How Great Thou Art!

A

friend of mine posted this phenomenal video to her Facebook page for Easter. I just had to pass it along for anyone who has not yet seen (and heard) this. Simply outstanding!

You are what you ... see

Our family has a favorite saying: take the spoon out. This may seem silly to most people, but it suits our family well.

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As the joke goes, there was a man who loved hot chocolate, but every time he drank hot chocolate his eye would develop terrible pains. This happened for many years and finally he went to the doctor.

“Doctor,” he said, “every time I drink hot chocolate my eye hurts. But I love hot chocolate and don’t want to give it up. What can I do?”

“Tell me about this hot chocolate,” responded the doctor. “How do you make it?”

“Well, I put cocoa and sugar into the mug, then I pour hot milk into it, stir it with a spoon, and then drink it.”

“Maybe you should take the spoon out.”

Yeah - I know. It’s silly. But it makes a good point that our family tries to remember regularly. Sometimes the fix is pretty obvious—and not really all that difficult.

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So... I often get bogged down with the woes and cares of life. I let the daily trials bother me and I worry about the potential future trials. But this is not a difficult problem to diagnose. If I’m focused on the world, I will notice those trials, and those woes, and those cares. If I am focused on Christ, I will notice the solution to those problems.

All I have to do is take the spoon out.

 

A prayer for this year - Joyful, Joyful

 

Be still, my soul

Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

What is sustaining grace?

Not grace to bar what is not bliss;
Nor flight from all distress... but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.

—Pastor John Piper

 

It’s Friday - Desperate

T

his weekend I get to do music again! It’s been a while, but this weekend I’ll be playing my bass once again. Here’s the story:

Back in April I was riding the bus home from work one evening, sitting a few seats behind the bus driver, Jeff. The guy in front of me was looking through some photographs of very nice guitars. So I asked him who the guitars belonged to. The bus driver said, “They’re mine.” We began discussing guitars and music and the conversation finally came around to the fact that he is the leader of a Christian band that tours sometimes during the week and plays on Sundays in the church pastored by his father.

Jeff’s father is a graduate of Liberty University; we lived a few miles from Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., just seven months earlier. Jeff’s daughter was finishing up her senior year of high school and was planning to go to Liberty in the fall. It’s a small world.

So now it’s the fall. Jeff’s daughter has left the nest. She’s now living in Lynchburg and attending Liberty University. And ... oh, did I mention? She was the bass player in Jeff’s band. So now the band is without a bass player.

So a few weeks ago I received a call from Jeff asking me if I would consider joining the band, at least for an important upcoming event at his father’s church—an event that happens this coming Sunday. I visited Jeff’s house during their next practice session so I could hear the band. Then I began to practice with them. We have one more practice tomorrow before the big event on Sunday. We’ll be playing about seven or eight songs—all of them are either completely new to me or at least new arrangements. So I’m going to have to concentrate.

But the band is great and the songs are good—and some of the songs are a complete blast to play. One of the really fun songs is the song “Desperate” by Fireflight. I can’t wait to play this one:

Kim is going to try to videotape some of the songs. If anything comes out reasonably decent, I’ll post it here.

 

Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die

I love this old hymn. And it just seemed like the right day to post it.

 

There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood

William Cowper

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave, lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.

 

Music therapy

M

usic has always filled my life. Or, to be a bit more focused and accurate, I have always had a deep and ongoing love affair with music.

As a child, I would think through musical passages in my head. I could clearly hear each musical instrument playing its own unique part as I thought through a symphonic piece of music. At a very early age I noticed the interplay and velvet smoothness caused by a mix of certain instruments and the harsh cruelty that sprang from other mixes of instruments.

UK: Presto Vivace

I pursued music when I went to college and dreamed of a career doing what I loved best—performing music. I remember driving around the hills of Clark Summit with my friend, Dean, and discussing the pleasant timbre of the drums used in a UK song. I remember being brought to tears as I listened to the intricate harmonies of a choral presentation or the clear, bell-like tones of a soloist singing with passion about the object of her affection. (Okay, that was just last night on the way home from work, so it wasn’t particularly hard to remember.)

