Safe in the Arms of Jesus

Words: Fan­ny Cros­by, 1868.

Music: W. How­ard Doane (MI­DI, score).

This song was played on Au­gust 8, 1885, when U.S. Pre­si­dent Ulys­ses S. Grant was laid to rest in Ri­ver­side Park, on the banks of the Hud­son Ri­ver.

Doane & Crosby On April 30, 1868, Dr. W. H. Doane came into my house and said, “I have ex­act­ly for­ty min­utes be­fore my train leaves for Cin­cin­nati. Here is a mel­o­dy. Can you write words for it?” I re­plied that I would see what I could do. Then fol­lowed a space of twen­ty min­utes dur­ing which I was whol­ly un­con­scious of all else ex­cept the work I was do­ing. At the end of that time I re­cit­ed the words to “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.” Mr. Doane co­pied them, and had time to catch his train.

Crosby

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.
Hark! ’tis the voice of angels, borne in a song to me.
Over the fields of glory, over the jasper sea.

Refrain

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe from corroding care,
Safe from the world’s temptations, sin cannot harm me there.
Free from the blight of sorrow, free from my doubts and fears;
Only a few more trials, only a few more tears!

Refrain

Jesus, my heart’s dear Refuge, Jesus has died for me;
Firm on the Rock of Ages, ever my trust shall be.
Here let me wait with patience, wait till the night is over;
Wait till I see the morning break on the golden shore.

Refrain


Dear Lord,

May we rest in Your arms our heads on Your chest. Lord, we know no matter what happens we can run to You for safety, comfort, and support.

I ask that in all we do we bring You glory. May I be mighty warriors in this war we are raging against the enemy. May we be light for those seeking but do not know what/who they are seeking.

God we lift up all those who are suffering and ask that You lay Your hands on them and heal them.

In Your son's name,

Amen

Take Time to be Holy

Words: Will­iam D. Long­staff, 1882.

Music: Ho­li­ness, George C. Stebbins, 1890 (MI­DI, score).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the shrine over the tomb in which, it is believed, Jesus was buried.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What a powerful hymn. I was not raised in church and the churches I have attended in the last 20+ years sing primarily contemporary Christian songs. So, how do I find these hymn? God gives me the titles and I search for them on the internet.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray relief from the pain that I and so many others live with daily. God, please, provide opportunities for us to tell others of You and Your precious gift...Your son, Jesus.

Lord, there is so many activities happening this weekend that will provide opportunities for many to hear of You. We ask that You are felt in such a powerful way that only You can be given the glory.

Walk with us thru the coming days and we may bring glory to Your name. Help us to serve You and praise You at every turn.

Thank You for the many blessings You bestow on us by the second. Keep us near, watch over and protect us, may we be a blessing to others.

In Your Son's Name,
Amen

Please email me if you have questions about a relationship with God or about deepening your relationship with Him.

Standing on the Promises

Words & Music: R. Kel­so Car­ter, in Prom­is­es of Per­fect Love, by John Swe­ney and Kel­so Car­ter (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: John J. Hood, 1886) (MI­DI, score).

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

One of the most beautiful hymns. If only we would remember God's promises as we go about our day, week, month....life. To be ever listening to our God's voice, to know it, seek it, and heed it. Is God your all in all? How freeing our life would be if we would make Him our everything.

I challenge everyone to a 30 day prayer challenge. Pray for someone specifically you know who is not saved; pray for your pastor; pray for someone you know who is struggling; pray for God to bring you opportunity to share Him with others; pray that you might be a mighty warrior in His army.

Many feel prayer has to be done on your knees, at meal time, bedtime or at church but don't limit yourself to just these times. I pray while I'm driving (yes, with my eyes open), while I do the dishes, clean the house, basically whenever God calls something to my mind that needs my attention.

If you don't know God or want a deeper relationship with Him but don't know how....please, email me and we can take this walk together.

Sweet Prince,

I offer my life to you. I pray for each person who reads this blog that they may seek new ways to serve You. I ask that each person's relationship with You be deepened and bare much fruit. May the harvest be great from our prayers for the unsaved. It is only thru You a person finds thier way to You but You have commanded us to pray for the salvation of all. We praise You for allowing us to share in this great time.

Please, bring revival to us. We praise Your name for all that You do for us and thru us.

