Man” best.
    We had a speaker at our Lions club who had been one of the kids in the marching band in the finale of the Music Man. He said he still receives a small check every December.

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  4. Good morning all. The weather has warmed up bring out the fog. Misty, moisty morning in Atlanta.

    I just wrote a haiku and wonder if anyone sees a Christian message in it?

    Dawn breaks through window
    Without shattering the glass
    Light in silence speaks

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  6. Good Morning. The rain has stopped here also. It looks a little gloomy out today, but that is just how almost winter looks here in the Sunny South.

    The quote from Julie Andrews strikes me as to how humble she was about it. I read somewhere once that there is something unique about her vocal range, but not being musically talented I can’t remember what it was.

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  8. I remember in third grade going on a school field trip to see “Sound of Music” at the theater. I guess because I went to a Catholic school, and Maria was a novice nun is why we all went. Then my teacher got the idea to get us all singing some of the songs. She also taught us several dances like polkas and such.

    But she was not one of my favorite teachers because she openly favored certain students, and none of them were boys. The worst was when her pet had a birthday. She had assigned a huge amount of arithmetic, but said, while holding the girl on her lap, “Amy doesn’t have to do it since it is her birthday.” The whole class protested loudly.

    I did not enjoy third grade.

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  10. 3.5 octave range. Extraordinary. I watched Darling Lili last week (set in WWII, of course) and, as I remembered, hated the story. But, I went back several times just to hear her sing. I should just get the music . . .

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  11. Somehow I found my way to the Oct. 16 Daily Thread instead of this one.

    AJ, you were needing a bug identified back on Oct.16. I pulled out one of my son’s old field guide books and found it for you. It is an Atteva Punctella with the common name Allanthus Webworm (may I ask who that name may be common to?).
    Its habitat is from New York south to Florida and west to Mexico.

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  14. I have 2 (well, now 3) study Bibles I rely on:

    1. ESV Study Bible (huge and definitely not portable — although one woman in our church brings hers every Sunday) — Very scholarly, in depth notes & articles, reliable, sound theology. It’s highly regarded among study Bibles. (published by Crossway)

    2. Reformation Study Bible — This came out with much anticipation in the 1990s and it’s still probably my main “go to” resource for quick checks on verses or other questions that come up. Not as voluminous as the ESV Study Bible so it’s portable. (Ligonier Ministries)

    3. Gospel Transformation Study Bible — Released only a few months ago, I’m not as familiar (yet) with this one, I’m still exploring it. It’s viewed as something of a companion/complement to the ESV Study Bible but with a specific focus on tracing God’s grace (and Jesus Christ) through all of Scripture. More devotional in nature — while the ESV Study Bible is compared to providing us with seminary lecture material, this is compared more to providing the reader with mini sermons. (Crossway)

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  15. It’s raining here this morning, yay. Our temps will be back down to a more normal range (60s) for the days ahead.

    Question: I’m visiting a co-worker today who’s been in the hospital (not life threatening, but somewhat serious probably) and I’d like to bring a Christian resource of some kind, maybe a small book of God’s promises? She believes in God but her only background has been in the Christian Science church (which she still adheres to mostly, so the theology is not at all orthodox Christianity).

    Any other thoughts or any specific book titles you think might be appropriate? Of course, I’m tempted to drop a 5-pound ESV Study Bible on her. But I’m afraid that might be a bit of overkill. 😉

    I remember getting a couple little gift books for a Bible study group once that consisted of God’s promises (categorized by topic), so I’m leaning toward something relatively compact and simple like that. I’ll stop off at the Christian bookstore on the way over to the hospital today to see what they have.

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  16. Thank you, Donna, for the info on study Bibles. I use the Reformation Study Bible at work and tend to go to the NLT Study Bible at home. I use the Blackaby Study Bible for devotional reading and recently have been using the Max Lucado Life Lessons Bible for devotional time.

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  17. Donna, I suggest a small book, 31 Days of Praise. It was given out one Christmas at the local Salvatuon Army Offices for those who saw their living nativity. It is a blessed book for believers and seekers. Since the Salvation Army counted it worthy for their outreach you would not go wrong with it.

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  19. JaniceG, thank you! Sounds like that would be perfect. Hopefully the store will have it, they carry a lot of prayer/devotional titles — if not, I could always get it from amazon & give it to her next time or for Christmas (we usually exchange small gifts).

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  24. Cheryl: Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    Speaking of devotional books, as Donna & Janice were, I bought an interesting book in Pigeon Forge. It is a devotional book called Daily Devotions for die hard (…………) Fans

    The ……….’s in this case is “Gamecocks”. They also have books for most of the other teams in the South and Midwest. e.g. Clemson, Alabama, Duke, Oklahoma, Texas, etc.

    It is an interesting book in that it gives some tidbit about a team situation, and segues into a devotional point.
    The first story in the book is about the 2011College World Series in which Charlie Peters prayed for the Gamecocks to win. Turns out – and I quote.

