After our Mardi Gras party we will go to the sanctuary for a brief meditation time to prepare us for Lent. I think I'll play this tune from Ray Charles and Gladys Knight, Heaven Help Us
Heaven help the child who never had a home,
Heaven help the girl who walks the street alone
Heaven help the roses if the bombs begin to fall,
Heaven help us all.
Heaven help the black man if he struggles one more day,
Heaven help the white man if he turns his back away,
Heaven help the man who kicks the man who has to crawl,
Heaven help us all.
Heaven help us all, heaven help us all, help us all.
Heaven help us, Lord, hear our call when we call
Oh, yeah!
Heaven help the boy who won't reach twenty-one,
Heaven help the man who gave that boy a gun.
Heaven help the people with their backs against the wall,
Lord, Heaven help us all.
Heaven help us all, heaven help us all, heaven help us all, help us all.
Heaven help us, Lord, hear our call when we call.
Now I lay me down before I go to sleep.
In a troubled world, I pray the Lord to keep,
Keep hatred from the mighty,
And the mighty from the small,
Heaven help us all.
Oh, oh, oh, yeah!
Heaven help us all.
Mardi Grass in church? Heaven help us all indeed. My Grandfather is rolling over in his grave.
ReplyDeleteBe that as it may, love Ray Charles!
Hey there Mr. Shuck!
ReplyDeleteA couple of days ago you asked me the pertinent question as to why I would care what your thoughts were. You also advised that I could look at what you've already written to answer questions I had. Well, I now have an answer as why I should care about what you say. Because, as I found in the comments section of your "Ghetto" article.
You are the center of the Presbyterian Universe. (Wooh hoo! I've networked to hombre numero uno)
On the other hand, I can pretty much withdraw all my previous questions because, as you indicated, you have answered them in previous posts. I was particularly intrigued by the Hebrew prophets, the Good, the bad, and the ugly. I wanted to comment on the prophets claim that praying and/or strict devotion to God could save them from what ended up being subjugation by Assyrians and then Babylonians. Even if you were to throw any type of divine intervention out of the equation, certainly any people of any religion that practiced religious discipline would be tougher to subjugate than a people that got lax and lazy, pursing self pleasures. Would that difference be enough to have held off the Assyrians? I don't know but an already conquered people put up one heck of a fight during the time of the Maccabees with a little bit of religious fanaticism. In warfare today, despite the power of weapons, moral and zeal still are significant factors in combat results, during a time of in your face javelin throwing and sword hacking, I would argue a people fearlessly devoted to any god, even a turtle god, might give pause to an ancient invader to look for an easier target. Yet even if overwhelmed, the truly devoted would be extremely more likely to be dead than captive. Of course how does one stay devoted if one becomes rich or increased with goods? Sounds like a point to throw in a cliche about a camel getting through a needle's eye.
@Jodie that is a great song.
ReplyDelete@Mike
moral and zeal still are significant factors in combat results
There's no fanatic like a religious fanatic.
Keep Jesus in your sites!
ReplyDeleteA recent entry on a political blog I read attributes Winston Churchill having said: " A fanatic is one who won't change his mind on something and refuses to let you change the subject."
ReplyDeleteBut being a fanatic isn't necessarily bad is it? I've heard council not to be luke warm on things. (Rev 3:16) and not to be half stepping either. (Eccl 9:10)
BTW , anybody here know Chris Richards? He has been taking a bit of a hiatus on his blog Eclectic Radical, it was with his link to Shuck and Jive that I got to meet you all.
I am familiar with the blog but not the person.
ReplyDeleteThe folks responsible for this were certainly not luke warm.
ReplyDeleteMike -
ReplyDeleteDo you see a difference between fanaticism and devotion?
@John, I was almost scared to click on your link, but I did, yes, very sober point about fanaticism. @Snad, difference between fanaticism and devotion. My instant answer would be yes, but I'd want to ponder awhile before declaring what I thought the difference was.
ReplyDelete