🎵 Buttermilk Biscuit Dance?
Did you know we have a national march for our country? No? Me either! Yes? You should blog about it and teach the rest of us. 😁 I think you’ll recognize the tune when you hear it, though. I’ll tell you later about the biscuit dance, but for now, I’m taking you back to 1897 when a man later dubbed The March King, John Philip Sousa officially debuted the song he’d written the previous year. It’s called “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and it became our national march tune by an act of Congress in 1987. It was even used to close out each show of Sing Along with Mitch.
I actually have a whole Sousa CD because I really like that marching beat. I guess it’s time to get it out to use as some walking beat inspiration. In the meantime, guess what people did with the powerful march at song in the 1930s and 1940s. They made a parody. And if you didn’t know the tune from the march, you likely recognize it from the parody. Though I heard it as Be Kind to Your Fine Feathered Friends, all the videos I could find think it’s Be Kind to Your Web-Footed Friends. So here’s one video (no lyrics, though) by Peter and Mary in 1954, and it actually has verses…
Now, about those biscuits falling out of their mouths while they try to dance like chickens… May 14th is actually Dance Like a Chicken Day AND also Buttermilk Biscuit Day, so I asked Gemini to create a picture for me with people doing the Chicken Dance while eating buttermilk biscuits. I say definitely don’t try this at home because the mess would be huge, but I also say not to try this at all because you could choke. But it’s fun to look at in a picture.
And now I have to ask, do you know how to Chicken Dance? (Which was originally called The Duck Dance by the way.) If not, here’s a great video celebrating Wurstfest (since apparently the song by Werner Thomas is of German origins)…
While seeking help from Gemini to find all these sources, it asked me if I was going to write a poem or haiku to go with the subjects. I tried to cover it all in 2 stanzas…
It's a duck, mother,
Feathered sister or brother,
So be kind to it.
Also remember,
The stars and stripes wave freely,
Even o'er the swamp.
And while you’re eating or dancing or playing a tune, follow the encouragement from the Psalms to praise The Lord on many types of instruments:
Psalm 150:3-6 BSB
[3] Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre. [4] Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute. [5] Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. [6] Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.150.3-6.BSB
Finally, I have one more video I just have to include because of the duck dance reference and because these baby ducks are adorable while flitting around to the Chicken/Duck/Hamster Dance music… 🦆🎶
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Haiku Scripture — Genesis 2
And with some busy days behind and ahead, it seems like a good time to bring in the second chapter of Genesis haiku. Read with expectation to see these verses in a new light by reading them in a new form.
Chapter 2
2:1
Heavens and earth done!
With all creation finished —
God enters His rest.
2:3
Now this seventh day...
Is set apart and holy.
Yahveh has blessed it.
2:4-8
Here is history —
Yahveh has created man,
To till His new Earth.
2:7
Adam, the first man,
Breathes in the breath of his God —
Now he is alive!
2:8
After He makes man,
Adonai plants a garden.
It is in "Eden."
2:8-9 + 15
Adam is placed there...
To care for all that God grows.
It is for his food.
2:16-17
Man may eat of all,
Including the "Tree of Life."
Yet one he eats not.
2:17
The "Tree of Knowledge"...
Cannot be for Adam's food —
It would bring his death.
2:18
Adam is alone.
Yahveh says, “This is not good.
He needs a help-mate.“
2:19-20
Created from earth,
God brings animals to man —
Adam then names them.
2:20
But for Adam's needs,
The beasts are not suitable —
They are not his kind.
2:21-23
Adam sleeps; God works.
New life taken from man's side.
She's bone of his bones.
2:23
She is called “woman,”
Since she is taken from man —
Now she will help him.
2:24
The two are one flesh.
Thus, men must leave their parents...
And cleave to their wives.
2:25
Adam and his wife...
Do not know they are naked —
They are not ashamed.
End of Chapter Two
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Haiku Scriptures—Genesis One
As promised, tonight I bring you Genesis, Chapter 1. Read it for the rhythm and nuances you might miss from just passive reading or from study. I hope my poet’s eye leads you to even deeper study on your own. The first-born teacher in me would be thrilled to know I’ve stirred up a hunger for even more of God’s Word in my readers.
