Archive | July 2009

Hymn #58: Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed

Jul18

Lyrics: Isaac Watts, 1707. (b.1674. Yesterday, July 17th, was Isaac Watts’s birthday.)

Music: MARTYRDOM attributed to Hugh Wilson, 1827.
Also sung as “At the Cross” with a chorus and tune (HUDSON) by Ralph E. Hudson.
Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed – Sovereign Grace Music

Theme: “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Luke 7:41-43

Isaac Watts: “I have made no pretence to be a poet. But to the Lamb that was slain, and now lives, I have addressed many a song, to be sung by the penitent and believing heart.”

Fanny Crosby, about yielding to the call of Jesus upon her life while hearing this hymn: “I surrendered myself to the Savior, and my very soul flooded with celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting ‘Hallelujah.'”

1. Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die!
Would he devote that sacred head
for such a worm as I?

2. Was it for crimes that I have done,
he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

3. Well might the sun in darkness hide,
and shut its glories in,
when Christ, the mighty maker, died
for man the creature’s sin.

4. Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine
and bathed in its own blood
While the firm mark of Wrath Divine
His soul in anguish stood.

5. Thus might I hide my blushing face
while his dear cross appears;
dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
and melt mine eyes to tears.

6. But drops of grief can ne’er repay
the debt of love I owe.
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
’tis all that I can do.

At the Cross refrain:
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day.

Even though I have reservations about the “happy all the day” line, we used to sing this song every Sunday morning in the car on the way to church. Z-baby always requested it, and we belted it out. “AT the cross, AT the cross, where I first saw the LIGHT . . .” I never heard the fourth and fifth verses (above), but our family knows all of the others by heart. It’s a good hymn.

Sources:
Hymn Stories and Gospel Hymn Stories: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed.

Red Skelton and the Pledge of Allegiance

Jul18

I see that today is comedian Red Skelton’s birthday. Red Skelton aka Cauliflower McPugg aka Clem Kaddiddlehopper aka Sheriff Deadeye aka San Fernando Red, (not to mention his many other aliases: Freddy the Freeloader, Willy Lump Lump, The Mean Widdle Kid) was a clown, a composer, a painter, a short story writer, and a poet. And a patriot. His monologue explication of the Pledge of Allegiance has become a classic. And his sign-off phrase for his TV show was the first and best of the “good wishes” signatures: he said simply and sincerely, “Good night, and God bless.”

When asked about the character of Freddy the Freeloader, Red Skelton said:

“I get asked all the time; Where did you get the idea for Freddie the Freeloader, and who is Freddie really?
Well, I guess you might say that Freddie the Freeloader is a little bit of you, and a little bit of me, a little bit of all of us, you know.
He has found out what love means. He knows the value of time. He knows that time is a glutton. We say we don’t have time to do this or do that. There’s plenty of time. The trick is to apply it. The greatest disease in the world today is procrastination.
And Freddie knows about all these things. And so do you.
He doesn’t ask anybody to provide for him, because it would be taken away from you. He doesn’t ask for equal rights if it’s going to give up some of yours.
And he knows one thing … that patriotism is more powerful than guns.
He ís nice to everybody because he was taught that man is made in Godís image. He’s never met God in person and the next fella just might be him.

I would say that Freddie is a little bit of all of us.”

I have fond memories of watching Red Skelton on television back the olden days (the 70’s). If you’ve never seen him perform, head over to you tube and look him up. He’ll make you smile, and maybe, probably, that’s what you need today.

Good night, and God bless.

Hymn #59: Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Jul16

Lyrics: Elisha Hoffman, 1887.

Music: Anthony Showalter, 1887.

Theme: The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

This Gaither Vocal Band performance is classic, especially with the harmonica:

Or if you prefer, here’s Chet Atkins on guitar and Carman doing the singing.

Or the blogger at Subversive Influence has Mahalia Jackson.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain:
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

The story is that Mr. Showalter wrote the chorus to this hymn after an appeal for comfort from two separate friends whose wives (or perhaps close friends?) had died. He then sent his lyrics to Elisha Hoffman who penned the verses.

Sources:
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms by Deborah Macomber.

Hymn #60: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Jul14

Lyrics: Charles Wesley

Music: BEECHER by John Zundel. This tune is the only one I’ve ever heard for this hymn, but as I began to explore I found it set to all sorts of tunes: HYFRYDOL, BLAENWERN (said to be a popular choice for British weddings?), LOVE DIVINE (STAINER) by John Stainer. And finally, there’s this modern composition by British composer Howard Goodall, which I’m not sure would work at all for a normal congregation, but it’s a beautiful choral piece:

Theme: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.
I Corinthians 5:17-19.

