A Godly Example

Thirty-five years ago, I began my teaching career at Bob Jones University.  As many of you know from reading some of my previous posts, in addition to teaching history courses at BJU, I also had the opportunity to play oboe in the University Orchestra and other ensembles at BJU.  Aside from my teaching responsibilities, playing my oboe has been one of the great joys of my life.  When you play in a group over a period of time, you really get to know the folks who are also a part of the group.  Not only do you learn how to do the "technical" things like playing in tune and playing the right notes, but you come to appreciate the people who sit beside you in rehearsals and performances.  I would like to spotlight one of those individuals from thirty-five years ago.

Karen Kuehmann enrolled as a freshman at BJU in the fall of 1972.  It did not take long to appreciate the fact the she was an excellent flute player.  But more than that, Karen was and is a person of outstanding character.  But what I most appreciate about Karen is that she loves the Lord supremely.  She has been an outstanding role model and good friend over the years that Nancy and I have had the great privilege to know her.

After Karen finished her undergraduate and graduate work at BJU, she taught flute and worked in the music division at Bob Jones University Press.  She is an accomplished composer and arranger of pieces for instrumental soloists and other ensembles.  She also received an Ed.D. degree in the 1980s.

Karen has had her share of difficult times as well.  A few years ago, she had a significant medical issue that resulted in her receiving a liver transplant at a Pittsburgh hospital.  As far as I know, she has made a complete recovery from that medical procedure and enjoys good health.

Having worked at BJU for about thirty years, Karen has recently decided to move back to her home state of Arizona and teach music in an elementary school there.  One of the reasons she returned to Arizona was for the purpose of being closer to her family.  That really doesn't surprise me at all, because Karen is the kind of person who understands the importance of family.  In this day and age, family relationships have been given short shrift by many people who just get too busy or disinterested in maintaining close family ties.

As it relates to Christian ministry, I have come to understand a significant principle:  "What I do, and where I do what I do, is not nearly as important as WHY I do what I do."  Karen Kuehmann is an ongoing example of that mindset.  I commend her highly and wish her well in her new responsibilities as an elementary school music teacher.

Owatonna, Minnesota: A Great Place to Live

Nancy and I have often discussed the fact that Owatonna, Minnesota, has been a wonderful small town (population 22,000) in which to raise our children, as well giving us the opportunity to minister at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College and Grace Baptist Church. As you may have learned from reading some of my earlier posts, we moved to Owatonna with our first five children in 1984, and twenty-three years later our two Owatonna sons (Matt and Andy) are in their twenties. Our family has come of age here in Owatonna, and now we are blessed with having our grandchildren living in Owatonna as well.

The "culture" of Owatonna is relatively conservative, but we welcome innovation. Owatonna is home to impressive architecture (see the Louis Sullivan bank above) and a number of new businesses in recent years. Probably the most well-known Owatonna landmark along Interstate-35 is our local Cabela's store. Folks interested in the great outdoors flock to Cabela's to purchase all kinds of clothing and outdoor gear. Owatonna also has a diverse business and industrial base, which provides many work opportunities for our Pillsbury students.

If you check out Owatonna on the web, you will discover that we have a number of parks and walking trails. Central Park is the venue for a number of performing groups during the summer. I play oboe in the Owatonna Community Band, and we had a top-notch concert last evening. Local business groups donated the funds for the modern bandstand you see pictured here. We are blessed here in Owatonna with an above-average fine arts scene, with high school musicians enthusiastically performing in groups such as the Owatonna Community Band. It's very gratifying to perform music with so many who really enjoy what they're doing.










Nancy took this photo of me before last night's concert, and the photo to the right is from a concert last summer. But I leave you with a "humorous" photo that I took before the concert last night. This sign is posted on the door of each restroom below the bandshell. The wording on the sign gives the impression that whoever wrote it doesn't clearly understand the English language. I'll let you make of it what you will.

Easter Reflections

As is the case with almost all religious holidays, the "religious" character of holidays is often overshadowed by commercialism and materialism. Easter Day is no exception, what with Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, Easter outfits, Easter candy, and the like. Even though it is the culmination of "Holy Week" within some liturgical churches, it still should be a day of great rejoicing as we commemorate the resurrection of our Lord.

Numerous composers have written profoundly beautiful music to celebrate the day, running the gamut from Bach and Handel to more contemporary Christian composers. Athough Handel's Messiah is often performed during the Christmas Season, many of the well-known and well-loved portions of Messiah are actually taken from biblical texts celebrating Easter. One of Ron Hamilton's earlier works, The Centurion, tells us the story of Easter from the perspective of one of the Roman centurions involved with our Lord's crucifixion.

Here in Owatonna, we enjoyed worshiping at Grace Baptist Church this morning. In our first service, we read several Bible passages and sang a number of hymns related to Easter. We also celebrated the Lord's Supper. Then we were treated to a nice Easter morning breakfast. During the second service, there were several special musical numbers appropriate for the day. And finally, we heard a message from God's Word that empahasized how we should be affected and influenced by Christ's resurrection.

