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Hymn #28: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Sep19

Welsh Title: Arglwydd arwain trwy’r Anialwch
Original (English)Title: Strength to Pass Through the Wilderness

Lyrics: Williams Williams, 1775. Translated to English by Peter Williams (no relation to William).

Music: CWM RHONDDA by John Hughes, 1907.

Theme: By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Exodus 13:21-22.

Totally cool rendition of CWM RHONDDA by a Welsh Men’s choir:

*William Williams, nicknamed “The Sweet Singer of Wales,” was a medical student when he came under the influence and preaching of evangelist Howell Harris. Williams eventually left medical school and became an evangelist himself and writer of hymns. He wrote over 800 hymns, mostly in the Welsh language.

*Welsh composer John Hughes composed the beloved tune CWM RHONDDA in 1907 for the annual Baptist Cymnfa Ganu (singing festival) at the Capel Rhondda, Potypridd, Wales.

*Three women missionaries in China are said to have sung this hymn as bandits were beating on their door. God was their Strong Deliverer.

*The hymn was sung in Flanders in the trenches by the Welsh soldiers, and it was so melodious that the German soldiers took it up and sang along.

*Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah has been translated into over seventy-five different languages.

*The Welsh to this day sing Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah at outdoor sporting events, especially rugby matches.

*The hymn was sung at Princess Diana’s funeral.

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
[or Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer…]
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,
Wondrous are Thy works of old;
Thou deliver’st Thine from thralldom,
Who for naught themselves had sold:
Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer,
Sin, and Satan and the grave,
Sin, and Satan and the grave.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.

Musing on my habitation,
Musing on my heav’nly home,
Fills my soul with holy longings:
Come, my Jesus, quickly come;
Vanity is all I see;
Lord, I long to be with Thee!
Lord, I long to be with Thee!

Sources:
Center for Church Music.
Hymnscript: The Art of Hymns.
Suite 101: Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah

Hymn #29: Be Still, My Soul

Sep19

Original title: Stille, meine Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen

Lyrics: Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, 1752. Translated from German to English by Jane Borthwick, 1855.

Music: FINLANDIA by John SIbelius, 1899.

Theme: And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. I Peter 5:10.

From this sermon at the website An Infant in a Cradle:

Be Still, My Soul, (this text and tune) was the favorite hymn of Eric Liddell. He is perhaps most best known for refusing to run on Sunday in the 1924 Olympics (a story made famous in the film, Chariots of Fire). But, later in life, Liddell would become a missionary to China. During World War II, he was captured and imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp, where he would eventually die of a brain tumor.

It was this hymn that he taught to the other prisoners in the camp to provide comfort and hope, to strengthen their faith. In the midst of change and tears, disappointment, grief and fear, Liddell remembered and taught others that the day was coming when all that would be gone, and Jesus Christ would remain forever.

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 – when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shalt thou better know his love – his heart,
who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
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 blessed – 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 works 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.

Hymn #30: Arise, My Soul, Arise

Sep18

Lyrics: Charles Wesley (again)

Music: LENOX by Lewis Edson.
Towner by Daniel Brink Towner.

This tune performed by the acapella group, Glad, isn’t either of the ones above. I don’t know the name of it, but I do like it.

However, my preferred tune to these words is none of the above. I first learned this song at our church, Trinity Fellowship, and the music leaders there are great fans of Twila Paris. Arise, My Soul, Arise is the lead song on Twila’s album Sanctuary. You can listen to a snippet of it by going to her website and clicking on the album cover under “albums”.

Theme: But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me.”

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.”

Hannah: “a joyful liberation from guilt and sin, into joy and righteousness.”

Hymn Studies: “A song which mentions the fact that we can be born of God is “Arise, My Soul, Arise.” The text was written by Charles Wesley (1707-1788). It first appeared under the title ‘Behold The Man’ in his 1742 Hymns and Sacred Poems.”

Philip Bishop: “I have many favorite hymns, but this Wesley hymn has to be in the ‘Top 10.’ I love the imagery and the progression of thought it expresses.”

1. Arise, my soul, arise,
Shake off thy guilty fears:
The bleeding Sacrifice
In my behalf appears:
Before the Throne my Surety stands,
Before the Throne my Surety stands,
My name is written on his hands.

2. He ever lives above,
For me to intercede,
His all-redeeming love,
His precious blood to plead;
His blood atoned for ev’ry race,
His blood atoned for ev’ry race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

3. Five bleeding wounds he bears,
Received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers,
They strongly plead for me;
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

4. The Father hears Him pray,
His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away,
The presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

5. My God is reconciled;
His pard’ning voice I hear;
He owns me for his child,
I can no longer fear;
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father!” cry.

Dictionary:
Surety = a person who is legally responsible for the debt, default, or delinquency of another.

Abba = Aramaic for “father”; indicates intimacy; literally “Daddy” or “Papa.”

Effectual= successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective.

Intercede= to intervene on behalf of another.

I think my children’s vocabularies have been expanded because of all the hymns we sing. Do have any examples of words you’ve learned from hymns?

I’m submitting to the Poetry Friday round-up at Becky’s Book Reviews because it’s quite poetic. I love the idea, taken from the verses in Isaiah, that my name is written on His hands.

Semicolon’s Old, New and Ongoing Projects, Part 2

Sep18

I want to do some things that are ongoing and are an expression of the reading and other pursuits that I love. I’m going to try to fold the projects in my previous post into this blogging plan:

Sunday’s Hymn: See #9 in the post below. After I finish the Top 100 Hymns Project, I’m going to feature one hymn per week on Sundays. Because I love hymns.

Sunday Salon: More about this later in the post. Basically, I have an idea about incorporating some of my ongoing monthly projects into my Sunday Salon post each week.

Nonfiction Mondays: I’ve wanted to join in on this event for a while, and I have quite a few nonfiction books to review and share. Some will be books that we’re using for our Texas study at my homeschool co-op. Others will be review copies of books I’ve received from publishers.

Advanced Reading Survey: On Mondays I’m also going to revisit the books I read for a course in college called Advanced Reading Survey taught by the eminent scholar and lovable professor, Dr. Huff. I’m not going to re-read all the books and poems I read for that course, probably more than fifty, but I am going to post to Semicolon the entries in the reading journal that I was required to keep for that class because I think that my entries on these works of literature may be of interest to readers here and because I’m afraid that the thirty year old spiral notebook in which I wrote these entries may fall apart ere long. I may offer my more mature perspective on the books, too, if I remember enough about them to do so. I started doing this about a year ago and then forgot to keep it up; the spiral notebook isn’t getting any less worn nor less likely to disintegrate.

Texas Tuesday: This weekly feature is new; I just invented it. Since we’re studying Texas history and literature at co-op this year, and since I’m a proud, native Texan, I want to spotlight books set in the great state of Texas and books by Texas authors.

Wednesday Whatever: another new feature invented by me. I may or may not use this weekly meme as inspiration, but I plan to work on my writing on Wedsnesdays, write about whatever is niggling (wiggling?) down there in my bottomless pit of mind or whatever comes to the surface or . . . well, the metaphors could use some work as a starter. Warning: I may write about books, or politics, or homeschooling, or parenting, or church, or anything else I’m interested in. Take it or leave it. Comments are welcome.

Read Aloud Thursday: I’ve also wanted to share about some of our read aloud books, and I think I’ve found a good way to do that. Interviews with the urchins about what we’ve been reading kill two birds with one stone: narration for them and book blogging for me.

Picture Book Preschool Book of the Week: Also on Thursdays I hope to feature a classic picture book from my curriculum book, Picture Book Preschool. I used to do this feature, too, but I quit for some reason.

Poetry (and Fine Art) Friday:I’ve participated off and on, but I really want to get our poetry memorization going again. So I’ll be writing about what the kids and I are memorizing as well as about some of my favorite poems each Friday. And I may include a work of fine art to go with the poem if I can find one.

Saturday Review of Books: The Saturday Review will continue as usual, but I hope a lot of you bloggers who have participated in BBAW will discover the Saturday Review and begin to link your reviews there. The more, the merrier.

Sabbath Bible Reading Report: On Saturday evening, report on my Biblical explorations for the week. I hope the Holy Spirit will give me something worthwhile to say if I’ll do my part and actually read and meditate.

The Sunday Salon.comSunday Salon Plan:
First Sunday of the month: Post my list of books read in the previous month, and write about my favorites.

Second Sunday of the month: Operation Clean House kicks into gear. I will post before and after pictures of one area of the house that I’ve managed to clean, and as a reward to myself and to you for looking, I’ll also post a picture of a favorite shelf of books in my house and highlight some of the Good Books on that shelf. SInce I have approximately 250 shelves of books in my house and more areas that need to be cleaned than that, this project should last my lifetime if I choose to continue it that long.

