New Feature

hello kids. i have decided to add a new feature, probably to be randomly inserted, besides my normal randomness and the rest of the Lenten hymns. these new entries will consist almost entirely of quotes from that amazing .... well .... entity? called Adventures in Odyssey. most of them will be from the old school ones. :)

today's is ~
Sister: "say what you mean, mean what you say, that's my motto."
Brother: "go stick your face in the snow; that's my motto."

My Favorite Hymn!

Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed?
alas! and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die?
would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as i?
was it for sins that i have done He suffered on the tree?
amazing pity! grace unknown! and love beyond degree!

well might the sun in darkness hide
and shut his glory in
when Christ, the great Redeemer, died
for man, the creature, 's sin

thus might i hide my blushing face while His dear cross appears
dissolve my heart in thankfulness and melt mine eyes to tears

but drops of grief can ne'er repay
the debt of love i owe
here, Lord - i give myself away
tis all that i can do
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i think most people don't understand this song, mostly because i didn't for a very long time. i mean, we're talking about like 6 years or something! anyway, here's the rundown (and yes, this is very exegetical and literary and you can suck it up, because i'm an english major and right now doing this sort of thing is my job):
1) "alas! and did my Savior bleed and did my Sovereign die?" - basically what we're saying here is "how awful that my God and King would suffer like this!" combined with the thought "i am absolutely dumbfounded by this!"
2) "was it for sins that i have done He suffered on the tree?" - "so He endured the cross to pay for my sin?"
3) "amazing pity! grace unknown! and love beyond degree!" - nuff said
4) "well might the sun in darkness hide and shut his glory in, when Christ, the great Redeemer, died for man, the creature, 's sin." - when it got dark at midday on Good Friday, we're saying we don't blame it - that's a good reason to quit shining, when the God of the universe pours Himself out like a drink offering to buy back some measely little people
5) "thus might i hide my blushing face while His dear cross appears, dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears" - like the sun from #4, i hide when i see the way Christ took my shame and infirmity and it was nailed to the cross with Him. this leads to utter thankfulness and "tears" ("godly grief" "leads to repentance" - 2 corinthinans 7:10).
6) "but drops of grief can ne'er repay the debt of love i owe" - there is no way all i have to offer - which is tears, by the way - can reimburse God for what He shelled out.
7) "here, Lord - i give myself away, tis all that i can do" - this is kinda an ironic line, since i am no longer mine to give anyway - the point of #6 partly is that we have been bought, and we can't buy ourselves out of that. even so, there is some resolution, some agreeing with the ownership God now exerts over my soul, implicit in this line. plus, what else can you do for Someone Who loves like Christ?

Nothing But the Blood

what can wash away my sin? nothing but the blood of Jesus
what can make me whole again? nothing but the blood of Jesus
oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow
no other fount i know; nothing but the blood of Jesus

for my pardon, this i see: nothing but the blood of Jesus
for my cleansing, this my plea: nothing but the blood of Jesus
oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow
no other fount i know; nothing but the blood of Jesus

nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus
naught of good that i have done; nothing but the blood of Jesus
oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow
no other fount i know; nothing but the blood of Jesus

this is all my hope and peace: nothing but the blood of Jesus
this is all my righteousness: nothing but the blood of Jesus
oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow
no other fount i know; nothing but the blood of Jesus

now by this i'll overcome: nothing but the blood of Jesus
now by this i'll reach my home: nothing but the blood of Jesus
oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow
no other fount i know; nothing but the blood of Jesus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
bottom-line: salvation = Jesus + nothing
my security = Jesus + nothing
my hope and peace = Jesus + nothing
the basis of God's pleasure in me as His daughter = Jesus + nothing

if only we believed this enough to quit trying to earn what is already ours by nature of our union with Christ!

for our sake He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 corinthians 5:21

basking...