Note: When I originally used the memorial name of The Almighty, I used what’s called the tetragrammaton (YHVH) with the vowels inserted. That read YaHVeH. (Or it could be YHWH/YaHWeH, but V and W were the same letter in Hebrew, and I’m drawn to the V because by itself, it means and. So when I read Yahveh vs Yahweh, I see it as “Yah and…” or “God and… ” because He is the beginning of everything. Still, it looked distracting with the capital letters, so I’ve fixed that now.
GENESIS Intro…
Genesis One: One
“Genesis” means “Beginnings”…
Let us start from here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 1…1:1
In the beginning:
No heavens; no earth, until...
Yahveh creates all!
1:2-5
Darkness divided:
Yahveh says, "Let there be light."
... Eve and morn — “Day One.”
1:6-8
Waters Divided:
Those below from those above.
... Eve and morn — “Day Two.”
1:9-10
The dry lands appear.
They are split by the waters,
Which Yahveh calls “seas.”
1:11-13
Earth starts producing:
Trees, plants, and seed-bearing fruit.
... Eve and morn — “Day Three.”
1:14-19
Great and lesser lights:
To rule the days and the nights;
Sunshine; moon; and stars.
Lights will be for signs,
And for seasons, days and years.
... Eve and morn — “Day Four.”
1:20-23
When birds and fish swarm:
They fill the skies and the seas.
... Eve and morn — “Day Five.”
1:24-25
The earth brings forth life:
Many animals and beasts,
And crawling creatures.
So much accomplished:
Most of creation is done...
God says, “It is good.”
1:26
ankind is made:
Created in God's image...
Man is blessed in God.
1:27-31
See man; See woman:
The greatest of all creations...
It is very good!
1:28-31
Plants and animals:
Plus humans, to multiply.
... Eve and morn — “Day Six.”
End of Chapter One
And now just for fun, here’s a couple 30-second music tracks to accompany two of the stanzas of haiku about God creating man. Comment about your favorite.
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Haiku Scripture—Torah Intro
I’m going to spend some time this month sharing some haiku I wrote way back in 2014. My intention was to write the whole Bible in haiku, but that’s not realistic anymore, so I’m only going to do the Torah. That’s Genesis through Deuteronomy. When you focus on the syllables of a haiku verse, it makes you think more succinctly, and sometimes, you even catch something you miss in regular writing.
Notes: Haiku does not actually have a specified number of syllables required on any line, but that Haiku which is traditionally American is usually in a format of 3 lines, with the syllables in those lines being 5, 7, and 5 respectively. Also, a Haiku, which brings the same topic into more than one stanza, is actually called a “Renga”, but since many are not familiar with these details, I’m just calling it all haiku.
Today will not have any Bible verses, but will just be an introduction to the idea of Torah and how it plays out in haiku. I hope people enjoy these readings as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
Anointed Scriptures,
Written for us to learn from –
God teaches with love.
Open your heart now.
Follow as I have written…
Scripture in “Haiku”.
Intro To Torah… What Is Torah?
God speaks to Moses.
The books of law are written…
They are called “Torah”.
“OR” in Hebrew words
Is translated meaning “Light”…
See it in “TORAH”?
“Torah” means “The Word”.
Within it, man will find Light—
Law is light and life.
YaH-Shua is Light,
And He is The Spoken Word—
The “Living Torah”!
So, from Genesis,
Through all Deuteronomy…
History preserved!
Have a blessed week, and come back tomorrow for Genesis One.
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A Valentine’s Day Haiku
Happy St. Valentine’s Day! Oh, you didn’t know this day was named for a real guy who existed in 3rd-century Rome. Read more at the Británica website to find out about this patron saint of lovers, people with epilepsy, and beekeepers.
Our local Christian writers group meets monthly to equip and encourage our members to keep writing for The Lord. This month, our meeting fell right on Valentine’s Day, so we decided to celebrate with yummy treats and a fun writing exercise. We taped our homemade conversation hearts to the white board and challenged members to use as many of the words as possible. We had a nice variety of stories, poetry, and even a wonderful devotion. I love what people can do with the gift of creativity God has given us. Me, I chose haiku, so here’s my use of the 18 given words…
What's the greatest love?
What example does it set?
Where do we find it?
Love could be candy.
Wrapped in a chocolate hug,
With a rose on top.
I got one of those.
From my sweetheart; my husband,
But it was cookies.
Instead of a rose,
It was a red carnation.
