The name of this blog is blog

From whence this blog's title comes
I’M SO GLAD lyricsBy skip jamesI’m so glad, I’m so glad. I’m glad, I’m glad, I’m glad.I’m so glad, I’m so glad. I’m glad, I’m glad, I’m glad.I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do.I’m tired of weeping, I’m tired of moaning, I’m tired of crying for you.ChorusI’m tired of weeping, I’m tired of moaning, I’m tired of groaning for you.I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do.ChorusBiography Nehemiah "Skip" James was born on Woodbine Plantation outside Bentonia, Mississippi on the ninth of June, 1902. Raised on the plantation Skip was interested in music early and had learned guitar by age 8. After learning piano in high school he dropped out to hobo around and began earning a living from music around 1918. He worked parties, roadhouses, jukes, and barrelhouses in the South and Midwest, notably Memphis into the 1920's. He attended divinity school and became active in ministry work from the mid-twenties. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1932 supporting himself preaching and playing churches and concerts in the forties. James was ordained a Methodist minister in 1946 and worked outside music preaching until 1964 when he started working the folk festival and college circuit riding the blues revival wave.An influence to Robert Johnson, Skip James recorded 17 selections for Paramount in 1931. His surviving works of this time demonstrate a masterful and unique style on both guitar and piano. Skip's haunting delivery was created by his falsetto singing over a rhythmic and erratic instrumental accompaniment. The Depression suppressed his record sales and left him in obscurity until rediscovered in 1964. Illness curtailed Skip James' performing career in 1968 and he died of cancer on October 3, 1969.DiscographySome of his songs include:All Night Long, Crow Jane, Cypress Grove Blues, Drunken Spree, Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues, I'm So Glad, My Gal, Special Rider Blues, and 22-20 Blues.

12/14/2004 Santa

Santa Claus is coming to town
One reason that I am full of joy is that Santa is coming. I am currently the happy father of many children. They are so excited that Christmas is nearly upon us. Of course, they know that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday. Of course, they want toys and stuff. I sometimes critique our culture (and myself) for this double vision. Still everyone is excited and we're all hoping its for the right reasons. I love to buy gifts for my chldren and others. We also (as do so many families) pay particular attention to almsgiving this time of year. Advent is the beginning of the Church year and it is a good time to reflect on Christ's beginning, his childhood. And to begin anew ourselves.

12/14/2004 First post

Fresh Blog
This post will soon be archived, I hope. That will mean we have lots of traffic: people who want to know why I am so happy or lots of posts from me describing this joy.

From 12/31/2004 Love is Messy

12.31.2004
Love is Messy
Best speech/sermon I heard this year was given at the Family Life Services Banquet.http://www.women-helping-women.net/index.htmlJohn Ensor http://johnensor.org/ spoke about the fact that love is messy.He elaborated that when we take on one commitment out of love for another, then what proceeds from that is further commitment. Specifically when we encourage women to carry their babies to term then we have a continued responsibility for that woman and her baby. Or when we take in someone who doesn't have friends or family, we incur an additional responsibility and we also have to deal with aspects of their personality or life that we perhaps would rather not.He also said that every generation is called to respond to a crisis on the nature of humanity in a very practical way. Whether it be the Holocaust or slavery or now abortion. We cannot generally respond by stopping the crisis in toto but one person at a time. The underground railroad saved people one at a time. He related a story of a person who was helping to hide a Jewish family during the Holocaust who responded with love when one of those hidden took ill. He contracted the illness himself, on purpose and then when medicine was prescribed for himself, he shared it with the hidden one.I often become reluctant to help someone because I can see all the additional needs they have and am now more sensitive to the fact that this is a rule of love. It is messy.So, as we begin this new year, everyone lets get messy!!