Hymns

 One of the things that I love to do may sound strange to some of you. You see, I love getting in a car late at night and turning on my music. When we did evangelistic work, Julie would crash on our long trips. I would do one of two things. The first was to enjoy the silence for a while and spend time in prayer. The second was to simply put on the tunes. I was thinking about that today when I was at work counting parts for inventory.   

      When I was a kid, one of my favorite memories was that of being in the car as a family. My Father, even before he was saved, loved to sing some of the old hymns. All four of us would sing.  It truly was terrible. My Father’s singing could only be stated as that of a joyful noise. The wild part is, I miss it. I still love to hear my brother’s voice and his ability to harmonize and make even the worst of singers look good.

     Other than the Word of God, music can encourage me quicker than anything that I know. I am still amazed at some of the old hymns and their influence in my life.  Daily, I am reminded of the grace of God that has been shown. Almost every day, two songs that remind of the grace of God are constantly played within my mind.  My favorite line in all of the great hymns is found in the song,” The Comforter has come”. I am brought to the point of tears when I hear these words, “That I a child of Hell, should in His image shine, The Comforter has come.”

     The other is that of a former slave trader, who found the grace of God could even be bestowed upon him. I understand his gratefulness to God when he would write, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.   I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see.” There is no way that I could ever repay Him for His grace that has been shown. I do not, to this day, understand it nor will I ever.

     I am reminded of an older gentleman, by the name of George, who I met earlier in my ministry. He had lost the dearest thing in the world to him only a couple of years earlier, when his wife had died. His health was not all that great and you could tell he was surrounded by the sounds of silence in his home. We talked much about his love for his wife and about seeing her once again. He then looked at me and began to sing these words, “My Jesus I love thee, I know thou art mine.” We both sat in the silence and sang that song together as the sun slowly began to set over the hills of Arkansas.

     When I was in Bible College, I had received some pretty heavy news. I walked past all the students and sat out on a rock. I sat out there for about 20 minutes and headed back to the chapel where the students now gathered for services.  When I opened up those chapel doors, I heard these words being sung, “My sin not in part but the whole, it is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my Soul.   And Lord, haste the day, when my faith shall be sight the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so it is well with my soul, It is well, It is well, with my soul.” This is still my favorite Hymn of all.

     Here of late when have been looking for the Lord’s guidance as we seek His will in what He would have us to do next. Praying, asking, seeking His face and waiting is never easy to do. Once again though I am reminded by what Brother Dorsey said and it brings the greatest of comfort. “Precious Lord take my hand, lead me on help me stand, I am weak , I am worn, through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand precious Lord and lead me on.”

     We have been blessed by so many of you as brothers and sisters. You have been praying, caring and watching out for us. It has truly been a humbling experience. We understand what the songwriter meant when he said, “Blest be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love.” Thank you can never be enough we are blessed to have you as our spiritual family.

     It’s one of those nights that I wish that I could just load on up in the car. Listen to some Christian music and sing as loud as I can. How I pray that, “You will speak to one another in Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  Ephesians 5:19

The Joy Of Music

One of the greatest gifts that our Father has bestowed upon us is that of music. Good music will always flesh out a story for us and after all isn't that what our lives are. Stories. Each person represents a story played out before others and before our God. The joy, the tragedy, and the humor all of these things makeup the stories of our life. The most important part though of any story will be that of Redemption.

Usually once a year I take some time out to listen to Handel's Messiah. My emotions are swept up as I hear the words of scripture put to music. I hear the prophecies, the birth, the death, the resurrection and so many other events of the life of Christ. I am drained when I listen to it all and am reminded of this wonderful savior.

It doesn't stop there though. My heart grows closer to the Lord as I listen to the words of Rich Mullins, Keith Green and Steve Camp and I have to ask myself am I as close to Jesus as I need to be. The harmonies of music that still haunt me as I listen to the Cathedral Quartet, Selah, Phillips Craig and Dean, Mercy Me or the old gospel groups The Soul Stirrers and The Blind Boys of Alabama. I love voices that sound as though they have seen it all and came out better for it like Ashley Cleveland, Glenn Kaiser and Mac Powell from the Christian Rock Group Third Day.

Closing my eyes I love to hear harmonies flow without instruments like the groups of Acappella, many of Glad's recordings, the Issac's or even Take 6. I enjoy the pleasure of how music can bring such joy with groups like the Newsboys, Kutless, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Need to Breathe. The ones that very few people know but are more then worth the hearing like Joy Whitlock, Three Crosses, or Mark Heard. So many hues and colors in telling the story of all stories.

Now as I have grown older there are some of the non-Christian music artist that I love. There truly was a day when I believed that if it did not talk about Jesus it was worthless. Yet, the scriptures also talk to us about the issues of marriage, loneliness, money, friendships gained, and friendships lost. I am reminded though of how sometimes the unsaved world gets it. Though I would not agree with several of George Jones songs I am still reminded of the truth that he shares when he sings about, "how we are living and dying by the choices we make."

The group U2 and the album the Joshua Tree still has some of the most haunting lyrics of all time. We as believers and followers of the Lamb should take a listen. The soul of a man as Joe Coker or Ray Charles sings of loss and joy. The lonesome cries of a 29 year old boy from Alabama who seemed to never see the light that he sang about. Sometimes we need to hear their cries and their pleasure in this life that God has given to all men.

Though I love many of these groups and enjoy them. My greatest joy is to hear the songs about the one who loves me most. I want to sing forth His praises, He is my bridge over troubled waters, my shelter in a time of storm and because of this I will daily sing of My Redeemer.