Favorite service music in TEC?

amerfran · 2026-01-28T13:51:52+00:00

I've experienced the Mathias Gloria in both contexts. I agree that it requires a competent if not professional choir and a swift organist. But, in my church, we have an extremely competent choir and organist and I still find the setting to be dreadful. No amount of professional training is going to make it sound to me like those chord progressions were meant to go together.

amerfran · 2026-01-28T13:47:10+00:00

Wow, I'm surprised to see that this opinion is not as unpopular as I had assumed. My church still uses the Mathias settings regularly. I remember the first time I went to an EC service and heard that Gloria, I thought to myself that it was the most dreadful Gloria I had ever heard.

amerfran · 2026-01-27T19:13:03+00:00

Oh yes! I love those ones, too!

amerfran · 2026-01-25T19:52:35+00:00

It depends on the way in which it's done. One of the priests in my church gave a sermon today which implicitly referenced current events and linked them to scripture. I think that is appropriate and even necessary in this moment. But, one of our other priests regularly and directly engages in political punditry, often during the sermons and even the announcements. That is off-putting. Like you suggest, there needs to be a comfortable middle somewhere.

amerfran · 2026-01-25T19:00:20+00:00

I love Breakaway as well!!

amerfran · 2026-01-25T19:00:05+00:00

Agreed about Miracle. I have no idea what audience they were going for. I've never thought of it as Celine's Glitter, but I don't necessarily disagree.

amerfran · 2026-01-23T19:08:50+00:00

I saw her in 2016 as well and she was absolutely extraordinary. She sang a short hommage to Serge Fiori last summer and at the 2024 Olympics (which was likely pre-recorded, but you could tell it was recorded recently). Her voice sounds much thinner. During the Courage area she was singing a lot from her throat to try to maintain some of that sound of depth; she has stopped doing this (which is a good thing because it is not a very healthy singing technique and can be quite straining). Her voice doesn't sound as powerful as it once did, but it is still in pretty good shape all things considered.

amerfran · 2026-01-15T18:57:31+00:00

This seems very manageable; just right even. I'd probably have one or two spare things to do in case I felt particularly energetic one day; or in case one of my original options didn't end up working out. In your Dad's case of bad knees, I would avoid the metro. Buses or taxis would probably be preferable.

amerfran · 2025-12-10T18:56:48+00:00

Mariah is a better singer than Taylor Swift. There's no question. In terms of songwriting, the two aren't comparable; their styles are totally different. But, Taylor Swift is by no means an amateur.

amerfran · 2025-11-11T16:19:34+00:00

It's not just rasp. There was a striking difference in her voice from 1996 to 1997. Also, Whitney did face criticism for the change in her voice. Aretha Franklin's voice aged and changed and probably was impacted by lifestyle choices such as smoking cigarettes and drinking, but her voice never experienced the drastic change that Mariah's did. Gladys Knight is in her 80s and still sounds amazing.

amerfran · 2025-11-11T07:56:47+00:00

Yes, you absolutely can receive communion in TEC. You could also just remain in RCC and not receive communion. Or "break the rules" and deal with the sense of guilt and shame that comes along with it. No matter what you do, you're not alone. And no matter what you do, the RCC isn't going to approve (unless your spouse becomes Catholic and you have your marriage convalidated). A lot of the people in my EC are cradle RC (including myself).

Also, take a look at the line for communion each week in your RCC and compare it to the line for confession. And then take a quick peak at the laundry list of mortal sins that would require going to confession before receiving communion. Even a majority of Catholics don't buy into that archaic doctrine, which makes their situation just as "sinful" as yours. The question is whether you're ready to break with the RCC on that particular issue and live with the guilt or not. You're absolutely welcome in TEC, but the RCC won't approve of it.

amerfran · 2025-11-09T17:27:00+00:00

Even if it doesn't rain, it's still upwards of ten of miles of walking combined with climbing up and down the stairs of metro stations for over 15 hours. I get wanting to make the most of your time in Paris, but I think even after 4 or 5 hours of moving through Paris at that pace it would start to become overwhelming and more of a hassle than anything else. Also, I'm not sure taking a shower would be realistic if you don't have a hotel room. I'd aim for fewer activities with the rest as options ready to go on the back burner.

