Stars Wars Playbill

 After not being allowed to see movies; our mission president gave us permission to see Star Wars as it was a cultural phenomena in the United States.  We were given a week to attend; and since it included two P-days I attended twice.  I remember we had to ask them to turn up the sound because the had subtitles for the Spanish speaking customers and would turn the sound down low.  I was in Don Torcuato at the time, I think with Elder Freeman.  After seeing the movie and then started buying the Star Wars cards from the local kiosks.  I had quite a few, but I don't think they made it home with me.

My Rant Prompted by the Movie "Sound of Freedom"

I don't know if this movie has all the technical merit of an academy award winner.  In fact because of politics I can assure everyone it will not receive any nominations.  However I left the theater angry.  Little children are being exploited for the sexual pleasure and enrichment of others.  It seems many just turned a bind eye; or even oppose people talking about this problem.  Disney owned the rights to this movie and sat on it until the rights were purchased by Angel Studios.

The lead character quotes a scripture during the movie from Matthew 18:  6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

My anger comes from this: Our government, who should be doing all they can to protect children does just the opposite.  The government  has lost about 100,000 children entering our country illegally.  Our southern border is wide open which allows cartels to use the border for their human trafficking, including minor sex slaves.  Why did Joe Biden refuse to finish the southern border fence or secure the southern border?

Our government is also insistent on promoting the transgender ideology--to the point of insisting that men be allowed in women's restrooms and doctors be allowed to harm children with puberty suppressing drugs and sex change surgeries, also known as "genital mutilation."

I do not know what the agenda of our executive branch is; but if you are for children then you have to be against this administration.  If you are for women's sports, you have to be against this administration.  If you are for women you have to be against this administration.  It is time to go back to common sense with regards to some of these things.  And I am not a homophobe because I do not want men in women's sports, locker rooms or restrooms.  Why do men insist on being in the women's restroom? 

Men who participate in women's sports are not heroes.  Any medals or awards they have won in doing so should be forfeit. They have access to other sports venues.  

Weldon Second Grade Picture in the Paper

 

  The Othello Outlook caption reads: MRS. BUCK'S SECOND GRADERS point proudly to their bulletin board asking all about Halloween. The children enjoy the artwork, and delight in the results of their handicraft as can be seen by their attitudes and poses in the picture.  It was published Nov. 1, 1962.  I was in kindergarten which was held at the high school while second grade was at the elementary school.  Weldon is the second from the left.

Friday Night Nightmare Theater

 Growing up I always looked forward to Nightmare theater.  It was on after the news--so you had to stay up pretty late.  The mostly showed old horror movies like Frankenstein or Dracula movies. There was one about a wax museum, and the creature from the lagoon.  It was a good time, and often kept me awake and tell the local station went off the air.  Friday the 13th was especially fun, because then you got a double feature.  

Christmas Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem

 

Please see The Carols We Love: The "Story Behind the Story of Twenty-two Classic Christmas Carols, Daniel Partner, Barbour Publishing, Uhrichsville, OH, 2002.
David McCullough tells the story of this carol, "Phillips Brooks wrote "O Little town of Bethlehem" in 1865 after he visited the Holy Land and Bethlehem.  He wrote it as a way to remind himself of his trip.  A few years later he asked Lewis Redner to put the poem to music.  Redner felt like a failure, until Christmas Eve, and the melody came to his mind like a revelation, waking him from his sleep." 
This is a nostalgic view of the first Christmas, and then of subsequent Christmases.  It concludes with a personal prayer, telling us how to find Christ today. Come to us!  Abide with us!
4. O holy Child of Bethlehem, 
Descend to us, we pray; 
Cast out our sin and enter in, 
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell:
Oh, come to us, abide with us, 
Our Lord Emmanuel! 

Here is the Nat King Cole version

Christmas Carols: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Please see The Carols We Love: The "Story Behind the Story of Twenty-two Classic Christmas Carols, Daniel Partner, Barbour Publishing, Uhrichsville, OH, 2002.

The Piano Guys have a very nice version of this song.  This song was first written in Latin in about 1200.  It was sung in monasteries for vespers as part of advent.  It has five verses, but each verse calling the Lord by a different name, imploring him to come.  The names are: Emmanuel (God with us), our Wisdom from on high, Our Lord of might, Rod of Jesse's stem, Key of David, Dayspring from on high and Desire of nations.  In using these different names, it points to different aspects of the Savior, who is God, who gives wisdom and shows the way, who is the descendent of Jesse and David, and holds the key to the kingdom of God, he chases the darkness away, and we yearn to come onto Him.
  

The Carols We Love: We Three Kings

 

Please see The Carols We Love: The "Story Behind the Story of Twenty-two Classic Christmas Carols, Daniel Partner, Barbour Publishing, Uhrichsville, OH, 2002.
"We Three Kings" is the most memorable work of John Henry Hopkins Jr. who was a church man and music teacher for the most part.  He did publish a book of carols, another book of poems, and the biography of his father, a prominent Episcopalian priest.  "We Three Kings" is prominent for its message.  The story of the Three Kings is found in Matthew chapter 2.  The number of kings is not given, but they brought gold frankincense and myrrh.  There is a verse describing each of the gifts, and then a conclusionary statement: "King and God and sacrifice."  The gold represented Jesus as king, the frankincense as God (it was used in the temple) and the myrrh told of his final sacrifice.  Myrrh was used in embalming.  You can access my sons and I singing this for a ward party in Manteca through the link.