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Special to The Washington Post I am a Methodist minister and a Washington Nationals fan. I was there on Opening Day in 2005 at old RFK Stadium in Washington, and I try my best to plan my summer around Nats home games. I have only one issue with the ballpark experience, and it’s not with the beer prices. It’s with “God Bless America.” In his May 15 column, Washington Post writer John Kelly described the odd feeling of not knowing whether to stand during the singing of this song in the middle of the seventh inning. Like Kelly, I don’t...

We sing the Psalms because the people of God have been doing so since as early as Moses (Ps. 90) and especially during the days of David, when the Psalter became the “hymnal” of Israel. When we sing them, we identify with our most ancient forefathers and offer transcendent praise, applicable in all times and in all places.

Kristyn and Keith Getty specialize in writing modern hymns for churches Most songwriters in Nashville want to get their songs on the radio. Keith and Kristyn Getty hope their songs end up in dusty old hymn books. The Gettys, originally from Belfast, Ireland, hope to revive the art of hymn writing at a time when the most popular new church songs are written for rock bands rather than choirs. They’ve had surprising success.

St. Augustine said that when we sing sacred music, we pray twice.   This post is meant as a brief collection of those "double-prayer" hymns for our new Holy Father.Here's the first link to one such song, for Pope Francis. A Timeless Classic Hymn Link Faith of Our Fathers

This animated video of a US Northwestern rough legged hawk and it’s cry, brook fish, farm pig, Galapagos tortoise and bullfrogs singing the chorus to the hymn, "Revive Us Again", are to inspire faith in Jesus our Lord. The voices of this video are myself and grandchildren; Elijah, Megan, Taylor and Jamee.

Dear Cecil: This has probably been answered somewhere before, but I was getting my teeth drilled that day. Just what does kumbaya mean? — F. Pierson, via the Internet

The choreographer of a somber segment in the London Olympics opening ceremony said Saturday he's disappointed that NBC decided not to show it to an American audience. Spectators were asked to display photos of loved ones who could not be there during the segment. The music, a hymn called "Abide With Me," was described in the ceremony's program as an "honest expression of the fear of approaching death." NBC producers did not air it, instead showing American viewers Ryan Seacrest's interview with swimmer Michael Phelps. "I am disappointed," said Londoner Akram Khan, who choreographed and danced in the segment. "I...

Should Catholics sing hymns at Mass? Given the state of Catholic liturgical music, it’s a fair question. In the last century, Catholics exchanged their musical solid food for milk—usually skim and on the edge of going sour. Hymns at Mass are a recent addition to the liturgy. Hymns were used in the daily office, rotating by day or by season, but the Tridentine Mass had chants for particular days—the propers of the Mass—not hymns. Protestant congregations who were departing from medieval practice in other ways introduced hymns into the liturgy itself, and, as many Christians of all kinds acknowledge, Catholic...

The phenom explains his favorite musical acts to Fuse…

The votes are in and we have a “favoritest” hymn. Congratulations to … I Know that My Redeemer LivesI’m not really surprised this classic hymn won, but I am intrigued with the first runner-up, Come, Thou Fount. It only lost by one percent of the total votes, so clearly it’s a popular hymn. But the funny thing is, it’s not actually in the current hymnbook. Come, Thou Fount was the most requested write-in hymn from round one of voting, so we added it to the list of others. But if it’s not even in the hymn book, why is it...

I have published on this Hymn before but want to post on it again at the beginning of Advent in hopes that a few of you who have the influence and ability may see that this hymn in used in your parishes for Advent at some point.For my money the best Advent hymn ever written is Veni Redemptor Gentium (Come Redeemer of the Nations) written by St. Ambrose in the 4th Century.One of the beautiful things about the ancient Latin Hymns is how richly theological they are. Not content to merely describe the event in question, they give sweeping theological...

While some have sought to make Christian music more relevant by adding an electric guitar or a hip-hop beat to it, others prefer to listen and worship through more traditional forms of music, such as hymns. But should Christian music be limited to a designated genre, or can faith-based themes be effectively portrayed through any number of styles? Though people may disagree on which style they like best, there's no denying that Christian or Gospel music is widely sought after. A 2009 report from the Gospel Music Association indicates that Christian music sales total about half a billion dollars per...

A minority of the musical elite are always sniffy about popular hymns forgetting they are popular because the tunes and the words have such a widespread appeal to ordinary folk – they communicate an electricity that runs deep into the very essence of our souls. As The Reverend Rowland Hill, pastor of the Surrey Chapel in London said in the early 19th century “The Devil Should Not Have All The Best Tunes” So here is a purely personal choice of hymns that always make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end

City Mall - Beirut, Lebanon - Easter 2011 (Click on "CC" for English subtitles)

The wonderful hymns in this video are, Precious Memories, In The Garden, Precious Lord, Softly and Tenderly, Lord I’m Coming Home and are arranged in autumn scenic views!

We have so much sentimental claptrap offered to God as worship in the typical charismatic church. Some of it is so sickly saccharine, that a guy would consider it inappropriately homoerotic. I can get excited about my wife and me lying in each others' arms, gazing soulfully into each others' eyes -- but my God and me? On this Christmas morning, let's ponder a thought-experiment: how can we write worship songs that systematically and deliberately eschew romantic imagery? How can we use other forms of love as metaphors for our walk with God? Imagine the enduring gratitude and affection, for...

My grandpa Johnson was the best. He was not a large man in stature. He was a gentle man. He taught me how to shoot the bee bee gun at the snapping turtle noses when the turtles were eating his bait. At his retirement home in Arkansas, He was a regular worker. A pattern maker. He was a super duper handy man. He was a man of God and a modest one. I don't know why he came to my mind today...but he did. He had a wicked sense of humor. During his last days he lived in my parents'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WDrbbtaO0E

One of my Fav Hymns from Church today. Do you have a fav? In Humility, Our Savior 1. In humility, our Savior, Grant thy Spirit here, we pray, As we bless the bread and water In thy name this holy day. Let me not forget, O Savior, Thou didst bleed and die for me When thy heart was stilled and broken On the cross at Calvary. 2. Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving; Teach us tolerance and love. Let our prayers find access to thee In thy holy courts above. Then, when we have proven worthy Of thy sacrifice divine,...

A ghastly discovery today: plans to subject Pope Benedict XVI to trendy musical tripe when he celebrates the Beatification Mass for Cardinal Newman at Coventry Airport on September 19. According to Nick Baty, a supporter of the little gang of composers who have liturgical commissions sewn up in this country, the music for the Mass will include:• Eucharistic acclamations by Fr Peter Jones, who wrote the tiresome Coventry Gloria for John Paul II’s visit in 1982. Yes, he’s still going strong;• Christ be our Light by Bernadette Farrell, one of the inner circle of old trendies whose work is forced...