Header Pictures The pictures in the blog header are shots I have taken. The mountain pictures are from our cruise to Alaska August 2009, and the lake birds were taken March 2010 on Mullett Lake as the ice was melting. The scrapple and Tastykake shot needs no further explanation.
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How much wealth we have, right at our fingertips, which is so easily overlooked or ignored. Reading through Gadsby’s Hymns, I came on these two Charles Wesley hymns, found back to back at numbers 1053 and 1054, and most likely found in most hymnals of the last century. The words may be familiar to you, and they may bring a hymn tune to mind. If they do, take a moment and think on what Wesley is trying to convey. Even if they aren’t familiar, read through them again and take advantage of the wealth of wisdom and understanding to be gained from this man of God.
#1053 CW
Love divine, all love excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down!
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion;
Pure unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation;
Comfort every sinking heart.
Breathe, O breathe thy blessed Spirit
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit;
Let us find thy promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.
Carry on thy new creation;
Pure and holy may we be;
Let us see our whole salvation
Perfectly secured by thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place;
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.
#1054 CW
COME, thou long expected Jesus!
Born to set thy people free;
From our fear and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the saints thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy children to deliver,
Born a child and yet a king;
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thy own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thy all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
Take a minute and think of how the theme of the first leads right into the theme of the second. Christ, the Love Divine, the Joy of Heaven, born to visit us with His salvation. Born to rule in our hearts and by His merit raise us to His throne.
Wonderful, isn’t it?
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Here are two blogs by Zac Hicks discussing a more liturgical worship setting, and whether it means less emphasis on preaching and yet a greater emphasis on Scripture. I agree with him that there has to be room for all three. A formal liturgy, along with a significant focus on Scripture does not have to be at the exclusion of good, solid preaching. Rather, they should go hand in hand in hand, flowing cohesively together to bring us together in Spirit and in truth.
Read his two posts here and here.
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We sang this song in church today to close the service. Novel idea, I know, to close the service with a song. The song is relatively new, written in 2005 by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. Great words, and a melody that keeps you singing it all day long. Here are the lyrics (click on the link to hear a sample:
The Power Of The Cross
Oh to see the dawn of the darkest day.
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
This the pow’r of the cross.
Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh to see the pain written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
This the pow’r of the cross.
Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath
Quakes as its maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life.
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.
This the pow’r of the cross.
Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see my name written in the wounds,
For through Your suff’ring I am free.
Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love!
This the pow’r of the cross,
Son of God slain for us.
What a life, what a cost.
We stand forgiven at the cross.
© 2005 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
As we sang the last verse, I couldn’t help thinking of a couple of other songs that fit right in with specific phrases. The first phrase, “Oh to see my name written in the wounds” took me at once to the song “A Debtor to Mercy Alone” where Augustus Toplady drew from Isaiah in saying “My name from the palm of your hand eternity will not erase, Impressed on your heart it remains, in marks of indelible grace“. Then the next phrase, “Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live” took me to a song written by Henri Malan and updated by Bob Kauflin, “It Is Not Death to Die“, where he says in the chorus “O Jesus, conquering the grave. Your precious blood has power to save. Those who trust in You Will in Your mercy find That it is not death to die.”
What a great HOPE we have for tomorrow when we put our faith in, and WAIT on the Lord today.
It Is Not Death to Die
It is not death to die,
To leave this weary road,
And join the saints who dwell on high,
Who’ve found their home with God.
It is not death to close
The eyes long dimmed by tears,
And wake in joy before Your throne,
Delivered from our fears.
O Jesus, conquering the grave.
Your precious blood has power to save.
Those who trust in You
Will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die.
It is not death to fling
Aside this earthly dust,
And rise with strong and noble wing,
To live among the just.
It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore.
O Jesus, conquering the grave.
Your precious blood has power to save.
Those who trust in You
Will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die.
Words by Henri Malan and Bob Kauflin
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries.
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John W. Peterson wrote the words and music to this song in 1948.
In the image of God
We were made long ago,
With the purpose divine
Here His glory to show.
But we failed Him one day,
And like sheep went astray,
Thinking not of the cost,
We His likeness had lost.
But from eternity
God had in mind
The work of Calvary,
The lost to find.
From His heaven so broad
Christ came down
Earth to trod,
So that man might live again
In the image of God.
