Easter OBITUARY

Today is a Long Day Coming..

I’ve been gone from my blog for sometime now due to illness in the family which has claimed my time and energy for more than several years.  Nothing has changed much except now my better-half  has terminal cancer undergoing treatment, my loyal, devoted furkid has not much more time either and I don’t know what my future will bring my way, everyday.  What has changed greatly is my reliance on the Lord for strength, greater faith and irrepressible hope.  I’m praying for a miracle.

And I’m praying that my country finds the will to turn itself around and become better, civility-minded individuals who can help the whole of our existence in these troubled times.  Everywhere we look, there is hurt, sorrow, destruction and hopelessness.  Everywhere I look, I see good people dealing with Life’s unexpected adversities. I see frightened people who are living without the basic needs for survival.  I ‘see’ unlimited peoples of goodwill looking for outstretched hands in need.  Remember, there will always be good people doing good for other people.  Be one of them.

I see people dismayed by the civil unrest we are experiencing around the world and now – right here at home.  We can surmise some of this civil unrest is due to people feeling a lack of satisfaction by the very people who, by definition, are meant to represent us and our vision of how we wish to live our lives!  Our right to be left alone.  Who might these people be? Those in public service, corporate heads, and industry who do not have our best interests in mind.

When we’re frustrated by unmet promises made by our pubic servants, we take it out on others. Unfortunately, it might be our own loved ones, neighbors, teachers, grocery store clerk, or our employers or workmates.  This situation makes for argumentative and confrontational discourse among peoples who would otherwise, under peaceful and secure circumstances, treat each other with respect and civil decency.

Our culture is under attack.   We are forced to tolerate the intolerable, accept the unacceptable and ‘love’ those who are despicable.  All without taking into consideration the differences between peoples in their likes and dislikes.  To disagree is to be human.  For everyone to  agree on everything and be just like everyone else is to be robot.  Talk about stressors.  And why not throw in political-correctness to boot!

We all need to take some deep breaths.

I’ll go first.   *smile*

Take care of each other.  Show kindness.  Give thanks in every thing.

She writes “Faith is My Superpower” – ’tis mine as well!

I’ve come across a really good blog entitled “Faith is My Superpower” written in a voice of authority and wisdom; a blog written by Sharon Light, I believe.  Light takes me in with her voice of authority and wisdom; touches my heart with her love of the Lord as she writes about the Days we’re in and how faith will see us through.  Anything.  Her wish to inform and bring more preople into the family of Christ is inspiring.  I hope you’ll visit with her on her Faith is my Superpower blog.

How-to on Civility by P. M. Forni

Some of you may recall I’m a fan of P. M. Forni, professor at John Hopkins University, who co-founded the John Hopkins Civility Project in 1997, an aggregation of academic and community outreach activities, to assess the significance of civility, manners, and politeness.   He’s the author of Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct [how we ought to treat each other] listed below.

• Pay Attention
• Acknowledge Others
• Think the Best
• Listen
• Be Inclusive
• Speak Kindly
• Don’t Speak Ill
• Accept and Give Praise
• Respect Even a Subtle “No”
• Respect Others’ Opinions
• Mind your Body
• Be Agreeable
• Keep It Down (and Rediscover Silence)
• Respect Other People’s Time
• Respect Other People’s Space
• Apologize Earnestly
• Assert Yourself
• Avoid Personal Questions
• Care for Your Guests
• Be a Considerate Guest
• Think Twice Before Asking Favors
• Refrain from Idle Complaints
• Accept and Give Constructive Criticism
• Respect the Environment and Be Gentle to Animals.
• Don’t Shift Responsibility and Blame

Peggy M. Parks, AICI CIP, writes her opinions on The Civility Solution here.
You can hear excerpts of The Civility Solution on WNIC here.

Broadway stars toast Susan Boyle at Tony Awards

World famous Susan Boyle is toasted at the 2009 Tony Awards; Dolly Parton opined, “Oh, she’s fantastic!  She’d be great on Broadway.  I want to meet her, too.” Liza Minnelli was in agreement, but added, “If she could stand the pressure. You know.”   Allison Janney, who stars in the Tony-nominated “9 to 5,” said Susan Boyle “will shine” once the media hoopla settles down.  “She just needs to get all the heat off her from this craziness and settle down and get into her life again.”  Susan Boyle was also toasted by Constantine Maroulis of “Rock of Ages,” and actress Gina Gerson said  from the start that Ms. Boyle is Broadway material. Constantine Maroulis, if you will remember, was American Idol 4′s 6th placer.  Constantine went on to perform in Rent and The Wedding Singer on stage.  He’s currently nominated for Leading Actor in a Musical Tony due to his work  on Rock of Ages.

Way to gooooo, Susan Boyle!!