In Your Son's Name,

Amen

The King is Coming

Today is the National Day of Prayer

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane

Remember our nation and leaders, our churches and leaders, our schools, children, teachers, and staff, special ministries, missionaries, our families and friends..don't forget our unsaved.

"If prayer does not have a high place in our lives , our Christian experience will be without spirit and our influence will be dry and lifeless. Without prayer the Christian graces will wither and die. We may also add that without, prayer preaching is dull and useless and the Gospel loses its wings and its power. Christ is the lawgiver of prayer, and Paul is His apostle of prayer. Both declare prayer's primary importance and demonstrate its indispensibility. Their prayer-directions cover all places, include all times, and encompass all things. How then, can Christian soldiers hope or dream of victory unless they are fortified by prayer's power? How can they fail, if in addition to putting on the armor of God, they are at all times and seasons '"Praying always with all prayer and supplicatuin in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints"'? E.M. Bounds

"Are you willing to allow that '"slight shift in the balance of power in the world"' to begin with you? In His prayer, Jesus calls us not only reach out to God for His forgiveness, but also to erach out to others and extend to them our own. That is the only ultimate way to conquer evil. Our willing sacrifice is required. Evil will be healed only through love of individuals-- that is, through you and me.
And it can start today." David Jeremiah Prayer the Great Adventure


The King is Coming

Words & Music: Ira D. Sank­ey, 1888 (MI­DI, score); some hymn­als show the au­thor as Sank­ey’s pseu­do­nym, Ri­an A. Dykes.

During one of my trips to Great Bri­tain, on “The Ci­ty of Rome,” a storm raged on the sea. The wind was howl­ing through the rig­ging, and waves like mount­ains of foam were break­ing over the bow of the ves­sel. A great fear had fall­en up­on the pass­en­gers. When the storm was at its worst we all thought that we might soon go to the bot­tom of the sea. The con­vict­ion came to me that the Lord would be with us in the try­ing hour, and, sit­ting down in the read­ing room, I com­posed this hymn. Be­fore reach­ing Eng­land the tune had formed it­self in my mind, and on ar­riv­ing in Lon­don I wrote it out and had it pub­lished in “Sa­cred Songs and So­los.” It has been much em­ployed in Eng­land in con­nect­ion with ser­mons on the se­cond com­ing of Christ, and was fre­quent­ly used by Mr. Moo­dy.

Sankey, pp. 265-6

Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908)

Rejoice! Rejoice! our King is coming!
And the time will not be long,
Until we hail the radiant dawning,
And lift up the glad new song.

Refrain

Oh, wondrous day! oh, glorious morning,
When the Son of Man shall come!
May we with lamps all trimmed and burning
Gladly welcome His return!
Rejoice! Rejoice! our King is coming!
And the time will not be long,
Until we hail the radiant dawning,
And lift up the glad new song.

With joy we wait our King’s returning
From His heavenly mansions fair;
And with ten thousand saints appearing
We shall meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Oh, may we never weary, watching,
Never lay our armor down
Until He come, and with rejoicing
Give to each the promised crown.

Refrain

Daddy,

You are the great conductor and I bow down to Your Orchestration. Lord, please, help me to be a loud and powerful instrument within the orchestra.

God, as we enter this National Day of Prayer may the halls be filled with Your warriors. May the fragrance that arises be pleasing to you. We ask for You to guide our Nation and leaders; churches and the leaders; our schools, children, teachers, and staff; our families; for missions and missionaries; special events; and each individual.

We bow down to You and plead for those who do not, yet know You. May we be the light in their lives in which they can see You.

With a heart full and a life full of blessings.

In Your son's name we pray,
Amen

If you have questions on how to have Jesus as the leader in your life, please, email me at the address on the left.

To God Be the Glory

Prayer the Great Adventure by David Jeremiah

David quotes Oswald Chambers " Remember, no one has time to pray, we have to take time from other things that are valuable in order to understand how necessary prayer is. The things that act like thorns or stings in our personal lives will go away instantly when we pray; we won't feel the smart any more, because we have God's point of view about them. Prayer means that we get into union with God's view of other people."

