It was with a sad and heavy heart that I read these articles yesterday. Not many of you know of the "Down in the Blog" attacks from Northview church of Christ here in Columbia, but they began after our (Maury Hills') Good Friday service. It is apparent through the hatred of some that call themselves Christians thinking they are right and others HAVE to br wrong, 5 people, and maybe more, are loosing their jobs. It is a sad, sad day in Columbia.
http://mauryhills. com/pdf/hilltops/Dear%20Maury%20Hills%20Family. pdf
http://columbiadailyherald. com/shared-content/phpBB/viewtopic. php?t=8048
http://garyneat-garyanderson-garyneat. blogspot. com/2008/05/perhaps-i-spoke-too-soon. html
Exerpt from Gary's blog:
Today the Columbia Academy board of directors, acting as henchmen for two campus Bible teachers and one or two disgruntled preachers in the area, fired five Godly, dedicated teachers who's only flaw was where in town they choose to worship.The board singled out the five teachers and and tried to force them to sign a discriminatory agreement that none of the other teachers were shown, much less asked to sign.In the days and weeks to come the truth behind this action will surface. In the mean time I plead for your prayers on behalf of these five innocent Christians who have not only lost their livelihood, but have been deeply wounded emotionally by this un-Christ like betrayal.
I ask that you pray for Columbia Academy as well. There are tears being shed on both sides of this issue tonight. There are still many kind, Godly, people at Columbia Academy who tried their best to stop this insanity. However, this time the extremist were just too loud and too deeply entrenched in the system.The public firestorm that has already started is predicted to burn out of control for the next several weeks. The collateral damage is expected to be high. The truth must be told, but I pray that somehow it will be done in a way as to not permanently hurt CA or the cause of Christ in Maury County.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
One Day At A Time Sweet Jesus
Original Post Date: 5/15/2008
Many of you may have heard that, tragically, this week gospel singer/song writer Dottie Rambo was killed in a bus crash last Sunday. Here is her obiturary from the NY Times:
Dottie Rambo, a singer and prolific songwriter who was one of the most successful women to write songs in gospel music, died early Sunday when her tour bus ran off a highway near Mount Vernon, Mo. She was 74 and lived in Nashville.
Her death was announced by her daughter, Reba Rambo-McGuire, who is also a singer.
With songs recorded by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Whitney Houston, and a busy recording and touring career of her own, Ms. Rambo has been ubiquitous in gospel since the early 1960s. Many of her songs have become hymnal standards, including "I Go to the Rock," "We Shall Behold Him," "I Will Glory in the Cross" and "He Looked Beyond My Fault (and Saw My Need)," which uses the tune of "Danny Boy."
The audience for Ms. Rambo's style of Southern gospel is chiefly white. But she broke through the genre's racial boundaries as one of the first white artists to use black backup singers. Her 1968 album of spirituals, "It's the Soul of Me," became one of her most successful solo projects, but it caused a stir in the gospel world when it won a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, a category whose winners were usually black.
Born Joyce Reba Luttrell in Anton, Ky., she left home at 12 and married Buck Rambo at 16. While still a teenager she made a publishing deal with Jimmie Davis, a two-time governor of Louisiana who was both composer and singer of "You Are My Sunshine" and other hits.
In her group with her husband, the Singing Rambos (later the Rambos), she sang inspirational lyrics in a folksy alto and helped develop a sound that had links to both country music and black gospel.
She toured widely on her own and with her groups — the Rambos played for soldiers in Vietnam in the late '60s — until 1989, when a back injury temporarily halted her career. She returned in 2003, with a hit duet with Ms. Parton, "Stand by the River." She resumed a brisk touring schedule, with about 150 concerts a year, said her agent, Beckie Simmons. Ms. Rambo was shuttling between engagements in Illinois and Texas when she died.
But it was as a songwriter that Ms. Rambo had her greatest influence. She wrote more than 2,500 songs, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, which inducted her into its ranks last year. While she never crossed over to pop as a performer, her songs found mainstream exposure through other artists; Ms. Houston recorded "I Go to the Rock" for the soundtrack to her film "The Preacher's Wife" in 1996.
