Big Bands and Other Thoughts Of Interest

Yesterday in the mail I received Jack Behrens' recent book entitled America's Music Makers:  Big Bands and Ballrooms 1912-2011, and it has been an interesting read so far.   Mr. Behrens has written another book on the subject a couple of years earlier that I have in my library at home, and after reading the first book I got in touch with him.  Behrens is a very thoughtful individual, and also has been a joy to talk to, being he both has good taste in music as well as being a fellow Christian as I am too.  His books are by no means what you would call a scholarly discourse, but they are good reading and they are well-written, being that Mr. Behrens is also a professional writer.   One of my other friends, Joe Enroughty, who has an orchestra in Richmond, VA, alerted me to the new book, and I had just purchased it recently.  Reading Behrens' thoughts in the book sort of piqued my own interest in possibly making my interest in big band recordings a little more down-to-earth with a personal twist, which I have already done to some degree with some earlier articles I have written prior to this one.   It is a daunting task, because how do you integrate something that you were too young to experience in its heyday into your own life as something that is meaningful?  Not saying that it isn't or anything, because a lot of my personal identity is tied into the music I listen to, but putting into an expression by writing has proven to be more of a challenge.  However, there are some facts we have established in previous articles about how this music has impacted me, and these are a couple of those:

1. I view it as an important part of my personal testimony, because I feel God has given me a taste for this great music to protect me from some of the ills and mindsets of my generation
2. My record collection has provided me with a lot of memorable stories too, as certain items in it have proven to stimulate certain memories for me

But, despite these general things, there should be a personal element to it as well, and maybe I should spend some time talking about that.   Over the years, for instance, I have gotten to know some veteran musicians from that great musical era, and I have spent precious little time talking about them.   So, let us begin today with that.

Gene Beecher was an elderly gentleman I had the privelege of meeting back years ago when I was a security officer at Carpenter's Home in Lakeland, FL.   Gene lived in what was called Carpenter's Estates, a large retirement condo adjacent to the old Carpenter's Home Church campus, and when he lived there he was well into his 80's.   By the time Gene had moved to Carpenter's, he had more or less taken up a form of painting called "naive art," which was also the style that the late Grandma Moses painted.   Although somewhat bizarre and odd pictures, they nevertheless have a following, and this type of painting to this day still has its afficianados.   Gene gave me one of his originals a few years before he passed away, a picture of a creature vaguely resembling a cat.  I still have that too, as it may be worth something one day.   However, although Gene and I got to know each other well, and we spent evenings at the lobby desk talking about a number of topics - Gene was well-read, and although not college-degreed, he nonetheless qualified as an intellectual regardless - come to find out in his heyday (late 1930's) Gene led a dance band in the Cleveland area, and he shared a lot of that with me.  Some years later, I actually found one of his old radio programs on CD from a guy in Missouri I purchase old vintage big band radio shows from, and upon listening to it I gathered that Gene, like so many Cleveland-based orchestras (Sammy Kaye, Freddy Martin, and Kay Kyser all come to mind here) was a sweet-oriented bandleader.  Later, you wouldn't know that from talking to him, as his tastes were more preferable to Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton than they were toward Lawrence Welk and Guy Lombardo, but that was one of the many things that fascinated me about the man.  He later passed away, I believe, in 2001 at the age of 93, and I miss the guy as he became a dear friend.  But, his son "Inky" carries on his legacy today, as he manages his dad's artwork - some of those bizarre paintings can fetch as much as $1200 now, I found out!

In 2004, I met another famous icon of the era, more so than Mr. Beecher was.   I was working on Clearwater Beach as an administrative assistant for a title company when I found out one of the residents at the condo we were conducting closings on was none other than Connie Haines.   As some of my fellow big band afficianados will be aware, Connie Haines was the girl singer with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra back in the early 1940's, and she share vocal duties with Dorsey's then-youthful featured boy singer, one Francis Albert Sinatra of Hoboken, NJ.   Meeting this great lady in person, who then was 84 years old and in declining health but still very active, was the highlight of my week.  My boss, knowing my interest in the music, arranged for me to assist in her title closing, and we did that at her condo, which was a treat.   Her place was like a museum, with all the gold records, pictures with celebs, and other memorabilia.   It was good I got to see her then, because less than 3 years later she had passed away, but not before she blessed me with a copy of her biography, written by Richard Grudens and entitled Snooty Little Cutie.  It was a fond experience though all the way around.

