Sunday Hymn: The Spirit Breathes Upon the Word

The Spirit breathes upon the Word,
And brings the truth to sight;
Precepts and promises afford
A sanctifying light.

A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic, like the sun:
It gives a light to ev’ry age;
It gives, but borrows none.

The Hand that gave it still supplies
The gracious light and heat:
His truths upon the nations rise;
They rise, but never set.

Let everlasting thanks be thine
For such a bright display
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heav’nly day.

My soul rejoices to pursue
The steps of him I love.
Till glory break upon my view
In brighter worlds above.

—William Cowper

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• Update: I Sing the Mighty Power of God at Still Reforming
• Tell Me the Old, Old Story at Field Stone Cottage
• God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength at Whatever Things
• Give Me Lord a Heart of Grace at The Happy Wonderer
• We Know That Thou Art Near Us at Rosemary at Home
• Lord’s Day 7 at Tried With Fire 
• Lord’s Day 7, 2012 at The Thirsty Theologian
• A Sunday Psalm: The Treasury of David - Psalm 2:4-6 at Theology for Girls
• Faith Alone - February 12, 2012 at The Upward Call
• Update: A Quest for Godliness - February 12, 2012 at Alabamenagerie
• Update: Your weekly dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: Halfheartedness, Half-Orthodoxy, and the Danger of Ministers Who Don’t Speak Straight

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by contacting me using the contact form linked above, and I’ll add your post to the list. 

Round the Sphere Again: Recommended for Listening

Excellent mp3 from recent conferences.

Every Thought Captive
The Thirsty Theologian recommends the audio from the Every Thought Captive Conference with Tim Challies and Frank Turk. (I probably won’t listen to these, but I trust Thirsty’s endorsement.)

Finding God’s Will
I have listened to this audio from the Finding God’s Will Conference at Riverview Church in Holt, Michigan:

• Session 1: Kevin DeYoung – The Problem of Waiting For God’s Will
• Session 2: Garry Friesen – Wisdom Decisions, Part 1
• Session 3: Garry Friesen – Wisdom Decisions, Part 2
• Session 4: Kevin DeYoung – Wisdom Decisions, Applied
• Session 5: Q & A with Kevin DeYoung, Garry Friesen, and Noel Heikkinen

I remember my parents working out what it meant to make decisions according to God’s will and discussing it with each other when I was a child. They came, eventually, to what these speakers call the “wisdom view,” and since I was a little pitcher with big ears I came to that view right along with them. Thinking this way saved me a lot of grief as I grew and began making more decisions on my own.

If you struggle with this issue, I recommend this series of lectures. If you just want to think rightly about what God expects of us in regards to finding his will for us, you’ll want to listen up, too.

Thankful Thursday

I’m still thankful for my little granddaughter who is growing every day, reminding me what a joy babies are just because they’re babies. I’m thankful that after parenthood comes grandparenthood, with each one a blessing.

I’m thankful that my children and my grandchild all live close to me.

I’m thankful for the man who showed up to help push my car out of the snow bank yesterday. 

I’m thankful for wonderful winter weather.

I’m thankful that God adopted me. I’m thankful that he makes believers members of his family and gives them all the privileges of children of God. I’m thankful that one of the privileges of God’s adopted children is discipline for our good.

What about you? What are you thankful for?