Hymn #95: God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Jun7

Lyrics: WIlliam Cowper
Music: DUNDEE, Scottish Psalter, 1615. It’s also sung to several other alternate tunes.
I rather like this tune setting available at Sovereign Grace Ministries, where you can hear a sample verse.
Theme:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

Rebecca Writes: I have to include one of Cowper’s hymns and this is the best of William Cowper. Cowper was a fine poet and it shows in this ode to God’s meticulous providence. This hymn reminds us that even trials work God’s good purposes—that ‘behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.’ Isn’t it ironic that a hymn teaching truth that brings me joy comes from a man who, in God’s providence, suffered from a debilitating mental illness that robbed him of joy for much of his life? It’s proof that God does indeed move in a mysterious way!

The hymn was first entitled Light Shining Out of Darkness.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Moonrise
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

William Cowper did indeed have a difficult life. John Piper says of Cowper: “Struggle with despair came to be the theme of his life.” He struggled with depression before he became a Christian, and after his conversion, he still had periods o f deep despair in which he thought that God could and would save other but that he, Cowper, had committed the unforgiveable sin and was doomed to eternal damnation.

John Newton, the author of the hymns Glorious Things of THee Are Spoken and Amazing Grace, became Cowper’s pastor and friend. Newton encouraged Cowper to write hymn lyrics.

Cowper also wrote these lines from another favorite hymn:

There is a fountain fill’d with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plung’d beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

And here’s a link to another of Cowper’s Olney Hymns: O For a Closer Walk With God! The words are quite poignant in light of Cowper’s struggles with depression and his belief that God had rejected him.

I think God Moves in a Mysterious Way is the best poem of all the lyrics on the list so far. I particularly like the second and the last stanzas:
Deep in unfathomable mines/ Of never failing skill . . .
God is His own interpreter . . .
Surely, we can trust that God in His providence was able to keep Mr. Cowper’s soul secure in His grace in spite of Cowper’s inability to feel and have assurance of that grace.

Sources;
Insanity and Spiritual Songs in the Soul of a Saint: Reflections on the Life of William Cowper by John Piper.
Poets.org: William Cowper.
Fire and Ice: Poetry.

Two Novellas for the Elementary Set

Jun6

Reading Time for both: 1.75 hours
Combined pages: 193
Total time spent reading and blogging for the 48-Hour Reading Challenge: 20 hours
Titles:
The Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac,
Family Reminders by Julie Danneberg.

Both of these historical fiction titles for elementary age children would be great curriculum choices for a study of U.S. history. In fact, the first, The Arrow Over the Door is already on the Sonlight reading list for next year for my World History class covering 1500-1900. That’s why I had it in my stack to preview/review.

The Arrow Over the Door is based on a story told among Friends (Quakers) about a group of hostile Indians who came to a Quaker Meeting House during the Revolutionary War and seeing that the people gathered there were peaceful and non-threatening, went away without harming the assembled worshippers. In fact, as the story goes the Indians and the Quaker settlers became friends and ate together and promised not to fight each other. Bruchac’s version of this story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Samuel, a Quaker young man who is unsure about his commitment to nonviolence in the face of war, and Stands Straight, an Abenaki young man who is confused about why his tribe is considering fighting on the side of King George and the British in this “white man’s war.” The story is short, only 80 pages long, but it should provoke discussion about pacifism and cultural rapprochement and give students some rudimentary insight into the many facets and perspectives involved in the American War for Independence.

Family Reminders takes place in Cripple Creek, Colorado over a hundred years after the Revolutionary War in the late 1800’s. Everything changes in Mary’s family when her beloved miner father loses his leg in a mining accident. Although the events of the story are fairly predictable to an adult reader, a child would probably find the story suspenseful enough and want to know whether Mary’s father will be able to recover physically and emotionally from his injury.

I liked both stories enough that I’ll be recommending them to Betsy Bee (10) and maybe Karate Kid (12). Or we may read the stories aloud so that Z-baby (7), whose reading abilities still aren’t quite up to “chapter books,” can listen and enjoy, too.

Joseph Bruchac’s Author Website: “For over thirty years Joseph Bruchac has been creating poetry, short stories, novels, anthologies and music that reflect his Abenaki Indian heritage and Native American traditions.”

Julie Danneberg’s Author Website: “First of all, being a writer has given me the chance to learn all sorts of new things, go new places and meet new people, including all the kids I meet at school visits. Also, being a writer gives me the excuse to read, read and read some more!”

A woman after my own heart!

Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez

Jun6

Reading Time: 2 hours
Pages: 194
Total TIme Spent on 48 Hour Reading CHallenge so far: 18 hours

“In her first novel for young readers, Diana Lopez creates a clever and honest story about a young Latina girl navigating growing pains in her South Texas city (Corpus Christi).”

Not a bad synopsis. Not a bad tween novel. I requested this ARC from the publisher because I thought it might possibly fit into the class I’m teaching next year at our homeschool co-op on Texas history and literature for sixth and seventh graders. It won’t. It’s much too girly, a little too boy-crazy, romantic, and way too light for a class assignment.

However, it’s a good light read from a fresh perspective: a South Texas Latin American girl whose father is an English professor and who seems to effortlessly combine her Latin cultural heritage with a very American life. No cultural angst, no agonizing over who she is or where she belongs, just lots of girl talk about boys, scheming to help divorced mom and a widowed father, sports, and general middle school issues and solutions.

This book is one to suggest to young girls (age 10 or 11 and up) who maybe don’t enjoy reading so much, but who would enjoy a story about a girl like themselves: reasonably intelligent, struggling with the changes that come with growing up, and using a sense of humor and a bit of forgiveness to get them through it all.

I enjoyed Appolina, or Lina as she’s called by her friends, and I found her and her friends and family to be believable characters with endearing quirks. For example, here’s the opening paragraph of the book in Lina’s voice:

“Some people collect coins or stamps, but I collect socks. I have a dresser with drawers labeled DAILY SOCKS, LONELY SOCKS, HOLEY SOCKS, and SOCK HEAVEN.”

Nice, don’t you think? The publication date is June, 2009, so it should be available in bookstores now or soon.

Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem

Jun6

Time Spent reading: 2 hours
Pages: 218
Total time spent on 48 Hour Reading Challenge so far: 16 hours

Set in Ethiopia, this story reminded me of Camel Rider by Prue Mason, a book I read in 2007 for the Cybils. In Camel Rider the spoiled son of an Australian businessman gets lost in the desert; in this story the spoiled daughter of the American ambassador to Ethiopia is kidnapped and escapes to the Ethiopian savannah/forest.

Lucy is over-protected, bored, and anxious to experience the wildlife and the culture of Ethiopia, her erstwhile home. However, Lucy’s mother won’t let her leave the American compound except to go to school, to the museum, and on carefully chaperoned “game drives” in the Menagasha National Park. Unfortunately for Lucy, when she disobeys her mom and sneaks out to a restaurant with her friend Tana, Lucy gets more experience and exposure to African wildlife and culture than she bargained for. (By the way, this book features the second over-protective and controlling mom for the day, and BOTH OF THEM turn out to be right about the dangers they’re trying to protect their snotty daughters from. Just saying.)

The book gets a little too educational at times, particularly in the first third of the story. After the kidnapping, the pace picks up, and Lucy’s escape and experiences in the forest are calculated to appeal especially to animal lovers and young naturalists. According to the author,

“Escape Under the Forever Sky was inspired by a true story. In June 2005, a twelve year old girl was kidnapped from her village in southwestern Ethiopia and held captive for a week before she managed to escape. Running through the forest, the girl happened upon three wild lions. The lions surrounded her and chased off her abductors, standing guard for several hours until the police arrived.”

Eve Yohalem’s website with more information about the book and the author.

Things Change by Patrick Jones

Jun6

TIme reading: 2.5 hours
Pages: 216
Total time spent reading and blogging for the 48 Hour Reading Challenge so far: 13.5 hours

Since I bailed on the last two books I tried last night, I felt some internal pressure to actually finish this one. It took some self-discipline to do so since I already knew what would happen from the very beginning.

As bibliotherapy for teenage girls caught in an abusive relationship, I think it would work, although I’m no psychologist. As a stand-alone story, it’s cliched and predictable. Johanna is the smart girl, straight A’s, never had a real boyfriend, perfectionist with perfectionist parents. Paul is the class clown, starving for attention, abandoned by his deadbeat alcoholic father and ignored by his overly-religious mother. The two get together out of need and stay together out of need. Johanna needs someone to help her rebel against her controlling parents and tell her that she is pretty and loved. Paul needs sex, a girlfriend who will make excuses for his lack of self-control, and a target for his anger.

As I said, the book is one big cliched parable: This Is What Happens In Abusive Relationships, Beware! Although in one sense I found the characters of Johanna and Paul to be believable because, yeah, this sort of relationship happens all the time, in another way, the details just didn’t work. Paul is headed for Stanford, but his mother tells him they don’t have enough money for him to go there. They live in a trailer park, but Paul acts as if he’s never thought about the lack of money to pay for an education at Stanford in spite of their obvious poverty. Then, it turns out that one of Paul’s friends thinks Paul could have saved enough money for Stanford from his part-time job, and he’s really just afraid to face the real world. Does this author know how much it costs to go to Stanford? Or to the Bible college that Paul’s mother offers as an alternative?

That’s just one minor example. In an interview in the back of the book, the author says he wants to write about working class teens because “these kids need a voice.” He should get to know a few more of those working class teens who also don’t have the money to go to a private school across the country for their post-high school education. Also I don’t believe that Christianity is a substitute for alcohol or any other addiction, but Mr. Jones obviously does. From his interview: “Paul’s mother had to be someone who was totally absent, and rather than have her be consumed by alcohol, I gave her religion.” Yes, Mr. Marx, religion is the opiate of the people.

Not my favorite YA novel, but as I said, perhaps it would be useful as a handout in a youth counseling center.

48 Hour Update

Jun6

Total TIme Spent on 48 Hour Book Challenge so far: 10.25 hours

I spent about an hour last night trying two different books, but I couldn’t get interested in either one of them.

Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor. Too many odd little creatures —imps and faeries and djinn and devils and elementals and snags—too many to keep up with, and I didn’t care about or believe in any of them. I read about fifty pages and gave up.

The Ark, the Reed and the Fire Cloud by Jenny L. Cote. Max the Scottish terrier hears a voice from the reeds calling him on a grand adventure. I may try this one again someday, but after reading Octavian Nothing and even Deadwood Jones, it just seemed so silly. After about fifty pages, I was falling asleep, so I went to bed.

You may love either or both of these, but I’m going on to something else.

Hymn # 96: I Will Sing of My Redeemer

Jun6

Lyrics: Phillip Bliss, 1876.
Music: James McGranahan, 1877.
Theme: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:7-8.


The Prodigal Son He is Welcomed Home by His Father
I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.
Refrain:
Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.
Refrain

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I’ll tell,
How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.
Refrain

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.
Refrain

Philip Bliss only lived for 38 years. He spent approximately 12 of those years writing hymn and hymn tunes.

. . . he wrote both words and music to such hymns as the following: Almost Persuaded, Dare to Be a Daniel, Hallelujah ‘Tis Done!, Hallelujah, What a Saviour!, Hold the Fort, Jesus Loves Even Me, Let the Lower Lights Be Burning, Once for All, The Light of the World Is Jesus, Whosoever Will, and Wonderful Words of Life. He wrote only the words for My Redeemer and wrote only the music for I Gave My Life for Thee, It Is Well with My Soul, and Precious Promise.

Philip Bliss grew up in a poor, but spiritually rich, Methodist family, and he left home at age eleven to make his own living. He worked in the sawmills and managed to attend school some. At the age of seventeen, he completed the requirements to become a school teacher. He ten worked as a schoolmaster and studied music with a friend. In 1859, Bliss got married, and in 1860 he became an itinerant music teacher. In 1864 the BLisses moved to Chicago, and eventually Bliss met evangelist Dwight L. Moody. In 1869, the two men began working together in evangelistic crusades to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.

A short seven years later on December 29, 1876, Bliss and his wife were traveling on a train, the bridge over which the train was crossing collapsed, and all of the train carriages fell into the ravine below. Bliss escaped unscathed, but as the train caught fire, he went back to try to rescue his wife and both he and his wife died.

Found in his trunk, which somehow survived the crash and fire, was a manuscript bearing the lyrics of the only well known Bliss gospel song for which he did not write a tune. Soon thereafter set to a tune specially written for it by James McGranahan, it became one of the first songs recorded by Thomas Alva Edison, that song being I Will Sing of My Redeemer.

What a legacy!

Sources:
Wholesome Words. Philip Bliss by Ed Reese.
Wikipedia: Philip Bliss.
The Memoirs of P.P. Bliss by D.W. Whittle.

The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill

Jun5

Time reading: 2.5 hours
Pages: 228
Total time spent on 48 Hour Challenge so far: 9.25 hours

Helen Hemphill has written an engaging western novel for middle school and high school age young people with The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones. I’m a fan. It’s interesting that this book carries much the same theme as the Octavian Nothing books that I read for my first entries in the 48 Hour Book Challenge: racial prejudice and injustice, proving oneself as a man, the tragedy of fallen man.

Deadwood Jones is a black cowboy whose story is an amalgam of Nat Love, a true-life African American cowboy of the late 1800’s, Deadwood DIck, a dime novel hero invented by author Edward Wheeler, and dozens of other cowboys, black, white, and Latino, that Mrs. Hemphill read about in her research. The story of Deadwood Jones is a rousing adventure with some humor and quite a dose of tragedy, and it demonstrates what the life of a cowboy was most likely to have been like while enticing the reader to keep reading with a couple of subplots concerning Jones’s search for his long lost father and his quest for justice in an essentially lawless frontier.

Do boys still read Westerns? If so, The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones should be a winner for those who enjoy such a setting. I was reminded, not of other western novels because my reading of cowboy stories has been somewhat limited, but rather of the classic TV series Gunsmoke and Bonanza. I think that’s high enough praise right there.

Cynsations interview with author Helen Hemphill.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation by M.T. Anderson

Jun5

Reading Time: 5.75 hours
Pages: 561-88 (already read before the 48-hour Reading Challenge started)= 473.
Complete Titles:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation:
Volume 1: The Pox Party
Volume 2: The Kingdom on the Waves
All I can say is that Mr. Anderson is quite a talented writer. I am in awe at the creation of the characters of Octavian Nothing and his friends and foes. I spent the first three months of 2009 reading biographies of various of our nation’s founders: George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton. (I started reading a biography of Thomas Jefferson, but I was by that time so annoyed by what I perceived as Mr. Jefferson’s simultaneous intelligence and hypocrisy that I did not finish.)

If Octavian is to be believed, all of our founders were Jeffersonian in their conflicted thinking about liberty and the pursuit of freedom and happiness. The two volumes of Octavian Nothing do a creditable job of showing the other side, perhaps the dark underside, of the American colonies’ fight for independence from British tyranny. Men fought for “freedom” while denying the same to thousands of enslaved Africans. And in fact, many of them never even saw the contradiction.

Not only are the two books profound in their treatment of the essential incongruity that lies at the heart of our nation’s founding, but Mr. Anderson also has some considerable skill in simply writing about the vagaries of human nature and of men’s relations with one another. Two examples:

“He was that nature of personage who, when they laugh, make all who don’t laugh feel prim; and when they are solemn, make all have been laughing sensible of the chill of silence and the feebleness of gaiety. How doth the voice of one determine the pitch of the others!”

I have known that person! Haven’t you? I have even been that person at times. Then, on the intentions of enslavers and the escape from slavery:

“They want us with no history and no memory. They want us empty as paper so they can write on us, so we ain’t nothing but a price and a an owner’s name and a list of tasks. . . . We’ll slip through and we’ll change who we must needs be and I will be all sly and have my delightful picaresque japes. But at the end of it, when it’s over, I shall be one thing. I shall be one man, fixed, and not have to take no other name. I shall be one person steadily for some years.”

Wow! Again, I stand in admiration of the author who wrote such prose, who was able to enter into the mind of a fictional eighteenth century slave, freed by his own efforts, only to find that man everywhere carries the mark of sin and slavery with him . . .

Over 1000 pages in the two volumes of this story, and every page is gold, or at least silver. Read it. (But why these books are classified as young adult fiction, or even worse children’s fiction, is beyond me. I find it difficult to believe that many people under the age of sixteen could get through the first volume.) However, Drama Daughter (17) says she read it, and although she found it to be hard going at times, she thought it was quite good.