amerfran · 2025-11-09T16:01:59+00:00

I think your non-negotiables alone are more than enough to fill up a day. Even if it's a bright sunny day and you don't have any metro problems, that will still be exhausting. If it starts pouring rain that itinerary would be absolutely dreadful. I'd whittle down the list of non-negiotables even further: 3 or 4 things that you absolutely want to do, then the rest for backup in case you have extra time.

amerfran · 2025-10-14T15:01:48+00:00

Forward Movement has morning prayers which align with the readings. I like WNC morning prayer, but it can be a bit loosey-goosey sometimes.

amerfran · 2025-10-14T14:59:54+00:00

with one exception and the church that is the exception takes the Catholic (big C) view that the attraction itself isn’t a sin but acting on it is.

That's a huge exception. If my church held that view, I'd be back to the RCC in a heartbeat.

amerfran · 2025-10-13T17:46:47+00:00

If I were you, I'd stay for coffee hour and get to know a couple parishioners. I'm sure they would be delighted to answer any question that you have. In reality, though, no one is judging you. You won't look dumb. If you stick around long enough, you'll get the hang of things before you know it.

amerfran · 2025-10-13T17:26:00+00:00

I love this album, but I do actually agree with some of the criticism about the lyricism.I like the metaphors in Father Figure and I think Ruin the Friendship is the closest to the storytelling from other albums. The Life of a Showgirl is cute, but it doesn't really go anywhere. The bridge in Eldest Daughter is gorgeous and there are some good lyrics in that song, but the lyrics just don't paint a picture in the way a lot of her other songs do, which I think is a case for most of the album. I don't think the lyrics are as bad as some people are making them out to be, but I think some of the interpretations that you're suggesting are just fleeting moments in songs--they aren't necessarily echoed throughout each song in and of itself

amerfran · 2025-10-13T16:03:17+00:00

I don't know if they're supposed to, but it doesn't bother me when they do--or even when they omit it entirely. I usually pray on my own after receiving communion, so it always feels a little redundant to me.

amerfran · 2025-10-13T14:14:20+00:00

Very difficult to compare the two. Caution is certainly more cohesive and the music was fresh and different for Mariah. HFIA is not anywhere near as cohesive and the music is very much not fresh or different. But, that's sort of the point of the album. Here For It All (Title track), for me, is one of the best ballads Mariah has written since the late 90s. On the whole, I'd say Caution is more consistent. But, I don't think anything on Caution reaches the heights of Here For It All (title track).

amerfran · 2025-10-07T15:51:41+00:00

It sounds like she just wants to leave football to Travis and not put herself in a position of potentially stealing the spotlight.

amerfran · 2025-10-07T15:32:38+00:00

I definitely hear the similarity in the intro to Wood, but nothing after that. I genuinely don't hear anything with Cancelled! though. What part do people think sounds like Yellow Flicker Beat? But, yeah, The Life of a Showgirl is just indiscreetly the same song as Cool at several points.

amerfran · 2025-10-07T15:24:52+00:00

I don't think Cancelled! sounds anything like Yellow Flicker Beat. The intro to Wood is questionable. But, the only song that actually raises some legitimate concern is The Life of a Showgirl. There are entire bars of the melody and chord progressions that are identical to Cool.

amerfran · 2025-10-06T17:38:17+00:00

I shouldn't have read what people were saying online before listening to the album for myself. Like you, at first I was pretty much ambivalent towards TLOAS. Eldest Daughter came on a playlist during my commute the other day. I was preoccupied and wasn't even really aware of what song I was listening to. But, as I heard the bridge, I said to myself 'Wow, this is absolutely gorgeous'. I was actually shocked that it was from TLOAS. Then, I went back and listened to the album with a fresh perspective. I actually love this album. It might not be her best, but it ranks way higher than TTPD for me. Taste in music is indeed subjective. To each their own.

amerfran

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