Welcome to the 2nd edition of Sunday Hymns. If I had started the year online this would have been the 1st hymn you would have seen, for several reasons. I am amazed by the lyrics. I am amazed by the heart. And I love the tradition of it.
From the note at the bottom of the page in my hymnal: Written by Charles Wesley on the first anniversary of his conversion, Sunday, May 21, 1738. Methodists have traditionally made it the first hymn in their hymnbooks since the time of John Wesley.
O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, 1739
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of Thy Name.
Jesus! the Name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease, 'tis music in the sinner's ears, 'tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood availed for me.
He speaks and listening to His voice, New life the dead receive; the mournful, broken hearts rejoice; the humble poor believe.
Hear Him ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ; ye blind, behold your Saviour come; and leap, ye lame, for joy.
This hymn just makes me grateful for so many things. I love the declarations of power and victory sprinkled throughout. I love the confidence in a good and loving God. I love the freedom and inability to hold back praise and adoration for an ever good God. Be blessed by this hymn and may you see the same freedom and feel the same gratitude this week.
Oh, and David Crowder appreciates this hymn too...
Vision our ability to picture potential reality. In many ways, this is a very abstract mental process. However, I think there are things we can do to cultivate vision. As I think about men and women of great vision, I realize that they cultivated vision through the mental habits they formed.
What you see is what you get.
In other words, be careful about what you put in front of your face. I don't mean this in the figurative sense either. I mean literally focus your eyes on what you want to achieve or acquire.
During my freshman year of college, I didn't have anything else to decorate my walls with but a cut-up old calendar. It happened to be a calendar of hot rod cars. Dodge Vipers, Ford Mustangs, Chevy Corvettes, etc. Now I have never been a car guy. But with those cars on the wall, I found myself thinking about cars a lot more. I wanted to get a flashy car that had tons of power and could turn heads. What you see is what you get.
During my sophomore year of college, I printed out scripture verses and put them on the walls. I also made them into computer backgrounds and screen savers. Outside of very specific moments where God touched my heart to bring change into my life, I have never experienced such continual growth and peace in my life, or such a sustained intimacy with God. What you see is what you get.
Scripture talks about this idea over and over again (2 Corinthians 4:18, Philippians 3:17, Psalm 16:8, Proverbs 17:24, and below...in addition to many other verses).
No wonder that many of the great revivalists spent so much time reading scripture that they couldn't help but envision a world that was more in line with the Truth of God.
I'd like to leave you with two verses.
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. -- John 5:19
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! -- Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message)
Well, I was recently summoned for jury duty and I'll admit that I was nervous about what it would be like. I had no idea what to expect.
As it turned out, the process really wasn't that bad and I was surprised to find myself fascinated in the process. I did not get selected as a juror which is in some ways is wonderful, but in other ways is a disappointment. I'm happy to say that even after experiencing just the selection process, I have a greater faith in our judicial system.
In case you don't know, the process is pretty simple. It starts a little after everyone has arrived and checked in. Once everyone is seated in the spectator's area of the courtroom they show all of the potential jurors a video about what the jury selection process is, what the juror's role/responsibility is, what the court system is like in comparison to entertainment's portrayals of it.
After everyone has a better picture of what is going to happen, the judge introduces the attorneys and explains the case. The potential jurors are sworn in, and the first group of jury candidates are randomly selected for interview. 21 jury candidates were selected and questioned. The judge carefully explains a variety of questions pertaining to each candidates personal life and experiences which may affect their ability to judge impartially. Various candidates are then excused due to circumstances which the judge may deem worthy of dismissal. This process took about an hour and a half. The attorneys then have an opportunity to question specific candidates in further detail or address the group in general. The attorneys then decide which jury candidates they are willing to accept and which ones they are not. The attorneys and judge meet and select a group of candidates to make official jurors.
In our case, 6 jurors were selected in the first round. Another group of 21 candidates is brought in and questioned in the same way. This process keeps going on like the first time until there are 12 jurors and a few alternates.
My number never got called to get interviewed. They ended up filling the jury in the first two groups. I believe I would have really enjoyed being on the jury. I would not have been selected for this case even if I had wanted to be because of my relationship with several of the witnesses. This was a criminal case (the jury decides whether or not the accused committed the crime they are committed of). Many of the people involved with the case are former students of mine. It would have been difficult sitting on a case involving a family from my school district and returning to teach without having my character judged by other families and potential students.
