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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on June 25, 2011, at 11:50:21
I wondered if people would like to share their favorite faith music. Music is such a special part of my faith experience. I'd like to hear about others music experiences as well.
I don't know if I have a single favorite, but this is one of mine:
Morning Has Broken
As Sung by Cat Stevenslyrics by Eleanor Farjeon
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the wordSweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet passMine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day
Posted by sigismund on June 27, 2011, at 14:50:38
In reply to Songs of faith, posted by Dinah on June 25, 2011, at 11:50:21
I planted this tree garden which hasn't always been done as well as I would have liked. I wanted the multilayering of different kinds of rainforest foliage. It is OK, I guess. Maybe it is like cooking....the cook is never impressed by the food.
Anyway one time I had eaten just a couple of psiloscybin mushrooms and was listening to Messiah, and had come to this.......
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.
AIR (Alto)
and CHORUS O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain: O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.There was the layering of the music in the chorus that seemed to be like a beautiful rainforest, and something about the words. I was really quite overcome and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced.
Which is odd, because Christian theology and me do not get on well, but it was perhaps something from the religious readings of my childhood that resonated so deeply. Something about the cities of Judah, but I have no idea what. And of course the glory of the Lord.
Posted by Dinah on June 28, 2011, at 13:34:46
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » Dinah, posted by sigismund on June 27, 2011, at 14:50:38
That is beautiful. I think that happens sometimes. The words and music speak so directly to the soul that the doctrinal aspects don't seem to matter so much. "Holy, Holy, Holy" is one of my favorite hymns, even though I'm not a trinitarian.
I'm trying to picture what you're describing. Do you know any pictures that show what you're looking for? At one time my parents were trying to create a natural woodland, where the shade from the trees nurtured smaller growth and discouraged rampant growth of weeds and grass. However, this being New Orleans, rampant growth is kind of hard to discourage. So there was a bit of work involved to create that natural look. It sounds as if you are aiming for something else.
Gardening can be a pretty good way to get in touch with the eternal, I think. Nothing like being wrist deep in nature to appreciate its power. And nothing like a kudzu vine to make one realize how insignificant man really is in the vast scheme of things. So we think we're in control, do we?
:)
Posted by Dinah on June 28, 2011, at 13:39:46
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » sigismund, posted by Dinah on June 28, 2011, at 13:34:46
It occurs to me that my favorite hymns tend to wax eloquent on mornings, while I only recognize one 6 o'clock, and it isn't the one that greets the day.
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Henry J. van Dyke, 1907
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowrs before Thee,
Opning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heavn reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flowry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning oer us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
In the triumph song of life.
Posted by sigismund on June 28, 2011, at 17:43:59
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » sigismund, posted by Dinah on June 28, 2011, at 13:34:46
Kudzu is used for thickening liquids, but also to cut alcohol cravings. I should be taking it :)
This isn't the layering, but I am a sucker for buttressed roots.....
http://journeyjottings.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BorderRangeStrangler_2025.jpg
This are was systematically cleared and then not needed, so many people have tried to recreate just a little of the rainforest of this area.
It was so sad. As I have heard, it was divided up for soldier settlement after WW1 and the condition was that it be cleared, so they cut it down with handsaws and tried to burn it. Then it was used for dairying before that collapsed.
I used to listen to masses and particularly liked the Sanctus. The B minor of Bach and C minor of Mozart, certainly. They are wild, like you are not on the earth but somewhere else.
Posted by Dinah on June 29, 2011, at 14:15:19
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » Dinah, posted by sigismund on June 28, 2011, at 17:43:59
It is stunning, Sigi. Cypress trees pale in comparison. Are the people trying recreate a piece of the rainforest having any success?
I hate the damage that mining and blasting do to mountains, and while there is something so hopeful about efforts to reclaim damaged areas, it's a hope that can't be separated from the anger at the loss. Is there that sort of feeling about it?
I suppose I should take a look to see if there's anything I can do regarding the brutal mishandling of the earth's resources.
That's my other favorite sort of hymn, aside from the hymns of praise. The hymns of service remind me of how much *better* I could do.
"For such a time as this"
Wayne Watson
Now, all I have is now
To be faithful
To be holy
And to shine
Lighting up the darkness
Right now, I really have no choice
But to voice the truth to the nations
A generation looking for God*Chorus*
For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth
To hear the voice of God
And do His will
Whatever it is.
For such a time as this
For now and all the days He gives
I am here, I am here
And I am His
For such a time as this.You - Do you ever wonder why
Seems like the grass is always greener
Under everybody else's sky
But right here, right here for this time and place
You can live a mirror of His mercy
A forgiven image of grace
(Repeat Chorus)Can't change what's happened till now
But we can change what will be
By living in holiness
That the world will see Jesus(Repeat Chorus)
Posted by sigismund on June 30, 2011, at 14:28:50
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » sigismund, posted by Dinah on June 29, 2011, at 14:15:19
When we see a coral reef we appreciate the strangeness. But we are so used to plants we don't. A useful way to think about trees, for example, is to think of them a bit like you think of coral. There is this living film around a dead centre, growing and growing.
This is way north of me. I must see it some day.
http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2007/11/conservation-values-in-the-daintree/I love buttress roots!
But I am still trying to find that layering I had images of when listening to Handel.
You can imagine it here, going down to the forest floor
I think this is lovely Dinah, and very true. It reminds me of William Blake.