There Is Power in the Blood & Awake My Soul

There Is Power in the Blood
would you be free from your burden of sin? there's power in the blood, power in the blood
would you o'er evil a victory win? there's wonderful power in the blood
would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? there's power in the blood, power in the blood
sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow; there's wonderful power in the blood

there is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb
there is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb

would you do service for Jesus your King? there's power in the blood, power in the blood
would you live daily His praises to sing? there's wonderful power in the blood

there is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb
there is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
big, important fact: Christ's blood cleanses our "sin-stains," but it also gives us power to live for Him. it's not like we all the sudden can do it on our own once we are made alive in Christ. See the next hymnfor more on this topic...
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Awake My Soul
the Image of God invisible, the firstborn of all life
before and within
He holds it all in -
one Name, one faith,
one Christ

no one is good enough to save himself; awake, my soul, tonight to boast nothing else

i trust no other source or name
nowhere else can i hide
cause this grace gives me fear
and this grace draws me near
and all that it asks it provides

no one is good enough to save himself; awake, my soul, tonight to boast nothing else

no seam in this garment
all my rags to hide
no less than your love,
for Jesus is mine!

so when i stand on the edges of jordan
with the saints and the angels beside
when my body is healed
and the glory revealed
still i can boast only Christ

cause no one is good enough to save himself; awake, my soul, tonight to boast nothing else
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sometimes i think we forget how miraculously huge the gospel is. not only does Christ's death pay for our deaths, but His life covers ours!
"since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him! for if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life." (romans 5:9-10)
it amazes me too that even when my crazy body is healed and i'm sinless, even in my glorified state, there will be no room for boasting. pre-fall, adam and eve had no right to boast in themselves, and how much more is that our story now, since we have been bought back and twice created?!
the other thing that i find incredible about this hymn is that we are boasting in the fact that it's not we who save ourselves, but Christ, "through Whom are all things and through Whom we exist," (1 corinthians 8:6) saves us.
yay.

3 Hymns Today :)

Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
are your garments all spotless, are they white as the snow?
are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
is your soul all spotless, is it white as the snow?
are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

i am washed, yes i'm washed, i am washed in the blood
i'm all washed in the blood of the Lamb
i'm all clean, i'm all spotless, i'm all pure like the snow
i'm all washed in the blood of the Lamb

have you laid down your burdens, have you found peace and rest?
are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
i've down all my troubles and i've found peace and rest
i'm all washed in the blood of the Lamb

have you learned to love your neighbors of all colors, creeds, and kinds?
are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
i've learned to love my people of all colors, creeds, and kinds
i'm all washed in the blood of that Lamb

i am washed, yes i'm washed, i'm all washed in the blood
i'm all washed in the blood of the Lamb
i'm all clean, i'm all spotless, and i'm pure like the snow
i'm all washed in the blood of the Lamb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"what good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? can that faith save him?.... faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (james 2:14,17)
"religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction..." (james 1:27)
"and now, israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which i am commanding you today for your good?....circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of egypt." (deut. 10:12-13, 16-19)
"faith shows herself by what she does." - christine dente, out of the grey
in other words, faith always grows hands and feet, and they should resemble "peace and rest" and learning "to love your neighbors of all colors, creeds, and kinds."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins
and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains
lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains
and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains

e'er since by faith i saw the stream Your flowing wound supplied
redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till i die
and shall be till i die, and shall be till i die
redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till i die

when this poor, lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave
then in a nobler, sweeter song, i'll sing Thy power to save
i'll sing Thy power to save, i'll sing Thy power to save
then in a nobler, sweeter song, i'll sing Thy power to save
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 things:
1) redeeming love should be our theme, just like "Thy mercy, my God", right?
2) yes this is the song my blog is named from
3) the nobler, sweeter song comes from a nobler, sweeter understanding of the gospel that will come after death - but the song is still the same at heart: God's power to save us is incredible.
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At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing
at the Lamb's high feast we sing praise to our victorious King
Who has washed us in the tide flowing from His pierced side
praise we Him, Whose love divine gives His sacred blood for wine
gives His body for the feast; Christ the Victim, Christ the Priest

where the paschal blood is poured, death's dread angel sheathes the sword
israel's hosts triumphant go through the wave that drowns the foe
praise we Christ, Whose blood was shed; paschal Victim, paschal Bread
with sincerity and love eat we manna from above

mighty Victim from the sky, hell's fierce powers beneath You lie
You have conquered in the fight; You have brought us life and light
Father, Who the crown shall give; Savior, by Whose death we live,
Spirit, guide through all our days, Three in One, Your Name we praise
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this one may be the most earth-shattering of all these hymns. the language here is phenomenal - so biblically sound, and yet so riveting and radical!
1) ok, what the heck? "Christ the Victim, Christ the Priest" - can it get more out of control than that??? that is indeed "love divine" - for the God of the universe to feed us with Himself, not to mention to "wash us in the tide flowing from His pierced side." this really speaks to the idea that God was fully in control of the passion. He sure knew what He was doing.
2) it is the sacrifice of Christ that makes us alive!
3) i definitely didn't get the prophetic symbolism of manna till i heard this song....
4) definitely puts a gory spin on communion - which is ACCURATE. we christians are rather crazy about blood being spilled because in spilling His own blood, God demonstrated His own love for us.
5) the Triune God is all over the gospel - it's not just a Jesus-thing
6) 6 words for you: "Savior, by Whose death we live" - nothing left to say