Third Sunday of the month: Post about my progress for the month on The Newbery Project or the Pulitzer Project or my U.S. Presidents Project.

Fourth Sunday of the month: Write about the Semicolon Book Club selection for the month, and give a teaser for next month’s book.

Fifth Sunday on the month: Fifth Sundays are reserved for Wild, Wacky, and Not Fitting Into Any Plan At All. I love making plans and organizing stuff, but then I usually enjoy breaking out of my pre-planned stodginess to do the next thing that will later become part of a new plan.

In between all that, I’ll post random book reviews and news notes. I also hope to participate again in the Cybils as a panelist or judge, so there should be lots of reviews of children’s books of some kind in the next few months. Then, in December I’ll post some more Christmas quotations from favorite books. And April is Poetry Month.

Wow! I love blogging and planning and reading and having ideas and grand schemes and proposals. If you’d like to join me in any of the above, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. I’ll try my best to include you and link to you and all that stuff.

Oh, yes, and does anyone know how to teach me, Ms. Graphics-Challenged, how to make those button/picture doodads like the ones above for Read Aloud Thursday and Sunday Salon? I don’t have any idea how people come up with thingies like that, but I’d like to make some for some of these weekly features that I’m planning.

Semicolon’s Old, New, and Ongoing Projects

Sep18

The last project for BBAW is to establish some goals for your blog. We’re supposed to do this one in 50 words or less, but I’m not constituted for less than 50 words, so it’s going to take me two posts. As I’ve said before, I like to think in terms of projects rather than goals or resolutions. I do have a few old projects that I’d like to do a better job of working at. I had twelve projects at the beginning of the year:

1. Bible reading project. My plan was to be reading Amos in September. I haven’t done the reading for any of the months that I had planned at all. I also was inspired by this project at another blog to start memorizing. I didn’t do that either. So, I’m going to try something different. Every Saturday evening, I’m going to write a post here, (insert catchy title: Sabbath Bible Review?), about my Bible reading for the week. I’ll tell you what I’ve read and what I’ve thought about as I read, how the Lord has spoken (or not spoken), and maybe I’ll be motivated to get the reading and meditation and even memorization DONE.

2. Prayer Project. This project, too, has been failure. I pray a lot, on the go, as I drive, or as I wait for children to finish classes., but a daily, dedicated time of prayer, even for ten minutes a day seems impossible. I get distracted; I think of all the things I should be doing; I read the titles on the bookshelf; I feel as if I’m wasting time telling God stuff He already knows anyway. I tried a prayer accountability thing with another blogger (sweet, patient Katherine), but I was coming up delinquent every week.

Lauren Winner: “It is easier to read about prayer than to do it. We fool ourselves into thinking that it somehow counts!”

I’m still working on, and praying about, a jumpstart for this particular project.

3. Pulitzer Project. I haven’t read any more Pulitzer prize-winning novels this year, but I am supposed to read Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor for the Semicolon Book Club in September. I want to read one Pulitzer or National Book Award winner per month and post about it maybe on a specific day of the month. If anyone wants to join me in this project, I’ll work with you to come up with a list, and we’ll agree to meet (virtually) on a certain day of the month for a book discussion.

4. Newbery Project. I haven’t made much progress on this project either. I’d really like to find some of the older “honor” books and read them. I tried to read The Graveyard Book three times; does that count?

5. Madeleine L’Engle Project. I’m putting this project in abeyance for now. I’m just not so interested in re-reading anything these, even Ms. L’Engle’s books.

6. LOST Reading Project. I have done a bit of reading on this list, and I intend to do more, as inspired.

7. My U.S. Presidents Reading Project is linked to THE U.S. Presidents Reading Project.

8. Poetry Project. We need to memorize more poetry. And I plan to participate in Poetry Friday each Friday this fall.

9. The Top 100 Hymns Project is online again, thanks to my wonderfully helpful Computer Guru Son. I’m planning to finish that out sometime in October (31 more hymns to go), and after that my plan is to do a Hymn Sunday post each week (along with The Common Room and Rebecca Writes and others) to spotlight all the other wonderful hymns that weren’t on the Top 100 list.

10. Book Club Project. I somehow let the Book Club die on the vine this summer, but I’m planning to read Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor, as I said, for September, and God willing, I’ll finish out the year with the following:

October: Scoop by Evelyn Wwaugh.
Novmber: A Walk WIth Jane Austen by Lori Smith.

