Joyful Praise by Hal H. Hopson

May 10, 2010 — On Mother's Day, 2010, Saginaw 1st Presbyterian Bell Choir played "Joyful Praise" by Hal H. Hopson



My son is 2nd from the right. They worked all year on this piece and did an amazing job!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Famous Footwear

God has blessed us with some beautiful weather. While I was sitting on the floor in my closet trying to find a matching pair of sandals, a thought crossed my mind. What would Jesus do? We don’t have photographs of what the footwear was in His time, but the Bible does tell us what people wore during that time. Wow! Even the Bible gives us Fashion Advice!

* A common way to confirm a business deal in ancient times was to pluck off your shoe and give it to the person you were making a deal with. Jonathan went a step further. After making a covenant with David, he took off his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt and handed them over, too! (Samuel 18:4)

Here’s a few facts I found.


• While most people wore sandals, only the wealthy could afford shoes. Shoes were made from soft leather while sandals were made from hard leather or camel hide and tied with a leather strap or "thong". Occasionally, sandals had hard soles made from wood, cane, or palm-tree bark. Some of the sandals women wore had two straps instead of one.

• John the Baptist didn’t consider himself worthy to even carry Jesus’ sandals. (Matthew 3:11.)

• Footwear was not worn in temples or holy ground. It was always removed when entering a home.

• On a long journey, footwear was often removed and carried over the shoulder until arriving in the next town. Most travelers had at least two pairs of footwear.

• Because of the dusty roads, feet were often dirty. Slaves washed the feet of guests. Jesus shocked his disciples by washing their feet before the Passover. (John 13:3-11.)

• It was customary to remove footwear when mourning a death.

• Being barefoot in a town was a sign of poverty.

Image by Tori Arrington. This is taken at a replica museum in Israel. The sandals were part of an exhibit with a replicated cross portraying Jesus' crucifixion.


Most Expensive Shoes - For his self-coronation on December 4, 1977, Emperor Bokassa of Central African Empire (now Republic) commissioned pearl-studded shoes from the House of Berluti in Paris, France; costing $85,000 USD.

I think I'll stick to sandals from Payless.


Walk in Peace, my friends.

Light and Color

For centuries, stained glass has been used in many churches and cathedrals.

To visit an old church in Saginaw, MI such as mine, you'll see the use of large, brightly colored windows. Not only do they feature various stories from the Bible but also "local images" meant to add color to the normally gray wintertime. Local images will include floral and fauna known to the area and time in which the church was built.

If you visit First Presbyterian Church in Saginaw, look for examples of Marsh Marigolds, Iris and Trillium flowers in the windows. These are native plants known to have been abundant along the Saginaw River 175 years ago.

For famous windows, check out these:

* Great Rose Window (John 14:6). Charles Connick, 1932. Stained glass window in Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York City.

*Hannah Presents Samuel to the LORD (1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, 18-21), late twelfth century, stained glass window in Canterbury Cathedral, England.

* Jesus Knocking (Revelation 3:20) by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), stained glass window in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Franklin, Tennessee.

*Joshua and the Amorites (Joshua 10:12-13), seventeenth century, stained glass window in Wragny Church, Switzerland.

* Saint Timothy (1 Timothy 1:2:2; 3:6), twelfth century, stained glass window from the Abbey of Neuwiller, Alsace, France.

* Wheat and Grapes (Hosea 2:21-24; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26), artist unknown, 1930's, stained glass window in the United States.

One of my personal favorites is this window my husband took in a cathedral in Budapest.

Artists Top Picks

Over the centuries artists have depicted various stories from the Bible in all different forms of art.

Here is a list of the favorites:
* Creation (Genesis 1)

* Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3)

* The Golden Calf (Exodus 32:1-10)

* Jesus' Birth (Matthew 1:18-2:12; Luke 2:1-7)

* The Good Shepherd (John 10:7-21)

* Jesus Feeds Five Thousand (Mark 6:30-44)

* Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

* The Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30)

* Jesus' Arrest, Trial, and Crucifixion (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19)

* Jesus' Resurrection (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20)

“Spring is sprung, the grass is ris’d; I wonder where the Presbyterians is’d.”

I know that sounds silly, but it’s similar to something my dad used to say to express his excitement over the change of the season. This is a wonderful time of rebirth and growth not only for the land and our souls but also for our church. Presbyterians are looking toward the future and have a vision of ministry that is vibrant and inviting, reflective of the love of Jesus Christ. We treasure our time together in prayer, service, and fellowship.

Even though I mention Presbyterian, my thoughts can be applied to any Christian denomination. We are called to invite all people to faith, repentance and the abundant life of God in Jesus Christ, to encourage congregations in joyfully sharing the gospel, and through the power of the Holy Spirit to grow in membership and discipleship.

Let’s use this time of Spring and lovely weather to invite friends and family to join us in worship. The children of the church have been talking about a “Bring a Friend to Church” idea and I challenge the adults to do the same. Each one of us knows somebody who doesn’t attend a church or is lost, searching for meaning. Let’s hold out our Christian hands and embrace those who need the Lord in their lives and a dose of good old fashion Christian fellowship.

