Song Title: O Holy Night
Original Artist: Mariah Carey
For the third episode in my “Bootleg Renditions” saga I’ve recorded an adaptation of a very popular - and my favorite - Christmas carol. This particular arrangement was made popular by Mariah Carey. Since I’ve sung this selection quite a few times I was able to record it through in just one take. Hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!
You can purchase the original song from Mariah Carey’s Christmas album off of Amazon.com by clicking this link - http://tinyurl.com/7grk9h.
Part one of three:
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Part two of three:
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Part three of three:
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This past weekend I made my second trip to the Seattle area with a few friends. While my friends and I were traveling back home, we listen to this powerful and insightful series on sex and sexuality by John Nixon. When we had made an end of listening, the cerebral and deeply spiritual words of the minister conjured up in my home-ward bound vehicle several noticeable minutes of silent reflection before we discussed at length for most of the remaining drive how blessed we were by the series. Therefore upon arriving home it became a priority for me to share this blessing with the next few folk who’d holler “Yo Stevo” via the web to learn what’s been poppin’ in my neck of the woods recently.
Pastor Nixon being one of my favorite religious speakers, as I have afore mentioned, certainly exceeded my expectation with this series. For I usually find that when the topic of sex is discussed in religious venues that most of the time is devoted to talking up the hard-line moral commandments on the issue or perhaps mulling over to the ubiquity and dauntingness of the sexual struggle in the young Christian demographic, but while the youth lick their wounds the pervasive problems concerning sex and infidelity in married and older couples only receive a brief after-thought. What I liked about Nixon’s Spirit-led approach was that he sought to provide his listeners with a well rounded and deeper understanding of God’s design and intent for our sexuality while highlighting the practicality and statistical findings that make a case for doing things God’s way when it comes to sex. At the end of the series it is easy to conclude that it makes sense for singles to wait, for married couples to remain faithful while enjoying freely in the gift of sex as a holy sacrament blessed by God, and for all to devote their thoughts and the entirety of their character to be in keeping with the benevolent guidelines which God has given. Nixon emphasizes throughout the need on of divine help, and the message is saturated with hope for those who have floundered in this area and are seeking healing and reform.
Perhaps, though, I could have spared myself some typing, and you the rambling, if I reasoned that it would suffice to just say that I found these sermons to be a very meaningful, and I think they will be to you too if this topic is relevant in your life.
You can find more of Pastor Nixon’s stuff here: http://www.collegedalechurch.com/?id=121
*Update - You can access the podcast from iTunes that includes this series by clicking this link: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=211678825