favorite hymns & gospel songs

Love your choices,Doug!

My all-time favorite is "And Can it Be," by Charles Wesley. The word picture painted by "Thine eye diffused a piercing ray/I woke, the dungeon flamed with light/my chains fell off, my heart was free/I rose, went forth and followed thee" is powerful,dramatic,electrifying.

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" is extremely stirring as well.

"O For a Thousand Tongues" and "Great is Thy Faithfulness" are also high on my list.

Elizabeth

 

I love so many of the great old hymns, many of which you all have already mentioned: Jesus, Lover of My Soul; When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; It is Well with My Soul; When I Can Read My Title Clear; Nearer My God to Thee; Amazing Grace; I'm Not Ashamed to Own My Lord; Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed; Children of the Heavenly King; The Mercy Seat; My Hope is Built on Nothing Less; etc., etc. - just off the top of my head.

Elizabeth, thanks for sharing that Wesley verse. One by him I really love is "Oh, that I could repent; with all my idols part; And to Thy gracious eye present, an humble contrite heart." Or, "Depth of mercy, can there be? Mercy still reserved for me?.....There for me the Saviour stands; shows His wounds and spreads His hands, God is love, I know, I feel Jesus pleads and loves me still." But I would like to share a perhaps not so well-known hymn by John Newton (author of Amazing Grace).

The Great Sight
In evil long I took delight, Unawed by shame of fear;
Till a new object struck my sight And stopped my wild career.
I saw One hanging on a tree In agonies and blood;
Who fixed His languid eyes on me, As near His cross I stood.
Sure never till my latest breath Can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with His death, Tho' not a word He spoke.
My conscience felt and owned the guilt, And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins His blood had spilt And helped to nail Him there.
Alas! I knew not what I did, But now my tears are vain;
Where shall my trembling soul be hid? For I the Lord have slain.
A second look He gave, which said, "I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid; I die, that thou mayst live."
Thus while His death my sin displays In all its blackest hue
(Such is the mystery of His grace); It seals my pardon too.
With pleasing grief and mournful joy My spirit now is filled;
That I should such a life destroy, Yet live by Him I killed.

 

Two of my favorite hymns are "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and "How Great Thou Art". And I heard both of them in awesome ways this past weekend:
-14,000 men joined together to sing "How Great Thou Art" at the Promise Keepers conference in Raleigh. It sounded amazing, not because of the sheer volume of the choir, but because of the hearts behind the voices. I thought the roof of the arena was coming off!
-I presented the morning message at church this past Sunday. The hymn of invitation was "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" (at my request), and our choir normally has only about a dozen folks. As my family is moving next month so I can attend seminary, I asked if folks would consider supplementing our choir by joining them in the choir loft. I don't know how many actually were there, as I was afraid to look back for fear of breaking down, but I was crying anyway. They sounded simply awesome. True worship from the heart, manifested in simple voices that joined together in beautiful harmony.

God is so good, and it's great to hear songs of praise raised to Him in that way sometimes.

 

I love anything by Fannie Crosby.

www.cyberhymnal.org

 

I don't have a favorite hymn. One that has ministered especially to me lately is Abide With Me:

Fast to its close ebbs out life's little day.
Earth's joys grow dim; it's glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see,
Oh Thou that changest not, abide with me!

 

I like all of the songs, themselves, but some versions better than others.

"Great is Thy Faithfulness" - Rosewood Praise Band

"Were You There" (Particularly the Johnny Cash and Seldom Scene versions and Charlton Heston has a spoken word version that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up)

"Oh Sacred Head now Wounded" - Christopher Parkening

"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" - Christopher Parkening/Chet Atkins

"This is My Father's World"

"I'd Rather Have Jesus" - Alison Krauss

"I Will Arise (and Go To Jesus)" - Buddy and Julie Miller

"I Know Who Holds Tomorrow" - Joe Diffie

"Angel Band" - Stanley Brothers

"Where Could I Go" - EmmyLou Harris

"And Can it Be" - GLAD

"This World is Not My Home" - Stanley Brothers

and others too numerous to mention, including anything by Tennessee Ernie Ford, particularly "Oh, Happy Day"

[ July 25, 2002, 10:23 AM: Message edited by: Smoke_Eater ]

 

I would have loved to have met Charles Wesley! Anyone who could write like he did must have been pretty cool. He's also the author of my favorite Christmas song, "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing."

Elizabeth

 

Wesley's theology in his hymns seems to be more "Calvinistic" than I thought his theology was supposed to be. Anyway, he comes across with a deep and abiding dependence on God.

"Other refuge have I none"

 

Amazing Grace has got to be the number one song of all time!... Not only the song but the story behind it and the conversion of John Newton. I love all the old hymns but the stories behind all of them just reminds us of how Amazing Grace really is!... I love to sing the songs of Zion and am a song leader for my church but the stories behind the songs are a blessing that should not be missed!... Brother Glen

 

You're so right, rsr. Here's a site for some hymns by Charles Wesley. When there you can also find a link to "Collection of Hymns, for the Use of the People called Methodists," compiled by John Wesley. Unfortunately, the authors' names do not appear with the hymns. Be patient, it will take a while to load.

 

One of mine is "He Touched Me" by Bill Gatiehr.

I'm also very keen on the Gaither Vocal Band's songs.

One that stands out is "I Can't Even Walk (Without You Holding My Hand)"

In Christ's gracious love,
Teresa

 

Don't Give Up On The Brink Of A Miracle
It Is Well (Esp. Verse 3 - and esp. the 4-Him
arrangement)
The Love of God (Esp. the last verse)
Majesty
Holy, Holy, Holy

 

My favorite songs would have to be:

It is well with my soul
I believe he's coming back
The Judgment
When we all get to heaven
I'll fly away

Mainly any song to deal with Heaven

~~Jamie

 

There Is a Balm in Gilead

Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit

Steal Away

Lord, If I Got a Ticket, Can I Ride?

Deep River

Ain't Got Time to Die

Oh What A Beautiful City

Bound for Canaan's Land

Guilty! - we sang a lot of sprituals in college. There are more that I really love, but this is a good, solid list.

 

Hello, stubbornkelly. Welcome to the music forum. In the future you and I may butt heads in another forum from time to time, (heck, maybe even in this one ) but I'm glad you stopped by.

I think I neglected to welcome savedgirl63026 the first time she posted. Welcome, savedgirl63026. It is refreshing to see youth stand for conservative Christian values!