YouTube – STAN FREBERG – Christmas Dragnet (1953) / Yulenet (1954)
I love this! I believe I first heard it on KMET/KLOS Los Angeles radio about 1970 or so. Worth hearing every year.

]]> http://drewengman.wordpress.com/2010/12/24/stan-freberg-christmas-dragnet-1953-yulenet-1954/feed/ 0 drewster58 http://drewengman.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/christmas-2010-new-year-2011/ http://drewengman.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/christmas-2010-new-year-2011/#comments Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:12:01 +0000 drewster58 http://drewengman.wordpress.com/?p=36 ]]> “My candle burns at both ends It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
It gives a lovely light.” ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

The years seem to fly that fast. a few moments ago I was starting kindergarten, holding my mom’s giant hand, and looking up at her with fear and excitement. A quick turn of the clock and I was holding her hand as she lay dying of a brain tumor.

A tick ago and I was in high school, in love with someone I was sure I could and would spend my life with. Half an hour and we had split up, never to see each other again.

Now I’m looking back from the near side of fifty. If I’m unfortunate enough to survive to over 100, I’m half way gone. If not, well, I’m on the downhill stretch either way.

Do not get the impression that I think any of this is a bad thing, or something to regret. I love the happy, troubling, joyous, tormented, loving, hurting, serious, foolish, wonderful life I have lived, live now, and will live. I look forward to the great and awesome mystery that lies after, hoping in God as I understand Him, my Jesus taken from an imperfect bible.

It’s just that I am in no hurry, but life races along, with no way to slow down.

So strange this vast unlonely solitude;
Primeval force in every wayward mood;
A land not clothed with grass, not graced by wood.

Man cries, “O Desert, by what unknown art
Do you ensnare and thrall the human heart?”

His voice is lost in boundless windswept space;
Blank, burning mystery enshrouds the face
Of naked rock and blinding, sun-struck sand.
Man prays, “O Desert, let me understand!”

Sphinx-like the Desert smiles as it unlocks
Its open secret found in paradox:
Passionate calm and a silence that sings
Of the peaceful conflict of growing things.

Pastels of beauty wrought in harsh design;
Raw youth deep-scarred by age in every line;
Eternal drama, patient, fierce, serene,
With Life and Death co-starred on cosmic screen.

Man laughs, though tears are in his light-hurt eyes.
He whispers, “Desert, you have made me wise!
Your lure is my own yearning in disguise.

“I know from this one glimpse behind your mask,
My answer is the question that I ask.”

By NINA PAUL
Coachella, California (1937?) in an old Desert Magazine

An old cliche is “it will all be worth it.” I love teaching, love being with the kids and enjoying their company, love being with all the people at a school. But, the demands that never end on teachers in California! It reminds me of the current government spending spree with the endless tax demands that will be placed on us all. It doesn’t have to be this hard, and at some point things are no longer worth it. Thank God I don’t have to reach that point before I am done.

If you had the choice of two women to wed,
(Though of course the idea is quite absurd)
And the first from her heels to her dainty head
Was charming in every sense of the word:
And yet in the past (I grieve to state),
She never had been exactly “straight”.

And the second — she was beyond all cavil,
A model of virtue, I must confess;
And yet, alas! she was dull as the devil,
And rather a dowd in the way of dress;
Though what she was lacking in wit and beauty,
She more than made up for in “sense of duty”.

Now, suppose you must wed, and make no blunder,
And either would love you, and let you win her –
Which of the two would you choose, I wonder,
The stolid saint or the sparkling sinner?

Robert W. Service

I enjoyed this poem years ago, and rereading it now just makes me smile in delight. I know who I would (and did!) pick.
Drew Engman

He used to be a cool "real" guy, but now he
seems to be a semi-plastic parody of the whole conservative evangelical
error that their theology, as quoted in the parts of the Bible that
most appeal to them, is somehow more "true" than other legitimate
less-right wing exegesis and interpretation.

He quoted a verse
on how a rebuke to the wise is a beautiful thing. True enough. But I
find the quoting of scripture from certain people can be rather
annoying. Everybody wants to be the teacher, nobody wants to be the
student. Oh, they will deny that, but they just can’t see their kind of
insider church jargon as a way to appear "deep," or like they really
"get it."

I replied with a thought that to love and forgive is
more a Jesus-style approach that slapping out rebukes. Others got
defensive (can you even carry on a polite conversation with a right
wing conservative evangelical young Christian without them getting
defensive?), and basically claimed the rebukes in their life changed
them, perhaps more than the love and forgiveness of Jesus!

