4th of the July the way it should be...fun and family!

 

We were blessed to have granddaughter Macy here the week before the 4th. We did lots of fun 4th of July things, and here is a fun red, white & blue breakfast of yogurt and fruit. Macy loves fruit!

And here Macy and the insurance man are frosting red, white and blue cupcakes for my piano recital. And eating a little bit too....

Finished product, and some of the refreshments for the recital. Moms brought red and blue cut up fruit to go along with the cupcakes.

 Emily is getting really good, and has been playing long enough to be relaxed at recital time.

And here are three cuties after the recital is over, so they have big smiles!

 

We took Macy home and stayed for the whole weekend. Saturday we all hung out at the Lewis River on family property. Kirk and the men took a 3 hour kayaking trip down the river to the property. The insurance man got a pretty bad sunburn on his legs, maybe the first ever, but enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Later, grandson Lane wanted a ride too. There was lots of time to spend with the babies and kids.

 

And lots of good time spent with daughter Joy.

 

On the 4th we all went to Ridgefield to watch the great parade they have there. 

 

Granddaughter Kory joined us for the parade as she had the day off from working.



 

Kirk drove his restored tractor in the parade along with Lane, and Kory brought her fiancé Sam as well. We are looking forward to their wedding in October, another fun family event.

And finally when we got home we took JoAnn and Neil to go watch the fireworks show at the home of more family here in Bend. JoAnn made a special scarf just for the event, and the weather cooperated as it was chilly and cool that night.

Great 4th of July 2016!

 

Fighting Cultural Aesthetic Relativism

"The world may believe there’s no standard for beauty, but the Word says otherwise."

"My view is this, that there are, however difficult they might be to define and to wield, that there are objective standards for quality and beauty, including quality and beauty in music. I do not buy the lie that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But rather, there are standards of excellence, standards of beauty. That is why the Scripture calls us in the Psalms to play excellently, to play beautifully before the Lord. And I think that we have done the world a disservice when we have rolled over on this issue, when we have embraced aesthetic relativism.
Isn’t it odd that Christians are rightly, jealously fighting against epistemological relativism, the idea that there is no true or false, and fighting that same good fight against ethical relativism, arguing that there is no good and bad. We are arguing that in fact there is, and that God is the standard. And yet when it comes to beauty, the third great virtue, which is an end in and of itself along with goodness and truth, beauty we are willing to concede is in the eye of the beholder. Well, I am willing to concede that—as long as we understand that the beholder is God. When He says to bring our best, when he calls us to worship Him in the beauty of holiness, we had better not say “beautiful to whom?”
Friends, let’s be careful about the cultural bromides that we find ourselves swallowing. We Christians, of all people, who worship a God who is three-in-one, complexity harmonized in the ultimate beauty, should be defenders of the objectivity of beauty."
Dr. RC Sproul Jr

I receive a podcast most days from RC Sproul Jr, and since this blog is dedicated to God's beauty in the world around us I decided his quote this morning was worth a repeat here. As a piano teacher and lover of music, I have wrestled with this issue for several years in the field of music. However, it is repeated in all aspects of the Arts in our culture. Hope you will join me in the fight against cultural aesthetic relativism.

Merry Christmas Gifts

It's a white Christmas in Central Oregon...a beautiful Christmas Eve. Here are two links to something special as my gift to you. (Click on the gray lines to access the links.)

The Word goes forth in a wonderful way...God is still at work in America

This is a video, so scroll down a bit until you see the photo and then click on the arrow in the red box. Watch all the way to the end, and have a kleenex handy!

WWI Christmas Truce 100 Years Later...

One disclaimer here: this is an advertisement, albeit a wonderful one. It was done by an English chocolate company, Sainsbury's, in conjunction with the Royal British Legion. It's really worth watching. If you want to know the history of the historic WWI Christmas Truce go here: http://www.deeprootsathome.com/wwi-christmas-truce-100-years-later/. This lady has done the research, and written out the story well.

Merry Christmas, and Lord willing we'll meet again in 2015!

Rare Days in June

This has been a happy, busy summer so far. I thought I would share several of our goings on.

  First off, we have had exceptionally beautiful weather, with blue skies, cool nights and days in the 70's. The garden is blooming, with the wild roses spicing the air.

A couple of days ago however, 2 man-caused wild fires broke out 6 miles west of our city. Wildfires seem to be the only natural disasters we encounter here in Central Oregon on the High Desert.

 

 As the sun went down that evening we drove to where we could watch the fire and see the sun set in the smoke. Someone said we were in 'a beautiful mess'. That seems a good description of the last several days, as it takes the smoke and hardship to create these dramatic and beautiful conditions and photos.

These photos don't really do it justice, but they are amazing just the same. Now, the fires are contained, and the crews are just mopping up the hot spots. After some emergency evacuations and scares, things are slowly returning to normal. This is very early in the fire season for us, and we have dry, drought conditions, so the coming summer will be a challenge.

 

 Granddaughter Kory and her boyfriend Sam came for a visit. We had a great time, and enjoyed lots of good food, good visiting and good activities. Yesterday we hiked along the Deschutes River for 2.5 miles and enjoyed the beautiful day and being together.

 

You just can't beat that!

 

It seems to be piano recital season, both at Julie's in West Virginia and here in Oregon.

