Category: Music

You Have Been Good to Me, LORD

I’m loving the Psalms this morning, especially those whose words have sunk deep into my heart. Of them, Psalm 121 always comes to mind. And how it causes me to say, in the words of Psalm 13: 6, “I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 121 (ESV)
Audrey Assad, “Good To Me” (lyrics below)

Good To Me (Audrey Assad)

I put all my hope on the truth of Your promise
And I steady my heart on the ground of Your goodness
When I’m bowed down with sorrow I will lift up Your name
And the foxes in the vineyard will not steal my joy

Because You are good to me, good to me
You are good to me, good to me
You are good to me

And I lift my eyes to the hills where my help is found
Your voice fills the night – raise my head up to hear the sound
Though fires burn all around me I will praise You, my God
And the foxes in the vineyard will not steal my joy

Because You are good to me, good to me
You are good to me, good to me
You are good to me, yeah

Your goodness and mercy shall follow me
All my life
I will trust in Your promise

Yeah, Your goodness and mercy shall follow me
All my life
I trust in Your promise

Your goodness and mercy shall follow me
All my life
I will trust in Your promise

Because You’ re good (You are good to me, good to me)
So good (You are good to me, good to me)
You are good to me

A Common-Place Jotting: In Dir Ist Freude

Common-Place or “Locus Communis” — a place to remember

http://www.hymntime.com/tch

Written by Johann Lindemann in 1598, “In Dir Ist Freude” (“In Thee is Gladness”) was translated from the German by Catherine Winkworth almost three hundred years later. Winkworth was a pioneer in promoting women’s rights as well as promoting women’s higher education. Johann Lindemann was one of the signers of the Lutheran Formula of Concord, and served often as a cantor in various churches in his native Germany. The hymn is often performed using J.S. Bach’s arrangement.

In Thee is Gladness              

In thee is gladness amid all sadness,
Jesus, sunshine of my heart!
By thee are given the gifts of heaven,
thou the true redeemer art!
Our souls thou wakest, our bonds thou breakest,
who trusts thee surely hath built securely,
and stands forever: Hallelujah!
Our hearts are pining to see thy shining,
dying or living to thee are cleaving,
naught can us sever: Hallelujah!

If he is ours, we fear no powers,
nor of earth, nor sin, nor death.
He sees and blesses in worst distresses;
he can change them with a breath.
Wherefore the story, tell of his glory,
with heart and voices all heav’n rejoices
in him forever: Hallelujah!
We shout for gladness, triumph o’er sadness,
love thee and praise thee,
and still shall raise thee
glad hymns forever: Hallelujah!

Continue reading “A Common-Place Jotting: In Dir Ist Freude”

Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy

For Cee’s FOTD Challenge

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.
“Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy)” composed by Shane & Shane, sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Here is Love

Dyma gariad fel y moroedd (Here is love vast as the ocean)

Welsh hymn by William Rees; Translator, William Edwards

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our ransom,
shed for us his precious blood.
Who his love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing his praise?
He can never be forgotten,
throughout heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
poured incessant from above,
And heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
kissed a guilty world in love.

…

Jesus. King of Angels

Beautiful bedtime song from Fernando Ortega: “Jesus, King of Angels.”

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you tonight and give you a good night’s sleep free from all anxiety to greet the new day with fresh hope.

Jesus, King of angles, Heaven’s light
Shine your face upon this house tonight.
Let no evil come into my dreams,
Light of Heaven, keep me in your peace.

Remind me how you made dark spirits flee,
And spoke your power to the raging sea,
And spoke your mercy to a sinful man –
Remind me, Jesus, for this is what I am.

The universe is vast beyond the stars
But Your are mindful when a sparrow falls
And mindful of the anxious thoughts
That find me, surround me, and bind me

With all my heart I love you,
Sovereign Lord.
Tomorrow, let me love you even more,
And rise to speak
The goodness of Your name
Until I close my eyes in sleep again.

The universe is vast beyond the stars
But you are mindful when a sparrow falls
And mindful of the anxious thoughts
That find me, surround me, and bind me

Jesus, King of angels, Heaven’s light
Hold my hand,
And keep me through this night

Saturday Symphony #4

picsart_07-11-02.14.51

Jude’s Ponderous Thought this week:

THE MUSIC OF MY SOUL

~Write about your favourite musical instrument(s) and the things it/they make you feel~

The first drawn note says she’s a player. It may be a fiddle or a violin.

She either makes you hold your breath or draw it in.

Stings your brain with brandywine or stretches your heart till nothing’s outside it.

Classical is like geometric chemistry, lovers’ hands touching.

Bluegrass frees your feet to where the stars are spinning.

I take my pick. It’s gotta be strings. 

Share Your World 7-27-2020

shareyw-cupped-hands

Here are this week’s questions on Melanie’s Share Your World.

Are you a clean or messy person? Both – it depends. Messy until the messiness gets in my way or clean until the cleanliness gets in my way. Generally speaking, rather clean.

If I asked you to describe yourself in five words – what would they be? A child of God —Simul justus et peccator (I’m counting all the Latin as one very pretentious word 🙂

Do you enjoy being out in nature? Walking in the woods or along a river path for me is like hearing the the slow movement of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2.

Don’t freak out. You’ll recognize it as soon as you hear the first notes.

In the same way, being outdoors hiking or just sitting on a hillside shatters me with nostalgia and the longing of a traveller headed home.

What could you spend all day talking about? The grace of God .

Sláinte!🍻

God Sings

It’s not so difficult to believe that God, the Creator of the universe, sings. After all, he made so many creatures that can sing including humans (to varying degrees), birds, crickets, wolves, frogs, dolphins, yes, even mice!

There is singing in all of creation in one form or another, the sounds of nature in the air, earth, and sea. There are those who have believed in the singing of the stars, the music of the spheres as they move about it space.

Continue reading “God Sings”