... . Credibility is everything in today’s society! We’re tired of people who say one thing and do something else. Any of you who have ever played in a marching band know the name John Philip Sousa. Sousa, who died in 1932, wrote 136 marches. He was known as “The March King.” His grandson bore the same name, John Philip Sousa, and for a while the grandson attempted to trade on his grandfather’s fame. As a young man he got big-money offers from impresarios to lead local bands across the country. He ...
... ) Our Heavenly Redeemer, as a country we remember and glorify our past battles and wars. We proudly display the flag from our porches; lustily sing our country's songs; proudly step-it-off in parades; happily clap our hands to the refrains of John Philip Sousa; and eagerly applaud any speaker's reference to patriotism. Despite our country's faults we remain proud of her and gladly advance her position within the world community any way we can. We also know, Eternal Spirit, that war is not glorious. The rows ...
... . In the midst of a crisis the circus has only one purpose. I don’t know if you knew this little gem of information, and I can’t even remember where I first heard it, but I’ve never forgotten it. The disaster march for the circus band is John Philip Sousa’s "Stars and Stripes Forever." That is to say, a circus band plays many marches and a wide variety of music, but it never strikes up the sounds of "Stars and Stripes Forever" unless there is a disaster. And when they do play it, it is a sign and ...
... that is there because we do not appreciate the ordinary. How often do we reject the good news because its music is not as obvious as a marching band. Some people seem to expect that God's presence in the world should be a march orchestrated by John Philip Sousa. They think that God's presence should be like the Statue of Liberty, its torch lighting the darkness for miles around. Else God simply does not exist. Do not miss the wonder because of the average. Do not let the miraculous skip you by because of ...
5. Grade School Dropouts
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... , American scout and showman Noel Coward, British actor, playwright, and composer Charles Dickens, British novelist Isadora Duncan, U.S. dancer Thomas Edison, U.S. inventor Samuel Gompers, U.S. labor leader Maxim Gorky, Russian writer Claude Monet, French painter Sean O'Casey, Irish playwright Alfred E. Smith, U.S. politician John Philip Sousa, U.S. bandleader and composer Henry M. Stanley, British explorer Mark Twain, U.S. humorist and writer
