Update from the hen house...

  Many are asking for pictures!  I am sorry for the delay, tis finals week.  (I have an amusing post coming up about that, stayed tuned)  So, for now lets discuss the latest news from the lively and noisy hen house!

   There isn't any way to tell the exact day that the chickens began laying since we were out of town on Thanksgiving break.  They are now producing about an egg or two a day. When we did finally catch on to them we discovered 7 eggs in the nest, and I'm pretty positive they didn't do that all in one morning! So anyways.... yes, yes, I have some pictures to share!

But first a humorous quote by Mark Twain...

“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid.”

   The first round of seven eggs...

   Next morning.  Yes an egg in the nest!

    Time to gather....

   Rejoicing in the blessing...

     Yes, thank you madam!

  Enjoy!

"SAVIOR, LISTEN WHILE WE SING"
"Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Rom. 13:11)

     INTRO.: A hymn which encourages us to keep on praising the Lord because our salvation is nearer than when we first believed is "Savior, Listen While We Sing." The text was written by Godfrey Thring, who was born on Mar. 25, 1823, at Alford in Somerset, England, the son of John Gale Dalton Thring, an Anglican minister. His oldest brother was Henry (1818-1907), afterwards Lord Thring, the distinguished Parliamentary counsel (1868-1886), who was made a peer in 1886. Another older brother Edward (1821-1887) was a well known English schoolmaster. Educated at Shrewsbury School, Godfrey graduated in 1845 from Balliol Collge at Oxford, England, and became an Anglican minister in 1846, serving churches at Stratfield-Turgis from 1846 to 1850, and at Strathfieldsaye from 1850 to 1853.  In 1858 he moved to Alford-with-Hornblotton near Glastonbury and during his time there he produced a number of hymns. "Savior, Listen While We Sing," originally in eight stanzas, is dated 1862 and was first published in his Hymns Congregational and Others of 1866. His other collections include Hymns and Verses in 1866, Hymns and Sacred Lyrics in 1874, and Hymns and Poems for the Holy Days and the Festivals of the Church which became well known. Thring is perhaps best remembered for some of the extra stanzas which he added to "Crown Him with Many Crowns" by Matthew Bridges.

     "Savior, Listen While We Sing" was included in the 1868 Appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern with alterations by the author and the compilers. When it was used in the S. P. C. K. Church Hymns in 1871, Thring provided an additional stanza (number 2 below). Later he served at Wells Cathedral at East Harptree beginning in 1876 and edited The Church of England Hymnbook in 1880 with a revised edition in 1882. After retiring from Wells in 1893, he died at Shambley Green near Guildford in Surrey, England, on Sept. 13, 1903. Several tunes have been used or suggested with this hymn, but the one (Goethe or Lyndhurst) used in the only book of ours to have it is an anonymous melody that is taken from a compilation known as the Treasury. This may be the same as Church Praise published in 1883. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord's church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the song appeared in the 1935 Christian Hymns (No. 1) edited by L. O. Sanderson. Other books in which I have seen the hymn include the 1926 Parish School Hymnal of the United Lutheran Church in America with a tune (Fides) by Marchel Davis, The Hymnal 1941 of the Protestant Episcopal Church with a tune (Edina) by Herbert S. Oakeley, and the 1961 Trinity Hymnal of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a tune (Hermas) by Frances R. Havergal.

     The song exhorts us to praise Christ as we move ever forward in our lives as Christians towards eternity.

I. Stanza 1 says that we should yield our all to the Savior
"Savior, blessed Savior, listen while we sing:
Hearts and voices raising Praises to our King.
All we have to offer, All we hope to be,
Body, soul, and spirit, All we yield to Thee."
 A. The Savior and King to whom we raise praises with heart and voice is Jesus Christ: Lk. 2:11
 B. He wants us to offer to Him our bodies as living sacrifices: Rom. 12:1
 C. Therefore, we must yield to Him body, soul, and spirit: 1 Thess. 5:23

