O, For a Thousand Tongues To Sing

o, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace

"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 cancelled 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 and dead receive,
the mournful broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe

my gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim
to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of Thy Name

hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ
ye blind, behold your Savior come, and leap, ye lame, for joy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) this may be obvious, but i have to focus on it in my thinking to get there: the first verse is about how we need so many more voices than we've got to praise the Lord as He deserves.
2) "Jesus" - names don't get more precious than that - giving life, health and peace!
3) the Gospel changes people. it makes dead people come alive, it heals broken hearts, it gives people the power to believe in and deeply trust God.
4) God enables the people He loves to obey Him - if He commands them to hear Him, he gives them hearing; if He demands that they speak, He gives them voices. pretty crazy, huh?

Just As I Am

just as i am, without one plea
but that Thy blood was shed for me
and that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
o Lamb of God, i come, i come
o Lamb of God, i come, i come

just as i am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot
to Thee, Whose blood can cleanse each spot,
o Lamb of God, i come, i come
o Lamb of God, i come, i come

just as i am, though tossed about
with many conflicts, many doubts
fightings and fears within, without
o Lamb of God, i come, i come
o Lamb of God, i come, i come

just as i am, poor, wretched, blind -
sight, riches, healing of the mind
yea, all i need in Thee to find
o Lamb of God, i come, i come
o Lamb of God, i come, i come

just as i am, Thou wilt receive
will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve
because Thy promise i believe
o Lamb of God, i come, i come
o Lamb of God, i come, i come

just as i am, Thy love unknown
has broken ev'ry barrier down
and to be Thine, yea, Thine alone
o Lamb of God, i come, i come
o Lamb of God, i come, i come
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dontcha love that song? i love the Gospel. :)

In Christ Alone

in Christ alone my hope is found
He is my Light, my Strength, my Song
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground
firm through the fiercest drought and storm
what heights of love! what depths of peace!
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease
my Comforter, my All-in-all
here in the love of Christ i stand

in Christ alone, Who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
this Gift of love and righteousness
scorned by the ones He came to save
till on that cross as Jesus died
the wrath of God was satisfied
for every sin on Him was laid
here in the death of Christ i live

there in the ground His body lay
Light of the world, by darkness slain
then bursting forth in glorious day
up from the grave He rose again
and as He stands in victory
sin's curse has lost its grip on me
for i am His, and He is mine
bought with the precious blood of Christ

no guilt in life, no fear in death -
this is the power of Christ in me
from life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
no power of hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from His hand
till He returns or calls me home
here in the power of Christ i'll stand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this here's a new hymn, like sandra's "grace upon grace." one thing i think alot of us Christians are bad about is chronological snobbery, whether that means only accepting old things or new things. we seem to be pretty much bad at both. anyway, this song reminds me often that my chronological snobbery tends more toward lauding old stuff and looking down on new stuff, and dude, that just ain't what it's about. it's about the gospel. and so is this song. :)
1) reminds me of "on Christ, the solid Rock, i stand - all other ground is sinking sand..."
2) "when fears are stilled, when strivings cease" - because of the cross, our fears can be stilled and our strivings can cease - and the more we believe the gospel, the more our fears will become still and our strivings will cease. adding to the work of Christ is just not going to happen.
3) "Fullness of God in helpless Babe" - wow. the incarnation never ceases to blow me away.
4) we are no longer under the power of sin's curse if we are Christ's and He is ours (there we go again with my beloved "possessive language" about our relationship to God), and we are increasingly healed from the poison of sin itself. if that makes sense. and no, the song doesn't mention that last bit.
5) "no guilt in life, no fear in death - this is the power of Christ in me" - how i wish i lived like this!! "it is for freedom you have been set free" - when will you get that through your thick skull, lauren???
6) the only beef i have with this song is the very beautiful phrase "from life's first cry to final breath" - as nice as it is, life happens before that first cry, and Jesus surely controls our destinies while we're in the womb as well as once we're out of it.
7) "for i am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (romans 8:38-39)

Approach My Soul

approach, my soul, the mercy-seat
where Jesus answers prayer
there humbly fall before His feet
for none can perish there

