Biblical Humor
We have officially begun our Easter cantata season. We are having chorus rehearsals every Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM at Sheridan United Methodist Church. We will present the wonderful, new Easter musical: ‘The Sacrifice’ by Steve Moore & David T. Clydesdale. In this musical, the audience worships with the choir, while the lyrics, visuals and filmed characters from the Bible appear on screen to enhance this powerful audio/visual experience. We need you and your friends.
Cherokee "rite of passage"
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's "rite of passage?"
The youth’s father takes him into the forest blindfolded and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not take off the blindfold until the light of the sunrise shines through it. He is all by himself. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a "MAN." He cannot tell the other boys of this experience. Each lad must come into his own manhood.
The boy in our story was, naturally, terrified. He could hear all kinds of noise. Beasts were all around him. Maybe even a human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and earth and it shook his stump. But he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man.
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father sitting on the stump next to him - at watch the entire night.
Our heavenly Father promised us: "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." (Hebrews 13:5)
Today’s thought:
"If God takes you to it, He'll lead you through it."
Today in history
2006 - V.P. Dick Cheney accidentally shot his friend in a hunting accident
1979 – Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran
1964 – 1st public appearance of The Beatles in the U.S. (Washington, D.C. Coliseum)
1954 – The 6th Emmy Awards go to: ‘I Love Lucy,’ Donald O’Conner and Eve Arden
1950 – ‘Rag Mop’ by The Ames Brothers hits #1 on the charts
1941 – 1st "Gold Record" presented (‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ by Glenn Miller)
Church office: (716) 672-2048, Bud: (716) 934-7734, email: tubamanbud@yahoo.com
"Super Bowl Sunday"
The True Football Fan
Recently, I was at a Buffalo Bills game. My seat wasn't the greatest, so when I noticed a vacant seat on the fifty-yard line only 10 rows up, I headed toward it. I asked the man sitting next to the empty seat if the seat was taken. He replied, "No" and welcomed me to sit down.
I started talking to the man and I learned he owned the empty seat…I was in! He said, "My wife use to love to come to these games until she died." I then asked him, "why didn't you give this seat away to a friend?" He replied, "Because they’re all at her funeral service."
From the Choir Loft
Don’t forget to pick up a copy of our "Souper Bowl Trivia Quiz!" You can get a copy of the answers from any church department head. Or just ask Pastor Molly or Bud Lowery and they would be happy to give you the answers.
If you want to get a "sneak peek" at the Easter musical…go to
We welcome anyone interested in joining our ranks! The adult choir warms-up immediately before Sunday morning services, and rehearses immediately following Sunday morning services.
Community Chorus rehearsals begin Tuesday, February 6 @ 7:00 PM at Sheridan United Methodist Church. They will be every Tuesday and Thursday nights @ 7:00 PM at Sheridan United Methodist (2679 Rt. 20) in Sheridan, NY. We need you! We want you!
Our concerts will be: 3/25/07 in Cattaraugus, NY...and 4/1/07 in Sheridan, NY.
Getting into Heaven
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates.
St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart." "That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!" "Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service." "Terrific!" says St. Peter, "that's certainly worth a point." "One point? Golly! How about this; I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans." "Fantastic, that's good for two more points,"
he says.
"TWO POINTS!"
the man cries, "At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God!"
"Come on in!"
replied St. Peter.Today in history
(February 4)
1991 – The Baseball Hall of Fame voted to ban Pete Rose
1971 – British car maker Rolls Royce declared bankruptcy
1969 – John Madden was named head coach of NFL’s Oakland Raiders
1945 – F.D.R., Winston Churchill, & Joseph Stalin met at the Yalta Conference
1938 – Disney released "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (became #1 at the box office)
1873 – Birth of George Bennard, American Methodist evangelist and composer of ‘The Old Rugged Cross’
1792 – George Washington was unanimously elected 1st President of the United States by the Electoral College
Bud’s History of the Hymns
February 4, 2007
‘Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty’
Words by Reginald Heber (1783 – 1826) Music by John B. Dykes (1823 - 1876)
Worship is the cornerstone of a believer's spiritual life. The bedrock of the local church is its worship service, and all aspects of the church’s ministry are founded here.
