Here Is Love
Monday, April 20, 2009 at 10:44AM 
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. ~3 John 1:4
Our male heir was home briefly from college this weekend ... as in, just long enough to do a load of laundry, help his dad fix the lawnmower, eat a sandwich, suffer a breakup, and sing in church Sunday morning.
Whew. These kids travel at the speed of light.
As I clack away here, he is in Savannah, Georgia, for a week-long training deployment.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers, poured incessant from above
(He's a reservist with the Tennessee Air National Guard. Or TANG ... not the kind you drink.)
But because it was such a blessing -- how I wish you could have heard it -- I want to share with you the words to the song he sang in church yesterday. Here Is Love is also known as the "love song" of the great Welsh revival of 1904-1905.
Wondrous love, unbounded mercy! Vast as oceans in their flood: Jesus, Prince of Life, is dying -- Life for us is in His blood. Oh! What heart can e're forget Him? Who can cease His praise to sing? Wondrous love! Forever cherished, While the Heavens with music ring.
On the mount of crucifixion, Fountains opened deep and wide; Through the floodgates of God's mercy, Flowed a vast and gracious tide. Grace and love, like mighty rivers, Poured incessant from above, And Heaven's peace and perfect justice, Kissed a guilty world in love.
Let me all Thy love accepting, Love Thee, ever all my days; Let me seek Thy kingdom only, And my life be to Thy praise; Thou alone shall be my glory, Nothing in the world I see. Thou has cleansed and sanctified me; Thou Thyself hast set me free.
In Thy truth Thou dost direct me; By Thy Spirit through Thy Word; And Thy grace my need is meeting, As I trust in Thee, my Lord. Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring, Thy great love and power on me, Without measure, full and boundless, Drawing out my heart to Thee.
This YouTube is unfortunately un-embeddable, but if you care to, click here to hear a beautiful performance of this hymn at a Welsh church a year or so ago. It's not very long; they only sing the first two verses. The beginning is sung in Welsh but some English comes later! The soloist is very pretty and the melody is ... well, you just have to listen.
If you think of it, please pray for Andrew. He looks slightly crazed in this picture, but I can assure you, he is only slightly crazed. LOL! Just kidding.
Happy Monday, everyone!
Reader Comments (9)
Ate a sandwich, did his laundry, sung in church, suffered through a breakup, and fixed a lawnmower in one weekend??
Suddenly, my Saturday of going to the gym and watching the Braves lose (again) seems even MORE lazy and uneventful...
I'll definitely pray for him, though!
That hymn is amazing and beautiful, I'm sure twice as beautiful if it is your son singing it! Thanks for sharing it. I'll be happy to pray for one slightly crazed National Defender! (Also, I wanted to tell you that since you liked some of the period pieces on Netflix/BBC, you would probably really like one called "Wives and Daughters," it is by Elizabeth Gaskell, I think she did Cransford or whatever that other one was. Anyway, it is really, really good. Two discs. Has Justine Waddell in it, she grows on you).
@ Kev ... the kid could be a stunt double for a whirling dervish. He has a hard time standing still, much less sitting still ... but I am more like you. I am more than happy to laze the rest of the weekend away if I do something as important as working out!
@ Tracie ... Girl, I can't believe you mentioned Wives and Daughters! We just finished watching it and LOVED it ... Erica, me, and Greg too! I think Justine Waddell is wonderful. She was great as Tess in Tess of the D'Urbervilles ... also I'm a big fan of Francesca Annis.
Now we've moved on to He Knew He Was Right with Bill Nighy (of Davy Jones Pirates of the Caribbean fame), which is fantastic! We're waiting with bated breath for disc 2 to arrive! Then I'm going to watch Bleak House again, and share it with the fam. They'll love it. The BBC is incredible, aren't they?
Thanks for your kind comments about Andrew, and for your prayers!
I've never heard that song before. Your son is a cutie and I would expect him to be slightly crazed - look who his mother is! :) I'll keep him in my prayers.
@ Mari ... ah, you know me too well! Thanks for praying, luv.
Isn't that song just heartbreaking! I love the words, they are incredible. Thanks for posting! That picture of Andrew pretty much sums him up...; ) lol!
Audge, the song is just too beautiful. I can't stop listening to it. I wish you could have heard your brother sing it! Yeah, the pic ... he's not slightly crazed; he's ALL THE WAY crazed ... LOL!
Yep, but he sure is in good company isn't he! ; )
It's beautiful; thank you!