Act I: "Let's Go to the Movies," "Broadway Baby," "My Funny Valentine," "The Wells Fargo Wagon," "The Herbert Hoover Song," "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly," "Nine to Five," "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," "Hi Ho," "Dwarf's Washing Song," Whistle While You Work," "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," "Somewhere Out There," "Sisters," and "Everything's Coming Up Roses."
Act II: "Hooray For Hollywood," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "If I Only Had a Brain," "We're Off to See the Wizard," "On the Good Ship Lollipop," "And All That Jazz," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Just Go to the Movies," "Impossible Dream," "Stepsister's Lament," "Little Girls," "Tradition," "We Taught Them Everything They Know," "Greased Lightning," and "Get Happy."
We had a great deal of fun, and all the people in the cast, the stage crew, and everyone else that helped in any way, became very close because of the show. At the cast party, after the Sunday Matinee on May 23, 2004, "Phony Tony" awards were given out. These were very funny awards, and they recognized special and memorable things that each recipient did somewhere along the way. The award I got was called the "Illegal Alligator Award." You'll have to ask me about it if you want to know what it was that I did.
Richard Stevenson, keyboard, vocals
Tom Haymaker, drums
Steve Reinhard, guitar
The Audience
It was a fun evening with a lot of audience participation. We performed the following program:
"Hey, Good Lookin'"
"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter"
"Crying in the Chapel"
"Gilly, Gilly"
"What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
"The Glory of Love"
"Inka Dinka Doo"
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"
"Your Cheatin' Heart"
"Faithfully Yours"
"Give Me That Old Time Religion"
"When He Comes Again"
"Give Them All to Jesus"
"Rule of Life"
Encore: "Blue Moon of Kentucky"
Mom and some of her friends were in attendance, and she was given special recognition not only in two songs that we did ("I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" with reference to my father, and "Faithfully Yours," Mom's favorite song), but with an ovation from the audience. She was very pleased, and she also enjoyed meeting new people there, especially Pastor Steve. Also, a good friend of mine, Barbara, attended the performance.
Our last anthem was "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and knowing the immense power this piece can carry, we tried our best to learn and perform it to the best of our ability. I spent much time working out the organ registration to compliment this great piece of music. The conference was held in the Provo Tabernacle, and the pipe organ there was the largest in the area and fully capable of musically adding to and supporting such a powerful piece. Performance time came, and the choir was doing an exceptional job. As we neared the end of the song, something happened that had never happened in any of the performances. I suddenly had the strong urge to push the Crescendo pedal to its full position. (The Crescendo pedal, by pushing on it, begins to open up ranks of pipes, starting with the softest ones, then more and more, until, at full depression, brings the instrument to full volume.) The organ, followed instinctively by the choir itself, increased in volume and power to the point that the roof itself began to literally shake. When the music suddenly came to an end, at the greatest climax of the piece, we were all left spellbound. I looked at the choir director. Her whole body was trembling and tears were streaming down her face. The choir was also visibly shaken. The young people's eyes were as large as silver dollars. I looked out into the audience as I heard sobs coming from that direction, and many were wiping their eyes in that solemn silence. We all just froze for what seemed like minutes. Finally, the man giving the benediction slowly rose from his seat, walked to the pulpit, cleared his throat, and trembled through his closing prayer. Afterwards, many people came up to the choir director and told her that they had heard angels in heaven singing down through the roof of the tabernacle, joining in with the choir in the closing moments of that piece. It was so tremendously moving, and I will never forget it.
Born June 7, 1944 in Manti, Utah 1951 - Started piano lessons with Mrs. Moffat, later with Jane Thompson, and finally with Lavar Jensen. 1956 - Moved to Provo, Utah and started 7th Grade at Dixon Junior High School 1962 - Graduated from Provo, High School 1962 - Summer of 1963 studied at Brigham Young University 1963 - Fall -- Left for LDS Mission to Austria, living in Vienna (three different times), Salzburg, Knittelfeld, and Villach 1966 - Spring -- Returned from mission 1966 - Summer of 1967 - studied at Brigham Young University 1967 - Fall - Entered Army - Army Security Agency - Basic training at Ft. Ord, California 1967 - Late Fall - Advanced training at Ft. Devens, Massachusetts - because 05H20 Morse Code Interception 1968 - Spring - Given orders to serve at Rothwesten Field Station near Kassel, Germany 1968 - August - Czechoslovakia invasion by Soviets - great increase in work intercepting East German troop movements 1969 - Became post organist at Rothwesten - attended annual music clinics in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria next two years 1971 - January through June - pianist for two musicals, The Fantasticks (took this one on tour) and Promenade 1971 - Fall - Discharged from the Army - highest rank achieved SP5/E5 1971 - Fall of 1972 - worked in Salt Lake City for Universal Refrigeration delivering furniture and appliances 1972 - Fall studied at Brigham Young University - Majored in Secondary Education/German/Linguistics, minored in Psychology 1973 - June - married - finished studies at BYU 1973 - Fall - became scoutmaster 1974 - June 18th - Heather born 1974 - July - scout troop trip to High Uintahs 1974 - Fall - started teaching German, Math, and Social Studies at Dixon Junior High School 1975 - Summer - gave up teaching - moved to Salt Lake City - tried hand at selling insurance 1976 - Spring - ran away to Idaho - came back two weeks later 1976 - June - started work at Wasatch Bowling 1977 - December - Ryan born 1978 - Fall - Separated from Susanne 1979 - February - divorce finalized - went to work for Western Electric 1981 - December - laid off from Western Electric - out of work for a year and a half 1983 - Spring - Started work with Valley Bank and Trust 1988 - December - joined Christ United Methodist Church 1989 - May - Dad died 1989 - November - Married for second time 1998 - Late Summer - divorced for second time 1998 - After divorce - moved to Southwillow Apartments - final move of life 1999 - Started attending Mountain Vista United Methodist 2001 - June - Quit job at Bank One after 18 years with bank 2004 - June - Started work at Shepherd's All Star Lanes - final job of life 2006 - June - Retired early, started collection Social Security 2007 - Mom fell and broke her back (March), died in May 2008 - Fall - formed Duo Incognitus with Bob Nohavec 2009 - Spring - Mixed Nuts Band formed to play at LDS Stake dance 2010 - Mixed Nuts booked solid for coming year (114 gigs) 2011 - Mixed Nuts band booked solid for coming year (over 120 gigs) 2012 - Mixed Nuts band booked solid for comging year (over 140 gigs) 2012 - October - Resigned from Mixed Nuts band to go solo performer 2013 - January - Restarted Classical Music Appreciation class at Taylorsville Senior Center 2013 - February - Performed first Lowery Organ concert at Taylorsville Senior Center
Socrates, who when on trial for his life, said, among other things, to his judges, these wondrous words: "I have not sought during my life to amass wealth and to adorn my body, but I have sought to adorn my soul with the jewels of wisdom, patience, and above all with a love of liberty."
Do all realities/possibilities exist side by side? (Parallel Universes) Another name for God: The Ultimate Observer. What are thoughts made of? (Energy?) The secret of life is not to be in the know, but to be in the mystery. Does the brain see, or do only the eyes see? The same area of the brain lights up when one both sees something (looks at) as well as think (visualizes) about it with the eyes closed. The brain appears not to know the difference between what the eyes see, and what the brain remembers. What then is reality? Does the observer create the experiences we have? Who or what is the observer? Think about the idea of the Spirit in the "Body Suit." The Biobody Suit.
After arriving at St. Marks Hospital, the doctors determined that Mom had broken her lower back, and it would take over night to decide what to do about it. They decided to try what they called a Vertebralplasty procedure, in which a needle would be inserted into the break and a special kind of cement would be injected to bond the break together. It was decided to do this procedure on Monday the 26th. It was all explained to us, and I recorded this meeting. On Monday the procedure was done, but it failed because the break was too wide for it to work. The only other option was to let the break heal naturally, which would take considerable time in a rehabilitation center. While in the ICU, one of the nurses told me that Mom would probably not survive the fall, which was very upsetting for me. Mom stayed in the ICU until Thursday 3/29, when she was then moved into a regular hospital room, where she remained, always in great pain, until Thursday, April 5th (a week later), when she was then moved to the Bennion Care Center, the closest care center to where I live. She started therapy along with being treated with medicine to counteract the infection she got within the break in her back, which I suspected happened during the Vertebralplasty procedure. The rehabilitation was so painful for her that on Saturday the 7th, she talked with her bishop and told him she didn't want to go through the therapy. On Sunday the 8th, she made the final decision to go home to die. I made all the arrangements and on Monday the 9th Mom was brought home, where she began the long process of dying, ending with her death on May 16th, 2007.
Aldous Huxley: "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
Marcel Marceau: "Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence, and silence is full of music."
Leopold Stokowski (to an audience not providing enough silence): "A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. We provide the music, and you provide the silence."
Former pianist, now an anonymous monk: "Silence is my music now."
Edith Sitwell: "My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence."
Music theorist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis: "The same acoustic silence, embedded in two different excerpts, can be perceived dramatically differently."
John Cage, on the negative reaction to his 'silent' piece 4'33": "They missed the point. There's no such thing as silence. What they thought was silence, because they didn't know how to listen, was full of accidental sounds. You could hear the wind stirring outside during the first movement. During the second, raindrops began patterning the roof, and during the third the people themselves made all kinds of interesting sounds as they talked or walked out." Quoted by Richard Kostelanetz in his 2003 book, "Conversing with John Cage."
Regarding the one statement made by John Cage, "There's no such thing as silence." I beg to differ. Mark and I once backpacked into the High Uintas. We stopped and camped halfway in from the trail head (because halfway in we had to hike back to the car because we had forgotten our flashlights, and we needed them for our week-long stay). We set up our tent and laid out our sleeping bags, and as the night's darkness fell upon us, we built a small fire, cooked our last meal of the day, and then settled back for some meditative conversation, something that Mark and I did very often as our friendship grew and matured. As the fire dwindled into softly glowing embers, we both suddenly realized that our conversation had become faint whispers to each other. We stopped and listened for sounds other than our soft spoken words, and we were struck by the realization that there was absolutely no other sound. No breeze passing lightly through the pine branches that surrounded us, no sounds of gurgling water in a passing brook, not even the almost imperceptible buzzing of tiny insects. Even the embers of our fire had ceased their occasional popping, preferring instead to stop and listen with us. There truly was absolutely no sound whatsoever. We sat there in that total silence for many minutes, until it became absolutely surreal and uncomfortable. We then broke the "deafening" silence and went to bed. Neither one of us ever forgot that night, and neither one of us has ever since experienced such absolute silence.
