Jeff Ling

This is from Mike Cosper’s blog on the Gospel Coalition website.  Well worth a listen.

“I had the privilege of sitting down with Isaac Wardell and Kevin Twit to talk a bit about the effect of hymns on the life of our congregations. Wardell is the worship director at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, and one of the founders of Bifrost Arts, through which he’s recorded a number of traditional and retuned hymns. Twit is a pastor with Reformed University Fellowship at Bellmont University in Nashville, and the founder of Indelible Grace, a collection of musicians who have been writing retuned hymns for many years.

In this conversation, we talk about why we’ve returned to hymns and some of the reasons for retuning hymns with new melodies.”

Thanks to Bob Kauflin, Doug Plank and the Sovereign Grace folks for this reworking of Augustus Toplady’s “Now Why This Fear.”

Now Why This Fear from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Now Why This Fear

Verse 1
Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men,
Condemn me for that debt of sin,
Now cancelled at the cross?

Chorus
Jesus, all my trust
Is in Your blood
Jesus, You’ve rescued us
Through Your great love!

Verse 2
Complete atonement You have made,
And by Your death completely paid
The debt Your people owed
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace,
And sprinkled with Your blood.

Verse 3
Be still, my soul, and know this peace
The merits of your Great High Priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood,
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free

Tag
How sweet the sound of saving grace
How sweet the sound of saving grace
Christ died for me

Music and alt. and additional words by Doug Plank, original verses by Augustus Toplady (1772).
© 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

Let Your Blood Plead For Me, by Sojourn from Sojourn Community Church on Vimeo.

Red Mountain Music, one of my favorite places for old hymns made new, brought this new work to my attention. “Karl Digerness is a long time friend of and major contributor to Red Mountain Music. He wrote the music for several hymns on the Red Mountain Records and his vocals can be found on numerous Red Mountain tracks. Karl has been writing new music for hymns for several years. Check out his new cd and please support his music and ministry. Visit the City Hymns website to buy the new CD called Fragments of Grace.”

I visited and I loved it. Karl wrote the tune to Satisfied, a song we’ve been doing in our church for years as well as a tune to “There Is A Fountain” that is one of the best things I’ve heard. The song here, “Holy Hands” was written by Horatius Bonar (Originally called “Not what My Hands Have Done”) and the tune is Karl’s. Loved this the moment I heard it and it’s going into the worship service tomorrow. The CD, featuring 11 songs, is available for $10. Download is immediate.

 

Holy Hands Not What My Hands Have Done

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load

Chorus:
These guilty hands are raised, filthy rags are all I bring
And I have come to hide beneath Your wings
These holy hands are raised, washed in the fountain of Your grace
And now I wear Your righteousness.

Thy work alone O Christ can ease this weight of sin
Thy blood alone O Lamb of God can give me peace within
Thy love to me O God not mine O Lord to thee
Can rid me of this dark unrest and set my spirit free
(Chorus)

Thy grace a lone O God to me can pardon speak
Thy power alone O Lamb of God can this sore bondage break
No other work save Thine, no other blood will do
No strength save that which is divine can bear me safely through
(Chorus)

I praise the God of grace I trust His truth and might
He calls me His I call Him mine my God, my joy, my light
Tis He who saveth me and freely pardon gives
I love because He loveth me I live be cause He lives
(Chorus

Thirsting for God: Sight of The Cross (William Cowper)

(From The Blue Fish Project)