Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

All hail the power of Jesus' Name

All hail the power of Jesus' Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all.

Crown him, ye martyrs of your God
Who from his altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse's rod,
And crown him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel's chosen race,
Ye ransomed of the fall,
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
And crown him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget
The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at his feet,
And crown him Lord of all.

Let ev'ry kindred, ev'ry tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To him all majesty ascribe,
And crown him Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred throng
We at his feet may fall;
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown him Lord of all.

My ancestors ~ John Calvin and John Wesley (seriously)

True confession, I'm a genealogy 'nut'!!

I have been since about 4th grade when a dear neighbor lady, who was a much loved history teacher, introduced me to an 'ancestral chart' and showed me how to trace my ancestors. Oh my, was I ever hooked--all those nice neat lines expanding across pages and pages lending credibility to hunches and solving 'family mysteries'.

So, imagine my delight, bliss, and laughter when I discovered ancestors by the names of 'John Calvin' and 'John Wesley'.

John Calvin is on my paternal side which is Pennsylvania Dutch, and John Wesley is on my maternal side which includes British and Irish ancestry.

So, now you know! :-)

Olga and John Calvin

Many parents expect their daughter to someday bring home a nice young man to meet the family. Imagine our delight when our oldest recently brought John Calvin home with her!

Our Olga works part-time for Grace & Truth Books. Not only does she greatly enjoy the work, she enjoys the opportunity to build her personal library--she's bought some really substantial and foundational works. That's my girl! :-)

Oh, You're My BEST Friend...

...for 25 years!

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ "How Sweet and Awful is the Place"

Trinity hymnal, #271


How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores.

While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?"

Why was I made to hear thy voice,
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?"

'Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.

Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

We long to see thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing thy redeeming grace.

"Martha" side of me ~ Colossal Cookie recipe

I love making this giant cookie to give friends and family as a simple 'thank you' or 'I'm thinking of you' surprise! I first made this for my husband when he was is Seminary--I baked it (on the sly) , and put a note in his student mailbox that told him to retrieve 'something special' from the student mail office! :-)


Colossal Cookie

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup packed light or brown sugar

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 to 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces equals about 1 cup)

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large mixer bowl at medium speed (I just mix by hand), beat butter or margarine, brown sugar and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Place dough in refrigerator for 1 1/2 hrs. or in freezer for 45 minutes or until chilled, but not hard (chilling makes the dough less sticky and helps prevent excessive spreading during baking).

Grease a 12-inch round foil baking pan (I get mine at the dollar store). Place dough in center of pan. Press evenly to within 1 1/2 inches of edge of pan. If desired, sprinkle additional 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top, pressing down lightly. For easier handling, place foil pan on a baking sheet.

Bake in center of a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are firm and no indentation remains in center of cookie when lightly touched. For a softer cookie, bake the minimum time. Place foil baking pan on a wire rack and cool cookie completely.

If you're really adventurous, use cake decorators icing and decorate the cookie!

Avoiding the "ditch" on the topic of Revival

(This is a rather lengthy introduction, if you haven't the time, scroll down to the links I offer)

I grew up attending churches of a certain denomination, so I've been to countless 'revivals'. As a matter of fact, up until the last few decades it was a standard part of the annual 'church calendar' to coordinate a 'fall' revival and a 'spring' revival. Back in the 60's and 70's these revivals were scheduled to last a full week--Sunday through Sunday--with a church service and/or activity every evening during the week.

Having grown up in that culture I was surprised to learn--after the Lord saved me in my early 20's--that 'revival' isn't about daily meetings, altar calls, knocking on doors, pot-luck suppers, fruitless professions, emotionally charged confessions, or great choir/musical presentations (all of which I gladly participated in).

Personally, I believe that the church as a whole misuses and misunderstands the term 'revival' just about as much as they misuse and misunderstand the term 'miracle'. In the late 70's and early 80's I was lead to believe that the "Jesus Freak" movement and the subsequent second-blessing/charismatic/third wave movement was in fact a modern-day 'revival'.

I think it's safe to say that once you've seen/experienced something aberrant within Christiandom, you are not likely to continue on in your Christian walk passively or unquestioningly. I do realize that there are two 'ditches' in which you can find yourself as you walk along--one is the ditch of apathy, and the other is the ditch of cynicism (where I believe our emergent friends are gathering).

As I began to question and examine the Biblical view of 'revival' in light of our modern-day 'revivals' I soon found that many others had questioned and/or defended 'revivals' of their day. So, it's no surprise that in the mid to late 80's I ended up encountering the writings of Jonathan Edwards.!

