Family Hymn Sing

Here is another of the Getty Family Hymn Sings, this one with the added pleasure of Sandra McCracken and Tim Nicholson. It is a simple porch singalong, not a concert, though the musicians have certainly performed in front of large audiences.

Getty Hymn Sing

The comments below the video are almost as enjoyable as the music. People from all over the world are blessed and encouraged by these sings.

It is fun to see and hear three of the Getty little girls join in, though one of them gets past her bedtime...

Someone does persuade her off-camera eventually. Maybe they will move the rocking chair before the next porch sing. 

Joy in the Journey

There is a joy in the journey.

There’s a light we can love on the way.

There is a wonder and wildness to life,

And freedom for those who obey.

All those who seek it shall find it;

A pardon for all who believe,

Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind.

To all who’ve been born of the Spirit,

And who share incarnation with Him,

Who belong to eternity, stranded in time, 

And weary of struggling with sin.

Forget not the hope that’s before you, 

And never stop counting the cost,

Remember the hopelessness when you were lost?

Joy in the Journey - Michael Card

Wonderful poet, deep-thinking theologian, and gifted musician. All those terms describe Michael Card. The link above is to a live performance with just Michael, the piano, and a cellist. So beautiful! 

I remember sweeping a house in Decatur while waltzing to this music, truly feeling “a wonder and wildness to life.” Our little church plant met in that house, and we were preparing for a wedding. It was around 1989, and the song was new to me then. Different phrases have been more meaningful at different seasons. Sometimes “who belong to eternity, stranded in time, and weary of struggling with sin” resonates the most. (“That’s right, I don’t quite belong here...”) Other times I need to be reminded to press on - “Forget not the hope that’s before you.” It is all a journey, and there is always joy in some measure.

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need - Thompson

Click the link above to enjoy one of the loveliest choral arrangements ever. The Washington Cathedral Choir does a wonderful job with it, though no one could match Ross Magoulas conducting the Berry Singers back in the day. Magoo (our nickname for him) would vary the tempo of the verses in a way that gave the song more energy.

Mack Wilberg has a lush, beautiful arrangement of the same words and basic tune. Enjoy this performance by the Baylor A Cappella Choir conducted by my conducting mentor, Alan Raines.

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need - Wilberg

No one conducts singers better than Alan Raines at his best. We sang this song at a tour through Finland, Estonia, and Russia just as I completed my Master’s in Choral Conducting at Georgia State University in 2004. Dr. Raines asked me to play flute while Katie Baughman played the violin. Mostly due to my lack of technique as a flutist, as well as having an instrument in need of an overhaul, I felt the flute was too shrill and pitchy to work well with the violin. I ended up playing the Yamaha recorder that I always kept in my flute case. It just worked better.

Katie Baughman has gone on to earn a PhD in voice and is now a cantor at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception as well as having done a stint in the Army as one of the Singing Sergeants. Well done, Katie!

My trip down memory lane with this song was actually a distraction. Music can be that way sometimes. The text came to mind as I was out walking today. These are sobering, sad times. No choirs are singing, much less performing international tours. Parents of school-aged children are being asked to make decisions based on the shifting sand of scientific recommendations. Our politics have gotten so toxic that the average person is rightfully suspicious of anything that comes out of the mouth of an elected official.

I started Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard right about the time the pandemic struck the US. I’m going slowly, savoring every sentence. It is a study of the 23rd Psalm, which the above songs are based on. What do we mean when we say “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want?” It means that in God we have everything we need; we can truly live a life without lack. We don’t need assurances about how and when things will be more normal, he is our shepherd. He’s got it. We are already part of his flock, his kingdom, and that will not be shaken, even by death.

I need to spend more time in that book.

Home

We are nearing the end of a 14 day quarantine after being exposed to Covid. Sunday is a little too close for me to sit inside a room with other folks. The sanctuary is capacious, but I want to be a few days past the minimum to safely be with others.

I’ll miss hearing our friend Michael Boyd sing special music “I Need Thee Every Hour.” I don’t have a recording of him singing, but I did write about the song a few weeks ago. You can read background and listen to some recordings Here.