Church Songs/Hymns

[Edwin]

Since I found out that I have problems with my health, or I might have problems as I hope I really don't have any serious problems, I have stopped working in the cellar as that is what I was doing when I started bleeding. Carol asked me about mowing around the house/yard again, and I told her I didn't think I should until I see the doctor, but today I decided that tomorrow I will mow around the house, because if 2 hours of walking doesn't hurt me, mowing around the house shouldn't hurt me either, so tomorrow I will go for it. I would have today, but Carol took our clothes to our kids' house, 600 feet from our house to do the washing as we don't have running water yet. I decided to wait until tomorrow, tomorrow never comes!!!!, no I am joking because I will mow tomorrow, but I decided to wait until tomorrw because while I mow Scooby's yard Carol has to bring him in the house and make him sit down while I mow. I don't want him trying to help me mow!!!! Because I can't work digging my cellar until I see the doctor I am getting lots of time in playing the piano. I play on the internet and do my daily cleaning up while Carol and our granddaughter are sleeping. Then about 10 a.m. I start playing the piano, and I play it most all day unless I get too many complaints. By the time I walk Scooby my playing is over for the day because I come in and eat, and I let our granddaughter watch television/DVDs, VHSs, usually DVDs, while I eat, and then she and Carol both go to bed really early, like our granddaughter usually at 8:30 p.m., and Carol at least by 10 p.m., and usually earlier than that. I'm not sure why they need so much sleep, but then I used to need lots of sleep myself, but not any more.

I have just finished playing a really up to date modern Church Song/Hymn book. A lot of the music is written as accompany music rather than 4 parts with the melody being on the top/Soprano line, which is what I am used to playing. The accompaniment music is difficult for me to play, and the chords are more complicated. It is good for me, but it is also a workout and not as much fun for someone to listen to me play as I play that music very slowly trying hard to get all the notes. Before that I was playing Hymns Of Faith by the Hope Publishing Company. Before that I was playing a 1956 Baptist Hymn book. Now I am playing a 1975 Baptist Hymn book. I love the music out of the Baptist Hymn books, maybe because I have a lot of Baptist in my family background, and several of my instructors in Bible College had their educations in Baptist Seminaries. I enjoy listening to Baptist preachers, and listening to singers who are from the Baptist churches. We have a quite a bit of Catholic representation in our families also, but I don't have much of their music for some reason.

[crisipicada]

One way to grow spiritually is to sing christian song/lyrics. My mother sings christian songs in the morning. It refreshes her soul and makes her day smooth and have peace in mind. Aside from singing christian song, I always see mama reading her Bible everyday at 3 or 4 in the morning. Since I sleep at her room when I come home, I am always wake up so early because of the light is on. But back to bed and cover my face with pillow or blanket.

I sing christian song, too. I love the "Baptist Favorite" hymnal. Alexis, my nephew loves to sing the song "To God be the glory". I love to sing the song "What a friend we have in Jesus".

When i am home or ate hazel's house, I use to have christian music play in the morning. I am refresh, too with the message how God is so good in our lives. And how wonderful He has been to us. It reminds me to always keep a humble heart and mind because He alone is the giver of all things. Thanks for that Baptist Christian songs downloaded by my churchmate from Bob Jones Bible Baptist Christian School in America.

[Edwin]

One way to grow spiritually is to sing christian song/lyrics. My mother sings christian songs in the morning. It refreshes her soul and makes her day smooth and have peace in mind. Aside from singing christian song, I always see mama reading her Bible everyday at 3 or 4 in the morning. Since I sleep at her room when I come home, I am always wake up so early because of the light is on. But back to bed and cover my face with pillow or blanket.

I sing christian song, too. I love the "Baptist Favorite" hymnal. Alexis, my nephew loves to sing the song "To God be the glory". I love to sing the song "What a friend we have in Jesus".

When i am home or ate hazel's house, I use to have christian music play in the morning. I am refresh, too with the message how God is so good in our lives. And how wonderful He has been to us. It reminds me to always keep a humble heart and mind because He alone is the giver of all things. Thanks for that Baptist Christian songs downloaded by my churchmate from Bob Jones Bible Baptist Christian School in America.

Yes, Crisi, they are so uplifting for one's spirit and soul!

When I attend Bible College in Canada that is where I became really familiar with "To God Be the Glory," and yes I love that song. I have loved "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" forever. They are both wonderful songs! I play both these songs often on the piano, and they minister to my soul.

[Edwin]

After all that difficult music in that other Hymn book, only difficult because my skills are still basic, I am surely having fun playing out of that 1975 Baptist Hynm/Song Church book! I am eating supper though, and it is our granddaughter and my wife's turn to watch DVDs without me playing the piano, so I am doing this!

[Edwin]

I did not have as much time today to play church hymns/songs as usual because of hauling water, and then now our granddaughter has headache, and my playing is not helping her, so I stopped for today.