Nancy and Tricia prepared a nice turkey dinner for Easter. We had some of our children (and our two grandchildren) over for the afternoon, because we consider family fellowship to be vitally important. Although there is probably not the same level of excitement as at Christmas, we eagerly anticipate these opportunities when our family members are able to get together for fellowship. All in all, this was a good Easter Day for our family.

Wonderful Christian Music

We are enjoying some wonderfully warm weather as we begin Spring Break here at Pillsbury this week. It could possibly snow again, but we certainly hope not. I remember April Fool's Day a few years ago when the weatherman predicted a few snow flurries; we did get snow flurries, but the problem was that we got four inches of snow flurries! End of weather discussion.

A week ago Sunday was Pillsbury Day at Grace Baptist Church here in Owatonna. Pillsbury's small vocal ensemble, "Singing His Praise," provided special music in the morning service. For the evening service, the Pillsbury and Grace Baptist choirs sang several numbers under the able direction of Darrell Bevis and Tom Lawson. Dr. Crane preached in the evening service, and among other points, he encouraged all of us that Pillsbury College is moving ahead. We have had a few financial bumps in the road, but we feel that God will meet the needs of our college just as He has for the last fifty years. Please pray for Pillsbury in the days ahead.

On Saturday evening, I was greatly privileged to play in a classical and sacred concert presented by Deo Cantamus, which is Latin for "We Sing For God." This group is made up of born-again Christians who present two concerts a year at Fourth Baptist Church in Plymouth, Minnesota. The group is directed by Allen Hawkins, a gifted choral conducter who is an adjunct voice professor at Crown College. This is what Al has posted on the Deo Cantamus website: "...God has blessed us in so many ways. It is my greatest joy to use the gifts and circumstances He has provided to further glorify Him. To use music as a tool for teaching and encouraging holiness is what I enjoy doing most. This takes a commitment to high standards that is often absent in the music that contemporary society promotes. It is my goal to teach and conduct in a way that encourages individuals to pursue the standards needed to perfom at a level that inspires others and glorifies God..."

Needless to say, Al is my kind of guy. The major sacred classical piece on the program was Vivaldi's Gloria, which is a wonderful choral expression of why Christians can glorify God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The middle part of the program was sung by "Let the Children Praise," which is a children's choir that Al works with during the year. They sang a variety of numbers, including Pergolesi, Bach, and other sacred works. Finally, the Deo Cantamus Chorale concluded the evening with a selection of "Great Hymns of the Faith." This concert was professionally done, but the purpose of the group is to "sing for God."

It was refreshing to have the opportunity of playing with Deo Cantamus. If you live in the Twin Cities, their next concert will be in the fall of 2007. It will be worth your while to attend.

My Oboe Odyssey: Part I

Many of us learned to play the piano or some other musical intrument when we were young, often at the behest of a parent. In my case, I had a mom who was a fine violinist and music teacher. She also taught piano, but I absolutely refused to take lessons from her, or anyone else for that matter. Fifty years later, I regret that fact, but there is nothing I can do to change that situation. Fortunately, my mom did prevail upon me to play some instrument. She often suggested that I consider the French horn, the bassoon, or the oboe. In the summer of 1961, I decided to give the oboe a shot. What a decision.

I soon discovered that many of my colleagues already had been playing clarinet, flute, trumpet, or whatever, for a year or two. And I also quickly discovered the first rule of begining oboe players: "Develop a thick skin." When a flutist or clarinetist makes a mistake, they just shrug it off. But when an oboist makes a mistake, everyone knows it. It can be very embarassing. I was most fortunate in that we had an excellent band director at Plymouth Junior High School East. His name was Mr. Larry Livingston; he had grown up playing clarinet in the "big band" era. He could be a little crazy at times, but he loved directing the band. Each spring, we had a big production called the "Band Show," and it was a fun time.

There was also the question of taking private lessons. I started out taking lessons from a high school student and then a college student, but by the time I got to high school, I was studying with Ron Odmark, the second oboist in the Detroit Symphony. He was a great guy and very easy to get along with. He taught me how to make reeds and also how to play halfway decently. I played my share of solos for the Michigan Solo and Ensemble Festival, but I never really liked having to memorize the music. But I survived.

It was also my good fortune to have a great high school band director at Plymouth High School. Mr. James Griffith (affectionately known as "Griff") was a no-nonsense graduate of the University of Michigan. We played good band literature, and I appreciated his approach. Some of my peers didn't care for him as much as I did, but that's just the way things were.

During marching band season, I did NOT play my oboe. I got to play bass drum and tenor drum instead. Of course, marching band was a lot of fun, but I was always glad to get back to concert band when the marching season was over. Mr. Griffith knew good arrangers over at U of M, so we got to play some neat pieces in marching band, as well as in concert band. All of this was good preparation for college, even though I didn't know it at the time. In future installments, I want to share some of my experiences at Interlochen's National Music Camp and at Bob Jones University.