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This carol is one of 61 on the playlist of “Carol Story,” a 10-minute play that tells the story of Christ solely through lyrics of Christmas songs as dialogue. Learn More.
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is the fulfillment of prophecy proclaimed in Micah 5:1-2. This eloquent recording by Elvis Presley, backed up by his compatriots The Jordanaires, is from his simple beginnings and reflect his deep, yet embattled faith in Christ. Elvis was poster-child for conflicted Believers, especially those in performing arts. This carol is one of 61 on the playlist of "Carol Story," a 10-minute play that tells the story of Christ solely through lyrics of Christmas songs as dialogue. Learn More. "O Holy Night" is an English translation of the French carol "Le Christien Minuit" that was translated and became a rallying cry of abolitionists during the Civil War. The third verse of "O Holy Night" was a direct Christian call to eradicate slavery, a sentiment that led to the song begin edited or outright banned in some sections of the country. We address this story more in our production, "Freedom Song."
Among the teachings in his first letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul gave what some Bible translations subtitle, “Concerns for Married Life.” Included in the passage in chapter seven, Paul speaks to pastors…or would-be pastors, with an admonition summarized here by the late Eugene Peterson in his paraphrase, “The Message.” “Because of the current pressures on us from all sides, I think it would probably be best to stay just as you are. Are you married? Stay married. Are you unmarried? Don’t get married. But there’s certainly no sin in getting married, whether you’re a virgin or not. All I am saying is that when you marry, you take on additional stress in an already stressful time, and I want to spare you if possible.” Peterson and Paul’s perspective is the backdrop for this sequence of audio and written reflections based on the book, “Who Prays for the Pastor?” by Fredrick Ezeji-Okoye. It was a Francis Scott Key kind of morning: "Oh, say...by the dawn's early light?"
This particular Sunday was not just another long-distance training day. They had spent Saturday mapping out the plan for Sunday; a more intricate collaboration than had occurred in previous planning sessions. There's something to be said for Experience being a teacher. Their phone call was about an hour, going over and again the start time, the drive time, the water stops, the energy shots, the traffic flow. Distance had its own importance. Vikki had not completed any of her previous double-digit goals. Today's 16-mile run was admirable; however, she was struggling, lamenting that it should be 20. Twenty is the optimum number of miles a marathon runner should run in a training session before race day, and three, the optimum number of weeks that 20 should be run. Twenty miles were what Jules ran on the same day three years ago when she was getting ready for the Chicago Marathon . That same day, Vikki ran her first 26.2-miler. The Fox Valley Marathon. Today was the third anniversary of that sub-five-hour hoof. |
The KIT 'n' Kaboodle BlogThe essays here are culled from our travels, conversations, worship experiences and discoveries. Many are reprints from our newsletter, The KIT 'n' Kaboodle, or Facebook notes over time. They're written by our ensemble, Garlan Garner, Michael Edgar Myers or Vikki J. Myers -- solo, or collectively. Archives
February 2024
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