The Love of Christ Is Rich and Free

the love of Christ is rich and free
fixed on His own eternally
nor earth nor hell can it remove -
long as He lives His own He'll love

His loving heart engaged to be
their everlasting Surety
twas love that took their cause in hand
and love maintains it to the end

love cannot from its post withdraw; nor death nor hell nor sin nor law
can turn the Surety's heart away; He'll love His own to endless day

love has redeemed His sheep with blood
and love will bring them safe to God
love calls them all from death to life
and love will finish all their strife

He loves through every changing scene
nor aught from Him can zion ween
not all the wanderings of her heart
can make His love for her depart

love cannot from its post withdraw; nor death nor hell nor sin nor law
can turn the Surety's heart away; He'll love His own to endless day

at death, beyond the grave, He'll love
in endless bliss His own shall prove
the blazing glory of that love
that never could from them remove
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) "the love of Christ is rich and free" = beautiful thought - it is RICH, and it is FREE. how often do those two go hand in hand?
2) nothing can separate us from the love of Christ - not death, not hell, not sin, not law, not earth, not "all the wanderings" of our hearts.
3) His heart is engaged to US, the Church! further, it is engaged to be our Surety, our surefire hope of glory.
4) perserverance of the saints, baby!
5) even the ultimate change - death - cannot separate us from Him. in fact, it is there that He will, in our endless bliss, shower us with love.

THE AMAZING THING IS THAT ALL OF THIS IS NOT ABOUT US!!!! more about that later... :)

Derek & Sandra

oh geez, y'all, the derek and sandra concert was amazing. i LOVED it. sandra is just really amazing and i respect her more every time i talk with her and/or see her in concert. and she says she and derek are coming back through this area in a month! i hope so - i just LOVE them.

i will say that not all of derek's new cd mockingbird did i agree with, but i will absolutely recommend him if only because he requires us to think, to challenge the roots the american dream has sunk into our hearts, and to shudder at the politicization of the gospel by christians who are are preoccupied with being republican. and i'm pretty sure you know that i'm a pretty die-hard republican. but my citizenship is in heaven, and that outweighs all this. love (read: the Gospel) is more important than politics - not that politics aren't important, but they aren't our main thing as believers and they shouldn't be our main thing together as the body of Christ (the Church).

anyway, it was good times. check out derek and sandra's concert schedule either at www.sandramccracken.com or www.derekwebb.com to see if they are coming near you!

i'm sleepy, so without further ado, it's time for our lenten hymn of the day, which, appropriately, sandra rewrote the music for and derek recorded on his first cd.

She Must and Shall Go Free
mercy speaks by Jesus' blood - hear and sing, ye sons of God
justice satisfied indeed - Christ has full atonement made
Jesus's blood speaks loud and sweet - here all deity can meet
and, without a jarring voice, welcome zion to rejoice
welcome zion to rejoice:

"all her debts were cast on Me, and she must and shall go free
all her debts were cast on Me, and she must and shall go free"

peace of conscience, peace with God we obtain through Jesus's blood
Jesus's blood speaks solid rest - we believe and we are blessed
we believe and we are blessed

"all her debts were cast on Me, and she must and shall go free
all her debts were cast on Me, and she must and shall go free"

should the law against her roar, Jesus's blood still speaks with power:
"all her debts were cast on Me, and she must and shall go free"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ok this one is so great - so many phrases and clauses that impart very deep and reassuring truths. since i'm exhausted, we'll make this like last night's - short and to the point.
1) "Jesus's blood speaks loud and sweet" - i love the "loud" part especially - Jesus's love for us and His sacrifice are public. He is openly affectionate with us.
2) the second verse is really amazing: here we are told that "Jesus's blood speaks solid rest," which is a beautiful turn-of-phrase and an even more beautiful truth. and we are told the reason, too - "peace of conscience" and "peace with God." as God's people, redeemed by His blood, we are to live in an eternal sabbath of the soul, because we are not working toward our redemption. our lives are not about justifying ourselves, but about being the new, living people that we are now in Christ.
3) "should the law against her roar," as seems to happen in my heart so often, "Jesus's blood still speaks with power - all her debts were cast on Me, and she must and shall go free." so often, my heart feels like i houses a courtroom, with the devil (or me - it doesn't have to be coming from outside; i do plenty of it on my own) the prosecuting attorney and condemning judge, roaring the law in my face. i just need to learn more deeply that Jesus's blood is my verdict, and even maybe remind myself by imagining this crazy courtroom in my heart and Jesus crying out "all her debts were cast on Me, and she must and shall go free."
4) "she must and shall go free" demonstrates to us that not only must we be let free, but we will be.
the blood of Christ is really really really important to us - "the life is in the blood" is true for us; our life is in Christ's blood. that's why i love all these great blood songs. :)