The military exercises of this week reminded me of an experience I, a friend of mine, and our girlfriends had several years ago when we were all young and stupid. We had gotten rather tipsy on alcohol and another popular substance when we started hearing what we thought were bombs going off. When we looked out our windows, we saw large flashes of light coming from the southwest, and as each one seemed to get larger and closer, we concluded that World War III had started, and what we were witnessing was the approaching bombs hitting our country from the west. We became quite anxious and excitable, and this lasted for nearly an hour, until one of us decided to get on the phone see if we could find out just how long we had to live. We finally found out that it was the military exercises taking place at Camp Williams. Naturally, along with feeling very stupid, and all of us resolving to give up these mind altering substances (which we later faltered on, of course), we were greatly relieved. It was an experience I will never forget, and we laugh about it, rather sheepisly, when we get together and someone brings it up.
Examples were then played showing different tempos used by three different famous conductors in performing the first movement of Beethoven's 6th symphony. The great conductor Toscannini was played first, using the MM of 66 beats for the half note. It was a relaxed tempo, yet very cheerful sounding, and the tempo was held throughout the movement. Then a 1950 (approx) recording made by Bruno Walter was played. This tempo began slower, sounding more relaxed but possibly less cheerful sounding. However, the tempo slowly built to an even slightly faster tempo than that of Toscannini. Finally, a 1939 vinyl (some scratch) recording by Mengelberg was played. This started much slower even than the previous two, but quickly builds into a much faster tempo that the earlier two, and it becomes rather brisk even, but then slows, then builds, and slows again throughout the entire movement. Very interesting and enjoyable recording of the movement. McGlaughlin described the way it started as the Mengelberg taking a lot of time, playing the opening almost like a lullaby. Then he takes off. Very unusual for this piece, but extremely well done.
Then Beethoven's 7th symphony was discussed. A rather long excerpt of a recording of a rehearsal with Bruno Walter was played in which Walter told the orchestra that he had conducted and listened to this symphony all over the world, and never was it performed like it really should be, and the way he was certain Beethoven himself intended it to be. He called the performances (first movement) tiring and irritating (my view also), and then he taught the orchestra how it was supposed to be played, rehearsing over and over the grace notes played by the flutes at the beginning of the symphony. Not only were the grace notes to be played before the beat, not on the beat, but they were to be played very quickly before the main note, much quicker than grace notes are normally played. His discussion of this section of the symphony caused me to rethink my own dislike of it, and it makes me want to try and think like he did about how it should be played.
Choose your fermented products carefully. Select those that are low in sugar and contain live or active cultures. Explore fermented food from around the world, such as the pickled Asian plums. Find them in Asian and gourmet markets and on web sites such as www.kushistore.com. Also, check out products and recipes on www.epicurean.com and www.allrecipes.com
It's music to our ears when we learn that things that make us happy are actuallly good for us, too. A few years ago, researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore showed that laughter had a cardiovascular benefit. Now, the same researchers have shown that joyful music elicits that same kind of heart-healthy response. The music causes endothelial tissue (a layer of cells lining the interior surface of blood vessels) to expand, thereby increasing blood flow to the heart and other vital organs.
"We had previously demonstrated that positive emotions, such as laughter, were good for vascular health," said the lead investigator Michael Mille, MD, director of the center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "A natural extension of the research on laughter was the question of whether other emotions, such as those evoked by music, have a similar effect."
In Dr Miller's latest study, 10 healthy, non-smoking volunteers (70% were men, with a mean age of 36) participated in four different study phases in random order. In two of the phases, participants either listened to music they selected that evoked joy and made them feel good, or other music that they said made them feel anxious.l In a third phase, the participants listened to relaxation tapes, and in the fourth phase participants were shown humorous video clips. When the study volunteers listened to the joyful music, brachial artery (the artery located in the upper arm) flow increased 26% compared with baseline measures. In contrast, when they listened to music that made them feel anxious, the brachial arteries narrowed by 6%. Blood flow increased by 19% during the humorous video phase and by 11% during the relaxation phase. The study results were presented in November at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association.
I asked Dr. Miller how joyful music creates this positive vascular response. He hypothesized that "endorphin-like compounds released from the brain either directly or indirectly interact at thelevel of the endothelium to release nitric oxide, the chemical that causes vasodilation and a host of other cardio-protective effects."
The Impact of joyful music on the cardiovascular system is quite significant, on a par with what is achieved by engaging in regular aerobic exercise and even some medications. Dr. Miler suggested listening to joyful music 15 to 30 minutes several times weekly as an additonal lifestyle measure to improve heart health. You don't even need to be actively listening -- background music can also be beneficial as long as you obtain the positive emotional response.
Interestingly, however, too much of a good thing (listening to the same joyful song over and over again) can reduce its positive cardiovascular effect. Dr. Miller suggests accentuating the response by choosing different selections and rotating them -- he recommends listening to each song no more often that every two to four weeks.
