Suddenly is Sooner Than You Think by Dntel
Good to be back
The wife and I are home. We saw many friends in Tennessee.
I got to meet Phil Barnes of Madison Church of Christ. Great fellow. He really listened and got what I was doing with my website www.JasonGoldtrap.com
Also in Nashville went by Granny White Church of Christ and Woodmont Hills. In Cookeville, I attended Willow Ave for morning and Jefferson Ave for evening services. I stopped by the Sycamore, Collegside and Zion churches. Real salt of the earth types at all five churches.
Orlando’s made of plastic but it’s home. JG 
7 American Cows video by Jason Goldtrap
I will be in the Nashville area from Thursday the 22nd to the 29th of May. Have a nice day.
What’s the secret handshake?
I wrote a neat piece of my five favorite hymns. A grand total of three people saw it.
So, what’s the secret handshake?
Had I been mentored when I was younger I could have been a preacher. Instead I am an unemployed dork who can’t get more than 3 people to look at something that is supposed to be good.
Pathetic.
Five Favorite Hymns by Jason Goldtrap – Please read
What Are Your Five Favorite Hymns?
by Jason Goldtrap May 18, 2008
5. Lead Me To Some Soul Today by Will H. Houghton, 1936. A simple, relevant plea. Brevity is beauty. click here to listen
4. Oft We Come Together by Tillit Sydney Teddlie, 1944. Teddlie was quite an amazing man. His communion hymn is very poignant and relevant to the Restoration Movement. Teddlie, who lived to be 102, to keep his mind sharp, began every morning by reciting the books of the Bible and the Presidents of the United States. When he died in 1987, Pres. Ronald Reagen sent a telegram which was read at his funeral service, thanking Teddlie for his contributions to American music. Teddlie biography
3. All Creatures of Our God and King by Francis of Assisi, 1225. This is such an awe inspiring tune, a triumph of form, function and spirit. Whenever I experience a beautiful day, in thought at least, I hold up my hands and say “Lift up your voice and with us sing.” click here to listen
2. Our God, He is Alive by Aaron Wesley Dicus, 1966. You know you’re a member of the Church of Christ if you recognize the number #728b. Dicus was 78 years old when he wrote this boisterous, youth oriented anthem. Dicus’ magnificent, opulent, up tempo contribution was an instant hit. May we all have such a spirit indeed. Besides this stirring hymn, Dicus invented the automobile turn signal. On a side note… please sing it the way it was written “In Him we live (In Him we live) and we survive (and we survive).” Not “In Him we live and we survive (and we survive).” Dicus bio
1. Amazing Grace! by John Newton, 1779. Two hundred years from today, if there are churches on Mars, the congregations will be singing this classic hymn. Beyond its spiritual impact, Newton’s statement of faith and assurance is closely associated with the English language. Though penned by an foreigner, it is execrably tied to the American religious experience.
Let’s see how many responses we can get to this post…….
In Christ We Have (Invitation Poem) by Jason Goldtrap
In Christ We Have
by Jason Goldtrap for a sermon titled
Windex, Tsunamis and Love!
For Central Church of Christ, Haines City, Florida on 06.25.06
In Christ We Have…
A mind that cannot be troubled
A heart that can never die
A faith that is utterly immovable
Not tossed by the swelling tide
A rest, sweet and uninterrupted
And a joy that will never cease
A family of brothers and sisters,
And a wondrous gift called peace.
A light in a time of darkness,
A triumph when all is lost.
And pardon and full salvation,
If we kneel at the blessed cross.
If we, like wandering children,
Depart from our dear Father’s side,
He leaves us a spot at His table,
And the door’s always open wide.
Today, if you want to know Him,
If you see the need to be clean,
Surrender to Him and be baptized,
As together we stand and sing.
The Sunset by Jason Goldtrap
Written in April 2007, a few days before my 39th birthday, “The Sunset” is my tribute to one of the greatest joys of life.
