Hymn - The Hope of Israel

This is a hymn I posted a while back. Today I put it to the music (soprano/melody and alto, only).

I have noticed that if a song is copyrighted in the hymnbook, it specifically says so. I intend to only write lyrics to the music that is freely available for anyone to sing and use.

Link to the PDF.

Hymn - Coming To Christ

 

I previously posted only the lyrics to this song.

Here is the link to the PDF

An Altered Hymn - to the Tune of Hymn 180

One day, I'd like to take the altered hymns and the new hymns I've written (and will write), and make them into a book. It would be fun to write lyrics to ten or twenty more hymns and bind them, share them.

Father in heaven, I do believe
The promise you have made
To come into thy holy place
And there to see my Lord.

I now repent with broken heart
And come to thee, my God.
I turn to face thee, Oh my Lord,
And leave my lies behind.

My heart you broke, my soul is bent.
I come before you now.
Wanting nothing except your love,
I give my life to thee. 

Edit: I don't want two posts with the exact same song (I only changed one word, which change I made to the above version), so I am deleting the later post.


(All of the altered lyrics and new lyrics set to familiar hymns that I've posted thus far on this blog have been written by me.)

The New Song - Oh Lord, My God - Set to Music

Some comments first: This is soprano voice only. The notes were connected in weird ways when I tried to add the alto, so I only did the soprano, and didn't attempt the tenor or bass.

God wrote the lyrics and wants to get this song out. Anyone can copy it. Anyone can sing it. It is not for sale. It is given away. Any copyright ought to say, "It is illegal to sell this song."

Also, I am working on an altered hymn. (Altered hymns have only been changed a little. When I change the lyrics a lot, as in the song below, I  consider it a new song in its own right.)

I had to upload them as photo files, so I hope they are clear enough to read, especially when printed.

Here is the pdf.

New Hymn - Oh Lord, My God

I wrote this song this morning. The tune is a Swedish folk melody, the same one we use when we sing, "How Great Thou Art." Obviously, one can see parts of that leaking through.



How this song came about: For the last few weeks, I would spontaneously sing, "Oh, Lord, my God," then stop - because what was in my heart was a plea for forgiveness, a desire to come into the Lord's presence, to stop all the sins "that so easily beset me." This morning, I decided to sit down with pencil and paper and write the song that was trying to burst through. The following is the result.



Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the pains thy soul has seen.
I see the wounds, I hear the Lord's great sobbing
And shrink to watch the scene before my eyes.

Chorus:
Then cries my soul, "Oh, Lord, forgive my sins!
I will forgive! I will forgive."
Then bids my Lord, "My young one, come to me.
As you have loved, you will be loved."*

And through the night when I in fearful tremor
Consider the great sacrifice divine,
My soul does shrink. I see my sins in glory**
And wish to God I could erase them all.

Chorus:
Then cries my soul, "Oh, Lord, forgive my sins!
I will forgive! I will forgive."
Then bids my Lord, "My young one, come to me.
As you have loved, you will be loved."*

And then I see His deepest love divine
As he removes the guilt from off my heart.
I hear His words. I know His deepest pain.
His words to me, "My son, please come to me."  *** 

Chorus:
Then cries my soul, "Oh, Lord, forgive my sins!
I will forgive! I will forgive."
Then bids my Lord, "My young one, come to me.
As you have loved, you will be loved."*

(Written by Toni Bate, March 22, 2015)





*This is a reference to charity as written by Moroni:
[quote]43  And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.

44  If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

45  And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

46  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth.  Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47  But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.  Amen.

Moroni 7[/quote]

**Seeing ourselves in God's glory shows us how imperfect and filthy we really are.

***(Daughter didn't fit. Child seemed awkward.)

Note: Anyone can sing this song, copying it for that purpose is permitted. This is the Lord's song, not mine.

Hymn - The Spirit of God

A prophet has said it is our duty, as members of the LDS church, to preach and teach. He also said we should “push the envelope.” I decided to take up that charge and resurrect my blog. The idea for today's post came during the closing song in Relief Society.