On Sunday, October5th, 2008, Renita, Marcus' mother, came and talked with me after church services in the lobby of the church. She spoke very unfriendly and harshly with me, and she left with the words, "As far as I'm concerned, you killed my son." This shook me up so badly that I was very depressed and distraught for the rest of the day. I tried to find peace in the afternoon by napping, but it was not to be. I struggled through the band rehearsal that night, and when I got home again, I tried to get ready for the music class I was scheduled to teach in the morning. It was next to impossible to focus on it, and I decided to set my alarm for 9 am and try to get some sleep and pick up the preparation again when I got up. I tossed and turned in my bed, trying desperately to clear my mind of her words, and after a couple of hours of wearing myself down from my mental turmoil, I finally fell asleep.
I must have slept several hours, because as I again began to stir, I sensed that the room was lightening up, telling me that it was morning, and then something very unexpected and beautiful happened to me. I saw in front of my eyes the image of Marcus' face, looking directly at me. He looked absolutely radiant. He had the most pleasing and happy smile on his face, and his eyes were full of love. His skin was absolutely without blemish, and it had the most clear and palely translucent quality about it. I immediately felt calmed and warm all over, and though I didn't hear actual words, nor did I see his lips move away from his smile, I felt him tell me that I was not at fault for his death, and that he loved me as he always had. Then, as his image slowly faded away, I realized that I was fully awake, and from that moment on, I knew that Marcus is now free of all the troubles his earthly life had brought him, and he is blissfully happy being back home with God. Not only did this experience quell my conflicted feelings about the previous day, it has given me a sense of joy and relief about a lot of things in my own demon riddled life, and it also took all of my fear of meeting my own death, no matter how it takes place. My faith and love of the divine has increased to a much greater level than I have ever experienced in previous years of life, and I believe more firmly that I have truly come to the end of my personal life long search for the meaning and greater understanding of the reality of human existence, and that my ending belief system is indeed very close to the true nature of God and our relationship to Him. I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity, or the need, to tell anyone about this experience, but I do know that it will stay with me to the end of my days in this mortal existence, and I am comforted with the feeling that when it is time for me to go where Marcus is, that along with a few others that have gone before me, he will also be there to greet me, take my hand, and take me into our true home.
Linda Margetts
J.S. Bach -- "Toccata and Fugue in D minor"
"Batilla Formosa" -- early organ piece from Spain using reed stops and horizontally mounted trumpet horns.
Bonnie Goodliff
Jeremiah Clark -- "Prince of Denmark March" (formerly and erroneosly known as the Trumpet Voluntary by Henry Purcell) Composed around 1699.
J.S. Bach -- Fugue in G minor "The Little"
Ralph Von Williams -- 2nd Prelude (of 3) on a Welsh Hymntune "Rhosymedre" composed in 1920.
Clay Christiansen
Cesar Franck -- Third Choral -(A minor) - composed in 1878, one of the last compositions of his life.
Andrew Unsworth -- mechanical action organ, the more stops, the harder it is to push the keys, produces immediate sound (unlike the organ in Villach)
Choral and Improvisation on a Gregorian Chant -- Charles Tournemire d. 1939 (youngest student of Cesar Franck), transcribed by Maurice Duruflι.
Herbert Howells -- Homage to Thomas Tallis
Richard Elliot
Richard Wagner -- Organ transcription of the Prelude to "Die Meistersinger"
Encore: "Stars and Stripes Forever" played by Andrew Unsworth and Richard Elliot
I am pleased to inform you that I am engaged to Roselle Anderson Hamblin.We plan to marry on the 19th of September 2008. There will not be a reception and we request that no gifts be given. Roselle works at KBYU-FM as a classical music program host. She has a program each day from 11:30 am to 3:00 PM known as Midday Classics. She is the mother of four lovely daughters. Two are married one is currently serving a mission in the Washington D.C. South Mandarin speaking mission. Her youngest is 14 and attends the Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy. Roselle is the daughter of Richard L. Anderson, long time BYU Ancient Language and Religion Professor and the grand daughter of Gerrit deJong founding Dean of the College of Fine Arts. We are purchasing a home in the Quail Valley neighborhood east of Timpview High School. We both feel greatly blessed to have met at this stage of our lives and look forward to long and service filled lives together.
The Democrats have pushed alternatives to more drilling, including pointing out that oil companies already have control of 68 million acres of federal land and need to search for oil there first. I have yet to hear ANY explanation why the oil companies aren't doing that. Democrats are also pushing renewable fuels and conservation, and they're calling on President Bush to release 700 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Isn't this "emergency" what that reserve is for? Obama has already told the American people that, even though he is still generally against unbridled off shore drilling, he is willing to COMPROMISE his own stand for the sake of bipartisan decisions. Democrats also want to go after the oil companies for their obscene windfall profits, which have largely gone into the pockets of the stockholders and not into research and development, like they keep saying is happening. Why aren't Republicans concerned about this? Republicans simply do not listen and believe only what they want to believe.
Life has just three rules:
Paradox -- Life is a mystery. Don't waste time trying to figure it out.
Humor -- Keep a sense of humor, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure.
Change -- Know that nothing stays the same.
The journey is what brings us happiness, not the destination.
