Glory Speak (EP08)

I gave you a challenge this week…just before you begin your day, in your quiet time, or just before bed, maybe when you can’t sleep…consider singing these words of praise to God: 

“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him, above ye Heavenly Host.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!"

In the Greek “doxa” means honor or glory. And “logia” is language or speak. So doxology literally means “glory speak.” We speak the glory of God. A doxology is what you say or do to praise God. As Spurgeon said, our lives should be “a living doxology.” It’s not just about our words but also our actions, what we do to give God glory.

If a doxology is what you do to praise God then work is a doxology; the way you speak is a doxology; the way you love others is a doxology; your creativity can be a doxology; the way you raise your kids is a doxology. So let's make sure we do it biblically. Let’s make sure we’re not just going through the motions, but we're putting our whole heart and our whole life lived for the glory of Christ into the things we do. Have a great week everyone!

This is a little different version of "The Doxology" done by Bob Kauflin (one of my favorite modern worship leaders) and Sovereign Grace Ministries... 

Here is a very modern take on "The Doxology" done by Bethel Church...

A beautiful acapella version by Anthem Lights (ft. Selah)...

"The Doxology" by Maverick City Music in a spontaneous worship moment...

Watt A Hymn Writer!!

Isaac Watts is one of the greatest hymn writers of all time, but for sure of the 1700s. The way he was able to paint a picture with his words and yet at the same time reveal the deeper truths of scripture were and still are astounding. My pastor, Tim Armstrong and I got to have a great discussion about this amazing hymn and hymnwriter. There is not much more to say other than if you haven't listened to it yet...stop reading this and go listen. Below you will find various versions of this hymn. As I always ask take a moment to share this podcast with your friends and family. Let people know about The Bright Forever and how they can listen and thank you for listening and returning week after week. 

The Measureless Love of God (EP06)

Thank you for listening this week as we explored "The Love of God" by Frederick M. Lehman. As one of the greatest lyrical songs of all it truly is worthy of digging into and seeing how it came to be. Lehman's use of poetry and language is remarkable and paints such an amazing picture as you listen to it's words sung.

In this episode I also get to sit down and discuss this musical treasure with my brother, Matt Peavyhouse...

It was great getting to just talk through this with him. He had some great insights into the hymn and how these words keep pointing us toward the Gospel.

Below you will find a few extra versions of this song. With amazing words like these it should be no surprise that this song has been done and redone multiple times by multiple individuals, bands, choirs, etc. 

Also, at the beginning of the episode I give a quote from Frederick Buechner. He is another one of those writers who has a gift for his use of language and how he paints a picture in your head. I came across this quote from his book Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairytale that I use every year in each of my Bible classes: 

"It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after, and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name...That is the fairy tale of the Gospel with, of course, one crucial difference from all other fairytales, which is that the claim made for it is that it is true, that it not only happened once upon a time but has kept on happening ever since and is happening still." 

What makes the story of God's redeeming love so amazing and so compelling is that it's not just a story. It is actual true. And his love is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The love of God is beyond measure, it is vast, and it is pure, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love we have in Christ Jesus of Lord. Have a great week!

Trusting Jesus Through Loss (EP05)

 Trusting In Jesus

It can be difficult and trying when tragedy strikes. It's hard to trust anyone. We tend to go into survival mode and stop thinking clearly. Even when we know that God is there, we sometimes are so covered in grief that we cannot see him at work and are to terrified to move forward. That may be you. It has been me and my family before. Let the words of this week's hymn change the your thoughts, reorient your mind, and fix your eyes on our Savior. I'm remined of a song called "The Silence of God" by Andrew Peterson. I've added a link below to the song. It a song from the perspective of one desperately seeking God to speak into their life and getting nothing but silence. But the best part of the song comes at the end, when it says...

He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone | All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone | And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot | What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought | So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God | The aching may remain, but the breaking does not | The aching may remain, but the breaking does not | In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God.

Jesus is about to go to the cross, his friends are sleeping, he's crying by himself, asking that this cup pass from him. Even with the pain and anguish of the cross laid before him, he never forgot the sorrows we carry and he declared, "Not my will, but Thy will be done." We are only broken for a season, and God will heal. There may always be a scar, there may be an aching pain, but hope will come again. We just have to trust him.

"'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" I cannot think of a better song to sing over those who are hurting and shattered by the losses they have suffered. Our God is good and He is still on his throne and He is calling us to be his hands and feet during difficult times in so many peoples' lives. Below are just a few ways to give to the ongoing efforts to help those impacted the most by Hurricane Ian. Take a moment to pray and ask God what you may be able to do or contribute during this time of need.

God bless you all,

Andy

________________________________________________

Here are a few links to some great organizations for disaster relief donations and volunteering:

Samaritan's Purse Disaster Relief

Florida Baptist Disaster Relief Response

The American Red Cross

Here is "The Silence of God" by Andrew Peterson...

Here is another version of our hymn for this week by Reawaken Hymns...

Who Are We Called to Be? (EP04)

This week we conclude our look at "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" written by Henry van Dyke. In this second of our two-part series, we explore the call of this song on us as Christ followers. Who are made to be? Who is this God we are worshiping? Why are we called to worship? And what do we do about it? We bookend this episode with a beautiful quote from Van Dyke himself. “For the long breath, the deep breath, the breath of a heart without care—I will give thanks and adore thee, God of the open air!”

I have loved this song for a lifetime, but until I started digging into it I didn't even think of how beautifully Van Dyke uses language to move us from thought to thought and image to image. From who we are as worshippers, to our call to march triumphantly proclaiming his praise to a lost world, we can never forget that all of who we are rests on the center of our unbroken praise, Jesus.

Below, you will find a few extras for this episode. Thank you for listening and I hope this podcast continues to speak to you and your family. Don't forget to follow and share! You can also check us out on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about bonus materials and upcoming episodes. 

Here is the song "And Your Praise Goes On" by Chris Rice that was mentioned in today's episode...

Another great resource is Reawaken Hymns. Here is another version of "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" by Nathan Drake at Reawaken Hymns...

Bringing Out the Joy!

Welcome to Week Three everybody!

Like I said in the podcast, I am having a blast with this. I'm overwhelmed by the number of listeners and the response. Thank you all so much for choosing to listen to anything I have to say.

We had to split this week into two-parts. I had too much to talk about with "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" that one episode just wasn't going to cut it. This week we dove into the background of the hymn and next week we will talk about what it means for us and what it is calling us to do as Christ followers. 

For now, let's talk about the episode! I introduced you to a great resource with music at the beginning and toward the end of the podcast provided by a great resource called The Hymnal Project (www.thehymnalproject.com). Here is a direct link to the EDM-Influenced Collection as well as the Piano Collection used under my reading of the hymn at the end.

Here is a fascinating little bit from the Hymnology Archive that I spoke about as well.

It's one of the only surviving hand written manuscript of the song by Van Dyke sent to Louis Benson...

I can't wait to finish this two-part episode next week. Thank you for listening and don't forget to follow and share The Bright Forever with everyone you know. Have a great week!!!

 

Episode 02 - I Stand Amazed

We made it to episode 2. The response has been pretty amazing. We've already hit over 80 downloads in the first week. I'm astonished! I was not expecting the number of people who have already said it has had an impact on them. It's awesome to see God already moving in peoples' lives through this podcast. 

This week we take a look at Charles Gabriel's "I Stand Amazed in the Presence." As a special treat at the end of the podcast you all get to hear a recording of the hymn sung by Dena (my wife), Zoey & Lily (my two oldest daughters) and myself. We had a great time recording it, and the girls loved being part of the podcast. 

Below are links to the two other versions of the song we discussed on the podcast...

First, we have the Norton Hall Band version (my favorite):

The second one is my girls' favorite version by Bart Millard:

And just because it's cool, here is a picture of the 1905 book "Praises" where this song first appeared by E.O. Excell's publishing company in Chicago.

Have a great week and we'll see you next time!