Please bring a friend to church, introduce yourself to visitors, welcome new members into our church family, and share the joy of fellowship with others!

DID YOU KNOW?

* The first musician named in the Bible was Jubal. He "was the first to play the harps and flutes". Genesis 4:21.

*The "Hallelujah Chorus," often sung during the Christmas season, is really from the Easter portion of Handel's oratorio, Messiah. It is based on Revelation 19:6, 19.

“Lift up your heart, lift up your voice.”
“Lift up your voice and with me sing.”
“Sing from your heart; let your praises be ringing”
“Sing praises to Him.”

The tradition of singing in the Presbyterian Church is part of our heritage. The Reformed Church cut itself loose from the Latin hymns and adopted the Psalms as the sole medium of church praise. Over the years the church has integrated Scripture and spirituals into the music library that be used in service. Today’s Presbyterian Church sings over 250 different hymns and spirituals in a year.

Singing is a way for Christians to open their hearts and praise the Lord. However, just singing will lighten your heart, put a spring in your step, a smile on your face a helps you see your purpose. Part of God’s purpose is for you to sing joyously. If you can’t sing or don’t have the confidence, hum along or whisper the words until you feel the spirit move within.

David, the writer of many psalms, described God as a “man after his own heart” and sang many praises to God even in the toughest times.

Life’s challenges can rob you of your song when you need it most. Don’t let that happen! A song can bring a renewed sense of peace and a feeling that God is near. Try singing a new song.

Look up the lyrics to a favorite song or learn the words to a new praise song. Sing it joyously to God!

“I will be happy because of you; God Most High, I will sing praises to you name.” – Psalm 9:2 NCV Photo by Muppeto

"Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together." - Woodrow Wilson.

Friendship is Fellowship. Fellowship & Popcorn? Sure!!!!


One fellowship event the youth group does is Movie Night. The teens bring snacks to share with each other. One teen brought something new and was a hit. Try this recipe with your youth group or any gathering!

Cinnamon Popcorn Crunch

Ingredients:
11 cups popcorn, air-popped -- unsalted
6 1/2 ounces mixed nuts, dry-roasted -- 1 can salted
1 pound light brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup -- or maple syrup
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Prep:
Mix popcorn and nuts in large buttered bowl. Combine sugar, syrup, butter or margarine, water, salt and cinnamon in saucepan. Heat slowly to the boiling point, stirring until sugar melts. Cook to hard crack stage (290-295º F). Pour syrup in a fine stream over popcorn and nuts. Stir until popcorn and nuts are evenly coated with syrup. Spread out on large buttered surface or waxed paper. Separate into bite-size portions with forks. Cool.

Serves: 34 (1/2 C servings)

Life isn’t easy and Christian life is no exception. God knows us; He knows we have questions, doubts and fears during hard times. He’s there with us through it all. He’s watching us and waiting for us to realize He can handle our hard questions. He wants us to ask them, to draw us into a closer relationship with Him.

When difficulties come into our lives, we can pull away from God and try to “fix” things on our own or we can stop running around and let God step in. We can seek answers to life’s hard questions by searching Scripture as well as asking God through prayer. The secret is… we have to offer Him the opportunity to answer. Open our hearts, our minds, our eyes, and our ears.

I have a favorite image of God in my head: while we’re running around like crazy trying to solve our problems and going nowhere, God is standing in the doorway watching, waiting for us to sit down and be still so He can do his work. Let’s sit down, be still, ask the hard questions and then let him do His work.

Take your toughest questions to the Lord today. Ask him to reveal his purpose for you through these puzzles and challenges of life so your relationship with Him can grow stronger.

The spiritual man tries all things (he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things). – 1 Corinthians 2:15 AMP

Belief; according to Webster, belief is the conviction of truth of some statement.

While discussing the Parable of the Mustard Seed with a group of children we talked about the fact we can’t physically watch or see the seed grow, I asked how we know the mustard seed will grow into a large plant. One child simply said, “Because we believe that it just will grow!”

During our discussion, we applied that idea to the Easter Story. I loved how the children reacted. They all agreed that even though we personally didn’t see the resurrection, somebody did and those people shared what they saw. Now we just purely believe that it happened. They also stated because Jesus taught us to be good and died for our sins, we can grow into helpful Christians and share what we believe. I noted how the words believe and grow travel hand in hand.

Listening to children, I believe makes one wiser. I have since said the Apostles’ Creed and it feels different. I think my belief is stronger from my conversation with a group of children whose eyes have not been clouded with politics, war, and other problems.

I challenge every Presbyterian to think about the Easter Story; know why you believe in the Resurrection; say the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed. Feel yourself plainly believe and the joy in your heart will grow.

MUSIC

Music (noun) Origins of the word are found all over Europe, dating back to the 13th century. One definition is: the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity. Another is: the vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony.

