November 17, 2019 - #4705 Music & the Spoken Word

The Music & the Spoken Word broadcast airs live via TV, radio, and internet stream on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. mountain time. For information on other airtimes, visit “Airing Schedules” at musicandthespokenword.org.

Music

Conductors: Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy
Organist: Brian Mathias
Announcer: Lloyd Newell

“Hallelujah Chorus”¹ from Christ on the Mount of Olives
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven

“The Lord My Pasture Will Prepare”²
Music: Dmitri Bortniansky
Lyrics: Joseph Addison
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Toccata in Seven” organ solo
Music: John Rutter

“Peace Like a River”³
Music: African-American spiritual
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Over the Rainbow”⁴ from The Wizard of Oz
Music: Harold Arlen
Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg
Arrangement: Arthur Harris

“Standing on the Promises”⁵
Music and Lyrics: Russell K. Carter
Arrangement: Ryan Murphy

1 On the CD America's Choir.
2 On the CD This is the Christ.
3 On the CD Peace Like a River.
4 On the CD Showtime! and in the CD set Encore Collection.
5 On the CD Let Us All Press On.
 

The Spoken Word 

One Drop at a Time

A drop of water may seem rather ordinary and unimpressive. And yet when very small amounts of water are dropped steadily, over extended periods of time, the results can be quite spectacular. Think, for example, of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, or the Reed Flute Cave in China, to name only a few. It’s amazing how often water does its remarkable work one drop at a time—giving life to a plant, turning a field green, invigorating parched soil, filling a river or lake, and yes, carving into solid rock. Over time, small drops of water can make a big difference.

We can learn a lot from water drops—especially when we feel small and insignificant, or when it seems our best efforts aren’t getting the effect we hoped for. It may just be that we need to give the drops of water time to do their work. Whether we are learning a new skill or building a new friendship, it’s most often the steady, consistent effort that leads to spectacular results. 

Actually, we have all applied this truth from the time we were children. We learned to walk one step at a time, gradually gaining confidence and strength along the way. In school, one assignment after another led to measurable progress in knowledge and understanding. And as adults, we take one day at a time as we navigate the twists and turns of life. Anyone who has ever learned a new language, a new instrument, a new technology, or any number of new abilities began simply by putting in steady effort over time.

So we just keep going, even when the task seems insurmountable and the challenge seems daunting. Some obstacles can be eroded only drop by drop. You can’t get a rock formation by throwing a boulder in the ocean, and dumping a tank of water on a plant can kill it. One drop at a time is the better approach. If we are patient and consistent, our small and simple efforts to change for the better, to help and lift another, can eventually produce something quite spectacular.