ETERNAL FATHER STRONG TO SAVE

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From Wikipedia

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The original hymn was written in 1860 by William Whiting,

 an Anglican churchman from Winchester, Great Britain.

 Whiting grew up near the ocean on the coasts of England,

and at the age of thirty-five had felt his life spared by God

 when a violent storm nearly claimed the ship he was travelling

 on, instilling a belief in God's command over the rage and calm

 of the sea.

 As headmaster of the Winchester College Choristers' School

 some years later, he was approached by a student about to

 travel to the United States, who confided in Whiting an

 overwhelming fear of the oean voyage. Whiting shared his

 experiences of the ocean, saying he wrote the hymn to

 "anchor his faith". 

In writing it, Whiting is generally thought to have been

 inspired by Psalm 107, which describes the power and fury

 of the seas in great detail:

Some went out on the sea in ships;

 they were merchants on the mighty waters.

They saw the works of the Lord,

 his wonderful deeds in the deep.

For he spoke and stirred up a tempest

 that lifted high the waves.

They mounted up to the heavens and

 went down to the depths;

 in their peril their courage melted away.

Psalm 107: 23-26

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Within a year the text appeared in the influential first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern (HA&M) in 1861 and its circulation became widespread throughout England.

 The text was substantially revised by the compilers of that

 edition. In response Whiting continued to revise his own text,

 releasing another version in 1869 and third in 1874, the last

 one incorporating most of the suggested changes by HA&M.

Meanwhile, John B. Dykes, an Anglican clergyman, composed

 the tune "Melita" to accompany the HA&M version of 1861.

 Dykes was a well-known composer of nearly three hundred

 hymn tunes, many of which are still in use today.

 "Melita" is an archaic term for Malta, an ancient seafaring

 nation which has been a colony of the British Empire. It was

 the site of a shipwreck, mentioned in Acts of the Apostles

 (chapters 27-28), involving the Apostle Paul.

The original words of the 1861 version are:

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Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard

And hushed their raging at Thy word,

Who walkedst on the foaming deep,

And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood

Upon the chaos dark and rude,

And bid its angry tumult cease,

And give, for wild confusion, peace;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!

Our brethren shield in danger's hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

Protect them wheresoe'er they go;

Thus evermore shall rise to Thee

Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

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Here's the song by the U.S.Navy Band & Chorus,

a very moving, very powerful version.  Video background

is simply satellite footage over the "blue planet."

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"I BELIEVE" - FAITH ON VINYL

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"I Believe" is the name of a popular song

 written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl

and Al Stillman in 1953.

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"I Believe" was commissioned and introduced

 by Jane Froman on her television show, and became the first hit song ever introduced on TV. Froman, troubled by the uprising of the Korean War in 1952 so soon after World War II, asked Drake, Graham, Shirl and Stillman to compose a song that would offer hope and faith to the populace. In addition to Froman,
 "I Believe" has been recorded by many others, and has become both a popular and religious standard.

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Frankie Laine had the big hit version of the song,

 which still holds the record for the most weeks spent at

 number one in the UK Singles Chart.

(From Wikipedia)

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I believe for every drop of rain that falls

A flower grows,

I believe that somewhere in the darkest night

A candle glows,

I believe for everyone who goes astray,

Someone will come to show the way,

I believe, I believe.

I believe above the storm the smallest prayer

Will still be heard,

I believe that someone in the great somewhere

Hears every word,

Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,

Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,

Then I know why,

I believe.

Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,

Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,

Then I know why,

I believe.

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POKING FUN AT THE "FIRST SELF-RIGHTEOUS CHURCH"

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Well when I was kid I'd take a trip

every summer,

down to Mississip'

to visit my granny in her ante bellum world.

I'd run barefooted all day long,

climbing trees free as a song.

One day I happened to catch myself a squirrel.

Well, I stuffed him down in an old shoebox,

punched a couple a' holes in the top, and when Sunday came,

I snuck him into church.

I was sittin' way back in the very last pew

showin' him to my good buddy Hugh,

when that squirrel got loose -

and went totally berserk!

Well, what happened next is hard to tell -

some thought it was heaven, others thought it was hell,

but the fact that somethin' was among us

was plain to see.

