New Hymn, "Seals of Life!"

The hymn for today is a praise to our Savior for conquering evil and rebellion.

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New Hymn, "Son of Heaven!"

The hymn for today is a praise to the Son of Heaven, who humbled down to save us.

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New Chat, "A Fine Opportunity"

From the plowings of tribulation come the fruits of the Spirit.

A Fine Opportunity can be listened to, downloaded, and/or commented on at Pod-O-Matic

New Hymn, "Praises! Praises! Praises to the King!"

The hymn for today is a call to rejoice in times of persecution.

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New Hymn, "Remember My Love"

The hymn for today is a call to find grace in times of persecution.

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My Two Cents

I am not very patriotic, to be honest. I don't feel comfortable pledging my alliance to a country I don't believe in. So I don't. I pray for our President and the leaders of our country, but I don't make any show of agreeing with them. 

So when the Supreme Court ruled for same-sex marriage, I was surprised at the load of sorrow I felt. I predict that the country cannot last long after such a blow. Families are the building blocks of society, the vitamins of fruitful souls. Families are what produce and raise healthy lives. Without them, society cannot last. 

Christian families need to be stronger than ever to survive in a hostile land. It will become more and more obvious as we go along, who the true church is. It will be harder and harder to be a Christian, and we can no longer take it lightly. We will be called old-fashioned, haters, and discriminators, but there is no better time to shine God's love than when the rest of the world is dark.

I don't pretend to admire America or its values, but it is my country. The history, the people, the land, I love it more than I realized. 

Morals and virtue are almost gone, but I vow to stand for America, despite what it does to itself. 

A Celebration of Licentiousness

A Celebration of Licentiousness

May God yet forgive!

New Hymn, "Trumpets of Freedom"

The hymn for today is a hymn of freedom—freedom from sin, that is.

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New Hymn, "Walk in the Light!"

The hymn for today is a call to Godliness and walking in the Light, rather than the night of sin.

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New Hymn, "Behold! I will Restore"

The hymn for today is a hymn of promise; that God forgives sin, so that the repentant may know forgiveness.

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New Hymn, "Thou Elohim!"

When you are entering into battle, who is your fortress, and are they alive? The hymn for today is a call to God to come in, to take over, to purify, to sanctify, to shelter, and to defend.

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New Hymn, "Love Sets Us Free!"

The hymn for today is a hymn of praise.

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St. Louis Amigan, July 2015: He Went For Joy!

What difference can a hymn make? Have you ever considered that question? Can a hymn save your soul? Can God communicate to you through your own pen?

These are interesting questions, I think. If you examine the questions and ponder that examination you will find that they are linked. In fact, you should find that they are loaded because they are linked.

Yesterday I ventured forth to take a walk through the neighborhood, and I had my little Kodak with me for the adventure. It was roughly a two-mile hike, so I bought some fast food along the way.

As I was walking I was taking photographs in juxtaposition between the works of man and of nature. In this issue you can see the artwork that proceeded from one of those images, and that it includes a statement, “The artistry of man only works as it accurately reflects the majesty of nature, which it rarely ever does. They simply do not compare, but stand in arrogant simplicity against the masterworks of God.”

That statement came into my mind as I was about midway through the first leg of my journey and I kept it in mind for the whole journey, seeking an image that would fit the sentiment of those words. It was after buying the meal I purchased that I found the image to fulfill my quest. Many will question both the grammar and logic of the statement and the image chosen, but the details of the image reflect the sentiment of the statement.

Mankind, in his best efforts utterly fails to out shine the simplest works of God, his best efforts being able merely to reflect what God has already done—and even then the accuracy utterly fails. As you can see in the image here presented, even the finest of mancraft still distorts its reflection of the masterworks of our Creator, for each glass pane offers only a distorted reflection of that which strikes it.

Man, in his arrogance, tries to predict the future, but experience tells us that his experience is such that when a document does tell the future accurately, man tries to explain it away as having been written after the events about which its author wrote. One of the hallmarks, then, of God-writing is that, when dealing with events yet future, it is never wrong in its intent.

There is a particular identifying factor that the man of God can detect when his Maker seeks communion with him. Be it through whatever medium, the man of God can detect it, and will likely—at the very least—pause in wonderment at the communication granted him. He will also likely spend time in silent communion with the Lord at such a time, if he is wise.

It is because of such truth that I noticed when it seemed as if my hymn (included here) seemed to be talking directly to me as I wrote its words. This, to me, is not an unknown experience. I have had it since the first time He ever spoke to me (not audibly but in my spirit). At that time He placed a poem in my mind, and that should have been a sign to me regarding the nature of my primary contribution to the Church; that it would be poetic in nature.

Hear me rightly, though: that is not all that I do. After long years of struggle, my whole life is in the service of the King, and though there is still sin in my flesh there are no compartments in my life. He has saved me, and my life belongs to Him.

For the man of God, no other joy could be had but that which fulfills the life of Christ, for wherever else he may roam, there is grief within his soul, for God is in his soul.

It is God who rules, and not the man. It is God who is the Great I AM. It is God who rests within the heart of him who has seen the Savior’s art. No other thing can then compare or stir within the Spirit’s lair. He cannot conquer any heart if he forsakes the Savior’s art.

Certainly there will be those who, arrogantly, will assert contrarily. When you really think about it, though, their every argument will fall apart for lack of art within their heart.

What difference can a hymn make? A hymn can change a life. Of course, one might ask how this could be done.

