"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"

The English author of this hymn, Edward Perronet (1726-1792), descended from a distinguished family of French Huguenots who fled religious persecution and settled in England. He was ordained in the Anglican church, and worked alongside John and Charles Wesley. He wrote several hymns, but this is the only one that remains in general use today.

Here is an interesting story about Perronet that should make you smile:

John Wes­ley was al­ways try­ing to get him to preach, but Per­ro­net, though cap­a­ble, was some­what in awe of Wes­ley, and al­ways de­ferred to him. Any time John Wes­ley was pre­sent, Per­ro­net felt Wesley should do the preach­ing. But John Wes­ley was not one to take “no” for an an­swer. So, one day, in the mid­dle of a meet­ing, he simp­ly an­nounced, “Bro­ther Per­ro­net will now speak.” Think­ing quick­ly, Per­ro­net stood be­fore the large crowd and de­clared, “I will now de­liv­er the great­est ser­mon ev­er preached on earth” (you can imag­ine he got ev­er­y­one’s at­ten­tion). He then read the Ser­mon on the Mount, and sat down.

To hear the accompaniment, read all of the verses, and read the entire article about Perronet, go here.

All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!

The Bloom

My best friend from high school, Gwyn, drove out here last week to bring some of my dad's furniture that she had been storing at her house for me. She also brought my dad's Christmas cactus.

Now, when I was growing up, Dad never exhibited a green thumb. In fact, because of his asthma and hay fever, he didn't even mow the lawn. I have a picture of me trying valiantly to use our push lawnmower when I was five, but it was actually one of my brothers who mowed the lawn regularly.

When Dad's mother died in 1977, he inherited, among other things, a very bedraggled Christmas cactus. He took it upon himself to nurse it back to health, perhaps as a metaphor for his own life that was, at that time, struggling on many fronts. With fierce determination, Dad resurrected that cactus into a huge, healthy, beautiful plant which he grew to love. I think he even named it.

When my friend brought it into our house last week, after dutifully caring for it these past two years, I was delighted to see a lone pinkish-reddish bud on its slender arms. The bud opened a few days after my friend left to return home, and was still open yesterday, the anniversary of my dad's last few hours on this earth. Then, this morning when I awoke, the flower had fallen from the plant and lay silently in the soil.


Shed no tear--O shed no tear!
The flower will bloom another year.
Weep no more--O weep no more!
Young buds sleep in the root's white core.
John Keats

Memories and Gratitude

It has been two years, almost to the minute, since my Dad's passing. It was May 24th here in the Mountain Time Zone, but May 25th where he lived in the Eastern Time Zone.

In some respects it seems like he's been gone such a long time. Yet, my last phone conversation with him seems like it was just last week. That was the last time he ever talked on the telephone. He was being prepared for emergency surgery, and he had to hang up so he could be wheeled to the operating room.

Catherine Marshall wrote in her book, A Man Called Peter, about the comfort of the last words she spoke to her husband. She had said to him, "Darling, I'll see you in the morning." She wrote about the thoughts she had a few months later, "And as I stood looking out toward that far horizon, I knew that those words would go singing in my heart down all the years..."

My last words to my dad were, "I love you, Dad. I'll talk to you when you're done." The words have gone "singing in my heart" these past two years. I sometimes have despair about my dad's salvation, but I also have hope that I will indeed talk to him again. And for him, it'll seem but a moment until we speak again.

Three things I am grateful I received from my dad:
1. His love of music
2. His love of the prairie
3. His love of history

(Here's another recent post about him.)

"All Creatures of Our God and King"

In our continuing quest for a new church home, we have been attending the same church now since Easter Sunday. While hubby and son were having church with their Boy Scout troop on a camping trip in the mountains, my daughter and I sang this wonderful hymn as the recessional at church this morning. (I absolutely love singing the alto part!) The words were written by St. Francis of Assisi, circa 1225. The melody appeared in a German hymnal published in 1623, and the harmonization was added in 1906 by the British composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams. (The church pictured here is the parish church where Vaughan Williams's father was vicar.)

Go here for the accompaniment (including the cool alto part!).

All Creatures of Our God and King

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Refrain

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain

Mother's Day

That night Anne...knelt sweetly by her open window in a great sheen of moonshine and murmured a prayer of gratitude and aspiration that came straight from her heart. There was in it thankfulness for the past and reverent petition for the future...
(from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery)

I recently read these words to my children about Anne taking first place in the college entrance exam. I thought, this is very much how I view motherhood. I am thankful for the past; for God's perfect plan for creating our family in His own time and way. And at the same time, I humbly ask Him for guidance for the future.

After 11 years of waiting, of heartbreak, of longings unanswered; the Lord filled my aching arms and soothed my aching heart. I am thankful beyond measure for my two precious children. Only the Lord of the Universe could have ordained such a treasure for us in the way that He did.

(Thanks also to Holt International Children's Services and United Airlines for playing a part! The photo above is of Harry and Bertha Holt, founders of the adoption agency that bears their name.)

"The King of Love My Shepherd Is"

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 (NKJV)

On some church calendars, Psalm 23 is read as part of today's liturgy on this
fourth Sunday of Easter. I love this Psalm for its power, its truth, its comfort, and its ability to minister to believers and unbelievers alike.

This hymn, based upon the 23rd Psalm, was written by Henry W. Baker (1821-1877). He was an English musician and the editor of the best-selling Hymns, Ancient and Modern, published from 1860 to 1877.

Go here to hear the music which is based upon an old Irish melody. There is also an alternate tune at this link.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.

Let Them Have Dominion

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1: 26

The kids and I drove to a friends' ranch this past Saturday for the branding of this spring's new calves. Many family and fellow rancher friends came to help, followed by a big lunch provided by the host family. This will be repeated in the weeks to come, as each rancher makes the rounds helping his fellow "neighbors."

As we returned from the branding pasture, two horses in a different pasture adjacent to the house ran alongside the fence, "welcoming" us back to the ranch house as we drove down the lane. They were almost like little children excitedly waiting for Daddy to come home at the end of a long day. Then later, I was able to coax a motherless calf to allow me to pet her. She was a little wary, but she stayed fairly still and let me walk slowly up to her and pet her.

These animals, who are not pets in the traditional sense, have the interest and desire to relate to humans, even sometimes in spite of their instincts to the contrary. It reminds me a little of Isaiah 11:6,

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.