Heaven

         Church music has certainly changed over the years.  In my estimation some of the changes have been good but some of them not so good. But I don't intend to discuss these changes once again except for a topic which I mentioned in my blog last week – music about heaven.

          On Christmas we were given a new Roku television and we have enjoyed going to You Tube on that set and watching numerous church services streamed from a variety of churches.  Almost every Sunday morning we "visit" several churches with different worship styles.

           As I mentioned last week I don't recall any of them using hymns or choruses that talk about heaven or the second coming of Christ.  In the "old days" when hymns were sung, almost every one had a final verse which shared the glorious hope of the return of Christ and of heaven.

          Is this no longer an important truth shared by believers today?  Or is it only for us older folks who are nearer to heaven and look forward to being with the Lord and the many relatives and friends who are always there.

          As I thought about the many years we taught children in a variety of situations I knew that this was always an important part of our ministry.  I began to list the many songs about heaven that we used to sing with the children and I decided to give you a test this week.  I am going to list some of them and I want you to see how many you can remember from your childhood and how many you can still sing today.  So here goes.

          We often used visuals from Child Evangelism Fellowship with the children.   One of those was a "one way" sign with the following words:

 

One way God said to get to Heaven,
Jesus is the only way.
One way to reach those pearly mansions,
Jesus is the only way.
No other way, no other way,
No other way to go.
One way God said to get to Heaven,
Jesus is the only way.

 

          And another visual was a large watch with the following words:

 

Watch and be ye ready,

For the Lord may come today.

Watch and be ye ready,

For the Lord may come to day.

He will come again in the clouds for me

And take me home for eternity.

Watch, and be ye ready,

For the Lord may come today.

 

          A favorite was the visual with the word Salvation and here are those words:

 

No you can't get to heaven without

S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N

Oh you can't get to heaven without

S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N

Shout it out!  Loud and clear!

S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N

Shout it out! Loud and clear!

S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N

 

          And one that was really enjoyed by the children was "Somewhere In Outer Space".

 

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1  Blast off!

Somewhere in outer space,

God has prepared a place,

For those who trust Him and obey.

Jesus will come again,

Though we don't know when.

The countdown's getting lower every day.

 

          Then there was the alphabet song which also taught about heaven and eternity.

 

A-B-C-D-E-F-G Jesus died for you and me

H-I-J-K-L-M-N Jesus died for sinful men,

AMEN!

O-P-Q-R-S-T-U  I believe God's Word is true

V and W God has promised you

X-Y-Z A home eternally.

 

Z-Y-X and W V God is watching over me

U-T-S-R-Q-P-O Jesus loves me this I know

N-M-L-K-J and I I will meet him in the sky

H-G-F-E God has promised me

D-C-B-A I'll be with him someday.

 

          Here is one that we often used to start our programs:

 

Let's talk about Jesus, let's talk of His love.
Let's talk about Jesus and heaven above.
Let's go about living for Jesus the Lord

Let's. talk about Jesus and live in His Word.

 

          But I had a favorite chorus about heaven which we all loved to sing – often at the close of our programs.  We would sing it several times, starting out slow and picking up the speed each time. I wish I could hear the kids sing this with enthusiasm once gain.  They especially loved to shout out the last line, "I'm going to heaven and I can't wait!  Can't wait!

 

I'm going to heaven, can't wait!
Going to see Jesus, can't wait!
Heaven is wonderful, bright and fair,
Praise the Lord I'm going there.
I'll be there forever, can't wait!
Going to leave never, can't wait!
And I know I'll not be late,
'Cause I'm going to heaven and I can't wait.
I'm going to heaven and I can't wait.  Can't wait!

          So are hymns and choruses about heaven still part of your memory?  Do you still listen to them and sing them?  I hope so.

Questions

          Today there seem to be so many different opinions held by the public on a variety of topics.  Many of them have centered around Trump.  Should he have been impeached?  Was his trial fair?  Was he really guilty?  Has the media been impartial?  Everyone seems to have a strong opinion.

          Then there are questions about the reactions to the pandemic.  Can we afford all these stimulus give aways?  Should we each get more of our tax money back?  Should college loans be wiped out?  Can the government close businesses?  Can they close churches?  Can they enforce the wearing of masks?  Can they prevent us from going to athletic contests?  Can they provide the vaccine to all who need it or want it?

          But the questions that I don't understand are those about whether or not the pandemic is real.  Some of my conservative friends continue to feel and express their opinion that it is fake, nothing more than a virus.  It is a plot to control our minds and our bodies.  They feel that we should resist the rules and especially the shots which are "being used to control us".

          Now I am not smart or intelligent enough to argue these questions.  But I know it has happened before.  My grandfather died in the flu epidemic in 1918.  That was real.

          And folks are dying today at an alarming rate.  More Americans have died from COVID-19 in the last year than during all of World War II and some projections show the death toll could top that of the Civil War by the beginning of summer.  Lives are still being lost at a rate of about 21,000 per week.  And that can't be denied.