Peaceful Warrior -- director, Victor Salva -- main actors, Nick Nolte and Scott Mechlowicz. Dan Millman cameoed as a man in a car. The locations of scenes were taken from UC at Berkeley, UCLA, and a former detention center for boys (training facility in the movie). The wonderful movie score was composed by Bennett Salvay. The dedication of the movie was for Richard Wright, property manager who died of a stroke during filming. The dedication read: For Richard, you are loved.
Add thoughts from this section to "My Sermon at Mountain Vista"
"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
--Winston Churchill
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
-- Clarence Darrow
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
-- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
-- Groucho Marx
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it"
-- Mark Twain
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
-- Oscar Wilde
"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend... If you have one."
-- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill... followed by Churchill's response:
"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second, if there is one."
-- Winston Churchill
"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here."
-- Stephen Bishop
"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
-- John Bright
"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
--Irvin S. Cobb
"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others."
-- Samuel Johnson
"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."
-- Paul Keating
"He had delusions of adequacy."
-- Walter Kerr
"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"
-- Mark Twain
"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
-- Mae West
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
-- Oscar Wilde
Lady Astor once remarked to Winston Churchill at a dinner party, "Winston, if you were my husband, I would poison your coffee!"
Winston replied,"Madam, if I were your husband I would drink it!"
From "The Secret"
But the leaders don't really stand for the truth. They stand for the perpetuation of the institution. So, the way they see it, they're acting with "integrity" when they lie and evade, because they're defending the institution.
Doing nothing is very hard to do -- you never know when you're finished.
Leslie Nielsen
Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton.
Dean Koontz
Once you've seen your face on a bottle of salad dressing, it's hard to take yourself seriously.
Paul Newman
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
Tom Clancy
I have a photographic memory, but I don't have same-day service.
Diane Sawyer
My mom always said normal is just a cycle on the washing machine.
Death and taxes may be the only certain things in life, but at least death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets.
Bad taste is simply saying the truth before it should be said.
Mel Brooks
Milk without fat is like non-alcoholic Scotch.
Andy Rooney
On the whole, one might be surprised that even in the seventeenth century pantheism did not gain a complete victory over theism; for the most original, finest, and most thorough European expositions of it (none of them, of course, will bear comparison with the Upanishads of the Vedas) all came to light at that period, namely through Bruno, Malebranche, Spinoza, and Scotus Eriugena. After Scotus Erigena had been lost and forgotten for many centuries, he was again discovered at Oxford and in 1681, thus four years after Spinoza's death, his work first saw the light in print. This seems to prove that the insight of individuals cannot make itself felt so long as the spirit of the age is not ripe to receive it. On the other hand, in our day (1851) pantheism, although presented only in Schelling's eclectic and confused revival thereof, has become the dominant mode of thought of scholars and even of educated people. This is because Kant had preceded it with his overthrow of theistic dogmatism and had cleared the way for it, whereby the spirit of the age was ready for it, just as a ploughed field is ready for the seed.
Schopenhauer, Parerga and Paralipomena, Vol. I, "Sketch of a History of the Doctrine of the Ideal and the Real"
Classical pantheists generally accept the religious doctrine that there is a spiritual basis to all reality, while Naturalistic pantheists generally do not and thus see the world in somewhat atheistic terms. [From my near life-long obsession (since high school) with the tangent line, where extremes become vague, then meet -- then continue on? or in a circle? in a different dimension perhaps?] Confusion between the concepts of pantheism and atheism may be an ancient problem in linguistics. Rome referred to early Christians as Atheists, and the explanations of this semantic phenomenon vary, one of which references the confusion between these two concepts.
Pantheism has features in common with panentheism, such as the idea that the universe is part of God. Technically, the two are separate. Whereas pantheism finds God to be synonymous with nature, panentheism finds God to be greater than nature alone. Some find this distinction unhelpful, while others see it as a significant point of division. Many of the major faiths described as pantheistic could also be described as panentheistic, whereas naturalistic pantheism cannot (not seeing God as more than nature alone). For example, elements of both panentheism and pantheism are found in Hinduism. Certain interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and Shri Rudram support this view.
...some pantheists hold that the pantheist viewpoint is the most ethical viewpoint, pointing out that any harm done to another is doing harm to oneself because what harms one harms all. What is good and evil isn't the mandate of something outside of us, but as a result of the way we are all interconnected. Instead of good choices being based on fear of divine punishment, it comes from a mutual respect from all things.
List of Pantheists
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
* Diane Ackerman (b. 1948) * Ansel Adams (19021984) * Margaret Atwood (b. 1939) * Marcus Aurelius (121180) * Ludwig van Beethoven (17701827) * John Burroughs (18371921) * Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (17491832) * Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1931) * David of Dinant (12th century) * Albert Einstein (18791955) * Ernst Haeckel (18341919) * Paul Harrison * Stephen Hawking (b. 1942) * Heraclitus (c. 500 BCE) * Karl Christian Friedrich Krause (17811832) * D. H. Lawrence (18851930) * Guo Moruo (18921978) * John Muir (18381914) * Joseph Raphson (16481715) * Rainer Maria Rilke (18751926) * Rumi (12071273 CE) * Carl Sagan (19341996) * Sitting Bull (c. 18311890) * Baruch Spinoza (16321677) * John "Walking" Stewart (17471822) * Henry David Thoreau (18171862) * John Toland (16701722) * Walt Whitman (18191891)
Results from a quiz I took measuring my political persuasion. Green 83% Anarchism 83% Democrat 83% Socialist 75% Communism 67% Republican 17% Fascism 8% Nazi 0%
I don't think I am really anti-Mormon, especially when it comes to the people. I have a deep admiration for a lot of Mormon people, like Mom's home teacher, her bishop, and really everyone I got to know a bit in her ward. There have been, however, a number of Mormon people that I lost respect for, and attributed much of that loss to the way they hypocritically lived their religion. I won't name names, but you can probably guess a few of them. My main criticisms of the Church are aimed at the church structure, the whitewashed history, and the often changing doctrines that separate, instead of unify the family (singular) of God. I know you don't wish to go into any of this, and I respect that. I just wanted you to know, superficially, where I stand.
