It Is Well With My Soul...

Today we have another entry about a popular hymn, "It is Well with my Soul."

Like I said before, I grew up in a church where we sang a lot of hymns and this was one of them. It was one of those songs where I'd sing it but never bothered to focus on what I was singing because, admittedly, it's a little difficult due to the wording. At their concert in February, Selah gave the background of this hymn and it immediately became one of those most powerful hymns to me once I learned the context by which it was written.

In 1873, Horatio Gates Spafford decided to go on a vacation to Europe with his wife and four daughters. In England he was to meet with his good friend, D.L. Moody, who was to be preaching there. Spafford was hung-up on business here in the States, so he sent his family ahead and in the mid-Atlantic, their ship collided with another and sank immediately. His wife was able to hold onto some debris (and was one of 47 survivors), but all four of his daughters perished in the accident. Upon hearing the news, Spafford received a two-word telegram from his wife with only two words, "Saved alone." He then took a ship across the Atlantic towards England, where he passed the place of his daughters' deaths, then sat down and penned the famous hymn while at sea:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

He lives--oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul!

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall descend;
Even so, it is well with my soul...

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

Wow. What a tremendous story and what a tremendous song. I'll tell you right now: I probably would not have handled the same situation the same way as Horatio Spafford did. In the midst of all this tragedy (he also lost his only son 2 years prior), he found peace in the Lord...because He is sovereign and His will is good and just. It's just so hard to understand sometimes. It makes me think of Job, who went through all those trials and tribulations and still loved and praised God, saying "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). I think one of the hardest parts of being a Christian is trying to make sense of the hard times. Sometimes we get angry, confused, hurt, sad...but God's will is good, and He knows all things. Where one thing may be bad, it could bring about something good in your life...those are the times where we should hold fast to the Lord. I love the Amplified Bible's translation of Jeremiah 29:11, and it's one we should remember always, " 'For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you,' says the Lord, 'thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. ' "

Jesus Paid it All...

I grew up in a church where we sang at least one hymn in every service...now I'm the first to admit that hymns can get a little dry from time to time or just plain weird (See: "God of Earth and Outer Space")...but now that I'm a little older and have some semblance of intelligence, I think about those old hymns and I realize that they were pretty awesome. Sometimes we sing hymns and immediately think "Man, this is boring" or what-have-you...but have you ever really sat down and read the words and reflected on them? A lot of them are beautifully well-written and capture the truth of God's word. Sure the language can be uncommon, but it's a good challenge and isn't THAT hard. From time to time, I'm going to try to pick a hymn and talk a little bit about it, because you can learn a lot about hymns from their history: my fiance and I went to a Selah concert in February and they do A LOT of hymns, but they also talked about the story behind those songs...and they took on a lot more meaning for me. A lot of churches today have gone away with hymns, and I've even witnessed worship leaders up on the pulpit saying they hate hymns...and I think that's kinda sad, because we'd have no Christian music today without those old hymns, in my opinion.

So here goes: in 1865 - Elvina Hall - a member of the Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore, MD was reflecting on her complete salvation through Jesus while her pastor was praying at a service. She felt compelled to write down her overwhelming thoughts and feelings and composed a poem entitled "Jesus Paid it All," which she wrote on the inside of their hymnal. She showed it to her pastor, who later met up with the church organist and found he had unknowingly written a tune that fit Elvina's poem. And there a hymn was born: through an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. To me this song says it all: through Jesus we can be healed, changed, energized, and protected....and when we finally meet Him face to face, we can say, "I couldn't do it by myself...but You did it for me!" So read the words, think about them, and thank God for the truths that are in those words:

I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small! Child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all."

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow'r, and Thine alone,Can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone.

For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim-I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calv'rys Lamb.

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete,"Jesus died my soul to save," my lips shall still repeat.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain-He washed it white as snow.

Turn Those Speakers Up!!!

In an effort to make this a fairly well-rounded blog (and since I love music) I decided to post my own mini reviews of some recent releases. I'm also definitely open to any suggestions readers might have about music I should check out too, so let me know!