"He
who is forgiven little loves little, but he who is forgiven much loves
much." I always get to feeling like an outsider among the ones who
won’t or can’t discuss things like this without getting uptight. 

I
hate to say it, but I’m tired of that kind of church culture and
associated stereotypical jargon, slogans, worship, and attitudes. 

Is
it not permissible to be an independent intelligent Christian,
interpreting the Bible for yourself as you study and talk to God about
it? Do only the ones who go to the "right" church" with the "right"
theology who speak the "right" phrases and agree with each other make
the cut with God?

I can’t go back to the person I was who put up
with a dysfunctional church and church culture who was slapped down
every time I asked a hard or probing question. I had high hopes of
finding someone with enough intelligence, knowledge, and love to accept
my inquisitive, analytical, and questioning thoughts and concerns for
over 10 years of trying.

I’m not sure many of those people exist. If they do, it’s probably no safer for them to speak their mind than it was for me. 

I
thank God for Philip Yancey, Dr. Hugh Ross, and many others who have
validated my genuine concerns and have addressed them as no one did or
does at the churches I have been a part of. Thank George Barnha for
writing "The Revolution," so I didn’t feel like a spiritual loser
because church never really met my needs, or those of hundreds of
thousands of others like my wife and me, who choose to not go to church
now for no reason other than tradition, guilt, or some misapplied Bible
verses. 

Speaking of my controversial friend Dr. Barnha:

Barna is known for providing extensive surveys regarding Christianity
and the state of the church. Among his findings that have generated
substantial interest or controversy in recent years include:

• children are the most important population segment to minister to because of their spiritual vulnerability;
• Protestant churches are generally ineffective vessels for evangelism and discipleship
• most Protestant pastors are neither called to nor competent in leadership or as counselors;
• less than one out of every ten born again adults possess a Biblical world view;
• every church engages in marketing, but few do it well^;
• mass media has the most dramatic effect on people’s behavior and beliefs;
• alternative forms of church life — including house churches — are growing rapidly;
• a growing group of spiritually devout Christians, known as Revolutionaries, are embracing a post-congregational narrative that is reshaping spiritual life in the U.S.;
• most "church growth" is simply the recycling of church-goers from one congregation to another.
• divorce
  rate amongst born-again Christians is significantly higher than that
  for atheist/agnostics. A more recent 2008 Barna report shows a closer
  divorce rate gap between born-again Christians (32% had been divorced)
  and atheist/agnostics (30% had been divorced).

I thank the
friends I’ve made who are able to deal with the hard cold reality of
what church really is and what it really does to people, versus the
beautiful, fulfilling, and spiritually liberating freedom of salvation
in Jesus. That is where my heart and my head lie, and no one but Jesus
has a right to manipulate me to their less-than-spiritual ends.

He used to be a cool "real" guy, but now he
seems to be a semi-plastic parody of the whole conservative evangelical
error that their theology, as quoted in the parts of the Bible that
most appeal to them, is somehow more "true" than other legimate
less-right wing exegesis and interpretation.

He quoted a verse
on how a rebuke to the wise is a beautiful thing. True enough. But I
find the quoting of scripture from certain people can be rather
annoying. Everybody want to be the teacher, nobody want to be the
student. Oh, they will deny that, but they just can’t see their kind of
insider church jargon as a way to appear "deep," or like they really
"get it."

I replied with a thought that to love and forgive is
more a Jesus-style approach that slapping out rebukes. Others got
defensive (can you even carry on a polite conversation with a right
wing conservative evangelical young Christian without them getting
defensive?), and basically claimed the rebukes in their life changed
them, perhaps more than the love and forgiveness of Jesus!

"He
who is forgiven little loves little, but he who is forgiven much loves
much." I always get to feeling like an outsider among the ones who
won’t or can’t discuss things like this without getting uptight. 

I
hate to say it, but I’m tired of that kind of church culture and
associated stereotypical jargon, slogans, worship, and attitudes. 

Is
it not permissible to be an independent intelligent Christian,
interpreting the Bible for yourself as you study and talk to God about
it? Do only the ones who go to the "right" church" with the "right"
theology who speak the "right" phrases and agree with each other make
the cut with God?

I can’t go back to the person I was who put up
with a dysfunctional church and church culture who was slapped down
every time I asked a hard or probing question. I had high hopes of
finding someone with enough intelligence, knowledge, and love to accept
my inquisitive, analytical, and questioning thoughts and concerns for
over 10 years of trying.

I’m not sure many of those people exist. If they do, it’s probably no safer for them to speak their mind than it was for me. 

