A Song of Thanksgiving

I would like to share one of my favorite songs for the Thanksgiving. The choir will not have a chance to share with you this year but I would love to share about the song. It is originally from Swedish hymn. The poem was written by August L. Storm who served in the Salvation Army for whole his life. August suffered a back injury that crippled him for life and yet he continued to serve his Salvation Army duties until his death. This poem was written among those suffering years but he did not stop thanks to the Lord with whole his hearts. Here is the poem for you all. I pray that we all can lift the poem to the Lord at the Thanksgiving.
Thanks to God for my Redeemer, thanks for all that you provide.
Thanks for times now but a memory, thanks for Jesus by my side.
Thanks for pleasant balmy springtime, thanks for dark and dreary fall.
Thanks for tears by now forgotten, thanks for peace within my soul.
Thanks for prayers that you have answered, thanks for what you have denied.
Thanks for storms that we have weathered, thanks for all you have supplied.
Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure, thanks for comfort in despair.
Thanks for grace that none can measure, thanks for love beyond compare.
Thanks for roses by the wayside, thanks for thorns their stems contain.
Thanks for homes and thanks for fireside, thanks for hope, that sweet refrain.
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow, thanks for heaven’s peaceful shore.
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow, thanks go God forever more.

Thanksgiving Sunday!

This Sunday is our Thanksgiving Sunday! We will lift our heart with " Rejoice, Give thanks and Sing!" to the Lord. The youth ensemble will join the chancel choir to make the song more beautiful . Please encourage and give your support to the youth ensemble!!
Let's count blessings and give thanks to the Lord!!
Also, there will be a community Thanksgiving service at St. Anne. Anyone is interested in singing with the choir, please come at 5:50 on Sunday afternoon.
You are more than welcome!!

Precious Lord, take my hand!

We are running toward the busiest season of a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Especially, our church has an annual Barbecue next weekend. For the event, people spent most of their free time in the church to prepare it such as cutting woods, cleaning the grills, making the barbecue sauce, and so on. It is an enormous effort to make it happen.

I have chosen "Precious Lord, take my hand" as our anthem of this week. Physically, or emotionally, we all sometimes get tired and feel that we even couldn't move a one more step. Some people might feel that way in the Sunday morning. Let's call our Precious Lord, and ask Him to take our hands. From Psalms 37: 24,"though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand." We all stumble in some point but we will not fall because the Lord holds with His hand. What a comforting message! I have prayed that we all confess that we stumble and need His hand. Here is the text.

Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand I"m tired, I"m weak, I"m lone Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.

This week and beyond.

I am sorry that I haven't been writing lately anything. I did not have much time staying with the computer. One of my home computers has been out of function for several days. All made me not to update much. I went to Indiana to attend one of my teachers memorial service the first part of November. Now, my husband is in Indiana to prepare for his final project and it means I have to take care of my girls 24 hour a day by myself. It makes me also busier than usual.

However, the choirs have been doing as normal. All the rehearsals are held as usual. However, next week, there will be no rehearsal for the youth handbell, and children's choir on Wed. night next week due to the barbecue. But the chancel choir will still meet on Wed. night.
There will be a community Thanksgiving service at St. Anne on Sunday 23rd at 7:00. Anyone is interested in singing with people as a choir, please come at 5:50!! We will rehearse a song for the special anthem.

The youth handbell did a wonderful job last Sunday at both services! The youth ensemble will meet on Sunday at 4:30 and play with the chancel choir on 23rd with " Rejoice, Sing and Thanksgiving" at both service.

Dec. 14th will be the Lessons and carols!! Please mark that day afternoon from 4:00-6:00!

The children's choir will sing on this Sunday with "Hymn of Promise". Please wear white top and dark bottom and be there tomorrow rehearsal as well as 8:30 on Sunday.

The adult handbell will have a rehearsal as normal and play the first Sunday on Dec. with O come o come Emmanuel.

