It It Well

 For some reason, I had never encountered the second verse of this Hymn before yesterday.  What an wonderful reassurance of our standing in Christ.  

When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

 

It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

 

Though Satan should buffet, 

though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul

 

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

 

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!

 

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

 

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Every Sunday, for YEARS, this was the first hymn of every Sunday service.  It got to be kind of a joke among some of us, and it certainly got so familiar as to lose all meaning to me.  

Yesterday, we sang this at church and I realized how much I'd been missing for all these years.   

I think that a case could be made that every worship service should start with this hymn as it absolutely sets a framework for the rest of the service (I don't think there was a lot of thought about this back in the day, but who knows).  It establishes the position and nature of YHWH, and acknowledges His absolute holiness.  It points out our inability to fully see and comprehend the fullness of YHWH's love, power, and purity yet we praise Him out of that inability.  Finally, it establishes that all of Creation praises Him in one way or another, and the we have the privilege of joining Creation in praise.  

I get that, just like The Lord's Prayer, repetition can dull the impact rather than sharpen it.  But that doesn't diminish that this Hymn is an appropriate way to begin a service.    

 

 

 Verse 1 

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! 

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; 

Holy, Holy, Holy, Merciful and Mighty! 

God in three Persons, Blessèd Trinity! 

 Verse 2 

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore Thee, 

Casting down their golden Crowns around the glassy sea; 

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, 

Who wert, and art, And evermore shalt be. 

Verse 3 

 Holy, Holy, Holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, 

Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; 

Only Thou art holy; There is none beside Thee,

 Perfect in power, In love, and purity.  

Verse 4 

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! 

All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, 

In earth, and sky, and sea; 

Holy, Holy, Holy; Merciful and Mighty! 

God in three Persons, Blessèd Trinity!

Prayers Of The Founders

 

"The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.” - George Washington, July 2, 1776

"The full historical transcript of the opening prayer at the First Continental Congress, September 7, 1774 at Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia: O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the kingdoms, empires and governments; Look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, O let Thine own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle! Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down upon them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with immortal glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior. Amen. This is the most complete and historically accepted version of the prayer. It was offered after Samuel Adams proposed that the Congress begin with prayer."

Talarico, Again

 https://x.com/lonestar_pac/status/2072396066989748601?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

Talarico is just a fountain of good oppo ad material.   

MVMLTTTV

 https://x.com/lauraloomer/status/2072423867398721578?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

A Graphic Representation Of One Person's Political Journey

 https://x.com/sayssimulation/status/2074107356225372372?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw