Redeeming Love Has Been My Theme and Shall Be Till I Die.

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,
I’ll sing Thy power to save,I’ll sing Thy power to save,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be,
For me a blood bought free reward, a golden harp for me!
’Tis strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears no other name but Thine.

~Praise for the Fountain Opened, William Cowper

Easter Sunrise Service: He is risen!

   There was still a little bit of bite in the air as we hunkered down in our folding chairs this morning, towels draped over our knees to keep warm.  How does one dress in the desert?  It's cold only while the the sun hangs his head behind horizon, but once he rises, it's quite H-O-T.  This morning the faithful, bleary-eyed but joyful, assembled on a beach in Jumeirah to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the son of God. It was glorious-- we gathered in the darkness-- a nod to the darkness that descended upon the earth at the hour of Jesus's death (Matthew 27:45)-- but then Hope returned, and the sun rose, and we were reminded of the moment that Jesus rose from dead, victorious over death.  What a wonderful way to ring in Easter.

  I've included above the lyrics of one of my favorite hymns.  Those opening lines are epic.  And this: Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be until I die.  William Cowper, one of the most popular poets of his day, wrote this hymn shortly after his first major bout of depression.  He's a man that interests me because he clearly clung to the cross, and yet he struggled throughout his whole life with depression, attempting suicide at least three times.

  I hope on this Easter day that you turned to God and thanked Him for sending His son to die for you that you might live.  Read the Gospels and fall in love with Jesus.

Good Friday Service: It is finished!