I have thought about doing my own history of the big dance bands,  but to be honest it would be complicated.  Reason is, it is just overwhelming the history and information I have learned from my 30-plus years of collecting this great stuff.  I have read the "canonical" big band books, things such as George T. Simon's The Big Bands, Leo Walker's Wonderful Era of the Great Dance Bands, and Albert McCarthy's The Dance Band Era, all of which are part of my library as well as of course Brian Rust's monumental American Dance Band Discography, a valuable - albeit expensive! - but rare resource that chronicles practically every record of every big band that ever existed up to about 1942 or so.   Recording-wise, I have in my possession the "Holy Grail" of big band collections too, the Franklin Mint Greatest Recordings of the Big Band Era, a monster collection that was released in the early 1980's consisting of 100 red-vinyl LP's featuring about 250 orchestras.  Thank God for EBay with that one!  That, along with my collection of around 900 other LP's and about 1100 CD's, gives me a rare perspective on the music.  In all my listening and research, I have seen various theories as to who was the first actual dance band.  Some writers say Art Hickman deserves the title, while others say Wilbur Sweatman, and still others say James Reese Europe.   However, as it turns out, there were big dance bands long before any of these were making records, and the one person who sticks out to me is Will Marion Cook, an African-American composer/bandleader/playwright who had one of the first touring big bands back in the 1880's.  It is quite unfortunate that he was around too early for recordings (although cylinders did exist, and that would be some find to have Will Marion Cook's original music on one!), but he is the guy I personally feel from whom evolved the whole big band genre.   And, good reason for it - he groomed and developed the musicianship of both Sydney Bichet and Duke Ellington, which in itself is fascinating.  I would go as far as to say that without a Will Marion Cook, there would have been no Duke Ellington.   Cook's impact on the style that would later make Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and Lawrence Welk (along with hundreds of others) household names is one of the most understated footnotes in American popular music, yet it is something that I feel is vital.  Some may disagree with my hypothesis on that, and that is OK - we all appreciate good music enough to debate the fact, so that is cool - but it just makes sense to me to trace the evolution of big dance bands back to Will Marion Cook.

Another thing that I feel has been under-documented is the ethnic contribution to the big bands.  Klezmer, polkas, etc., have contributed richly to the big band experience, and although purists on both sides of the fence differ with that somewhat, the fact cannot be denied.   Polka, in particular, has been oft-overlooked, and this despite the fact that "Whoopie John" Wilfahrt and Harold Loeffelmacher's Six Fat Dutchmen, both of New Ulm, MN, had for all intents and purposes big bands that played polkas!  Then, there is German-born Will Glahe, as well as my fellow Tucker County native Frankie Yankovic - not to mention modern "polka king" Jimmy Sturr, who has in my estimation done more to preserve big band music than many today have.  Polkas have been an integral part of big bands for a long time (Lawrence Welk come to mind?  Remember, he was a polka musician before he was a sweet bandleader!)  and being polkas are a dance, and orchestras play them for dance music, it is only logical to conclude that polka bands - especially those of the 1920's-1950's - were big bands for all intents and purposes.  And, personally, polka music is what introduced me to the big bands, and they have always been intertwined as far as I am concerned.   Again, some may respectfully disagree, and that's fine - again, people can appreciate good music from different perspectives on it. 

I honestly need to address something else too - I hate rock music, and to me anyone who has good taste and a discerning ear cannot take that crap seriously.  I know some will disagree with that too, but in that case I don't give a rat's behind - it's chaotic noise with no form, no substance to it, and also is spiritually detrimental, and a person with the sense God gave a goose would have nothing to do with it, I am sorry.   I have said many times that God gave me a love of the big bands to protect me, and seeing what rock music creates in the way of values, I feel very blessed to have been shielded from its influence.  And now, they want to bring it in churches as "worship" music - please, if I didn't listen to it before I was a Christian, then why would I want my senses subjected to that garbage as a Christian??  I have dealt with the theological aspects of that on my other page, so I won't do that here.  However, I will say this - I am too good for rock music, and am not ashamed to say it.  God gave us better creativity and sensitivity to aesthetics, and we should have the good sense to exercise that gifting and tell rock music and its creators and performers to stick it where the sun don't shines.  Just my humble opinion, so take it for what you want.

That being said, I will stop rambling for today, and hopefully will see you all again soon.  Take care and God bless.

Who Are The Real Barbarians??

Over the past few weeks, I have taken a time of abstinence from cable television (something all thinking people should do, honestly) to catch up on watching some DVD's in my library that I have accumulated over the past couple of years.  Some of these - actually, most! - are documentaries, while others are actual movies.  It has been an educational experience doing this, as a lot of times the garbage we watch on TV is totally devoid of any intellectual stimulation and too many waste their time watching it.  Think about it - with cable TV, most of what is offered is deviant sex, radical politics, and anti-Christian bias, all of which I find both repulsive and alarming.   The more "sophisticated" we think we are, in reality the more stupid and barbaric our society is getting.  That being said, it's an ancilliary supporting point to the premise of this article.