So, all that to say this! I've been working my way through Edwards' "Religious Affections" (both the original and an abridged version!) and have also been taking the opportunity to consider the thoughts of others on Edwards' and his contributions to the topic of 'revival'. I do this because I most certainly don't want to inadvertently find myself in either ditch--apathy or cynicism. I try to approach all church and Christian living issues/matters in the same matter--which as you might imagine makes for some pretty lofty reading goals!

Here's what I recently added to my looooooooong list of reading on the topic (posted at the Ligonier blog):

The Spirit of Revival (pt. 1)

The Spirit of Revival (pt. 2) ~ The Relevance of Edward's Distinguishing Marks

The Spirit of Revival (pt. 3) ~ Negative Marks

The Spirit of Revival (pt. 4) ~ Positive Marks

The Spirit of Revival (pt. 5) ~ Applications

Apparently I'm older than dirt...

I received this little "Memory Test" from a younger friend, she scored a '12'. I took it and scored a '17' (I missed 4, 5, & 11) but I shouldn't have missed #11 cause I KNOW the answer but didn't read carefully--guess I really scored '18'. I'm blaming my high score on very culturally aware parents and my older siblings, who I'm sure would score a perfect '20'!!! Enjoy, and let me know your score in the comments!

This is NOT a pushover test. There are 20 questions. Average score is 12. It will help if you are over 60! This one will be difficult for the younger set. Have fun, but no peeking!

1. What builds strong bodies 12 ways?
A. Flintstones vitamins
B. The Buttmaster
C. Spaghetti
D. Wonder Bread
E. Orange Juice
F. Milk
G. Cod Liver Oil

2. Before he was Muhammed Ali, he was...
A. Sugar Ray Robinson
B. Roy Orbison
C. Gene Autry
D. Rudolph Valentino
E. Fabian
F. Mickey Mantle
G. Cassius Clay

3. Pogo, the comic strip character said, 'We have met the enemy and...
A. It's you
B. He is us
C. It's the Grinch
D. He wasn't home
E. He's really me an
F. We quit
G. He surrendered

4. Good night David.
A. Good nigh Chet
B. Sleep well
C. Good night Irene
D. Good night Gracie
E. See you later alligator
F. Until tomorrow
G. Good night Steve

5. You'll wonder where the yellow went...
A. When you use Tide
B. When you lose your crayons
C. When you clean your tub
D. If you paint the room blue
E. If you buy a soft water tank
F. When you use Lady Clairol
G. When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent

6. Before he was the Skipper's Little Buddy, Bob Denver was Dobie's friend...
A. Stuart Whitman
B. Randolph Scott
C. Steve Reeves
D. Maynard G. Krebbs
E. Corky B. Dork
F. Dave the Whale
G. Zippy Zoo

7. Liar, liar...
A. You're a liar
B. Your nose is growing
C. Pants on fire
D. Join the choir
E. Jump up higher
F. On the wire
G. I'm telling Mom

8. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Superman fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and..
A. Wheaties
B. Lois Lane
C. TV ratings
D. World peace
E. Red tights
F. The American way
G. News headlines

9. Hey kids! What time is it?
A. It's time for Yogi Bear
B. It's time to do your homework
C. It's Howdy Doody Time
D. It's Time for Romper Room
E. It's bedtime
F. The Mighty Mouse Hour
G. Scoopy Doo Time

10. Lions and tigers and bears...
A. Yikes
B. Oh no
C. Gee whiz
D. I'm scared
E. Oh m
F. Help! Help!
G. Let's run

11. Bob Dylan advised us never to trust anyone...
A. Over 40
B. Wearing a uniform
C. Carrying a briefcase
D. Over 30
E. You don't know
F. Who says, 'Trust me'
G. Who eats tofu

12. NFL quarterback who appeared in a television commercial wearing women's stockings...
A. Troy Aikman
B. Kenny Stable
C. Joe Namath
D. Roger Stauback
E. Joe Montana
F. Steve Young
G. John Elway

13. Brylcream...
A. Smear it on
B. You'll smell great
C. Tame that cowlick
D. Grease ball heaven
E. It's a dream
F. We're your team
G. A little dab'll do ya

14. I found my thrill...
A. In Blueberry muffins
B. With my man, Bill
C. Down at the mill
D. Over the windowsill
E. With thyme and dill
F. Too late to enjoy
G. On Blueberry Hill