I sent the above, but not the following:
If I were to choose just one thing that I dislike the most about the Mormon Church, it would be its insistance that it is the only true church, and the only one that has authority to act in the name of God. I do understand that if the church were to drop that view, it would begin to lose much of its financial base, and the rational for temples and temple work would be gone. Becoming more mainstream and walking more hand in hand with other churches would ultimately be devastating for the church, but I believe that it will someday need to do this and reinvent itself, as many other churches have had to do, if it is to survive and continue to grow. What most members of the church don't know is that the growth of the church has, in fact, leveled off, and because the retention rate of converts has become very low, the actual active membership of the church, especially in the United States and Europe, is in decline. Living in Utah, and watching the church from this vantage point, it is easy to see the signs, in the conference talks, in apologetic statements from the church on many issues, and the failure to produce verifiable proofs apart from "burning in the bosom" faith responses, that the church leaders are aware that the church as it has presented itself in past years is no longer working, and they are struggling to find ways to keep their unique doctrines intact as it moves into the future. I believe that in due time, the church will be revealed, even to the majority of the membership, to be what it really is, a profit making financial institution that uses religion as the store front. Remembering back to my youth, I don't believe that the Church was this way. I believe the reason for the change in later years is due to the following:
As long as certain elements of the Church's past history and doctrines were largely unknown by the vast majority of the membership, there was no need for any change. The Church continued to allow a lot of latitude in the beliefs and discussions within the lay membership. However, I believe that as the men in church leadership themselves started to become aware of
The church uses its cult-like doctrines to keep its tithe paying members locked into its structure, but the church's buildup of real estate and other money making entities will someday allow it to survive without the amount of tithing that is presently coming into the church. At this time, it will be able to move into the mainstream by giving up the unique doctrines that make compulsory tithing, temples, and temple work unnecessary, and the church can reinvent itself in other unique, but less cultish, ways.
"There are things of which I may not speak, There are dreams that cannot die, There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak, And bring a pallor into the cheek And a mist before the eye, And the words of that fatal song Come over one like a chill. A boy's will... Is the wind's will... And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." The above is a stanza of the longer poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that was used in the final scene of the movie "In the Bedroom" with Nick Stahl. The complete poem is as follows: MY LOST YOUTH Often I think of the beautiful town That is seated by the sea; Often in thought go up and down The pleasant streets of that dear old town, And my youth comes back to me. And a verse of a Lapland song Is haunting my memory still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." I can see the shadowy lines of its trees, And catch, in sudden gleams, The sheen of the far-surrounding seas, And islands that were the Hesperides Of all my boyish dreams. And the burden of that old song, It murmurs and whispers still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." I remember the black wharves and the ships, And the sea-tides tossing free; And Spanish sailors with bearded lips, And the beauty and mystery of the ships, And the magic of the sea. And the voice of that wayward song Is singing and saying still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." I remember the bulwarks by the shore, And the fort upon the hill; The sunrise gun, with its hollow roar, The drum-beat repeated o'er and o'er, And the bugle wild and shrill. And the music of that old song Throbs in my memory still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." I remember the sea-fight far away, How it thundered o'er the tide! And the dead captains, as they lay In their graves, o'erlooking the tranquil bay Where they in battle died. And the sound of that mournful song Goes through me with a thrill: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." I can see the breezy dome of groves, The shadows of Deering's Woods; And the friendships old and the early loves Come back with a Sabbath sound, as of doves In quiet neighborhoods. And the verse of that sweet old song, It flutters and murmurs still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." I remember the gleams and glooms that dart Across the school-boy's brain; The song and the silence in the heart, That in part are prophecies, and in part Are longings wild and vain. And the voice of that fitful song Sings on, and is never still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." There are things of which I may not speak; There are dreams that cannot die; There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak, And bring a pallor into the cheek, And a mist before the eye. And the words of that fatal song Come over me like a chill: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." Strange to me now are the forms I meet When I visit the dear old town; But the native air is pure and sweet, And the trees that o'ershadow each well-known street, As they balance up and down, Are singing the beautiful song, Are sighing and whispering still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." And Deering's Woods are fresh and fair, And with joy that is almost pain My heart goes back to wander there, And among the dreams of the days that were, I find my lost youth again. And the strange and beautiful song, The groves are repeating it still: "A boy's will is the wind's will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."
The United States rates 37th compared to other countries' quality of health care for its citizens.
