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Hymn Study: Come Thou Almighty King

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I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters, and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: Hallelujah! For our Lord God almighty reigns. Revelation 19:6

Come Thou Almighty King is a hymn I am very familiar with, spelling out for us who God is.  

Originally sung to the tune “God save the King” the national anthem for Britain.   Now obviously that wasn’t going to work in Britain, so a new tune was developed to go along with these words. 

This song has been around since about 1755, with different authors being ascribed to it but none proven.   Currently no one has a real certainty about who the author is.  For more on this, I suggest you visit here. 

Hymnologist Albert Bailey characterizes the hymn in this manner: “The
hymn is a prayer for the presence of Christ to inspire a congregation in
the hour of worship. God is addressed under three forms: as Father, the
timeless “Ancient of Days” whose function is to rule (stanza 1); as
Incarnate Word, the spirit of holiness whose function is to bless and
conquer (stanza 2); as Comforter, the indwelling source of joy and power
(stanza 3); and finally as the mystic combination, the Holy Trinity, in
whose presence we shall spend an eternity of love and adoration (stanza
4).”  (source)

 

Lyrics:
1 Come, thou almighty King,
help us thy name to sing;
help us to praise.
Father, all glorious,
o’er all victorious,
come, and reign over us,
Ancient of Days.
2 Come, thou incarnate Word,
gird on thy mighty sword;
scatter thy foes.
Let thine almighty aid
our sure defense be made,
our souls on thee be stayed;
thy wonders show.
3 Come, holy Comforter,
thy sacred witness bear
in this glad hour.
Thou who almighty art,
now rule in every heart,
and ne’er from us depart,
Spirit of power.
4 To thee, great One in Three,
eternal praises be
hence evermore!
Thy sovereign majesty
may we in glory see,
and to eternity
love and adore.

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Review: The Beginner’s Bible for Little Ones

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 The  Beginner’s Bible for Little Ones is a board book put together for our little ones.  It’s a sturdy board book. With lots of colourful pictures to delight the eye as they learn the basic facts about eight stories from the bible, selected from both the Old and New Testament.

The stories contained are:

  • The Beginning
  • Noah’s Ark
  • The Mean Giant
  • Daniel and the Lions
  • An Angel Visits Mary
  • Baby Jesus is Born
  • Jesus Feeds Thousands
  • Jesus is Alive

Each story is four pages long with a short amount of text on each page under a picture.  I appreciated that the pictures weren’t obviously Anglo-Saxon but made me think of a more middle eastern look.  Though I’m not sure the blond hair is really Middle Eastern.  🙂

I liked that the biblical reference was provided, making it easy to start with the story in the book, and then use the bible to expand on the details.   

 My Thoughts:
 It’s a nice little book for what it is… a way to introduce familiar bible stories to little children.  It does that.  It doesn’t mention sin, though it mentions people doing bad things, among which is forgetting who God is.  God’s protection of his people is made clear which is an important thing for littles to know.  God watches over us full well!

The Beginner’s Bible for Little Ones
Zondervan
32 pages
ages 2-4 years
Style: Board book
Bible stories for children

Reviewed for: BookLookBloggers.

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: The Beginner’s Bible for Little Ones

Amazon.com: The Beginner’s Bible for Little Ones

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Reliance, Encouragement, Faith Proclaimed

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Hello, continuing my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for the rest of the series.

Today Romans 1:8-15

 
 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul is thankful to his readers, the people in the Rome.  
Why?
Their faith is proclaimed in all the world.

Can you imagine it?
Having an apostle the stature of Paul praising you because your FAITH is proclaimed.  People talking about your faith. 

I hear that can I think…wow…that would be cool.  For people to see my faith and have THAT be what is talked about.  Imagine if that were the case for the church you were part of?   For the faith of your church to be a topic of discussion.. rather than the bickering or lack of service be the points mentioned.   YOUR FAITH!  Wow… that would just be very very cool. 

Paul tells his listeners, that God knows the truth, he prays for them all the time, and he asks God to allow him to get to visit with them.   He wants so badly to see them so he can strengthen them with some spiritual gift. 

The point being that they will mutually encourage each other through their faith.

Mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Do you feel encourage by the faith seen in others?   Does your faith encourage others?
 I have to admit, I have felt encouraged by others… but I don’t know if my faith is a point of encouragement for others.   I so often just see my weakness and faltering… but it’s something to strive for eh?   To build up my faith, to see God more clearly so I can then more clearly show him to others.

Paul wants his readers to know this.  He wants so badly to come to Rome, but so far has been prevented from doing so.   He has so many obligations … to the Greeks, the barbarians, the wise, the foolish…he wants to preach God’s word to them all.   He is so eager to preach God’s word to them as well. 

I can imagine the pressure Paul found himself under.  To have this strong compulsion to be out doing, and yet finding so many areas in which to be busy doing that he can’t do it all.  He wants to go to Rome, but since he relies on God to help him find his way….he recognizes that God has not yet created a way for him to get there.  

Ah … that reliance on God eh?
 
To have that reliance.    Oh… so much to learn from Paul eh?   To see that reliance, to have that strong desire to preach the gospel to everyone, to see the faith in others and be encouraged by it.  It’s a good thing that.  🙂

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Hymn Study: Whiter than Snow

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I have to admit that I not had a chance to sing this hymn very often. I know the chorus fairly well, but I need to follow the hymnbook for the verses. Needless to say though, it’s a rather nice hymn that reminds us of how we look to the Lord when we are his own.

Whiter than Snow was written by James Nicholson who lived c. 1828-1876.  He was born in Ireland and came over when he was around 25 years old.

 James Nicholson spent much of life as a clerk
in the post office in Philadelphia. He was always active in the work
of the Wharton Street Methodist Episcopal Church. The hymn was first
published in a pamphlet titled “Joyful Songs” in 1872. The hymn’s
popularity greatly increased with its inclusion in the well-known Gospel
Hymns series published by Sankey and Bliss. (source)    

He spent about 20 years in Philadelphia, eventually moving in c.1871 to work in the post office in Washington, DC.

This hymn is based on Ps51:7 – “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Lyrics:
  1. Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
    I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
    Break down every idol, cast out every foe—
    Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
    • Refrain:
      Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
      Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
    •  
  2. Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
    Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;
    To get this blest cleansing, I all things forego—
    Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
  3. Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
    And help me to make a complete sacrifice;
    I give up myself, and whatever I know—
    Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
  4. Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
    I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet,
    By faith for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow—
    Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
  5. Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait;
    Come now and within me a new heart create;
    To those who have sought Thee Thou never said’st “No”—
    Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
  6. The blessing by faith, I receive from above;
    Oh, glory! my soul is made perfect in love;
    My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,
    The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

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Hymn Study: Jesus, I Come

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 This past Sunday we sang this hymn and I wanted to share it with you.

Jesus I come was written by William
T. Sleeper in 1887. Mr. Sleeper was a home missionary serving with the Congregational Church in Massachusetts for over 30 years.   The tune I am familiar with was written by George Stebbins.  Mr. Sleeper also wrote the hymn Ye Must be Born Again.   Beyond that, little is known about this evangelist and part-time hymn writer.

Lyrics:
1. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,

Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.

Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my sickness into Thy health,

Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth,

Out of my sin and into Thyself,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

2. Out of my shameful failure and loss,

Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.

Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,

Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,

Out of distress into jubilant psalm,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

3. Out of unrest and arrogant pride,

Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.

Into Thy blessed will to abide,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,

Out of despair into raptures above,

Upward forever on wings like a dove,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

4. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,

Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.

Into the joy and light of Thy home,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the depths of ruin untold,

Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,

Ever Thy glorious face to behold,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

I’ll leave you with a tune by Thompson.  It’s a rather different tune to me, but it might be one you are more familiar with.

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Review: Car Chapel Bride

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 Did you know that there used to be ministers who would live in work in cars on trains?  I had briefly heard of this ministry from days gone by and found myself intrigued by the notion.   When NutsAboutBooks had the Chapel Car Bride up for review I snatched it up so I could learn more about this ministry.

The story brings us Hope and her father who live in car provided freely for them by the railroad.   They went wherever the train went, conducting ministry wherever they were placed.  Sometimes the board overseeing their ministry would give them a specific place to set up shop and in this particular story they were told to minister in a mining community of Finch, West Virginia.   This is Hope’s first journey with her minister father and she’s finding the experience interesting, exciting and sometimes frightening.  She enjoys conducting the children’s ministry while her father teaches the adults.