The writer of today’s worship hymn, Rev. Reginald Heber, was a highly respected writer, minister, Oxford scholar, and church leader. In 1823, when Reverend Heber was 40 years old, he was sent to India to serve as Bishop of Calcutta. Due to the climate and the pressures of his work, Heber’s health quickly deteriorated and he died suddenly in 1826. One account is that one Sunday morning, after preaching against the evils of their caste system to a large outdoor crowd, he suffered sunstroke and died.
A year later a book of his hymns was published by his widow and friends. It is from this collection of 1827 that the words of today’s hymn were taken. Heber was the first to compile a hymnal with the hymns in the order of the "church calendar."
‘Holy, Holy, Holy’
was written specifically for Trinity Sunday (a day that reaffirmed the doctrine of the Trinity observed eight Sundays after Easter). Based on the words of Revelation 4:8, he used the symbolism of ‘3’ repeatedly throughout. God is "holy, merciful and mighty,"
He's perfect in "power, in love and purity," He's worshiped by "saints, cherubim, and seraphim," and He's praised in "earth and sky and sea." Through the constant use of ‘3’, this hymn describes and worships God in "3 persons."
Meanwhile…1861…146 years ago…in the United States…
The flush toilet was patented by Mr. Thomas Crapper
Jefferson Davis became President of the Confederate States
Fort Sumter in South Carolina was shelled (4/12/61) officially beginning the Civil War
NYC Mayor proposed NYC become a "free city" trading with both the North & South
President-elect Abraham Lincoln visited Buffalo (2/16/61) on his way to Washington to take the oath of office. He stayed at the American Hotel on Main St. between Eagle & Court Streets giving a speech from a balcony. The following morning he worshipped at the 1st Unitarian Church (110 Franklin St. at Eagle St.) as the guest of Millard Fillmore.
R
ef. CenterForChurchMusic BuffaloHistory TanBible DmarieCapsule WebedelicChurch office: 672-2048, Bud: 934-7734, email: tubamanbud@yahoo.com
www.frombudsworld.blogspot.com
30-40 Years Left
Before being accepted into the 360 voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir, applicants undergo a rigorous six-month, three-phase audition process. Prospective choir members must be active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be recommended by the bishop of their local congregation, live within 100 miles of downtown Salt Lake City, and be between the ages of 25 and 55. The first step of the audition process is to submit a recording of an acappella solo selected by Craig Jessop, music director. Jessop and Associate Director Mack Wilberg review the mountain of submitted tapes to decide which singers they will invite to the next phase of the audition process. Candidates must take a written music skills test, which measures musical ability and aptitude. Candidates must score a minimum of 80 % to progress to the third step of the audition — the "in-person" audition. Standing before Jessop and Wilberg, anxious singers perform a hymn of their choice, demonstrate their sight-reading skills and test their vocal range and ability to blend. Final selections are then made at the end of the six-month cycle, and a group of new voices is added to the Choir family. However, the process is not quite complete. The selected singers are brought into the Temple Square Chorale for a three-month period during which they sing with the Chorale and attend musical training classes taught by Jerrold Ottley, former director of the Choir, and his wife, JoAnn. Upon successful completion of the training program, new members "graduate" into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In January 2002, 860 singers requested applications and 350 submitted sample tapes. Of those, 140 were invited to take the musical skills test and 90 were invited for an in-person audition. Finally, only 65 singers, less than 10 percent of the original applicants, were accepted into the Choir. ‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’
(1930) page 110
Words and Music by: Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Translated by Frederick H. Hedge: (1805-1890)
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Germany. He was educated at the University of Erfurt, later becoming an Augustinian monk, teaching philosophy and theology at the University of Wittenberg. On October 31, 1517, sometimes called the "July 4th of Protestantism," Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Roman Catholic Church. He was eventually excommunicated from the fellowship of the Roman Catholic Church later that year.
