Magic Flute Musings, Part Two

poster for MF premier in 1791; image accessed via Wikipedia.

Well, folks, it’s all over. My tiny part in this fairly big production is now a thing of the past. It was so much fun! We didn’t have a huge crowd for either performance, but the people who did come were quite enthusiastic. And our small chorus added to the overall effect. Everyone was pretty pleased, I hope. We added to our stock of good will with the Arapahoe Philharmonic. We bonded. We invested time. And we got to hear Mozart’s glorious, glorious music performed by some very talented singers. I’m so glad I stepped up and volunteered to do this. (Be sure to read Laura Vanderkam’s post about her own singing experiences. So fitting that she wrote about that today!)

And now it’s Monday morning, and life has moved on. I came home yesterday at about 6:00 and just vegged out in front of the TV, but that was perfectly okay. This morning I’m up and at ‘em. There’s so much stuff to do! Writing projects. Gardening projects. Getting ready for the big trip to France in three and a half weeks. Getting ready for the final concert of the year for the Chorale. (Do come! It’s going to be such a nice evening!) And just the ongoing business of life. The lovely performance is receding into the past even as these words go onto the page. I reminded myself several times yesterday afternoon to be present, to pay attention, to be in the moment, and I succeeded in doing that at least some of the time. It’s very hard to keep your mind from racing ahead.

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It’s the Prep Work that Counts.

The title comes from a recent BSF lecture, an idea that is so obvious that it gets overlooked, especially by me. Our teaching leader was talking about the Billy Graham crusades that took place in past years, when whole stadiums would be filled to hear the dynamic preacher. But, as she said, the results came about not just because of Mr. Graham’s own spiritual standing, Scriptural knowledge and personal magnetism but because of the advance teams’ work. They would go to a city where a crusade was to take place and meet with churches, scope out the venue, recruit volunteers to help with everything from counseling to cleanup—on and on. Without all of that unseen work the crusades just wouldn’t have happened, or if they had they’d have been much less successful. Whether or not you agree with how the message of the Gospel was presented in those crusades, and many don’t, the fact is that they were masterpieces of organization, and of organization that was done ahead of time.

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I Enter the Wonderful World of Podcasting Myself

I’m so excited! Jim has just posted my first podcast episode on my political-commentary website, “Intentional Conservative.” Those of you who get my weekly newsletter will perhaps remember that said newsletter came out late last time because we were trying to get the podcast up and running so that I could announce it. Such was not to be, so I went ahead and sent out the newsletter on Wednesday, telling my subscribers that the next one would be this coming Friday, March 16. But since I’m planning to do the podcast weekly, I’d be publicizing two of them at once. So I’m going ahead and sending out this two-post newsletter today. (Note that we’re not yet up on all of the podcast platforms, so you’ll be listening to this first episode directly from the website. But when we do get uploaded or downloaded or whatever, I hope you’ll subscribe in one of the feeds. I’ll notify you through this website when that happens.)

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A Very Happy Occasion!

An image posted by the author.
image from Amazon

Recognize the woman in the picture with me?  It’s Gretchen Rubin, the writer who has done so much to shape my thinking on happiness, and now on habits.   She was on the cover of Parade magazine this past Sunday, so she may look familiar to you even if you haven’t heard of her. (Sigh. As with a number of other images, this one did not survive our site migration. So this is just Gretchen’s author pic from Amazon.)

Gretchen’s on tour right now promoting her latest book Better than Before, and last night she was at the downtown Denver Tattered Cover Bookstore.  I was determined to go and see her in person, especially since I missed out on the last time she was in Denver two years ago.

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How to start a restaurant and live to tell about it.

Delancey : A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage by Molly Wizenberg, Simons & Schuster, 2014.

I try to remind myself periodically that every single business, whether part of a chain or not, large or small, scruffy or classy, is the product of someone’s vision and hard work.  There’s a couple in our church who recently opened a franchised consignment women’s clothing store, and it was quite a process, from obtaining a location to getting a small business loan.  (For instance, the man had quit his job so that he could concentrate on opening the business, but the bank wouldn’t give him a loan unless he had a job.  But his job was going to be the business.  I think he had to go back to work to get the loan so that he could then quit.  Or something like that.  It was incredibly complicated.)  Once the store actually opened the real work began.  It seems completely impossible to me; I guess I’m just not all that entrepreneurial.

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If You Bring Your Best Wine to the Wedding . . .

. . . everyone will have a good time!

Brian Patrick Leatherman, the director of the Cherry Creek Chorale, said this, or something very like this, at our rehearsal this week, in the context of the necessity for each of us to bring the best that we can to the music.  I was so struck by the comment that I asked him for the source, and he said it was a sideways reference to the wedding at Cana.  I had to think about that for a bit, but I think I get his drift. You’ll remember, I’m sure, that the wine Jesus made was much better than anything that had been served up till then.   “Thou has saved the best till now,” the governor of the feast says.  I guess I always just figured that the wine was better because it was miraculous, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t have just been more of the same stuff they’d already been serving.  No one would have ever known.  Jesus did more than He had to, and so should we.  So I gained a whole new facet of meaning for a story I’ve been hearing since childhood.

By the way, my favorite part is a little phrase tucked in near the end:  “But the servants that drew the water knew.”  The ones eating and drinking at the feast had no idea that there had been a miracle performed, but those who were actually doing the work got to be in on it.  (Read the full story in the Gospel of John 2:1-11.)