Ms. Rambo's marriage to Buck Rambo ended in divorce.
In addition to her daughter, of Franklin, Tenn., who is married to the singer Dony McGuire, she is survived by a sister, Nellie Slaton, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; two brothers, Jerry Luttrell of Madisonville, Ky., and Freddie Luttrell of Sturgis, Ky.; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
***
I have long been a fan of this lady through my exposure to the Gaither Vocal Band. I know, I'm a NERD! But seriously, being raised in Middle Tennessee and in church, you do usually cultivate a love for gospel music. Dottie Rambo was a large contributor to their success.
What amused me the most was my practitioner, who is from Western Kentucky and also knows much more than I do about country, gospel, and bluegrass music quipped when he heard the news on Monday, "I wonder if she's still singing today "One Day At A Time Sweet Jesus" now that she's there?"
I couldn't help it, I laughed so hard I cried...
Many of you may have heard that, tragically, this week gospel singer/song writer Dottie Rambo was killed in a bus crash last Sunday. Here is her obiturary from the NY Times:
Dottie Rambo, a singer and prolific songwriter who was one of the most successful women to write songs in gospel music, died early Sunday when her tour bus ran off a highway near Mount Vernon, Mo. She was 74 and lived in Nashville.
Her death was announced by her daughter, Reba Rambo-McGuire, who is also a singer.
With songs recorded by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Whitney Houston, and a busy recording and touring career of her own, Ms. Rambo has been ubiquitous in gospel since the early 1960s. Many of her songs have become hymnal standards, including "I Go to the Rock," "We Shall Behold Him," "I Will Glory in the Cross" and "He Looked Beyond My Fault (and Saw My Need)," which uses the tune of "Danny Boy."
The audience for Ms. Rambo's style of Southern gospel is chiefly white. But she broke through the genre's racial boundaries as one of the first white artists to use black backup singers. Her 1968 album of spirituals, "It's the Soul of Me," became one of her most successful solo projects, but it caused a stir in the gospel world when it won a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, a category whose winners were usually black.
Born Joyce Reba Luttrell in Anton, Ky., she left home at 12 and married Buck Rambo at 16. While still a teenager she made a publishing deal with Jimmie Davis, a two-time governor of Louisiana who was both composer and singer of "You Are My Sunshine" and other hits.
In her group with her husband, the Singing Rambos (later the Rambos), she sang inspirational lyrics in a folksy alto and helped develop a sound that had links to both country music and black gospel.
She toured widely on her own and with her groups — the Rambos played for soldiers in Vietnam in the late '60s — until 1989, when a back injury temporarily halted her career. She returned in 2003, with a hit duet with Ms. Parton, "Stand by the River." She resumed a brisk touring schedule, with about 150 concerts a year, said her agent, Beckie Simmons. Ms. Rambo was shuttling between engagements in Illinois and Texas when she died.
But it was as a songwriter that Ms. Rambo had her greatest influence. She wrote more than 2,500 songs, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, which inducted her into its ranks last year. While she never crossed over to pop as a performer, her songs found mainstream exposure through other artists; Ms. Houston recorded "I Go to the Rock" for the soundtrack to her film "The Preacher's Wife" in 1996.
Ms. Rambo's marriage to Buck Rambo ended in divorce.
In addition to her daughter, of Franklin, Tenn., who is married to the singer Dony McGuire, she is survived by a sister, Nellie Slaton, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; two brothers, Jerry Luttrell of Madisonville, Ky., and Freddie Luttrell of Sturgis, Ky.; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
***
I have long been a fan of this lady through my exposure to the Gaither Vocal Band. I know, I'm a NERD! But seriously, being raised in Middle Tennessee and in church, you do usually cultivate a love for gospel music. Dottie Rambo was a large contributor to their success.
What amused me the most was my practitioner, who is from Western Kentucky and also knows much more than I do about country, gospel, and bluegrass music quipped when he heard the news on Monday, "I wonder if she's still singing today "One Day At A Time Sweet Jesus" now that she's there?"
I couldn't help it, I laughed so hard I cried...
When did fashion become 2nd trimester?!?