1 Samuel 16:23

And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

I guess you could say that music has always washed my world with a tsunami of beauty and emotion. I love music!

So when I watched this lecture from TEDtalk, I fully understood the power of music Mr. Gupta is describing. What a wonderful gift God has given us.

Tears again. It happens all the time. I listen to music and tears start to fall. In this case, I listened to the lecture and the tragic story about Nathaniel. And then I listened to the intense, almost painful beauty of the violin being played by a master. And the tears came again. But these tears are wonderful. They are tears of inexpressible joy.

Or perhaps it’s not inexpressible. Perhaps that joy is actually able to be expressed—just not through words. Only through music!

Only through music.

 

He’ll take care of the rest

As God teaches me about demonstrating steadfast love and faithfulness I find myself tempted to try to “earn” my salvation. But that’s not the deal. I need to work to be more like Christ. I need to do those things that God has called me to do—the good deeds for which God saved me. And He’ll take care of the rest.

 

Songs for the Lukewarm Church

• Blest Be The Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style
• Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me
• I Surrender Some
• I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives
• Sit Up, Sit Up For Jesus
• Take My Life and Let Me Be
• What An Acquaintance We Have In Jesus
• Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
• He's Quite a Bit To Me
• Oh, How I Like Jesus
• Fill My Spoon, Lord
• It Is My Secret What God Can Do

Way of the Master

 

When We All Get To Heaven

 

Southern Gospel - Gaither Vocal Band Reunion

I

have always loved southern gospel quartets. When I was in high school Bill Gaither launched a new southern gospel quartet called “The Gaither Vocal Band.” They were fantastic and I couldn’t get enough of their music. Bill Gaither has an amazing ability to find very good musicians and he has outdone himself for years with the Gaither Vocal Band. Outstanding singers involved in this group have included Gary McSpadden, Steve Green, Lee Young, Larnelle Harris, Jim Murray, Jon Mohr, Michael English, Buddy Mullins, Mark Lowry, David Phelps, Russ Taff, Guy Penrod, Marshall Hall and Wes Hampton.

Over the years, I have sung in quite a few men’s quartets and have sung many of the Gaither Vocal Band arrangements. No matter the make up of the audience, everyone seems to enjoy this type of music and the Gaither Vocal Band arrangements are always among the favorites of the audiences and congregations I have sung for.

While visiting my friends’ blogs today, I visited Extra Thoughts, one of the blogs written by my college friend, Lydia McGrew. She had posted a couple of videos of a reunion of the great singers that have been part of the Gaither Vocal Band over the years. All the singers mentioned above are in this reunion DVD [available from Christianbook.com | Amazon.com]. And they are wonderful. Here are a few of my favorites.

 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy had hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Resting in Jesus with Fanny Crosby

All the Way My Savior Leads Me

Fanny J. Crosby, 1875

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
    For I know, whate’er befall me
    Jesus doeth all things well

All the way my Savior leads me;
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread;
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul a-thirst may be,
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see,
    Gushing from the rock before me,
    Lo! a spring of joy I see,

All the way my Savior leads me;
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above;
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages,
Jesus led me all the way.
    This my song through endless ages,
    Jesus led me all the way.

The weekend’s here! (May 29, 2009)

J.S. Bach!

The weekend's here! (May 8, 2009)

There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood

A reminder to those who would reject Christ

Our president has declared that "we are not a Christian nation," and perhaps that is true. But none of us, regardless of our religious beliefs, should rejoice in that pronouncement. Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

While looking for videos to post for Easter Sunday, I came across this video of the sun rising behind the U.S. Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the Marine Iwo Jima Memorial. Watching the sun rise while listening to the words of this song reminded me that our leaders may not recognize Jesus as Lord—but that does not diminish his Lordship.

Easter song - The bells are still ringing

Thank You, My Redeemer!

Christ is the Victor!!