"Let the word of the Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:16-17
Here are a few paragraphs from the book by Robert J. Moran "Then Sings
My Soul" 150 of the Worlds Greatest Hymn Stories. This truly exemplifies how I feel about our new music ministry. "That hour by the tiny lake was better for me than a month of therapy, and it did me more good than a dozen self-help books. Then and there I felt emerging twinges of a "restored soul"
"What if I had not known those hymns?"
"This book is designed to reacquaint you with 150 of "those hymns." Yes, I know hymns are an endangered species in this day of praise choruses and video projectors. And, no, I’m not critical of the new praise and worship music. I sing it heartily at church, and I listen to contemporary music on the radio." "But as we sing a new song to the Lord, let’s not forget the old ones. It’s the sturdy old hymns of the faith that strengthen and steady me when I’m weary and worn. They’re the ones I sing while walking by the lake or when rising troubled in the night. Hymns, expecially those chock full of theology…permeate our souls with the timeless veracities of Scripture." They’re shafts of brilliant sunlight through the clouds… They unite the Lord’s earth-bound church in heavenly harmony." "Hymns enable us to pray. Sometimes when we’re too weary or worried for words." "Hymns give us a pulpit for preaching to others, exhorting others to come to Christ just as they are, without one plea." "And Hymns connect us with generations now gone. …millions of Christians in local settings around the world use hymns composed by believers from every era…join voices in united bursts of praise, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord." May God Bless and Keep You,
Shari Cook