15. Before Robin Williams, Peter Pan was played by...
A. Clark Gable
B. Mary Martin
C. Doris Day
D. Errol Flynn
E. Sally Fields
F. Jim Carey
G. Jay Leno

16. Name the Beatles...
A. John, Steve, George, Ringo
B. John, Paul, George, Roscoe
C. John, Paul, Stacey, Ringo
D. Jay, Paul, George, Ringo
E. Lewis, Peter, George, Ringo
F. Jason, Betty, Skipper, Hazel
G. John, Paul, George, Ringo

17. I wonder, wonder, who...
A. Who ate the leftovers?
B. Who did the laundry?
C. Was it you?
D. Who wrote the book of love?
E. Who I am?
F. Passed the test?
G. Knocked on the door?

18. I'm strong to the finish...
A. Cause I eats my broccoli
B. Cause I eats me spinach
C. Cause I lift weights
D. Cause I'm the hero
E. And don't you forget it
F. Cause Olive Oyl loves me
G. To outlast Bruto

19. When it's least expected, you're elected, you're the star today...
A. Smile, you're on Candid Camera
B. Smile, you're on Star Search
C. Smile, you won the lottery
D. Smile, we're watching you
E. Smile, the world sees you
F. Smile, you're a hit
G. Smile, you're on TV

20. What do M & M's do?
A. Make your tummy happy
B. Melt in your mouth, not in your pocket
C. Make you fat
D. Melt your heart
E. Make you popular
F. Melt in your mouth, not in your hand
G. Come in

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Answers:
1. D - Wonder Bread
2. G - Cassius Clay
3. B - He Is Us
4. A - Good night, Chet
5. G - When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent
6. D - Maynard G. Krebbs
7. C - Pants On Fire
8. F - The American Way
9. C - It's Howdy Doody Time
10. E - Oh My
11. D - Over 30
12. C - Joe Namath
13. G - A little dab'll do ya
14. G - On Blueberry Hill
15. B - Mary Martin
16. G - John, Paul, George, Ringo
17. D - Who wrote the book of Lov
18. B - Cause I eats me spinach
19. A - Smile, you're on Candid Camera
20. F - Melt In Your Mouth Not In Your Hand

Give Thanks...

...for being the mom of TWO high schoolers! It's hard to believe that this time next year I will no longer be homeschooling TWO, but just one. My how time really does fly--we just brought them home less than six years ago. Sigh...

"Social" Gospel remix

Umm, is it only me or does anybody else think that the current 'emerging/emergent' movement is simply the 'social gospel' repackaged?

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ "More Love to Thee, O Christ"

Listen to the tune HERE.

"More Love to Thee, O Christ"

More love to thee, O Christ,
More love to thee!
Hear thou the prayer I make
On bended knee;
This is my earnest plea,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

Once earthly joy I craved,
Sought peace and rest;
Now thee alone I seek;
Give what is best:
This all my prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

Let sorrow do its work,
Send grief and pain;
Sweet are thy messengers,
Sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

Then shall my latest breath
Whisper thy praise;
This be the parting cry
My heart shall raise,
This still its prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

Still working on the 'continued revelation' question...

...and I've decided on my thesis statement:

"Today's claim to and practice of 'continuing revelation' is rooted in an experience-driven theology and is dependent upon redefining the historically Biblical understanding of the acts and ministries of the Holy Spirit."

Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves...



Copyright 2008

Pragmatism in the Church Today

This from John MacArthur at Pulpit Magazine:

"First, there is in vogue today a trend to make the basis of faith something other than God’s Word. Experience, emotion, fashion, and popular opinion are often more authoritative than the Bible in determining what many Christians believe. From private, individual revelation to the blending of secular psychology with biblical “principles,” Christians are listening to the voice of the serpent that once told Eve, “God’s Word doesn’t have all the answers.” Christian counseling reflects that drift, frequently offering no more than experimental and unscriptural self-help therapy instead of solid answers from the Bible...

All those things are happening slowly, steadily within the church right now. Tragically, most Christians seem oblivious to the problems, satisfied with a Christianity that is fashionable and highly visible. But the true church must not ignore those threats. If we fight to maintain doctrinal purity with an emphasis on biblical preaching and biblical ministry, we can conquer external attacks. But if error is allowed into the church, many more churches will slide down the grade to suffer the same fate as the denominations that listened to, yet ignored, Spurgeon’s impassioned appeal.

Make it your habitual prayer request that the Lord would elevate the authority of His Word, the glory of His Son, and the purity of His people in the evangelical church. May the Lord revive us and keep us far from the slippery slope of pragmatism."

