liberty – Wiseblooding

The Right to Define

Published on June 16, 2015June 18, 2015 by wiseblooding3 Comments

UPDATE: Yesterday (6/17/15) on the World Magazine website, Editor Marvin Olasky made a similar comparison to this post, also citing the quote below.

“At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.” If you’re not familiar with this quote, you may find it to be an interesting statement. I have. (I’ll wait a bit before I tell you who said it.)

If ever this statement applied to our culture, I think it would be today. At first blush, the statement carries the veneer of ringing true. Liberty, one of the lofty concepts on which our country was founded, has become the cry of many … and seemingly understood only by the few. Continue reading “The Right to Define” →

You Can’t Have It All

Published on December 5, 2014December 5, 2014 by wisebloodingLeave a comment

Buried in my iTunes rotation is a 1986 song by the singing duo The Judds. It’s called “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Ol’ Days)” and the song became the sixth Number One hit The Judds enjoyed on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles charts. They earned a 1986 Grammy for the song, capturing Best Country Performance By A Duo or Group.

The song came up today in my music rotation, and although it’s not one of my favorites, I let it play. As I half-listened to the lyrics, I thought about the nostalgia we often entertain for that mythical period we refer to as the Good Ol’ Days. With this particular song from twenty-eight years ago, Grandpa hearkens back to values from an even earlier era. Continue reading “You Can’t Have It All” →

America, America!

Published on July 6, 2014July 18, 2014 by wiseblooding2 Comments

As the Fourth of July celebration weekend winds down, I’ve been reflecting on the amazing country in which I am blessed to live. At first, I reflected on the lyrics of America the Beautiful, written by Katherine Lee Bates. Bates described in her hymn a joyous celebration of this great land: purple mountains majesty … amber waves of grain … alabaster cities. I’ve certainly found her lyrics meaningful.

When I was in choir (both in high school and college), America the Beautiful was an indispensable part of our choir presentation. In both choirs, we memorized the lyrics and often sang them a cappella, because a piano wasn’t always available for accompaniment.

Also during college, I traveled with a music group known as The Sound Generation. One of our most requested numbers was a medley (we called it the Patriotic Package) that included the songs God Bless America, America the Beautiful, and This Is My Country. I actually found a YouTube video of the medley. (This was taped after I had left the group, but a warning: don’t be surprised by the clothing/haircuts, etc. This was the early 70s.) Continue reading “America, America!” →