Of what I have recently watched, one included a History Channel documentary series entitled Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire, which deals almost exclusively with the declining centuries of Roman imperial power in impressively extensive detail.  One thing I noted with great interest was how barbaric the supposedly "civilized" Romans were in contrast to those they labeled "Barbarians."  The example that really stood out to me as I watched this series was Stilicho, the half-Vandal general and advisor to the Roman emperor in the 4th century.  Stilicho, devoutly Christian and with a characteristic humility and sense of honor that many of us would do good to emulate, was executed unjustly and barbarically by full-blooded "civilized" Romans because he was simply that, a "Barbarian."  Yet, Caligula, another Roman Emperor from a couple of centuries earlier, was in reality more barbaric than Stilicho ever was.  Caligula, as a matter of fact, was one of the most brutal, perverted, and barbaric individuals ever to exist - he was, next to Hitler, perhaps the most wicked man ever to lead a nation.   Lest you think this was limited to ancient Rome, I would advise you take a closer look at 21st-century America today.  We West Virginians, for instance, have become the modern-day Stilichos in many cases - despite the fact many of our people are hard-working, decent people and we have produced a high caliber of intellectuals, we are still called "backward hillbillies" who are supposedly products of "inbreeding" and other such media-perpetrated lies.  Yet, our detractors - the media elite of New York and other places in many cases - have been documented to live debauched lifestyles and have indulged in such sick pasttimes that even Caligula would blush.   And, many of these "intellectual elite" are so clueless that they cannot even carry on an intellectual conversation.   At the office I work at in downtown Tampa, I see this all the time - there are some people in my office who, at lunch, sit around the table espousing radical politics, and discussing more of what Justin Bieber's hair looks like or the recent  'wisdom' of Charlie Sheen or Oprah rather than discussing real issues, and most of them are clueless when it comes to Shakespeare or Stravinsky (Ironically, when I was in grade school in small-town WV, we learned more about classical literature than most high-schoolers in Tampa learn in four years, if that says anything.  In high school, I had Latin and German; here, kids learn how to speak "gangsta").  Yet, the Sheenistas claim to be "sophisticated" due to what they read in a local liberal rag published here called tbt, a paper noted for showcasing sex perverts, acceptance of illicit drugs, and radical left-wing politics.   Popular culture today is scary, and personally I only keep informed enough about it so that I can accurately observe how absurd most of it is. 

I also managed to watch for the first time in many years Herman Wouk's The Winds of War and War and Remembrance.  These two movies came out as mini-series in the mid-1980's, and personally I consider them two of the best films ever made.  Both films are based in World War II, and deal with the lives of the Henry family, an American military household headed by the battle-hardened Navy captain Victor "Pug" Henry (portrayed by legendary actor Robert Mitchum, who fit the role brilliantly) and a Polish-Jewish family, the Jastrows, represented by the elderly author/scholar Dr. Aron Jastrow (portrayed first by John Houseman, and later in the second movie by Sir John Gielgud, both of whom did an outstanding job in the role).  Henry's son Byron, the bohemian adventurer, lands a job with Dr. Jastrow in Italy as a researcher, and later falls for and eventually marries Jastrow's beautiful niece, Natalie (portrayed first by Ali McGraw, and later by Jane Seymour).  As WWII breaks out, the Henrys are plunged into Naval service while the Jastrows become increasingly endangered by the approaching Gestapo, and in the end Aaron ends up in the gas chamber at Auschwitz while Natalie survives the camp.  One thing that really struck me personally was how Aaron Jastrow, supposedly a secular Jew and intellectual, eventually finds the God of his fathers as the Nazis plot his destruction, and as he breathes his last in the hellish gas chamber in Auschwitz, the eternal words of Psalm 23 are on his lips as he goes to his eternal reward.  That was a powerful scene, and just seeing that adds to this point - the "civilized" Germans, demonically possessed by the racist hatred of the Nazis, become barbarians as they debase and destroy a man of brilliant mind and great prestige like Dr. Aaron Jastrow.  Yet, today in America we see this stuff repeating itself - people of brilliant intellect and noble bearing are often persecuted and despised because they are people of faith.   And, our respect for life and decency in this nation has waned considerably since we allowed certain elements to shove sexual deviancy, evolutionary philosophy, and cultural illiteracy down our throats just because some airheads in Hollywood or some self-serving politician in Washington thinks Marxism, evolution, and eugenics are "sophisticated."   We abort millions of babies in cold blood, and some for stupid reasons - we consider them "subhuman" because they may have Down's Syndrome, cerebral palsy, or may be autistic.  Not only that, but respect for elders has waned as well as Obamacare wants to kill off the elderly too.  Not much these days separates us from the Nazis, to be honest.  A return to solid values, common decency, and intellectual encouragement would easily eliminate the barbaric "culture of death" we are sinking into, and unless we turn it around, we will end up following Rome into decline.  So, maybe Rome's example should be an example to us.

That is my humble opinion, despite some stones that may be cast at me for it, this week, and we'll see you again soon.

The Thrower Philosophical Code - Part II

42.  BRAIN TRANSPLANTS NOT POSSIBLE.  Learn to think and reason for yourself, and examine and follow your own convictions.  It will help you to be more solid on ideological grounds.  Purge conditioned thinking if you have doubts, and don't believe everything you're told until you discern it is acceptable.

43.  DO-IT-YOURSELF OR LEARN.  Be as self-sufficient as possible, and learn things that will aid in self-sufficiency.  You can never learn too much, but you can know too little.  The latter will be to your disadvantage.

44.  BE A HURRICANE, STAY AT SEA.  It is quite valid and realistic to lose your temper on occasion, but avoid embarrassment doing so.  Vent out of range, cool off, and after doing so, you can think more rationally to deal with the situation in a more civil manner.

45.  GOOD WORKS GET GOOD RESULTS.  Know how to account for your actions and explain yourself.  If you are wrong, be quick to admit it; if you are justified, know why and how to back it up.  The goal is not to argue to win, but arguing to convince, and should the situation require stress your point repeatedly.

46.  ZIP YOUR LIP.  Don't divulge what you are told in confidence.  Also, observe situations, and one day this will provide you with the information you need ifyou stay quiet enough until necessity deems otherwise.

