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!

We Have Begun!

 

WE HAVE LAUNCHED!!!

SPOILERS AHEAD...STOP NOW AND GO LISTEN...

We just launched the new podcast, The Bright Forever! I am so excited to begin this journey. In our first episode we talk about how I've always planned on starting a podcast, but never seemed to find the time. Now with my girls getting older and another little girl on the way, I needed to impart some biblical truth to my girls that I feel like I haven't really done well. So you, my girls, myself, and everyone else who wants to follow us will take a journey through the music that helped shape my belief, my theology, and my love for music. I hope it will be as exciting for you as it has already been for me just planning and preparing it.

Below you can find the link to the phonograph recording of "The Bright Forever" by Fanny Crosby that I played on this week's episode. The technology was crude, but it changed our world forever and hymns are what made it happen. Thank you for listening, thank you for reading, and I pray this journey becomes something that changes every life it touches. 

If you would like to reach out to us please do. We would love to hear from you. You can contact us through the Contact section on our website www.thebrightforever.com or through email at podcast@thebrightforever.com.

 

In Christ,

Andy