October 25, 2023
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Deep Something

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. ~~Mark Twain

Holidays

I believe that holidays and the associated traditions and rituals are part of one’s culture, so I would use this category for things related to any holiday celebrations.

Religion Culture Holidays Featured 

Being Friends with God

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Today in Sunday School, We still going through the Rick Warren book. This discussion was about being friends with God. The discussion went off in a number of directions, and I’m not sure how much I got out of this week. Today is also the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so I wanted to work in a reference to that in today’s prayer. I heard a great story this morning on NPR about how King had once been asked, in his teenage years, what he was looking at as he stared out the Window. He was watching the gas lamp lighter going along lighting the gas lights. King said he was watching the man, “knock holes in the darkness.”

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Culture Holidays Music 

Ssshh

B. John 178 Views 0 Comments

What’s become my favorite Christmas song, Still, Still, Still by the Vienna Boys Choir. Still, Still, Still is one of the prettiest carols out there and unfortunately not a lot is known about it other than that it is Austrian, set to the “Salsburg Melody” and was written around 1819.

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Culture Holidays Music 

The First Noel – Elvis

B. John 107 Views 0 Comments ,

With a bow to my old high school friend, Mike, here’s the King doing The First Noel. “The First Nowell” is a traditional English Christmas carol, most likely from the 18th century. In its current form it is of Cornish origin, and it was first published in Some Ancient Christmas Carols (1823) and Gilbert and Sandys Christmas Carols (1833), edited by William B. Sandys and arranged, edited and with extra lyrics written by Davies Gilbert.

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Music Featured Culture Holidays 

Jingle Bell Rock – Hall and Oates

B. John 115 Views 0 Comments

Another 80’s classic Christmas song. This time it’s Hall and Oates performing Jingle Bell Rock. It was first released by Bobby Helms in 1957 and has received frequent airplay during every Christmas time since then. “Jingle Bell Rock” was written by Joe Beal, a Massachusetts-born public relations man, and Jim Boothe, a Texas writer in the advertising business. It was also recorded by Bill Haley and the Comets.

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Culture Holidays Music 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town-The Boss

B. John 104 Views 0 Comments

The Boss, Bruce Springsteen singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The song is by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor’s radio show in November 1934. It became an instant hit with orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day and over 400,000 copies sold by Christmas.The earliest known recorded version of the song was performed by George Hall and the Hotel Taft Orchestra, and was also recorded on September 26, 1935, by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra

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