I've got the Dixie Hummingbirds playing this afternoon, the version from the Mama album being a little bit more upbeat than this one, but the truth is the same.
I grew up in the South when gospel song shows were the only other thing you could hear on the radio, other than preaching, before noon on Sunday. The earliest programs were the best because that's when the black gospel and the pentecostals had their singing, airtime was cheaper at 6 AM, y'know. About 8 was when the Methodists and Presbyterians took over with choirs and last week's sermon. I guess I don't really know what came on after 10, because we were for sure headed to church ourselves, neither my mother nor my grandmother ever let us miss and where else would you be other than with one of them?
It's a good way to be raised, I learned some measure of self control keeping my mouth shut and my backside in the pew for the length of a church service. We were Independent Congregational Methodist Cumberland Presbyterian Southern Baptists when I lived at home, then I went off to college and belonged to nothing. Of course, that means when I finally started looking for a church home of my own, I became Church of God. I'd like to go to the Episcopal Church downtown because I really like the liturgy, but I'm not sure too many of them would understand how none of the above is in any way chaotic.
Church is about the fellowship of believers, not choosing a social club that thinks like you. You go to learn to think like Christ.
I bring up the Dixie Hummingbirds because thru them I really first heard songs that talked about friends and family failing you, even betraying you, but keeping on with the Lord who remains ever faithful. I don't know why white gospel doesn't have very much of that, it still happens in white churches, we just are trained to never talk about it. King David talked about it, out loud, in church, and had the choir sing about it in the service. But we don't.
In any case, I recommend to you old gospel music and old hymns, you'll have something substantial to use when you need to lament. Lament? Now that's a very, very old tradition that completely confounds the moderns. We'll talk about it later.
I'll see if I can't do a couple of playlists on iTunes or amazon. Perhaps you'll find some really good new old stuff in there. Some old song to find something new in you.
I grew up in the South when gospel song shows were the only other thing you could hear on the radio, other than preaching, before noon on Sunday. The earliest programs were the best because that's when the black gospel and the pentecostals had their singing, airtime was cheaper at 6 AM, y'know. About 8 was when the Methodists and Presbyterians took over with choirs and last week's sermon. I guess I don't really know what came on after 10, because we were for sure headed to church ourselves, neither my mother nor my grandmother ever let us miss and where else would you be other than with one of them?
It's a good way to be raised, I learned some measure of self control keeping my mouth shut and my backside in the pew for the length of a church service. We were Independent Congregational Methodist Cumberland Presbyterian Southern Baptists when I lived at home, then I went off to college and belonged to nothing. Of course, that means when I finally started looking for a church home of my own, I became Church of God. I'd like to go to the Episcopal Church downtown because I really like the liturgy, but I'm not sure too many of them would understand how none of the above is in any way chaotic.
Church is about the fellowship of believers, not choosing a social club that thinks like you. You go to learn to think like Christ.
I bring up the Dixie Hummingbirds because thru them I really first heard songs that talked about friends and family failing you, even betraying you, but keeping on with the Lord who remains ever faithful. I don't know why white gospel doesn't have very much of that, it still happens in white churches, we just are trained to never talk about it. King David talked about it, out loud, in church, and had the choir sing about it in the service. But we don't.
In any case, I recommend to you old gospel music and old hymns, you'll have something substantial to use when you need to lament. Lament? Now that's a very, very old tradition that completely confounds the moderns. We'll talk about it later.
I'll see if I can't do a couple of playlists on iTunes or amazon. Perhaps you'll find some really good new old stuff in there. Some old song to find something new in you.