II. Stanza 2 says that we went ever farther from His wounded side in sin
"Farther, ever farther From Thy wounded side,
Heedlessly we wandered, Wandered far and wide,
Till Thou camest in mercy, Seeking young and old,
Lovingly to bear them, Savior, to Thy fold."
 A. When in sin we wandered farther and farther from Him like sheep going astray: 1 Pet. 2:25
 B. However, He came in mercy to seek and save the lost: Lk. 19:10
 C. And if we will hear His voice and come to Him, He will lovingly bear us to His fold: Jn. 10:16, 27

III. Stanza 3 says that we should draw ever nearer to Him
"Nearer, ever nearer, Christ, we draw to Thee,
Deep in adoration, Bending low the knee.
Thou for our redemption Camest on earth to die;
Thou, that we might follow, hast gone up on high."
 A. The Lord wants us to draw near to Him and He will draw near to us: Jas. 4:8
 B. To do so, we must bend low the knee, symbolizing our obedience to Him: Heb. 5:8-9
 C. But it is His death for our redemption that makes it possible for us to draw near to God: Eph. 2:16-18

IV. Stanza 4 says that His mercies for which we give thanks are ever greater
"Great and ever greater Are Thy mercies here;
True and ever truer Are the glories there,
Where no pain nor sorrow, Toil nor care is known,
Where the angel legions Circle round Thy throne."
 A. Great and ever greater are His mercies here because He gives us all things that pertain to life and godliness: 2 Pet. 1:3-4
 B. One of those mercies is the hope of obtaining the glory of the Lord: 2 Thess. 2:13-14
 C. Thus, we look forward to being where there will be no pain nor sorrow: Rev. 21:1-4

V. Stanza 5 says that we must journey ever onward
"Onward, ever onward, Journeying o'er the road
Worn by saints before us, Journeying on to God;
Leaving all behind us, May we hasten on,
Backward never looking Till the prize is won."
 A. With this hope set before us, we journey ever onward: Heb. 6:1
 B. The road we travel is the one worn by saints before us, that great cloud of witnesses: Heb. 12:1-2
 C. And we must forget those things that are behind and press forward to the prize before us: Phil. 3:13-14

VI. Stanza 6 says that someday the Lord will bear us ever higher
"Higher then, and higher, Bear the ransomed soul,
Earthly toils forgotten, Savior, to its goal,
(some books have, "Bliss, all bliss excelling, When the ransomed soul,
Earthly toils forgetting, Finds its promised goal,")
Where, in joys unthought (unheard) of, Saints with angels sing,
Never weary, raising Praises to their King."
 A. When He comes again, the Lord will bear our souls higher to be forever with Him: 1 Thess. 4:16-17
 B. There the saints join with the angels in song: Rev. 5:11-14
 C. The purpose of this eternal song will be to give praises to the King: Rev. 15:1-4

     CONCL.: Here are the omitted stanzas:
5. "Dark and ever darker Was the wintry past;
Now a ray of gladness o'er our path is cast.
Every day that passeth, Every hour that flies,
Tells of love unfeigned, love that never dies."
6. "Clearer still, and clearer, Dawns the light from heaven,
In our sadness bringing News of sins forgiven;
Life has lost its shadows, Pure the light within:
Thou hast shed Thy radiance On a world of sin."
7. "Brighter still and brighter Glows the western sun,
Shedding all its gladness O'er our work that's done.
Time will soon be over, toil ans sorrow past;
May we, blessed Savior, find a rest at last."
In trying to decide which stanzas to use for this hymn study, I chose a combination of the ones in Christian Hymns, Trinity Hymnal, Parish School Hymnal, and The Hymnal 1941, having to omit only one, beginning, "Clearer still," that was in The Hymnal 1941 (I have to cut it off somewhere, so I have limited each study to six stanzas). It would appear that the stanzas which I chose are the ones that have been in most common use. This song is not well known among us, but the challenging nature of Thring's words and the movement of the anonymous tune make for a rousing combination as we ask, "Savior, Listen While We Sing."

I've been rather busy lately with the choir that I'm in. I had two big concerts on Saturday and Sunday, and then rehearsal on Friday so my life has pretty much been music for the last couple days.

I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. ~ Psalm 9:2

As I was singing in Sunday's performance I realized that the conductor and the singers are much like God and His followers.

Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. ~ Psalm 9:11

When the singers eyes are on the conductor things run smoothly and they sing as one, but if eyes stray things don't go so well. Even though you know the music, or have sung it a thousand times before you still need the conductor's instruction.

Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. ~ Psalm 21:13

Although someone may know the commandments unless their eyes are on God, they can't do things on their own. They need His instruction and guidance.

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. ~ Psalm 30:12

So remember to keep your eyes on the conductor, He'll let you know when you need to keep holding on to that note, or if it's time to breath.

"SAVED THROUGH JESUS' BLOOD"
"Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Rom. 5:9)

    INTRO.: A hymn which reminds us that the blood of Jesus Christ is the only way that we can be justified now and saved from wrath eternally is "Saved Through Jesus' Blood." The text was written and the tune (I'll Be Present) was composed both by Judson Wheeler VanDeVenter (1855-1939).  It is dated 1899. VanDeVenter was a Methodist evangelist who influenced Billy Graham when he was a teacher and Graham was a student at the Florida Bible Institute, then located in Temple Terrace, FL, on what is now the campus of Florida College. It was somewhat unusual for VanDeVenter to provide both words and music for a song since the melodies for most of his lyrics, such as "I Surrender All," "Sunlight," and "My Mother's Prayer," were composed by Winfield Scott Weeden (1847-1908).  However, VanDeVenter also produced both text and tune for another song, "We Will Shine as the Stars," which is found in the 1977 Special Sacred Selections edited by Ellis J. Crum. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord's church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, "Saved Through Jesus' Blood" appeared with the chorus only, beginning "I'll Be Present," in the 1937 Great Songs of the Church No. 2 edited by E. L. Jorgenson. The entire text can be seen in such other hymnbooks as the 1957 All American Hymnal and the 1968 American Service Hymnal both from John T. Benson Publishing Co.; and the 1956 Hymns for Praise and Service from The Rodeheaver Co.

     The song points out that we must be saved through the blood of Jesus now to be prepared for the future.

I. Stanza 1 mentions the judgment
"Sometime we'll stand before the judgment bar, The quick, the risen dead;
The Lord will then make know the record there: Our names will all be read."
 A. Someday we'll stand before the judgment throne of Christ: 2 Cor. 5:10
 B. All, both the quick or living and the risen dead will be there: 2 Tim. 4:1
 C. The Lord will then make known the record of each individual: Rev. 20:11-12

II. Stanza 2 mentions the crown
"I'll then receive a bright and starry crown, As only God can give;
And when I've been with Him ten thousand years, I'll have no less to live."
 A. God has promised that those who are faithful will receive the crown of life: Rev. 2:10
 B. As with Paul, the Lord Himself will give this crown to those who love His appearing: 2 Tim. 4:6-8
 C. Having received this crown, we shall then enjoy the result of eternal life: 1 Jn. 2:25

III. Stanza 3 mentions the rest
"Then we shall meet to never part again; Our toil will all be o'er.
We'll lay our burdens down at Jesus' feet, And rest for evermore."
 A. In that final day, we shall meet with those gone before when the dead in Christ are raised and those who are alive will be caught up together with them in the air: 1 Thess. 4:16-17
 B. Then our toil will all be over because the earth and all the works in it shall be burned up: 2 Pet. 3:10
 C. And the rest from our labors that began at death will continue eternally: Rev. 14:13

     CONCL.: The chorus points our minds forward to that time when "the roll is called up yonder."
"I'll be present when the roll is called, Pure and spotless through the crimson flood;
I will answer when they call my name, Saved through Jesus' blood."
We need to remember that our ability to stand before the judgment throne of God pure and spotless to hear our names called among the righteous will not be as a result of our own merit or good works but because we have been "Saved Through Jesus' Blood."

Starting around Thanksgiving, and all through the holiday season, I start thinking about what I'm thankful to God for.
Thanks to this handy meme, I've decided that I'm going to start listing exactly what those things are once a week.
According to the dictionary, multitude is a "large indefinite number."
Which pretty much means I can't stop anywhere.

To infinity, and beyond!

1. Instant Breakfast (it's how I start my day, so it may as well be how I start my list)
2. fresh notebooks
3. the internet
4. bobby pins
5. my family
6. lemon-flavored candy
7. indie bookstores
8. Pomplamoose

Your turn!

    No...Mommy's not expecting twins, these new siblings are adopted but not in the usual way!  

