Thanks to Stacey Fredrick for the following contribution! Too funny for words!

What is a Praise Chorus?

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city
church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

"Well," said the farmer, "It was good. They did something different,
>however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses," said his wife, "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They're sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

The farmer said, "Well it's like this: If I were to say to you: 'Martha, the cows are in the corn,' well, that would be a hymn. If, on the other
hand, I were to say to you: 'Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha,
MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the
white
cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn,
are
in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, the CORN, CORN, CORN.'

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that
would be a praise chorus."

What is a Hymn?MA young, new Christian went to his local church usually, but one weekend attended a church in the city. He came home and his wife asked him how
it was.

"Well," said the young man, "It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs."

"Hymns," said his wife, "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They're sort of like regular songs, only different," said the young man.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

The young man said, "Well it's like this: If I were to say to you, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn,' well that would be a regular song.

If, on the other hand, I were to say to you: 'Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear
thou my cry. Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth. Turn thou thy
whole wondrous ear by and by to the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.
For the way of the animals who can explain; There in their heads is no
shadow of sense. Hearkenest they in God's sun or his rain unless from the
mild, tempting corn they are fenced. Yea those cows in glad bovine,
rebellious delight,Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed. Then goaded
by minions of darkness and night, they all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn
have chewed. So look to that bright shining day by and by, where all foul corruptions
of earth are reborn, where no vicious animal makes my soul cry And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'

"Then, if I were to do only verses 1, 3, and 4, and do a key change on
the last verse, well, that would be a hymn."

I'm having a melt down. My accompanist isn't going to be here for spring break. My recital hearing is the week we come back from spring break. I have little red riding hood up until thursday before spring break. I'm not happy. In fact I'm very very very stressed out. Back to practicing

I just met my new neighbor -- an assistant football coach, graduate student in sports merchandising? sports something -- um...dang it! Goes to baylor...nice guy.

So this evening I'm going to sew. Definatly. It must be done. My dress is sitting in the living room draped over my wingback chair, screaming at me "finish me! Hurry! You're running out of time!" And my first finger is sliced open. I'm not sure how it happened....but I looked up after cutting up some strawberry glace pie and my finger had a long diagonal line running down it. Oh yes. Hurts like crazy. Try writing without your first finger. yeah. Then try opening doors, turning on your car, signing a reciept....yeah. Its been a blast. Its stopped throbbing, so now it must go back into use. Healed or not. yes.

I saw my rector today. While we were rehearsing. They were having a bike race in Saledo and as we came back from lunch, here comes the rector of my church walking towards me in bike shorts sweating up a storm. That was interested. I've never seen her without a clerical collar on. She did recognise me after a bit -- of course she wasn't planning on seeing me there either. Then Mrs. Dr. VC stopped her to tell her about some friends of hers that had been going to St. Albans for years without ever being approached by a rector. Seems that Janne's going to search them out. yay!

Alright, I'm off to sew! Think happy thoughts in my direction. Where's the neosporin and a bandaid?

Well, that was just the longest rehearsal! Robyn and I went to Saledo at 9 today, arrived at 10, and rehearsed until 4:30. We got through the show 3 times. It's something of an issue of too many cooks. We'll get going, and Ken will stop for something, then VC and his wife will decide they have something that need to be addressed. And usually something does need to be addressed -- but when they all talk at once, it's hard to know where to look! Ok, now I'm going to go sew for a few hours...learn a chant....and then go to bed. I'm SOOOO TIRED!!!!!!

I have a quiz today in orchestration. I'm just going to have to blow it. I practiced and practiced and practiced last night -- no time for homework or studying until after my recital....in 5 weeks. AAAAAAAHHH

I have the hardest recital in the world! I sang through it once today, then parts of it with Glenn later this evening. It's really really really tough -- deceptively simple for parts, and then just stinking hard. It should be good if I pull it off...if not, frightening! And Glenn thinks I need an encore. Would you encore me? really? Ok, so now what for an encore? Chi sa? Non so.

ROGERS DIED at his Pittsburgh home, said family spokesman David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on the show. Rogers had been diagnosed with stomach cancer sometime after the holidays, Newell said.
From 1968 to 2000, Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, produced the show at Pittsburgh public television station WQED. The final new episode, which was taped in December 2000, aired in August 2001, though PBS affiliates continued to air back episodes.
Rogers, who gently invited millions of children to be his neighbor, composed his own songs for the show and began each episode in a set made to look like a comfortable living room, singing “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,” as he donned sneakers and a zip-up cardigan sweater. One of his red sweaters is now in the Smithsonian.
Rogers began his career in children’s television doing puppet voices for a local show on PBS affiliate WQED in Pittsburgh. He became a national personality in 1968 when “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” became available to PBS stations across the country.

