Words

 Hey, remember me?  Not counting SEC football predictions, it has been 17 days since I last wrote a blog.  To be honest, I just haven't been in the mood to write.  Just been a lot going on.  My mom's situation, friends with illnesses, friends with legal woes, and another issue or two I just don't want to get into.

But today is different, I do have a couple of things on my mind.  It is not going to be a true potpourri blog, but I think I will touch on several things, that are all related.

Part of being a good writer, and I am not saying I am, ultimately, that is for you to decide, but part of being a good writer is knowing your audience, who reads this blog.  Most of you who read this blog are believers.  We may not agree on everything or we may attend different churches, but that's ok, we all believe in the same God, which is paramount.  Much, if not all of what I write today will be centered around Christ, and our role as Believers, as well as things I've recently read or heard.

I would imagine many of you who have Twitter or Instagram accounts like I do, have certain individuals, aside from family and friends that you follow.  I am no exception.  Among the individuals I follow is a pastor from a church in Jupiter, Florida, his name is Tullian Tchividjian.  You may not know him, but you have probably heard of his grandfather, Rev. Billy Graham.  Tullian is the son of Graham's daughter, Gigi.

He refers to himself as the "Head Ragmuffin" at the The Sanctuary Church in Jupiter.  He usually has some insightful comment on the scriptures, or on our responsibilities as Christians.  Yesterday, he posted a message on Instagram that went a direction that surprised me, but the more I thought about it, it was spot on.

He wrote, "Hey preachers, if you want to be a preacher, don't listen to other preachers, read the words of the authors of the old hymns."  Now, he wasn't saying ignore the scriptures at all.  But was saying read the words of some of these old songs, read the words that were penned.  Frequently you will find lines or verses that tell the story of the gospel, or of our responsibility as believers.

When I read his thought, two hymns immediately came to mind.  Since then, I have thought of dozens more.  First, I thought of the hymn/Christmas song, "O Holy Night," written in 1847 by French poet Placide Cappeau.  Some of the words include

Long lay the world, in sin and error pining,

‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.  

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!  O night divine."

As the saying goes, "that will preach."

Another song I immediately thought of is "When Peace Like a River," written by Horatio Spafford in 1873.  His original song had six verses, we have four in our song book.  It is the third verse that gets my attention every time we sing it, and it is, in my humble opinion, the most powerful verse of any song we sing.  Here it is, feel free to sing it as you read.

1. My sin—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, O my soul!
2. That verse gives me chills, it makes me tear up, It is so powerful in its meaning.  It is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!  I mean, wow, just wow.
3. Next time you have a hymnal or song book in your hand, read the words carefully, picture what the writer is saying.  I really think Tullian is really on to something.  I so appreciate his thought to look for inspiration in the words of old hymns.  They certainly complement the scriptures nicely
4. Lastly, I want to give kudos to our minister, Justin Pannell.  In December, he has been doing a series on "The Four Words of Christmas."  Thus far we have studied "Hope" "Peace," and "Joy."  This Sunday morning, he will finish the series on the "Four Words of Christmas" with a lesson on "Love."
5. I hope you have a safe holiday season wherever you are and whatever you are doing.  Be safe, eat well, and be generous in telling others you love them.
6. Be kind to each other, see you down the road.