     As we said in our Seven Sisters Treasures last week, Scott and Kelley Appleton came to stay with us from Thursday to Saturday,  and WHAT FUN  we had!   When they had to leave we were all very sad.  It was so much fun staying up late and talking with Kelley...the first night we stayed up until midnight sometime... and the last night we stayed up until 2:00 a.m!!!

  I just don't know how to say how much fun we had! 

This picture is of almost everybody, the last evening that we had supper.

Anna, Kelley, and Susannah, playing Apples to Apples.

While playing Apples to Apples, we got very tired of sitting on our feet, so we all took a break and stretched out our legs : D 

Kelley, me, and Susannah, playing a wonderfully long game of Monopoly : D  Kelley also taught us the best rule ever...called "snake eyes" !  If you roll doubles of 1, you get one of each kind of bill from the bank :-)  We quickly agreed that that was a very good rule to adopt!  It was quite helpful many times, when one of us was running low on money!

          The last night, almost everybody got in on the game of Battle in a Bucket...that was hilarious!  Both Daddy and Scott were hoping that they wouldn't get the "drawing" one, but they both did!  It was so much fun, and both of them did a good job for not wanting to do it!

   We are all very much looking forward to when they come back to this area...which will hopefully be next spring/summer .

"SAINTS OF GOD, REJOICE AND SING!"
"Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness" (Ps. 30:4)

      INTRO.: A song which encourages the saints to sing to the Lord and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness is "Saints of God, Rejoice and Sing!" The text was written and the tune (Rejoice and Sing) was composed both by Austin Taylor who was born on Oct. 14, 1881, in Morgantown, KY, and died in 1973 at Uvalde, TX. In 1890 he moved with his parents, who had been baptized in 1868 at Cane Ridge, KY, to Sherman, TX, where he began his music career as a singing school teacher and song writer. His first song book, The Gospel Messenger, was published in 1905.  After his marriage in 1908, he made his home first at Mineral Wells and then at Uvalde, TX. During his lifetime, he composed about two hundred gospel songs, published some 25 song books, and edited many others for the Firm Foundation Co. Probably his two best-known songs are "Closer to Thee" and "Do All in the Name of the Lord," with "Home on the Banks of the River" running close behind. His hymn "Saints of God, Rejoice and Sing!" was copyrighted in 1927 and first published in 1928. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord's church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the song appeared in the 1937 Great Songs of the Church No. 2 edited by E. L. Jorgenson; and the 1938/1944 New Wonderful Songs edited by Thomas S. Cobb.

     The song gives several reasons why God's saints can rejoice and sing.

I. Stanza 1 says that we can rejoice and sing because God cares for us
"Saints of God, rejoice and sing! From the heart rejoice and sing!
Through the storms and strife, and the cares of life, Rejoice, rejoice, and sing!"
 A. The saints of God are those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus: 1 Cor. 1:1-2
 B. These saints are to sing and make melody to the Lord from their hearts: Eph. 5:19
 C. One motivation for this singing is that through the storms and strife, they can cast all their cares on Him: 1 Pet. 5:7

II. Stanza 2 says that we can rejoice and sing because God is love
"God is love--rejoice and sing! Look above--rejoice and sing!
Heaven's King extol; from a trusting soul Rejoice, rejoice, and sing!"
 A. The Bible teaches that God is love: 1 Jn. 4:8
 B. Because He loves us, we can look above for help in life: Ps. 121:1-2
 C. Therefore, our trusting souls should extol heaven's King: Ps. 145:1

III. Stanza 3 says that we can rejoice and sing because God sent His Son
"Praise the Lord with glad acclaim; Shout His worth and praise His name.
To the new born King, let your praises ring; Rejoice, rejoice, and sing!"
 A. The saints should praise the Lord: Ps. 111:1
 B. There are many ways to praise God, but one way is to shout His worth: Ps. 47:1-2
 C. One thing that God has done to bring about such praising and shouting is sending His Son to be our King and Savior: Lk. 2:11-14

IV. Stanza 4 says that we can rejoice and sing becasue God gives cheer both morning and evening
"Let the morning give you cheer, And the evening bring no fear;
For the God above is a God of love: Rejoice, rejoice, and sing!"
 A. The morning should give cheer to God's saints: Ps. 5:3
 B. Also, the evening should bring no fear for God's saints: Ps. 141:1
 C. We can praise God morning and evening because whether day or night we can address Him as our Father in heaven above: Matt. 6:9

     CONCL.: This is a relatively short song, and short songs are sometimes easy to overlook. This song has not been included in any of our more recent hymnbooks, and such songs are often easily forgotten.  This might be considered by some just a "children's song," although no book that I've seen has put it in that category. There are many possible reasons to ignore this song, but in a world where many things happen to discourage God's people, it is good to have a song that tells us, "Saints of God, Rejoice and Sing!"

