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Thursday Hymn Reflection: “There Is a Fountain”
[NOTE: Each Thursday, we “reflect” on a hymn suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites to our list, leave a comment with up to 3 suggestions.] ————————— Originally entitled “Praise for the Fountain Opened,” this great old hymn was written after a time of battle with depression by the famous English poet William Cowper (pronounced like “cup-er”). Cowper suffered from very unstable emotions, and was a manic depressive. “There is a Fountain” was written in 1772, following his first major bout with depression, and that rise in stability and excitement finds its way into the beautiful lyrics of the song, especially in the words of…
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Thursday Hymn Reflection: “The Old Rugged Cross”
[Each Thursday, we “reflect” on a hymn recommended by our readers. To add your favorites to our list, leave a comment with up to three suggestions.] “The emblem of suffering and shame.” That single phrase makes “The Old Rugged Cross” one of my favorite old standard hymns. Written in 1913, George Bennard’s best-known hymn continues to be sung as widely as just about any other old “standard.” Robert Morgan, in his book Then Sings My Soul, gives this brief history of the song: On one occasion, after a difficult season of ministry, George realized he needed to better understand the power of the Cross of Christ. He later said, “I…
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"Why?"
Children sometimes ask questions that are far deeper than what they think. We listen to a lot of Bible-based music in our, especially when the children are with us. We listen to Hannah’s Hundred CDs so they can learn Bible verses (there’s nothing like hearing a tw0-year-old singing, “Thou shalt not commit adultery!”) and we listen to a lot of groups like Hallal, One Voice, and ZoeGroup. Recently, I was in the car with the kids while Leah was running into a store and we were listening to a CD. A song came on about Jesus dying on the cross. Mary Carol asked a very basic question at first: “Why…