I am the author of the novel “Sarah Conrad of Eagle Creek” which you can read online for free at…
www.JasonGoldtrap.com
My Unpopular Opinions 05.16.08
A few observations on the news by Jason Goldtrap 05.16.08
Hold on to your hats, some unpopular opinions are on the way
1. California Supreme Court ruling on homosexual marriage.
First: it’s not “Gay Marriage.” I am in a gay marriage. My wife makes me very happy to be her husband.
Second: the main issue for 2008 is illegal immigration. If Dwayne and Frank pretend their married then the main issue for 2008 is illegal immigration! If St. Louis is nuked or Los Angeles crumbles or gas is $10 a gallon or if the wrong David wins on American Idol then the main issue for 2008 is illegal immigration! I am so freakin’ sick of these political games we play. This Siamese twin we call the two party system spends billions of dollars to elect someone who will, in the end, do exactly what the other guy was going do. If Obama or McCain is elected will the judges they appoint be any different?
Third: I am so upset by this ruling that I am boycotting homosexual sex. I will not have sex with another man. Actually, I am continuing an earlier protest I began on Sept. 27, 1997, when I stated publicly that I only wanted to have sex with one person and she is a woman. Also, since discovering the concept of reproduction, when I was about 12 and we got Cinemax, I have not once been interested in any alternatives to the female form much in the same way I’ve never wanted to eat a live gopher. No matter how popular some things might be, to me they are still just plain weird and stupid.
2. New Bin Laden Message: Ugh! What can he possibly say that’s any different? “America, sorry about the whole terrorism thing. Please kill me. I am in Alabad, Afghanistan, Gustav Square, Apartment 6g.” If he releases a tape with that message then, boy howdy, I’m interested.
3. Starbuck’s New Logo: Board meeting. “Hmm, let’s see. Folks are no buying $8 Lattes. We’re unable to move those Save the Whales T-shirts. Our stock has been devalued by 50% in the past year. Show of hands. How many want to lower the price of our product, improve the quality and focus on making the customer happy?” Count: 0. “Ok, how many want to spend $10 million to design a new logo?” Count: 12. “Good. Democracy still works.”
4. Disasters: I feel sorry for the earthquake and flood victims and I am willing to help, as always, because I feel it to be a Christian virtue. That being said, let me state that the reason why thousands died in Myanmar and China is because they lack freedom. All of the rice and money will not negate the obvious lesson that the best way to avoid national disaster is by promoting individual, personal responsibility. CC: New Orleans. Both Myanmar and China live in the year 2008, as does America. The difference is in our neck of the woods we think it prudent to build houses out of brick or steel or other material that most likely won’t collapse when the ground shakes or the levy breaks. Also, folks make a lot of money when you build something the right way. When you build a house out of mud and you live next to a river that’s known for flooding then I have to ask, “What’s wrong with you?”
Of course the polite and most politically correct answer is so tragedies are unavoidable because of bad government, tradition, cultural differences etc.. Well, 232 years ago, men in Philadelphia told the bad government to go jump in the lake. They then told the tradition keepers to find a way to help instead of hinder their fellow men. And best of all, they demanded that people leave their old cultures back in Europe and develop a new mode of thinking. The men who worked at Ellis Island in the 1890s did not care about the customs of Prussia. They did not recognize the importance of being a duke in the Astro-Hungarian Empire. They said, “You’re in America. Act American and succeed. Don’t like it? Your boat’s still at the dock. Ba-bye!” Because of their stalwart belief in humanity unchained, their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their intolerance of weak minded leadership, today, you can worship whomever you want, you can eat a Big Mac and you get a Sponge Bob Square Pants tattoo if that makes you happy. I wouldn’t want it any other way. Why anyone would reject freedom, capitalism and, it’s most lucrative dividend peace is beyond my comprehension. Why anyone would want to take this blessed experiment and turn it into a third world, socialist, plutocracy is equally beyond my comprehension.
America was a better place when we looked like Mayberry instead of the cantina from Star Wars.