Conjubilant With Song: “He sometimes wrote hymn texts that would suggest other works familiar to his followers. One of his best-known hymns was intended to evoke memories of the poet John Dryden’s ode to England, Fairest isle, all isles excelling. Wesley’s text has now far outlived Dryden’s, being sung across many denominations around the world and to many different tunes. Though I would not go so far as to call this my favorite hymn, I do think that it is one of the most perfect hymns ever written.”

Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down;
fix in us thy humble dwelling; all thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation; enter every trembling heart.

2.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit; let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.

3.
Come, Almighty to deliver, let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return and never, nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love.

4.
Finish, then, thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Read The Journal of Charles Wesley.

Hymn #61: Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting

Jul13

Lyrics: Jean Sophia Pigott, 1845-1882.

Music: TRANQUILITY by James Mountain.
This tune by Matthew Smith is the one we sing at my church, and I’m rather fond of it.

Jesus, I Am Resting – Matthew Smith

Theme:

My Two Cents: “Concentrate on the rich text that urges you to gaze on Christ, to find delight in Him, to rest in Him, to be satisfied in Him alone.”

Rebecca Writes: “This hymn points to the beauty of Christ and his work and reminds us that trust in him is resting in what he is done and is doing for us. Buddy Greene is my go-to artist for this one.”

Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, and Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power, thou hast made me whole.

O, how great Thy loving kindness, vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness, lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved, know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise, and have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings: thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me as I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory, sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with Thy grace.

James Mountain was an English revivalist and musician, influenced by the ministry and example of Americans Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey. He also wrote the tunes EVERLASTING LOVE (I Am His and He Is Mine) and WYE VALLEY (Like a River Glorious).

This hymn was said to be China missionary Hudson Taylor’s favorite, and it gave him comfort in troubled times.

“Having returned to England in ill health, he was brought to the very doors of death by the terrible news of the disruption of the work and the murder of hundreds of missionaries, as well as hundreds of native Christians, in connection with the Boxer uprising of 1900. Anguish of heart was killing him. Yet he believed that this baptism of blood would, under God, work out to the furtherance of the gospel.”

As J. Hudson Taylor was taking comfort in the words of Ms. Pigott’s hymn, Jean Sophia Pigott’s brother, Thomas Wellesley Pigott, a missionary in China, was martyred during the Boxer Rebellion.

Sources:
Our Home With God: Hymn Devotionals.
Wholesome Words: J. Hudson Taylor, God’s Mighty Man of Prayer by Eugene Myers Harrison.
HymnTIme: Jean Sophia Pigott.

Hymn #62: Take My Life and Let It Be

Jul12

Lyrics: Frances Havergal

Music: HENDON by Henri A.C. Malan. Malan was “one of the originators of the hymn movement in the French Reformed Church.” In addition to this tune, he also wrote the tune SILCHESTER, which is sung to the Isaac Watts hymn Marching to Zion. I love that tune.
Take My Life and Let It Be can be and is sung to a number of alternate tunes, but the ohter one that I’m familiar with, Baptist that I am, is William b. Bradbury’s YARBROUGH. We sang both HENDON and YARBROUGH out of the old Baptist Hymnal in my church growing up.
See Hymn TIme for an exhaustive list of alternate tunes.

Here’s Chris Tomlin’s version:

Theme:

Joni Eareckson Tada: “Because of my spinal-cord injury, I can’t use my hands. That means I can’t hold things, and I don’t have very much strength in my arms. I can’t walk or run. But I can sing, and that’s why I love this special hymn, “Take My Life, and Let It Be.” I may be in a wheelchair, but I can still do a whole lot of things for God.”

Lydia’s Extra Thoughts: “I know, it’s just a goal. One says, ‘Hey, here’s a thought. Tomorrow I start out with that in mind. I say only those things Christ would want me to say. My voice is his voice. My lips are his lips. My hands are his hands, and so forth. What a concept.'”

Wordwise Hymns: Though they never met, Miss Havergal was an admirer of Fanny Crosby, and wrote a touching poem to her. It says in part:
Dear blind sister over the sea,
An English heart goes forth to thee.

Here Barbara at Stray Thoughts reviews the book In Trouble and In Joy by Sharon James which tells the stories of four Christian women, including Frances Ridley Havergal.

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise;
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

On December 2, 1873, partially as a result of reading a book called All for Jesus, Frances Havergal consecrated her entire life to the Lord Jesus Christ. The words of this hymn are an expression of that consecration which continued to be worked out in her life as she grew older and found more and more areas of life to give over the lordship of Jesus.