47.  DON'T BE LEFT HOLDING THE BAG.  If you are given an unnecessary expense by someone and you do not feel liable for it, don't pay it because it is not yours to be concerned about.

48.  A CLOSED EYE IS A WINDOW INTO THE SOUL.  Take your dreams seriously, write them down, and reflect on them - they could tell you something about yourself should you be open to finding it out.

49.  RECLAIM LOST TERRITORY.  If something has impacted you in a mjor way, track it down and procure it.  It can be a stimuli to awaken a memory or desire you may have that could be buried in the deepest recesses of your mind.  This could include a book, object, poem, song, etc.

50.  ATMOSPHERE BIRTHS INSPIRATION EQUALS CREATIVITY.  To be creative in the written word, the arts, etc., it is often necessary to have the proper atmosphere.  Certain music, the color of a room, a profound television show, etc., could aid in this.  As a result, what you produce will be a more quality product.

51.  CONCEPT IS PARAMOUNT!  When learning some new discipline, association via key words, etc., is essential.  You will learn better, but it will require good listening.  If developed properly, little study is necessary.  Also, learn to listen while performing another task, such as listening and watching television at the same time.

52.  FIND THE MISSING LINK.  Associate, make comparisons, and fit things you acquire into your overall world view. 

53.  HONOR WORTHY ANCESTORS.   Know your heritage, stress its good points, and be realistic about its flaws.  Remember, you have nothing to be ashamed of, and your forebears' mistakes are theirs and not yours to worry about, but make life applications from them regardless.

54.  ACCEPT ADVICE, IGNORE CONDESCENSION.  It is a fundamental difference in motivation.  Know motivation, and you will know the difference.

55.  DIG ROOTS.  For any interest, go as far back as you can;  it makes the whole spectrum much more interesting. 

56.  KNOW YOUR ABILITIES BUT DO NOT ACCEPT FLATTERY.   People who flatter have ulterior motives.  One who truly acknowledges your abilities will seek to contribute to them.

57.  PREPARE FOR THE WORST, BUT COUNT ON THE BEST.  Do not worry about outcome, but have good outlook.   You are prepared either way.

58.  EACH PIGEON HAS ITS OWN HOLE.    Classify, organize, and have a place for everything.

59.  IT IS FINE TO BE WOUNDED BUT DON'T BE A CASUALTY.   In adverse circumstance, give time for recovery and move on.

60.  ALL DOUGHNUTS HAVE THE SAME HOLE, BUT SOME AND/OR TOO MANY WILL MAKE YOU ILL.  Stay faithful to your mate, and a monogamous, heterosexual sacramental union of marriage is the divine order of things, and the only appropriate setting for such relations.  Infidelity, perversion, and other deviations from that are destructive and cost much.

61.  THOSE WHO CANNOT SEARCH THINGS OUT FOR THEMSELVES WILL NEVER LEARN. 
Do not cheat or help others do so.  Seek to learn by searching things out rather than having them dished out to you.  It is a timely process, but better to find out slowly on your own rather than having the "quick fix".

62.  A PRINCE IS NOT TO BE HELPED BY A PAUPER.  Do not allow assistance to be rendered unto you by the indigent - he may know better in certain areas, but there is always a more credible source of aid.

63.  THE BUSH IS BEATEN WHEN THE TRAIL IS NOT.  It is sometimes more necessary to find the path of purpose rather than go about it blindly.  You could be led in the wrong direction if not careful.

64.  A MURKY WELL IS UNFIT TO DRINK.  In areas of philosophical, political, and theological disciplines, caution must be taken as to whom you choose to listen - dangerous ideology is easily accessed, but fatal if swallowed.   A discerning mind and spirit in these areas is essential.  Being informed is a must.

65.  PRINCES AND PRESIDENTS - POPULARITY IS NOT INTEGRITY!! Fallible humanity makes for fallible government, and a completely honest leadership does not exist.  Indeed, a certain amount of dishonesty may be essential in those disciplines.  However, a leader must not make promises he cannot deliver on, as this is failure's embryo.  And, he must not indulge information if it hinders the sanctity of his constituency, nor should he cause unnecessary panic.   At the same time, he should not keep from the people what benefits them.

66.  AVOID CONFLICT, OPPOSE CIVILLY.  Though it is often necessary to address concerns, if the opposing party appears to be beyond reason, it is best to not argue with ignorance and handle in a more constructive manner.   Vocalizing to such people will only waste valuable time and result in unnecessary conflict that could have been avoided.

67.  UNDERDOGS PREFERABLE TO OVERLORDS.  It is honorable to come to the aid of those who are oppressed and persecuted, especially for those who suffer in obscurity.  Public opinion ignores their plight, and your advocacy will impact them for the better and they will be encouraged by your interest. 


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These are some of my "pearls" of wisdom I have come to learn over the years, and Lord knows I have much more to go.  A combination of my various roots - as an Appalachian-American of Swiss Anabaptist, French Huguenot, and Spanish Anusim descent - has shaped much of what you have just read, as I have seen these beliefs and values reflected in the legacy of many of my forebears.  Also, I continue to assert the lost art of  
nobless oblige as well, and this has shaped what I hold true today also.   Take what I say for what it's worth, because it is a personal code that is not meant to be enforced on others but rather I live by it personally.  If you benefit from it too, that is good as well, but it is mostly just to share and help people understand better how I personally communicate.  Thanks for reading.