"God committed Himself to us by His Word in our praying. The Word of God is the basis, inspiration, and heart of prayer. Jesus Christ stands as the illustration of God's Word, its unlimited good in promise, and its fulfillment. God takes nothing by halves. He gives nothing by halves. We can have to whole of Him whe He as the whold of us. His words of promise are so far-reaching and so encompassing that they seem to have deadened our comprehension and have paralyzed our praying. This appears when we considered those large words in which God almost exhausts human language in promises---"whatever" and "anything," and the all inclusive "whatsoever" and "all things." These great often-repeated promises seem to daze us, and instead of allowing them to move us to asking, testing, and receiving, we turn away full of wonder but empty hands and empty hearts." E.M. Bounds.

Both of these books are wonderful books on prayer...the whys and how tos. Both are full of scripture reference and applications.

Title: Ezra Kneels in Prayer
Ezra, as the Jewish leader, had many tough decisions made only after prayer.

Sweet Jesus,

I ask that You bring those who are in need of Your Words to this site. Open their hearts to receive the message You would have them hear. Please continue to use me as Your tool. Keep my heart and mind open to Your guidance and Word.

Continue to bring those to me You would have me minister to and those who I may be Your light.

Move in our land and others touching hearts and lives.

Your daughter forever,
Amen

To God Be the Glory

Frances Jane Crosby (March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), usually known as Fanny Crosby in the United States, and by her married name, Frances van Alstyne in the United Kingdom, was an American Methodist rescue mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer who was during her lifetime one of the best known women in the United States, and was by the end of the 19th century "a household name in evangelical Protestant circles" globally, and "one of the most prominent figures in American evangelical life", being one of the shapers of American culture, helping to "embed Christianity in the history and culture of the United States.

Best known for her Protestant Christian hymns and gospel songs, Crosby was "the premier hymnist of the gospel song period (ca. 1870-1920)", and one of the most prolific hymnists in history, writing over 8,000 despite being blind since infancy, with over 100 million copies of her songs printed. Crosby was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1975. nown as the "Queen of Gospel Song Writers",and as the "Mother of modern congregational singing in America", with "dozens of her hymns continue to find a place in the hymnals of Protestant evangelicalism around the world", with most American hymnals containing her work, as "with the possible exception of Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, Crosby has generally been represented by the largest number of hymns of any writer of the twentieth century in nonliturgical hymnals". Her gospel songs were "paradigmatic of all revival music", and Ira Sankey attributed the success of the Moody and Sankey evangelical campaigns largely to Crosby's hymns. Some of Crosby's best-known songs include "Blessed Assurance", "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour", "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", "Praise Him, Praise Him", "Rescue the Perishing", and "To God Be the Glory". Because some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, Crosby used nearly 200 different pseudonyms during her career.

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory, great things he hath done!

2. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer the promise of God;
the vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
(Refrain)

3. Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done,
and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
(Refrain)

Arise, O Lord, Our God, Arise

Words: The Psalter, 1912.

Music: Herr Je­su Christ (Bach), Pen­sum Sac­rum, 1648; ar­ranged by Jo­hann S. Bach (1685-1750) (MI­DI, score).

Arise, O Lord, our God, arise
And enter now into Thy rest;
O let this house be Thine abode,
Forever with Thy presence blest.

Thy gracious cov’nant, Lord, fulfill,
Turn not away from us Thy face;
Establish Thou Messiah’s throne
And let Him reign within this place.

Thy Zion Thou hast chosen, Lord,
And Thou hast said, I love her well,
This is My constant resting place,

And here will I delight to dwell.

I will abundantly provide
For Zion’s good, the Lord hath said;
I will supply her daily need
And satisfy her poor with bread.

This hymn does not have anything about how it came to be but this is the hymn God laid on my heart.

My heart is heavy over the jubilation of fellow Christians over the death Bin Laden. Yes, he was an awful man but Christ told us that we all sin and fall short of the Glory of God. He told the Pharisees for them whoever is without sin to cast the first stone ( at the adulteress). God does not see sin in degrees.....all sin is equal in His eyes. A liar is no better than a murder. So, please, be careful and guard your heart and mind from the enemy.

Dear Sweet Daddy,

Your love brings me such joy and comfort. I praise in the sun and in the storms. You bless me far beyond what my limited mind can comprehend. I thank you for Your Son and what You did thru Him.