Sources:
Steve Webb’s Lifespring Hymn Stories: Take My Life and Let It Be.
Girl With a Treasure: Frances Ridley Havergal.

Hymn #63: I’ll Fly Away

Jul11

Lyrics: Albert E. Brumley, 1929.

Music: Albert E. Brumley

Theme: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. I Thessalonians 4:16-17

Here’s Allison Krauss singing with scenes from the movie O Brother Where Art Thou.

My brother-in-law loved that movie; I was and am completely unable to share his enthusiasm, except for the music which is worth enduring the tediousness of the movie.

Some bright morning when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away

Chorus
I’ll fly away oh glory
I’ll fly away (in the morning)
When I die hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away

When the shadows of this life have gone
I’ll fly away
Like a bird from prison bars has flown
I’ll fly away

Oh how glad and happy when we meet
I’ll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
I’ll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then
I’ll fly away
To a land where joys will never end
I’ll fly away

Albert E. Brumley, the author and composer of this famous gospel hit, was the son of an Oklahoma share-cropper, and at the age of sixteen he decided to write gospel music.

“In 1926 Albert made a life-altering decision. He left the family farm and traveled east toward Hartford, Arkansas, searching for a “Good Samaritan.” His name was Eugene Monroe Bartlett, owner of the Hartford Music Company and director of the Hartford Musical Institute. . . . Throwing back his frail shoulders, Albert found the Institute and soon located Mr. Bartlett in his office. He introduced himself and said, “Mr. Bartlett, I hear that you’ll teach a fella how to sing and how to write music. I’ve come to learn and I understand I don’t have to have any money.”
Mr. Bartlett asked Albert if he at least had money for tuition, which was five dollars. Albert answered, “No, sir.” Bartlett then asked if he had any money for his room and board. Again the answer came, “No sir, Mr. Bartlett, I don’t have any money period.”
Albert never forgot what happened next. The “Good Samaritan” looked the frail young man up and down and said, “Well, in that case you better go over to my house and board.”

Brumley spent the rest of his life writing music,and he eventually bought Eugene Bartlett’s music publishing company after Bartlett’s death.

You can listen to this gospel favorite sung by almost any country or folk or gospel artist you want to hear. They’ve all recorded it: Wynona Judd, Johnny Cash, Jars of Clay, Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Nickel Creek, Hank Williams, Alan Jackson, Loretta Lynn, Kanye West, WIllie Nelson, Plainsong, Ronnie Milsap, Aretha Franklin, George Jones, Avalon, and Jerry Lee Lewis, just to link and name a few.

Sources:
Biographical Sketch on the Life of Albert E. Brumley.

Hymn #64: To God Be the Glory

Jul11

Lyrics: Fanny Crosby.

Music: William H. Doane.

Theme: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Ephesians 1:6-7

Steve Webb at Lifespring Hymn Stories: “One of Fanny Crosby’s many hymns which was not at all popular when it was first published. Cliff Barrows, of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association team, was introduced to this wonderful hymn eighty years after it was written, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

To God be the glory, great things He hath done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life, an atonement for sin,
And opened the lifegate, that all may go in.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer, the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see!

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done!

William H. Doane was one of Fanny Crosby’s many collaborators. He was quite prolific himself, writing over 2000 hymn tunes.

I love this one, tune and lyrics. I can still hear my father-in-law, John Early (now with the Lord), humming and singing To God Be the Glory as he went about his daily tasks, gardening and cleaning and studying. I tend to slide into the same song, unconsciously, whenever I feel the urge to praise the Lord. I use the words I learned: “lifegate” and “transport.” I don’t mind adding new verses to an old song, but I don’t like changing the original words unless there’s a good reason to do so.

Now it’s also possible to write an entirely new song, inspired by an old one. This Andre Crouch standard isn’t Fanny’s song, but it’s obviously informed by her lyrics.

Sources:
Faith Alone Journal: To God Be the Glory.

Hymn #65: What Wondrous Love Is This

Jul10

Lyrics: Attributed to Alexander Means.

Music: Appalachian folk tune arranged first by William Walker for his hymnal, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, then later by Southern Baptist musician William J. Reynolds.

Theme: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:13-14.

This bluegrass version by a group called Blue Highway is not exactly the same tune that I’m used to hearing, but it’s probably more authentic and true to the older shape note rendition:

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down
Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

Ye winged seraphs, fly! Bear the news! bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly! bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly!
Like comets through the sky,
Fill vast eternity with the news, with the news,
Fill vast eternity with the news!

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

Come, friends of Zion’s King, join the praise, join the praise,
Come, friends of Zion’s King, join the praise!
Come, friends of Zion’s King,
With hearts and voices sing,
And strike each tuneful string, in his praise, in his praise,
And strike each tuneful string in his praise.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free
I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.

