All God's Creatures

Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth. 

Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day. 

Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Psalm 96:1-3

I just returned home from a rehearsal with the men's quartet that I coach at the church where I work.  Working with four really great guys with a heart for singing and ministry, we meet every Wednesday evening to  practice for upcoming performances.  Tonight, we were working on a great song that I first heard on the Internet.  I thought I would share it with you this evening, to brighten your day.

 

 

All God's creatures got a place in the choir,
Some sing low, some sing higher;
Some sing loud on the telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, their paws or anything they got now!

Listen to the bass it's the one on the bottom,
Where the bullfrog croaks and the hippopotamus
Moans and groans with a big to-toot,
And the old cow just goes moo.

The dogs and cats they take up the middle,
Where the honey bee hums and the crickets fiddle,
The donkey brays and the pony neighs,
And the old gray badger sighs.

All God's creatures got a place in the choir,
Some sing low, some sing higher;
Some sing loud on the telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, their paws or anything they got now!

Listen to the top where the little birds singing,
All the melodies and the high notes swinging;
And the hoot owl cries over everything,
And the blackbird disagrees.

Singing in the night time singing in the day,
The little duck quacks and he's on his way;
The otter hasn't got much to say,
And the porcupine talks to himself.

All God's creatures got a place in the choir,
Some sing low, some sing higher;
Some sing loud on the telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, their paws or anything they got now!

It's a simple song of living sung everywhere,
By the ox and the fox and the grizzly bear,
Grumpy alligator and the hog above,
The sly old weasel and the turtle dove.

All God's creatures got a place in the choir,
Some sing low, some sing higher;
Some sing loud on the telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, their paws or anything they got now!

What to Buy in October?

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;

and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your

labor on what does not satisfy?

Isaiah 55:1-2

 

It seems like there is always something that needs buying.  Every time I have a few dollars left over at the end of paying the bills, something comes up that just has to be purchased, and out the window the greenbacks fly!  So imagine my curiosity when I came across an article online entitled What to Buy in October.  

The author of the article explained that October is sort of an "odd" month for shoppers - coming immediately after the big back-to-school buying blowout, but not yet at the beginning of the let's-buy-for-the-holidays spree.  According to this writer, however, shoppers do not need to dispair.  There are plenty of "bargains" just waiting to be purchased in October, such as:

• Halloween merchandise
• Toys for the holidays
• Denim clothing
• Health Insurance
• Cars and big appliances
• Discounted summer gear
• Seasonal produce, particularly at farmer's markets

 Thankfully, I don't need toys for anyone and I do not celebrate Halloween; I have enough jeans for the winter season and I purchased my health insurance years ago; I can't afford a car and my big appliances should last for at least another year; I don't have a pool or a deck, so I don't really need any summer gear. Truth be told, I don't really need to buy anything on this list except for the seasonal produce - something I try to purchase year around.

I wonder what the media would do with an article entitled, You Really Don't Need to Buy Anything in October.  Somehow I don't think it would get past the editor's desk.  Or how about, October is "Think Twice Before Buying Anything" Month?  I doubt that would fly either.  October is "Put it in Savings" Month?  Now there's a thought that is appealing to me!

Changing and Changeless

For I am the Lord, I do not change. 

Malachi 3:6

When I opened the front door this morning, I was met with a blast of quite frigid air, and the spitting of grey skies trying to decide if they wanted to rain or not.  Absolutely, delighted, I trotted to my closet and pulled out a pair of jeans, a short-sleeve shirt, and a dark blue cardigan.  Don't get me wrong - I love warm weather.  But the endless humidity of August and September here in Virginia makes me long for the beginning chill of fall.  This morning, my desire for cooler weather was granted.

Change is such an interesting phenomena.  Our world, our environment, our lives are constantly changing, but human beings are not especially fond of that process.  In fact, some folk have a tremendous fear of change, pushing against anything that might rock their familiar world.  Things were very different this year at the high school where I teach.  One could hardly go two steps down the hall without hearing someone complaining about how things had changed.  My freshmen friends grumble about the difference between 8th grade and high school.  My four-years-older freshmen friends gripe about the huge gap between high school and college.  We are at the peek of the political season, which will bring change - locally if not nationally.  And every single morning, many who are older awaken with the clear knowledge of how much their bodies are changing.

Amidst the floodgates of change, how wonderful to know that we have a God in heaven who does not change - not now, not ever.  In the Old Testament, the Lord proclaims:  I am Jehovah - I am God.  I am the One who has all you need.  I will never change.  The New Testament echoes:  Jesus Christ - the same yesterday, today and forever.  No matter what changes envelope my life, I know I can cling to the One who does not, will not, and can not change.  Amen!

Special prayer needed tonight for 9-year-old Chloie and

7-year old Gage - two children missing after a fire destroyed

their home and killed their grandparents with whom they lived.