In December, I’ll take suggestions, then votes, for next year’s selections, and my goal (there’s that word) is to do better about posting about the book for the month at the first of the month and about linking to others’ posts about the book we’re reading for the Semicolon Book Club toward the end of the month. No, I am not giving up.

11. Project Clean House. I need accountability in this area, too. What if I take a picture of an area of my house each week or month, before and after?

Ummm, I lost one somewhere, but that’s OK. I’m full up anyway and about to take on some more.

Now that I’ve cleared all that detritus away, I have a new blogging plan or project that has me excited. Stay tuned.

Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Sep17

Subtitled “A Novel of Jane Austen’s Life,” this one is suitable for Janeites everywhere, but I don’t know how much the casual fans or (heaven forbid!) nonreaders of Jane Austen are going to get out of the book. It’s an easy read, not too challenging intellectually speaking, but enjoyable.

The theme is “learning to be yourself” and to be content in all circumstances. It’s published by Bethany House, but Christianity is kept in the background just as it is in Austen’s novels themselves. A Christian heritage is assumed, and clergymen are ubiquitous throughout. But Jane herself spends a lot more time worrying about the fashions and the drains in the house than she does about her relationship to God. This Christianity-as-a-foundation (not a lifestyle or a relationship) is historically accurate, I think. It’s only in later centuries and mostly in America that people began to think about “how to live the Christian life” or “how to have a relationship with Jesus.” Immersed in modern evangelical culture as I am, I wanted to shake Jane and tell her: “You can pray about these problems you’re having.” “God cares.” “You are not alone.” But I wonder if we would be communicating across a cultural abyss that would be difficult to bridge.

So, Just Jane: recommended to Regency fans, Austen-lovers, and others who appreciate a quiet, fictionalized biography of an insightful and sometimes acerbic author who still influences our culture today.

Some other treats for Austen fans that I discovered during Book Blogger Appreciation Week:
Jane Austen Today. The blogger here writes about all things Jane: movies, books, cultural influences, news and views.

Austenprose: a daily celebration of the brilliance of Jane Austen’s writing.

Austenblog. “A compendium of news about Jane Austen in popular culture: mentions in newspaper articles, books and magazines; film adaptations; paraliterature such as continuations of the novels or modern retellings; Austen-related events; and other manifestations of the delightful way in which Jane Austen and her work have informed today’s popular culture.” Here’s a brief Austenblog review of Just Jane.

Are you a Janeite or do you lean towards Mark Twain’s (boorish) views: quoth Mr. Twain, “Jane Austen? Why I go so far as to say that any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book.”

You can tell by the parenthetical adjective where I stand on the matter.

Postscript: Today is Constitution Day, a celebration of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. Here’s a Semicolon post on Constitution Day and some books with which to celebrate.

Read Aloud Thursday: The King’s Fifth by Scott O’Dell

Sep17

Mr. O’Dell’s tale of Coronado and the fictional mapmaker Esteban Sandoval and the search for gold was our first homeschool read aloud of the year. We finished it last Friday. I think the urchins enjoyed the book, and it fit into both the history unit for Karate Kid (12), who’s studying world history from 1492-1900, and the history plan for Betsy-Bee (10), who’s studying Texas history. I assume that the urchins were intrigued with the intrigue in the book because there were many requests for just one more chapter. That’s either a sign that they like the book or that they want to postpone math hour. Whatever . . .

I thought I’d transcribe some snippets of conversation that I had with Betsy-Bee and with Karate Kid about the book. These are the pieces of the conversation I remember:

Mom: Did you like The King’s Fifth?

Betsy-Bee: Yes, I liked some parts a lot. I liked the parts where Esteban was in prison and on trial. Some of the rest of it was blah, blah, blah.

KK: Uhhh, it was a good book.

Mom: Why was Esteban on trial? What was he accused of doing wrong?

Betsy-Bee: He didn’t give the gold to the king, the king’s fifth.

KK: The king’s fifth of the treasure of Cibola. He was later accused of killing Captain Mendoza.

Mom: What did he do with the gold?

Betsy-Bee: He buried it.

Mom: Well, not exactly buried it. He threw it in a sinkhole, kind of like quicksand. Who was your favorite character in the book?

Betsy-Bee: Zia.

KK: Captain Mendoza was cool.

BB; I kind of liked that guy who stole all their stuff.

Mom: You didn’t like Mendoza or that guy (Torres). They were the bad guys.

KK: They weren’t the bad guys!

Mom: They were both thieves, and Mendoza told his dog to kill those two Indians! They were obsessed with gold. I actually liked Father Francisco the best. He was good and not gold-crazy.
So, Zia. Why did you like her?

