I posted this hymn a few days ago, with Doc Watson singing it, but “thewhiterabbit” has asked for it again today–and, well, I do try to fulfill all hymn requests. We can’t have too many hymns.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus, here sung by Alan Jackson–and again a veteran performer can’t sing this without a tear in the eye. I don’t blame him. Do you?
From the Christian blog, unashamedofjesus.org
Acts 8 tells of one Simon the Sorcerer, who had convinced the people of his town that he was “some great one.” When he saw the apostles lay hands on his neighbors and baptize them with the Holy Spirit, he tried to buy the ability to do this himself.
And St. Peter said, “Thy money perish with thee.”
We have more than our share of false prophets–and worse–today, many of whom seem to think that the spiritual gifts of God are up for sale. They have their followings.
But the gifts of God are not for sale! They are given by God’s grace alone; they are not merchandise.
I’ve always wondered what happened with the rest of Simon’s life, after he asked Peter to pray for him. Did he repent and sin no more? Or did he just set up shop somewhere else?
Requested by Erlene, How Great Thou Art, sung by Blue Rock Mennonite Youth. Background sets by God the Father.
Now this hymn will be in my head all day, but that’s a good thing. How often my mother and my aunts used to sing this as they went about their housework! Thank you, O God.
I didn’t realize this was going to turn out to be (only in Latin) Angels We Have Heard on High; but once he started singing, I didn’t want Andrea Bocelli to stop. Gloria in Excelsis Deo, “Glory to God in the Highest”–none the worse for being heard in June.
Meanwhile, we’re ready to post your favorite hymns. All you have to do is ask.
Erlene Requested this one–In the Presence of Jehovah, sung by The Martins.
Some of you have been here for years and still have yet to request a hymn. The hymn shop is open to all. Don’t be shy!
Win an autographed copy of The Wind from Heaven! Or a cool T-shirt like nobody else has. Those are the prizes in our current comment contest–
–The race for 75,000 comments!
We now have just over 74,500. Once upon a time 500 comments would’ve come quickly; now, not so much. Not with Big Tech censoring us all over the place.
Look, anyone can comment, anytime. Now you can even get here via MeWe. Let’s do this!
Here’s a Bible study by our friend and colleague, “SlimJim,” on his blog, “Veritas Domain.”
Does God ever really change His mind about anything?
God’s attribute: The Immutability of God Part 2
The question’s not as easy as it looks! After all, God made us in His image, and we change our minds all the time. But it’s important to remember that God made us “in His image”; He didn’t make us gods. No, He didn’t do that! But because He is in a very real sense our Father, we can’t help viewing Him in human terms.
Jimmy’s essay delves deeply into the matter.
I love this hymn! I’ve always loved it: This Is My Father’s World, an old Sunday school favorite, performed here by the students at Fountainview Academy.
We shouldn’t take the beauties of this world for granted. They are God’s conscious work, and He shares it with us.
Susan has requested this beautiful hymn by Casting Crowns, The Only Scars in Heaven (“are on the hands that hold you now”)–the hands of Jesus Christ Our Lord, who will heal all wounds and wash away all tears.
Our friend “thewhiterabbit” has warned us to keep an eye on this year’s Southern Baptist Convention meeting, and urged us to pray for the delegates, that they will speak truth and do right.
The annual meeting starts on June 15 in Nashville, and among the major issues to be dealt with is “Critical Race Theory”–an academic euphemism for the “teaching” that all white people are born guilty of racism, etc. Believe it or not, there are those among the SBC who want the nation’s largest Protestant denomination to embrace this evil claptrap (https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-religion-baptist-8913f904e9ed98c05279e0f0623c933e).
[Note the flagrant dishonesty of the Associated Press. Their description of CRT as “an academic approach to understanding systemic racism” slides “systemic racism” under the door, unexamined, unquestioned–while at the same time soft-peddaling CRT as something other than the hatful of hatred that it is.]
There can only be three possible outcomes–four, if you want to count lapsing into irresolute confusion. One, the SBC rejects this racist ideology. Two, the delegates all go mad and they sign on to CRT. Three, the SBC ruptures along largely racial lines.
Now… why would anybody countenance “teaching” children or adults to hate themselves, hate and fear each other, hate their families, hate their country, and hate their God? Why are we even discussing such an abomination as Critical Race Theory?
Because leftids want to gain power by manipulating Americans against each other–and the more chaos, fear, crime, and violence it brews, the better it serves their purpose.
We must not let them do this to us!
By all means, do whatever is just and feasible to mollify and appease the SBC’s black congregations. The church is, after all, a brotherhood–or at least is meant to be. But those measures must stop short of giving any kind of approval whatsoever to CRT.
All have sinned: the Christian faith admits this. But all sins are washed away by Jesus Christ. CRT is in stark contradiction to the whole New Testament. And why that should take the SBC more than ten seconds to realize, I don’t understand.