US Independence Day: The Declaration: Part 5

He has endeavored to prevent
the population of these states;
for that purpose obstructing the laws
for naturalization of foreigners;
refusing to pass others
to encourage their migration hither,
and raising the conditions
of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice,
by refusing his assent to laws
for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent
on his will alone,
for the tenure of their offices,
and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices,
and sent hither swarms of officers
to harass our people,
and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace,
standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military
independent of and superior to civil power.


Battle Hymn of the Republic
Performer unknown

US Independence Day: The Declaration: Part 4

He has refused his assent to laws,
the most wholesome and necessary
for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors
to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance,
unless suspended in their operation
till his assent should be obtained;
and when so suspended,
he has utterly neglected to attend to them.


Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Recited by Jeff Daniels

~~~~~

He has refused to pass other laws
for the accommodation of large districts of people,
unless those people would relinquish the right
of representation in the legislature,
a right inestimable to them
and formidable to tyrants only.


Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I Have A Dream"
August 28, 1963

~~~~~

He has called together legislative bodies
at places unusual, uncomfortable,
and distant from the depository
of their public records,
for the sole purpose of fatiguing them
into compliance with his measures.


Independence Day
Performed by Martina McBride

~~~~~

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly,
for opposing with manly firmness
his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time,
after such dissolutions,
to cause others to be elected;
whereby the legislative powers,
incapable of annihilation,
have returned to the people at large
for their exercise;
the state remaining in the meantime
exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without,
and convulsions within.


God Bless the USA
Lee Greenwood

US Independence Day: The Declaration: Part 3

Prudence, indeed, will dictate
that governments long established
should not be changed for light and transient causes;
and accordingly all experience hath shown
that mankind are more disposed to suffer,
while evils are sufferable,
than to right themselves
by abolishing the forms
to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object
evinces a design to reduce them
under absolute despotism,
it is their right,
it is their duty,
to throw off such government,
and to provide new guards
for their future security.


Ronald Reagan
"A Time for Choosing"
October 27, 1964

~~~~~

--Such has been the patient sufferance
of these colonies;
and such is now the necessity
which constrains them to alter
their former systems of government.
The history of the present King of Great Britain
is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations,
all having in direct object
the establishment of an absolute tyranny
over these states.
To prove this,
let facts be submitted to a candid world.


Lift Every Voice and Sing
Performed by Acapella

US Independence Day: The Declaration: Part 2

We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights,
that among these are

life,
liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.


A montage of US politics in the 1960's

~~~~~

That to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among men,
deriving their just powers
from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any form of government
becomes destructive to these ends,
it is the right of the people
to alter or to abolish it,
and to institute new government,
laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form,
as to them shall seem most likely
to effect their safety and happiness.


My Country Tis of Thee
One-man Harmonica ensemble by Kyong H. Lee

US Independence Day: The Declaration: Part 1

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events,
it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bands
which have connected them with another,
and to assume among the powers of the earth,
the separate and equal station
to which the laws of nature
and of nature's God entitle them,
a decent respect to the opinions of mankind
requires that they should declare the causes
which impel them to the separation.


The National Anthem
of the United States of America
performed by
The Academy Choirs and US Army Herald Trumpet Corps

Father's Day and the Apostle's Creed, Article I

From Luther's Small Catechism. The Apostle's Creed is the second part of Luther's Small Catechism, so you will notice the roman numeral II begins this section.

II. The Creed

As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.

The First Article.

Of Creation.

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.


Praise to the Lord the Almighty
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König
Setting by JS Bach

~~~~~

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made
me and all creatures;
that He has given me my body and soul,
eyes, ears, and all my limbs,
my reason, and all my senses,
and still preserves them;


Praise to the Lord the Almighty
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König
Setting by Hugo Distler

~~~~~

in addition thereto,
clothing and shoes,
meat and drink,
house and homestead,
wife and children,
fields, cattle, and all my goods;


Great is Thy Faithfulness
Sung by a mens chorus

~~~~~

that He provides me
richly and daily
with all that I need
to support this body and life,
protects me from all danger,
and guards me and preserves me
from all evil;


Children of the Heavenly Father
Sung in Swedish and English

~~~~~

and all this
out of pure, fatherly,
divine goodness and mercy,
without any merit or worthiness in me;


Children of the Heavenly Father
Setting by Wilbur Held

~~~~~

for all which I owe it to Him
to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him.
This is most certainly true.


Praise to the Lord the Almighty
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König
German Gospel Choir

Adventures in Country Music: Father's Day

About a month ago I picked up a temp project in Los Angeles.  This is not one of my favorite towns, but I had rent to pay so I jumped on the plane and away I went.

For being a major market, there was surprisingly little variety on the radio. I started on classical. That station held three spots on the dial, so if you lost one you had to find the other. There was, of course, a ton of Spanish language stations, but no habla Espanol.

I finally settled on the country music station. There is the stereotype out there that when you play country music backwards you get your girl back, your dog comes home and your truck is fixed.

The truth is, country music covers the whole range of topics: break-ups and love songs, happy songs and sad songs, fluff songs and songs with substance, non-offensive songs and songs that push the envelope, religious songs and secular songs.

Note to those who write contemporary worship songs: country music isn't afraid to mention Jesus and stations still play those songs.

One of the top five songs in country music right now is "The Man I Want to Be" by Chris Young. While this particular song does not mention Jesus, it is a prayer and religous in nature. I wouldn't use this in the Divine Service, but it is fine for personal use.

Here's rlc1231 covering the song, followed by the video as seen on CMT.

God I'm down here on my knees
Cause it's the last place left to fall
Beggin' for another chance
If there's any chance at all
That you might still be listenin'
Lovin' and forgivin' guys like me

I've spent my whole life gettin' it all wrong
And I sure could use your help just from now on
I wanna be a good man
A do like I should man
I wanna be the kind of man the mirror likes to see
I wanna be a strong man
And admit that I was wrong man
God I'm askin’ you to come change me
Into the man I wanna be

If there's any way for her and me to make another start
Could you see what you could do
To put some love back in her heart
Cause it gonna to take a miracle
After all I've done to really make her see

That I wanna be a stay man
I wanna be a brave man
I wanna be the kind of man she sees in her dreams
God I wanna be your man
And I wanna be her man
God I only hope she still believes
In the man I wanna be

Well I know this late at night that talk is cheap
But Lord don't give up on me yeah

I wanna be a givin' man
I wanna really start livin' man
God I'm askin’ you to come change me
Into the man I wanna be