03539 – What is Not; What is

Resting is not a waste of time. It's an investment in well-being. Relaxing is not a sign of laziness. It's a source of energy. Breaks are not a distraction. They're a chance to refocus attention. Play is not a frivolous activity. It's a path to connection and...

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01978 – Only Woman in the Room

[Debbie Allen--dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director, producer--accepting Governor's Award at 2021 Emmys:] It’s taken a lot of courage to be the only woman in the room most of the time. A lot of courage and creativity and fight and faith to believe that I...

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01852 – Your Frame of Vision

There is a beautiful complexity of growth within the human soul. In order to glimpse this, it is helpful to visualize the mind as a tower of windows. Sadly, many people remain trapped at the one window, looking out every day at the same scene in the same way. Real...

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00879 – Excellent Sacred Music: an Oxymoron?

“I will sing with the mind and also the spirit.” (I Cor. 14:15) Music engages both emotion and intellect, so directors should clearly enable their singers to sing with intelligence, expression and faith. Complex and overly challenging music could stand in the way of...

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00835 – How Shall Musicians Image God?

We image God in the music we make and perform. When the program is hit-or-miss, we show forth a God who lacks purpose and direction;…when our performance of music lacks vitality or artistic grace, we portray God as inert; when our musical choices revolve around taste...

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00826 – Servant Musicians

Each musician must come to experience the dignity, rightness, and eventual joy of putting things aside, of emptying oneself and taking the form of a servant. Such musicians must be able to move back and forth, gracefully, servingly, and willingly, from the symphony to...

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