Hymn of the Month: "Man Of Sorrows!" What A Name

This month's hymn is "Man Of Sorrows!" also called "Hallelujah, What A Saviour". I thought it'd be good because Resurrection Day (Easter) is this coming Sunday :-)

It was written and composed by Philip P. Bliss. Who born in 1838 and died in 1876.

Here are the words.

"Man of sorrows!" what a name

For the son of God who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim!

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood,

Seal'd my pardon with his blood;

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we,

Spotless Lamb of God was he;

Full atonement! can it be?

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Lifted up was he to die,

"It is finished was," His cry;

Now in heav'n exalted high,

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

When he comes our glorious King,

All his ransomed home to bring,

Then a new this song we'll sing,

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

The Bethany Meal

"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been

dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but

Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment

of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and

the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas

Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three

hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because

he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone:

against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye

have not always. Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not

for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason

of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus."

John 12:1-11

With the coming of Spring there comes a whirlwind of busyness. There are music recitals, school completions, gardening, and almost every spring us kids get wound up in some sort of difficult project. (This year it is a movie, but thats for another blog post. : )

And then there are holidays. One of the most delightful ones is commonly know as Easter, though we prefer to call it Resurection Sunday, as we lack an affinity for Ishtar. To the bloggers of Ad Libbia the Resurrection season would hardly be complete without the traditional “Bethany Meal”.

About six days before “Passover” we pull out the handbooks on Bible customs, candles and the coffee table and do a family remembrance of this well known Bible story. We sit on the floor, eat traditional foods, go without plates or forks, and some of us kids attempt to dress authenticly. On an occaision or two we’ve had guests but usually it is just our family. We usually enjoy reading Scripture, singing songs, playing instruments and just talking.

This year, after Esther Rudomin mentioned braiding challah in The Endless Steppe, and I discoverd a fascinating little international cookbook with the recipe, I decided to make this traditional Jewish bread.

The recipe was simple, but it was the hands on yeast type, not the swish it togther, or throw it in the machine type, but the warm water type you had to knead and rise three hours, not really my expertise. But with Mama and Anna’s help I was certain it could be done.

Stirring it up.

Kneading.

I love it when bread rises. : )

Kneading again.

Rolling it into ropes.

Braiding.

Anna with hers after the second rise.

Anna’s finished.

Mine finished.

We then got out our other food.

Chicken and Greenbeans

Olives

Lettuce

Challah

Dried Dates and Raisins

Cheese

Our condiments were:

Butter

Vinegar

Olive Oil

Honey

With Grape Juice to drink.

We laid the table and enjoyed.

After a meal full of reaching we took a picture.

Then we sang and read the Bible verses for our family devotional by the light of candles and laptops.

We love the Bethany meal!

Turns out leftover Challah also makes great sub sandwich. : )

Shalom!

Laura

Spring!

I love it when spring gets here. It's like an explosion and every morning you can wake up and look out side and see something new popping out. Like peach blooms (I think that's one of my favorite flowers) and green grass and dafodills and the most beautiful blue sky ya ever saw!

Oh! and spring fever! You know that there are to kind of spring fever? The first is where you want to go out side and do a cartwheel or some thin. And the second is where you really don't want to do much out of doors. (I have the first kind :) The second might better be called summer fever because your more likely to get it in the summer when there's corn to be picked or potatoes to be dug and it's so hot out side that your not supposed to stay out for more than an hour or so because you could get way to hot and something bad could happen. That's when it's nice to stay in side and read or shell peas and listen to a book, or watch Lassie :) . As Caleb would say "I have some fond memories of doing that" though he lot's of times uses it in the wrong way like he'll say something like "I have a very fond memory of that fight with Luke." (: He's sooo cute:) I think he thinks fond means detailed or well remembered.

So any way here are some pictures I took of blooming thing around the yard!

Dandy kept getting up in my face and trying to get my attention

A Daffodil

I know she ani't a flower but she sure is cute :-)

Some Narcissi

Peach Blooms

Some Camellias I picked

Happy Birthday, Anna

When I was a child, I was excessively stupid. I had the completely erroneous idea that every little girl needed exactly one other little girl to be her “best friend.” Some of the qualifications for this best friend were, she needed to be the same age, she must have similar tastes, she must not be a relation, and she must be at a similar stage of maturity. I shall blame this idea on Anne of Green Gables, American Girl and the like, but it really was my own fault for so blindly swallowing their portrayals of girlhood friendships with my own twists.

I had no one who fit the bill for most of my childhood so I resorted to imaginary friends, and imagining meeting the perfect girl at so-and-so future event, and later on giving up in despair of ever having a girlish confidant. Those of you who know me are probably shaking your heads wondering why on earth it took me about twelve years to figure it out.

Indeed, I was at least thirteen before I realized that I had had a sleep-over almost every single night since I was 15 months old with the perfect best friend for me. She did not fit the criteria for a best friend, so as I matured I scrapped the criteria. And, guess what, I found I have a jewel for a little sister and she made me the perfect best friend. And today is the birthday of this talented young lady.

Happy Birthday, dearest Anna, I love you.

(This is the cross-stitch I made for her birthday.)

Laura

Hymn of the Month: Praise to the Lord

Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! Psalm 117:1

We have decided to start a new tradition, we intend to post a “hymn of the month” on the first day of every month. This month’s hymn is one of my absolute favorites. I find it is a most perfect song to begin a Sunday Morning Worship Service and it is absolutely delightful to sing under a blue spring sky with green budding things surrounding you. I think the tune also sounds like glorious spring.

This hymn was penned by Joachim Neander (1650-80) who has been called “the greatest of all German-Calvinist Reformed hymn writers.” Neander picked the tune himself so the text has never been sung to anything but “Lobe Den Herren.” Catherine Winkworth (1827-78) translated it from German.

Praise to the Lord,

the Almighty, the King of creation.

O my soul, praise Him,

for He is thy health and salvation!

All ye who hear,

now to His temple draw near;

join me in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord,

who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,

shelters thee under His wings,

yea, so gently sustaineth!

Hast thou not seen

how thy desires e’er have been

Granted in what He ordaineth.

Praise to the Lord,

who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;

surely his goodness

and mercy here daily attend thee.

Ponder anew

what the Almighty can do,

who with His love doth befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord,

who when tempests their

warefare are waging,

Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,

Biddeth them cease,

Turneth their fury to peace,

Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.

Praise to the Lord

who, when darkness and sin

are abounding,

Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,

Sheddeth His light,

Chaseth the horrors of night,

Saints with His mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord!

O let all that is in me

adore Him!

All that hath life and breath,

come now with praises before Him!

Let the amen sound from His people again;

gladly for aye we adore Him.

(I found many verses and variations of verses for this hymn. Some even have it as “Praise ye the Lord” instead of “Praise to the Lord”)