|
Don't Toss the Cards!
Sunday 12-26-2010 7:44am CT
It's a question every year: What do you do with leftover Christmas cards? They're lovely and decorative. They represent good wishes and good will...and who wants to throw that away? Here's a way to recycle those cards and help needy children: Send any (non-photograph) cards to St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.phpRemember Homeless for Christmas
Saturday 12-18-2010 9:01pm CT
Let the carols ring!
Sunday 12-05-2010 6:53am CT
Breakfast with Bekah is now accepting Christmas song requests! Submit at the email address on the left of the page.
It's the most wonderful time of the year for those who love Christmas music: the sharp harmony, the full orchestra, the classic sound of wonder and hope for the world.
Even if it's the silly songs about reindeer and Grandma that get you singing, it's all about the joy that is available to us because of a babe in Bethlehem.
If you are a singer (even just a Christmas-time one) and you'd like a chorus more formal for your holiday spirit, join the Des Moines Community Orchestra in performing Handel's "Messiah" at Sheslow Auditorium, Drake University, at 1:00pm today (12-5).
You can sing along as the chorus for the professional soloists. Scores are provided, though copies may be limited. No rehearsal necessary, just bring your voice and your Christmas spirit.
http://www.desmoinescommunityorchestra.org/concert_02messiah.htm
Here's the version of the Hallelujah Chorus to beat, in my opinion:
In Philidephia, hundreds of opera singers descended on a local shopping mall and began singing throughout the mall. Watch the expressions of the everyday shoppers as they are stunned, smiling, then singing along!
A brilliant "random act of culture", and a worthy tribute to the music which Handel meant as worship for the masses.
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wp_RHnQ-jgU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wp_RHnQ-jgU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU
The History of American Thanks
Sunday 11-28-2010 7:39am CT
Around here, we believe that Thanksgiving not just a day of the year, but a state of mind. As we celebrate the day with food and family, let's take just a look back at where we've come from in our country.
The heritage of thanks in America comes openly from the first feeble camps of settlers, leaving ships to form colonies. From Spanish sailors in Florida to Jamestown, and the Mayflower families, chronicles show the first order of business after landing and unloading were days of fasting in thanks to God for the opportunity to settle in a new land.
Fast-forward to the founding of the country as an independent nation. The land bought by the pilgrims is now paid for by blood of early patriots. A collection of colonies has become a coalition united in their constitution and their vision. And the country's first leader established a day to proclaim the United States' thanks to God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76QJmgHXT2c&feature=related
That's right, the first nation-wide Thanksgiving Day had little to do with pilgrim-and-indian feasts, although it's not strange to say that it built on their legacy of gratitude.
The President credited by most for the first Thanksgiving as a national holiday is Abraham Lincoln. in the midst of our nation's bitterest war, Lincoln was reminded of all the things we still had to be thankful for. Lincoln delivered this address as an invitation to unite across the political/geographic divide and establish an example of faith and thanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nU8yOHQKhQ
As the proclaimation was printed and passed across the land, a tema of songwriters, William Augustus Muhlenberg and Joseph W. Turner, put forth their thanks in the lyrics of "The President's Hymn":
Give Thanks, all ye People. 1. GIVE thanks, all ye people give thanks to the Lord, Alleluias of freedom, with joyful accord: Let the East and the West, North and South roll along, Sea, mountain, and prairie, one thanksgiving song.
Chorus Give thanks, all ye people, give thanks to the Lord, Alleluias of freedom, with joyful accord. 2. For the sunshine and rainfall, enriching again Our acres in myriads, with treasures of grain; For the Earth still unloading her manifold wealth, For the Skies beaming vigor, the Winds breathing health: Give thanks— 3. For the Nation's wide table, o'erflowingly spread, Where the many have feasted, and all have been fed, With no bondage their God-given rights to enthrall, But Liberty guarded by Justice for all: Give thanks— 4. In the realms of the Anvil, the Loom, and the Plow, Whose the mines and the fields, to Him gratefully bow: His the flocks and the herds, sing ye hill-sides and vales; On His Ocean domains chant His Name with the gales. Give thanks— 5. Of commerce and traffic, ye princes, behold Your riches from Him Whose the silver and gold. Happier children of Labor, true lords of the soil, Bless the Great Master-Workman, who blesseth your toil, Give thanks— 6. Brave men of our forces, Life-guard of our coasts, To your Leader be loyal, Jehovah of Hosts: Glow the Stripes and the Stars aye with victory bright, Reflecting His glory—He crowneth the Right, Give thanks— 7. Nor shall ye through our borders, ye stricken of heart, Only wailing your dead in the joy have no part: God's solace be yours, and for you there shall flow All that honor and sympathy's gifts can bestow. Give thanks— 8. In the Domes of Messiah, ye worshiping throngs, Solemn litanies mingle with jubilant songs; The Ruler of Nations beseeching to spare, And our Empire still keep the Elect of His care. Give thanks— 9. Our guilt and transgressions remember no more; Peace, Lord! righteous Peace, of Thy gift we implore, And the Banner of Union, restored by Thy Hand, Be the Banner of Freedom o'er All in the Land.
