The handwriting said “M. Murphy” and “The Sweetness,” which did not prepare me for how long we would be watching a Church of Today sermon. Michael Murphy even stopped to sell an Og Mandino book. I wondered what somebody might have recorded over after the sermon.
What came next was Nature: gorillas, a cameraman riding cables between trees, and a WTVS Detroit identification. I’d wondered whether this tape could count toward the state map; the church by itself wasn’t enough for me, but the Detroit PBS recording was Michigan. Mike Farrell’s National Geographic program followed, with lemurs and cave crocodiles. We stopped at the beginning of a Tiwai segment, so there’s more to watch.
Content inventory
Shows and segments (playback order)
- Church of Today: Michael Murphy, “The Sweetness of the Spirit”; in-sermon pitch for Og Mandino’s The Return of the Ragpicker (not an ad break).
- Nature, “Gorillas,” on WTVS Detroit: gorilla footage, a camera operator riding cables, and ducks filmed while parasailing behind a truck. December 10, 1989 is a tentative episode date.
- The Best of the National Geographic Specials, hosted by Mike Farrell: lakes and caves, lemurs, and cave crocodiles in Ankarana, Madagascar.
- Tiwai segment begins; content beyond that point is not established.
Tape details
- Home-recorded VHS; condition Good. Catalog estimate: approximately 1989–1990, not a confirmed date for the whole tape. The tentative Nature episode date does not date every segment.
- Partially viewed June 11, 2026; stopped at the beginning of the Tiwai segment.
- Handwritten label fragments: “M.MURPHY” and “THE SWEETNESS”.
