Five of My Favorite Hymns

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My musical taste is wide and varied, but I confess, I do love hymns.  There's something majestic and soul-stirring about the great old hymns.  I believe they lend themselves to worship in a very real way.

Like many Christians, I'm concerned that the hymns are being lost in the avalanche of modern praise songs.  While I have nothing against those, I believe we still need to be singing the hymns.  Children need to be familiar with them.

Yes, the language can sometimes be a bit archaic, but it's worth it to delve into the meanings.

(Joni Eareckson Tada has written a book the encourages parents to introduce the great hymns of the faith to their children.  You may want to check out Hymns for a Kid's Heart if you're interested.)

Here are five of my favorite hymns...

And Can it Be?

This is definitely my favorite hymn of all time.  The words, by John Wesley's brother, Charles Wesley, paint a vivid picture of a prisoner set free.


"Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee."

In  The English Hymn: A Critical and Historical Study, J.R. Watsons
 said of Wesley:

“Charles Wesley's hymns are forceful because they contain so many words which are physical: for him the life of a Christian was to be experienced in the body as well as in the soul.” 

Here's a pretty arrangement of the song.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

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Here's a beautiful rendition of this stirring hymn.




Be Thou My Vision

This hymn can claim honors as being one of the oldest hymns in existence, as its roots go all they way back to 6th century Ireland.

It has a haunting, Celtic feel to it that I love.  The words are also wonderful:

"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."

Here's one of the many beautiful versions you can find on YouTube.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation

There's just something about this hymn that I love, especially to sing with a congregation.  I love the tune, but also the words:

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
  the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy
  health and salvation!
    All ye who hear,
Now to His temple draw near;
Sing now in glad adoration!"


Here's a really, really beautiful a cappella version.






It is Well with My Soul

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Last on this list, but definitely not least! This confident assertion of faith in God, no matter what your circumstances, is a song every Christian should know (in my humble opinion.)

I love lifting my voice in worship with this hymn along with a congregation at church.  Few things are more soul-stirring!

The lyrics by Horatio Spafford are even more meaningful if you read the story behind them

Check out this beautiful rendition by David Phelps...




This is by no means an exhaustive list of my favorite hymns. That would make for a very lengthy blog post.  However, that's just of a few of my favorites.

Do you have any favorite hymns?  Please let me know in my comments section.

Also, if you aren't familiar with hymns, I encourage you to give them a chance.  Step out of your box for a bit, and I believe you'll be blessed.

Sunday Song: This Is How it Feels to be Free

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir--This Is How It Feels To Be Free

Sunday Song: I Will Worship You, Matthew Ward

Beautiful song, beautiful voice.

Sunday Song

I'm Amazed

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir featuring Jason Crabb

Sunday Song

His Strength is Perfect

Steven Curtis Chapman

A Beautiful Sunday Song

Before the Throne of God Above

So, Sunday is almost over...but I wanted to share a beautiful song that my daughter passed along to me tonight.

Elizabeth is at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, and she loves the church she's attending there--Calvary Baptist.

My daughter loves music, and she was so excited that this song was sung as a congregational hymn at her church this morning.

It sounds like one of the beautiful songs written and performed by Keith and Kristyn Getty (who call themselves "modern hymnwriters"), but it's actually very old.

A quick Google check told me that the words were written by Charitie Bancroft in 1863, while the music was written by William Bradbury (who also composed the tune to "Jesus Loves Me") in 1861.

Here it is, sung beautifully by Selah. Hope you had a blessed Sunday!

Why I love Andrew Peterson--and sort of a belated Easter post!

"...the early Christians... didn’t need faith to believe Christ’s resurrection like I do... They saw him. They ate fish with him. They walked and talked with the man who just a week ago was strung up like a criminal and dead as a doornail. For them it wasn’t blind faith. And that’s why the word spread like wildfire. Hundreds and hundreds of people laid eyes on the one human being since the beginning of time who kicked down Death’s door and made it out alive again."--Andrew Peterson

I've blogged about Andrew Peterson before. I've had the privilege of interviewing him a couple of times, seeing him in concert, and reading his richly imaginative fantasy books, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten.

But I have to talk about Andrew again today, because my daughter just let me listen to a song from a future CD, Resurrection Letters, Volume One (typical of Andrew's quirky, humorous approach to life, Resurrection Letters, Volume Two, was released first.)