A Debtor to Mercy Alone

a debtor to mercy alone - of covenant mercy i sing
nor fear, with Thy righteousness on, my person and offering to bring
the terrors of law and of God with me can have nothing to do
my Savior's obedience and blood hide all my transgressions from view

the work which His goodness began the arm of His strength will complete
His promise is yea and amen, and never was forfeited yet
things future, nor things that are now, nor all things below or above
can make Him His purpose forgo or sever my soul from His love

my name from the palms of His hands eternity will not erase
impressed on His heart it remains in marks of indelible grace
yes, i to the end shall endure as sure as the earnest is given
more happy, but not more secure - the glorified spirits in heaven
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
wow is this song amazing or what?! tonight i'm tired and it's late, so i'm gonna be brief in commentary.
1) a debtor to covenant mercy alone - this means our salvation is accomplished wholly by Christ
2) we can approach God because we are covered in the blood of Christ,
3) He who began a good work in you...
4) nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ
5) we are etched into His palms
6) we are on earth as secure as the saints in heaven because it is not anything about us that saves us - not who we are or what we do. it is all accomplished, and "it is finished" means that the matter is settled. we SHALL endure.

O Come and Mourn

o come and mourn with me awhile
o come, ye, to the Savior's side
o come, together let us mourn:
Jesus our Lord is crucified

seven times He spake sev'n words of love
and all three hours His silence cried
for mercy on the souls of men
Jesus our Lord is crucified

o love of God, o sin of man -
in this dread act your strength is tried
and victory remains with love:
Jesus our Lord is crucified

o break, o break hard heart of mine
my selfish love and guilty pride
His pilate and His judas were
Jesus our Lord is crucified

a broken heart, a fount of tears -
ask and they will not be denied
a broken heart love's cradle is
Jesus our Lord is crucified

o love of God, o sin of man -
in this dread act your strength is tried
and victory remains with love
Jesus our Lord is crucified
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this song is so beautiful - especially with the new tune. but the most beautiful thing about it is the Gospel, breathtakingly described here.
1) first off, we notice the irony of mourning the very act that brings us to God. and yet mourning is appropriate, for the Lover of our souls has subjected Himself to all kinds of suffering. weird, huh? but i guess that's what maundy thursday and good friday are all about...
2) amazing too that Christ, in the middle of excruciating pain and grief at being separated from the Father, is speaking words of love, and His silence is crying for mercy on us. talk about dedication.
3) my 2nd favorite part of this song is the chorus, because it sets up a great mental image. i envision a boxing ring, but it could be anything i guess. in the left hand corner is "sin of man" and across the way is "love of God." the love of God triumphs, and the evidence? that Jesus our Lord is crucified.
4) more on the mourning thing comes up in verse three, where we are telling our hearts to break because it is our sins that crucified our Savior. and the thing is that God does so much with broken hearts: they are "love's cradle" and we should be asking for them. how backwards in the world's economy - to ask for brokenness. but God binds up the wounds He makes, because He loves us and because of the sacrifice of Christ. evidence? "for He wounds, but He binds up; He shatters, but His hands heal." (job 5:18); "moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of His people, and heals the wounds inflicted by His blows." (is. 30:26); "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (ps. 147:3)
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new book to add to my list of favorites is, suprisingly, something i read for my african-american literature post-vietnam class. it's called mama day, and it joins the very very short ranks of books that have made me cry, but in a good way.

i accidentally slept through a class today. haven't done that since freshman year. stupid lauren.

i can't wait to have a good mattress again. :-D

RUF summer conference or bust, baby!

oh, and guess what (for those of you who didn't know) - i'm going to the derek and sandra concert on friday night. i am so excited i could.............................EXPLODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

officially i am in a weird mood.