From a distance, a pebble and a fly may look more or less alike. But the closer you look, the more dissimilar and complex things get.
Here’s another reminder of just how complex and beautiful life is, thanks to the Olympus BioScapes Digital Imagining Competition (put on by the company famous for cameras, Olympus, of course).
At just over a minute and a half long, it’s worth taking a look at:
London, 1741. German born George Frideric Handel completes what would become one of the most popular works in the English language – his Messiah. Though it was first performed in anticipation of Easter, it has also become popular before Christmas, since it covers many aspects of Christ’s life and future coming.
Full of Scripture, it draws from such books as Job, Isaiah, the Psalms, the Gospels, Romans, Hebrews, and 1 Corinthians. The most popular part is the famous Hallelujah Chorus. When listening to the performance, King George II stood – and following protocol, everyone else stood also. Thus began the tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus.
There is a story about how Handel was hidden away in his room working on the music for the Hallelujah Chorus. His assistant called to him – with no response. He called again – and again. Finally the assistant walked into Handel’s room, finding the composer in tears. What was wrong? asked the assistant. Handel answered: "I thought I saw the face of God!"
Do you want to enjoy the Messiah this year? Of course a great way is to see if there’s a performance in your area.
But here are some other resources for you.
My recording of choice is the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir under conductor John Alldis. It’s not expensive, and includes 49 tracks. Get this version of the Messiah here.
You can, of course, get the music and lyrics of Handel’s Messiah here. Or, find the complete orchestral score here.
Wouldn’t you like to understand Handel’s creation a little better? A new book released this fall can help you do just that. It’s called Handel’s Messiah: Comfort for God’s People, by Calvin Stapert. Here’s what the author has to say about his book:
The three sections of this book aim to increase understanding from three different perspectives. The first section traces three histories—the history of oratorio up to Messiah; the history of Handel up to Messiah; and the history of Messiah’s inception and reception. Although I think these histories can contribute something toward a greater understanding of the work, I tell them primarily because they reveal a series and confluence of remarkable and unlikely events that led to the making of Messiah and from there to the phenomenon that it has become.
No time to read over the holidays? I have great news for you! You can get the audio book – this month only – for free! That’s right – check it out at christianaudio and download it right now (not free anymore, but you can still buy it).
A little while ago my Dad sent me the below video. It’s one of the recent "flash performances" of the Hallelujah Chorus.
This one is billed as a "random act of culture" from the Opera Company of Philadelphia. On the 30th of October 2010, the opera company and 650 area choristers met at Macy’s and the great musical work appeared out of nowhere.
But as I watched, I realized that someday this will be seen as more than just culture. The words tell us that Jesus Christ truly is the King of all. And someday, people from all cultures and languages will praise Him – everyone in his or her own way. And that will be more beautiful than anything we can imagine now.
 |
We started reading Discovering the Songs of Christmas as a family during our family worship time (as I talked about here). After each chapter, we’ve been listening to the related carol.
I just discovered that there’s a way I can share the experience with you! If you scroll down and look on the right of the page (assuming you’re reading this in November/December 2010), you should see a playlist. It takes a while to load, so just be patient.
Now, as we read a chapter, we’re adding the song we listen to to the playlist. So you can come and listen to it! You’ll see there all the songs we’ve listened to so far. You can listen to them any time you visit.
I don’t know how well it will work for you, or how long it will work for (I had a little trouble at first), but for now – there it is!
We probably won’t get through the whole book before Christmas, but if you’re reading along you can stop by and listen to each carol. Enjoy!
If you haven’t got your copy yet, there’s still lots of time to order before Christmas. Get it here!
On Sunday, Shari Hannah and Nathanael were a bit under the weather. When I got home from our morning service, Nathanael was feeling quite a bit better, Hannah was so-so, and Shari wasn’t feeling well stil.
So, to keep Nathanael entertained, he and I decided to make sushi. That’s all. Here’s the video proof.
Here’s a picture just for our friends in Calgary:
I’ve been meaning to take a picture of this bilingual preschool for a long time. But it’s on a side street in Cuernavaca, so I haven’t had a chance in a long time.
But, when we were talking Nathanael to the doctor earlier this month, we happened to drive by it.
I have no idea what the story is behind the school, or if it has any relation to the city of Calgary in Canada. But still, it’s pretty weird seeing a big huge Calgary while you’re driving around in Mexico!
And it looks like they’re open to new students if you’re interested…
 |
Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving. Many of you know that, after a long search, we even found a turkey! 🙂
We made this poster to write down some of the things we’re thankful for. Dad and Mom didn’t write on it as much as the kids, because they were making the meal and doing other things. But we did input a little.
What we ended up with was a combination of English and Spanish, and spelling that comes from who knows where, and, of course, a whole lot to be thankful for!
Hope you all had/are having/will have a great Thanksgiving/Harvest Festival/Whatever you celebrate in your corner of the world. And I hope you remember lots to be thankful for!