I really liked the judge presiding over the case. He would have made a great teacher. One really cool thing about this experience was seeing just how impartial the judge was. It is a very natural thing to think that because the defendant is there and has been accused of a crime, that there is probably some level of guilt ("where there's smoke there's fire" philosophy). But the judge reiterated that as the defendant sat there, they were innocent. Innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, without having to do a single thing to defend oneself. What a profound and important idea. The weight of responsibility in the case was on the Assistant District Attorney (<-- my cousin is one of those!). What a novel idea. To think that this was a relatively new idea around the time that the American colonies were forming! I'm proud to be an American. I am sure that guilty people go free under this system from time to time. But I can see no other way of providing true justice - justice where freedom is actually valued. Justice where innocence is presumed and preserved at the cost of making a mistake. A system that trusts there will be due evidence when someone is actually guilty. What a beautiful system! I believe this system could be considered "gracious" - giving at the cost of oneself. Knowing that some will slip through is a costly and potentially scary idea, but it gives others more than they may actually deserve and in that way protects freedom. You may disagree with me here. But I feel blessed to know that when I am accused I will have a fair trial that will stand on evidence and that I can stand without the burden of having to "prove myself" or explain my innocence.
God bless America. May this spirit of grace and habit of assuming the best about others pervade our culture. May we let go of our compulsions to sit in judgment on others for the things they say or do, for the way the look or dress, for where they come from or live. May we learn to accept others for who they are and learn to show love.
I'm officially back on the internet again after a little hiatus. Its a bittersweet thing, because I suspect that in a relatively short time I will be hooked again, but for the moment, I am enjoying the freedom of having broken my addiction to television, facebook and the internet. It feels wonderful to finally have taken the time to do things I always want to do, but could "never find the time" for. Its truly amazing to me how much time the American public wastes on entertainment. Shortly before my break from the internet I realized that I was often concerned about "catching up on my shows" when I missed TV shows that I like, but never felt quite as much pressure to "catch up" if I missed reading my Bible for a day, or spending time in prayer and worship. So my purpose in taking a break was to realign my priorities to a point where I don't mind missing TV, but can't wait to sit down and read or pray. I trust that the Lord will help me continue in this direction.
One of my goals for this coming year is to take every Sunday morning and post a hymn on my blog. I want to do this because for a long time, I have loved the depth and power of some of the hymns that are left more or less unsung in many American churches these days. I grew up singing hymns and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I will start with some of my favorites, but as I spend time reading through a hymnal (you read that sentence correctly), I plan to post some of my "newly discovered gems" as well.
This week I am excited to post "Joyful, Joyful, We adore Thee" - this is one of my favorite hymns, but also one which has found new life recently and is soon going to become a favorite in my church and many other churches around America. Enjoy. :)
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.
All thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou are giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest, well-spring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest! Thou are Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are thine; Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.
This is a great hymn and I love it for its focus on God and the way His creation points to His greatness. We truly can trust in a God who loves us enough to create so many amazing things as signs of His might and glory. Do you know how deep the oceans are? They are nothing compared to His glory. Do you know many mountains there are? They were each created by His hand. Do you realize that He created everything in between and beyond? Wow! What an amazing God. We can rest in joy, even in the midst of our struggles and doubts because He is always at the Center. He is never changing; always blessing; giving and forgiving.
Enjoy this version by Brenton Brown: Have a great Sunday, friends!
So I recently published a post that mentioned I noticed some similarities between my dating life and my hunting experiences. Let me recount some of those similarities for you now.
Before I began dating hunting...I had heard lots of stories from people who are more experienced than I am. I had heard some very exciting and encouraging stories and some stories of disappointment as well. But just about everyone has a story that they're willing to share.
Before I began dating hunting...I had to invest in the proper equipment and apparel. It would be a lost cause if I showed up wearing the wrong thing! It could not only turn into an unsuccessful adventure, but potentially a dangerous one too. I had to "suit up", if you will.
When I began dating hunting...I had grossly underestimated the amount of time I would end up investing in this venture. I expected to be successfully finished in a short amount of time. But I ended up spending hours upon hours on my mission.
When I began dating hunting...I found a few other people who had started at the same time as I did were far more successful than I was. They were finished much sooner than I was, even though we began at the same time.
After dating hunting for a while...I realized that I was making a lot of mistakes, but have no idea what those mistakes were. I had no way of getting the clear feedback that would have helped me to improve.
After dating hunting for a while...I would see lots of things that were not really an option to go after. Some were just not close enough. Some were way too afraid of being near me. Some were completely distracted by something else. Some were really just not acceptable for me to pursue and if I had ignored sound reasoning, I would have ended up in a bad situation if I did pursue.