Original Post Date: 4/23/2006
Men, you can probably take a break on this one...
Now, on to the women. I will be the first one to admit that pregnant women are usually beautiful. I actually regret that I did not have professional pictures made when I was pregnant showing off my glowing, full form. However, that out of the way, let's go on to today's dress market.
I popped into Ross today. After going through my closet this morning for a summer dress that would pass for professional at the office, since it was going to be 83, I realized I had two. That won't do... Most of my wardrobe is professional and leans more towards covering up for the chilly side of the weather. I need some lighter things. I pulled eight, yes 8, dresses off the rack in beautiful fabrics, colors, and designs. Off to the fitting room I went. After pulling the fifth dress back off in frustration I realized there were going to be NO dresses I would find that was going to foot the bill. Every dress I had tried on was cut with an empire waist, complete with waist band, and a TIE in the back, like a bow. SINCE WHEN ARE WE ALL FOUR AGAIN? I can remember my mom tying my bow in the kindergarten.
And on top of that, when I did get the bow tied, I took a good long look at the side view in the mirror and this is what I saw:
PREGNANCY
UGH! When did it become fashionable to look pregnant? I know science says something about being able to attract more men if a woman looks able to bear a child (hips, breasts, etc) but THIS??? PLEASE.
I am happy to say I did finally find one dress that didn't have the bow, the empire waist, or the v neck that showed my bra. I bought it, besides, it was on sale.
Any thoughts on when this phenomenon happened???
Men, you can probably take a break on this one...
Now, on to the women. I will be the first one to admit that pregnant women are usually beautiful. I actually regret that I did not have professional pictures made when I was pregnant showing off my glowing, full form. However, that out of the way, let's go on to today's dress market.
I popped into Ross today. After going through my closet this morning for a summer dress that would pass for professional at the office, since it was going to be 83, I realized I had two. That won't do... Most of my wardrobe is professional and leans more towards covering up for the chilly side of the weather. I need some lighter things. I pulled eight, yes 8, dresses off the rack in beautiful fabrics, colors, and designs. Off to the fitting room I went. After pulling the fifth dress back off in frustration I realized there were going to be NO dresses I would find that was going to foot the bill. Every dress I had tried on was cut with an empire waist, complete with waist band, and a TIE in the back, like a bow. SINCE WHEN ARE WE ALL FOUR AGAIN? I can remember my mom tying my bow in the kindergarten.
And on top of that, when I did get the bow tied, I took a good long look at the side view in the mirror and this is what I saw:
PREGNANCY
UGH! When did it become fashionable to look pregnant? I know science says something about being able to attract more men if a woman looks able to bear a child (hips, breasts, etc) but THIS??? PLEASE.
I am happy to say I did finally find one dress that didn't have the bow, the empire waist, or the v neck that showed my bra. I bought it, besides, it was on sale.
Any thoughts on when this phenomenon happened???
My BABY!
Original Post Date: 4/16/2008
Yesterday I was in my office and a lady walked in with her two year old granddaughter. She was toddling around and talking. She wore pink Crocs like the ones my lil one likes. When I walked out to escort them to the patient room she ran up and hugged my legs. It tugged at my heart strings. I picked her up and carried her into the patient room and sat her in a "big chair". I walked out of that room and had to wipe away a tear. I missed my daughter so badly it hurt.
I was reminded of an email I read once when I was waaaaaay too young to understand it. It was a mother having lunch with her friend who had no children. The no child woman casually said, "So we're taking a poll, we're thinking about having kids, what do you think?" The mother sat back and thought about all the things she could tell her about how her life would change. I don't remember them all but I distinctly remember this one:
"She doesn't understand how she'll be in a meeting at work and have to resist the urge to run to her child, grab them, and hug them tight."
And I wanted to do that. I had to fight the urge to get in my car and drive to get my child. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. I wanted to apologize to her for all the time I had to be away from her because I was working to support us, for all the times I had to leave her crying at the door while I walked away after a stolen kiss and hug because she wouldn't give me one. More mornings than not, even though she does like her school, she does cry when I leave. I hate that. I have even called several times and Jennifer tells me she's fine. "Oh honey, she was fine two minutes after you left. She's guilting you because she knows it works. They start early." And I know that. But I still hurt.