The Thrower Philosophical Code - Part I

This is something I came up with some years ago, expressing my beliefs and convictions in the form of proverbs.   I got the idea from my good friend and literary mentor Robert Newton Peck, who was noted for doing extemporaneous proverbial thoughts as part of his writing technique.  This is a little more organized, but along the same lines.  

Some of my views of course have evolved and changed since those days, but I still want to present and preserve the best of them, as well as adding some new ones, so this is a work in progress.

1.  CONVICTION IS CROWNED OVER CURRENCY.  Careers are based on interest and not on income.  One's happiness at doing what he likes is reward enough.

2.  BOAST ABILITY AND NOT PROBABILITY.  Do not make commitments in haste, but look at a situation from all angles.  Announce intentions before you execute them.

3.  THE PROBLEM IS INDIVIDUAL AND NOT GROUP.  A disagreement with another must be taken up with the offending party as an individual and not with the ethnicity, religion, etc., with which he identifies.

4.  Admit your faults, and no one will condemn you for them.

5.  OPEN EARS, CLOSE MOUTH, NOURISH BRAIN.  Wisdom comes from listening not talking.

6.  UNITY OF MIND AND SPIRIT A MUST!  A man's intellect will shape his views of spiritual things.  The better the intellect, the more focused one's faith.

7.  CRYPTIC CRITICISM CURBS COMMUNAL CURSE.  Keep quiet about others in public, and take your offenses to the offender.  That way, no retaliation will befall you.  Also, a trusted confidante will prove a valuable asset when such issues arise.

8.  WHEN IN DOUBT, SPEAK OUT!  If you have a serious concern, let your feelings be known to the appropriate parties, showing them they cannot walk over you.  If they attempt to tread on your back, they will have their day to come.

9.  MORE THAN ONE SLEEVE HOLDS MORE TRICKS.  Plan ahead, but provide alternatives in case the first plan is unsuccessful.

10.  DON'T GIVE WHAT YOU DESIRE TO KEEP.  Never loan anyone anything that you cherish or have value for, because you may never see them again.

11.  PASS ON MORE THAN YOUR GENES AND FORTUNE.  WRITE down your memoirs, save everything, and leave a legacy for your children.  It is the most valued possession you can leave to them.

12.  DON'T GIVE TILL IT HURTS.  Never give to others if it deprives your own fundamental needs, for those you extend charity to may not do the same for you when you lack.

13.  DIVERSION PREVENTS DIVISION.  Spend time alone on occasion for a stronger marriage.  Absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder.

14.  KNOW YOURSELF TO BE KNOWN.

15.  ACCEPT YOURSELF TO BE ACCEPTED.

16.  DON'T MESH, DON'T TALK.  If you find little in common talking with someone, and do not feel you can connect, do not press the issue.

17. COMMON GROUND IS NOT CONQUERED TERRITORY.    Share and be enthusiastic about who you are as an individual with an unique identity, but do not impose your interests on the person you are sharing with.  Common things are better discovered at mutual will.

18.  DON'T KNOW, DON'T TALK.  If your knowledge does not extend to a certain area, don't act like you know what you are talking about.

19.  IF YOU KNOW DO NOT FLAUNT.  A person who truly has knowledge of something does not have to advertise it.  Their expertise in the field will speak for itself.

20.  SUBTLE IS POLITE.  Argue your point discreetly if possible.  If this doesn't work, go back to #8.

21.  WAIT, DO NOT IMPOSE.  If you have a really pressing need someone will see it and assist you.   If they do not, then ask and offer something in return.

22.  REAL RELIGION IS MORE THAN "MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO."   God expects individuals to be as they are created to be, and therefore we are not to do anythinhg in His house out of our characters, despite the peer pressure of the crowd.

23.  IGNORANCE NOT DESERVING OF BEING EXCUSED OR TOLERATED.  People whom you encounter who are beyond reason are to be disregarded, as it is a waste of time to debate your virtues and their shortcomings anyway. 

24.  EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY.  If revenge is out of your means, then do not worry about it;  if the person who wronged you is guilty, then that individual will be dealt with justly by higher authorities.

25.  MENTORING IS A MUST.  It is eternally essential to be guided by one who is older and wiser as you proceed on life's pilgrimage.  Let this individual impart to you the precious gift of their wisdom, as it is a high honor.

26.  REMEMBER THE PRICK OF A BYGONE THORN.  Learn from, analyze, and evaluate your mistakes, as error can be a competent teacher if you listen to it the first time.

27.  A CRAB APPLE AND A WASHINGTON RED ARE APPLES IN NAME ONLY.  Two things may seem alike on the surface, but are vastly different when you get beyond externals.

28.  TRADITION IS PARAMOUNT IF IT IS ORTHODOX.  Do not disregard traditions of the past,  and only do away with them if they are more harm than good.

29.  SILENCE IS GOLDEN WHERE EXPRESSION IS RIDICULED.  Do not share your dreams and desires with those who won't appreciate them, as you will only cheapen yourself by doing so.

