Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night. I hope your week has started off well, but in case it hasn’t there’s a hymn coming straight to your earholes at 8 AM (CST). It’s based on verses 17 & 18 of Psalm 10 and originally written by Edward Osler in 1836. Few, but very powerful words…simply reading them is encouraging to me. I hope that hearing them in song will be as well.

It’s been a little over a week since I last popped in on the social media world. In that time, we’ve laid down 4 final cuts to songs for the first Hymnbook CD due out in September. I’m stoked to see these come together and how much better the quality is by moving up from the iPhone headphones to record to the TASCAM US-144mkII, an actual microphone and some studio headphones to mix. Simple upgrades that were made for the benefit of your earholes in this process. I’m still no Matthew Smith, Caedmon’s Call, or this guy…and that’s not even the goal, but I’m hoping you’re getting as excited as me to see these sings leak out into the atmosphere and do their part at ramping up global warming. Kidding of course. Maybe.

So check the twitter feeds for @mhenslee or @myhymnbook at 8AM, CST to listen to Psalm Ten…and please keep praying as I finish recording the final cuts so we can start raising some funds for some great church plants, ministries and missionaries.

Other updates…

• I’ll be opening for Diamond Rio on October 23rd in Vidalia, LA
• Leading some of the hymns for the BMA of Arkansas in November

To blessed to be congested. