The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into God’s plans for his people. John’s vision has symbols and metaphors, but all point to God’s finished work. I am in my second year of study in Revelation. In the book of Hebrews, the author writes about the role of priests.…
This morning in church we sang the hymn All Creatures of Our God and King. The words, originally by Francis of Assisi, were paraphrased by Thomas Ken (1637 – 1711) and translated by William H. Draper (1855 -1 933). Here are verses 1 & 3. All creatures of our God and…
Trust and Obey. The words to this hymn come to me easily. Throughout my childhood we sang it at church. There is a blessing in memorizing Bible verses and singing hymns as a child. The words reside in memory. The first verse about trust that I think of is Proverbs…
The garden is a place where my mind is at rest. Sometimes when I am troubled the words of a hymn come to mind. A hymn that I sang as a child–the words imprinted in my memory. It is good for the church to sing hymns. It is good for…
Prayer and Bible study are ways to be observant of our faith. Singing hymns is another way. On Christmas Eve we could not attend an indoor church service. Our family—our children and grandchildren—met in a church parking lot with others. We were standing outside, and it was freezing cold. We…
Beyond the Sunset is a hymn that I remember from childhood. My Dad had a good voice and sang this with joy. Here are the words to the first verse: Beyond the sunset, O blissful morning, When with our Savior heaven is begun, Earth’s toiling ended, O glorious dawning; Beyond…
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! Psalm 47:1 The pandemic has made it difficult for us to worship at church. In the beginning weeks of the lockdown I listened to the hymn sing led by the Getty family on Facebook. The hymns refreshed…
Commit your way to the Lord:trust in him, and he will act. Psalm 37:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 These verses are true of Fanny Crosby. Some years ago I read her autobiography and was inspired by her life. Fanny Crosby…
In the past few months my husband and I have been worshipping on Sunday mornings with a church plant. We gather in a room of a nearby hotel. The musically talented members of our group lead the singing. Sometimes our singing is accompanied by keyboard, by violin or acapella. We…