The easiest answer is the one that closed the email I remember. The mother sits back after thinking of many, many possible things to tell this woman, she finally simply smiles and says,
"You'll never be the same."
And you never are...
Yesterday I was in my office and a lady walked in with her two year old granddaughter. She was toddling around and talking. She wore pink Crocs like the ones my lil one likes. When I walked out to escort them to the patient room she ran up and hugged my legs. It tugged at my heart strings. I picked her up and carried her into the patient room and sat her in a "big chair". I walked out of that room and had to wipe away a tear. I missed my daughter so badly it hurt.
I was reminded of an email I read once when I was waaaaaay too young to understand it. It was a mother having lunch with her friend who had no children. The no child woman casually said, "So we're taking a poll, we're thinking about having kids, what do you think?" The mother sat back and thought about all the things she could tell her about how her life would change. I don't remember them all but I distinctly remember this one:
"She doesn't understand how she'll be in a meeting at work and have to resist the urge to run to her child, grab them, and hug them tight."
And I wanted to do that. I had to fight the urge to get in my car and drive to get my child. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. I wanted to apologize to her for all the time I had to be away from her because I was working to support us, for all the times I had to leave her crying at the door while I walked away after a stolen kiss and hug because she wouldn't give me one. More mornings than not, even though she does like her school, she does cry when I leave. I hate that. I have even called several times and Jennifer tells me she's fine. "Oh honey, she was fine two minutes after you left. She's guilting you because she knows it works. They start early." And I know that. But I still hurt.
The easiest answer is the one that closed the email I remember. The mother sits back after thinking of many, many possible things to tell this woman, she finally simply smiles and says,
"You'll never be the same."
And you never are...
What Is Love?
Original Post Date 3/26/2008
It doesn’t really matter how it happened. Not really. What matters now is that you realize you hurt someone you love, deeply. You may have gotten your panties in a wad or even gotten hurt too. But you are ultimately responsible for you and you hurt someone you love. Fortunately you are mature enough to hash it out. Or they are and you are forced to do the same, to not close down, bottle it up, however it works out, it’s brought out in the open. You talk about it. What it boils down to is, when you see the pain in their eyes, you’re cut to the heart and you feel their pain in your heart. You wrap your arms around them. You wish you could take it all back, undo all the damage, wish it all away. You talk it out. You realize that no matter what happened, nothing is worth loosing this person. No amount of pride could replace this person in your life. You hold them tight. And somewhere in the silence, you come to a middle ground. You understand each other again. And you’re closer for it, bound tighter than before. This conflict didn’t push you farther away from each other, it brought you that much closer together. Oh it could have, but it didn’t. Neither of you allowed that. That, my friends, is love.
It doesn’t really matter how it happened. Not really. What matters now is that you realize you hurt someone you love, deeply. You may have gotten your panties in a wad or even gotten hurt too. But you are ultimately responsible for you and you hurt someone you love. Fortunately you are mature enough to hash it out. Or they are and you are forced to do the same, to not close down, bottle it up, however it works out, it’s brought out in the open. You talk about it. What it boils down to is, when you see the pain in their eyes, you’re cut to the heart and you feel their pain in your heart. You wrap your arms around them. You wish you could take it all back, undo all the damage, wish it all away. You talk it out. You realize that no matter what happened, nothing is worth loosing this person. No amount of pride could replace this person in your life. You hold them tight. And somewhere in the silence, you come to a middle ground. You understand each other again. And you’re closer for it, bound tighter than before. This conflict didn’t push you farther away from each other, it brought you that much closer together. Oh it could have, but it didn’t. Neither of you allowed that. That, my friends, is love.
Seriously? ALL men are horndogs?
Original Post Date 3/18/2008
I was talking to my boyfriend last night and we were discussing people. Not just men, but all people. Yes, the conversation got around to men. Male friends I have. Males I work with. Males he hangs out with that know me, etc. You get the idea. He mentioned a movie he had heard about once that he really needed to go back and watch. He said in this movie a woman and a man were talking and she was asking him if men really wanted to sleep with every woman.
