Handbells ยท Hymns ยท Mathematics
I love hymns. Good hymns speak truth to the soul and give new voice to scripture. I started this blog to share some my experiences and observations of hymn tunes and texts. As I write these words I am discerning something new. More school? A job? A new direction? In my confusion I turn to … Read more
A life of faith is a life of trust: a trust that God will guide, protect and comfort. These five hymns describe the presence of God in midst of sadness, death and despair. Using metaphors such as wrestling, nightfall and a traveling journey, the hymnwriters describe personal feelings of pain and suffering and the hope … Read more
July 17 is #WorldEmojiDay! As a celebration of these whimsical icons, we’ve translated five well-known hymns into emojis. Can you identify each hymn? Comment below with your own emoji hymns! 1 ๐๏ธ๐๏ธ, ๐โค๏ธ ๐คท, ๐พโ๏ธ ๐ญ, ๐ ๐ โฐ๐ด, ๐๐ก 2 ๐ช ๐ฐ ๐, ๐ข โ ๐ ๐, โฐ๏ธ๐ค ๐ ๐, โ๏ธ ๐ ๐ช ๐ก, ๐ … Read more
In a previous post I complained about how some traditional hymnody conflates American patriotism with Christian freedom. For example, the militaristic language in โFaith of Our Fathers,โ is often interpreted as a defense of American freedom. As a response, Iโve crafted a new text that celebrates women called โFaith of Our Mothers.โ Hereโs the story … Read more
For church-goers in the United States, services on patriotic holidays may end with an โAmerica hymn,โ one of those patriotic songs that somehow made its way into the hymnal like โGod Bless America.โ But why do we sing these songs in worship? The Kingdom of God transcends our borders and even the world itself. Jesus … Read more