Category: Music
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Music Appreciation 101
More than 50 years ago, at Wheaton College, I took a 2-credit requirement during my sophomore year, just to get it over with – “Music Appreciation 101.” Although I had grown up learning to play the piano and organ, I had been exposed to little more than lesson books and hymnals. (I also listened to…
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HYMNS FOR ALL SEASONS – It’s finished!
After almost two years of researching, organizing, writing, editing, revising, and then repeating the whole process over again, and again, finally HYMNS FOR ALL SEASONS: Talking with God Through Music has been published. What’s in it? Reflections on 110 hymns: Who wrote the hymn? When? Why? What impact has the hymn had? Any other details…
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“Now Thank We All Our God”
I’m almost done writing the first draft of my next book. My first two books in this series about the stories behind hymns were focused on hymns on a particular theme. My first book was a small book about the stories of 31 hymns that were based on the Psalms. My second book had 51…
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What I’ve been doing during the pandemic
For the past seven months I’ve had lots of quiet time at home – the perfect environment for writing. I’ve set aside this blog, mostly, to concentrate on my latest book – Talking with God through Music: Seasonal Hymns. Right now I’m on page 186 of the first draft. I think I have about 50…
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“This Little Light of Mine” and a Home Town Protest
Well, it happened again. I turned up too much information, and I need to share it somewhere. It’s too much for the book I’m writing, so I guess it needs to go into another blog post, just like the last time this happened, when I wrote about “It Came upon the Midnight Clear.” This time…
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“It Came upon the Midnight Clear”
I’m having the time of my life during this “Safer at Home” interlude in our lives. I average about eight hours a day on writing my newest book, Talking with God through Music: Seasonal Hymns. I’ve written a dozen reflections on Advent carols, and thirteen reflections on Christmas carols, with eight more to go. Then…
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My Sister Nancy
Today, November 14, would have been my sister Nancy’s 82nd birthday. She died eleven years ago, just a few days after her 71st birthday. (My age now.) I was alone at our Christmas Mountain timeshare when she died unexpectedly. Mim called me with the shocking and sad news. I spent the rest of my retreat…
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Is It Over Yet?
Thanksgiving. Is it over yet? There are two parts to the word. THANKS: I think we did that last Thursday. And today is GIVING Tuesday. So we’re finishing up with THANKS-GIVING today. Good. It’s not over yet. I still have time to blog about “Thanksgiving.” I spent the first and third weeks of November this…
Whispering Winds Blog 