As we embark on this new year of 2023, there are some strategies that can make our process more successful. One of those strategies is learning to make our plans — and live them out — based on the infallible information we receive from the Word of God. Let this short video message encourage you to trust God’s Word to take you though every journey of your life with a good outcome.
Do you enjoy just sitting back and listening to stories? Then you’ll enjoy my newest project: Audio Short Stories. You’ll find the first story on YouTube now. I’ll make it really easy for you and insert it right here, but if you like it, hop over to the YouTube site so you can click the “thumbs up” symbol and subscribe to my channel so you’ll know when I post the next story in the project.
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Today’s Daily Post prompt: tide brought back memories of a popular singing duo from the 1960’s and early ’70’s. The Righteous Brothers (actually two unrelated young men: Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield) topped the music charts a number of times. One of their well-remembered songs was “Ebb Tide”. It never rose to the heights that two of their other hits did, but it was quite successful both in the States and in the UK.
The two songs the duo is best remembered for are “Unchained Melody,” which came into a second round of popularity after being used in the 1990 movie Ghost, and “You’ve Lost That Loving’ Feelin’,” which is credited by some music historians as being the most played song in the history of radio. They had a uniquely emotive sound all their own — often referred to in music jargon as “blue-eyed soul” — and its almost impossible to listen to most of their music without feeling it strongly.
Video posted by Tommy 194070 on YouTube
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One of my favorite coffees is Maxwell House. I also really enjoy Folger’s and one or two other brands. But my family and I used Maxwell House regularly for years. One of my favorite places to live has always been Nashville, Tennessee, and, interestingly enough, Maxwell House coffee was born there.
A colonel by the name of John Overton, Jr. built a magnificent hotel in Nashville in 1869 and named it in honor of his wife, whose maiden name was Maxwell. Over the years, until it was destroyed by fire in 1961, that hotel hosted seven different Presidents of the U. S. , as well as many other famous persons.
About 23 years after the Maxwell House opened, a man by the name of Joel Owsley Cheek came to the Maxwell House to offer the owners his special-blend coffee. Joel Cheek had moved to Nashville from Kentucky, worked as a salesman for a wholesale grocery company, developed a serious interest in coffee, and eventually established his own coffee company and developed his own special blends. Believing he had a blend that was perfect for use at the Maxwell House Hotel, he offered them the opportunity to purchase from him.
The Hotel contracted to sell the coffee on trial for a period of time, and during that time so many of the visitors to the Maxwell House raved about the coffee that it became a house feature and gained a wide reputation. Cheek named it after the hotel. President Theodore Roosevelt is quoted as complimenting the coffee during his visit to the hotel in 1907, and it is he who is credited with the statement “It’s good to the last drop.” That simple sentence became the advertising slogan for Maxwell House Coffee for many years.
And, of course, the Maxwell House coffee, as a product of Cheek’s coffee company, went on to be sold nationwide and even further. Cheek acquired a partner named Neal, and eventually the Cheek Neal company was bought out by another company, which changed the name to Maxwell House Products Corporation (later changing to General Foods Corporation).
The Maxwell House Hotel now has a brand new home in Nashville (Millennium Maxwell House, Nashville), but the coffee is still the same great-tasting beverage it has always been. And it really is “good to the last drop.”
Now, just for the fun of it, I’ve thrown in two very old Maxwell House Coffee TV commercials. (And don’t forget to share your own thoughts on coffee in a post on your blog, then leave us the link in a comment box below.)
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Togetherness was certainly the theme of this classic movie scene from “Shall We Dance.” (1937). The song is by Gus Kahn and Harry M. Woods. It’s sung on this video by husband and wife duo Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme. Skaters are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who made many wonderful movies ‘side by side.’
To participate in the challenge fun, visit the Daily Post.
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Cee’s instructions this week are to choose four subjects from a list she has posted. Under each of those subjects, list four things. So here goes.
FAVORITE SONGS:
(This is a particularly difficult category because as a musician, I have some songs that are my favorites to play, but then as a listener, there are some other songs that are my favorites to listen to. And then, of course, there’s my love for Christmas, which automatically puts some of those songs at the top of the list — and my love for Jesus, which throws in a couple dozen hymns and worship songs. So limiting myself to 4 songs is going be hard, but I’ll give it my best shot.)
1. “I’ll Be Seeing You” (This song is my ALL-TIME favorite from all categories)
2. “God Rest You Merry Genglemen” (My favorite Christmas song).
