WMS PROFILES IN LIVING: Retired teacher's gift inspires, uplifts

WMS PROFILES IN LIVING: Retired teacher's gift inspires, uplifts
By RABBI DALE , WMS Media Correspondent
©2006 All Rights Reserved by Rabbi Dale

He's a teacher, counselor, athlete and lay minister, not to mention husband, father, friend and neighbor. He's also passionate about making beautiful music.

Mason Turner, who taught chemistry and computer science to 11th and 12th graders in Orangeburg for 30 years until his retirement, is also active in Gideons International, Emotions Anonymous, Jail Ministry and even the S.C. Senior Olympics in which he won the gold medal in tennis this year.

Born in Spartanburg, he graduated from Dreher High School in Columbia in 1945. Turner attended the University of South Carolina where he earned a B.S. degree in chemistry. He met and married Irene who became his bride in 1952. In August 2002, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

The newlyweds moved to Orangeburg and joined St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Turner joined the church's Chancel Choir, but after their children came along, he took a hiatus from the choir so that he could sit in the pews with the children in order that his wife could sing with the group.

"Irene has such a lovely voice. After the kids grew up some, I returned to the choir and have been singing since," Turner said.

What many people don't know about Mason Turner is his great talent and love of music. He not only performs most Sunday mornings with the Chancel Choir at Saint Paul's UMC but has also composed some of the selections of music that the choir has performed and will perform in the future.

Some of Turner's compositions include a cantata for Pentecost called "Gift of the Spirit," along with a collection of anthems, Introits and choral responses.
"I have about 24 sacred choral pieces," he said.

Turner said his first step into musical instruction was in junior high when he took two years of piano. In high school, he joined the church choir. His first venture into musical composition was during high school. He said he showed a local band leader two pieces he composed.

"The band leader told me, 'These pieces don't excite me at all.' I was very disappointed by what he said but quietly continued to write music," Turner said.

He continued in the choir throughout his years at the University of South Carolina and took courses in music composing, something most chemistry majors don't do.

During his years as a teacher, Turner said he basically laid his composing aside until he retired.

"I wanted to wait 'til I had the time to write," he said.

Today, Turner said he keeps a pen and paper handy to jot down music as it comes to him. The 24 pieces he has written have come to him this way, he said. When he is moved by a few notes, he jots them down. Those jots connected with other jots have become the wonderful and inspiring music that Orangeburg is blessed to hear.

"All music is good to somebody, but my favorite music is classical. I enjoy Bach Beethoven, Chopin, etc.," Turner said. "I enjoy the harmony."

In the past, Turner has sung bass, but his range is actually baritone. He presently sings tenor in the Chancel Choir. At this year's Easter Cantata, he sang the solo part of the Jewish Cantor and did an excellent job. According to those who attended the performance, Turner put his whole heart in the piece and did it without written music.

One very interesting piece of music that Turner wrote is not sacred or church-related music. It is a instrumental he wrote 50 years ago to honor his wife Irene when they first married.

"God told me that I should finally put words to the ballad (for the couple's 50th anniversary)," Turner said.

He presented the completed composition to Irene at their 50th anniversary gathering and performed the beautiful, uplifting piece that showcases his love for her.

Turner is humble about the musical gift he possesses."My passion," he said, "is that I hope this music will encourage the listener to worship Jesus."

Area residents can hear Turner at St. Paul UMC in Orangeburg most Sunday mornings, along with the other great voices of the Chancel Choir, inspirationally directed by Kay Crawford.

T&D Correspondent Rabbi Dale can be reached by e-mail at wmsblog at yahoo dot com

Another great blog from Kevin

Its hard to be homeless and poor . Many peopel just walk by and think they know but they don't understand at all.

Kevin's blog is at http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/
on his page is a "Paypal Account like of his. Click on it and donate a few bucks to Kevin to help him. Thank You.

