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Friday Links Roundup: Blog Break Edition
We are going to be traveling to visit family for the holidays next week. With that in mind, we are going to take a little break from the blog. There will be at least one post next week. My goal is to do a book reviews post on Monday. We might also do a links roundup on Friday or Saturday, but I’m not sure about that yet. Hope you understand the break, and I want to take just a moment to say “thank you” for reading! The blog is a lot of work, but it is a labor of love. Keep coming back, commenting, and spreading the word! ——————————– On…
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Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Ten Thousand Angels”
[NOTE: Each Thursday, we “reflect” on a hymn, usually suggested by our readers. If you have songs you would like us to add to our list, leave a comment with up to three suggestions, and we’ll add them.] ———————————– In the hymnal Songs of the Church, it’s number 507. I know that because I used that hymnal for years growing up, but also because, if my memory serves me correctly, “Ten Thousand Angels” is the first song I ever attempted to lead. I was a very little boy, but brother Dan Matthis led me stand up in front of the congregation in Vienna, Illinois, and try to lead this song.…
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Friday Links Roundup: So Far, So Jolly Edition
I’m going to come right out and say it. I absolutely hate Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.” There. I said it. I’m glad that’s out there. Look, I know it’s a holiday classic. I get that. I’m not upset at Jose for making more of this song than I’ll make in my entire lifetime. It’s catchy. He wants to wish me a merry Christmas, and wants to do so from the bottom of his hea-a-a-a-rt. Thanks, Jose. Now…could you please write a second verse??? So, why this rant? One little known fact about me is that I hate this song so much that I actually keep track each year of how…
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Thursday Hymn Reflection: “I Know Whom I Have Believed”
[NOTE: Each Thursday, we “reflect” on a hymn, usually suggested by our readers. If you have some favorites you would like us to write about, leave a comment with up to three (3) suggestions, and we’ll add them to our list for future posts.] ————————– There are so many things we do not understand, and many of our hymns come out of that confusion. We must take many steps by faith, even when we struggle to understand the reasoning for certain things. But we are not stepping out in some “blind faith,” as some might say. The song “I Know Whom I Have Believed” boldly states the reason for our…
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Friday Links Roundup: Like the Countdowns? Edition
So, The Greatest Voices Project finished up, albeit a little later than scheduled. We had a snafu with our “post scheduler,” and we didn’t have an Internet connection while we were away for Thanksgiving, so it took us until Monday and Tuesday to post the top 20. I know that this was a departure for our blog, but, if you look at the “tag line” at the top of the blog, we want this to be about “the Bible, family, and fun.” This was one of the “fun” times! Here is my question: did you like the countdown? No, we aren’t going to do them all the time. They take…
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Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Beyond This Land of Parting”
[Note: Each Thursday, we “reflect” on a hymn, usually one suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites to our upcoming list, leave a comment with up to three favorites.] —————————————— Probably more well known for the song “Footsteps of Jesus,” the songwriting duo of Mrs. Mary B.C. Slade and Dr. Asa Everett gave us this great song about heaven. “Beyond This Land of Parting” is usually included in hymnals with three verses, though four were originally written. The message of “Beyond This Land of Parting” is actually very simple. The hymn contrasts the difficulties and trials of this life with the “bliss” of heaven. It…
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The Greatest Voices Project: #5-#1
[To read an introduction to The Greatest Voices Project, click here.] [To read previous portions tot he list, click on these links: #50-#46 … #45-#41 … #40-#36 … #35-#31 … #30-#26 … #25-#21 … #20-#16 … #15-#11 … #10-#6.] ——————————- #5: Aretha Franklin 18 Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone magazines’ “Greatest Singer of All Time.” The first female inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 20 number one songs. Those are just some of the accolades that Aretha Franklin, “The Queen of Soul,” has earned in a career that has now spanned some 44 years. Another singer who got her start singing in church and recording a few gospel…
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The Greatest Voices Project: #10-#6
[To read an introduction to The Great Voices Project, click here.] [To read previous portions of the list, click on these links: #50-#46 … #45-#41 … #40-#36 … #35-#31 … #30-#26 … #25-#21 … #20-#16 … #15-#11.] ——————————– #10: Mahalia Jackson Staying mostly in the Gospel genre, Mahalia Jackson recorded over 30 albums in her career, which spanned over four decades. Considered by many as the greatest Gospel singer of all time, Jackson got up and sang at a worship service in Chicago unasked. The next week, she was in the choir, and within two years was singing professionally. Mahalia Jackson is one of the few Gospel singers to gain…
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The Greatest Voices Project: #15-#11
[To read an introduction to The Great Voices Project, click here.] [To read previous portions of the list, click the following links: #50-#46 … #45-#41 … #40-#36 … #35-#31 … #30-#26 … #25-#21 … #20-#16.] —————————– #15: Roy Orbison Honesty time: Roy Orbison is my favorite pop/rock singer of all time. Charting 22 songs in Billboard’s Top 40, Orbison is one of the most popular singers of all time. Able to sing crooning ballads (“Crying”) or pop classics (“Oh, Pretty Woman”), Orbison’s emotional voice has been idolized by nearly every male pop singer since. Don Was, a producer who worked with Orbison on occasion, stated that Roy’s voice was as…
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The Greatest Voices Project: #20-#16
[To read an introduction to The Great Voices Project, click here.] [To read previous portions, of the list, click the following links: #50-#46 … #45-#41 … #40-#36 … #35-#31 … #30-#26 … #25-#21.] ———————————- #20: Sam Cooke He may not know much about history, but Sam Cooke absolutely knew how to sing. Considered one of the greatest soul voices of them all, Cooke was able to sing many types of music. Cooke was one of the greatest hit-makers of all time, charting 29 songs in the top 40 in just seven years. Tragically, he was shot to death at the age of just 33. While he started as a gospel…
