Blogs and Articles
To encourage worshipful, generous-hearted living
For the most recent blog or to see articles by dates, look down the list on the right.
Do you ever watch the Nutcracker Ballet for Christmas? Maria Tallchief was the ballerina dancing with George Ballanchine at its premiere in 1954. Tallchief (1925-2013) was America’s first Native American prima ballerina. She revolutionized and popularized American ballet, and spoke on behalf of her Osage heritage all her life. She was known for known for…
Who knew? The classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did breakthrough work, creating the underpinning for much of the music we know today. Yes, music for orchestras and chamber music, but also for rock, pop, and even electronic music. For example, his quick key changes and complex harmonies inspired the music of Beatles star Paul McCartney.…
Here’s a great heroine for Black History Month. Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) is an extraordinary model for justice from whom we can continue to draw energy and inspiration. She was an American investigative journalist, sociologist, and leader for women’s rights and civil rights. Born a slave and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, she co-founded the…
March 9th is the special day to remember Gregory of Nyssa, an early Christian theologian who served as the Bishop of Nyssa in Turkey, from 372 to 376 and from 378 until his death in 394. He, his younger brother, Bishop Basil of Caesarea, and their friend, Gregory of Nazianzus, are known as the Cappadocian…
December first is Rosa Parks Day. — Yes, as a child I knew about Rosa Parks’ refusal to sit in the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama back in 1955. But I did not know she was not old and tired at that time. “I was 42,” she said. “No, the only tired I…
My dad loved the big band, jazz sound, especially Duke Ellington. When I was little, he’d put his music on and turn up the volume, so the whole family could feel the beat and move with it. Like his signature song “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got…
February 18th is the birthday of Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), social reformer, articulate writer and statesman, and the greatest orator for the nation-wide abolitionist movement. Born a slave in Tuckahoe. MD, for 8 years he was a houseboy for the Auld family. There he learned just enough reading and writing to complete his formidable education on…
January 28th is the saint day for Thomas Aquinas (1222-1274), called “the Doctor of the Church” for his theology and philosophy. A Roman Catholic Dominican priest, he said that God is the source of humanity’s natural reason, and the light of faith. He was the most influential thinker of the Middle Ages. His “Thomist” approach…
Here’s to Scotland’s poet, Robert Burns, who was born this day, Jan. 25th, in 1759, and to those hearty souls who will celebrate Burns Night tonight in his honor. Yep, he wrote “Auld Lang Syne,” “To a Red, Red Rose,” “Brig o’ Doon,” and many more poems and songs, all linked to Scottish culture. His…
January 19th is our country’s day this year to celebrate the life and witness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many people think of him as a political figure, but he was primarily a spiritual leader and person of faith. It’s his faith that led him into addressing the need for social change. We need…