A Net in Time

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faith

O Master Let Me Walk With Thee

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O for a closer walk with God reminded me of O Master Let me Walk with thee.  With a different author and theme, this song calls for us to remember that God helps us be faithful in our walk with him. 

O Master Let Me Walk with Thee

O Master Let Me Walk with Thee, Lyrics

O Master, let me walk with Thee,
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret; help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.

Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the homeward way.

O Master, let me walk with Thee,
Before the taunting Pharisee;
Help me to bear the sting of spite,
The hate of men who hide Thy light.

The sore distrust of souls sincere
Who cannot read Thy judgments clear,
The dullness of the multitude,
Who dimly guess that Thou art good.

Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee
In closer, dearer, company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.

In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future’s broadening way,
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.

Author and History

The Still Hour was a section of the Sunday Afternoon paper.  Washington Gladden wrote this song for that section in 1879. It was written as a three-stanza poem with 8 lines each.  Later it was adapted to music with the unsuitable lines being dropped.  The original purpose was to be a poem not as a hymn, it took his friend Rev. C. H. Ri­chards to see the potential. 

Born in Pennsylvania, Gladden started his working life as a newspaper reporter.  Eventually, he received his pastoral credentials and started pastoring in Congregationalist churches throughout the United States.   He was not a prolific hymnist with only 7 known hymns, he also wrote papers and books. 

Thinking Deeper

I can hear the cry of the believing heart in this hymn, can’t you?

The plea of the believer to God, for his help, in maintaining a faithful walk with him.  The plea for faithfulness and steadfastness.  Don’t we all need that?

I know that through this Covid crisis that I am needing God’s help through it. The worry and concern I feel for those losing their businesses, for people struggling to find balance, weighs on me.  It’s not an easy thing to be denied our freedoms.  When I combine the two, it’s only through God that I’m doing okay.  🙂 

How about you?   Does this song strike a chord, reminding you that we have a God with whom we can plea for help?

Move Forward?

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It’s five-minute-Friday and again Miss Kate has given us a word prompt.  Today has been a good, but very busy day and I find myself sitting here feeling very tired. I think about how people are wanting to look forward, to when Covid-19 restrictions lift. I listen as I hear of suicides, see depression in action, and tempers flare, and I wonder… are we truly able to move forward?

feet walking, text move forward

The Story is Told

The story is told.
A baker, a musician and barber.
Losing their businesses as
The restraints of Covid-19 cause
Economic collapse and despair.

The Story is told
of a young man, 30 years old.
Visiting with tears, telling of
Desperate loneliness and wanting
It all to end.

The story is told
Day trips to parks are available.
But then next day we read
More tests, more positive results.
Caution and masks advised.

The story is told.
Death has occurred. A teen mourns a cousin
but no closure is given.
Friendships threatened
as Emotions erupt.

The story is told
Street Front businesses may open again.
One or two in a store at a time
Frowns and anger
Hurry yet wait.

The story is told
Wait
This story is not yet told
Or perhaps it has been.
Just not fulfilled.

The story is told
The day of the Lord is at hand.
Wrath can not be held back forever.
A time when God says “this is getting old”.
And acts.

The story is told.
Wrath is coming.
But in the midst of it all.
Grace is offered.
Return to me.

The story is told
over and over again.
Grace before wrath.
Do you see it?
Respond.

Move Forward

So how does it happen?  The way to move forward in the midst of all these stories?  Will this be time filled with regret be remembered or will we be in too much of a rush to move forward that the stories will be forgotten?  Time will tell as we move forward.

Precious Jewels

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Precious Jewels, also known as When He Cometh started running through my head this morning.  I was listening to a preacher talk about Jesus coming again some day (maybe tomorrow) and how he will gather up his precious Jewels.   I started humming this song to myself and figured it would be a good one to share with you this Sunday. 

Precious Jewels

Lyrics to Precious Jewels

When He cometh, when He cometh
To make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.

Refrain

Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.

He will gather, He will gather
The gems for His kingdom;
All the pure ones, all the bright ones,
His loved and His own.

Refrain

Little children, little children,
Who love their Redeemer,
Are the jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.

Refrain

Author and History

William O Cushing wrote this song back in 1856 whilst travelling on a steamer.  He wanted to host a sing song and wanted to play something everyone might learn to know.  He chose an American tune called “His Jewels” written by George Root and by voyage end everyone had learned the Jewel Song.   At least that is one version of the origin.  The other is that he wrote it for the children in his Sunday School class.   Which is true?  I dunno.  Both are, from what I can tell, equally valid.  🙂 

William Orcutt Cushing was the son of an American Unitarian pastor, who when he grew married, also became a pastor. Over the course of his lifetime, he wrote more than 300 hymns such as Follow On.  He was only in ministry for 27 years due to a creeping paralysis that overtook him. 