One of the important benefits of the Reformation Movement was the rediscovery of congregational singing inside the Church. Martin Luther had strong convictions about the use and power of sacred music. Luther once said, "the Devil hates music because he cannot stand gaiety, Satan can smirk but he cannot laugh; he can sneer but he cannot sing." This hymn was a tribute to Luther's friend Leonhard Kaiser, who was executed as a Protestant martyr on August 16, 1527. Luther was credited with writing at least 35 hymns.
The single most powerful hymn of the Protestant Reformation Movement was Luther’s ‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,’ based on Psalm 46. This hymn became the battle cry of the people, a great source of strength and inspiration even for those who were martyred for their convictions. The first line of this hymn is fittingly inscribed on the tomb of Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany. In March of 1969, this hymn was sung during the funeral service of American President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile…1930…77 years ago…in the United States…
President: Herbert Hoover…V.P.: Charles Curtis
The song: ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ becomes #1
Best Picture of the Year: ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’
The 1st radio broadcast of ‘Death Valley Days’ on NBC-Radio
George R.D. Braun was pastor of The Sheridan Methodist Church
Ref. TheSheridanSettler Cyberhymnal BuffaloHistory TanBible DmarieCapsule ColonialHall
Church office: (716) 672-2048, Bud: (716) 934-7734, email: tubamanbud@yahoo.com www.frombudsworld.blogspot.com
Words by: Charles Wesley (1707- 1788) Music by: Carl G. Glaser (1784- 1829)
Following a short and unsuccessful ministry in America, the disillusioned Wesleys returned to England. In May, 1738, both brothers had a spiritual heart-warming experience, realizing that though they had been zealous in the Church’s ministry, neither had ever personally accepted Christ as Savior nor had known the joy of their religious faith. From that time on, the Wesleys’ ministry took on a new dimension and power.
Both John and Charles had boundless energy, usually working fifteen to eighteen hours each day. It is estimated that they traveled a quarter of a million miles throughout Great Britain, mostly on horseback, while conducting more than 40,000 public services.
Charles alone wrote no less than 6,500 hymn texts, with hardly a day or an experience passing without its crystallization into verse. Currently there are 64 hymns and poems in our United Methodist Hymnal written by the Wesley brothers.
‘O For a Thousand Tongues’ is thought to have been inspired by a chance remark by Peter Bohler, an influential religious leader, who exclaimed: "Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ Jesus with all of them." The hymn originally had nineteen stanzas and when published was entitled, ‘For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion.’
Meanwhile…1839…168 years ago…in the United States…
President: Martin Van Buren…V.P.: Richard M. Johnson
Congress banned dueling in the District of Columbia
1st baseball game was played in America by Abner Doubleday
Charles Goodyear created the vulcanized rubber process for tire production
Mississippi became the 1st state in the U.S. to grant property rights to women
The 1st public school in New York State was opened in Buffalo on Church Street
The 1st public library in Silver Creek, New York was opened
Oliver Lee established the Bank of Silver Creek
Ref. TheSheridanSettler Cyberhymnal BuffaloHistory TanBible DmarieCapsule ColonialHall
Today in history
1977
– President Jimmy Carter granted blanket pardons to ~ 100,000 Vietnam draft dodgers1944– A total of 447 German bombers attacked London, England
1942– A Bronx judge ruled all public pin ball machines were illegal
1927
– 1st national opera broadcast in U.S. (‘Faust’) from Chicago1903
– The ‘Wizard of Oz’ premiered in New York City1799
– Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccination was introduced1789
– The 1st American novel was published: ‘Power of Sympathy’ by W.H. Brown