I ask that you bring people and opportunities for us to serve You and to tell all we meet about Your Gift of life thru Jesus. Give us the boldness to step out of our comfort zone and to proclaim the Good News from the mountain tops.

I ask that You continue to move in my life and all that adore You so we may bring Glory to the Kingdom and a smile to Your face.

With all my heart and love.

Your adoring daughter,
Amen

If you would like to have a relationship with God but have questions contact me at the email address on the left.

Prayer Opportunities

Beliefchangers
Let's pray! Post your request below. Acknowledge you're praying for others by: 1)typing a quick prayer 2) comment that you'll pray for the person 3) hit the like button. Make sure you hit the share button on this post to involve your friends! Post all prayer requests under this comment thread so they go out to everyone.
..

Meet Joe and I at gate 21A this SATURDAY, MAY 7 to surround the stadium in prayer! We hope to have 1000+ people hand in hand crying out to our Savior!! RAIN DOWN HOLY SPIRIT! GAMETIMETN.com for more info.

Wall Photos
‎It's Game Time in Tennessee! Join us on May 14th on the UT Campus and see God m...ove! Day time Sports Camps/Cheer Camps (must preregister now at info@gametimetn.com) & childrens zone Noon-5pm... evening worship with Israel Houghton and more at 5:45pm! If you would like to be a Evangelism Volunteer or Counselor please call 865-966-1153 (training is April 28th - 30th)... If you would like to Volunteer in general please call 865-329-6847 (meetings are May 3rd or May 5th)... spread the word and invite the friends you know you should to come to Game Time in East TN Saturday May 14th!See More
By: Marisa Lykins..

Pray for your Pastor and leaders of your church.
Pray for the tornado victims
Pray for the flood victims
Pray for the brush fire victims

Follow God's lead where He would have you pray.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Words: Ju­lia W. Howe, 1861, alt. This hymn was born dur­ing the Amer­i­can ci­vil war, when Howe vis­it­ed a Un­ion Ar­my camp on the Po­to­mac Riv­er near Wash­ing­ton, D. C. She heard the sol­diers sing­ing the song “John Brown’s Body,” and was tak­en with the strong march­ing beat. She wrote the words the next day:

I awoke in the grey of the morn­ing, and as I lay wait­ing for dawn, the long lines of the de­sired po­em be­gan to en­twine them­selves in my mind, and I said to my­self, “I must get up and write these vers­es, lest I fall asleep and for­get them!” So I sprang out of bed and in the dim­ness found an old stump of a pen, which I re­mem­bered us­ing the day be­fore. I scrawled the vers­es al­most with­out look­ing at the p­aper.


The hymn ap­peared in the At­lant­ic Month­ly in 1862. It was sung at the fun­er­als of Brit­ish states­man Win­ston Church­ill, Amer­i­can sen­at­or Ro­bert Ken­ne­dy, and Am­er­i­can pre­si­dents Ron­ald Rea­gan and Ri­chard Nix­on.

Music: John Brown’s Bo­dy, poss­i­bly by John Will­iam Steffe (MI­DI, score). John Brown was an Amer­i­can abo­li­tion­ist who led a short lived in­­sur­­rect­­ion to free the slaves.


Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

Prayer Needs and Opportunities:

Please pray! and spread the word!

Wall Photos
‎It's Game Time in Tennessee! Join us on May 14th on the UT Campus and see God m...ove! Day time Sports Camps/Cheer Camps (must preregister now at info@gametimetn.com) & childrens zone Noon-5pm... evening worship with Israel Houghton and more at 5:45pm! If you would like to be a Evangelism Volunteer or Counselor please call 865-966-1153 (training is April 28th - 30th)... If you would like to Volunteer in general please call 865-329-6847 (meetings are May 3rd or May 5th)... spread the word and invite the friends you know you should to come to Game Time in East TN Saturday May 14th!See More
By: Marisa Lykins..

Pray for our Nation as we enter a new era.

Dear Sweet Jesus,

Forgive our joy at the death of another. You told us that we all had sin and only those without sin should judge. Forgive us for judging and falling short of Your glory.

Lord. please end this war and bring our troops home safely.

Bring us opportunities to serve You and to spread the Good News.

We lay it all at Your feet.