It would be easy to make new verses to this song. Maybe I’ll see if my urchins can make up a new verse to sing to this tune that expresses their faith. Here’s mine:

Amazing grace, how sweet, sweet the sound, sweet the sound,
Amazing grace, how sweet, sweet the sound.
Amazing grace, how sweet
My Lord in heav’n I’ll meet,
We’ll sing and praise His grace, sweet the sound, sweet the sound.
We’ll sing and praise His grace, sweet the sound.

Yes, I borrowed a bit, but I rather like it. Anyone else want to try it?

Adventures in (Homeschool) Education

Jul9

What wonderfully educational activities have my urchins been involved in this week since we’re “out of school” and taking our summer break?

I wish I could say it’s been all cultural enrichment and self-guided educational pursuits here at Semicolon Ranch, but to tell the truth, sometimes they’re all picking at each other and teasing and annoying and driving me straight to the looney bin, wherever that may be. However, whan I stop and think about it, we have managed to do some things that might be considered “educational” in the midst of the summer restlessness and provocations.


1. We’ve been listening to Adventures in Odyssey non-stop for the past two days. I’m rather tired of Mr. Whittaker and Company, but I don’t think the urchins are yet. We’ve managed to visit with Daniel (from the Bible), the founding fathers of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln, and various other historical and Biblical figures and heroes. We’ve also heard stories that illustrate the meaning of becoming a responsible adult, the dangers of lying and cheating, the value of gratitude, and the pitfalls of materialism. I’ve also developed a desire to gag Eugene and make him be quiet.

2. Soap-carving. Engineer Husband was going to let the seven year old carve WOOD with a KNIFE. “Free range children,” he said to me. (Why did I have him read that review?) Anyway, I suggested soap as safer and easier alternative, and the rest is history —and soap flakes, everywhere. They haven’t really carved anything too recognizable, but they have had a blast turning the bars of soap into soap shavings. It’s cheap fun, and we now have a large jar of soap flakes sitting in each of our bathrooms. Oh, and the house smells pretty good.

3. We watched the BBC miniseries of Dickens’ Oliver Twist, starting on Monday night and finishing up on Tuesday. I thought it was a good production, but I’m not sure how true it is to the book since I haven’t read the book in twenty years. Oliver was a little more pugnacious in this version than I remembered him, and Engineer Husband said the whole thing was darker and more violent than he remembered the story to be. However, I think his only standard for comparison is Oliver!, the musical.

4. Z-baby (age 7) made supper with a little help from her older sister (age 14). It was Z-baby’s idea to make supper herself, and she planned the menu: pancakes. I suggested some bacon for the sake of adding a little protein to the meal, and Z-baby agreed.

5. Before Adventures in Odyssey, we were listening to the audiobook version of Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls WIlder. Z-baby, who still can’t read very well, says she’s “obsessed with listening to books.”

6. Brown Bear Daughter is studying for her tests in biology and algebra. She’s trying to test out of those two courses that she took this year at home so that she doesn’t have to repeat them in the public high school she’s planning to attend in the fall. She’ll be my first child to attend public school, and I’m excited/nervous for her.

7. Betsy-Bee read The Secret Language by Ursula Nordstrom on Monday when she went over to help her grandma with her laundry. Brown Bear Daughter re-read The Black Cauldron by Lloyd ALexander since one of those books that Z-baby was obsessed with last week was The Book of Three on CD.

8. I can’t get Karate Kid (12) to read anything right now for some reason. I think it’s just a phase he’s going through. He wants to socialize (Facebook, telephone, in person), and he needs to work and burn some energy. However, our lawn mower is in the shop. Any suggestions for the reading or the work?

9. We’re still reading a chapter a day, more of less, of The Hobbit. However, the only one who’s still with me is Z-baby. It makes me sad to hear my sweet Karate Kid say that The Hobbit is “boring” (“I’ve already read that book, and I don’t read books over again.”), but I take consolation from this quote courtesy of Palm Tree Pundit.
10. I’m pushing myself through a book about the history of modern Cambodia/Kampuchea, as per this quotation from The Common Room. It’s interesting, but the details about the Communist Party intrigues and the sheer brutality and wickedness of Pol Pot and his cohorts sometimes is overwhelming. I know a lot more about Southeast Asia, particularly Indochina than I ever did before. Who knew that the Vietnamese have a reputation as really bad dancers?

So, maybe we’re not really driving one another to distraction. And maybe we’ll all survive summer break. But I did threaten to start the new school year on July 20th.