One of the songs that I played, and I like very much is "Surely Goodness and Mercy." "A pilgrim was I, and a wandring, In the cold night of sin I did roam, When Jesus the kind Shepherd found me, An now I am on my way home. He restoreth my soul when I'm weary, He giveth me strength day by day; He leads me beside the still waters, He guards me each step of the way. When I walk thro' the dark, lonesome valley, My Savior will walk with me there; And safely his great hand will lead me To the mansions he's gone to prepare. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life; Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, And I shall feast at the table spread for me; Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life, All the days, all the days of my life."

"Count Your Blessings" is another song I was playing that I really like.

[Edwin]

I just finished playing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." The second verse goes, "Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God's owm choosing. Dost ask who that my be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth is His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle." The fourth verse goes "That word above all earthly powers No thanks to them abideth: The Spirit and the gifts are ours Thro' Him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever."

This song had some beautiful truths and is very elegant! When I was first learning to play the piano I always dreaded coming to this song as it is very difficult. Almost every note is a new note, and it has it accidentals, which many times I accidentally played incorrectly! When I finished each of the four lines I would feel relieved that I had finished another very tedious line of music. When I finished the song I would sigh a big sigh of relief, and move on to the next song which was always easier for me to play! It would also take me forever as I was hunting for each note before playing it. My skill is now developed to the point that I no longer dread playing that song, and I can play it fairly quickly through with ease.

Martin Luther wrote the song. He lived from 1483 to 1546, which was 63 years. He died of unnatural causes, as he was burned at the stake accused of heresy. He saw a scripture that gave him a new way of looking at God grace and His forgiveness, and the church at that time did not see his point of view so they executed him. It is very sad that from the time of Christ religious people have been persecuting and executing other religious people. Now many from the very religious organization that put Martin Luther to death are embrassing his concepts and joining with people who believe that way.

The scripture that Martin Luther saw which gave him the light of the truth was Romans 3: 28; "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Backing up a few verses: Romans 3: 26; "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27; Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 29; Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31; Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

Some have taken exception to Martin Luther using the word "alone' or "faith alone." What is the difference whether you say " by faith" or "by faith alone?" They both mean the same thing! Martin Luther was just trying to emphasize that we are justified by faith, and it is the gift of God that we do not earn by doing things. We are justified by our faith in God alone. It is God's gift, and no the law is not destroyed because we are justified by our faith in God. Jesus said that He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law!

[Edwin]

The church song/hymn book that I am playing out of now is "Hymnal of the Church of God." It is a good old song book from 1953 produced by the Gospel Trumpet Company! Dale Oldham was one of the people who worked on this book. He was the father of Doug Oldham, the famous gospel singer, who sang with Jerry Falwell and Bill and Gloria Gaither as well as Billy Graham.

I found this interesting article by Elvis Australia, so I copied and pasted it here:

The gospel song 'He Touched Me' was written by songwriter and music producer Bill Gaither and recorded by the Bill Gaither Trio in 1963.
Bill Gaither grew up on a farm in Alexandria, Indiana. He became a high school English teacher and part-time church music director. In 1962 he married fellow teacher Gloria Sickal. Over the years the two have collaborated on over 600 songs, numerous recordings, videos and books. They have three children and four grandchildren. Bill Gaither has been awarded many music accolades including Grammy awards, Dove awards and seven times being named the Gospel Music Association's Songwriter of the Year. Recently he and Gloria were named Songwriters Of The Century by the American Society of Composers and Publishers. Today they continue in their full-time music ministry through the popular Gaither Homecoming concerts and videos. One of the more popular Gaither television and video projects is a documentary focused on the profound part gospel music played in the life and career of Elvis Presley. It is entitled 'He Touched Me, The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley.'

Bill Gaither's inspiration for the writing of the song 'He Touched Me' came very late one night. He had been asked to play the piano for a revival meeting in Huntington, Indiana. He was accompanying Doug Oldham, who was providing the music for his father, Dr. Dale Oldham, the speaker for the evening. After the meeting, as the three rode back to Bill's home in Anderson, Indiana, they discussed how deeply they had felt the Spirit at the meeting. Dr. Oldham dropped Bill off at home and his parting words were, 'You should write a song that says, 'He touched me' oh, He touched me.'' Gaither couldn't sleep and he couldn't get the preacher's words out of his head. He remembered how many of the people at the revival meeting seemed to have come in heavy laden and had left uplifted with joy and hope. The next morning his wife Gloria awoke to find him still up and working on the song. Soon Doug Oldham began performing the song at revivals and concerts and he recorded it, as did the Bill Gaither Trio and many others.

Elvis recorded 'He Touhed Me' on May 18, 1971 at RCA's Studio B in Nashville. He was backed vocally by The Imperials, Millie Kirkham, Ginger Holladay and Temple Riser. It was first released in March 1972 as a single with 'Bosom of Abraham' as the B-side. Then it was released that April 1972 as the title song of the album 'He Touched Me.' Elvis received the second of his three Grammy awards for this album, which was named Best Inspirational Performance for 1972. The album includes the songs 'Amazing Grace', 'Lead Me Guide Me' and 'I John' among others.



The end of the preface says, "The Hymnal of the Church of God is dedicated to the work of God with the prayer that as it is used in churches and homes it may, in a vital manner, present "the unsearchable riches of Christ."