Be Careful

It is a curious fact that there is such a thing as being proud of grace. A man says, "I have great faith--I shall not fall; poor little faith may, but I never shall." "I have fervent love," says another. "I can stand; there is no danger of my going astray." He who boasts of grace has little grace to boast of. Some who do this imagine that their graces can keep them, knowing not that the stream must flow constantly from the fountainhead or else the stream will soon be dry. If a continuous supply of oil does not come to the lamp, even though it may burn brightly today, it will smoke tomorrow, and noxious will be its scent.

Pay attention that you do not glory in your graces, but let all your glorying and confidence be in Christ and His strength, for only in this way can you be kept from falling. Be much more diligent in prayer. Spend longer time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God. Take the best examples for your pattern. Let your conversation be full of heaven. Let your hearts be perfumed with affection for men's souls. Live in such a way that men may recognize that you have been with Jesus and have learned of Him; and when that happy day shall come, when He whom you love shall say, "Come up higher," may it be your happiness to hear Him say, "You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, and henceforth there is laid up for you the crown of righteousness that doesn't fade."

Keep on, Christian, with care and caution! Go on, with holy fear and trembling! On, with faith and confidence in Jesus alone, and let your constant petition be, "Uphold me according to Your promise."(Psalm 119:116) He alone is able "to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy."(Jude 1:24)

BUT WHO IS HAROLD?

- From The Choir  Herald, November 1989

Children are wonderful. They hear what we say, and they say what they hear. That goes for singing, too. 

Everyone has heard about that mysterious character called "Round John Virgin", who appears each Christmas in the ever popular "Silent Night". For years, I thought he was part of the Nativity Scene!

Perhaps you have heard about the child who learned the Pledge of Allegiance, proudly stating, "... one nation, and a vegetable, under God." That poor kid probably didn't eat his green beans either!

Another popular individual that appears at the beginning of ball games is Jose, the one to whom the question is asked, "Jose, can you see?"

The Lord's Prayer has suffered many interpolations as well. My favorites are "Give us this day our jelly bread." and "Lead us not into Penn Station."

That's not as violent as "There is a bomb in Gilead." Heaven forbid!

The problem is universal, of course, and our friends in England are often hearing their children proclaim, "God shave the Queen!". How embarrassing!

"Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear!" shows up from time to time, as does Harold. Who is Harold? Don't know, but he is part of the Lord's Prayer and a regular Christmas guest: "Our Father Who art in heaven, Harold be thy name." and "Hark the Harold Angels Sing." Must be a new choir in town.

In case you wondered, we have evidence that the shepherds were not just watching their sheep that night, for it has been clearly sung over and over "While shepherds washed their socks by night." Well, why not?

Yes, children are wonderful. And this is the season for our children to recall once again the ageless story of that first Christmas. May the message be clear, may the joy be real, and may Harold bless you, everyone.

SCORES TO SETTLE 0217

STICKING WITH IT 

 At the age of twelve, Daniel Barenboim was a poised, accomplished pianist with three years of major concerts to his credit. In the summer of 1955, he was taking a conducting class at the Salzburg Mozarteum. The school had brought a series of guest teachers, conductors who were working at the Salzburg Festival, each of whom would instruct the class for a day. 

 Among the guest teachers was the formidable George Szell, long-time conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, who had been given credit for building it into what one critic called “the world’s keenest symphonic instrument”.  Young Barenboim had met Szell a year earlier, auditioning successfully for him as a pianist. But now the boy was on the spot. On the day that the stern and strict Szell was to teach to the class, it was Barenboim’s turn to conduct. 

 Szell was known to enjoy putting musicians into difficult situations to see how they would cope. 

 He was sceptical when he saw the young pianist. “What are you going to conduct?” he asked. 

“Well,” Barenboim said, “I have prepared Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony.” It was one of the works the class had been assigned. 

 Szell tightened the screws. “I want to see what you will do with the Fifth Symphony,” he said. 

 Even at the age of twelve, Barenboim knew that keeping the orchestra together for the beginning of the Fifth Symphony was a terror for most conductors.

 Bravely, he began to lead the orchestra. Very quickly, the whole performance fell apart. With pointed words, Szell advised Barenboim to stick with the piano and become a serious musician.

But Barenboim stuck with conducting, and thirteen years later, as he was to lead the London Symphony in Carnegie Hall, he was told that Szell was in the audience. The strict lesson for a twelve-year-old paid off. Szell, who was now its Music Adviser, invited Barenboim to become the ongoing conductor of the New York Philharmonic.