A very few months ago I never would have believed that I would, today, stand here and talk to you like this. I'm not sure I can even do it now, but I'm going to try. If I suddenly say "Amen" and sit down, some of you will know why I did this.
I thought today I would first of all tell you a bit about myself. You know, the "Me First" kind of thing. Really, though, few of you know me beyond what I do sitting over there from time to time. I've had a rather colorful past, by that I mean, I have done a lot of different things and have had many different kinds of experiences, not that any of them have been more than moderately adventurous, nor profoundly interesting. But, I'll try and make this part kind of an introduction to my main topic. I have been known to take the longer roads to wherever I am going, and I often go off on verbal tangents that are totally unrelated to what I am really talking about, so if I appear to be doing this, feel free to speak up and say, "Okay, Richard, get on with it."
Anyway, I was born in a little town called Manti, down in Sanpete County, right in the heart of Utah. Down there where a "barn" is a "born" and a "horse" is a "harse," where the main commodities are turkey, sheep, and children. If you have ever driven the short stretch between Nephi and Moroni, I'm sure you've noticed all those white turkeys, and if you have ever stopped and watched those turkeys, you notice how absolutey dumb those birds are. I swear, there is nothing dumber than one of those white turkeys. (I see not many of you are native Utahns. Since the beginning of my association with the Methodists, I have met few native Utahns among them.) Anyway, I grew up in a Mormon family, and I had a wonderful childhood. At age 12, I and my family moved to the great city of Provo. At 30, I and my wife and small baby moved on up to Salt Lake City, and this is where I have made my main home for the rest of my life. I have occasional thoughts of moving back to my home town of Manti, but I probably never will. For two separate periods of time, totaling about six years, I lived somewhere besides Utah. The first time was when I was 19 and I went on an LDS mission to Austria. I loved those years for many, many reasons, and I have wonderful memories of that part of the world. (Choose from the following things to tell about: The first time I played the organ at Boecklinstrasse branch - attending the Vienna State Opera many times, Stehplatz mostly, also with my parents when the visited me a few years after that mission period -- Clyn Barrus and his influence on me with classical music -- the Moravecs). I was there for two and a half years. At age 24 I joined the army for four years and ended up in Germany, passing for about six months through Fort Devens, a short distance from Boston, where I visited most weekends. I was in the northern part of Germany, actually outside of the boundary of the main US military presense, in a small enclave of buildings that housed former Nazi aircraft pilots. It was called Rothwesten, and it was just outside Kassel, Germany. I lived there for slightly short of three years. I had many different experiences during these years, and I could spend another lifetime just telling about those three short years. It's good that I don't have grandchildren that visit me, because I'm sure I would bore them to death with all my long winded stories. I spent a lot of time away from that base, both in my line of duty as well as on personal excursions, one of them being with my parents for a 30 day jaunt into nine countries in my new car I had bought mainly for that purpose. (It was a Volkswagen, but a larger model than Pastor Steve has, hee hee.) I spent a lot of time doing music during those years as well. I was the post organist, being asked by an Assembly of God Chaplain if I would accept that position. He found me playing for the weekly cocktail hours at the officers club. (I was a lowly enlisted man, and probably one of the few that ever saw the inside of that building.) I liked the chaplain very much. I worked with a second one, a chain-smoking Lutheran, whom I liked even more. Terrible case of beginning emphesema, though. He occasionally made me think about quiting, but I had worked so hard learning HOW to smoke. I wasn't about to give it up quite yet. But, I finally did -- if fact, I gave it up three times, the last time, back in 1989, for good. I only like an occasional cigar now.
I was also part of an on post USO sponsored performing group. I was the pianist for two musicals, The Fantasticks and Promenade. We went on tour with The Fantasticks, but Promenade was my favorite of the two. During that one, the piano player and the leading lady had a nice little thing going, and I'll never forget her. She was from the Amish country in Pennsylvania, near the area where my first wife was born and grew up. I also attended the annual music retreats, sponsored and paid for by the chaplain's office, in the vacation area in southern Germany, where Hitler spent his happier days with Eva Braun. I also visited Austria and the friends I had there many, many times during those years, both in Vienna, and in a small town called Knittelfeld, in the middle southern part of Austria in the beautiful area of Steyr.
After my service time came to an end, I almost stayed and made my life in Europe. I would have liked to have lived either in Paris or in Venice. However, I definitely didn't want to struggle with another language, and I also decided I didn't want to speak German for the rest of my life. So, at age 28 I returned to Utah, where I have lived ever since. I am now going on 61. I have been married twice, and I have been part of the raising of two families, neither of which I am close to anymore. I have always preferred being kind of a loner in the world, but along the way I have made some very close friends, and I do enjoy being among other people.
Since leaving college, I have done many things in the way of occupation. I have been a school teacher, teaching German and math in a junior high school in Provo. Among others, I have been an insurance agent, a bowling pinsetter mechanic and control desk operator, a telephone office equipment installer, a bank officer in charge of the online computer system, a computer and ATM technician, and a project manager in voice telecommunications. As I approach full-fledged retirement, I have returned to the bowling industry as mainly an office worker and an occasional control desk operator. Though I have never been financially very comfortable, I have always been blessed with the ability, or probably luck, of surviving with little or no feelings of hunger or lack of a place to live. I have been greatly blessed with much joy and interest in my life.