Man - "Well, yeah."
Woman - "What about the ugly women or the ones they aren’t really interested in?"
Man - "Yeah, even those too."
I asked my boyfriend, "So what you’re telling me is that even though they may not be actively persuing me, not really even think about me that way from day to day, they’d sleep with me?"
He said, "Yes."
WOW. ALL men are horndogs?
Which means when I can’t understand why men can’t seem to find my eyes but think they’re a little farther south, sales clerks call my "baby" rather than "ma’am", and I have the distinct feeling someone’s staring at my ass... Someone is.
Well, men, do you really want to sleep with all women? If it was offered would you do the man-whore thing? Are you driven my sins of the flesh? Women? What about you? It goes both ways I guess...
Are we born that way? I know that we are born to appreciate the opposite sex or we would never procreate. But are we born to be horndogs? Seriously?
I was talking to my boyfriend last night and we were discussing people. Not just men, but all people. Yes, the conversation got around to men. Male friends I have. Males I work with. Males he hangs out with that know me, etc. You get the idea. He mentioned a movie he had heard about once that he really needed to go back and watch. He said in this movie a woman and a man were talking and she was asking him if men really wanted to sleep with every woman.
Man - "Well, yeah."
Woman - "What about the ugly women or the ones they aren’t really interested in?"
Man - "Yeah, even those too."
I asked my boyfriend, "So what you’re telling me is that even though they may not be actively persuing me, not really even think about me that way from day to day, they’d sleep with me?"
He said, "Yes."
WOW. ALL men are horndogs?
Which means when I can’t understand why men can’t seem to find my eyes but think they’re a little farther south, sales clerks call my "baby" rather than "ma’am", and I have the distinct feeling someone’s staring at my ass... Someone is.
Well, men, do you really want to sleep with all women? If it was offered would you do the man-whore thing? Are you driven my sins of the flesh? Women? What about you? It goes both ways I guess...
Are we born that way? I know that we are born to appreciate the opposite sex or we would never procreate. But are we born to be horndogs? Seriously?
Loving God, Loving People
Original Post Date 3/17/2008
I live in the South. Southern middle Tennessee to be exact. Morals are steeped in tradition and standards run even more deeply. I attend a church who’s slogan is "Loving God, Loving People." I truly believe the congregants WANT to do this. But deep down, do I believe they do? Not all of them. It was my turn to do the registration for the children’s program and then door guard at the end of church this Sunday. A mom going through a divorce with five children and one on the way came to church. I welcomed her, registered her kids, and then she went on to church. I went in late to the auditorium. I slipped in the back, looked up and realized she was sitting all alone. At the end of church no one spoke to her. She picked up her children, I took up their tags, told her we were glad to have her here, and she just smiled weakly as the kids grabbed at her and she moved off down the hall. Should I have done more? Absolutely! Should others say the same? I feel so. Incidently, she was white, her children were black. Did this have anything to do with it? Maybe.
Here in this area at many churches as I’ve been visiting around I’ve noticed they’re really glad to have you in their number count but when you want to get involved as a divorced single parent, they’re not so eager. Can a divorced single parent not contribute as much as a married mother of two? Or do they not want the stigma of a "single parent" working with any of their programs?
I should not publish this without also saying very carefully that there are people at my church that I love dearly and have accepted me and my situation without prejudice or disdain. Many know my family and assume I was "raised right" and nothing was "my fault" in my divorce. While I refuse to place blame in this blog the fact remains that no one truly knows what went on behind the closed doors of any marriage or relationship that produced a child(ren).
Can single parents (divorced or not) no longer be valuable contributors to today’s society and/or church? I am a full time student. I work full time to support myself and my lil one. I am raising a child. I am an active member of my chosen church and make sure my lil one is as well. I have a boyfriend whom I love very much and has brought more truth, love, desire, and blessings into my life than I ever thought was possible. I feel so blessed to have found this person. He, too, is a divorced single parent. Like many fathers, he does not have full custody of his children. Does this mean he loves them any less? Absolutely not. His children are his light and love. Anyone who has seen him with them can atest to this. Does this mean he is a bad father? No. I have custody of our daughter, does that mean her father is a bad father? Absolutely not. He is an excellent father. He just happens to be active duty Army stationed in South Korea.