* Todd Agnew - "Better Questions": I got the opportunity to see Todd Agnew in concert this summer and I was already a fan of his music. It's not the typical soccer-mom music that gets a lot of play on the radio, but it features a lot of blues and rock elements and I think it's a good mix...plus his voice is really cool. I think the best thing about Todd Agnew, though, is his songwriting: a lot of it is very well-done, challenging, and introspective...and at the concert I learned he doesn't really mince words either. I like that. His newest CD "Better Questions" and it deals with just that: a lot of questions about faith, life, and the Church in general...things like "If Jesus said to love everyone, then why do churches treat divorced people differently?" Wow. The album talks about issues with faith, reaching others, and leaning on God for everything. It starts out with a prelude that simply says, "I've got better questions than I have answers, better dreams than I have plans / I got better thoughts than I have actions, so I built my house on what I thought was solid ground, but I know it could be sand..." It sets the tone for the CD, which challenges us as Christians to look at ourselves as individuals and as the Church and what we sit back and simply accept. The opener "Still Has a Hold" speaks a volume of truth in a bluesy/country way with the chorus of "Sometimes I'm on the mountain, holding onto Your hand / sometimes I'm in the middle, holding the best I can / sometimes I'm in the valley, and I let go long ago / though my hand is weak and tired, Your Hand still has a hold." Other standout songs for me include "Our Great God", "On a Corner in Memphis", "War Inside", and "Martyr's Song". Give it a listen, pay attention to the words, and let God make you reeeally think.

* Casting Crowns - "The Altar and the Door": This past Friday, Bekah and I got the opportunity to see Casting Crowns play a free concert in Charlotte. Rock on! It was cool because I got to hear singer Mark Hall's testimony of battling dyslexia and ADD...it's amazing how God has worked to make Mark such a great songwriter! I love Casting Crowns because they make music that both worships God and challenges us as Christians, much like Todd Agnew. The new CD is much of the same, encouraging us not to change when we leave church....basically we have these awesome moments at church or at the altar, but once we leave the door, it's all gone. It happens to the best of us! Their new release challenges us to think harder and try harder to bring that victory, that breakthrough out into the world with us. Faithful listeners of Casting Crowns may notice that this CD is different from their past ones and isn't quite as good (in my opinion) as Lifesong...BUT it's still a very good album from the band. The opener "What This World Needs" tells listeners that a hurting world doesn't need glamor or another gimmick, but rather God's love...and it starts with us. It's not about what we look like, but how we do what God wants us to do! "East to West" is another great song reminding us that through Christ, we're forgiven and God has cast our sin SO far away. Praise the Lord! I really like the song "Somewhere in the Middle" because I think it captures a lot of us at some point in our Walk...sometimes we're lax, sometimes we're on fire...but a lot of times, we're stick there in the middle. When you think about it, it's amazing how wishy-washy we can be no matter how hard we try not to be. Overall, "The Altar and the Door" is a good listen and includes an interesting hidden track at the end called "White Dove Fly High".

* The Cross Movement - "History: Our Place in HIS Story": The Cross Movement has been a pioneer of Christian hip-hop for years now, always putting out great music that glorifies God 100%. I'm not a rap junkie or anything, but I can appreciate a good beat, and I remember when Christian rap was sooooo corny...but The Cross Movement came along and developed and discovered some more great rappers and now it's a growing, successful industry, in my opinion. Sadly though, their latest release is to be their last as a group. But I'll say this: if this is their last CD together, they're going out with a BANG. From start to finish, this is a GREAT CD with hot beats, good production, and most imporantly, lyrics that spread the Gospel and give God all the glory! On the opening track "Our God" the guys tell about the God we serve and why they love Him...it's my favorite song on the whole album and I could easily listen to it over and over (and I have...a lot). Another track that I love is called "9-10", which speaks about the complacency we've all slipped into after September 11. On that day, churches were full, people ran to God, everyone was a little bit kinder to one another, etc...but the song talks about how slowly we're forgetting about the meaning of that day and we're living life like it's 9/10. A theme among the CDs I've reviewed today is Challenging the Church...I didn't intend it to be the theme, I guess God intended it that way...but this song will really make you sit down and think about how blessed we are to life through each day, how short life is, and how hard we should be working to reach others. Other standout tracks are "Louder" and "The Last Cypha." Great great CD...if you like hip-hop or know someone who does, pick it up!