30.  HOLD IT, DON'T BLUDGEON!  If you have done a good favor for someone who does you wrong later, politely remind them of the fact without beating them over the head with it.

31.  DUCKS IN A ROW ARE BETTER THAN STRAY GOATS.   Organizing, documenting, and ordering your life's activities should always be paramount.  Always know what everything is and where it is at.

32.  PACE DON'T PUSH.  Mindset is important in concentration.  Do not attempt a task if distraction is immanent.  Do your best, and do not try to exceed your limits.

33.  DO NOT IMPOSE YOUR WELCOME.  When a guest in someone's home, do not help yourself to their amenities unless invited to do so.  Further, treat your guests in the same manner, as they should not impose themselves on your home either. 

34.  SEE THE ROSES AS WELL AS THE THORNS.  Despite individual shortcomings we all have, everyone has good qualities.  Give credit where credit is due, despite personal feelings.

35.  DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THE PREJUDICED.  Be prejudiced against racism and racists, and in a desperate circumstance, and ONLY if necessary, use violence if a bigot's actions prove serious enough to warrant such extremes.

36.  STEP AHEAD, AND YOU WILL NOT BE LEFT IN YOUR OWN TRACKS.  Prepare for problems, and protect yourself from people or circumstances that prove threatening.

37.  REWARD YOUR MENTORS.  Keep in touch with influential people, as your accomplishments will be a reward to them as well as yourself.  Likewise, make an effort to keep in contact with those you teach, influence, and guide.

38.  BE EXTREME BUT NOT CRAZY.  It is fine to be a radical, as long as you stay within societal norms.  It is fine to be eccentric, but not psychotic.   Eccentrism can add color to your persona soli.

39.  TASTE A LOT OF PIES, BUT FAVOR ONLY ONE.  Learn as much as possible about a number of disciplines, but master only one.  All the rest will find their application as life's pilgrimage progresses.

40.  HAVE SOLITUDE WITHOUT BEING SOLITARY.  Everyone needs time to themselves without distraction, and it is recommended to allow for this practice of self-reflection for a specified period of time daily - it helps one to be more focused.

41.  BEWARE OF STATIC KLINGONS!!  When people latch onto you too closely, and you feel sapped by them and their presence, back away to prevent future issues from arising, as they surely will!


More to come on Part II....

My Poor Attempts at Poetry Over the Years

These are two poems I composed close to 19 years ago, both of them while I worked at Chase.  The first is about a co-worker by the name of Raquel Aziz I worked with then.  Raquel was originally of Trinidadian origin, and she loved to eat a tone of garlic on her food which often stunk up the office!  Her co-worker, a sweet church lady we called Miss Grant, used to spray a ton of air freshener around while Raquel would indulge in her garlic-laden feasts.  She is referenced here as well, so enjoy!

The second is about another co-worker named Mark, who after indulging a few Coronas one weekend claimed he saw a dancing cow on South Beach.   My guess was that a Chick-Fil-A was close by, and it was probably a guy in a suit doing a promotion on the beach, something a slightly-tipsy beachgoer might not quite comprehend at the time.  

Ode To The Garlic Queen

Lest you catch a pungent reek

When the lunch hour peaks

The Garlic Queen has come!

Nostrils contract and olfactories shrink

When her dish eeks forth its stink

Then those around her start to pray

That the Lord provideth an air-freshening spray

As forth the pungent aroma blasts

One can feel the churning of gastric gas

She calls everyone a "Pooch"

But the air around her is as intoxicating as a cheap hooch

Mama sits with her spray can

Pleading to the Lord that some brave man

Would enforce on those pungent bulbs a ban

Oh, Allium Tricullum what is your appeal

That with you the Garlic Queen smothers her meal?

This little verse is an alarm

Lest your nose be assaulted with the pungent balm

Hail,oh Queen of rancid herb

Eat heartily of the meals you serve

But please have mercy on our olfactory nerves!

The Dancing Cow

My faculties were out of reach

when on an outing I went one night

I wandered down to the beach

and beheld myself a sight!

With black and white patches on its form

it danced in the pale moonlight

A large figure that wasn't quite the norm

did a Texas Two-Step - what a fright!

The bovine was enraptured in its dance

I could not believe my eyes

I thought that I was in a trance

that my senses were telling me lies

Today I swear I saw that cow

But no one will take my word

I still try to figure out how

that beast could kick the dirt

V-8 and Alka Seltzer did not suffice

as that vision still captures my whim

Perhaps the sun was more than strong

the day I beheld a beast so prim.

The Purple Trees of Easter

April is here, life is coming back to the earth, and spring has arrived!  In the part of Florida we live in, it means that one very important event that happens once a year is in full swing - the area is awash in trees that are covered in purple.  I have been enchanted with these beautiful trees for a number of years but never knew what they were called until a co-worker told me a few years back that they are jacaranda trees.  Always in time for Easter without fail, they burst forth in a blaze of purple glory for about a month, after which the blooms drop off and the trees blend back in with the rest of the foliage until the next year comes around.  