          Now I have had a number of relatives and friends who have contacted covid.  Some have gotten over it without much suffering or harm, especially younger adults.  But others have gone through horrendous hospital stays.  Some have died.

          In the past two months 17 of my friends or acquaintances have died.  Every morning ou local newspaper has pages of obituaries - one day I counted 66.  A cousin of mine recently passed  away after a three month battle with covid.  Two friends have died, three former coworkers are gone.  Three of my high school classmates and two friends from church have passed. Six parents of my former students are gone.  Now at my age one might expect to lose folks, but 17 of them in that short a time?

          Now there are some key questions which I can't answer.  First, how many of these deaths were from covid?  While I suspect many more, I can only be sure of two - my cousin and our former Awana missionary.  I do know that all 17 were about my age or older.

          But a much more important question is where are these folks today?  I know that a few of them are in heaven but I don't know about most of them.  And I feel that this might be a failure on my part.  Did I care enough about them to share the Gospel with them?  Our lives here on earth often come to an end before we expect it so we should live our lives daily and fully for the Lord.  And we should be sharing the Gospel with those around us.

          Now I do believe that covid is real and I will wear a mask, social distance, avoid large crowds and get the shots if I have the chance to do so.  And I will strive to live each day for the Lord and share the Gospel whenever I can.

          I have been thinking of a song that I used to like to lead when I led hymn sings, worship services or retreats.  I used to love to close with "When We All Get To Heaven".  In those situations it was appropriate because I knew that most of the audience could join in singing with the knowledge of the truth of the words.  But I believe that most churches today no longer sing about heaven.  During the pandemic I have watched the streaming services of many churches and I have yet to hear one of them sing a song about heaven.

          Eliza Hewitt was born in 1851 in Philadelphia and he went to school locally and graduated as Valedictorian of the Girl's Normal School.  She then began teaching in the Philadelphia area.  One day while overseeing her students in the playground, she, unfortunately, suffered a severe back injury and was forced to bed for months, dealing with the pain the rest of her life. Although Eliza could have been resentful, and no one would have blamed her, she felt the presence of the Lord while confined to bed. She started studying Literature and English while recovering from her injury. Barely did she know that she was being prepared by God to write poetry and hymns, and these two subjects would prove very useful.

           As Eliza recovered some of her strength in later years, she was able to get around slowly. She attended the summer Methodist Camp meeting, in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Here she met Emily D. Wilson and they formed a great friendship. They worshipped and studied together and in 1898 together created this hymn, "When We All Get To Heaven."  Her back problems would arise at times and put Eliza down, but not for long.  Partly because of her health problems, she was sensitive to the difficulties people face on earth and looked forward to being with Jesus in Heaven where she could have a heavenly body.  She adored Sunday School and most of her hymns were intended for children in Sunday School.  

          Now I wish that this hymn could have been sung by all 17 of my friends who have recently passed on.  My hope is that all of my readers can join in singing these words.

(1)    Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,

Sing His mercy and His grace.

In the mansions bright and blessed

He'll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We'll sing and shout the victory!

(2)    While we walk the pilgrim pathway,

Clouds will overspread the sky;

But when traveling days are over,

Not a shadow, not a sigh.

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We'll sing and shout the victory!

(3)    Let us then be true and faithful,

Trusting, serving every day;

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay.

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We'll sing and shout the victory!

(4)    Onward to the prize before us!

Soon His beauty we'll behold;

Soon the pearly gates will open;

We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We'll sing and shout the victory!

Sing along with me.     HEAVEN

The Joys of Teaching

LOOKING BACK - Repeating and editing a blog that I first published on February 12, 2011

         For security reasons, I often don't open forwards with attachments that are sent to me, even by folks I know. And any forwards that I do decide to open and read are then deleted. But every once in awhile there is one that I need to share. 

         Recently I received one that contained answers that students have given to questions on tests. You may think that these are made up but that probably means that you've never been a teacher. I often wish that I had kept some that I received on my tests. 

         But here for your enjoyment are actual answers given on tests.

1. Explain why phosphorus trichloride (PCl3) is polar.

     Ans. - God made it that way.

2. Sea salt is commercially obtained from sea water by the process of evaporation and crystallization. The main component of sea salt is sodium chloride. What type of force or bond holds the sodium ions and chloride ions together in a crystal of sodium chloride?

     Ans. - James Bond

3. Briefly explain what hard water is.

     Ans. - ice

4. Given a triangle with legs marked 3 cm and 4 cm and the hypotenuse marked x, find x.

     Ans. - (x is now circled) Here it is.

5. What was Sir Walter Raleigh famous for?

     Ans. - He is a noted figure in history because he invented cigarettes and started a craze for Bicycles.

