Tag Archives: music

Hymns of Encouragement

17 Saturday Mar 2012

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This past weekend, I was in a class that Kevin Twit taught on the History of Hymnody. It was a weekend seminar at my seminary, covering the hymn as a genre of writing (not specifically the music thereof, though we did sing periodically in the lectures).

For the class, we’ve been reading Faith Cook’s Our Hymn Writers and Their Hymns. I have been stirred, even as I’ve cried, as I’ve read about people dying well, trusting their Savior while passing on their love for Christ and the experience of joy in Him and sorrow in weakness and sin to others through their music.

In chapel an excellent new tune by Joel Littlepage to a hymn by Ora Rowan (altered by Kevin Twit) was introduced. The words were especially moving and I cried as I sang them on Friday:

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Why have music education in a Christian school?

23 Friday Sep 2011

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The following is a text of a short address I gave for the Grandparent’s Welcome convocation at the school for which I work. I’m a first-year faculty member and a third-year teacher. I teach Pre-K thru 5th grade this semester and will add 6th grade next semester (just to give you some context for what I do).

The mission verse for the school this year is Proverbs 20:11 and I wrote a song using the text (NIV of 1984) to help the students internalize it. When I finished the address, the students stood up, faced their grandparents and sang the verse, accompanied by another faculty member.

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Creativity and Dissatisfaction

23 Monday May 2011

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Just finished an arrangement of a hymn I wrote that will be introduced for corporate worship during the offertory next month. I never quite know what to make of what I create, least of all, this particular hymn.

I am, in my own estimation, a very frustrated lyricist. This particular hymn seems to be something which is an anomaly, since I’m actually pleased with the lyrics as they stand. I may add a verse to what I currently have at some point, but beyond that I like what I’ve written. I wrote the first three verses while my pastor preached out of Psalm 1 and wrote the final verse while sitting beside a lake later that afternoon. I’m glad I live in an age of podcasts so I could go back and listen to what the pastor actually said. 😉

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The Steadfast Love of the Lord

19 Thursday May 2011

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When you were few in number, and of little account, and sojourners in it, wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”

–1 Chronicles 16:19-22, ESV.

When the ark of the covenant was placed in the tent in Jerusalem after it had been returned from captivity in Philistia, David sang this as part of his song of praise.

How often do we find ourselves thanking God for His provision and protection of the saints of old? Of the children of Israel? David was more than a couple generations removed from Moses or even Abraham. And yet he sets his praise of God in the context of God’s acts prior to his birth! And yet, he sings of God’s faithfulness.

Something I love about the liturgy of the word at my church: we often end a Scripture reading with the statement, “This is the Word of the Lord. This is our story. Thanks be to God!” The story of the wandering Israelites, the sojourning family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the story of David dancing before the ark–this is our story. God’s provision of redemption for his specific people is the story of the Church.

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A Morning Well-Spent

18 Tuesday Jan 2011

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I spent some time with a couple of good friends this morning in the chapel at CTS.  We got started shortly after 9 and finished up at a quarter to twelve.  We rehearsed and recorded six of my original tunes and one arrangement I’d written while at my previous church.  All three of us had a great time (even though I’m a little bit hoarse from the sinus gunk that’s been going around lately).

It was an extremely encouraging way to spend a morning, indeed a privilege, to worship God with our skills and our instruments as we recorded songs which ranged from heart cries (Psalm 88) to celebrations of God’s mercy (“The Holy Ghost Must Give the Wound”) to songs about the risen Christ (“I Know that My Redeemer Lives”).

Prophets Foretold Him

29 Wednesday Dec 2010

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Of the Father’s Love Begotten.  by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-413), translated by J. M. Neale and H. W. Baker.  From Cantus Christi, pg. 246.

Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be
He is Alpha and Omega
He the Source, the Ending He
Of the things that are, that have been
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore!

At His Word the worlds were framed
He commanded; it was done
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean
In their three-fold order, one
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun
Evermore and evermore!

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All Praise to Thee, Eternal God!

27 Monday Dec 2010

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A hymn by Martin Luther.  From The Lutheran Hymnal of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America, Concordia Publishing, St. Louis, MO: 1941. #80.

All praise to Thee eternal God
Who, clothed in garb of flesh and blood
Dost take a manger for Thy throne
While worlds on worlds are Thine alone

Once did the skies before Thee bow
A virgin’s arms contain Thee now
While angels, who in Thee rejoice
Now listen for Thine infant voice

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Hark, How the Heavens Ring!

25 Saturday Dec 2010

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A hymn I’ve selected for the first day of Christmas.

“Hark, How All The Welkin Rings!” is a hymn by Charles Wesley, first published in his Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739.  It has passed into modern usage as “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”  While I understand and to varying degrees support the modernization and editing of this hymn that has gone on, I think it’s good to examine the original.  There are some notable changes, so read carefully.

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