Although some people think jacarandas are a nuisance due to their being a non-native species (they were brought over from Brazil), they have become one of my favorite flowers, and sort of fill the gap left by a lack of lilac trees here, which I was used to growing up.  And, unlike wild boars, snakeheads, and kudzu, the jacarandas are not invasive; actually, they enhance the beauty of the area, which is constantly being built up as some greedy businessman builds yet another Publix, Stabuck's, or McDonalds (as if we don't have enough).  Therefore, I say celebrate their presence and enjoy their beauty for the brief time it displays itself every year.

Another phenomenon is something Barb pointed out to me that I had never noticed before I met her, and it involves another type of tree, namely evergreens.   At around Easter, the pine trees in particular display little crosses at their tips, and it is really a unique thing that only you can see that time of year.   Could it be that nature affirms something that man is often too selfish and blind to see?  Who is to say.   Anyway, with it being Easter season and all, thought it was worth mentioning.

A third interesting phenomena is something I grew up hearing about as a kid, and it involved the dogwood.  Legend has it that dogwood was chosen by the Romans as wood for the Cross that Christ was crucified on, and as a result God blessed the dogwood with a cruciform flower with patterns like a blood stain.  The dogwood is said to have its pink color also because it blushes in shame about the fact that it was used for what it was used for.  A song was made about this, and the story is still told by those who fondly remember it.

Creation indeed does herald God's glory, and it also commemorates Christ's Passion.  These simple signs from nature should serve to remind us of what we celebrate Easter for. 

I look for the day when my tired eyes see

the glory and beauty of the purple tree

Brief though it stays

it brightens the mundane days

As it breaks out in all its glory

as a reminder of God's redemption story!

May you all have a blessed Easter season.

David's Church History 101 Part 2 - MORE Interesting Groups

This has proven to be a longer story than I had anticipated, being I was hoping to get this all into one article!  However, there is so much more to talk about, and therefore I want to share some more interesting groups.

Back during the years 1990-1992, when I attended the old Florida Baptist Theological College in Graceville, FL, I had just received the Pentecostal Baptism on June 21, 1989, and many of the Baptist churches in the area really held no interest for me.  Although by then I had affilliated with the Foursquare denomination, the nearest Foursquare church was over 20 miles away in Midland City, AL, and although I would eventually be an active member there, at first it was not that convenient to go every Sunday.   So, I attended usually the First Assembly of God in Graceville on given Sundays, until I met my future wife Barbara.   Barb, like me, had started out Baptist as well but had gotten the Holy Spirit Baptism, and she was in a lot of ways more Pentecostal than I was then!  Any rate, she started going to another little Pentecostal church in Graceville called the Graceville Community Church, and it was actually a very old-time Holiness/Pentecostal church that reminded me a lot of the churches back home in WV.   As I attended the Graceville Community Church (especially its campmeetings in the fall, which were very good!) I began to understand that it was part of another Pentecostal fellowship, and therefore I wanted to find out who they were part of.  So, years later, I did, and it turned out to be an interesting group.

The new campmeeting tabernacle at Graceville Community Church, Graceville, FL, when we last visited there in August 2008.  The church house is to the left of the tabernacle out of range of the photo.

Graceville Community Church belongs to an association of old-time Pentecostal congregations called the Living Word of Faith Fellowship, based out of Panama City Florida.  According to the Fellowship Minister's Handbook,  the Living Word of Faith Fellowship was founded in 1954 through the evangelistic efforts of Rev. J. W. Hunt, a former Assemblies of God evangelist who established the Springfield Community Church, the "mother church" of the Living Word of Faith Fellowship, in 1951 in Panama City.  Although Rev. Hunt died at the age of 81 in 2001, his Fellowship is still vibrant today.   As of their 2008/2009 Ministerial Directory, they have approximately 92 churches as well as 205 credentialed evangelists and 8 missionaries serving in Chile, the Phillipines, Jamaica, Haiti, India, Peru, and Kenya.   Additionally, they have 4 campgrounds (Caryville, FL; Ellisnore, MO; Locust Grove, AR; and at the home church in Panama City, FL) and a periodical magazine.  Their churches are located largely in the states of Florida (the Panhandle primarily), Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, although they also have many fellowships in other states as well. Evangelists affilliated with the Fellowship can be found nationwide (one is even in Springfield, WV, close to where I spent most of my childhood in Kirby!), although the majority of them are in the core region.  Doctrinally, they are traditional, conservative Pentecostal/Holiness, and believe in modest dress, total abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and other substances, and although stauch in their convictions, Resolution 5 of their By-Laws states that they acknowledge fellowship with all Christians who believe in the "Blood of Jesus Christ" and don't hold to any heretical doctrines.  These churches do uphold that, as often at their campmeetings they do often have speakers from other fellowships, and they maintain a cordial relationship with other churches of different denominations in their respective communities - the Graceville Community Church is a good example of this, as they had a strong impact on many students at FBTC back in the day, and their pastor then, a capable preacher and talented gospel musician by the name of Tommy McCormick, on occasion even spoke in the college chapel services.  They are also a very expressive group, and music ministry plays a big role in their church service and campmeetings as a number of talented musicians hold ministerial credentials with the Fellowship.  Again, I have found over the years that the Living Word of Faith people were by and large a strong and sincere group of fellow believers, and I greatly respect them because they are one of the few fellowships today keeping alive the "old-time Pentecostal faith" that I fondly remember as a kid. 

