A Sweet Giveaway
For any of you who know much of my back story, you’ll remember I didn’t become a Christian until I was 21-ish. When I began attending church regularly I was familiar with some of the hymns that were sung but knew none of the ‘choir specials’. The whole realm of Christian music was wide open for discovery. Luke and I went to Bible College and to be honest, I was a little uptight where this new-fangled ‘contemporary’ Christian music was concerned. I mean really.. a drum beat? Melodies that sounded like they belonged on secular radio? “Surely sinful”, said I. I had repented of Prince and Janet Jackson so in my estimation any sound that even hinted of ‘Purple Rain’ had to go.
I finally got over my prudeness after a friend introduced me to the radical stylings of Steve Green and I realized I really liked the departure from the uber-traditional. I still appreciate the great theology in the classic hymns but I’m no longer a zealot in what is permissible as long as it is Christ-honoring. (Hence my affinity for TobyMac and Kirk Franklin. They fill the Prince-sized void in my soul.) Once I came to that realization, one of the first groups whose cd I actually purchased was Point of Grace (Free to Fly!). I heard them at a Women of Faith conference and just fell in love with the harmony and the flat out way I was encouraged when I listened to their songs.
So when I received an email that Heather Payne of the group had released a solo cd and also asked if I would be interested in telling you about it, I was all, “Ummm, yes, sign me up please.” So here I am telling you that if you are in love with those POG girls and also love classic hymns, then Heather’s “Sweet Exchange” is for you. The title track is great but she had me at ‘Be Thou My Vision’. One of the greatest songs, EVER. There is a listening party HERE for you to check out the album in its entirety.
And I know it is totally irrelevant, but as I’m looking at the cd cover it is worth a mention that Heather’s outfits are adorable. I need to know where she got that ruffled shirt on the back and the open cardigan on the front. And something else I didn’t know about her? She’s a minister’s wife and mom of four. So of course she is awesome.
The best part of all this jabber is that Heather’s people have offered 2 copies of her cd for me to give to you. To enter, simply tell us the name of your favorite hymn! And as a side note, does your church sing them in a key you can hit? Ours is high and since I can’t go there, I have to dig deep and come out with some bass. “Where the Soul of Man Never Dies” is my favorite. I sing Johnny Cash’s part and it’s really something to hear. Just ask anyone to my right or left or front or rear.
Wait, they’ve moved.
(Y’all remind me to tell you about the time I accidentally ended up in the soprano section of our Bible college musical in which I played the part of a pregnant angel.)
I will collect entries until Thursday and announce the winner on Friday. Be certain to leave a current email in the entry so I’ll have a way to contact the winner!
In the Garden. :-)
I remember my pastor’s wife (when I was a teenager) telling me that I would grow to love hymns, and she was so right! Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing is my favorite…it speaks to me deeply every time!
my favorite hymn is, My Jesus I Love Thee. I especially love hearing Avalon’s version.
We have to pick just one hymn?! That’s so hard!! I think my most favorite is “Day By Day” and I’m not getting it confused with the song from Godspell. It’s page 66 in the 1991 Baptist Hymnal. I know you were wonderin’! ;)
Love ya!
ANM
“I Need Thee Every Hour” is my all time favorite! :)
Hard to pick a favorite …. I Surrender All is hitting me where I live right now :)
It is sooo hard to pick a favorite, but one of my all-time favorites is A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. I love the music, the words, and it is in my alto key. And no, our church does not sing many songs in my key.
I have 2…Be Thou Exalted (which is the name of my blog) and Blessed Assurance. I can’t sing on key, so it doesn’t matter what key they play in.
I love I Need Thee Every Hour…and I do
Teresa
annah99@aol.com
I love, love, love “Standing on the Promises.” Have you heard Selah’s version? I get to perky listening to it in the car, that I can’t half drive!
Great is Thy Faithfulness…
Without going into details, I will say that the message in your post is just what I needed. God is good and right on time!
In Christ Alone…(for now). The one that makes me cry EVERY STINKIN’ TIME….Amazing Grace (old school and pre-Chris Tomlin). Not that I don’t love his version…but I love the original.
