“To God Be The Glory, To God Be The Glory, To God Be The Glory, for the Things He has done, with His Blood He has saved me, with His Power He has raised me, To God Be The Glory, for the things He has done.”
In New Zealand where I grew up, one of the many native birds is a “Tui”. The British folk called it a “Parsonbird”, because of the two tufts of white feathers at its throat, resembling the clerical collar of a Parson, this being the English noun for Minister/Reverend or Pastor.
Funnily enough, the other name for the Tui is a familiar bird in the United States called a “Mockingbird”, although it does not resemble the Tui in appearance, perhaps it is because of the Mockingbirds habit of mimicking songs of other creatures liken it to the ability and range of the Tui in song.
The characteristics of the Tui, both male and female, has an uncanny resemblance to the sides of my own personality, which at times mirrored my Spiritual journey of faith and the continuing battle with my flesh.
The Tui can be extremely aggressive, makes actions that are akin to the abrupt and uncomplimentary speech of an irate human. They are loud and fast in flight. I found information on the Tui from Wikipedia and I have quoted little snippets that were interesting. They read all too familiar to me!
"Tui have a complex variety of songs and calls much like parrots….they were trained by the Māori to replicate complex speech. They are known for their noisy unusual call, different for each individual, that combine bellbird like notes with clicks, cackles, timber-like creaks and groans and wheezing sounds….Tui song also exhibits geographical, microgeographic, seasonal. Some of the wide range of Tui sounds are beyond the human register. Tui sings at night, especially around the full moon.”
Suffice to say, the Samoan meaning of my whole given name is for another “blog” – but most certainly the Maori Tui was a thought provoking reveal, and I do love to sing and act up a little!
I am excited at the opportunity of “Blogging” on our Church Website. Very grateful for the hard work and professional tech savvy of Mrs Siupolu Niumata and Household Team, who have created this wonderful medium on behalf of our Church and my own page to “let loose the mother goose!”
This is my page of “Songs” dedicated to the Creator and Sustainer of all life, God the Father. To Christ Jesus, Who is my personal Lord and Savior, and to the work of the Holy Spirit Who grounds and inspires my Faith. Keeping it real and accountable. To constantly renew and refine my life in the Word and Christ-centered expressions of every day.
I am a sinner, received into the Body of Christ through baptism of water and the Holy Spirit, redeemed by the Blood of Jesus on the Cross of Salvation, and I claim the promise of Eternal Life. LORD God, You are the Amazing Grace, Who has saved a wretch like me.
Tuitogama’atoe Solomona.
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