• Reflections on Holidays

    “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and Valentine’s Day

    Baby, It’s Cold Though usually sung around Christmas time, Frank Loesser’s song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” has nothing to do with a holiday. It does mention snow, which we don’t get much of in the Willamette Valley, but February is still winter. So as Valentine’s Day approaches and our minds turn to love, let’s take a look at this jaunty piece that was so popular in its day and has been so criticized now. Originally used by Loesser and his wife to entertain their friends and business associates, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” tells the story of two characters named Wolf and Mouse. It became popular when, Loesser sold the song…

  • Swans in sunset-touched water, expressing love by nuzzling
    Reflections on Holidays

    On Valentine’s Day

    Valentine’s Day, God, Love, and Superstition Given that this is the month of Valentine’s Day, we on the Worship Team decided to make love our theme this month. So love is what I’ll talk about in this column and at our upcoming worship service, but as I was trying to decide what I might say in this column about this vast topic, I happened to read the beginning of The Varieties of Scientific Experience by Carl Sagan. The book is a collection of lectures about searching for God and Truth through the scientific method. He liked the quote by William James about superstition, which was that superstition was believing in…