I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

This wasn’t always one of my favourite tunes of the season.  What I perceived as a plodding pace and dark minor key, didn’t express Christmas exuberance as I once preferred.
However..
That all changed when I listened to Johnny Cash’s recording of this song, and heard bright hopefulness through deep pain.
And so goes the history of this original poem by American [...]

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Lest We Forget

 ”Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits!”

 
“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.  Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I [...]

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Rejoice in Him

“Bless the Lord, O my soul!”  Psalm 103:1
“Let us rejoice in Him.”  Psalm 149:2
“Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say, Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
[Part 2 of a discussion beginning with Rejoice in This! ]  
Somedays are full of things to rejoice in!   And then there’s those other days, often stretching into months or seasons, when we don’t rejoice at [...]

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Revelation Song

“An everlasting love demands an everlasting song from thee!” 
John Kent, 1803
“Nor for our duties or desert but of His own abounding grace,
He works salvation in our hearts, and forms a people for His praise.” 
Issac Watts, 1709 
“Teach me, Lord, on earth to show by my love, how much I owe.”
Robert Murray McCheyne, 1837
“Grace! ’tis a charming [...]

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A Monument of Grace – Me?

A monument of grace, a sinner saved by blood:
The streams of love I trace up to the Fountain–God!
And in His sacred bosom see eternal thoughts of love to me.”

John Kent, 1766-1843
Today, my prayer is that I may stand, humbly, as a monument of grace. 
Dear Lord, may others see that the same grace you’ve given me is [...]

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Psalm 23 – Eden’s Bridge

I just added another version of Psalm 23 to my Blue Music Box.  This one is by Eden’s Bridge, a Christian Celtic group which has recorded numerous mellow and melodic worship songs, hymns, lullabies, and psalms.  Please listen and rest in the Lord, our loving Shepherd.
All of Eden’s Bridge’s CDs are available at amazon.com.

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Psalm 23 – J. Addison

Today’s Psalm 23 interpretation will be the final one of this brief series.  It was written by English essayist and poet, Joseph Addison (1672-1719).  It would be marvelous to hear this put to a fitting melody and sung by a mighty host!
Psalm 23
The Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a Shepherd’s care;
His presence [...]

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Psalm 23 – Issac Watts

Dr. Issac Watts wrote thousands of hymns, so many in fact, that it took three volumes of hymnals to hold them!   He set all the Psalms to metered verse, and some, he composed more than one version.  Here is Version III of Psalm 23:
The Lord my Shepherd is,
I shall be well supplied;
Since He is mine, [...]

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Psalm 23 – Scottish Psalter

Over the millenniums, many writers have used their talents to put the Psalms to music and metric verse.  The Church of Scotland published their version in The Scottish Psalter of 1635.  My husband has a very tiny, pocket-size KJV Bible which contains all these Psalms in rhyme.  Here is Psalm 23:
The Lord’s my Shepherd, Ill not want
He makes [...]

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Psalm 23

         without commentary…just allow the Lord to minister to your heart through David’s prayer, Psalm 23, and the soulful musical version uploaded to the blue Music Box:
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures:
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul:
He leads me in the paths of [...]

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