Grace Notes

Psalm 4 (New International Version)

A psalm of David.

 ¹ Answer me when I call to you,
       O my righteous God.
       Give me relief from my distress;
       be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

 ² How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
       How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
       Selah

 ³ Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
       the LORD will hear when I call to him.

 ⁴ In your anger do not sin;
       when you are on your beds,
       search your hearts and be silent.
       Selah

 ⁵ Offer right sacrifices
       and trust in the LORD.

 ⁶ Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”
       Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

 ⁷ You have filled my heart with greater joy
       than when their grain and new wine abound.

 ⁸ I will lie down and sleep in peace,
       for you alone, O LORD,
       make me dwell in safety.

So we may ask, “Who shows us good?”
There will be times in your faith journey when you will be called upon to help strengthen the faith of others. Yes, even you.  On this journey you have a faith and a strength that others can see.

Psalm 4 is about a man who is strong in his own faith but is struggling with friends who have lost sight of God because of difficult times. How often have friends, family members, co-workers, neighbors and even acquaintances leaned on your strength, your advice, your wisdom? All of which come from faith. 

You can recall your experiences of God’s presence and unfailing love during times of chaos and during the rough patches of life. God’s presence and unfailing love and how with God’s real (though invisible) help, you can help your friends remember as well.

There is lots of negative realities right now, economic downturns, grief, heartbreak, loss of jobs, lay offs, and God’s reality may be questioned. Some people think that God has caused these things to happen, or He has turned his back on them. This is the time when you—yes, you – can listen to the pain of their experience, and remind the sufferer that God has a 100% track record of standing by and holding up the people of God.

There is a gift that we learn during tough times. Stuff does not make us happy, people do. A big house may not be a Home. A small trailer filled with love and people we love can be a Blessed Home. Our identity, strength and life’s meaning does not come from stuff, it comes from God. God gave us the gift of life and what we do with that life is our gift to God. Tough times are a great way to remember what is really important in this life and help us to remind others when they reach out to you.

We, the faithful are the visible grace of God. He may just be tapping you to help strengthen the faith of someone who feels weak.

Short Prayer: Dear God, this week, even in my own difficulties and weakness of faith, help me to help others remember that You have promised to never abandon Your children. Jesus Christ and Buddha were both a sure sign of your unfailing love. Help us to remember, Lord! Amen.

Peace and Blessings
Chaplain Grace

The B.I.T.S. Program is an educational program designed to pass along the heritage of Bluegrass Music to a younger generation. Bluegrass Music had it’s humble beginnings in America and is a mixture of and is rooted in the cultures of our ancestors that founded this great land.

How does the BITS program work?

We will provide lesson plans to be used in selected classrooms Monday through Thursday. These teachers are able to give their classes some hands on experience with Bluegrass subjects 4 days before the live assembly program on Friday. The School will in essence have a Bluegrass Education Week on campus in these selected classes. The BITS assembly program, however, will reach the entire student body and feature a live Bluegrass Band that will demonstrate the Bluegrass sound and cover the 6 topics listed below.
The assembly type setting is the best way to present the BITS program dividing it into two age groups:
    1. Elementary & Intermediate Students (grades 3 through 6)
    2. Junior & Senior High Students (grades 7 through 12)
The Junior and Senior High School Program covers more fact and information in detail and for the younger audience we keep it simple (less detail and more illustrations) and cover the information at a quicker pace keeping their interest on the stage.

The BITS Program will cover:

1. The History of Bluegrass Music
2. The history of all 6 instruments in a Bluegrass Band.
3. Demonstrations of Historical Bluegrass Songs.
4. 3 & 4 Part Harmonies discussed and demonstrated.
5. How each Instrument works to produce the Band sound.
6. How each Band Member’s Vocal fits into the Bluegrass Band situation.

The BITS Assembly Program
The live BITS’s assembly programs will show each student exactly what Bluegrass Music is all about. We will add to the information that was presented by the teachers in the classrooms that were selected to concentrate on Bluegrass. We will show our Power Point presentation that will cover the 6 topics that were mentioned earlier. We will show pictures and illustrations that will keep the program interesting and make for a good educational experience for the students.
We will provide a sound system and set up a 9’ x 11’ rear screen projection system, with computer, to present our Power Point presentation. We will narrate live and switch the slide show to match our commentary. Each band member will discuss their instrument’s history and how it works in the band setting. We will perform 10 to 12 songs to represent the history, famous singers, and the overall sound of Bluegrass Music in the styles of yesterday and today.
The BITS program is designed to handle large or small audiences, depending on the size of the School, we can present 1 or 2 programs in one day. Our Grade School program is designed for the younger audience and runs approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour and our High School program gives more detail and runs about 1 to 1.25 hours.

We present the information in a way to make it fun and entertaining to captivate the Student’s interest and promote a good learning environment

We follow up by asking “How many of the students would like to learn to play Bluegrass Music?” For those that are interested in pursuing the challenge of playing a Bluegrass instrument, we will help them make the journey as simple as possible.

The Bull Shoals Lake Bluegrass Festival is having a raffle for a Purple Students Violin. The Violin tickets are $1. each or 6 for $5.00
If you win you can keep the Purple Violin/Fiddle or give t back for the Bluegrass in the Schools Program.

The Purple Fiddle

In Michigan Spring started when the Robins returned.

In Colorado, you knew Spring was here when the Eagles left and the Mayflys came.

In Arkansas, I know that Spring is here because the Armadillos’ are back.
This little guy was just wandering around and having a wonderful time in the sun. These fun little guys will be out digging up the yards and fields looking for grubs.
 

This young little guy finally figured out I was close by.

He stood up for a better look.