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Key dates in the life of Fred Rogers
March 20, 19281954196319681985-'8619911993December 2000August 2001September 2002Feb. 27, 2003
Fred Rogers born in Latrobe, Pa.
Rogers introduces “The Children’s Corner,” a children’s show in Pittsburgh where he works as an unseen puppeteer.
Rogers accepts offer to develop his own 15-minute show, “Misterogers,” for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
National Educational Television, which later becomes Public Broadcasting Service, begins distributing the show, by then called “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
Ratings peak for “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” as 8 percent of all U.S. households tune in.
During the Persian Gulf War, Rogers tells youngsters, "All children shall be well taken care of in this neighborhood and beyond — in times of war and in times of peace," and asks parents to promise their children they will always be safe.
At a ceremony marking the show’s 25th anniversary, Rogers says, “It’s not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It’s what resides inside.”
Rogers tapes the show’s final episode.
Final episode airs.
Rogers comes out of broadcasting retirement to record public service announcements telling parents how to help their children deal with the Sept. 11 attacks anniversary.
Rogers dies of stomach cancer.


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The show was quickly embraced by both children and parents for an imaginative but simple approach and the ongoing message: “There’s only one person in the whole world like you.”
His message remained simple throughout the years, telling his viewers to love themselves and others. On each show, he would take his audience on a magical trolley ride into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where his puppet creations would interact with each other and adults.
Rogers continued to do much of the puppet work and voices himself.

GUIDANCE FOR A WIDE AUDIENCE
Rogers composed his own songs for the show and began each episode in a set made to look like a comfortable living room, singing ‘It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,’ as he donned sneakers and a zip-up cardigan.

Rogers taught children how to share, how to deal with anger and even how not to fear the bathtub by assuring them they’ll never go down the drain.
During the Persian Gulf War, Rogers told youngsters that “all children shall be well taken care of in this neighborhood and beyond — in times of war and in times of peace,” and he asked parents to promise their children they would always be safe.
Rogers came out of broadcasting retirement last year to record four public service announcements for the Public Broadcasting Service telling parents that children might be confused by the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“They don’t understand what an anniversary is, and if they see the tragedy replayed on television, they might think it’s happening at that moment,” he said.
The series remained popular through the years, including with children of baby boomers who watched the show growing up. Its ratings peaked in 1985-’86 when approximately 8 percent of all U.S. households with televisions tuned in. By the 1999-2000 season, viewership had dropped to about 2.7 percent, or 3.6 million people.

PUBLIC TV’S LONGEST-RUNNING PROGRAM
As other children’s programming opted for slick action cartoons, Rogers stayed the same and stuck to his message. The show was the longest running children’s program on public television.
“It looks like nothing much happens,” Hedda Sharapan, an associate producer with the show, said in 2001. “Listening has been one of the main focus points.”
Characteristically, the Web site of his production company Family Entertainment Inc. announced his death with advice on how to relay the sad news to children who will continue to see him on television.
“Children have always known Mr. Rogers as their ‘television friend,’ and that relationship doesn’t change with his death,” the message said.
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Rogers was born in Latrobe. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1962 with a charge to continue his work with children and families through television.
He studied early childhood development at the University of Pittsburgh’s graduate school and consulted for decades with the late Dr. Margaret McFarland, an eminent child development expert at the university. The show examined the tribulations of childhood, including anger, fear, even a visit to the dentist.
At a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the show in 1993, Rogers said, “It’s not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It’s what resides inside.”
Off the set, Rogers was much like his television persona. He swam daily, read voraciously and listened to Beethoven. He once volunteered at a state prison in Pittsburgh and helped set up a playroom there for children visiting their parents.

Rogers was an unseen puppeteer in “The Children’s Corner,” a local show he and Josie Carey launched at WQED in 1954. In seven years of unscripted, live television on the show, he developed many of the puppets used in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” including King Friday XIII, Daniel Striped Tiger and Curious X the Owl.
Rogers accepted an offer to develop his own 15-minute show in Canada. He brought the show, called “Misterogers,” back to Pittsburgh and in February 1968 began its public broadcasting debut.
Rogers’ gentle manner was the butt of some comedian’s jokes. Eddie Murphy parodied him on “Saturday Night Live” in the 80’s with his “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood,” a routine Rogers found funny and affectionate.
Rogers is survived by his wife, Joanne, a concert pianist; two sons and two grandsons.

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The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Ok, life is looking up! I have my folder organized..music sorted by closest connecting keys, color coordinated dividers....little labels, all music taped front to back.....now all I have to do is LEARN it all. Nope. No time for a panic attack today. I have class followed by a midterm, followed by a rehearsal...followed by two and a half hours of freedom, followed by rehearsal with Glenn, followed by frantic practicing...followed by collapse directly into bed. (with a short stop for prayer and devotions of course)....then I get up, go to class, rehearse with my accompanist, go back to class, rehearse by myself...then the weekend! Consisting of all day rehearsal in Saledo...then sunday -- church, then practice, then practice, practice, practice, SEW on recital dress, practice, maybe youth group, homework, practice, practice practice......and then its monday. My what a restful weekend this will be! I'm off to get ready for the day -- and to study for the midterm!