Keeping in mind, I grew up in the Presbyterian church I have noticed Presbyterians like to think of music as a response which engages the whole self in prayer.

According to the Presbyterian Book of Order, “music can unite the faithful in common prayer wherever they gather for worship”. Outside of church the youth will sing praises and play music for the Lord at camps and retreats; thus creating a bond between each other and God. Many people of all ages will attend concerts and feel uplifted by the wondrous sounds made by those have been entrusted with such gifts.
Also according to the Book of Order, the primary role of the choir and other musicians is to lead the congregation in the singing of prayers. Instrumental music is considered a form of prayer since words are not essential for praying; God listens to one’s heart.

My church has been blessed with a very talented and gifted man who is the Director of Music and is considered a special member of my church family. Make sure you take some time to get to know the Director or Minister of Music in your church.

The music played during the service is carefully chosen. It is not a cover for silence, it is not for entertainment. Close your eyes the next time you listen to the choir sing or instruments play. Feel the music. Let the melody slip into your ears, dawdle in your mind, and touch your heart; let your toes tap; let your fingers strum your knee.

Let the Holy Spirit fill you.

4 Corners - a fun game

"Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next." - 1 Timothy 4:8 NLT

When I'm teaching Sunday school or an after school program, it is sometimes necessary to let the children exercise. 4 Corners is a favorite game the children like to play. I originally was taught the game when I was in Sunday School and learning about the disciples. We would play the game to learn the names of the first four disciples of Jesus.

How to play:
Write the names Peter, Andrew, James and John on pieces of paper. Tape one name to each of the four corners of the room. Invite someone to stand int he center of the room. That person closes his or her eyes and counts slowly to ten. The other students go to one of the corners of the room. The person in the center, with eyes still closed, calls out on of the four disciples' names. All the students in that corner must sit down. The game continues until one person is left standing. That person moves to the center and the game begins again. If no one is left standing, select a new person to stand in the center of the room.

This is a great game for church activities! Try it at an indoor church picnic or party. You can even use it with the neighborhood kids in the summer. What better way to spread the news!

Yucky weather = good books

Living in Michigan is making me begin to get a little tired of the "white stuff". When hubby builds a cozy fire in the fireplace, I can't resist curling up on the couch with a blanket, a good book, a cup of tea (a dog or two, and throw in a little boy).

Henry Ward Beecher said, "A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors."

Through the centuries, great thinkers have left behind a legacy enlightening readers to great truths or at least long thoughts. Leaders of faith often faced persecution, trials, and tribulations. Reading about someone's faith and redemption can help you find your own purpose and strengthen your own experience with God. Great literary works of faith give fresh perspective and another way of looking at what you believe.

Part of God's purpose for you is to learn from others. Pick up a great work and peel back back the truth on the pages one layer at a time; drink it in, and apply it to your life.

Pick up a copy of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity or John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. Personally, I love to spend an afternoon exploring the shelves at Barnes & Noble or my favorite Christian bookstore for the latest releases.

LOVE

February is a time when many people celebrate St. Valentine’s Day and Love. Do you remember taking the time to personally make special valentines to give to you teacher, friends, and members of your family? My mom would give me all the supplies needed and I'd spend the day creating small masterpieces to show my love.

Year’s ago in my Youth Group, we discussed the many different kinds of love. We love God, we love our parents, our spouses, our children, our pets, our country, baseball and apple pie. But it’s HOW we love that is important.

“If I could Speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.” – 1 Corinthians 13:1 (NLT)

Learn “love languages”. That is, learn the ways that people feel loved. Loving others in your own way isn’t hard; simply think of things that make you feel loved and do them for others. Do act of service, give a gift, or spend some time with another. Reaching out and actually touching another from a hug to a simple pat on the hand can fill a heart. A word of praise, encouragement or a smile will warm a soul.

Love for others, in your own way, will often lead you to find God’s purpose for you and allow Him to work through you. Learn to speak “love languages” and you will be doing God’s work.

Love Thy Neighbors

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I have memories of helping my dad shovel snow while waiting for my friends to come over during a snow day from school.  Dad would be relaxed, smoking his pipe and making a special pile for us to turn into a fort or hill to sled down.  Many times a neighbor would see what Dad was doing and come over to help.  There was a time when neighbors used to help each other, share their days together, watch each other’s children play, or engage in small talk while borrowing a cup of sugar.  It was a time of community, a common bond that easily gets lost in today’s busy lifestyles.

Christians are a friendly lot.  They enjoy making new friends and chatting over a cup of tea or coffee.  Look for God’s purpose among the people around you.  Say “hello” to your neighbors and engage in short conversation.  Consider that God placed you in a particular place to be neighbors to those particular people.  Extend a hand of friendship to your neighbors and see what God may have in store for you.  And… don’t forget, not only the children can bring a friend to church but so can the adults!

During this season of snow and cold weather, invite your neighbors over for coffee and pie.  Wrap up some cookies and deliver them.  Extend your hand of friendship.

“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” – Woodrow Wilson