    “In April 2003, 5-year old Charlie was diagnosed with cancer. While he was in an Omaha hospital hooked up to some tubes, a group of college boys in town for the College World Series stopped by his room for a visit. They played some make-believe baseball in the lobby without a ball with Charlie taking a home-run cut and rounding the bases. They were South Carolina Gamecocks.”

    “Head coach Ray Tanner asked Charlie if he’d like to come to the stadium the next day and be the Gamecocks’ honorary bat boy. Charlie made a poster for the USC dugout that said “Never give up”. In November Charlie was declared free of cancer”

    Turns out, in 2011, Charlie was 13, and one of the team’s bat boys. A longer story, but the book tells of Charlie’s prayers for a run and a double play, and they happened.

    I don’t pray about sports events. When you get God involved, it’s no longer a fair game. Better than having a referee on your side.

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  25. You might check out Christianbook, too, Donna. They have a lot of those little books, too.

    Chas, my husband’s favorite musical is also the “The Music Man.” Good thing, since we saw the play a million times both during rehearsals and performances. Two of our daughters were in that one.

    The “Sound of Music” that came out that year, must have been the play, though. I recall the movie in theaters in the 60’s. We have seen that a zillion times, having three little girls who love those kind of movies.

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  27. I thought I would share this just because I am nerdy enough to laugh at it.

    Subject: Lexiphiles

    Lexiphile: (i.e., “lovers of words” you know . . . . like . . . you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish . . .. or, I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger . . . . then it hit me . . . .etc.

    Well, here are a few more:

    .

    To write with a broken pencil is . . . pointless.

    When fish are in schools they sometimes . . . take debate.

    A thief who stole a calendar . . . got twelve months.

    When the smog lifts in Los Angeles , . . . U.C.L.A.

    The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes . . . was on shaky ground.

    The batteries were given out . . . free of charge.

    A dentist and a manicurist married. .. . . They fought tooth and nail.

    A will is a . . . dead giveaway.

    If you don’t pay your exorcist . . . you can get repossessed.

    With her marriage, she got a new name . .. . and a dress.

    Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I’ll show you . . . A-flat miner.

    You are stuck with your debt if . . . you can’t budge it.

    Local Area Network in Australia : . . . The LAN down under.

    A boiled egg is . . . hard to beat.

    When you’ve seen one shopping center . . . you’ve seen a mall.

    Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was . . ..resisting a rest.

    Did you hear about the fellow whose whole left side was cut off? . . . He’s all right now.

    If you take a laptop computer for a run you could . . . jog your memory.

    A bicycle can’t stand alone; . . .. it is two tired

    .

    In a democracy it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism, . . . it’s your Count that votes.

    When a clock is hungry . . .. it goes back four seconds.

    The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine . . . was fully recovered.

    He had a photographic memory . . . which was never developed.

    Those who get too big for their britches will be . . . exposed in the end.

    When she saw her first strands of gray hair, . . . she thought she’d dye.

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  28. A good article Donna.
    No one will ever know if Oswald worked alone or not. He was capable of doing it alone.
    If Kennedy had remained president, we would not have had the VietNam war. It was a staged attack on the Turner Joy.
    We would never have had the “Great Society” debacle.
    Integration was well on the way and could have been accomplished without the rioting. Rioting was legiti;mized by the VietNam War.

    All things considered, it was a disaster for America.
    But the “Kennedy mistique” is on the way out.

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  31. The NC Tarheels are playing the Pitt Panthers on TV. I turned the radio on to WHKP. It is being broadcast there. I notice that the video is several seconds behind the audio. i.e. The play has already happened when you see it.
    I have noticed this before. It may have happened in other places, but during the broadcast of the Washington Redskins games, people used to turn the TV down and listen to Sonny, Sam and Frank narriate the game. I’m sure the channels didn’t like that.
    I suspect that’s the reason.
    That is Sonny Jergenson, Sam Huff and Frank Hertzog. Sonny was QB, Sam a linebacker for the ‘Skins.

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  33. This morning I asked if anyone could get a Chrisrian message from the haiku I wrote.
    Here is the haiku again:

    Dawn breaks through window
    without shattering glass
    Light in silence speaks

    The Scripture I was thinking of is Psalm 18:1-4

    “The heavens declare the glory of God,
    The skies proclaim the work of his hands.
    Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they display knowledge.
    There is no speech or language
    where their voice is not heard.
    Their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world..” (NIV)

    This is the type of content, along with a picture, that I have in mind for one day of the blog I want to start. I am curios to know if this makes sense to anyone else or if I am just in a quirky mode that others would not be able to relate to. Your honest opinion is important to me. Do not worry about hurting my feelings because I rather know up front if this is something to pursue or to let go. Thanks to any who wish to give their 2 cents (only real pennies accepted, no slugs, please).

