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

Music

Conductor: Mack Wilberg
Organist: Brian Mathias
Announcer: Lloyd Newell

“From All That Dwell below the Skies”
Music: John Hatton
Lyrics: Isaac Watts
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“The King of Love My Shepherd Is”
Music: Irish tune
Lyrics: Henry Baker
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“In Thee Is Gladness”
Music: Giovanni G. Gastoldi; setting by Daniel Kallman
Lyrics: Johann Lindemann; translated by Catherine Winkworth

“Psalm 19” (organ solo)
Music: Benedetto Marcello

“More Holiness Give Me”
Music and Lyrics: Philip Paul Bliss
Arrangement: Ronald Staheli

“Simple Gifts”¹
Music: Shaker song
Additional lyrics: David Warner
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Rejoice, the Lord Is King!”²
Music: Horatio Parker
Lyrics: Charles Wesley
Arrangement: Ryan Murphy

The Spoken Word

Connecting Briefly with a Stranger

As children, we are told, “Don’t talk to strangers.” That’s an important safety tip during childhood. But as adults, interacting with people we don’t know is a regular part of life. In fact, depending on the circumstances, there can be some valuable benefits to talking to strangers.

A relationship columnist for the Wall Street Journal recently pointed out that “sometimes a stranger—not a friend or a loved one—can significantly improve our day. A pleasant encounter with someone we don’t know, even a nonverbal one, can soothe us when no one else is around. It may get us out of our own head—a proven mood booster—and help broaden our perspective.” She went on to cite a research study that asked participants to talk to at least one stranger a day for five days; 99 percent reported that they found the experience pleasantly surprising, and most said they learned something from one of the strangers.¹

And yet we hesitate to reach out to people we don’t know. Maybe we’re afraid that we won’t be received well, that we might say something foolish, or that we may not be interesting enough. Or perhaps we feel like we don’t have the energy or time for it. Quite simply, staying comfortably in our own world seems easier. But those who try to connect with strangers are usually glad they did.

One woman who was feeling down on her 48th birthday decided to cheer herself up by writing 48 letters to 48 strangers in 48 hours. She asked friends and family members for names of people who were sad or alone, and she wrote each one an anonymous note. She was surprised at how much love and compassion she could feel for people she had never even met.²

So don’t worry if you’re not skilled at making conversation. Connecting with another person is more about caring than competence. We just have to be a little brave, interested, and open to others. Whether in a classroom, on a bus or airplane, or in the aisle of a store, we can take a moment to connect with someone. And sometimes, such brief encounters just might improve our day in unexpected ways.