Way more than you wanted to know.
“It is Well With My Soul” is my favourite and such a testimony to the abundant life we have in Christ. When we experience grace beyond measure, peace beyond understanding and joy beyond circumstances it is the greatest witness and sweetest fruit to be found.
Wow, this one is a hard one. There is such great history and tradition in the hymns, and the words (if we will actually think about what we sing) are so rich. I think my favorite right now is “To God Be the Glory”. The one that starts with “how can I say thanks, for the things you have done for me”. It is an oldie, but I remember the pastor at my church when I was a kid would sing this one on occasion.
And I love POG. Their first 2 CD’s were the firsts in my collection…
Jana
How great!! Love Point of Grace…favorite hymn “Be Thou My Vision”!! =)
Amazing Grace! I haved loved it since I was a young child.
Ooooh, pick me!
Mocha with Linda Reply:
September 27th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Oh, and Great is Thy Faithfulness is my favorite hymn. (Right this minute!)
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. LOVE this hymn. :)
Radical stylings of Steve Green….ha! I was a pk who grew up on Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, and Steve Green and at the same time had parents who let me listen to Chicago and Michael Jackson! Now as a pw, a mom, and a musician I am so thankful for the wide variety of Christian music that is available to our kids. There’s nothing better than being in our car and having my kids ask me to turn up the volume and sing along with some really meaningful lyrics. And I’m still able to shed a tear over a beautifully done hymn. My favorite: I Will Sing of My Redeemer.
Just As I Am
It Is Well With My Soul is also my favorite, and I didn’t change my mind at all while reading this, although I do love Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and Where The Soul of Man Never Dies. I also feel sorry for the people sitting around me. As much as I would love to have that amazing alto voice that carries that verse in “My God and I,” I simply do not. But I’m sure it’s still music to my Father’s ears.
Another awesome song is “The Greatest Commandment.” Love it.
Amazing Grace….hands down. And I absolutely love Chris Tomlin’s verion…”my chains are gone! I’ve been set free!” ….
I also love the hymn Be Thou My Vision. I just wish we sang it in our church. I’m not sure how I learned it but every time I hear it I always think ” Oh, I just love this song.”
I have so many favorites, some from childhood that I didn’t care for back in the day but LOVE now (like our every Wed night song “I’ll Fly Away”).
At this point in my life, my favorite is “It Is Well With My Soul”. It has a very special meaning to me and I can’t help but cry every. single. time. when I sing it. It is this song that I learned to sing even when my heart wasn’t in it.
Sometimes we have to say what we know to be true about our great Lord even when we don’t “feel” it at the moment… and our minds and hearts will be sure to follow.
I still love hymns and I miss them as they are as hard to find in a church these days as a needle in a haystack. But I also love Christian rap artists, old school R&B, smooth jazz, classical… God has provided a musical smogasboard for our listening ears and hearts. We just have to be careful about what we listen to, when and in what context.
I’m terrible at {playing favorites} but I love “Be Still My Soul”…and it’s sad it’s so often associated with funerals! Fellow alto here – I get frustrated when I can’t hear an ‘alto part’ or don’t have music to read one. For some reason (maybe because we sit in the front) I can hear the parts better when I put my head down. People probably wonder what I’m doing when I do that, ha ha!
i love Point of Grace! and I have loved what I heard of Heather’s solo album so far.
i actually have 2 favorite hymns so when we would have hymn sings at church i would have my hubby ask for one and i would do the other!!! anyways, they are “Be Thou My Vision” and “Victory in Jesus”. depending on the song i can sing soprano or alto. or anywhere in between; i have found as i have gotten older that i don’t sing quite as high as the soprano part or as low as the alto, i just go in between!
It’s funny you mention “Be Thou My Vision” because that is my favorite!
“How Great Thou Art” –we sing that everytime we go camping in Colorado. And (if we can remember all the verses), my daddy tears up almost every time which just does me in! It is comical when we get a bunch of our extended family together singing it–we have to decide on a key, tempo, and words sometimes!