A second group, intimately tied to the Holiness Messenger paper out of Oklahoma, is a conservative Pentecostal/Holiness fellowship based out of Ohio called the Free Pentecostal Church of God Association.   With congregations simultaneously called "Free Pentecostal Holiness Churches," this fellowship is based out of the Pentecostal Holiness Tabernacle in Cincinatti, OH, and many congregations in fellowship with it can be found in the upper Ohio Valley region.   Not much is known as to the history of the group, as it is a more informal fellowship, but they do have a website (http://www.freepentecostalchurchofgod.com/) and many of their congregations are listed in the Holiness Messenger as well with contact information.  Another valuable resource that would shed light on these churches, but is hard to find, would be Richard Crayne's Pentecostal Handbook, which is the first history of its kind on the independent Pentecostal/Holiness churches.  However, by what I can gather, this fellowship and others developed around about the late 1960's and early 1970's from many disaffected ministers in the Assemblies of God, Church of God, and other mainstream Pentecostal groups, out of a growing concern that the latter groups were being too modernized and worldly.   In a sense, many of these churches also would identify as "fundamentalists" too, being they are staunchly conservative and accept a lot of dispensational premillenialist eschatology.   They are also very much Holiness too, as they mandate strict standards of conduct for their membership.  There are two other related groups to these I will discuss now, as they are part of the same movement.

Both of the bodies I am about to talk about are two distinct fellowships with no direct relation to each other but are similar in belief as well as sharing the name "Free Holiness Church."   The first of these is a group that appears to be centered in northern Alabama, with 69 congregations scattered across Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Florida, and North Carolina.  They have a Holiness Network website at http://www.freeholiness.net/,  and from 1972-1990 they published a periodical called Glad Tidings, the many issues of which can be read online at the website given.  I have some other information on this group somewhere, and perhaps in the future I can provide more.   The second group of Free Holiness congregations, as I can gather from the Holiness Messenger website, have 9 congregations with the specific Free Holiness name centered in the Midwest and West Coast.   This group is in active fellowship with the other fellowships who cooperate with the Holiness Messenger paper, and there may be more churches of them as well.  I am really hoping to find out much more about these groups later on, but small Holiness/Pentecostal groups are not exactly noted for record-keeping unfortunately, as they often don't place great priority in it. 

Another similar group to these is the Bible Holiness Ministerial Fellowship, which was founded in 1998 in Charlotte, NC, where the current overseer, Pastor Joseph Chambers, resides.   They are similar to the other groups who cooperate in the Holiness Messenger, and like so many other conservative Holiness/Pentecostal fellowships, they were founded by disaffected ministers of mainstream Pentecostal groups who became disillusioned with the direction many bigger groups such as the Assemblies of God were taking.  They too uphold traditional Holiness/Pentecostal standards, and are located largely in the states of VA and NC.   The exact number of churches is not available on their website, but they do maintain missionary projects in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.   They also have evangelists, periodic campmeetings, and are in full cooperation with like-minded fellowships.

That pretty much sums up some of the old-time Pentecostal/Holiness groups I have encountered over the years and no doubt there are more.  However, it is important that I spend a little time talking about my own church, the Synod of Saint Timothy, a little.

The Synod of Saint Timothy is basically a small independent Catholic fellowship founded in 2007, and it represents what is called a "Primitive Catholic" faith, meaning a complete return to the way the Church was operated in the first few centuries after Pentecost.   With my own background in a charismatic/liturgical movement called the "Convergence Movement" back in the mid-1990's, this group was what I personally was looking for.   Congregations are in several states (Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio), and a number of different rites and liturgies are followed.  My bishop, Paul Stanley of Rome, GA, pastors the All Saints parish there, and his wife Susan (Sr. Brigid) and he lead a semi-monastic life.  Another of our bishops, Mar Michael Abportus (Michael Thannisch), has a very unique parish in LaPorte, TX called B'nai Avraham, which follows a Hebraic/Syriac tradition.   Bishops Paul and Michael are both wonderful leaders and ministers, and I have the honor of knowing them both as brethren in spirit.  For more on the Synod, go to http://www.christiansynod.org/.   Where we live in Florida now, there is no Synod mission, so Barb and I actually attend a local Anglican Catholic parish, St. Philip, and it is similar in faith.  One day maybe we can have a mission near us to actively participate in, but it is going to take time to establish a witness for our fledgling Synod, but we have quality leadership so it is definitely possible.  I also want to mention that our Synod is made up of many former Pentecostals and nondenominational charismatics, and those of us from those backgrounds still very much believe in the present ministry, signs, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and we are also staunchly conservative in belief. 

My bishop, Paul Stanley, of the Synod of Saint Timothy, holding an outdoor liturgy at the monastic retreat they have at their residence in Georgia.





I hope this will introduce many of you to some of the small churches and fellowships I have encountered that have fascinated me over the years, and should you live in an area where any of the congregations of these fellowships are, be sure to pay them a visit some Sunday - they are all pretty much down-to-earth and sincere folks, and would greatly welcome your visit.  And, as for visits, thanks again for paying me a visit via the written word this week, and hope to see you again soon.  God bless.