I held my recital at our church last Sunday afternoon. Here are a few scenes from our fun event:

 

 I had two of my students be our program distributors, and they did a fine job.

 

Here are most of the students, waiting patiently (or somewhat impatiently) for their turn to play.

 



 

A good time was had by all.....

 

And finally, we celebrated my in-laws 70th anniversary with a community-wide reception in their home-town.

 

 Wow...a marriage still going strong after 70 years. Now that's something to celebrate!

 

 Our niece Kellie and daughter Tiegan....

 

and some of the men-folk of the family.

 

 

"And what is so rare as a day in June? Then if ever come perfect days."

James Russell Lowell

 

What a nice time we have had, and what a great beginning to our summer.

The insurance man and I are off on a June vacation to the southern Oregon coast, and I will be back here in a couple of weeks. See you then.

And Another Recital Piece

William's Recital Piece also.

Clementine

Here's a little glimpse of the fun we enjoyed together in West Virginia.  We sure do love it that Grammy plays the piano!

My 13 Year Old Practicing For His Piano Recital

Relaxed Day

A dark morning, where it's hard to get up and get going. The kitchen felt so cozy after I turned on some lights and started the coffee. After a while the sun broke through

and the day turned lighter.

I start Wednesdays out with piano lessons. After ordering some new material,

Brinnay, my 4-year old student, and I are having fun together. Her sister is working on her first year Christmas music, and can't wait to complete her book and be ready

to play Christmas songs for her family at Christmas.

The insurance man was home for lunch, and we enjoyed a few quiet minutes

together in our day.

I put out my Christmas quilt and shams on our bed, and some festive towels in the bath before being interrupted by my computer guy. I am so thankful that he comes to the house and keeps us in working order. A long time friend, he is truly appreciated.

A surprise dinner out, the insurance man inviting me to Olive Garden last night. Again, a relaxing time together, which will be rare in the month to come. I tried Eggplant Parmisan, and it was delightful. I have really come to love that veggie in this last year. Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks?



I love piano recitals!

As I've posted before, I try to host two piano recitals a year for my students.

I have six girls I am currently teaching, and it is a true joy.

 Several of the girls are gifted, and so much fun to work with. They each introduce their songs and composer, then play several selections, and finish with a bow. This is Abigail, age 7.

 

 And this is Emily her sister, age 11. She is really getting accomplished, and we have a lot of fun playing duets together.

 

 We recently held an autumn recital, and the house was filled with friends, parents, grandparents, great grandparents, cousins and siblings. We are about to outgrow my living room I'm afraid.

 

 This is Shayli, age 6, and her sister Brinnay, age 4, also took part in the recital. They are so cute sitting at the piano with their legs just dangling!

 

 Everyone had a really good time, and I feel so good about the confidence and support of these girls.

 

And a final parting shot of Shayli, Brinnay and Ella, ready to go home with their celebration bouquets. Ella can't wait to grow old enough to join her sisters at the piano. I hope what they learn will stay with them all through their lives, and they will get much enjoyment from music.

Joyful, ever Joyful, we adore Thee!

 This great hymn of the church was adapted from Beethoven's 9th symphony, the last movement more commonly known as 'Ode to Joy'. Last night the insurance man and JoAnn joined in a mighty throng for our local Sunriver Music Festival, to perform Beethoven's 9th, with the Mastersingers and world renowned guest vocalists joining in on the last movement. Oh, what a thrill that sent chills down my back, to hear this mighty work performed in the original language (German). What glories, and what gifts God has given to man to sing, to play, to conduct, to compose.

 What praise to our heavenly Father went through my soul at this exquisite piece of music and praise. However....

if you don't know this already, Beethoven originally wrote his 9th symphony and set it to a poem written by German poet Schiller. It was a huge tribute to joy in our human experience along with brotherly love, with a bit about Greek Gods thrown into the humanism. Nothing of real 'God' truth or praise in the original poem. It was this man, Henry van Dyke, who adapted a new text to the glorious music, which became our hymn "Joyful, Joyful." What thanks the church owes him, for attributing joy to the rightful giver, for us in human life and in the divine. I felt exactly as it says in the last stanza:"Mortals, join the mighty chorus which the morning stars began." Last night I joined in!

I believe the text fits beautifully with what God inspired in the music created. I went back this morning to read over the words and here they are for your encouragement this morning:

"Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays.
Star and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest.
Thou our Father, Christ our brother, all who live in love are Thine.
Teach us how to love each other; lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the mighty chorus, which the morning stars began.
Love divine is reigning o'er us, leading us with mercy's hand.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife.
Joyful music leads us sonward, in the triumph song of life!"

Have a joy filled day!

The Gift of Music

 On Saturday evening we were privileged to attend a full concert of Handel's Messiah. The insurance man and our daughter JoAnn both sang with the Central Oregon Mastersingers, in presenting this wonderful work.

They performed in our renovated Tower Theatre downtown, with a small orchestra and harpsichord. The backdrop was lovely without being distracting.

Here are my two favorite singers. They sang three performances and a dress rehearsal in four days, quite an accomplishment.

The insurance man was fortunate enough to have his family come over from Burns on Saturday night, along with our friend Doris. It was a wonderful experience, and a true gift to our community. What a statement Handel made of the whole of  'Messiah', His coming, His work, and His redemption. Praise God!