There are many older people in churches in my area today, particularly women, who proclaim to be accepting, and yet behind closed doors, gossip and condemn those very people they should be reaching out to. This saddens me. Just this Sunday my father asked me to hand a baby gift a new young single mother. I’m no dummy. I know my mother prepared the gift. My dad doesn’t do that. He just now started doing his own laundry. He’s a good man. My mother’s a good woman. But there are just some things mom does and some things dad does. I was pretty surprised. In the past I can remember my mother herself and other women at a church I used to attend grousing about giving a babyshower and gifts to an unwed young mother. Has my mother changed her mind? Did she do it because my dad asked? Whatever her motivation, this young single mother, when I handed her the gift, smiled, thanked us, and her face said that she felt loved. Loving God, Loving People.
Is it hard to Love God and Love People all the time? Absolutely. Does it take dedication? YES! What about you? Do you Love God and Love People? Do you just try to Love People? Do both?
I live in the South. Southern middle Tennessee to be exact. Morals are steeped in tradition and standards run even more deeply. I attend a church who’s slogan is "Loving God, Loving People." I truly believe the congregants WANT to do this. But deep down, do I believe they do? Not all of them. It was my turn to do the registration for the children’s program and then door guard at the end of church this Sunday. A mom going through a divorce with five children and one on the way came to church. I welcomed her, registered her kids, and then she went on to church. I went in late to the auditorium. I slipped in the back, looked up and realized she was sitting all alone. At the end of church no one spoke to her. She picked up her children, I took up their tags, told her we were glad to have her here, and she just smiled weakly as the kids grabbed at her and she moved off down the hall. Should I have done more? Absolutely! Should others say the same? I feel so. Incidently, she was white, her children were black. Did this have anything to do with it? Maybe.
Here in this area at many churches as I’ve been visiting around I’ve noticed they’re really glad to have you in their number count but when you want to get involved as a divorced single parent, they’re not so eager. Can a divorced single parent not contribute as much as a married mother of two? Or do they not want the stigma of a "single parent" working with any of their programs?
I should not publish this without also saying very carefully that there are people at my church that I love dearly and have accepted me and my situation without prejudice or disdain. Many know my family and assume I was "raised right" and nothing was "my fault" in my divorce. While I refuse to place blame in this blog the fact remains that no one truly knows what went on behind the closed doors of any marriage or relationship that produced a child(ren).
Can single parents (divorced or not) no longer be valuable contributors to today’s society and/or church? I am a full time student. I work full time to support myself and my lil one. I am raising a child. I am an active member of my chosen church and make sure my lil one is as well. I have a boyfriend whom I love very much and has brought more truth, love, desire, and blessings into my life than I ever thought was possible. I feel so blessed to have found this person. He, too, is a divorced single parent. Like many fathers, he does not have full custody of his children. Does this mean he loves them any less? Absolutely not. His children are his light and love. Anyone who has seen him with them can atest to this. Does this mean he is a bad father? No. I have custody of our daughter, does that mean her father is a bad father? Absolutely not. He is an excellent father. He just happens to be active duty Army stationed in South Korea.
There are many older people in churches in my area today, particularly women, who proclaim to be accepting, and yet behind closed doors, gossip and condemn those very people they should be reaching out to. This saddens me. Just this Sunday my father asked me to hand a baby gift a new young single mother. I’m no dummy. I know my mother prepared the gift. My dad doesn’t do that. He just now started doing his own laundry. He’s a good man. My mother’s a good woman. But there are just some things mom does and some things dad does. I was pretty surprised. In the past I can remember my mother herself and other women at a church I used to attend grousing about giving a babyshower and gifts to an unwed young mother. Has my mother changed her mind? Did she do it because my dad asked? Whatever her motivation, this young single mother, when I handed her the gift, smiled, thanked us, and her face said that she felt loved. Loving God, Loving People.
Is it hard to Love God and Love People all the time? Absolutely. Does it take dedication? YES! What about you? Do you Love God and Love People? Do you just try to Love People? Do both?
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