Andrew is a poet. His lyrics are lovely and poetic, but deeply infused with Scripture and meaning. If your soul responds to such things,as well as to a rather folksy musical style, you will also love Andrew.

The song Elizabeth had me listen to was "Risen Indeed."

Had I heard it before Easter, this would definitely have been my Easter post, because both the song and Andrew's accompanying post celebrate Resurrection Day beautifully and profoundly.

In his Easter Sunday post, Andrew writes:

I long to see him face-to-face. I long to put my hand in his side, and touch the scars. I want to thank him and to worship him without this confounded veil between us. Just fighting to believe can make you weary, and faith is hard to hold. But we are given moments of reprieve. Easter comes around and the pews are full of every-Sunday sinners and once-in-a-blue-moon saints. The ice melts. The daffodils glow like little suns. We remember the earth-shaking fact of the resurrection of Jesus, and hope comes galloping in from the east, trumpeting the tune of victory.

You can scroll down Andrew's post to hear "Risen Indeed." I love how he struggles with tears as he sings certain parts of the song.

Christian singers are human, flawed sinners. I don't ask them to somehow be better or holier than the rest of us. But it sure is nice to find one who is "the real deal."

Andrew Peterson's faith is obviously unashamed and genuine. I'm a fan.

"...as I write this on Easter morning, when I think of the pain and death and sorrow that surrounds me and my community, I believe it, because I have seen a light the shadow cannot touch. I have seen healing, and unexplainable faith; I have seen quiet mercy stop evil in its tracks.

...The stories are true.

Let wonder infect you."--Andrew Peterson

Titletrakk.com: Your Christian book, music and movie terminal

"We want TitleTrakk.com to be...a website where people of all walks can discover the amazing options available to them in Christian entertainment today"--from the site's "About Us" page

I interview Titletrakk.com co-creator and author, C.J. Darlington

(Go here to listen to my interview with C.J.Darlington)

How do you get word about new releases from your favorite Christian authors and musicians? Would you be interested in an online one-stop shop, so to speak, where you could get all the information on the latest books, CDs and movies...along with reviews, interviews and contests in which you can actually win some of those products?

Then Titletrakk.com is definitely for you.

The brainchild of sisters C. J. Darlington and Tracy Darlington, Titletrakk.com is one of the most varied and comprehensive websites featuring current info on books, music and movies that fall into the Christian genre.

"Tracy and I were both free-lance writers, and we had different interests...Tracy's interest was mostly Christian music, and I was more interested in the books," C.J. Darlington told me in a recent phone interview.

"We kind of were wondering how we could put our interests together, and we thought, 'Let's do a website."

The site started in 2006 with book and music info, eventually branching out into movies.

Titletrakk.com is updated every week, and typically will feature a new author interview and music interview.

A strong interactive element keeps the site popping, with reader surveys and frequent contests in which site visitors can win books, CDs and movies.

C.J. Darlington's Thicker than Blood



Since I had C.J. on the phone, I took the opportunity to ask her about her first published book, Thicker Than Blood.


She says the book was birthed when she was a 15-year-old homeschooling student, so having it published after years of revisions and rejections was particularly rewarding and exciting.

In 2008, she submitted the manuscript to the Operation First Novel contest. C.J. writes on her website:

I submitted the manuscript to the contest, and in November I found out it was a finalist. On February 19th, 2009 I was amazed when Jerry B. Jenkins announced Thicker than Blood as the winner of that year’s contest. The winner received a contract with Tyndale House, and I couldn’t be more blessed with the way the Lord brought it all about. I almost gave up on this novel. I almost put it away in a drawer. Goes to show persistence is vital in writing.

My review?

Thicker Than Blood grabbed me immediately with its tale of two very different sisters.

May is about to lose her beloved ranch, but is struggling to keep it together with the help of tenacity and faith. Christy is estranged from her family, trapped in a violent relationship, and miserable.

Adding interest and suspense to the story is the fact that Christy and her abusive ex-boyfriend Vince are antique book dealers, and Vince is involved in shady dealings that threaten to bring Christy down.

The characters are real and engaging--I found myself pulling for black sheep Christy even when she was at her worst--and the faith element is strong and believable.

And as someone who has sisters that she loves very much, the family aspect of the book was relatable and appealing.

I heartily recommend Thicker than Blood.

Go here to listen to my interview with C.J. Darlington