I
thank God for Philip Yancey, Dr. Hugh Ross, and many others who have
validated my genuine concerns and have addressed them as no one did or
does at the churches I have been a part of. Thank George Barnha for
writing "The Revolution," so I didn’t feel like a spiritual loser
because church never really met my needs, or those of hundreds of
thousands of others like my wife and me, who choose to not go to church
now for no reason other than tradition, guilt, or some misapplied Bible
verses. 

Speaking of my controversial friend Dr. Barnha:

Barna is known for providing extensive surveys regarding Christianity
and the state of the church. Among his findings that have generated
substantial interest or controversy in recent years include:

• children are the most important population segment to minister to because of their spiritual vulnerability;
• Protestant churches are generally ineffective vessels for evangelism and discipleship
• most Protestant pastors are neither called to nor competent in leadership or as counselors;
• less than one out of every ten born again adults possess a Biblical world view;
• every church engages in marketing, but few do it well^;
• mass media has the most dramatic effect on people’s behavior and beliefs;
• alternative forms of church life — including house churches — are growing rapidly;
• a growing group of spiritually devout Christians, known as Revolutionaries, are embracing a post-congregational narrative that is reshaping spiritual life in the U.S.;
• most "church growth" is simply the recycling of church-goers from one congregation to another.
• divorce
  rate amongst born-again Christians is significantly higher than that
  for atheist/agnostics. A more recent 2008 Barna report shows a closer
  divorce rate gap between born-again Christians (32% had been divorced)
  and atheist/agnostics (30% had been divorced).

I thank the
friends I’ve made who are able to deal with the hard cold reality of
what church really is and what it really does to people, versus the
beautiful, fulfilling, and spiritually liberating freedom of salvation
in Jesus. That is where my heart and my head lie, and no one but Jesus
has a right to manipulate me to their less-than-spiritual ends.

He used to be a cool “real” guy, but now he seems to be a semi-plastic parody of the whole conservative evangelical error that their theology, as quoted in the parts of the Bible that most appeal to them, is somehow more “true” than other legimate less-right wing exegesis and interpretation.

He quoted a verse on how a rebuke to the wise is a beautiful thing. True enough. But I find the quoting of scripture from certain people can be rather annoying. Everybody want to be the teacher, nobody want to be the student. Oh, they will deny that, but they just can’t see their kind of insider church jargon as a way to appear “deep,” or like they really “get it.”

I replied with a thought that to love and forgive is more a Jesus-style approach that slapping out rebukes. Others got defensive (can you even carry on a polite conversation with a right wing conservative evangelical young Christian without them getting defensive?), and basically claimed the rebukes in their life changed them, perhaps more than the love and forgiveness of Jesus!

“He who is forgiven little loves little, but he who is forgiven much loves much.” I always get to feeling like an outsider among the ones who won’t or can’t discuss things like this without getting uptight.

I hate to say it, but I’m tired of that kind of church culture and associated stereotypical jargon, slogans, worship, and attitudes.

Is it not permissible to be an independent intelligent Christian, interpreting the Bible for yourself as you study and talk to God about it? Do only the ones who go to the “right” church” with the “right” theology who speak the “right” phrases and agree with each other make the cut with God?

I can’t go back to the person I was who put up with a dysfunctional church and church culture who was slapped down every time I asked a hard or probing question. I had high hopes of finding someone with enough intelligence, knowledge, and love to accept my inquisitive, analytical, and questioning thoughts and concerns for over 10 years of trying.

I’m not sure many of those people exist. If they do, it’s probably no safer for them to speak their mind than it was for me.

I thank God for Philip Yancey, Dr. Hugh Ross, and many others who have validated my genuine concerns and have addressed them as no one did or does at the churches I have been a part of. Thank George Barnha for writing “The Revolution,” so I didn’t feel like a spiritual loser because church never really met my needs, or those of hundreds of thousands of others like my wife and me, who choose to not go to church now for no reason other than tradition, guilt, or some misapplied Bible verses.

Speaking of my controversial friend Dr. Barnha:

Barna is known for providing extensive surveys regarding Christianity and the state of the church. Among his findings that have generated substantial interest or controversy in recent years include:

* children are the most important population segment to minister to because of their spiritual vulnerability;
* Protestant churches are generally ineffective vessels for evangelism and discipleship
* most Protestant pastors are neither called to nor competent in leadership or as counselors;
* less than one out of every ten born again adults possess a Biblical world view;
* every church engages in marketing, but few do it well;
* mass media has the most dramatic effect on people’s behavior and beliefs;
* alternative forms of church life — including house churches — are growing rapidly;
* a growing group of spiritually devout Christians, known as Revolutionaries, are embracing a post-congregational narrative that is reshaping spiritual life in the U.S.;
* most “church growth” is simply the recycling of church-goers from one congregation to another.
* divorce rate amongst born-again Christians is significantly higher than that for atheist/agnostics. A more recent 2008 Barna report shows a closer divorce rate gap between born-again Christians (32% had been divorced) and atheist/agnostics (30% had been divorced).