Betsy-Bee: She was a girl, and she liked the horse with the cool name, Blue Star.

Mom: I think you liked her hat with the bells around the brim. Because you like to dress up in costumes.

BB: No, it would be annoying to have to hear that jingle all the time.

Mom: Would you read another book like this one to yourself?

KK: No, I like it more when you read it to us. Actually, I always like books more when you read them to us.

BB: Sometimes you can read boring books, though.

Hymn #31: O For a Thousand Tongues To Sing

Sep17

Original Title: On the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion

Lyrics: Charles Wesley

Music: According to Wikipedia, “In the USA, the hymn is commonly sung to Lowell Mason’s 1839 arrangement of the hymn tune AZMON, written by Carl G. Glaser in 1828. Mason’s arrangement was written as a setting for this hymn. In Great Britain the tune LYDIA by Thomas Phillips or RICHMOND by Thomas Haweis are commonly used, though in larger congregations Thomas Jarman’s stirring tune LYNGHAM is favoured.”

Other tunes: BEATITUDO, John B. Dykes, 1875.
OXFORD NEW, J. H. Coombes, 1784.
NATIVITY, Henry Lahee, 1855.
SELBY, Alfred J. Eyre, 1889.
BELMONT, WIlliam Gardner.

I don’t know about a thousand tongues, but it looks if these lyrics are working toward a thousand tunes, or maybe just eighteen to match the number of verses. This organ version from youtube is LYNGHAM, but I need to hear it sung because I can’t fit the words to the music as played here.

Theme: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Wesley wrote this hymn in celebration of the first anniversary of his conversion. The original poem had eighteen verses, but the part we generally sing as a hymn starts with verse seven.

IMG_2524.JPGGlory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.

IMG_1830.JPGThen with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.

IMG_5692.JPGO for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
‘Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

IMG_1842.JPGHe speaks, and, listening to his voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Christmas2006-3Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

mexicoworshipMurderers and all ye hellish crew
Ye sons of lust and pride,
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Hymn Studies: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.

Lifespring! Hymn Stories: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.

BBAW: Meme Time

Sep16


Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Hot chocolate and peanuts. No, the peanuts don’t go IN the hot chocolate.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
I write in some books, especially my Bible, but mostly I don’t. Not horrified, but also not inspired to write anything until I’m done.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Ummm, I have the bad habit of laying the book down spread-eagle.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, but I read more fiction, and I usually choose nonfiction that tells a story, mostly biographies and history.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy. I can’t keep my attention on an audio-book; I suppose I’m not an auditory learner.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No. I just guess.

What are you currently reading?
The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the old Trail Days by Andy Adams.
Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans by T.R. Fehrenbach.

What is the last book you bought?
I had another answer to this question, but this afternoon I visited this little hole-in-the-wall bookstore while Karate Kid was in canoeing class.
IMG_0264
I bought three books:

Antarctica: Journey to the Pole by Peter Lerangis. It looked good, and I like books about polar adventure.

The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. Mindy recommended it, and the last book I read on her recommendation was a home run.

A Hole in Texas by Hermann Wouk. I didn’t even know Mr. Wouk (The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, War and Remembrance) was still writing. I’m trying to read books about Texas, or set in Texas, and this one is about a guy who works at NASA just like Engineer Husband.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
See above. I always have several books going at once. That way I can find a book to suit my mood.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Anytime, anywhere.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Everybody should read something by C.S. Lewis, and if you like fiction, read Madeleine L’Engle.

Hymn #33: Jesus Paid It All

Sep15

Lyrics: Elvina Hall, 1856.

Music: John T. Grape.

Theme: “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’”. Isaiah 1:18.

Mr. Grape was a member of the same Methodist church in Baltimore that Elvina Hall attended. Their pastor, Rev. George W. Shreck, was the instrument to bring words and music together when he “called on me (Grape) to select anything new that I had to offer. On hearing this piece he expressed his pleasure with it and stated that Mrs. Elvina M. Hall had written some words that would just suit the music. I gave him a copy of it and it was soon sung in several churches here in Baltimore.”

(I’m hoping to become just such an instrument for my friend Hannah, even though I know nothing about selling or or produing music. If any of you know about uploading music to iTunes or Amazon and selling it through those sites, please email me at sherryDOTearlyATgmailDOTcom.)

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And now complete in Him,
My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.

OR

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
“Jesus died my soul to save”
My lips shall still repeat .