The Fine Art of Whistling
Professional Whistling: It’s really a thing. Molly Lewis, considered to be the world’s best whistler, was asked what she did to prepare for competition. Her reply was, “Always stay hydrated and NEVER forget your Chapstick.”
The salary for professional whistlers: average annual salary $77,292; if you are a virtuoso – $155,628. You may have watched the New York Philharmonic on New Year’s Eve and noticed a professional whistler on one of the Sondheim pieces. I wonder what her salary was.
Whistling as a Language: Did you know there is a Turkish village where whistling is a means for communication? They communicate numbers and words using a language referred to as “bird language” with the other villagers delivering the news of the day.
In some worship settings (not Fee Fee), people have been heard whistling during worship. I recently read an article which cited scripture reference to the Holy Spirit whistling.
Zechariah 10:8 – 9 says, “I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them: And they shall increase as they once increased. I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries; they shall live, together with their children, and they shall return.”
And in Isaiah 5:26 it shows us this phenomenon in all its glory, “He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, and will whistle to them from the end of the earth; surely they will come with speed, swiftly.” Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to whistle and call for the harvest through us!
One Day
This is an old hymn written by Dr. John Wilbur Chapman, a noted evangelist in the late 19th century.
In the hymn, One Day, Dr. Chapman chose 4 key events in the life of Christ to highlight.
- Verse 1 – Jesus’ birth
- Verses 2 and 3 – Christ on the cross and His burial
- Verse 4 – The resurrection
- Verse 5 – The triumphant return of Christ
The group Casting Crowns rebirthed this song in 2009 and called it Glorious Day. The hymn, One Day, had been a favorite of Mark Hall from this group. He loved it as a child and chose to write his version to share the entire Gospel message just as the original hymn. Glorious Day ranked at the top Billboard spot of Hot Christian Songs for a total of nine weeks in 2011.
We sang the original hymn, One Day, in 8:30 a.m. worship on January 12. What do you think? How do the two versions compare in their style and continued message?