Thy promise is my only plea
with this i venture nigh
Thou callest burdened souls to Thee
and such, o Lord, am i!

o wondrous love - to bleed and die!
to bear the cross and shame!
that guilty sinners such as i
might plead Thy gracious Name

bowed down beneath a load of sin
by satan sorely pressed
by wars without and fears within
i come to Thee for rest

be Thou my shield and hiding place
that, sheltered near Thy side,
i may my fierce accuser face
and tell him Thou hast died!

o wondrous love - to bleed and die!
to bear the cross and shame!
that guilty sinners such as i
might plead Thy gracious Name
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) i love that we are approaching the mercy-seat - where the high priest poured blood out to atone for the sins of israel once a year - in the holy of holies. we can only do this because Christ's death ripped the curtain off, signaling that we are welcome there now. God's wrath is no longer a danger to us, because our redemption has been accomplished. we are paid for.
2) i love that we approach resting only on His promise - His word! THAT is the only plea we have.
3) the honesty of "Thou callest burdened souls to Thee, and such, o Lord, am i!" is refreshing
4) "sorely pressed by wars without and fears within" - gee, describe my heart, why don't you?
5) "i may my fierce accuser face and tell him Thou hast died!" - we are set, ladies and gents, if we are in Christ. satan has to shut up in the face of that truth, and we can have confidence!

Before the Throne of God Above

before the throne of God above
i have a strong and perfect Plea -
a great High Priest Whose Name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me
my name is graven on His hands
my name is written on His heart
i know that while in heaven He stands
no tongue can bid me thence depart
no tongue can bid me thence depart

when satan tempts me to despair
and tells me of the guilt within
upward i look and see Him there,
Who made an end to all my sin
because the sinless Savior died
my sinful soul is counted free
for God the just is satisfied
to look on Him and pardon me
to look on Him and pardon me

behold Him there - the risen Lamb
my perfect, spotless Righteousness
the great unchangeable I Am
the King of glory and of grace
one with Himself, i cannot die
my soul is purchased by His blood
my life is hid with Christ on high
with Christ my Savior and my God
with Christ my Savior and my God
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) nobody can nay-say me and my belonging to God and my presence in His kingdom and my childhood so long as Jesus is standing before God with "Lauren" written on His hands and heart. it just ain't happening. (and, hint hint, He sure as heck ain't movin'.)
2) the plea that Christ's very presence makes for me is "strong and perfect."
3) my despair because of my hopelessness in myself is shaken off by fixin' my gaze on Jesus, "Who made an end of all my sin." "God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me."
4) i love this turn of phrase: "my perfect, spotless Righteousness". how absolutely incredible that we can be so possessive of the God of the universe!
5) "my life is hid with Christ on high" - reminds me of that fabulous out of the grey song "disappear" - "hidden in the way i was intended to be, i'm closer to You and farther from me, i would disappear... pulling focus from myself, now it's coming clear..."

Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners!

Jesus, what a Friend for sinners! Jesus, Lover of my soul!
friends may fail me; foes assail me - He, my Savior, makes me whole
hallelujah, what a Savior! hallelujah, what a Friend!
saving, helping, keeping, loving - He is with me to the end

Jesus, what a Strength in weakness - let me hide myself in Him
tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He, my Strength, my victory wins
hallelujah, what a Savior! hallelujah, what a Friend!
saving, helping, keeping, loving - He is with me to the end

Jesus, what a help in sorrow! while the billows o'er me roll
even when my heart is breaking, He, my Comfort, helps my soul
hallelujah, what a Savior! hallelujah, what a Friend!
saving, helping, keeping, loving - He is with me to the end

Jesus, i do now receive Him - more than all in Him i find
He hath granted me forgiveness; i am His and He is mine
hallelujah, what a Savior! hallelujah, what a Friend!
saving, helping, keeping, loving - He is with me to the end
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i love this song. it has alot of stuff i always note in it: "i am His and He is mine" for example. but it makes alot of great fresh points that enrich our understanding of the Gospel.
1) how fun a list is this? "saving, helping, keeping, loving - He is with me till the end" i mean, at the risk of sounding trite, do saviors come more amazing than ours? could they? i think not.
2) the constancy of the Gospel despite the changes in me and my circumstances - "friends may fail me; foes assail me" and "tempted, tried, and sometimes failing" and "sorrow" and "weakness" and "even when my heart is breaking" - is downright astounding.
3) "He, my Strength, my victory wins" - which is so good, because all the crazy stuff in me (see #2) tends to suggest that i'm not going to pull it off, which any decent understanding of me would shout from the rooftops.