My favorite hymn is Be thou my Vision. We use to sing hymns together as a family when our kids were young as part of family devotions. I think that is a big reason they all enjoy listening to them. We also like CCM, too, but we wanted them to know hymns as well. At our church the worship team tries to have one or two hymn (at least) each week as part of the worship set.
Hows the house coming along?
First time commenting on your blog, but I just had to share my favorite, My Jesus I Love Thee. Although it’s hard to pick just one. (I love hymns!) We do sing it in a key I can hit comfortably but since I am the worship leader I get to set the key. :) When my husband and I first came to our church five years ago they sang a lot of hymns and old choruses. (I think the most recent song they sang was written in the early 80’s.) Until then my knowledge of hymns was pretty limited, but I learned a lot in the first 3 months we were at our church. Now we have a more contemporary worship service and do a lot of new songs, but I sing at least one hymn every Sunday. Some others I love are My Savior’s Love, Great is Thy Faithfulness, & Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
I love Heather & the POG gals!
Can’t wait to hear her newest!
I’m a hymn kinda gal too! And being a good southern baptist…..A Mighty Fortress is high on my love list!
It Is Well, Amazing Grace & Old Rugged Cross will always be favorites!
And who cares about those around you when you’re singing? Just let it all out, sister!
I have so many favorites, but at this moment, I’m loving It is Well!
Victory In Jesus, I love this one.
It was great seeing you guys yesterday at Fairview even though I did not get down front to speak. Tell Luke, he did a great job yesterday and it really spoke to my heart.
there’s no way I can pick a “favorite” hymn!
From the time I was 3, my mom played piano for our church. I woke up most Sunday mornings to the sound of Mom going through the service songs one more time. :)
but, if I have to pick one — — “Amazing Grace” especially the 4th verse
Since I grew up in church, I grew up on all the old hymns and they are still precious to me today even though I have a bent now days towards a lot of the contemporary music, wish our church sang more of it. However, after much debate with myself, I believe my favorite hymn is “Living for Jesus” and that is usually my daily prayer also.
Amazing Grace – no doubt…
I have loved POG for years. I also love Hymns. One of my favorite memories is of riding down the road on a trip and my mama pulling out a compact version of the Baptist Hymnal and going through it sing hymns. My all time favorite would have to be At The Cross for 2 reasons, 1. It is one I can play on the piano and second because as a 12 year old many nights were spent with a couple of special friends singing at the top of our lungs At the Cross At the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by FAITH I received my sight and now I am happy all the day. However, Wherever He Leads I’ll Go ranks right up there in the top.
Burning Bush, Stroll Over Heaven, and Heaven’s Jubilee….I love this post!! I just looked at Heather Payne’s cd at Lifeway today….it looks GREAT!
Be Thou My Vision….Love the words!
Be thou my Vision…
“Abide with Me” is my favorite, although picking any favorite hymn is hard for me. I’m kind of a hymnody nerd. One of the best parts of my husband being a pastor is that I can sometimes influence the hymns we sing on Sunday. (Although, not always, as my hubby is also a hymnody nerd.)
My favorite old hymn is “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, my favorite new one is”In Christ Alone” – “no guilt in life, no fear in death”…..LOVE THAT SONG!
Fellow pastor’s wife here! My favorites are so many– A Mighty Fortress, The Church’s One Foundation, Thy Strong Word…I could go on and on. I ADORE hymnody!
I just love “Amazing Grace.” I didn’t come to know Christ until I was almost 28 years old. I just love the words to this wonderful old hymn.
I love to sing “Sanctuary”. I really enjoyed getting to know this hymn while in Mexico in 4th grade on a mission trip and I knew it in English and in Spanish and want to learn it in spanish again.
Pick me! <3
[…] absolutely loved hearing about your favorite hymns for the ‘Sweet Exchange’ giveaway. (Enter until Thursday!) I have to give y’all some props for teaching me a word I’d […]
I really enjoy “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” but I also like “God Leads Us Along” I’m not quite sure if those titles are correct :) I have a tendency to title songs by the first line instead of the actually title :)
i like the simplicity of ‘amazing grace’
VICTORY in Jesus!
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