HT: Kim at The Upward Call

Where ARE these young men today?

"I think every church probably has a David or two--he is the rare college student who is passionate about theology, and feels a little bit like an outsider because of it. I wouldn't go so far as to put him in the 'rabid young John Piper groupies' department, but if he met a beautiful young girl wearing glasses, no makeup, and an indie-rock T-shirt, reading Calvin's Institutes, he probably wouldn't hesitate to ask her to 'court'."

I'm just wondering because our oldest daughter--who recently purchased her own copy of Calvin--would like to marry someone 'just like dad'! :-) That's my girl!!!

And as a side note, when her dad and I met (26 yrs. ago) I wasn't wearing glasses, most likely was wearing make-up, had no idea what an "indie-rock T-shirt" was, and while I wasn't reading Calvin's Institutes at that time I was definitely wanting a guy who was 'passionate about theology'. :-)

Quote from: Why We're Not Emergent

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ 'Man of Sorrows'

My favorite hymnal is the Trinity Hymnal (Baptist version) because it has such a huge variety of musically rich and theologically sound hymns--many are very familiar, while some are 'new' to us. My husband recently reminded me that you can listen to the tunes to these hymns HERE .

"Man of Sorrows"

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim:
Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned he stood,
Sealed my pardon with his blood:
Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Guilty, vile, and helpless, we;
Spotless Lamb of God was he;
Full atonement! can it be?
Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Lifted up was he to die,
"It is finished!" was his cry:
Now in heav'n exalted high:
Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

When he comes, our glorious King,
All his ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we'll sing:
Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Thanks, I needed that!

"...All day we will see the evidence of sin in others around us. It is inevitable, is it not? How are we to react to such sin?..."

Really, I can't be reminded of THIS often enough.

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs ~ A Mighty Fortress

A Mighty Fortress

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

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 own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through 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.

Bibliophile exhibits unimaginable RESTRAINT while in Dallas...

As is our habit (okay, addiction) when we visit Dallas, we spent almost three hours at the anchor store of Half Price Books. There actually are a number of smaller 'satellite' stores throughout the metroplex, but we just didn't have time for those on this trip (we normally hit at least 2 or 3).

If I do say so myself, I exercised GREAT restraint on this trip, as I walked away with ONLY two books. TWO! But they are real 'gems' to me.

The DFW (Dallas Ft. Worth) area Half Price Books locations are ideal for the 'religious' reader since there are at least three major seminaries in the DFW metroplex; Dallas Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, and Perkins Seminary, not to mention the various 'religious' colleges, ministries, and mega-churches in the area (conservative, charismatic, liberal--you name it!).

Here's one I 'rescued' from those cold lonely shelves that happens to be a "signed" copy--which isn't a big deal to me, but still sort of neat. This book is a companion book to "I Will Exalt You, O God", which I found locally at a used bookstore several months ago. I've been loving it, and was surprised and delighted when I ran across this companion book.:


Check out this book at Amazon


And, this one:
Check this book out at Amazon

I've been through Donald Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines" several times and refer to it often, so I was delighted to find this one (above). In the Introduction he says, "My purpose in writing these pages is to act as a physician of the soul [a phrase used by English Puritans to refer to ministers]--to ask questions and suggest spiritual tests that can, by the Holy Spirit, enable you to self-diagnose your spiritual health." and, "Where eternal life through Christ does exist, there should be not only health but also growth. That is what this book is about--evaluating your spiritual health and growth."

Interestingly, this just happens to be something that has been frequently on my mind in recent years in the context of the 'tension' between contentment and discontent in Xian living and Xian worship.

"THE" phone call...

...came six years ago today! Read about it HERE.

Old Ladies Blogging...

...speaking for MYSELF of course, cause just by looking at these ladies I think I'm old enough to be their--um, err, ahem--'older' sister! :-)

Recognize that face above (sorry it's a little blurry)? I don't think she knew I was taking her picture at this time (duh, she was busy talking to the Harris twins!), but because I really like 'candid' shots I gave it a try! Give up? That's Kim from Lifesong!

And this smiling face is that of none other than, Lisa from Deo Volente!

What a special treat to get to meet Kim in person, and get to see Lisa again since her family moved from our area several years ago. I'll admit, this just made me a little more jealous of a couple of bloggers I know (Carla and Kim) who apparently get together over a hot cup of coffee (tea?) and delicious treats to visit, discuss, and encourage each other!