After dating hunting for a while...I thought I had one that was going to work out really well. But then when I took my shot,...I missed. Looking back, I have only a vague idea of what went wrong. But at the most basic level,...I got a little over-excited when my first genuine opportunity came along.
The next time I'm dating hunting...will be a few months after the last time. You know, "There's a season for everything." I think its a good thing that there is some time to get away from it so I can be excited about it again instead of burned out.
The next time I'm dating hunting...I think I'll have more realistic expectations. Hopefully I won't be as worried about shooting and missing now that I've done that once and everything turned out OK. I hope to focus more on just enjoying the experience.
Well, I know I've talked a lot about hunting, but I gotta go so I'll let you figure out how my dating life fits in with everything...
Well, its been a while since I've written a blog post. I've been really bad about writing this blog. I'm not sure why I have such a hard time keeping with it. I think part of the problem may be that I want every post to be something really meaningful or insightful instead of just being a collection of my thoughts as I go about life. The truth is, I'm only insightful some of the time.
So from now on I hope my blog will represent that more accurately. I always feel enriched when I get the ideas that are running through my head out in some form - either talking to people face to face (still my favorite option) or writing here. I hope to make sharing my ideas a bigger priority in 2011. But we'll see.
2010 has been an interesting and unexpected year.
I finished my thesis (and am not finished with grad school). It was on standards based grading. Blah Blah boring boring unless (and maybe even if) you're a teacher who hates when kids care more about a number that has virtually no information about their knowledge and content skills related to your subject.
I tried dating for the first time since college. I'm single right now. I redefined what dating "success" means to me.
I held onto my enjoyment of bulleted lists. For the record, I much prefer bullets over numbers. The pressure to make sure things are in order gets annoying.
I switched from acoustic guitar to electric guitar on the worship team. Still trying to figure out how to play electric guitar.
I took up hunting. In my time in the woods I've had a lot of time to think and pray. I had a few ideas that could eventually turn into blog posts. One of those ideas is the frightening number of comparisons between my dating life and my hunting life. Again,..."success" means something different to me afterwards than when I started. Maybe I'll write about that one. But I don't expect very many of them to make it. That was then. This is now. I'm starting over.
My childhood dog passed away. Tess was a beautiful, wonderful, loving dog. I miss her all the time. I had forgotten how difficult it is to lose someone who loves you so unconditionally and completely and truly ignores all of your faults. I would never have become the person I am without experiencing the love of a dog. I know it sounds ridiculous. But sometimes I'm a ridiculous person. Get over it. And check out the cute pictures of my dog at the bottom of the page. Try to avoid getting distracted by the killer glasses and parted haircut that was a studly 10 year old Jeff. No wonder I need to redefine success.
Gotta love my killer smile.
Didn't know someone could look so thoughtful playing with a dog, did ya?
Yes, I realize my brother is the "looker" in the family.
Well, I guess that in 2010 I learned that I need to (as the saying goes) expect the unexpected. 2011 will bring its own unexpected things. Good and bad. And thats ok. I'll trust that God has it all in control.
I don't know if anyone still gets updates about this blog or not. Its been a long time since I've posted (check the dates...it adds up to like 17 months.)
Either way, it may be because I just had my 26th birthday, or because I ran into a few random people from my past (whom I love deeply for the impact they had on my life), but I have been feeling rather reminiscent today.
I just wanted to say that the last 26 years have had ups and downs, but have been great. I really am thankful for all that my life has been, and honestly, for all that my life will become. Life is unpredictable. So I can't say that what I expect. But I know that it will be exciting and I look forward to the adventure.
At times I am tempted to fear what is ahead because I don't really know what twists and turns are ahead. But I am praying not that they will be bearable or that I will have the strength I need to make it through; I do not pray that I will see them coming or that I will have the wisdom to tackle them; I only pray that God will keep me in His hands the way that He has this far; I pray that I will turn nowhere but to Him as life races by - in the good AND bad situations.
It is odd that reminiscence can give such a sense of hope; so much of life has changed, it would be silly to expect things to look anything like the past. But when I reminisce about my life, I see one thing: God's mighty, loving hand directing the waters around me and meeting my every need in ways I would never expect, and in ways that exceed any expectations I could ever hold. So tonight, I reminisce about the future because hindsight is giving me 20/20 vision.
I am earnestly trying to grow and become a better Man of God. It is not always easy, but I love Him because He loves us. I will do my best to make myself into a better mirror every day.