Now here is Kevin's Blog
This one dated
Sunday, December 05, 2004

What's It Like?
Many people have asked me what it is like to be homeless. Here is some information about homelessness that might help you with your school project.When you are homeless you have almost no privacy. As you have no place to call your own, you spend almost all your time in public places - libraries, sidewalks, parks, etc. The only time you can have some privacy is when you go sneaking onto someone else's property when they don't know you are there. Sometimes homeless people find old buildings that no one is using. Of course someone owns the building, even if no one is using it, so it is illegal trespassing. But, if nobody knows you are in the building, then it's kind of like having your own place. Most of these abandoned buildings don't have any electricity, yet even if they did you wouldn't use it because it would give you away, letting people know you were there. That's why it's good to have a small flashlight with you, so you can find your way around. And, most of the time, these abandoned buildings don't have any running water. If they did have running water, then you could use the restrooms in the building. But, again, most don't have running water, so you don't have a toilet to use. When that happens, some homeless, just go wherever they are, and that leaves a smelly mess. Some homeless people are very clean people, but because other homeless people just don't care about anything, the clean homeless people have to put up with a lot of mess. And, they get blamed for a lot of things they didn't do. That's one of the bad things about not having any privacy - you can't even get away from the other homeless people. All the people with homes tend to look at all homeless people like they are they same, and that's not true. But, when people make shelters for the homeless they put all the homeless together, the clean and the messy, the nice and the mean, the happy and the sad. Even if you keep yourself clean, and you are nice to other people, and you are generally happy, you will be forced to live with other homeless people who are not. And when you have to live with these ugly homeless people, it's starts to take away your happiness, and you stop being so nice, and you don't care so much about being clean.Rest is something you don't get very much of when you are homeless. And a lot of that is due to the fact you can't get any privacy. When you live at a shelter, they are always waking you up early - 5 to 5:30 EVERY morning - 7 days a week. You never get a chance to sleep in. And, without privacy you never have a place to take a nap. Of course you can try to find some place, but there will always be the police, or security guards, or other people who won't let you get any rest. If you stay at a rescue mission to sleep at night, you have to wait in long lines to find out if you can even get in for the night. And if you get in, then the chaplains will want to preach at you for an hour or so before letting you go to sleep. And a lot of the preaching is done just to get you to feel bad about yourself. The thing is, when you are homeless, you already feel bad about yourself, so all that preaching only makes you feel worse - it doesn't make you feel better. And when you feel really bad about yourself and about your life you don't really feel like doing anything. You just feel depressed and sad. And you can't do anything to make your life better when you feel that way.It's against the law to sleep in parks, or on sidewalks, and in some places, it's illegal just to sit on the sidewalk, or laydown on a bus bench. Then you have to travel all around the city to find food to eat, and since you have no money, you can't ride the bus, so you have to walk everywhere. You have to spend hours everyday just going from one place to the next to get food. And all that walking will make you tired as well. Same when you go looking for a place to get clothes, or a shower.And all that walking causes homeless people to have lots of problems with their feet. All the sidewalks are either cement or asphalt which is bad for your feet. And it's hard to keep your feet clean which means it's really easy to get athletes foot. Athletes foot is a fungus that grows on the bottom of your feet and between your toes. It makes your feet itch and your skin peel, and sometimes your skin will crack and split apart and bleed. And this is even worse when you do a lot of walking because you will also have big calluses on your feet too. This is why I always mention socks, when people ask what homeless people need. Most homeless people don't have a way to wash clothes so they need new socks as often as they can get them. Although homeless people can get enough food to eat, the food usually isn't that good, or healthy for them. Most of the really cheap food is unhealthy, like Bologna. Homeless people get a lot of Bologna sandwiches and other fatty food. That's why how a homeless person can get fat. You would think that because he is poor, that he will be skinny, but that's just not true. There is a company in Nashville that makes donuts, and they donate a lot of donuts to the homeless, so lots of homeless people get donuts with every meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other foods like spaghetti and lasaugna can be bad for you if you eat a lot of it, and homeless people do get a lot of that stuff - fried chicken too. At the rescue mission, we eat fried chicken several times a weeks, and some times every day of the week.Ok, I hope that's enough for today. I'll try to write some more tomorrow. Thank you for caring enough to make homelessness a part of your school projects. I hope you do well.

The Homeless Guy: Frustration

The Homeless Guy: Frustration

Another great blog from Kevin

This is why our local "Transitional Shelter is not working and has many problems.

You can’t steal from the homeless and maybe one day these “fine people” will find out, maybe when they go to jail for it.