My most long running activities have been in the area of music. I have accompanied many choirs, choruses, and soloists. I have been a church organist since about 12 years old, and I fairly recently spent 10 years as the accompanist of a cub scout chorus which achieved national recognition. None of my past experiences overshadow the pleasure I have had in being involved with the music ministries of the United Methodist Church. From the time I walked into the sanctuary of Christ United up on the east side of town, to my standing here today talking to you, I have felt at home. I hope to continue my relationship with the church until the end of my days. I have enjoyed very much watching this particular congregation grow over the years I have been here, and I look forward to being part of its continued growth. I admire Pastor Steve very much, and I am very honored to be part of the wonderful choir led by Bob Nohavec.
All my life I have been intrigued by this thing about enduring to the end, and what that means specifically to me. Today, I would like to say a few things about Endurance, and what this means, again to me, in the religious sense.
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Main Topic: Endurance, in the meaning of "Enduring to the End."
The dictionary I used gives two meanings for the word endurance:
1. The power to withstand hardship or stress
2. A state of surviving; remaining alive
The Bible has many passages that speaks of endurance. The one that caught my attention comes from (?)
Alternate Topic: Talk about the movie "Peaceful Warrior" and/or book "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman.
Life has just three rules:
Paradox -- Life is a mystery. Don't waste time trying to figure it out.
Humor -- Keep a sense of humor, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure.
Change -- Know that nothing stays the same.
The journey is what brings us happiness, not the destination.
Other thought to expand:
There are no ordinary moments.
Spiritual Mind Treatment is a form of affirmative prayer. It is designed to help harness the Power of the Universe which we call God, to create good in our lives. Rather than supplicating a God outside of ourselves to give us those things we wish, Spiritual Mind Treatment focuses on our personal power to accept the good in our lives, knowing that what we want already exists.
Spiritual Mind Treatment includes five steps:
* Recognition, where we recognize that God is all that exists, and is the creative cause of everything in the universe.
* Unification, where we recognize that, being a part of "all that is," we are an integral part of God.
* Realization, in which we speak for that which we desire in our lives. This could be as global as world peace, as vital
as rewarding relationships, as simple as healing of an unwanted physical condition or paying our bills.
* Thanksgiving, in which, since we know our good is already there, we naturally feel grateful.
* Release, often said in the form of "Amen" or "And so it is."
Rep: Tax credits for people who prefer private schools -- so richer people will send their kids to private schools. This will reduce class size a only a tiny bit and impede money going to public schools. Less well to do people will keep their children in public schools.
Dem: Give the "tax credit" money to public schools and retain more government control of education. Better education for the great majority of Americans. Rich people can afford to send their children to private schools without government help.
Rep: Privatize -- Capitalism / Less Government Involvement
Dem: Governmentize -- Socialism / More Government Involvement
In both cases, the people need to have more control of its government. Keep truth and public service attitudes ingrained in politics. Refrain from treating politicians as celebrities. They are public servants and nothing more. They need to be well paid, but they need to be restrained from getting up on those proverbial pedestals. Their benefits should never be better than those of the common people they serve.
Methodist stance on war from the Book of Discipline -- John Wesley:
"War is incompatible with Christian teachings. Nevertheless, there has to be a balance with what is happening in the world today.
Feelings are not always the best measure of truth. Very often, feelings lead us astray and down the wrong pathway.
Sunday, June 13, 2004
From church -- Who is welcome at the table (altar)? -- Everyone. What if everyone came?
Sermon -- "I Surrender All" -- Little Andy and the broom out on the dark and scary porch story. "Jesus is always near you." Andy peeks out, looks both ways, then says, "Jesus, since you're out there, would you please hand me the broom."
The funeral was very touching, and the Reagan children gave very wonderful talks. It was very evident just how loved President Reagan was. A comment made was that though Ronald had been absent for all his years in his alzheimers world, the week following his death, he truly came to life in the minds and lives of the American people.
She talked about the diversity, yet overt friendliness, of the people of New York City. Compared the environment there (62 thousand people per square mile on Manhattan Island) with Salt Lake Valley. Urged the coming together of all peoples and faiths and accepting each other without trying to change each other too much.
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference."
And further:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change,
The courage to change the one I can,
And the wisdom to know it is ME!
Read Colossians 3:12-17 Think about the word "admonish" in the way we treat, or should treat, people. Think about the meaning "caution against danger."
If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea.... Does that mean that one out of five enjoys it?
Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
Is it true that you never really learn to swear until you learn to drive?
As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice: When you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together, it spells 'THEIRS'?
My prayer for today is this:
Lord, please keep Your arm around my shoulders
And Your hand over my mouth!
Amen
May you always have Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care!
THE MOODS OF A WOMAN An angel of truth and a dream of fiction, A woman is a bundle of contradiction, She's afraid of a wasp, will scream at a mouse, But will tackle a stranger alone in the house. Sour as vinegar, sweet as a rose, She'll kiss you one minute, then turn up her nose, She'll win you in rage, enchant you in silk, She'll be stronger than brandy, milder than milk, At times she'll be vengeful, merry and sad, She'll hate you like poison, and love you like mad. THE MOODS OF A MAN Hungry. Horny. Sleepy.