6. What did Mahatma Gandi and Gengis Khan have in common?

     Ans. - Unusual names

7. Name one of the early Romans' greatest achievements.

     Ans. - Learning to speak Latin.

8 - Name one measure which could be put into place to avoid flooding in times of extensive rainfall (e.g. in Mississippi).

     Ans. - Flooding in areas such as the Mississippi River may be avoided by placing a number of big dames into the river.

9 - Name two animals which live specifically in the Arctic.

     Ans. - Two polar bears and four seals.

10 - Name the wife of Orpheus whom he attempted to save from the underworld.

     Ans. - Mrs. Orpheus

11 - Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?

     Ans. - At the bottom.

12 - What happens during puberty to a boy?

    Ans - He says goodbye to his childhood and enters adultery.

13 - What is the meaning of the word "varicose"?

     Ans. - Close by

14 - What is the highest frequency noise that a human can register?

     Ans. - Mariah Carey

15 - What is a fibula?

     Ans. - A little lie

16 - Explain the phrase "free press".

     Ans - When your mum irons trousers for you.

17 - Joanna works in an office. Her computer is a stand-alone system. What is a stand-alone computer system?

     Ans. -It doesn't come with a chair.

18. - Steve is driving his car. He is traveling at 60 feet/second and the speed limit is 40 mph. Is Steve speeding?

     Ans. - He could find out by checking his speedometer.

And that folks is one of the "joys" of being a teacher!

Thoughts For Our Times

         For the past seven years I have enjoyed writing two blogs each week.  One of these is my hymn blog on which I feature a hymn or song each week.  Some weeks over 1,000 folks from all over the world visit this blog.  This has unexpectedly become a real ministry.  I enjoy doing it although at times it becomes a real challenge to find a different hymn and then find information about it and a video of it.  But the Lord continues to lead and provide.

          My second blog is this general one that you are presently reading.  In it I try to share a range of personal experiences and viewpoints as well as some items which I think may be of interest.  Sometimes I try to include some humor which I think we all need in the world in which we are presently living.  Very few folks read this blog each week but I continue it because I enjoy doing it.

           Some days the recorder in my brain keeps replaying hymns from my past.  These are often favorite hymns which speak to me personally at a particular time when I need them.  Maybe I need to share these experiences here with some personal thoughts and observations.  I hope to do this more often.

          Maybe you also are experiencing the dismay and stress of the world in which we are living.  Unrest, protests and anger are all about us.  Our Biblical morality and truths are being attacked.  And it is so easy for us to get discouraged and end up fighting back.  Sometimes we say things and do things in the heat of "discussions" that we wish that we never said.  Oh if we could be more like Jesus in these times.

          Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (1866-1960) was born in a log cabin in Kentucky.  He educated himself and became a school teacher at the age of 16.  By the age of 21 he was an associate editor of his local newspaper. He was born again as a believer at age 27.  He is said to have written over 1,200 poems during his life, many of which were turned into hymns.  Probably his best known work id "Great Is Thy Faithfulness".

          After hearing his mentor, Dr. Henry Clay Morrison, at a revival service, he penned the words of "Oh, To Be Like Thee".  He knew, as a new believer how his life compared to God's, and so he called out to Him with this prayer.  Chisholm's words show the zeal of this new Christian as he sought the character traits of Jesus, not merely to admire them, but to shape himself. Later the words were put to music by William James Kirpatrick.

         As we live in this time when hate and discord seem to abound, maybe we need to make Chisholm's words our daily prayer and desire. 

 

1.  O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer;

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

          During these days all around us folks are hurting.  Covid has caused sickness and death.  Folks have lost jobs and have financial challenges.  Folks who are isolated are lonely and discouraged. There are major needs everywhere and maybe we need to, like Jesus, become more compassionate.  Chisholm's second verse reminded me of our need to care for those who have needs, just like Jesus would have.

 

2.   O to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wand'ring sinners to find.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

          

          How is my attitude towards others?  How do I treat them?  Are we loving as we may face criticism for our trust in the Lord?  Many disagree with us.  How do we handle their reproach?  How do we respond?  Does my attitude and my responses show Jesus?

3.   O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer, others to save.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

          Chisholm pursued being editor of the Pentecostal Herald in Louisville and then ordained ministry. Both of these efforts were later suspended because of poor health. He must have wondered how his desire to serve and be like Jesus would be accomplished, as he was forced to abandon editing and preaching in pretty short order.  Are we dedicated to the Lord's service no matter what may come our way?  How is the Lord using us as our lives are forced to adapt during the pandemic?

4.   O to be like Thee! Lord, I am coming,

Now to receive the' anointing divine;

All that I am and have I am bringing;

Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart. 

 

          Chisholm's final verse should be our plea and desire daily as we continue our pilgrim journey here on this earth.

5.   O to be like Thee! While I am pleading

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love.

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit for a life which Thou wouldst approve.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

You can listen to it here.   LIKE THEE