Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, 1954



Adam, a man with six brothers, finds a woman to his liking, marries her, and then helps his brothers find wives of their own. It’s a wonder they got any work done with all the singing and dancing going on. This popular musical showed off the talents of very energetic dancers.

Howard Keel and Jane Powell paired well together in this adventure in the wilderness. Keel plays Adam, the oldest brother and the first to marry. Powell plays Milly, the first of the wives.

Patience is required at times when the men want to have a little fun and frolic. Milly finally makes them understand that their manners must improve before a woman would want them. The men get to try out their new manners when they meet women at a barn raising. Unfortunately, the women already have boyfriends. It’s just a matter of time before the boys all get into a fight. However, they are able to romance the women enough that the women wanted the men who wanted them. 

The film was nominated in five categories at the Academy Awards. The only Oscar it won went to Adolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.




Songs of Gratitude



It’s the first month of the year, the time when many are making resolutions and setting goals. If last year was a bit too hectic or troublesome for you, then maybe having more peace in your life is a good goal.

Since we know that peace isn’t something we can buy, but something we notice as a result of our many decisions, it makes sense to review how we made decisions over the past year. We can have more peace if we’ll change a few bad habits.

Obviously, nobody wants to create bad habits. But we find that we have them anyway. Once we notice our bad habits, we want to get rid of them. But how do we do that? We have to trade our bad habits for good ones. Sounds easy, right?

So how do we substitute good habits for bad habits? It’s all in what we set our minds on. Join me for more about how to do this in today’s devotional at Seek God With Me.

We can continue in our old habits, or we can seek God’s help with positive changes. Really, it’s all about how much we want to change.

Everybody Sing, 1938



How does a financially-challenged family overlook the one member who may be able to help them out? The youngest are sometimes overlooked in normal families. But this family is far from normal.

Starring sixteen-year-old Judy Garland as Judy Bellaire, this comedy is a fun toe-tapper. In an ordinary family this young girl would be a standout talent, but her whole family is in an uproar about one thing or another and can’t see what’s right in front of them. The talented youngster is expelled from her school when she shows off her extraordinary jazz singing. When her father sends her off to a different school, she escapes and gets hired to be in a show because of her jazzy singing skills. She just wants to sing. If only her family would let her use her gifts, the family finances would be enhanced.

The fabulous Fanny Brice is a Russian maid, Olga. She keeps the audience happy with her comedic delivery. Billie Burke plays Judy’s mother, an actress. During the next year, Burke and Garland would work together in The Wizard of Oz, with Burke playing Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

This film came out just months before Judy Garland first appeared in a Andy Hardy film (Love Finds Andy Hardy). She would later make nine Andy Hardy films with Mickey Rooney.

Songs of Joy



Songs of joy are a natural response when a period of waiting is followed by good news. How many times have you heard a loud “Hallelujah!” as if someone was at a Handel’s Messiah sing-a-long, only to discover that the person had just received good news?

At Seek God With Me, I’m sharing a Bible verse about the way we respond to God when we notice what he’s done for us. When some of us get a good surprise, we laugh or cry or sing. I remember getting a good surprise and jumping for joy without even thinking about what my response should be. How many of us burst into song because of joy? Join me at Seek God With Me and think about your response to joy.

The Sound of Music, 1965



A governess is needed for the children of an Austrian navy captain who must learn how to love his children after his wife dies, leaving him a sour and strict single father. Julie Andrews stars as Maria, a young woman trying to be a nun and failing miserably. She is given the job of governess for Captain von Trapp’s children, but finds their antics a challenge. Because Maria is fun-loving and energetic, she is able to train the children using songs.

Romance fills the once-stern father’s house with life just as Nazi soldiers demand Captain von Trapp’s allegiance. He and Maria must find a way to keep the family together and safe during the Nazi invasion.

One of America’s most-loved musicals, this film has given families plenty of reason to sing together. Songs of young love, a yodeling goat-herder, following your dreams, and saying goodbye are sung in families, schools, and communities every year. When listing your favorite things, do you also list raindrops on roses?

The film won five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music Scoring of Adaptation or Treatment.

Songs From the Heart



Today on Seek God With Me, I’m taking a look at the way songs are used in the Bible. The Psalms, many of them written by David, were fervent expressions of a need for God that was distinctive and noticeable.

One doesn’t usually sing passionately to a stranger. God and David had a relationship that was intimate. David trusted God and allowed God to see and hear him down to the depths of his soul. Why is it hard for many of today’s Christians to share that kind of intimacy with God?

Join me at Seek God With Me all month and share in the discussion about songs in the Bible.