I thank the friends I’ve made who are able to deal with the hard cold reality of what church really is and what it really does to people, versus the beautiful, fulfilling, and spiritually liberating freedom of salvation in Jesus. That is where my heart and my head lie, and no one but Jesus has a right to manipulate me to their less-than-spiritual ends.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/love_5593___article.html/corrie_mcdermott.html

Corrie McDermott: An inspiring example of faith, love and self-sacrifice

DON HOLLAND Editor
March 26, 2008 – 5:21PM
HESPERIA — Mothers show their love in countless ways.

In the meals they cook. In the way they soothe skinned knees and hurt feelings.

But Corrie McDermott, a 25-year-old student teacher from Hesperia, showed her love by making the ultimate sacrifice — giving her life so her unborn baby would live.

In 2002, the future looked bright for Corrie and Donnie McDermott. They had a wonderful little daughter, Rachelle. And Corrie, who graduated with honors from Hesperia High School in 1997, was pursing a bachelors degree and enjoying her work with special education kids at Maple Elementary School in Hesperia.

But months into her pregnancy with her second daughter, Corrie was diagnosed with melanoma. The undetected cancer was hidden by the aches and pains of pregnancy and had spread quickly, fed by the rising levels of estrogen in her body. Before long a baseball-sized tumor crushed her spine, putting the young mother in excruciating pain.

Yet an even more painful decision faced her and her family: To begin aggressive cancer treatment and lose the baby or to continue the pregnancy and risk Corrie’s life.

To know Corrie McDermott is to know her answer to that dilemma.

Known for her kind heart, quick smile and love of children, Corrie decided to put her unborn baby’s life before her own.

“Her faith was very strong. She loved the Lord with all her heart. She really did,” said Corrie’s mother, Becky Fonville of Hesperia. “Her courage was just …,” she said, overcome with emotion. “I would go see her and she was in so much pain. But she didn’t show the pain. She was always, ‘Hi Mom! Here I am’ with a smile on her face.”

The first step was an eight-hour operation to remove the tumor on her spine and replace the damaged vertebrae with bone from her rib. The first inclination was to deliver the baby as soon as possible and begin cancer treatment. But in the end, Corrie wanted to hold out as long as possible to give her baby the best chance at survival.

Week by week, the baby developed. But so did the cancer — and the pain.

On Feb. 19, 2004 Randie McDermott was born, two months premature, weighing one pound, nine ounces. Although Randie has cerebral palsy and doctors initially gave her little chance of survival, she was a joy to her parents. After giving birth, Corrie began aggressive cancer treatment, shuttling between Loma Linda University Medical Center where Randie was being treated and University of California, Los Angeles, where Corrie was receiving cancer treatment.

“Her heart was always on the girls, and having the faith that she was going to be able to pull out of it,” Donnie McDermott said. “She fought all the way to the last.”

On March 24, 2004, Corrie’s 25th birthday, she underwent a difficult six-hour cancer treatment at UCLA. Then afterward, she got one of her birthday wishes — to go shopping to buy gifts for her girls. Later that day, Corrie was able to hold her new baby for the one and only time.

The cancer progressed beyond treatment.

“At the end, when she was still able to talk, she said, ‘Mom, just remember, tell Dad, tell Donnie,’ she said, ‘don’t ever think that we didn’t do something right. Our decisions had to be made really quickly because it progressed so quickly. And we were making decisions just like that (snapping her fingers).’ Whatever decisions we made, we made them to the best of our knowledge at the time.’ She said, ‘It’s all in God’s hands.’”

On May 6, 2004, Corrie McDermott lost her battle with cancer.

“We’re just so honored and we’re so proud of Corrie being nominated as one of the Inspiring Women of the community,” Fonville said. “I think to myself why all of this is coming about. But I believe in my heart that it’s happening for this one (Rachelle). When she gets older she’s going to be able to see and read about the impact that her mother left.”

The family has grown ever closer. Donnie McDermott considers Don and Becky Fonville to be his “other parents.” Little Rachelle and Becky share lots of tears — but also happy memories of Corrie. And whenever they drive past Maple Elementary, Rachelle says she wants to take on her mom’s job teaching students.