Amen

Edwin Hawkins’ funk style arrangement of the hymn "Oh, Happy Day" has a long pedigree: It began as a hymn written in the mid-18th century ("O happy day, that fixed my choice") by English clergyman Philip Doddridge (based on Acts 8:35) set to an earlier melody (1704) by J. A. Freylinghausen. By the mid-19th century it had been given a new melody by Edward F. Rimbault, who also added a chorus, and was commonly used for baptismal or confirmation ceremonies in the UK and USA. The 20th century saw its adaptation from 3/4 to 4/4 time and this new arrangement by Hawkins, which contains only the repeated Rimbault refrain(all of the original verses being omitted).

The Edwin Hawkins SingersThe Edwin Hawkins Singers began as The Northern California State Youth Choir of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. and was founded in 1967 by Hawkins and Betty Watson. Members were aged 17–25. As was common in gospel circles they produced and distributed their own LP:



I know Sister Act II is not known as a Christian movie, however this song, as it starts out, is much like us. Often when we speak of what Christ has done we are timid UNTIL we actually feel and believe what He did for us all. As you watch the video see the uncertainity and fear, yes, a portion is due to performance anxiety but anxiety is often what prevents us from "singing" the Good News out loud and clear. As we become more comfortable and more sure of ourselves then we become the force with which this young man sings.

My prayer for us all is to have the boldness and confidence to sing out loud and clear the Good News. I want heaven to have so many people that Satan is left with less than a handful of souls. Because souls are what it is all about. If you would like help overcoming your fears of approaching others there are several great books on this...one that I like is Sharing Jesus Without Fear. You may also contact me at the email address to the left.

Dear Lord,
We come to You a broken vessel but You the Potter mold us and shape us into new and whole vessels. Thank you for the love You show each of us and may we bring You joy. You are the Father who shows no favoritism but love each of us the same. We all have different ministeries in which to serve You and the Kingdom. Give us the boldness to serve You and to proclaim the Good News.

We ask that You put others, who do not know You, into our paths. Help us to share You with them with enthusiasim and without fear.

In Jesus' Sweet Name We Pray,

Amen

God of Our Fathers

Words: Dan­i­el C. Ro­berts:

The hymn was written in 1876 for a cel­e­bra­tion of the Cen­ten­n­i­al Fourth of July, and sung at Bran­don, Ver­mont, to the tune called Russ­ian Hymn! When our Gen­er­al Con­ven­tion ap­point­ed a Com­miss­ion to re­vise the Hymn­al, I sent it, with­out my name, prom­is­ing to send the name if the hymn were ac­cept­ed. It was ac­cept­ed and print­ed anon­y­mous­ly in the re­port of the Com­mis­sion. Be­fore the Hymn­al was print­ed, the Rev­er­end Dr. Tuck­er, late of Troy, ed­it­or of our best mu­sic­al Hymn­al, and Mr. George Will­iam War­ren, or­gan­ist of St. Thom­as’ Church, New York, were ap­point­ed to choose a hymn for the cen­ten­ni­al cel­e­bra­tion of the adopt­ion of the Con­sti­tu­tion. They se­lect­ed this hymn, then anon­y­mous, and want­ing a tune, Mr. War­ren com­posed a tune to which it has since been set in the Tuck­er Hymn­al.

Music: National Hymn, George W. War­ren, 1888 (MI­DI, score). War­ren wrote the tune for the cen­ten­ni­al cel­e­bra­tion of the Unit­ed States Con­sti­tu­tion.

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.

Thy love divine hath led us in the past,

In this free land by Thee our lot is cast,
Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.

From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.

Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.

This hymn is as "on point" now as it was 1888.

If you have a heart for prayer be sure to ask your church
about a prayer ministry, needs, and where you can best serve. Ask God where He would have you serve, needs He wants you to pray about, and how you can serve Him. Remember Jesus was in constant prayer with the Father but also set time aside to sit with His Father and converse (prayer)about EVERYTHING!

I must appologize for the lack of posts for the past few months but I am working hard to post and follow God's lead.

Dear Sweet Father,

You bless us all in ways we can understand and in ways we cannot. Open our eyes to opportunities to serve You. Open our hearts for Your people. Give us the wisdom to counsel and to pray for specific needs. You are our loving Daddy and You only want to see us grow in You and to bring You glory. Thank You for providing opportunities for us to serve You.