5. Hollywood wants to go green: Marvelous! Try making movies that people actually want to watch. Next, lower the ticket price to something reasonable and quit charging $4.50 for a Pepsi. Ask yourself how John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart could become millionaires and earn the respect of their fellow citizens? Here’s a hint: they kept their clothes on and they used words that did not embarrass their grandmothers. I’m all for green. Cash is green and it’s a more effective incentive to ensure a clean environment than make believe science or white-guilt. When people make money they don’t want to live in a nasty nation. See point number four.
6. Israel is sixty-years-old. She doesn’t look a day over fifty-nine. You know why? Plastic surgery and fresh bagels with a little crème cheese and maybe a hint of cinnamon. Seriously, if Arabs spent their time studying why Israel succeeds while their nations fail they might find a way to be happy. Here’s a good question to ask: If Herschel wants to be a dentist and Mohammed wants to blow up a disco which option would best serve your nation? The failed Arab states have made hatred an industry. They blame Jews for everything under the sun. Why? It’s called distraction; which leads us back to the California Supreme Court’s ruling on homosexual marriage.
Stay awake friends and we’ll be fine. They haven’t outsmarted us. Peace, Jason Goldtrap.
By the way, feel free to post any disagreements but keep in mind, any comments containing foul language will be discarded.
Hymn Poem by Jason Goldtrap
Hymn Poem
By Jason Goldtrap, 08.16.06
I Have Found A Friend In Jesus
My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less
In Vain in High in Holy Lays
He Keeps Me Singing, I’m Happy Today
I am bound for the Promised Land
Precious, Jesus, Hold My Hand
To Christ Be Loyal And Be True
To the Work, To the Work
There Is Much To Do
I Shall Know Him, Face to Face
I’m Redeemed, Amazing Grace
O Heart Bowed Down with Sorrow
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
There is a Balm in Gilead
There’s a Message True and Glad
There is Power in the Blood
Wonderful Story of Love
O Spread the Tidings Round
We Have Heard the Joyful Sound
Salvation Has Been Brought Down
We are Standing on Holy Ground
‘Tis My Happiness Below
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, I’ll Go
I’ll Live On, Whiter Than Snow
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
He is Exalted, Be Still And Know,
He Paid a Debt He Did Not Owe
I Love to Tell the Story
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory
I Am Mine No More
I Am Thine O Lord
O Lord My God, The Great Physician
Time is Filled with Swift Transition
Grace That is Greater Than All Our Sin
Jesus Saves, Let Him In
Today is the Day of Salvation
There is a Habitation
For the Fruit of All Creation
The Church’s One Foundation
There is No Condemnation
Praise the Lord, Sweet Adoration
There is a Fountain, There is a Gate
Tomorrow May Be Too Late
Swiftly We’re Turning Life’s Daily Pages
We Have an Anchor, Rock of Ages
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
I am His and He is Mine
Are You Coming to Jesus Tonight?
Bring Christ Your Broken Life
What a Song of Delight
Walking in Sunlight
My God And I
In the Sweet By and By
There’s a Fountain Free
What Will Your Answer Be?
Jason Goldtrap is the author of the novel, “Sarah Conrad of Eagle Creek” which you can read online at www.JasonGoldtrap.com
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier
The Brewing of Soma is a poem by Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier written in 1872.
Soma was a sacred ritual drink in Vedic religion, going back to Proto-Indo-Iranian times (ca. 2000 BC), possibly with hallucinogenic properties.
The storyline is of Vedic priests brewing and drinking Soma in an attempt to experience divinity. It describes the whole population getting drunk on Soma. It compares this to Christians’ use of “music, incense, vigils drear, And trance, to bring the skies more near, Or lift men up to heaven!” But all in vain–it is mere intoxication.
Whittier ends by describing the true method for contact with the divine, as practiced by Quakers: Sober lives dedicated to doing God’s will, seeking silence and selflessness in order to hear the “still, small voice” described in I Kings 19:11-13 as the authentic voice of God, rather than wind, earthquake, or fire.
The last few stanzas became the popular hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.”
Read by Jason Goldtrap, author of the online novel “Sarah Conrad of Eagle Creek.”
www.JasonGoldtrap.com