As the choir sang "I Surrender All"

the squirrel ran up Harv Newlan's coveralls -

and Harv leaped to his feet and said,

"Somethin's got a hold on me!

YEOW!!!"

The day the squirrel went berserk

In the First Self-Righteous Church

In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula.

It was a fight for survival,

that broke out in revival.

They were jumpin pews and shouting Halelujah!

Well Harv hit the isles dancin' and screamin'

some thought he had religion

others thought he had a demon

Harv thought he had a weed eater loose

in his fruit of the looms.

He fell to his knees to plead and beg,

and that squirrel ran out of his britches leg,

unobserved to the other side of the room.

All the way down to the "Amen pew"

where sat Sister Bertha - better than you

Who had been watching all the commotion

with sadistic glee.

You should've seen the look in her eyes

when that squirrel jumped her garters and crossed her thighs.

she jumped to her feet and said,

"Lord have mercy on me!"

As the squirrel made laps inside her dress,

she began to cry and then to confess

to sins that would make a sailor blush with shame.

She told of gossip and church dissention,

but the thing that got the most attention

is when she talked about her love life,

and then she started naming names!

The day the squirrel went berserk.

In the First Self-Righteous Church

In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula.

It was a fight for survival,

that broke out in revival.

They were jumpin' pews and shoutin' Halelujah!

Well seven deacons and the pastor got saved

and 25,000 dollars was raised.

And 50 volunteered for missions in the Congo

on the spot,

and even without an invitaion

there were at least 500 rededications,

And we ALL got rebaptised whether we needed it or not.

Now you've heard the Bible story I guess

of how he parted the waters for Moses to pass.

oh the miracles God has wrought in this ol' world.

But the one I'll remember to my dyin day

is how he put that church back on the narrow way

with a half crazed Mississippi Squirrel

The day the squirrel went berserk.

In the First Self-Righteous Church

In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula.

It was a fight for survival,

that broke out in revival.

They were jumpin pews and shouting Halelujah!

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GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

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"For God so loved the world that he gave his
 one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
 shall not perish,
 but have eternal life."
John 3:16 
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God so loved the world.

God so loved the world,

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoso believeth, believeth in Him

should not perish, should not perish

but have everlasting life.

For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world.

God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world;

but that the world through Him might be saved.

God so loved the world.

God so loved the world,

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoso believeth, believeth in Him

should not perish, should not perish

but have everlasting life,

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everlasting life, everlasting, everlasting life.

God so loved the world.

God so loved the world.

God so loved the world.
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Words by John Stainer (1840-1901)
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The choir from St. Paul's Cathedral,

London, England sings a beautiful rendition

of the song - from YouTube.

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JESUS, TAKE A HOLD

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Like the ancient Roman Empire this world is doomed to fall

And it’s much too big a thing for mortal man

Just take a look around and see the writing on the wall

Somehow we’ve got to find a helping hand

This world has never been in the awful shape it’s in

And people scorn the things our leaders do

It’s time a prayer was spoken from the heart of every man

Jesus take a hold and lead us through

The mighty roar of gunfire is now a local sound

And our city streets are filled with angry men

Law’s now a mockery throughout our troubled land

And destruction seems to be the current trend
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This world has never been in the awful shape it’s in

And our leaders seem in doubt what to do

It’s time a prayer was spoken from the hearts of every man

Jesus take a hold and lead us through

Jesus take a hold and lead us through

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Merle Haggard

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LOST IN A LOST WORLD

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I woke up today, I was crying,

Lost in a lost world.

So many people are dying,

Lost in a lost world.

Some of them are living an illusion,

Bounded by the darkness of their minds.

In their eyes it's nation against

nation against nation,

With racial pride.

Sad hearts they hide

Thinking only of themselves,

They shun the light,

(somehow they shun the light)

They think they're right,

(somehow they think they're right)

Living in their empty shells.

Oh, can you see their world is crashing

(so many people, so many people)

Crashing down around their feet

And angry people in the street,

Are telling them they've had their fill

(so many people)

Of politics that wound and kill

(so many people)

Grow, the seeds of evolution

(so many people, so many people)

Revolution never won

It's just another form of gun

To do again what they have done

(so many people, so many people)

With all our brothers, youngest sons.