Now that I have believed
And the Savior received,
Now that I from the cry
Of my guilt am relieved;
I will live for my Lord,
Not for gain or reward
But for love, thinking of what
His grace has restored.
I’ll never comprehend
Redemption’s plan -
How Christ could condescend
To die for man.
Such a Savior I’ll praise
To the end of my days,
As I upward, onward trod
In the image of God.
© 1948. Renewed 1976 John W. Peterson Music Company
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A great commercial for Wendy’s years ago (1984) used this phrase “Where’s the beef?” to bring to light the diminishing patty in some fast food hamburgers. Bob Kauflin, in his blog Worship Matters, asks a similar question about our worship patterns. He is much more articulate than Clara Heller was in her three words, but the thought is the same: our worship needs substance, not just form, to be fulfilling and meaningful.
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Today, July 17, is Isaac Watts birthday. He was born in 1674, making him 336 years old. Check out more about him here. Watts wrote a number of hymns we still sing today, and put every Psalm to music for the church to sing.
Some of his more well-known hymns include “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Joy To The World”. What is your favorite Watts hymn?
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Here is a great post by Matthew Smith on his use of contemporary settings of hymns in worship.
“The lyrics I was singing were not about my desires and how much I wanted to worship God, they were about Jesus and His desires, and they gave specific and beautiful reasons why He was worthy of worship.
Arise, my soul, arise! Shake off your guilty fears—the bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears.
Before the throne my surety stands…my name is written on His hands.
“The hymns also invited me to be honest. Rather than demanding that I leave the hardships of life at the door to lose myself in a “worship experience” (which had never panned out anyway, and upon reflection, seemed more of a Buddhist ideal than a Christian one), they spoke frankly about how weariness, sorrow, and pain are a part of the normal Christian life—not a sign of personal spiritual failure.”
Read his whole post. Then look for his music. The Indelible Grace CDs he mentions are outstanding. If you don’t have them you should. They blend contemporary music styles with traditional, thought-provoking hymns by some of the greatest spiritual thinkers and hymn-writers.
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Today starts a week of vacation for me. After a day of lake time, projects and such today, we’re taking a short excursion up north. We will be traveling to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with our granddaughter Jenna and taking in some of our favorite things there. We’re going to start at the Soo Locks in Sault Sainte Marie, which serve as the gateway to shipping in the Great Lakes. Then to Paradise (MI) for a stop at Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum and after that to my FAVORITE spot, Tahquamenon Falls. I hope we can rent a boat and row across to the island – we haven’t done that in recent memory.
 Tahquamenon Falls in winter We’re going to try a new spot next, the Oswald Bear Ranch. If I understand the concept, they rescue orphaned or abandoned bear cubs and give them a chance to live in the wild.
Next, it’s on to Palms Book State Park and Kitch-iti-kipi, Big Spring. 10,000 gallons of water a minute come from the springs. Then a trip to Fayette to visit the abandoned iron mining community there. On our last visit there, we found a little restaurant along the way that served the best pasties. Jenna has promised me she will try a pasty, as long as… (and her list is pretty long).
On the way home we plan to stop at the Cut River Bridge for a hike down the gorge and back up, and then at the north’s two best tourist traps, Mystery Spot in St. Ignace and Sea Shell City.
We’d love to make it to Pictured Rocks in Munising, but that is another day away from the lake.
I hope to take a lot of pictures, and will enter the best one in a contest at WatercolorsByPhyllis.com to win a free original watercolor painting. If you have a favorite photo, you should enter the contest. Just email your photo to contests@watercolorsbyphyllis.com. For more details, check their blog.
Kitch-iti-kipi
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I got a big kick out of reading Dan Gilbert’s blog posting today regarding LeBron James’ signing with the Miami Heat. It was quite interesting that he should play the loyalty card so strongly, given that he tried extremely hard to woo Tom Izzo from Michigan State with tons of money and supposed opportunity, eschewing the same ideals he is now vilifying James for ignoring. Give me a break.
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Joel Miller had these words to say on encouraging his children to believe in God.
“It occurs to me that the most important means to encourage belief in God, to encourage their love, trust, and hope in God is to encourage repentance and help them cultivate holiness. The greater the sanctification, the deeper the belief.”
You can read his entire blog here.
Don’t EVER lose your connection with your children. You can’t encourage them if you don’t talk to them.
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Disclaimer The posts on this blog are provided ‘as is’ with no warranties and confer no rights. The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent those of any other person or entity.
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