Hymn- Brooke Fraser

If to distant lands I scatter if I sail to farthest seas would you find and firm and gather till I only dwell in Thee. If I flee from greenest pastures would you leave to look for me? Forfeit glory to come after till I only dwell in Thee. If my heart has one ambition if my soul one goal to seek this my solitary vision till I only dwell in Thee. That I only dwell in Thee till I only dwell in Thee.

These word pretty much sum up the desires of my heart and the purpose of my life. It's sad that people have this awful view of Christianity being a legalistic restrictive religion when it's in fact completely the opposite. It is not a set of rules to live by imposed by a religion it is graceful relationship with Christ. Romans 6:14 says that we are not under law but under grace. It also says, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.... for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I heard this great quote last night and I find it so true, "Christianity is merely one beggar showing another beggar where to get bread." Christ likens salvation to a feast. There's an account in Luke 14 of a great parable Jesus gave which shows us His heart on salvation: "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to test them. I ask that you have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master it is done as you commanded and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant , 'Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house be filled. 'For I say to you that none of those men who were inited shall taste my supper.'"

The people who made excuses to reject the invitation to the great feast were the religious people of the day that rejected Christ and certainly many people today are still making the same excuses rejecting Christ and following after other things like wealth, power etc. But Jesus extends the invitation to the poor, the blind, the lame and the maimed. These are people that are spiritually bankrupt, blind to righteousness who otherwise cannot walk or see to help themselves. He even extends His invitation to the people in the highways and hedges, these are homeless people and thieves that hid in the bushes waiting to ambush and steal from travelers.

I  am one of those people who found His feast, the source of everything good. I can't tell you I earned my invitation but I can tell you He wants you there too.

May everything good from our Father be yours!!

Colossians 1

Working in His Orchard

 ^3-5Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings. We can't quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you! We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians. The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope.

 ^5-8The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn't diminish or weaken over time. It's the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you've been hungry for more. It's as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him. He's the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit.

 ^9-12Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

 ^13-14God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

Christ Holds It All Together

 ^15-18We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

 ^18-20He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

 ^21-23You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

 ^24-25I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.

 ^26-29This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.

Let's Hear it for New Friends!

Ella is always making new friends everywhere, she is so outgoing, but today she found me a friend! Thanks kid!

Insta-Party!

<3

E & L
 
 Bye new friend

"The joy of the Lord is your strength"

Luke 17:19 "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." Jesus is talking to the 1 out of the 10 lepers that returned to thank Him for His healing.

I want to be that one that is found thanking Him for the healing he has done in my life. I thank Him for the difficult circumstances because He protects me so that I am not consumed... He has only given me what I can handle. I thank Him for this opportunity to learn how to trust in Him because these trials are producing fruit in my life. This is only a season and I praise Him because He is faithful.

I like The Message's version of Phil. 3:7-11

"The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from" the dead, I wanted to do it.

Psalm 19

 1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
      The skies display his craftsmanship.
 2 Day after day they continue to speak;
      night after night they make him known.
 3 They speak without a sound or word;
      their voice is never heard.[a]
 4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
      and their words to all the world.
   God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
 5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
      It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
 6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens
      and follows its course to the other end.
      Nothing can hide from its heat.

 7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
      reviving the soul.
   The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
      making wise the simple.
 8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
      bringing joy to the heart.
   The commands of the Lord are clear,
      giving insight for living.
 9 Reverence for the Lord is pure,
      lasting forever.
   The laws of the Lord are true;
      each one is fair.
 10 They are more desirable than gold,
      even the finest gold.
   They are sweeter than honey,
      even honey dripping from the comb.
 11 They are a warning to your servant,
      a great reward for those who obey them.

Last night I watched the movie "The Priveleged Planet" for the second time this week. It's so amazing to see the galaxies and how small the earth is in comparison to the vastness of the whole universe. We are this little blue marble floating there, yet God created all of it just for us. So that when we see it we would see Him. So many factors need to be in place for us to exist and if any one of those factors were even the slightest bit different our planet could not support life that is able to think or reason like only us humans are able to do. So if God created the universe for us and put us in the best place in our galaxy to observe maybe our purpose here is to observe Him. If you truly seek Him, you will find Him. He has made Himself discoverable.

I also came across this debate between Matt Slick, founder of Christian Apologetics & Research, and Eddie Tabash, Lawyer and Atheist. http://carm.org/debate-matt-slick-eddie-tabash-does-god-exist. The actual video of their debate is quite long but very interesting. Both raise great questions. If you have the time to watch it I highly recommend it.

CARM.org is a great resource for Christian apologetics. I don't think we have any excuse to not equip ourselves with the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

I have a renewed desire to read His word and am encouraged to just behold Him through all experiences in my life.

The hand of the Lord is mighty.

The Israelites expected God to be huge...when they were in the middle of the Jordan they had no room for self reliance. There was no plan B. It was to trust in God to get you to the other side. And when God got them through to the other side of the Jordan to Gilgal, which was there first stop in the promised land, God had them set up the stones that they took from the dry riverbed of the Jordan to serve as a testimony of God's provision and God's power so that they may testify of the Lord's faithfulness to their children.