3. “White Christmas” (My second favorite Christmas song and one of my favorites from any category)
4. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (Classic Hymn)
FAVORITE FLOWERS OR PLANTS:
1. Daisies
2. Sunflowers
3. Peonies
4. Honeysuckle
FAVORITE ANIMALS:
1. Dogs
2. Cows (I think cows are possibly the most valuable animal God ever made. They are beautiful, they are serene and peace inducing, and they give nourishment. How much more can you ask from any animal?).
3. Birds (Especially Cardinals, Mockingbirds, and Bluebirds)
4. Horses (I haven’t ridden since I was a child, but a beautiful, healthy horse is such a beautiful thing to watch running through the field and enjoying life.)
FAVORITE STUFF THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH:
1. The character of Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. (Played by one of America’s most talented comedians of all time: Don Knotts. Almost anything he does is truly funny, and some of his scenes are so hilarious that I laugh loud and long even when I’ve seen them zillions of times before.)
2. The scene from the original 1940’s version of Miracle on 34th Street where the toy department manager’s wife is soaked with martinis and is trying to talk on the phone to invite Santa Clause to come and stay at their home. (It’s hilarious, and I love acting out the scene for people who have never seen it. It truly a masterpiece scene from the classic movies library.)
3. Watching puppies play. (Just this week, I watched a video on Facebook that recorded a little dog getting ready to go to sleep in his carrier, but wanting a stuffed teddy bear in the carrier with him. The teddy bear was bigger than he was, but he worked really hard until he had it pulled inside with him. Unfortunately, I can’t get a copy of it to share.)
4. Laid-back, dry-wit humor — especially that from some of my writing friends.
Below is one of my favorite segments of Barney on the “Andy Griffith Show”:
Bonus Question: What are you thankful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week ahead?
I’m thankful that last week my digital books began selling on Amazon and that people are already ordering them. Next week I’m looking forward to getting geared up and prepared to teach the new Creative Writing Camp for Kids, which starts on June 8.
Visit Cee’s blog to get the details and join in the fun
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“Oh, I’d love to be an Oscar Meyer wiener.
That is what I’d truly like to be.
‘Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener,
Everyone would be in love with me.”
This jingle kept running through my mind when I was up about 5:00 this morning. I couldn’t get rid of it, so I figured why fight it — blog about it.
Bet you’re hungry for a hot dog now, huh?????
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Every year for decades now, my hometown has celebrated Thanksgiving Day with a city-wide community dinner. Over a hundred people volunteer for all the preparation, serving, and clean-up work, which takes weeks. Hundreds of citizens from our own town and from several surrounding communities converge on our civic center that day and celebrate together, expressing gratitude for each other and for all of the blessings we’ve experienced during the year.
We generally have a continental breakfast for those who like to start early. We have a big dinner with all the traditional Thanksgiving elements from 11:00-2:00. That dinner period includes easy-listening and Christmas music by one of our favorite local singers, and many people get up and dance. There are big screen TV’s for watching football and/or movies, and there are numerous board/table games (and games for kids) for anyone who wants to spend the day. Then about 5:00 the left-overs from dinner — as well as some extras like pizza and finger foods — get set out for supper.
Volunteers deliver mid-day dinners to anyone who is home bound and cannot get to the civic center to participate, and to local police officers, fire-fighters, and store clerks who have to work that day. When all is finished, any left-over food goes to local nursing homes.
All of the food (including over 1300 pounds of turkey), supplies, decorations, and equipment are donated by local businesses, churches, civic groups, and individuals, and every year more people want to be involved. The coordinator of the dinner, who is a dear friend of mine, is licensed in food preparation and safety, and he takes his responsibility very seriously.
For several years I covered the event for the local newspaper. Some years I interviewed as many as 40 and 50 people, many of whom had some wonderful stories to tell about how much the event means to them. It’s a community treasure, and in an age when so much is done in this world out of selfishness and greed, I’m proud of my community for still focusing it’s time, energy, and resources on appreciating the value of community and togetherness.
The short video below shares just a very few photos of the fun involved.
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Well, this week, I finally took the plunge to learn how to set up a YouTube account and channel — and then start posting videos. I began with the audio of healing scriptures read by my father. Of course, I had to add still pictures and convert them into what YouTube calls a “movie.” It took a while, but I finally jumped through all the hoops successfully.
Unfortunately, on my old operating system and browser, some of the YouTube videos sound scratchy, and this one does as well. However, on my laptop, with a newer operating system and browser, it sounds great. So if any of you do hop over and listen to it, let me know what you found as far as sound quality.
Thanks a lot. I’m believing the Lord to use it to minister to many people.
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The Happy Wordcrafter 