An Odyssey Quote

setting - connie and eugene have entered the imagination station, "traveling" back to right before Jesus was born to see what it may have been like. when they meet an innkeeper, eugene busts out this...
eugene: "you may call me eugenious."
connie: "oh brother."

What Wondrous Love Is This?

what wondrous love is this, oh my soul, oh my soul?
what wondrous love is this, oh my soul?
what wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?

when i was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down
when i was sinking down, sinking down
when i was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul

to God and to the Lamb i will sing, i will sing
to God and to the Lamb i will sing
to God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I Am
while millions join the theme, i will sing, i will sing
while millions join the theme, i will sing

and when from death i'm free, i'll sing on, i'll sing on
and when from death i'm free, i'll sing on
and when from death i'm free, i'll sing and joyful be
and through eternity i'll sing on, i'll sing on
and through eternity i'll sing on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i think for the most part, the repetition in this song gives us a chance to marvel at what it's reflecting on. and other than that, i think it stands alone. like the cheese.

When All Thy Mercies

when all Thy mercies, o my God,
my rising soul surveys
transported with the view, i'm lost
in wonder, love, and praise

unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed
before my infant heart conceived
from Whom those comforts flowed

through all eternity to Thee a joyful song i'll raise
for, o!, eternity's too short to utter all Thy praise

when worn with sickness oft hast Thou
with health renewed my face
and when in sins and sorrows sunk
revived my soul with grace

ten thousand thousand precious gifts
my daily thanks employ
nor is the least a cheerful heart
that tastes those gifts with joy

through all eternity to Thee a joyful song i'll raise
for, o!, eternity's too short to utter all Thy praise

through every period of my life
Thy goodness i'll pursue
and after death in distant worlds
the glorious theme renew

through all eternity to Thee a joyful song i'll raise
for, o!, eternity's too short to utter all Thy praise
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this hymn is definitely dear to my heart, for obvious reasons probably. despite its obviousness, i still am planning to be more personal this time. just cause i feel like it.
1) stanza 2 highlights the fabulously radical love of God, that showers us with blessings and love even before we are capable of knowing where they are coming from.
2) i get sick a lot and i have recently had some frustrating back issues. God makes me better a lot, but even more often it's with soul-health in my heart that spreads to my face.
3) when i get "sunk" in "sins and sorrows" - which isn't uncommon - He "revives my soul with grace" not unlike the way He gives me joy when i'm sick or my back is out. (shout out to kyle, who was a significant means of grace in the most recent "sinking incident")
4) i love the reference to a "cheerful heart" being a gift of God that enables us to "taste" other gifts of God "with joy."
5) "through every period of my life Thy goodness i'll pursue" - this sounds to me like the thrilling game of chase. thankfully, our God lets us catch Him. :)
6) we will never run out of praising to do... thank God that He is so good that we can praise Him forever because it will take that long!

When I Survey

when i survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died
my richest gain i count but loss
and pour contempt on all my pride

forbid it, Lord, that i should boast
save in the death of Christ my God
all the vain things that charm me most
i sacrifice them to His blood

see, from His head, His hands, His feet -
sorrow and love flow mingled down!
did e'er such love and sorrow meet?
or thorns compose so rich a crown?

where the whole realm of nature mine
that were a present far too small
love so amazing, so divine
demands my soul, my life, my all
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"but whatever gain i had, i counted as loss for the sake of Christ. indeed, i count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake i have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that i may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that i may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible i may attain the resurrection from the dead. not that i have already obtained this or am already perfect, but i press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own." (philippians 3:7-12)

also of note: "see, from His head, His hands, His feet - sorrow and love flow mingled down!" how powerful a description of the blood of Christ is that?!