Polk County Adoption Day 2010
Sunday 11-21-2010 6:57am CT
 If you ever want to see a room full of familial love, visit the Polk County Courthouse on National Adoption Day!
I was blessed to attend the ceremony as thirty-eight children joined their new "forever families" and everywhere you look, you see a kind of joy that perhaps only those who have been specially chosen can understand.
Over 30,000 children have been adopted through National Adoption Day since 2001.
Dozens of organizations help put the event together. One of the groups involved this year was Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). Members work to empower children to get out of abusive home situations by positive association with the club and removing the child from danger.
Chapter President "A-Train", pictured below right, spoke with me, for today's "Breakfast with Bekah", about the specific vision and challenge of his mission to keep all children safe in their homes.
  Laughter: Good for the Soul
Sunday 11-14-2010 9:19am CT
If you like improv, sketch comedy, or unexpected sound effects in church....
Check out the Ductape Comedy Show:
November 17th, 6:30pm
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines
Catch a preview of their comic style on Breakfast with Bekah, Newsradio 1040 WHO...complete with impromtu beat-boxing, a lost episode of G.I. Joe Classic, and an inside look at the life and times of these Christian comedians (check out the podcast here: http://www.whoradio.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=Bekah.xml).
http://ductapecomedy.com/
Serving with Honor
Sunday 10-10-2010 7:00am CT
 This is Jake (or Jack O' Lantern, more formally), with his trainer Becky Beach. This adorable Labrador is training to be a service dog with Des Moines' Paws and Effect organization. I had the pleasure of meeting with the director of Paws and Effect, Nicole Shumate (featured on today's show), about their commitment to raising and training young dogs as service companions for disabled Iowans. But they don't stop there. Their newest litter of puppies will be trained specially to serve Iowa veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Paws is partnering with the Iowa National Guard for the "We Serve with Honor" campaign; to turn man's best friend into returning soldiers' right hand dogs. These dogs are in a unique position to provide both service and society to those who may be least likely to discuss their struggles with their human families. For veterans dealing with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), their service dog can serve as well as reassure and secure them in their fight. Todd Cerveris travelled from New York to direct the "We Serve with Honor" video PSA campaign. He came to Des Moines with the Broadway tour of "Spring Awakening", and connected with Paws and Effect for his own dog. He and his wife became puppy-raisers for a service dog named Tag, and 18 months later, they're encouraging dog-loving Iowans to do the same thing. The organization provides training and medical care for the service dogs, a commitment that requires abot $20,000 per dog. Donations are appreciated ( http://paws-effect.org/) and each of the puppies need caring families for 18 months to get them ready to serve with honor. For more information, contact Nicole at the Paws and Effect blog: http://paws-effect.blogspot.com/ Verterans Stand Down
Sunday 09-12-2010 6:49am CT
 Veterans relax in the shade of a Stand Down tent in Washington D.C. The Veteran's Administration’s annual "Stand Down" event provides a haven for homeless veterans in Des Moines this weekend. The Stand Down put up a downtown camp site on the Capitol grounds to distribute food, cots, clothes and other necessities for the homeless. Over 1,000 homeless men, women and children are expected by this afternoon. Executive Officer Bob Steben says the name "stand down" means something special to veterans; that they can rest in a safe place before going back into battle again. Hundreds of volunteers camped out on the lawn of the Iowa Judicial building this weekend to provide food, and clothing to the area’s homeless veterans. Volunteers sorted 7,000 pounds of donated clothing and shoes. The event also provides contact with medical, legal and workforce development services, and even free haircuts.
Steben with the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs said the Stand Down is only a weekend event, but they collect donations all year round. To donate, contact: https://va.iowa.gov/ Making Lemonade
Sunday 08-22-2010 6:51am CT
It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times, and it’s state fair time, all rolled into one big current events category of life’s quiz show. Forgive me for waxing literary, but these days I’ve been thinking about legacy: what will our generation leave behind for the next, what will our great-grandchildren think about our decisions that how we made our lives into their history.
And this time is as good as any to realize this is our time to hope.
The worries of the world have never had better press. In the midst of the typical stress about the dismal job market, the rising cost of necessities, the collapsing of economic and social independence, the runaway courts, the elitist and unreasoning political class, and the possible consequences of our society’s choices: this is enough to keep a girl (or guy) up at night.
Worries about our country, our personal economies, our families’ future…all these really weigh us down as a people. It is enough to turn us into depressed and morose zombies, just slogging it through another day, trying to just eke out a basic survival. Before we go off into the wide, cruel world though, let’s gain some perspective via the video at the bottom.
Nick’s testimony of gratitude was just what I needed to hear this week. In the midst of everything I’ve mentioned, all the legitimate concerns, all the “storms”, we can become very selfish, very guarded, just out for yourself. It is precisely the time when we enter “survivalist mode” that we need to look at our hearts and remember what we still have. We the people are still here, and still have strength. We can still protect, still pray, still find a way.
We have to do this together and with gratitude, not to government, but to God.
These must be the best of times. We must make them the best of times; they are ours but once. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HGQHgeFE&feature=player_embedded
|
© 2012