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  34. I was singing in the shower after leaving my note about Julie Andrews, trying to figure out my range. I’m your typical untrained choir soprano, and I’m about 12 notes–14 on a good day (or in the shower). An octave, of course, is seven notes.

    That made me rethink the 3.5 octaves for Julie Andrews– 25 notes, or nearly half the keyboard. I went googling just now and the vocal range for her goes from 2 octaves and 2 notes (or slightly better than me? I don’t think so) to 4 octaves (most of the keyboard? I don’t think so.

    Whatever the number, she has perfect pitch and used to sing the notes in her range beautifully. Whether you like the song or not, the musical part of it was always spot-on. (Or should I have said “spit-spot on?”)

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  35. Well, I didn’t find the book JaniceG suggested so I spent a lot of time perusing what else was on the prayer and devotion shelf before heading to the hospital for the visit. I”d decide on one, then put it back. Decide on another, then put it back.

    I wound up getting her a rather theologically-light but entertaining devotional called “Paws and Reflect” for animal lovers (which she is). As I said, very lightweight but Christian (though some of the theology I saw reflected made me cringe a bit).

    I figured when you’re in the hospital you’re probably not going to tackle Sproul or E.M. Bounds or Oswald Chambers; it would be a bit too much (though to offset the shaky theology in the other book, I also found a short $1.99 pamphlet by Randy Alcorn — “If God is Good Why Do We Hurt” in the hospital gift shop that I also tossed in the gift bag. 🙂 ).

    Anyway, had a good long visit, she’s in good spirits and looked good — her boyfriend showed up as I was easing out so it was a natural changing of the guard. 🙂

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  36. Chas- When I watched Monday Night Football in the old days, I would turn down the V volume and listen to the radio broadcast, mainly because I could not stand Howard Cosell.

    Michelle- I just looked at our piano and there are 7 octaves. I used to be able to do 3.5 when I sang in choir, and with falsetto just short of 4. So I think Ms Andrews doing 4 is a possibility.

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  41. Take heart, brothers and sisters. God is still on the move.

    http://crossmap.christianpost.com/news/christianity-spreading-at-remarkable-rate-among-middle-upper-castes-and-youth-in-emerging-new-india-6572

    “Christianity in India is growing at a rapid rate among middle and high caste Indians and young people, according to the latest issue of ‘Unfinished’ magazine, which examines social, economic and cultural trends in the ‘new India.’

    “The current ‘remarkable receptivity to Christ’ across the entire spectrum of Indian society, which had been traditionally among only lower castes and marginalized communities, is one of five dominant themes identified by Indian anthropologist Prabhu Singh that define today’s India and its missional challenges.”

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  42. Sounds like a great article, Donna.
    hmm… it sure does take you all a long time to wake up these days. Sunday evening here and time to get ready for school tomorrow.
    Finally learned how to make hummus tonight. Yummy

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  44. Donna, the album came out in 1962, I think. As I told you some weeks ago, my mother was an O-fish-ul member of a record club before she married my dad and he paid it off and made her close her account.

    Jo- how does one make hummus? I think it may be my favorite food these days. The grocery store in town has a chef on staff. The deli makes hummus and tops it with black olives, feta cheese, and roasted red peppers–It is the BEST!

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  48. Nope, Chas, it is Monday morning and time to get ready for work.
    Kim, you wait months for the store to get canned garbanzoes in, drag out the blender that you bought years ago and figure out how to hook it up to the transformer, since it is 110volts not 240v, then add the garbanzoes, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, etc. and whirl away. I added just a little too much of the liquid from the can so it was slightly runny. However this is one of my favorite foods too and now I know how to easily make it.
    I would rather buy it, but it is nowhere to be found here.

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  50. We have communion every Sunday. I don’t feel like I have been to church without it. There are a few churches around that only have it quarterly and on Sunday night. People don’t know what they are missing.

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  55. “…I also found a short $1.99 pamphlet by Randy Alcorn — “If God is Good Why Do We Hurt” in the hospital gift shop that I also tossed in the gift bag.”

    Did Donna just confess to shoplifting? 😉

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  58. Weekly communion has become very important to me as well. It seemed to be the pattern of the first church and has been a blessing to me after being in churches that celebrated it infrequently (or not at all, as in the Quaker church).

    I went back to church tonight for the 6 p.m. meeting but found myself struggling just to keep my eyes open. It was a very full day and a full weekend.

    The sheepherding was fun, we were just there to watch but a friend was one of the participants. Tess was beside herself in intensity as she watched from the gate. Nice ambiance, too, it’s one of our horsey spots so lots of horses, some livestock, a few cowboys 🙂 and a gaggle of border collies there for the herding.

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  61. I didn’t know what to call them so ‘gaggle’ just popped into my mind. 🙂 I figured it wasn’t really very accurate …

    I like “whine,” though. A whine of border collies. A woof of border collies.

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