(so many people, so many people)

Everywhere you go you'll

see them searching

Everywhere you turn you'll feel the pain

Everyone is looking for the answer

Well look again.

Come on my friend,

Love will find them in the end

Come on my friend, we've got to bend

On our knees and say a prayer.

Oh, can you feel the world is pining

(so many people, so many people)

Pining for someone who really cares

Enough to share his love,

With all of us so we can be

(so many people)

An ever loving family.

(so many people)

Oh, have you forgotten we're all children

(so many people, so many people)

Children from a family tree

That's longer than a centipede

And started long ago when you and I

(so many people, so many people)

Were only love--

(so many people, so many people)

I woke up today, I was crying,

Lost in a lost world,

So many people are dying,

Lost in a lost world.

So many people, so many people, people

Lost in a lost world

So many people, so many people, people

Lost in a lost world
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Michael Pinder

The Moody Blues

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COAT OF MANY COLORS

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"Coat of Many Colors" is a song written and recorded by American singer Dolly Parton, which has been described on a number of occasions as the favorite song she has written. It was released in October 1971 as the second single and title track from the album Coat of Many Colors. She composed the song in 1969, while traveling with Porter Wagoner on a tour bus. (She explained in her 1994 memoir, My Life and Other Unfinished Business, because she could find no paper, as the song came to her, she wrote it on the back of a dry cleaning receipt from one of Wagoner's suits; when the song became a hit, Wagoner had the receipt framed.) She recorded the song in April 1971, making it the title song for her Coat of Many Colors album. The song reached #4 on the U.S. country singles charts.

From Wikipedia 

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Back through the years I go wondering once again

back to the seasons of my youth

And I recall a box of rags that someone gave us

and how my mamma put the rags to use.

There were rags of many colors, but every piece was small

 I didn't have a coat and it was way down in the fall

Mamma sewed the rags together, sewing every piece with love

She made my coat of many colors that I was so proud of.

While mamma sewed she told a story from the Bible she had read

About a coat of many colors, Joseph wore and then she said

"I hope this coat will bring you, good luck and happiness."

And I just couldn't wait to wear it and mamma blessed it with a kiss.

My coat of many colors that my mamma made for me

Made only from rags, but I wore it so proudly

Although we had no money I was rich as I could be

In my coat of many colors mamma made for me.

So with patches on my britches, holes in both my shoes

in my coat of many colors, well I hurried off to school

Just to find the others laughin', and makin' fun of me

And my coat of many colors, mamma made for me.

And oh I couldn't understand that, cus' I felt I was rich

And then I told them of the love my mamma sewed in every stitch

 I even told them all that story, mamma told me while she sewed

And why my coat of many colors, was worth more than all their clothes.

They didn't understand it and I tried to make them see

One is only poor, only if they choose to be

Oh yeah that's true, we had no money, but I was rich as I could be

In my coat of many colors, mamma made for me

Made just for me

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A 1996 children's picture book of the song, with illustrations by Judith Sutton, was published by Harpercollins Childrens' Books.

In 2012 Parton's recording was added to the
 Library of Congress's National Recording
 Registry list of sound recordings that 
"are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important,
 and/or inform or reflect life in the United States."
Here's a version by Shania Twain.

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THE MAKER

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Oh, oh deep water, black and cold like the night

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I stand with arms wide open

I've run a twisted line

I'm a stranger in the eyes of the Maker

I could not see for the fog in my eyes

I could not feel for the fear in my life

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From across the great divide, In the distance I saw a light

Saw Jean Baptiste walking to me with the Maker

My body is bent and broken by long and dangerous sleep

I can't work the fields of Abraham and turn my head away

I'm not a stranger in the hands of the Maker

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Brother John, have you seen the homeless daughters

Standing there with broken wings

I have seen the flaming swords

There over east of eden

Burning in the eyes of the Maker

Burning in the eyes of the Maker

Burning in the eyes of the Maker

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Oh, river rise from your sleep

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Daniel Lanois

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