Ponderings

Hymns are made so we can see God more clearly you know that?  They help us focus in on an aspect of God worthy of being praised. 

This song helps to see God’s love for us, and just how very precious we are to him. His very own children that he is gathering in. 

Kinda makes me think of Smaug, you know the dragon from Lord of the Rings, who gathers in all his wealth and how precious it was to him.  God’s love for us is pure and bright though, his love for us deep and unfathomable. Not a selfish, hoarding love, but a love of freedom and responsibility, and deep deep concern. 

Such a restful thought it is I find.  Knowing the depth of God’s love for me, and how he is gathering not only me but all his other loved ones in. 

Will your anchor hold

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Our tenant had this song up on her facebook page the other day, I was having a rather rough day and it lifted my spirits a bit.  I thought perhaps Will Your Anchor Hold might lift yours as well during this time of 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

Will Your Anchor Hold

Lyrics to Will your anchor hold

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!

Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers roar and the reef is near?
While the surges rage, and the wild winds blow,
shall the angry waves then your bark o’erflow?

Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
while your anchor holds within the veil.

Will your eyes behold through the morning light
the city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
when life’s storms are past for evermore?

Author and History

Priscilla Owens of Baltimore, Maryland is the author of this song. Most of the 230 songs Ms. Owens wrote were for children and youth.  It makes sense since she not only taught as a schoolteacher, but also served as a Sunday School teacher.   Her church was the Union Square Methodist Episcopal Church.   There is a touching story about the effect of this song at Wordwise Hymns. 

Pondering Deeper

Did you know this song was based on Heb.6:19?  That verse reads “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain”.

I enjoyed listening to those little boys sing this song, when they finished I wondered if those boys knew well that anchor that we have.  Do they feel grounded and secure?

You know what an anchor does right?  It holds a boat securely.  You drop it down to the bottom of the water bed, and the boat stays right with the anchor.  The only time it doesn’t is when the anchor rope breaks. 

So Christ is that anchor.  He is the one the holds us securely.  But unlike the ships’ anchor, there is no rope or chain to break.  His hold on us is secure through and through. 

Distractions Surround Us

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I admittedly was talking with my hubby as I was writing this, so I don’t know if I exceeded the five minute mark or not. I suppose my poem fits well eh?  Distractions surround us (and for me tonight one of those distractions was my hubby).  🙂  I welcome you though to join us, write on the word distraction.  You can find the word prompt over at Miss Kate’s. 

distractions surround us

Distractions Surround Us

At the end of a busy day,
Not so busy really.
More of a day when distractions
Ran my day.

I wanted to walk this morning
but exhaustion and pain distracted me.
Directing me to a chair
To sit quietly, not moving.

I had plans to deep clean the kitchen,
The fridge is looking bedraggled lately.
Hubby complains nothing can be found,
and pleasing him I want to do.

But reviews call,
because moving seems too much to do.
I revise and think I can plow
through at least 3 or 4.

By days end I discover
Bunnies to sell, kills an hour or two.
Supper to make, a lad to talk to,
a Friend to answer.

And only one review, barely done
by evening come.
Then it’s garbage day.
Will distraction never end?

I talk with my tenant,
She speaks to the same.
Plans made but body disagreeing
Sleep and quietness remain.

But distraction or not,
God is still the same.
Holding us fast,
an anchor he remains.

I note my son
At every meal a pause
Taking the time to remember
His God.

Never distracted, always that thought
Saying his thanks,
Mentioning concerns
Oh… that I might be as focused as he.

I need to be more mindful
and not let
The distractions which surround me
To stop me from remembering what is most important.

God and his plans
They override all of ours
God and his hold on
our lives is secure.

God never gets distracted
Nothing calls him away
Faithful to the end,
No distractions surround him.

James Living through Crisis

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Our pastor started to preach from James just as I finished going through Deuteronomy. I thought it would be a nice short book of the bible to go through before starting another book. It also would be great to learn from James alongside my pastor.  🙂  James is a practical guide to living through crisis and walking in faith. 

James Living in Crisis

Unexpected Appreciation

One of the things that surprised me was how much I enjoyed listening to different pastors preach on the same verses.  The overlap was so interesting as each pastor would emphasize different parts of the text, or sometimes have different interpretations. 

I also discovered a new pastor that I enjoyed listening too.  David Guzik often pulled up quotes from people of faith that spoke adroitly to the text at hand.  Good quotes that often made me think. 

My Methodology

Most of the time I do my devotional time while walking on the treadmill.  I have my youtube playlist and just work my way through it.  As I listen along I read along on my phone, I use the ESV bible app.  Then I copy and paste passages to facebook.  I don’t listen well unless I can take notes to help me remember so I share those thoughts or questions to facebook as well.  Then I can go back over the course of the day as I ponder what I learned. 