I want to trust God to get me to my promised land. I want to leave absolutely no room for a fall back plan because that would be me saying to God, "just in case you don't come through I can fall back on my plan". That is not the God I believe in. I believe my God can do huge things and that His hand is mighty!! 

So this is my stone of remembrance...for myself and for my children and for anyone else who reads this. For the next 30 days I will be chronicling my journey of faith. Because I am committing my life to following Jesus in a very active way, wherever He may lead me and my family and I am expecting Him to be HUGE!

Joshua 4 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua saying: "Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them saying 'Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.'" Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; and Joshua said to them: "Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of tribes of the children of Israel, "that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying 'What do these stones mean to you?'  Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan where cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever." And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones form the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day. So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and crossed over. Then it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over, that the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people. And the men of Rueben, the men of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them. About forty thousand prepared for war crossed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho. On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel and they feared him, as they had feared Moses all the days of his life. Then the Lord spoke to Joshua saying, "Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan." Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, "Come up from the Jordan." And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all it's banks as before. Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying,: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' "then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land'; "for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, "that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord our God forever."

Cry out to Jesus!

Isaiah 43:1 Do not be afraid for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you go through deep waters I will be with you. When you go through waters of difficulty you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, oh, will not be burned up, the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior. Because you are precious to me. You are honored and I love you. Do not be afraid for I am with you. I will gather you and you children from the east and west, I will say to the north and south, "Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth. Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them" From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith and love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering


When your lonely (when you're lonely)
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

things I don't want to forget about today:

This face!

after praying for dinner Ella exclaims, "I LOVE baby Jesus!"




Prime Rib dinner = amazing, furthermore, my family.... MORE AMAZING. I'm so thankful for them.


Watched Miracle on 34th Street for the first time today.


Going for a late run with my husband in the cold quiet night and seeing the lights of the city from the hill. I wonder what the wise men were thinking that night they saw the star that pointed them to Jesus?


The ONE day I'm psyched about being up early and Olivia decides she wants to sleep in. - go figure.

It started pouring rain outside around 10:00 pm and we all went outside and danced in the rain.

Explaining the meaning of Christmas to my 3 year old.

It's not about what we have, THINGS don't make us happy.

Some people have wounds so deep that they try to shut everyone out and refuse to let anybody in for fear of being judged. None of us are perfect- we ALL fall short and NONE of us deserve His grace yet WHILE we were sinners Christ died for us. Why can't you see that you need Him more than anything in this world? He is our only hope. He can make you new.

Watching the excitement in my girls' eyes. Give me faith like a child, Jesus.

The Parkin's Family and the loss of their baby Samuel just 19 days old. How precious life is and how much I should savor every second.
                                                                                         The Ugly Sweater Family Photos

The Fam

The Circle of Life

Daddy & Livvy

I loved these doors

Livers

Eyebrows

He rules the world with truth and grace!

Joy to the world!  The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the world!  The Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.

He leads me

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)


His names and my needs:
Wonderful ; hope. There is no hopeless situation beyond His capacity to transform. His saving grace embraces all of humanity.
Counselor ; wisdom and guidance. My decisions make me who I am. I need HIS counsel. Psalm 23 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 the path of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, 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 for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Almighty God ; moral strength. The ability to do His will. Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 
Eternal Father ; His presence, provision and protection to be felt physically in my life. Like a father who provides for his child, everything I have comes from Him.
Prince of Peace ;  spiritual fellowship. Peace deep within my soul because I have been reconciled to God through Christ's death on the cross. Peace I leave with you, MY peace I give you. John 14:27 

Christmas loves

"The little cares that fretted me, I lost them yesterday...out in the fields with God."

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Lessons from Bahadur:

Let the joy of the Lord fill me so much that I cannot help but to sing songs of praise.

Glorify God with whatever talent He has given me.

Be a peacemaker

Do what you love and DONT DO IT QUIETLY!

Air travelers treated to Christmas songs | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment

How He Loves Us -John Mark McMillian

Ok ok, I know this isn't a hymn BUT this is one of my favorite songs ever! I'm a sucker for great lyrics. You have to listen to the song to truly appreciate all it's greatness.

How He Loves: A Song Story http://vimeo.com/10868953

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Psalm 100: A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Many of the greatest expressions of thanksgiving have occurred under circumstances so debilitating some wonder why people are able to even give thanks. It would seem the more reasonable response would be bitterness and ingratitude. However, it is not our circumstances that initiate the thanksgiving yet the unchanging character of God that we are able to offer our thanks to Him. Because He is worthy to be praised throughout all seasons of life whether in happy times, sad times, sickness, health, in prosperity or in our brokenness. We can offer our lives in gladness and enter into His presence because we are His. I am so thankful for the life God has given me. For my family, my friends, my two beautiful girls, my husband, the many problems I have faced and most of all for the faith God has graced me with. ME!! Of all people. Who am I that He would choose to use me in ANY way amazes and humbles me daily.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Make a joyful shout to the Lord all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.