The Spirit of God

1. The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!

The latter-day glory begins to come forth;

The visions and blessings of old are returning,

And angels are coming to visit the earth.

[Chorus]

We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven,

Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!

Let glory to them in the highest be given,

Henceforth and forever, Amen and amen!

2. The Lord is extending the Saints' understanding,

Restoring their judges and all as at first.

The knowledge and power of God are expanding;

The veil o'er the earth is beginning to burst.

3. We'll call in our solemn assemblies in spirit,

To spread forth the kingdom of heaven abroad,

That we through our faith may begin to inherit

The visions and blessings and glories of God.

4. How blessed the day when the lamb and the lion

Shall lie down together without any ire,

And Ephraim be crowned with his blessing in Zion,

As Jesus descends with his chariot of fire!

I love this song. I always have.

I have learned so many things since I last attended a church meeting a month ago, plus I'm in a ward I moved out of over three years ago. I suppose it was a combination of both that brought me to the perspective I had as I attended the block.

The visions and blessings of old are returning,

And angels are coming to visit the earth.

What do we think of when we sing those words? I used to think of Joseph Smith and his era, yet are these not things we should be experiencing today? In the last several months, I have met people who have seen visions, including angels and even the Lord, Himself (their fruits bear record that this is so). I have seen the Lord and angels in dreams, but not in waking visions nor personally. I have met many people who, like myself, have gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are varied and assorted.

The Lord is extending the Saints' understanding

Has our understanding been extended, or do we know less than did those in Joseph's day, though we may tell ourselves that we know more and that there are some things that Joseph just did not understand (even though he gazed into heaven a whole lot more than 5 minutes, and most people since his time have not gazed into heaven at all, especially those who write our lesson manuals)? How is it that we understand more than he? How can that be so if we have not entertained Gods and angels?

Restoring their judges and all as at first.

Judges? Did Christ intend to restore judges? Or was He shooting for an ancient societal order, such as was found in Enoch's day? Was He shooting for leaders we were to obey at the peril of our souls or was He shooting for a patriarchal order, and a society in which each person would literally know the Lord as we know our siblings and best friends?

The knowledge and power of God are expanding;

I put forth that the knowledge and power of God are expanding, but not necessarily in our meetings. Christ, knowledge (actual knowledge, not Mormonese “knowledge” which is, “I really, really believe” at the most) of Him, and the powers of heaven are there seeking us, begging us to put our minds and lives in order, to turn and face Christ and only Christ.

Knowledge: I know my Savior lives because I saw Him. I touched Him. He spoke to me as one person speaks to another, in my own language, using my own name.

Power: That which heals both body and soul; that which enlightens and enlarges; that which literally moves mountains and trees, changes the course of rivers, and calls down fire from heaven.

The veil o'er the earth is beginning to burst.

Truly, it was beginning in Joseph's time. Have we shut the heavens? Do we believe they are open to only an elite few? Or do we understand Joseph's teachings that the heavens must open to all who hope to stand in Christ's presence when He comes? If we cannot stand in His presence now, what makes us think we can stand in His presence when He comes in the glory of His kingdom with the Fathers?

We'll call in our solemn assemblies in spirit,

To spread forth the kingdom of heaven abroad,

I have no idea what this couplet is even attempting to say. Do we honestly know what a “solemn assembly” is? Is it the meetings we have today when we dedicate a temple or sustain church leaders by quorum in a general conference? I'm not so sure that's what one really is. And how do we call these things “in spirit”? What does that even mean? And how is this to spread for the kingdom of heaven abroad? If anyone understands what the author of the lyrics meant when he wrote this, please enlighten me.

Also, the “kingdom” is not the “church” which, today, is a legal corporation consisting of only one person. Everyone else is “collateral” so to speak, but even in this abstract portion that comprise the people who have been baptized into said organization, the church is not really synonymous with the kingdom. The kingdom of God pulls “fish” out of the church, but not all in the church will go to the kingdom and not all outside of the church will be denied the kingdom which is coming. (How can one be baptized into an organization that is comprised of only one person is beyond me. It must be the abstract portion, the portion that has a membership number assigned, that pays tithes and such. Where these people fit in the legal entity of the corporation is totally beyond me.)