Susan Boyle: you’re #1 to me…\o/

I guess I don’t need to tell you how deeply disappointed I am that Susan Boyle wasn’t voted top winner of Britains Got Talent 2009 competition.   Makes me wonder if viewers just took for granted that she’d win without their votes because she is loved the world round.  At any rate, Ms. Boyle is the winner as far as the world is concerned.  Take heart, Susan Boyle! We’ll remember you until the end of time.  [I can't even remember the name of the dance group that won, officially.  Isn't that telling..?!]   For all of you who are visiting here for the first time, I’m presenting Ms. Boyle’s last performance on Britains Got Talent 2009, I Dreamed a Dream.   Her performance gave me goose bumps and I cried at the absolute beauty of her instrument – and – the humble nature of this amazing woman.  Thank you, Ms. Boyle for sharing your God-given instrument with the world.  We are richer for it……and God bless you with everything you need in this lifetime!

I’ve not lost the irony that her last performance, I Dreamed a Dream, would be so apropos with the competition’s final results.  When I listen to it now, with the knowledge she didn’t win top place in the competition, I don’t look at the contest result as the end of a dream, but as the beginning of fantastic opportunities in voice performances.   I’d love to hear her sing opera, too.  Good luck, Susan Boyle!  Your Dream has Just Begun!!!

Susan Boyle sings “Cry me a River”

Why hasn’t Susan Boyle been “discovered” before this time?  I think she’s sensational.  What a blessing the world can now hear her interpretations of the music that not only is sung out loud, but obviously resides inside her heart, as well.  Truly, music is the universal language.  I hope you like this song sung by Susan Boyle as much as I did.  ENJOY!

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Never judge a Book by its Cover – Susan Boyle – one heckuva cover!

Remember when your mother told you to never judge a book by its cover when you were growing up?  It was to teach us not to assume we can glean to know someone/something about which we’ve just laid eyes on for the first time – especially by physical appearance alone.  If you never heard this expression before, you’re not alone, but I think the whole world now knows what this saying means after viewing Britains Got Talent 2009 the other day when the audience saw Susan Boyle for the first time on stage.  She was auditioning for Britain’s equivalent to our American Idol competition.  This 48 year old, matronly woman stood on stage with a mic in her hand; Simon asked her name, where she came from, how old she was, what her “dream” was, and what she was going to sing for the judges – all while the audience was tittering and laughing and looking at her with disbelief.   She maintained her poise, dignity and humor throughout the initial questioning and finished by telling the audience she was going to sing I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. Then she cued the music; she only got out a couple of notes when the audience went absolutely bananas clapping, whistling, and uttering all kinds of pleasant sounds.  See for yourself!

I was totally stunned by her performance; found myself crying with joy for her towards the end of her performance – actually, it was when she sang the line, “as they turn your dream to shame,” and she held that note on the word shame for as long as she did.

Absolutely spectacular!   What can I say?  Susan Boyle had me at hello.

Here are the Lyrics (Thanks to NewHotdox via YouTube)

I Dreamed a Dream

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

And still
I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather…

I had a dream my life would be
So different form this hell I’m living
so different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.

The greatest festival Christians have….Easter

God Bless Tom Wright for telling it like it is, namely, that the Church has been trivializing Easter and that “Christians must keep their nerve – the Resurrection isn’t a metaphor, it’s a physical fact.”  Amen, Brother!

Tom Wright’s article, The Church Must Stop Trivialising Easter, is one every Christian ought to read and that’s why I’m providing a link to it today.   Here’s just a few of Wright’s gems embedded in his article:

• Easter was the pilot project.  What God did for Jesus He intends to do for the whole creation. Christians are called to be new-creation people here and now.
• True meaning has remained hidden; the Church has trivialised it; the world has rubbished it. Church has turned Jesus’s Resurrection into a “happy ending” after the dark and messy story of Good Friday.
• “Resurrection” to first century Jews wasn’t about “going to heaven” rather the physically dead being physically alive again. Nobody back then expected just one person to be bodily raised from the dead in the middle of history.
• The Resurrection is not what social science calls “cognitive dissonance”. Resurrection is not about someone coming back into the present mode of life, rather, someone going on into a new sort of existence, bodily.
• Split between God and the “real” world produces a public life lurching between anarchy and tyranny; an aesthetic swinging dramatically between sentimentalism and brutalism.
• Politicians can not save the world.
• Death is final weapon of the tyrant, the anarchist; resurrection indicates this weapon doesn’t have “the last word”.
• Church must work with Easter energy of justice and beauty, facing down skeptics, speaking once more of Jesus in a way that will be heard.

The Right Rev Dr Tom Wright is Bishop of Durham

It is time..

..to jumpstart my heart, as well as this blog, don’t you think, dears?  I could spend way too much time here explaining my absence due to a number of hardships, but it would pale in comparison to the hardships most people are going through at this time.   Let’s just say the last half year has been quite challenging, and still is.  However, I know my attitude and well-being is tied into my writing and instilling hope and perseverance in others.  I appreciate all of you who have stopped by to leave comments and wisdom to share with others.  So, to all my former readers out in the vast CyberWorld – Welcome Back!