Baby Randie is now 4 years old. It has been a struggle, but she’s improving. Little things, like smiling, laughing and sucking on fingers are all signs of improvement. And they bring joy to those who love her.

When Randie was first born, some wondered whether it might have been best had she passed on with her mother, Fonville said.

“But I believe in my heart that Randie is here for us,” she said. “For us, she is a blessing. We look at her. She has gone through so much in her little life. She’s had many, many major surgeries also. And she’s just like her mom — she’s so strong. She is a fighter and she has a will to live and she wants to be here. The girls are here for us.”

Story Version 2 from Hesperia Star: More about Corrie’s Christian faith.

http://www.hesperiastar.com/onset?id=142&template=article.html

A mother’s decision
March 14, 2007 – 4:42PM
By PETER DAY
Star Editor
(This story originally appeared in the May 18, 2004 edition of the Hesperia Star.)

Corrie McDermott lived her life serving others, especially her Maple Elementary School students and family members.

Her selfless nature was put to the ultimate test in January when the lifelong Hesperia resident — six months pregnant at the time — was diagnosed with melanoma, a virulent and often fatal form of skin cancer.

Aggressive cancer treatment would have put the life of her unborn child at risk. But not attacking the cancer early could give the melanoma cells a chance to multiply, attack other parts of her body and threaten her own life.

Those who know McDermott’s values weren’t surprised when the 24-year-old refused aggressive cancer treatment for an approach that would give her child a better chance.

“She was always thinking about somebody else rather than herself,” said Pastor Dave Corona of Full Gospel Church in Apple Valley. “She was committed to helping others.”

Even as early as elementary school, it was clear McDermott was exceptional. She earned Student of the Year honors at Joshua Circle Elementary School and was on the honor roll at both Hesperia Junior and Hesperia High schools.

“She was always outstanding,” said one of Corrie’s teachers. “She was always someone you could count on.”

During high school she became a peer leader, helping fellow students face the challenges of school and teen-age life. After attending Victor Valley College, she worked with high-risk students as an instructional aide.

In 2000 she married “the love of her life,” Donnie McDermott, and the next year their first baby, Rachelle Ann McDermott, was born.

Her official teaching career began at Kingston Elementary School, then Topaz Elementary and finally Maple Elementary.

“She enjoyed every minute being able to be with those kids,” said Pastor Royce Beserra.

On Feb. 19, three months before her due date, Randie Arlene McDermott was born. The tiny 1 pound, 9 ounce baby was given precious additional weeks in the womb to grow before her early arrival.

After her daughter was born, McDermott began more aggressive therapy. However, her condition worsened, but her spirit never waivered.

“She knew God was her strength,” said Pastor Beserra. “She had a peace in her heart.”

“Corrie had such an impact on people,” said her cousin Richard Moreno. “The spirit of God moved on our family. All generations were impacted. The younger ones were praying for her miracle.”

“I thank the Lord that He used Corrie to plant seeds in so many people,” said Pastor Corona.

On McDermott’s 25th birthday, March 24 — her husband and McDermott shared the same birthday — the couple drove to UCLA Medical Center for a grueling six-hour cancer treatment. Afterward, she took pain medication to endure the agony.

“I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” her husband remembers telling her as they got into the car. “Don’t worry about the cost.”

“Take me to Target!” she exclaimed.

“So that’s what we did,” he said.

While at Target she bought gifts for her children.

The day ended on a very special high note when the couple went to Loma Linda University’s neo-natal intensive care unit to see their newborn, who has spent her days inside an incubator.

“That was the first and only time she was able to hold Randie,” Donnie McDermott said.

Perhaps that short but sweet mother-child bond gave Randie just what she needed. Randie had been struggling to survive, facing several life-threatening complications. At a doctor’s suggestion, Donnie McDermott even signed a “DNR” — an order to “do not resuscitate” in the event the baby stopped breathing. But the DNR was rescinded after Randie’s condition began dramatically improving.

“Today she weighs 6 pounds, 10 ounces,” Donnie McDermott said. “She’s just awesome.”

On May 6, just four months after discovering she had melanoma, Corrie McDermott lost her battle.

“She was happy it was over,” her husband told a standing-room-only gathering of friends, family and co-workers during last Thursday’s memorial service at Full Gospel Church in Apple Valley.

And, according to those who knew her, she always kept her eye on God.

“I don’t need to pray for Corrie to be in heaven,” Pastor Beserra told the audience. “She’s already there.”

Drew A.G. Engman

drew_engman@hotmail.com

568 Piñon Rd. P.O. Box 720130

Piñon Hills CA 92372