"RING OUT THE MESSAGE"
"...Christ hath made us free..." (Gal. 5:1)

     INTRO.: A song which exhorts us to sound forth the gospel of truth which makes us free is "Ring Out the Message" (#374 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #282 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written by James Rowe (1865-1933). Rowe was a prolific hymn text author whose best-known song is perhaps "Love Lifted Me." The tune (Message True and Glad) for "Ring the Message Out" was composed by Samuel William Beazley (1873-1944). A native of Sparta, VA, Beazley first worked with the
Ruebush-Kieffer Music Co. but later started his own music publishing firm in Atlanta, GA. Then, after moving to Chicago, IL he sold his business to Anthony J. Showalter but continued to furnish songs for other companies, most notably the Stamps-Baxter Co. Rowe and Beazley also collaborated on other songs, such as "After the Shadows." "Ring Out the Message" was first published in 1911 and after the copyright was renewed in 1939 it was owned by the Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Co. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord's church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the song appeared in the 1978 Hymns of Praise edited by Reuel Lemmons. Today it may be found in the 1971 Songs of the Church, the 1990 Songs of the Church 21st C. Ed., and the 1994 Songs of Faith and Praise all edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1978/1983 Church Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard; and the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; as well as Hymns for Worship, Sacred Selections, the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat, and the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church edited by Robert J. Taylor, Jr.

     The song emphasizes the importance of all Christians' doing what they can to spread the gospel message of salvation.

I. Stanza 1 refers to the message itself
"There's a message true and glad For the sinful and the sad:
Ring it out, ring it out!
It will give them courage new, It will help them to be true:
Ring it out, ring it out!"
 A. There is a message that brings gladness because it is the truth that makes men free: Jn. 8:32
 B. It is for all mankind, but it is especially for the sinful and the sad because it is the gospel of salvation: Rom. 1:16
 C. It will give people courage new and help them to be true because it furnishes us to every good work: 2 Tim. 3:16-17

II. Stanza 2 refers to the means of spreading the message
"Tell the world of saving grace, Make it known in every place:
Ring it out, ring it out!
Help the needy ones to know Him from whom all blessings flow:
Ring it out, ring it out!"
 A. We tell the world of saving grace by preaching the word everywhere we go: Acts 8:4
 B. We strive to make it known in every place by supporting others who will preach it to the whole world: Phil. 3:16, Col. 1:23
 C. We help the needy ones to know Him from whom all blessings flow by teaching others also: 2 Tim. 2:2

III. Stanza 3 refers to the purpose of spreading the message
"Sin and doubt to sweep away Till shall dawn the better day,
Ring it out, ring it out!
Till the sinful world be won For Jehovah's mighty Son,
Ring it out, ring it out!"
 A. One purpose of spreading the message is to sweep sin and doubt away by preaching the gospel so that people can believe, be baptized, and be saved: Mk. 16:15-16
 B. Another purpose of spreading the message is to call people to be prepared for the dawning of the better day when Christ comes again: 2 Pet. 3:10-14
 C. But the ultimate purpose of spreading the message is simply that the sinful world might be won to Christ and become His disciples: Matt. 28:18-20

     CONCL.: The chorus, with a bass lead, simply encourages each of us to do what we can to spread the word.
"Ring out the word o'er land and sea;
Still far from Jesus many live in sin and doubt.
Ring out the news that makes men free;
To all the lost of every nation, Ring the message out."
Christians are simply sinners who have been saved, not only to be right with God themselves and go to heaven, but also to work that others might be saved also. Therefore, in everything we do, one of our major goals in life should be to "Ring Out the Message."