That we through our faith may begin to inherit

The visions and blessings and glories of God.

Have we done this? Have many since the time of Joseph Smith? I have begun to know some who claim these experiences (I mentioned this above). Have they really had those experiences or do they just think they have? Well, that's the kicker, you know. It is impossible for us to actually know what another has seen or experienced, especially if we have not also experienced and seen that thing.

Instead of arguing whether Denver Snuffer or this person or that person has actually seen the Savior, perhaps it behooves each of us to search after the Lord ourselves, asking Him what we lack. Studying the scriptures as if we have no clue what they mean (relying on the Holy Spirit to teach us the meaning). Shedding the notion that the Holy Ghost speaks to us through causing us to “feel good.” It is entirely possible for the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit to speak to us through “pure knowledge that enlightens the mind” - it is entirely possible that the warm fuzzies and tears of HeartSell (TM) has nothing to do with the Holy Ghost.

Perhaps we should study the Lectures on Faith which were considered scripture, and which were removed arbitrarily. The people had no choice. They were informed that the lectures were not scripture, and that lie has been perpetuated.

Perhaps we should be willing to sacrifice all to the Lord: our reputations, our “safety,” our time, our preconceived ideas, our false traditions, our money, our friends, our family, our physical belongings, our membership in any and all organizations, our lives (whether by living or dying), our hobbies, our lusts, the sins which easily beset us (it may also be a good idea to discover which things are actually sins and which are not), and our idols (the men that we slavishly follow as if they were God, ignoring D&C 76 which points out that followers of men, even if the men be true prophets, are cast into hell).

Then, verse 4 can come about. By the way, I looked up the words “Ephraim be crowned” and found only three references:

1 WOE to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine

(Old Testament | Isaiah 28:1)

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet

(Old Testament | Isaiah 28:3)

32 And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 133:32)

I hope I am not coming off harsh. I deleted my previous blog for two reasons: I did not esteem myself righteous enough to preach and teach, and I did not wish to harm anyone's testimony. I bring it back because I was told that it was a member's duty to preach and teach, and it was advised to “push the envelope” as I mentioned at the beginning of this post. May God bless you – and may God bless me to only preach and teach as I feel directed by the Spirit and not by my pride.

Hymn 259 - rewritten (Hope of Israel)

Much of my life, I liked to play with songs, changing the words to them. At church our opening hymn was “Hope of Israel”. I saw that it was saying people were the “hope of Israel” - I always thought it was Jesus. Anyway, as I read the hymn with new eyes I felt the inspiration to put new words to the tune (you may use them freely):

Verse 1:

Hope of Israel, Je - sus Christ,

Sa - vior of the hum - ble heart,

See, the Spi - rit sig - nals on - ward,

And the hum - ble seek the Lord.

Verse 2:

See our sins, they fall be - hind us

As we view the sac - ri - fice.

Hope of Israel, please be with us,

So the vic - t'ry we will win.

Verse 3:

Live for Zion, Love for - e - ver.

Bring our souls to God a - bove.

Ev - 'ry kind - ness leads to hea - ven

Ev - 'ry step we con - q'ring go.

Verse 4:

Soon the bat - tles will be o - ver,

Where will you, o man, then stand?

On -ward, on - ward, souls re - pent - ing,

Thy re - ward the vic - tor's crown.

Chorus:

Hope of Is -rael, Je - sus Christ

With the sword of truth and light,

Sound the love - cry, “Watch and pray!”

Bring your soul to Christ to - day.

I may see if I can find some lyrics I have written in the past and put them on my other blog. It might be fun to make new lyrics to a song every week and put in on there. (I'm not making any promises.)

In the Power of Christ I Stand

I didn't even know Owl City was Christian, let alone that he put out any Christian songs.

This is a very powerful song about Christ.

In Christ Alone - lyrics

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

?Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sins curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life?s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand

Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend