I set a goal of reading 50 books this year; unfortunately, I have fallen short. Never mind. I’m not an overly competitive person (even against myself), so don’t feel like a failure for having knocked off 34 books. These are the best ones I read this year: Anxious People: A Novel, by Fredrik Backman A…
Month: December 2021
Farewell, Jonathan Spence
I was saddened to read this morning of the death of Jonathan Spence, Yale professor and author of some of my favorite books about Chinese history. Like so many others, I was introduced to the world of Chinese history by his book The Search for Modern China, published in 1991. During my stint in China…
Closing out Christmas
We had a busy Christmas weekend; as such we were not able to get a new set of hymns recorded. So, to close off this Christmas season, I am posting the video that we recorded a year ago. The songs are: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks: What Child is This?: Angels from the Realms of…
All is Calm
Last night I went to the historic Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis to see the stage production of All is Calm. The musical tells the story of the so-called Christmas Truce of 1914, when British soldiers from one side of the line and German soldiers from the other side put down their weapons and emerged…
Glad Tidings of Great Joy I Bring
Gracie’s hymns for this fourth Sunday of Advent are While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, Away in a Manger, and O Little Town of Bethlehem. Merry Christmas! LYRICS: (via hymnary.org) WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS, by Nahum Tate1 While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, an angel of the Lord came down, and glory…