I normally open up my overall study time with a video that gives an overview of the book I am studying, and then more specific videos by chapter or verse groupings. 

Some of what I learned

So have you considered what it means to have joy in trials?  How does one DO that?  After all, trials tend not to be fun events.  Through James, I learned that the joy in trials comes from knowing the result of going through trials.  The result of going through trials, particularly if you do so with a God-focus, is that you grow in wisdom and the ability to remain steadfast in the face of difficulty.  

Being tempted is not sin.  Sin is when we act upon our temptation or linger on it.  For instance… I was at the grocery store once and had forgotten that I plunked an onion in my pocket as I was swiftly walking through the store picking up whatever.  Got to the car and it’s like OH>> there’s an onion here I didn’t pay for.  I briefly considered just going home, but then returned to the store and apologized for walking out with it and then paid for it.  It wasn’t sinning to walk out with it, or to briefly think about going home. It WOULD HAVE been sinful to go home with it.   This doesn’t mean I can’t regret or repent of the sinful desire to skip out with it once I remembered.  

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  James 1:22  We need to have our lives impacted by the word of God.  Listening to what God has to say and then living it out.  If all we do is listen by don’t act, we are just fooling ourselves.  God’s word needs to matter.   God’s word, as it tells us in James, helps us living through crisis. 

Does keeping yourself from being polluted by the word mean you need to remove yourself from it, much like the Hutterites, Mennonites and Amish do?   Or does it mean something else?  I’m tending to think it’s a bit of both. 

For instance, going to see a show that glories in death, or a singer who promotes sexual immorality is not something we should be doing.  But refusing to visit a neighbour just because he’s not a believer, or turning my back on a wayward family member, how does that draw them to the Lord?   One of the pastors I listened to mentioned that it’s what our focus in on.  Is it on God, or is it on what’s around us?  Is our focus God-centric or people-centric (often self-centric)? If we focus on God, the pollution of the world will be much less able to influence us. 

James, a practical guide

Can you see how, if you take the lessons from James to heart, that you will have a practical guide to living through crisis?   

Trials put us in a place where we need to ask God for wisdom.  This draws us deeper into his word.  As we do so we learn to put his word into action.  All of this deepens our faith. 

This makes trials a matter of joy.  

Just because, trials are a matter of joy, doesn’t mean I still LIKE trials. If I change my perspective on them from the now to the later, it helps in the immediacy of whatever situation I am in. 

Don’t you also find this to be true?

The Servant Song

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As I was waiting for on-line church to start this morning I realized I had not posted my hymn of the day.  I started to browse through Lift up Your Hearts hymnal (aff. link) and discovered The Servant Song. 

I used to sing this song in church all time time.  It was so popular, but it’s rarely sung anymore.  It’s nice to go back in time a bit isn’t it?

The Servant Song

Lyrics to The Servant Song

Brother, let me be your servant.
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant, too.
 
We are pilgrims on a journey.
We are brothers on the road.
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
 
I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night time of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you;
Speak the peace you long to hear.
 
I will weep when you are weeping.
When you laugh, I’ll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we’ve seen this journey through.
 
When we sing to God in heaven,
We shall find such harmony
Born of all we’ve known together
Of Christ’s love and agony.
 
Brother, let me be your servant.
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant, too.
 
The Servant Song lyrics © Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publ.
original version

Author and History

Richard Gillard wrote The Servant Song in 1977.   Born in England he moved to New Zealand when he was three years old.   Although he showed early musical ability he received little formal training.  He learned to play the ukelele and other instruments to accompany his own singing.  A primary school teacher he attended an Anglican church. 

Based on Matt 20:26b-28  “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

If you would like to see a list of songs by Richard Gillard you can find 24 of them at Song Select.   Over the years this song has been modified to be politically correct. 

Modified version

Thinking Deeper

Sometimes I wonder how to be a servant to others. With my family it’s easy right?  I can tidy and clean up after them.  It’s even possible to encourage my son to be a servant by picking up after himself and helping others.  Finding ways to be helpful at home is easy, it’s not always so easy with those outside your home, at least for me I find.

I know that I like to be a behind the scenes person so serving as front-line staff at the Community Kitchen isn’t my thing, but I’ve learned I can help behind the scenes to tidy/organize the pantry.  Same with the Foodbank… to be the organizer, sorter of good works better for me than running around with the clients. 

Oft-times though it seems like I do too little and I just don’t know how to expand beyond that. I am reminded of how Christ became a servant and that he has a purpose in doing so.  How can I better be a servant?  Perhaps I have too many things keeping me busy?  I don’t know… but this song calls me to think more about how I can be a servant to others. 

Does it do the same with you?