Guide and protect us.

Forgive us when we fall short of Glory but let us Praise You in all we say and do.

We pray that You will provide us opportunities to witness to those who are blind to You. Give us the courage and words to do as You ask.

I thank You for all You do for us.

In Jesus' name,
AMEN

The picture (title: Sacrifice of Isaac) above is one of Abraham about to sacrifice his son, Isaac. May we obey like he.

Do you have a relationship with Jesus? If not and would like to know more, please contact me via the email address on the left.

Be Thou My Vision

Words: Attributed to Dallan Forgaill, 8th Century (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride); translated from ancient Irish to English by Mary E. Byrne, in “Eriú,” Journal of the School of Irish Learning, 1905, and versed by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt.

Music: Slane, of Irish folk origin (MIDI, score). Slane Hill is about ten miles from Tara in County Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Patrick defied a royal edict by lighting candles on Easter Eve. High King Logaire of Tara had decreed that no one could light a fire before Logaire began the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance (or perhaps because of it), he let him continue his missionary work. The rest is history.

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Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.


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My victory won! Such a light heart offers up this hymn. A God so loving He gave His son to provide us a chance to be with Him for all eternity.

Can you imagine what it cost Him to give His son's life... to watch Him ridiculed, beat, spat on, and murdered..all for us. Could you do the same? Would you like to have the assurance of spending all eternity with Him? An eternal life in Heaven can be yours for the asking. If you would like to accept Christ as your savior, please, email me and we can make that walk together. I would like to pray for and with you.

Dear Sweet Jesus,

You are amazing! I offer my life to You. I bow down before You. I sing Your praises and dance with joy before You. Oh, for all to know You as I do. Please bring me those that I might share my love for You.

God, I ask for Your protection for my friends that lost their jobs and are seeking Your face. They do not want to move forward without Your guidance. Give them peace and a sense of Your presence. Provide for all their needs.

God, I ask for healing for all who are suffering..be it physical, mental or spiritual. There is so much suffering and Your are the great Physician.

Abba, You are in control and we offer our all to You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

So excited about what I see God doing all around me. Please, comment to let me know of things you see God doing.

New Year! New You?

I am sorry I have been off of here for a month but I was working as many as 76 hours a week. Life is back to normal, for me. So a daily Prayer Connection should be possible.

Hymn of the day:

Words & Music: James M. Black, 1893 (MI­DI, score). Black, a Meth­od­ist Sun­day school teach­er in Wil­liams­port, Penn­syl­van­ia, was call­ing roll one day for a youth meet­ing. Young Bes­sie, daugh­ter of a drunk­ard, did not show up, and he was dis­ap­point­ed at her fail­ure to ap­pear. Black made a com­ment to the ef­fect, “Well, I trust when the roll is called up yon­der, she’ll be there.” He tried to re­spond with an ap­prop­ri­ate song, but could not find one in his song book:

This lack of a fit­ting song caused me both sor­row and dis­ap­point­ment. An in­ner voice seemed to say, “Why don’t you write one?” I put away the thought. As I opened the gate on my way home, the same thought came again so strong­ly that tears filled my eyes. I en­tered the house and sat down at the pi­a­no. The words came to me ef­fort­less­ly…The tune came the same way—I dared not change a sin­gle note or word.

This song was sung in the Aca­de­my award win­ning mo­vie Ser­geant York (1941).


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When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

When the roll, is called up yon-der,
When the roll, is called up yon-der,
When the roll, is called up yon-der,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.

On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain


I hope when the roll up yonder is called...you will be there...will you? If you don't know our Lord and would like to email me and we can walk together as you make that life changing decision.

Dear Sweet Jesus,

I call out in Your name to reach out and save all those sitting on the fence. Heaven has no limit to the number who may enter...we only have to believe. I am reminded of the saying " the more the merrier" and won't it be merry? Singing and praising the Father and being able to dance before You. Be still my heart, I so long for that day when I can see You face to face.

Lord, You know of the friends who lost their jobs this week. I pray for them that You will provide just the right job for them. Ease any fears they may have and give them a sense of peace.

Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, for You are in the Heavens and all is right with the world. Let us rest in that.

Your little girl, forever,

Penny

The artwork is titled: The Calling of the Chosen to Heaven