When an unexpected blessing of Sunday school materials lands in their laps it gives them an opportunity to broaden their ministry outreach, unbeknownst to them that their helper was being less than honest with them.    What will happen as a result?  Well…you’ll have to read the book yourself.  🙂

This video will give you a good idea of the space that Hope and her dad lived in.

My thoughts?
I’ve grown tired of most romance type books, finding the stories simplistic and annoying.  🙂   BUT this book I enjoyed.  I liked learning about the pros and cons of railroad ministry, seeing how God used materials to strengthen bonds between people, and even seeing how the problems in the book were resolved.    If you like reading light romances that broaden your horizons, this book is definitely for you.  🙂  

I got a chance to learn more about a little known piece of history from the early 1900’s, the characters were well-developed and I wanted to kick one of them in the seat of the pants.. my that lad needed to grow up a bit and stop being a selfish git.   The ending was tidy and quick, fairly typical I find for this type of literature.   All in all, well worth a read.  🙂

For a brief look into the overall ministry of the chapel car ministry you may find this video helpful.

For additional reading: 
Pine Chapel Car. 
Chapel Car Emmanuel.

 The Chapel Car Bride
Judith Miller
Baker Books
341 pages
Soft cover
Christian historical romance

Reviewed for: Nuts About Books.

Where to buy:

Amazon.ca – The Chapel Car Bride

 Amazon.com – The Chapel Car Bride

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an
affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn
fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

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Review:The Imperfect Disciple

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 The other day the lad and I were talking about how much I enjoyed this book and how that would make it a hard book to review.   He didn’t understand how that could be.   I said “well, if I don’t like the book I can say this is what I didn’t like and this is why.   But when I have a book that I really enjoy I just want to tell people “READ IT, It’s GOOD”.”   

So the Imperfect Disciple by Jared C. Wilson.. READ IT, IT’s GOOD!.  🙂

Okay, so maybe I can’t tell you to just go read it because it’s a good book, perhaps I need to tell you why I loved (yes LOVED) this book so much.

1. Jared writes like my hubby preaches.  He breaks down points to make them easily understood.  Uses scripture well, and within contest.  He shows his heart.

2. God’s grace is clearly shown throughout the book.  How God knows us SO well and yet still calls us his own.

3. My heart was broken and touched.  I wept, I laughed, I talked about different points with my lad.  It was a book that compelled me to stop and THINK about what I was being taught, and how I could let that change my life and my heart.  I intend to keep this book and read it again and to have my lad read it next year.  

4. I want to have more copies of it so I can share it everyone I think who would possibly read it. I want their lives to be impacted by the simple, yet profound truths locked within the pages of this book.

5. This is not a how-to book.   It’s not “make sure you read your bible every day in the morning, and pray eight times a day”.  It’s a  “can you see what it means to behold God, to really BEHOLD him (not just look or see but to behold.. it’s a different connotation)”, “let me point out the advantages and disadvantages of Christian fellowship”.   It’s real life and tough and not always easy, but God’s heart and love are always held forth as a source of strength, comfort and encouragement.

6. The writing style is casual, with humour and sarcasm used freely.   Because his style is casual, it makes me more apt to listen to his words cause it’s like talking with a brother or a mentor.  So you listen and want to talk back and think about what is said. 

7. Speaks straight into the heart of the Christian who struggles with their imperfections and struggles to be a good disciple of Christ.  Who desperately wants to walk in the way of the Lord but finds themselves stumbling, more oft then not, over their own two feet.   THIS IS a book for ME.  I stumble and fall and get up again, and this book left me feeling so encouraged and beloved of the Lord.

So what do you get in the book. 
The introduction.. YES.. read this too!
1. Sin and the art of soul maintenance
2.  Good News for Losers
3. Staring at the Glory until you see it
4. The Rhythm of listening
5. The Rhythm of Spilling your guts
6. The Revolution will not be instagrammed
7. The Nine Irrefutable laws of fellowship
8. Will the real me please stand up?
9. Does Grace Go all the way down?
10. Lurv Wins.
AND don’t forget to read the conclusion.

The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get their Act together
Jared C. Wilson
Baker Books
234 Pages
softcover, slightly larger book 8 by 6 approximately

Reviewed for: Nuts about Books

Where can you find it?  (cause you really need to get it)

Amazon.ca – The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together

Amazon.com – The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/