Amy wrote, “My nerves fluttering, I waited for the phone to ring and the radio interview to start. I wondered what questions the host would ask and how I would respond. ‘Lord, I’m much better on paper,’ I prayed. But I suppose it’s the same as Moses—I need to trust that you will give me the words to speak.” Of course we are not comparing ourselves with Moses, the leader of God’s people who helped them escape slavery in Egypt to life in the Promised Land. A reluctant leader, Moses needed the Lord to reassure him that the Israelites would listen to him. The Lord revealed several signs to him, such as turning his shepherd’s staff into a snake (Ex. 4:3), but Moses hesitated to accept the mantle of leadership, saying he was slow of speech (v. 10). So God reminded him that He is the Lord and that He would help him speak. He would “be with his mouth” (as the original language translates, according to biblical scholars). We know that since the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God’s Spirit lives within His children and that however inadequate we may feel, He will enable us to carry out the assignments He gives to us. The Lord will “be with our mouths.” Lord Jesus, You dwell with me. May my words today build up someone for Your glory.

work out for ladies

HOW TO REMOVE VOC FROM INDOOR AIR

I'm posting this blog by Elizabeth Palermo, Staff Writer of livescience.com,   July 29, 2013 07:46pm ET

Do Indoor Plants Really Clean the Air?

Sure, that potted fern is pretty, but can it really spruce up the air quality in your home? Studies by scientists at NASA, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Georgia and other respected institutions suggest that it can.

Plants are notoriously adept at absorbing gases through pores on the surface of their leaves. It's this skill that facilitates photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert light energy and carbon dioxide into chemical energy to fuel growth.

But scientists studying the air-purification capacities of indoor plants have found that plants can absorb many other gases in addition to carbon dioxide, including a long list of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Benzene (found in some plastics, fabrics, pesticides and cigarette smoke) and formaldehyde (found in some cosmetics, dish detergent, fabric softener and carpet cleaner)  are examples of common indoor VOCs that plants help eliminate.

These VOCs and other indoor air pollutants (such as ozone) have been linked to numerous acute conditions, including asthma and nausea, as well as chronic diseases such as cancer and respiratory illnesses.

An indoor plant's ability to remove these harmful compounds from the air is an example of phytoremediation, which is the use of any plant — indoors or out — to mitigate pollution in air, soil or water.

Indoor plants remove pollutants from the air by absorbing these gases through their leaves and roots. The microorganisms that live in the soil of potted plants also play an instrumental role in neutralizing VOCs and other pollutants.

While most leafy plants are adept at purifying indoor air, some of the plants that scientists have found most useful in removing VOCs include Japanese royal ferns, spider plants, Boston ferns, purple waffle plants, English ivy, areca palms, golden pothos, aloe vera, snake plants and peace lilies.

Japanese Royal Ferns          

                                        

Spider plants                               

                                   

Boston Ferns                              

                                   

Purple waffle plants                                       

English Ivy                                     

   

Areca Palms                      

Golden Pothos                            

    

Aloe Vera                                   

      

Snake Plants                               

     

Peace Lilies                       

SCORES TO SETTLE

FIRST, THE MONEY      0921

In memoirs he wrote in 1896, conductor Luigi Arditi recalls a situation in which a stubborn baritone named Novara pursued his demand for money all the way into a performance.

Novara had agreed to sing the part of Rocco for three performances of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio with the understanding that, like everyone else in the company, he would be paid in advance.

His payment for the first performance went well enough, but on the second night he had to go to a lot of trouble to get paid, and so Novara made it clear that he would not sing the third performance until he had his money in hand.

He arrived at the theater, put on his costume, and asked the impresario’s agent for his money, only to be told that impresario James Henry Mapleson was dining out and had forgotten to sign a check for him,

Novara told the agent, Levelly by name, that he wasn’t going to sing until he was paid. Find Mapleson and get the money, he demanded.

“I don’t know where he is,” Levelly said, all too aware that curtain time was approaching. “Here, take my watch as a guarantee, Novara, and for God’s sake, get into your clothes.”

The baritone stood his ground. “I don’t require your watch, man. I want my money, and unless I get it before the curtain rises, I shall take off this damned wig, and the stage carpenter can sing the role of Rocco.”

Levelly ran from the theater and hailed a cab for parts unknown in search of Mapleson.

When the curtain rose and Rocco sang his first aria offstage, conductor Arditi was startled to hear a voice that sounded strangely like that of the stage manager. About then, Levelly ran back into the theater, dripping with sweat, having come up with the necessary cash from nowhere. He stuffed it into Novaro’s hand, and the stubborn baritone rushed onto the stage just in time to save the performance.