Blogspot Word Verification: Is It Working?

In the settings for this blog, under "Comments" is, "Show Word Verification?"  Yes/No.

I have the radio dial set to "yes."

I checked my blog at a friend's house (so I could see what the public sees) and did not see the Word Verification.

So I am asking my readers (all five of you) to just drop a comment and let me know if the Word Verification shows on your end.

Thanks!

PS: What is the advantage of using it?

A Multitude of Mighty Fortresses: Let's Translate Together!

OK, so one article I read about this song is that it is notoriously difficult to translate into English.  Apparently, there are over 100 versions floating around out there.

So, let's go back to the drawing board.  My German is rusty, but I will give it a try.  Those of you who well-versed in German, feel free to leave corrections in the comment box.  I am looking for a literal translation here, so there is no need to try to crunch the translation into the meter.

Also, if this German version is not the one that the Lutheran Hymnal Project used for LSB, feel free to drop the correct one in the comment box as well.

Here we go!

Line 1:
Ein' feste Burg is unser Gott,
A mighty fortress is our God,

Line 2:
Ein gute Wehr und Waffen;
A good defense and weapon;

Line 3:
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not,
He helps us free from every need

Line 4:
Die uns jetzt hat betroffen.
That has now affected us.

Line 5:
Der alt' boese Feind,
The old wicked Foe,

Line 6:
Mit Ernst er's jetzt meint
With seriousness he has now ______

Line 7:
Gross' Macht und viel List
Great power and much craftiness

Line 8:
Sein' grauseam' Ruestung ist,
His armor is cruel,

Line 9:
Auf Erd' is nicht sein gleichen.
His equal is not on earth.

As you can see, Line 6 was particularly challenging.

Again, leave any corrections or clarifications in the comment section, and a new literal translation will be used to compare other English translation.

Special thanks to Google Translator and reverso.net for making this work fairly easy, and to hymntime for providing the German text.

Time Out #36: Lord, Keep Us Steadfast

This week on Lutheran Time Out, the hymn Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word is featured.  You can follow along in Lutheran Service Book #655.

Dan speaks of the persecuted church in his post.  Read more in the comment section for this episode and in the comments for Episode 30, Built on the Rock.

Once again, Southern Lutheran Kantor is at the organ bench and Layman Dan adds his voice.

Sound of Majesty: October 22, 2009

In the Lutheran tradition, our church year begins with Advent, as we look forward to Christ becoming man, and ends with three Sundays that focus on the "end times."

In a typical year - including this one - the Sunday on or following November 1 marks All Saints' Sunday and is followed by the three End Times Sundays, preparing us for that glorious day when He returns to take us home.  As Christians, there is nothing to fear.  In contrast, we look forward to Christ's return with eager anticipation!

Today's installment of Sound of Majesty features many selections that deal with the end times.

The text for one, "Come, We That Love the Lord," can be found in Lutheran Service Book (#669, verses only - the refrain was added later).

Many of the selections is very American in style.

• In That Great Gettin' Up Morning (Gospel)
• My Lord, What A Mornin' (Spiritual - also called, "My Lord, What A Moanin' ")
• Three American Anthems (Early American, think pre-Great Wakening)
• At the River (think Great Awakening era, with a setting by Aaron Copeland)

Tangentially, a modern choral work in the Anglican tradition, "There Is a Stream," is included.

The direct link for the audio is here.

The playlist can be found here.

Perhaps a future post will deal with "Come to the Water."  The last line of each verse tends to put a twist on the rest of the text.  This requires going back to Scripture and comparing it to the setting.  I'll save that for another time...

Also, as I peruse the internet, look for links to featured sermons on the Sunday texts for the end of the church year, starting with Sunday, November 1.

A Multitude of Mighty Fortresses: Definitions, Part IIIb: bulwark?!

For those of you who have been following the Fortress series, the call went out for a definition and a photo.  The definition came rather quickly (thanks, anon) and the photo was slow coming in.

Thanks to Caroline, we now have a royalty-free photo!

Caroline is now the proud owner of 10 Table Talk Radio points.  Yes, the famous Table Talk Radio with Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller and Seminarian-turned-Vicar Evan Goeglein.  Yes, the Table Talk Radio of Theological Buzz Words, Bible Bee, and Iron Preacher.  Yes, the same Table Talk Radio where the points are like a pipe organ in a "contemporary" church, pretty much useless.

Tune in now!

Just for Fun: The "Big" Piano

MEANWHILE, BACH AT FAO SCHWARTZ...

How's Your LSB?

It has been around 3 years since Lutheran Service Book (LSB) first hit the pews.

Kantor Phil Magness has a good discussion going on at Fine Tuning that includes a "self-diagnostic tool."

Chime in on how it's going in your congregation in the following areas:

• A Hymn that Is Proving to Be As Good As First Thought
• A Hymn that Hasn't Met Expectations
• A Hymn that Worked Surprisingly Well
• A Hymn We Haven't Sung Yet, But Will

Read more on the post, but as a preview I chose the following for the above categories:

• ...As Good As First Thought: 411, "I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light"
• ...Hasn't Met Expectations: 521, "Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken" (love the text, the tune is not catching on in my parish) 
• ...Works Surprisingly Well: Nunc Dimittis (Page 211 and Hymn 937)
• ...Haven't Sung Yet, but Will: 957, "Our Father Who Art In Heaven."