You - Do you ever wonder why
Seems like the grass is always greener
Under everybody else's sky
But right here, right here for this time and place
You can live a mirror of His mercy
A forgiven image of grace
(Repeat Chorus)Can't change what's happened till now
But we can change what will be
By living in holiness
That the world will see Jesus
Posted by 10derheart on June 30, 2011, at 15:13:30
In reply to Another favorite, posted by Dinah on June 28, 2011, at 13:39:46
Beethoven's music is.....exquisitely simple and amazing.
And, though not traditional (which I also like a whole lot) and somewhat of a medley, I've never heard it done better than this, I must say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLWhfxq8Jhs&feature=related
I am a sucker for someone rapping, 'get down with G-O-D' as silly or trite as that may seem to some now. It seemed perfect in the 90s.
But I'm so biased - I love all the music from this movie. I never tire of it. This particular one, though, can pull me out of any type of funk, obsessive grief...anything...and that's saying a lot. I'm so glad you reminded me of it.
Oh, yeah, and then there's "Oh, Happy Day" which we frequently sing in m church...blows me away, too.
Posted by Dinah on July 2, 2011, at 9:04:05
In reply to Re: Another favorite » Dinah, posted by 10derheart on June 30, 2011, at 15:13:30
> But I'm so biased - I love all the music from this movie. I never tire of it. This particular one, though, can pull me out of any type of funk, obsessive grief...anything...and that's saying a lot. I'm so glad you reminded me of it.
Me too!!!
I can't imagine any rendition that delivers the emotion behind the work any better than this one. Not silly or trite at all.
Mind you, in my own worship, I'm more of a quiet hymn singer. Which resonates in its own way in my soul.
But that movie I have on DVD and reserve it for those times I need it.
(By the way, your post is curiously apropos right now for me. I love the way that happens. How God sometimes seems to prime the pump to ready my mind to open.)
Posted by Dinah on July 2, 2011, at 9:41:03
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » Dinah, posted by sigismund on June 30, 2011, at 14:28:50
That is gorgeous Sigi. I think I see what you mean about layering. I think I love buttress roots too.
We have cypress knees, which are beautiful in their own way, but without the majesty.
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/Louisiana/BaldCypress_knees.jpg
I suppose there can be beauty in swamps, although it's sometimes hard for me to see it.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKKDkc3lCqdajELsoGbbJg97Meg1n10d_1-AIWzQpx4ekpliPV-w&t=1
I feel God's presence so much more in nature than I do in church. Although, for me, I confess it's easier to see it in mountains than in my local swamps. I can definitely see it in buttress roots and the Daintree rain forest. Is it hard for you to get there? It looks like it would definitely be worth the journey. A way to renew one's soul.
Posted by Dinah on July 2, 2011, at 10:00:42
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » Dinah, posted by sigismund on June 27, 2011, at 14:50:38
This is another one that I use to remind myself of what's important. It's hard to just use the written word, since the points of view alternate.
I'm not sure I like the video, so I'll include two versions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcxOkht8w7c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SHIrS6pMG4&feature=related
It's depressing how often I need to remind myself.
Posted by sigismund on July 8, 2011, at 2:07:06
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » sigismund, posted by Dinah on July 2, 2011, at 9:41:03
>Although, for me, I confess it's easier to see it in mountains than in my local swamps.
Could you see the mountains from where you grew up?
I remember you saying there weren't any hills in Utah.
No no, those cyprus knees are gorgeous, wonderful, absolutely strange. What are they :)?
But that is the wonderful thing about plants for me...they kind of escape my filters and reveal the world in all its strange wonderfulness. I can't remember the Blake quote about the doors of perception, but something about seeing the world as holy.
It's peaceful, it's lovely. I don't much like cities and hardly ever new ones. I saw these photos of old Beijing in 1944. I do not believe in progress.
Posted by Dinah on July 10, 2011, at 11:31:56
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » Dinah, posted by sigismund on July 8, 2011, at 2:07:06
I don't care much for the city myself, although I confess I like the idea of living out in the country better than I'd like actually living in the country. I'm a bit sqeamish about rodents and bugs, and like conveniences.
Actually I could see the mountains from the farm in Utah. It always looked to me as if they started right beyond the corn fields, though of course they couldn't possibly have done so. I really want to go back there, and see how it all looks from adult eyes. My mother says the area has changed so much, I wouldn't recognize it now. She warns me I'd likely be sad.
I'm not sure what function cypress knees serve. They are a part of the cypress root, and probably developed because the cypress is so often standing in water.
I try to challenge myself to find the holy everywhere. Whether it's in a backyard plant, or a scab. It's such a beautifully constructed thing, a scab. It's not at all hard for me to see God's work in it.
Posted by sigismund on July 11, 2011, at 18:17:14
In reply to Re: Songs of faith » sigismund, posted by Dinah on July 10, 2011, at 11:31:56
In the Doors of Perception Huxley writes something to the effect 'Confronted by a chair that looked like the last judgement....that was the last judgement'.
Anyway, plants escape my filters a bit like that. Though not, it occurs to me, like Sartre and his tree root.
The trees are doing well enough. We had a massacre a few days ago and now I feel better about it. This morning one of these was outside the trees, sitting at the gate.
They munch the grass in the mornings and evenings, and rest in the shade during the day.
This is the end of the thread.
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