Let’s use my own hymn as an example. The previous night to writing it found me in the darkness of despair, and I did cry out.

Though I cannot accurately recall my words, nor could I ever fairly interpret the cries of my spirit unto God, the weeping of my soul was genuine and real, and what followed on in the writing of my hymn the next morning indeed changed my attitude and my outlook and lifted me to His side:

Why such sadness of thee, face,

And why despaired, my soul?

Why so sad upon the dawn

And waking of thy soul?

Why despaired when Jesus reigns

Over every man’s soul?

He has come to seek thy good,

So, praise Him, oh, my soul!

What most struck me about the lines above was the question, “Why so sad upon the dawn and waking of thy soul?” That line, taken by itself, at face value makes no sense at all—if you assume that I was the source. I have been saved many long years, now. But what if He doth speak to me? Think on that.

Can a hymn save a soul? Since a hymn teaches theology and the precepts of the Word of God, I most certainly state, “Yes, it can!” You see, when one embarks on the reading and singing of hymns, one embarks upon the path of God—and God most certainly does save souls. Who are we, then, to say that a hymn cannot be so used?

Can God communicate to you through your own pen? If God can communicate through a donkey¹, can He not direct a hand to write? If, then, you recall from the Book of Daniel, the story of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall², who is to say that He cannot direct your hand as well? Of course He can!

Oh, beloved, listen to the writings of the words! Listen for the voice of the Lord and heed His cry! Some will say He is interested in your holiness, not your happiness. But, listen, it was for the joy lain out before Him that Christ went to the cross³.

Let not your heart despair! He went for joy!

PDF Trifold for Printing 

1Numbers 22:21-35

2Daniel 5

3Hebrews 12:1-2

New Hymn, "A Prayer, to Praise"

The hymn for today is a prayer, to be made able to follow and praise Jesus Christ.

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New Hymn, "Praises to the Living King"

The hymn for today is a psalm of praise.

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New Hymn, "Rejoice, Oh, My Soul!"

The hymn for today is a hymn of comforting the despairing soul.

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New Hymn, "King of Mercy"

The hymn for today is an admonition to repentance.

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New Hymn, "Praise for His Mighty Deeds!"

The hymn for today is a praise for God's powerful grace in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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New Hymn, "Pressing On"

The hymn for today is about pressing on toward God.

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New Hymn, "A Certainty of Praise"

Before anyone even asks, this one is based on a liet motif from my own Serenade for Strings Number 2 in A. I think that is safe. The hymn for today is a shout of joyful praise.

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New Chat, "Threads of Life in Christ"

Listen to or download "Threads of Life in Christ"

OK, so what happened to the previous post?

The previous post linked to a version of this Chat that included a hymn that I had just written, thinking that it was adapted from traditional Latin Mass music.

That thought was in error, which obligated me to swiftly correct the error. That hymn has been pulled. You who managed to download that hymn, or the previous version of this Chat should immediately destroy those copies, since they contain copyrighted material.

This version of the Chat does not. It is clean, and free to download.

My apologies for any inconvenience.

It is never my intention to infringe.

New Hymn, "The Grace of the King"

The hymn for today (this time) is a story of seeking grace.

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New Hymn, "God of Reigning Love"

The hymn for today speaks of God's love, and grace, and mercy, and—by way of rest—His peace. So, sing praises to His name!

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New Hymn, "Standing, By Grace"

The hymn for today extols the Lord as our strength and our shield and our high tower, indeed, the horn of our salvation.

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New Hymn, "The Light!"

The hymn for today is a story of seeking for the Light.

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New Hymn, "Praise the Name of the Risen King!"

The hymn for today is a praise for the resurrection.

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New Hymn, "Walking"

The hymn for today directs those who claim Christ to be living the life of Christ in all things, through all consequence.

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Governor Brownback Attacked Online for Standing Up to the Kansas Judiciary

The readers of this article might want to check the United States Constitution. It grants Congress the power to create or destroy any federal judiciary element save the Supreme Court, and also gives Congress the power to determine what cases the Supreme Court may hear. What makes them think a state constitution would be any different? Judges these days have a very bad habit of being way too big for their britches and are in serious need of being put back in their proper place.

New Hymn, "Sealed in Love"

The hymn for today celebrated our salvation in Christ, fixed by the seal of the Holy Spirit.

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New Hymn, "By the Power of the Cross"

The hymn for today is about the excellency of Jesus Christ.

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New Chat, "Walls"

Walls

Romans 3:9-18; Romans 3:23; Romans 1:11ff; Acts 5:29

Walls cannot keep out that which is contained within them, so they cannot keep evil out, since evil is within us all. Walls can only keep out the Truth; they can only keep out Love; they can only try to keep out the Light. Nothing, though, can keep out the Light of God.

New Hymn, "By His Word!"

The hymn for today is about the logic of the Word.

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New Hymn, "The Chamber of the Great I AM"

The hymn for today is a hymn for the thinker, the one who uses their mind well and fights through the pain of this life to reside in the hands of the Lamb.

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New Hymn, "Praise the God of Abraham"

The hymn for today is a hymn of praise, linking the Old Testament to the New; Christ being Savior in both.

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New Hymn, "Praise the Lord of Glory!"

The hymn for today is a hymn of praise.

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New Hymn, "For Thy Mercy, Grace, and Peace"

The hymn for today is a hymn of praise.

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New Hymn, "Holding the Nails"

The hymn for today is a depiction of grace. Christ answers questions He need not from those who deserve no answer. But He so Loves that He answers anyway.

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