It brought me such joy.
His love touched my heart,
Even without poetry,
He showed affection.
And I adore him.
My admiration of him,
Will last forever.
That and three more days,
Because his love is a gift,
Always mine to keep.
Our first time to speak,
Was a February call,
From a long distance.
Only recently,
Did he show his devotion,
With some jewelry.
A red garnet ring,
That I love to wear daily.
And show to others,
But I don't need it,
Or even some fancy doves,
To know he loves me.
Now it’s your turn. If you are a writer, I challenge you to create your own creative piece using the 18 given words in the above image. And, if you put them on your own blog or social media page, please leave a comment and let me know where to go read it. In the meantime, maybe I’ll work on the blog I set up years ago for the group and try to get some of their pieces shared on it. I’ll update this post with a link when I get some new content there.
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What is Your Treasure?
In this heart health month, it’s also a great time to check up on the health of your spiritual heart since it spills over into your physical heart and life. “Doctor Jesus” gives us the perfect prescription for great heart health.
Matthew 6:19-21 WEBUS
[19] “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; [21] for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
https://bible.com/bible/206/mat.6.19-21.WEBUS
And since it is also National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo), here’s a set of haiku verses I put together for this occasion.
Treasure Hunter
Where your treasure is...
Your heart will oversee it,
And protect it well.
Because your heart knows...
The value of your treasures,
Though no one else sees.
It will keep your dreams,
And remind you of them...
Just when you need hope.
So be careful then,
To treasure things with value,
Fill your heart with God.
And that’s it for this one. I’d love to see some haiku from readers in the comment box.
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Psalm 12 Written in Haiku
I love writing haiku. It’s actually how I journal my day every night. It keeps me focused on short, rhythmic bursts of thought, and the meter is relaxing to me. I have learned about the “correct” use and meaning of haiku, with its nature words and less rigorous syllable count, but for the purposes of my haiku writing, I prefer to focus on the Americanized syllable structure (5-7-5) I learned back in elementary school.
Psalm 12 was the chapter used in my current Bible study called “The Full Story_____From the Beginning to the Amen” by The Bible Project. So here it is condensed into simple haiku verses.
A Psalm of David,
To the choir director.
A song of lament.
1.
I need Your help, Lord.
The loyal have disappeared,
From the human race.
2.
They all keep lying.;
Speaking with flattering lips,
And deceptive hearts.
3.
I'm praying to God,
To cut off the boastful tongues,
And the lying lips.
4.
They claim false power.
They reject God as Master.
And claim the control.
5.
But devastation,
Has caught God's attention, and...
He hears the groanings.
The poor and needy,
Cry out, and God rises up.
He provides safety.
6.
The Lord's words are pure.
They've been refined like silver.
Extra purified.
7.
You, Lord, will guard us.
You protect us forever,
From evil attacks.
8.
Though the wicked prowl,
And the human race exalts...
The worthless wicked.
See, I read this AND listened to it. But I didn’t really hear the pain in King David’s heart until I began to write the words myself. Now, I’m seeing him cry out in verse and begging God to see what men are doing to each other and fix it. I don’t know if he was king when he wrote this, but he obviously felt powerless to change things himself. His hopes were likely dashed because, not only were there wicked and evil men doing harm to each other, but the general populace were praising the wicked instead of holding them accountable.
Sadly, it sounds like much of the world right now. People take power that was never meant for mankind, like deciding what is good or evil based on their own desires, and they reject the wisdom of The One who created all life and wrote the owner’s manual. Our Creator chose how life would form in the womb when we were fearfully and wonderfully made. He even chose that life would form sometimes in less-than-ideal situations. But He asks us to trust that He knows best and has a plan for our good no matter what it looks like at that moment.
But after that life has begun to form, some people take the position of thinking that because they can control it, they should control it. They will snuff out that life because it doesn’t line up with what they think their future desires will be. And, they will find professionals to help them kill the innocent child because somehow, that murder helps their bottom line. And all the ignorant will celebrate the “freedom” obtained by the death without realizing the deeper bondage the death will bring to all who helped make it happen.
Proverbs 14;12 (WEB) says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.” And that tells us how much we need to trust the wisdom in Proverbs 3:7-8 (WEB) “Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil. It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones.” Though the words in Proverbs are not promises, they are the more likely scenarios.
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