Let's have a wonderful week!

Feed Me Lord.

I don't know why... but I have found an interesting matter related to death. People are born somewhere in the world every day and also they die every day somewhere. However, I have felt that there are some favorite period of time to be born and passed away. Don't you agree? during this week, I heard several people passed away. In fact, I went to play piano for some one's memorial service this morning and will be out of town to attend my dear teacher's memorial service in Indiana. I don't know why... but it seems that God calls people home in certain time.

This week is All Saints and communion sunday. The chancel choir will lift " Feed me Lord" up to the Lord as the anthem of this week. The main melody is from Dvorak's New world symphony and arranger combined with Amazing grace. Karen Kotz will play solo flute with the choir. I pray that you all feel God's indescribable peace through this service especially this music. Jason, my husband, will lead music at the services.

Here is the text.

Feed me, Lord, feed me Lord, give me peace restored.
Cleanse my soul, make me whole, Lamb of God adored.
Feed me Lord, feed me Lord, from above, come to me. The living bread now sets me free with God's eternal love.
Amazing Grace come down to me, a gift from God above. Feed me Lord, feed me with God's eternal love. Amazing grace removes my pain; the cup I long to share.

Feed me, Lord. feed me. I live within Your care.
O Lord Your Spirit shall remain. feed me Lord, feed me Lord. Lamb of God adored.

The majesty and glory of Your name

The Majesty and Glory of Your name
I love autumn. I grew up in Seoul that has clear four seasons. Also, I stayed in Bloomington, IN where also has four seasons for eleven years. I love each season but autumn is my most favorite season of all. Colorful leaves, crispy blue sky, brighter stars at night, and chilly early morning and night and so on. I sometimes amaze and could not describe how beautiful God’s creations are. The chancel choir will lift a beautiful anthem up this week. It is based on a poem from Psalm 8. When the prayer walk team walked the Manor this Monday, the sky was just perfect as an example of this poem. I could not stop praising the Lord with this song. It seems everything makes people worried and timid in our world. However, it would be a great time to look up the sky and enjoy how beautiful God’s creations are and He is the one who reigns the world, universe, and He is the Alpha and Omega. Let’s praise Him. Here is the text.

The Majesty and Glory of Your name.
When I gaze in to the night skies and see the work of Your fingers. The moon and stars suspended in space. Oh, what is man that You are mindful of him? You have given man a crown of glory and honor, and have made him a little lower than the angels. You have put him in charge of all creation. The beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea. But what is man, Oh, what is man that You are mindful of him. O Lord, our God, the majesty and glory of Your name. Transcends the earth and fills the heaven. O Lord, our God, little children praise You perfectly, And so would we. Alleluja! The Majesty and glory of Your name. Alleluja!

God's word

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. "
A gospel John starts with this phrase. What does it mean exactly?

I would like to share my mom's story related to the Word of God. She has told me that God's word(the bible) is the light, and the source of strength throughout her life. I remembered that she literally copied the whole bible in the blank note in Korean from Genesis to Revolution twice. And she copied in English from Psalm, Proverb, and the new testament. Whenever she has some time, she starts writing the bible. According to her, the bible becomes real "source of strength" when she faces to really difficult situations. Her total set of bible finished during my dad's serious illness time.
I remembered clearly that whenever my dad was in dialysis, she was sitting next him reading and coping the bible with her neat handwriting. At sleepless painful nights, she did again. She said, when we read bible, our thoughts sometimes go off to somewhere but when we try to write, we have to focus on each word. So, it becomes really living words to her. I dare to try to copy the bible yet however, I have started to read loudly.
I have to stop several places to figure hard vocabularies out during reading, but I enjoy a lot hearing myself God's word. It is a blessing and privilege to read the bible freely out loud.
Our church has started the reading bible ministry to everyone during the office hour. I pray that we have a presence of the Lord while we read the bible through the ministry and the Holy Spirit may fill us!!