Now Please read Kevin's great blog
dated
Friday, December 03, 2004

Frustration
I don't understand how people can work in the "Homeless Industry" for many years, yet never understand homeless people, never understand what motivates homeless people, what it takes to get homeless people off the streets.Homeless people and non-homeless people live by different philosophies. And it would take the act of giving up one's own philosophy to see and understand the other. But something like arrogance creeps into the mind of the non-homeless person, convincing them that there is no need to understand the homeless person's mind - since it is the homeless person's mind that is in error.This assumption by the non-homeless person, especially those trying to help the homeless, is not only incorrect, but at the heart of all the problems with rehabilitation. Not until the non-homeless person understands why the homeless person rejects the ways of the non-homeless, will he/she ever be able to achieve anything like recovery.To be frank, all of the services for the homeless, all the rehab treatment facilities, all the shelters, has been one colossal failure. Rarely have they been able to actually assist someone in getting off the streets, and the recitivism rate of these people is extremely high. Yet, this never stops them from starting new programs - these new programs which are nothing more than a rehashing of all the old ideas which have proven themselves to be ineffectual.The old way of rehab does not work. It only makes sense that different and creative approaches should be tried.

From Kevin's Blog People need to read

I would of just linked to this blog but a lot of bad people linked to it and i didn't want that hwere so i cut and pasted it.

Read Kevin's Blog at http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/

Friday, November 19, 2004

Another Dear Homeless Guy Email

Dear Homeless Guy,

I am looking for information to write a paper about homelessness for my social work class, I'm going for my MSW at Boise State University. I also volunteer for several things such as Treasure Valley Referral where we connect people with needs for things such as food, rent, clothes, medicine etc with the actual items they need. Several months back I became a board member of our local housing coalition and it comes up all the time: What can we do? Sure we set up free Holiday dinners and give out coats etc.. but from your experience, what do you want us to do, how can we really help without getting in your way or being demanding and holding restrictions up?

MSW


Dear MSW at BSU,
Instead of thinking what you can do "for", or "to", the homeless, trying thinking of things you can do "with" the homeless. If you desire that the homeless be a part of your society, you should start including them in the things you do. Homeless people need community - community not just among the homeless but among all people. In that you will find the gap between the homeless and non-homeless narrowing.In that you will find more homeless people making the jump, from their kind of life, to your kind of life.The Homeless GuyDear Homeless Guy,Thank you for responding. Can you help me clarify? What do you mean by with? If I am taking my little girl to the zoo, should I call our local shelter and invite someone to go with us? Can you give me a suggestion on how I can encourage our community as a whole to open up to include homeless? I am eager to participate, but I am also still learning.

MSW


Dear MSW at BSU,

Well, like introducing any new person into your life, you do it carefully, and respectfully. You build up trust over time, starting small, and moving ahead only when you feel comfortable doing so. It took a while, a couple years, before my boss started inviting me to his home for parties he was throwing. And it took me even longer to feel comfortable being around his friends, and before his friends started becoming my friends. The process of becoming homeless is usually years in the making, and so getting out of homelessness permanently usually takes as long. Of course there are many ups and downs along the way.I'd start out by just having coffee, or having lunch together, and continue only in that vein until you'vre really gotten to know that person. Then introducing other family members slowly and in small steps - getting more involved, doing more involved things only gradually.It will take as long for the homeless person to feel trusting of you, as for you to feel trusting of them.Don't be surprised if someone you've befriended suddenly cuts off all communication. Just find someone else and start the process with. Homeless people can be fickle. Don't take it as a slight against you, and don't try to pursue a homeless friend. Let them return to communicating with you when they feel ready. Though you should hold your homeless friend accountable to your friendship, try not to make them feel guilty for their failure to meet your expectations. Mosthomeless people are emotionally fragile, and will usually feel more guilt than is necessary for a given situation - usually blaming his/herself for any failure of the relationship you've created together.At the same time, do not tolerate any disrespect from the homeless person towards yourself. Be assertive of your boundaries from the beginning. Don't allow them to use your possible feelings of guilt, or sympathy for them, as a means of manipulating you - of getting you to do things, or provide things, you are uncomfortable with. That especially holds true for requests for cash. Until such time as a homeless person gets to know you and respect you, he/she night figureyou for an easy mark. If you hold firm to your boundaries, (which at some time or another they will test you), they will eventually respect you for it.

The Homeless Guy

Peace marches are not for true peace

As for the peace movement Cindy Sheehan and NYC Transport Workers Union Leader is not preaching about freedom but rather communistic government control. These same types of visionaries ushered in hitler and the end result was death to 6 million my people. It’s sad that people want flash in the pan, They want to be seen. they march so as to be seen marching while the country as is my beloved Israel is given over to satan by such peace marchers, terrorist, Jews who don’t know what it truly means to be Jewish. As the globe grows darker under the shadow of muslins and communist control these peace markers are distracters to cover people eyes to what really needs to be done, covering up their evil deeds. Proverbs talks about what these peace marchers truly are is lazy bums that are to lazy to feed themselves they rather kick dust so that you can’t see as they are stealing from you your livelihood, substance, morality and most of all a true relationship with our Creator Blessed be His Name. To a true Jew not just a wannabe Jew, but rather a true 24/7 Jew is one who does his Mitzvahs doing real work bringing home a paycheck and then taking that paycheck together as a family helping the poor, lonely, sick. Not just giving money but taking time to mentor, teach, play with the young and handicap that there reality is sadness. It is my mitzvah everyday to help the elderly, the lost children, and others along my way to make a better place while awaiting my Messiah to come again. I am doing a true peace march; I am out feeding the poor, I am doing a true peace march; I am out mentoring wannabe business owners. Who are not rich but rather trying to make life better for their family, neighborhood and beyond. I am doing a true peace march; I am out helping the sick and dying. I am doing a true peace march; I am out putting a smile on a sad child’s face whose daddy/mommy is in prison. I am doing a true peace march; I am out comforting the children, wives, husband father, mother etc. of deceased soldiers who have died in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. They are not out marching because they know that the peace movement, Cindy Sheehan etc. is just another way to make money for people that are to lazy to work real jobs and to help each other, They collectively are glad that sadam is out. One deseeded soldier’s mother goes out and gives food away out of her own limited means. Her deceased son was the breadwinner she herself is handicap. We are a Republic not a democracy. Isn’t it time we got back to that concept and again make this nation, my beloved Israel and the world a great place to live till Messiah Yeshua comes again. Prepare yourself for coming of the L-rd. Blessed be His Name.
Posted by Director & Chief Shepherd at 12:07 PM JST

Avatar Briefs: Don’t feed the homeless

Avatar Briefs: Don’t feed the homeless

Lets us not feed the politicians.

Let them beg for food and then they see how it is.

Let them try to find work along with the evil property owners

Let them sleep under bridges why we sleep in the comfortable houses.

Let them take the log out of their eye, Need I say more?

The “Government” is Not the answer

JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy) once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for the country.”

Simple words that in Today’s world seem to be silent in most peoples lives.

I am personally going through rough times and all the “good Christians” I know say the same thing. Go get government help.

Their whole idea is that their religion is really only a “Sunday only “affair This is not I perceive what really should happen but it has gotten to the point that people want not to do what the Bible truly says and what the Messiah said.

In Judaism, our whole is to do acts of charity ourselves.

In Matthew 25: 31 – 46. Nowhere has it talked about the government helping. So let us be the help and take back our taxes and live a fuller life with helping others ourselves ands not the wasteful government.

(read ending at end of Bible Verses)

Matthew 25:31 - 46

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Now let us go on and do what Yeshua/Jesus wants us to do. Let us keep our relationship with our G-D strong and helping our neighbors, no matter what economic level they are in

Tottenham Hale Tales: The homeless Chinese lady

Tottenham Hale Tales: The homeless Chinese lady

It is sad that people as well meaning as they might intended to be they expect the government to do the work as they remain off the sidelines of the human carnage they see.

We have to stop, reach out with the compassion and action to heal broken lives. “As you do it to them you are doing it to G-D, Amen

Would we not want the same compassion if it was us laying in the gutter?

Mucky Weather

Today it is storming hard and my thoughts heart and prayers goes to those homeless and poor people out there braving the muckiness.

Reach out beyond our comfort zone to care for those who can’t care for themselves not with government programs but from your heart and life that is designed by G-D, Amen

Elect Compassionate People

Why do we elect people who have as much compassion and Christian love as falling concrete? It’s time for them to spend some time homeless and let them see first hand how it truly is on the streets. Only Elect Homeless and poor people and then maybe we can have a society that helps all of society not just the ones “well-connected” This is WebmasterSanta and we are praying for you.

http://webmastersanta.blogspot.com/

Simple Words lead to Simple Acts of Kindness

Simple Words, G-d Loves do you love back. If we looked in our closets and garages we will see things that we don’t use, don’t need or never use. We hoard things and stuff eventually rust or rot away.

Let’s remember to take a pre-fall cleaning and have a give to the needy and homeless. Many have need of things that we have and not using let us open our heart and closets to those who can really benefit to our charity and not to a organization as much as is to help a real person, G-d will bless you in that.

This is WebmasterSanta and www.GoldenChinaOnline.com

Mazal Tov

Cheap Advice: Cheap Advice #1

Cheap Advice: Cheap Advice #1

May the (good) Force be with you as you disperse the falsehoods of homeless people are bad. Many needs to be enlightened on the facts which are, that they can help others help themselves and they will not become lepers if they do help the homeless and poor. Mazal Tov, from WebmasterSanta and GoldenChinaOnline.com

Please remember when you shop in our shopping mall at www.WebmasterSanta.com/mall.html that 5% or more of your purchases automatically goes to DCW Street Children's Mission to help our needy Street Children.
Join our DCW Million Club by donation $10 a month
You may send a donation directly to
DCW Street Chilren's Mission. C/O RIPE for HARVEST Mission #992824 N. Power Rd #113282 Mesa AZ 85215-1674 Please make your donation Payable to: Ripe for Harvest Mission #99
and in the memo section write in: for DCW Street Children's Mission
Thank You for your Prayers and Donations
WebmasterSanta Father to the greatess children in the world DCW's RDKs


©2006 All Rights Reserved by WebmasterSanta – “Why Yes I am really Santa Ho Ho Ho. Just ask my street children that we help.” Slogan ©2006 by WebmasterSanta

First Blog is about First Love

Sunday, July 23, 2006 1:12:49 AM

This is my first Blog in Blogger although I have blogged before.

My first Love is the G-D of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Many seem as not to love G-D or to forget to give him the glory and praise He well deserves.

To Love Him we are to spend time with Him daily

This means breaking out the Bible, reading it and just talking to G-D some call this prayer, but this is deeper when you just talk to Him letting him know about your life etc. Talk to G-D as you would to another human.

To Love G-d, we are also to spend time loving our neighbors as ourselves wants to be loved.

This means to help others and not just the ones we like but also the ones we rather hide from like the poor and homeless and even the bratty child.

Many people look at the homeless and poor as sin but rather they are our brothers and sisters. We must help them help themselves, using the talents and resources that G-D has blessed us with a willing and open heart.

This means not just giving a handout and feeling good about it, it also means helping them in the long term not just a quick fix.

Let us help them by enabling them to help themselves

For suggestions on how to help the poor, or if you have another question about life, just email us, we just simply ask for a $5 donation or more to help us fight homelessness for street children and others in Philippines USA and beyond you can donate to:
DCW Street Chilren's Mission.
C/O RIPE for HARVEST Mission #99
2824 N. Power Rd #113282
Mesa AZ 85215-1674

Please make your donation Payable to: Ripe for Harvest Mission #99
and in the memo section write in: for DCW Street Children's Mission
Thank You for your Prayers and Donations

WebmasterSanta Father to the greatess children in the world DCW's RDKs.

Thank You. A 501 C3 tax receipt will be mailed to you. We are a 501C3 Non-Profit Org.

Please remember when you shop in our shopping mall at www.WebmasterSanta.com/mall.html that 5% or more of your purchases automatically goes to DCW Street Children's Mission to help our needy Street Children.
Join our DCW Million Club by donation $10 a month
You may send a donation directly to
DCW Street Chilren's Mission
C/O RIPE for HARVEST Mission #99
2824 N. Power Rd #113282 Mesa AZ 85215-1674

Please make your donation Payable to: Ripe for Harvest Mission #99
and in the memo section write in: for DCW Street Children's Mission
Thank You for your Prayers and Donations
WebmasterSanta Father to the greatess children in the world DCW's RDKs

©2006 All Rights Reserved by WebmasterSanta – “Why Yes I am really Santa Ho Ho Ho. Just ask my street children that we help.” Slogan ©2006 by WebmasterSanta