O Come, O come, Emmanuel by John Mason Neale

This hymn is actually a restructuring of the Great Antiphons (psalm or anthem). Each psalm or anthem was a series of Latin hymns beginning with "O" sung each day during Christmas Vespers from Dec. 17-23 around the 800's. Restructured into verse form in the 1100's, published in Latin in 1710 and later discovered by John Mason Neale, an English minister who produced the first draft in 1851 entitled "Draw nigh, Draw nigh, Emmanuel'.


Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” 

Immanuel is Hebrew for “God with us.”

The “Rod of Jesse” refers to Isaiah 11:1: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse”; Jesse was the father of David, second king of Israel. 

“Day-Spring” comes from Zacharias, father of John the Baptist. in Luke 1:78: “The day spring from on high has visited us.” 

“Thou Key of David” is in Isaiah 22:22: “The key of the house of David will I lay up on his shoulder,” which in turn refers to Isaiah 9:6 “The government shall be upon His shoulder.”

O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel. Oh come, Oh come, Thou Lord of Might who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times didst give the law in cloud and majesty and awe. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel. Oh come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny; from depths of hell thy people save and give them victory o'er the grave. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel. Oh come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Oh come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to misery. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel. Oh come, Thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things, far and nigh to us the path of knowledge show and cause us in her ways to go. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel. Oh come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; bid Thou our sad divisions cease and be Thyself our King of peace. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel.

The Love of God by Frederick M. Lehman

The highlight of this hymn is the last stanza which is actually a Jewish poem called the Haddamut. It was written in 1050 AD by a Jewish man named Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, a cantor (synagogue singer) in Worms, Germany. What makes the Haddamut even more amazing is to think what life would have been like for an 11th century Jew in Germany. Then in 1917 in America it was found written on the wall of a man who had died in an insane asylum. He obviously wrote it in a period of sanity. This inspired a California pastor, Frederick Lehman to write two more verses and a refrain. His daughter-in-law Claudia arranged the music and they called the hymn "The Love of God".

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Amazing Grace by John Newton

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now I'm found; was blind but now I see. 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Thro' many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. 'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home. When we've been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise then when we first begun,

Originally titled "Faith's Review and Expectation"is Newton's study of 1 Chronicles 17:16-17 "King David...said: "Who am I, O Lord? And what is my house, that you have bought me this far? And have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree..." Newton was pressed into the Royal Navy at a young age. He attempted to desert service but was captured and flogged and in his humiliation found himself stationed on a slave ship of the Royal Navy. He wrote obscene songs and poems about the captain and often fought with other crew members resulting in being starved, chained up with the slaves and finally enslaved on a plantation in Sierra Leon. He was found by a ship after several months and quickly gained a reputation amongst the crew as the most vile sailor aboard. One night a severe storm threatened the boat. Newton was almost swept overboard and the boat came close to capsizing. Newton cried out to the Lord to have mercy upon him and miraculously the boat landed two weeks later in Ireland. It was during this time he began to question his worthiness of God's mercy upon him, being a man who outright denied God and mocked men of faith. He believed that God had begun a work in him although his conversion was a slow process. He attempted to submit to authority in order to win over his love, Polly, but slipped back into sin now as a captain of a slave ship. Finally marrying Polly he found it difficult to leave her and settled as a customs agent in Liverpool. There the newlyweds immersed themselves in the church community and Newton began reading devotions. He wrote of his experiences aboard the slave ships and caught the attention of a british politician, The Earl of Dartmouth, who sponsored his ordination which lead to him being offered the position of Curacy of Olney, Buckinghamshire. His preachings differed from the others and used his experiences to relate to the poor and uneducated parishioners with his mission being to "break a hard heart and to heal a broken heart". In the end he became one of the most powerful evangelical preachers in British history, a powerful foe of slavery and the author of hundreds of hymns. One verse nearly forgotten:
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, shall be forever mine.

Le Cantique de Noël

Christmas is my favorite time of year and my favorite Christmas song ever is O Holy Night, originally written as a poem in French was set to music and retitled Le Cantique de Noël. I was never a fan of Christmas-y music until one Christmas season this song was part of worship at church and the power of the lyrics hit me. Ever since it has been my favorite:

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. 'Till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born. O night divine, O night, O night Divine. Led by the light of faith serenely beaming with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming. Here come the wise men from Orient land. The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger, in all our trial born to be our friend. He knows our need to our weakness is no stranger. Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend. Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend. Truly He taught us to love one another. His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother and in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever, His power and glory evermore proclaim. His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come Thou fount of every blessing tune thy heart to sing thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it, Mount of thy redeeming love. Here I raise my ebenezer here by thy great help I've come. And I hope by thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God. He to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood. Oh that day when freed from sinning I shall see Thy lovely face. Clothe it then in blood washed linen how I'll sing thy sovereign grace. Come my Lord no longer tarry take my ransomed soul away. Send thine angels now to carry me to realms of endless days. Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy goodness like a fetter bind thy wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. Here's my heart O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.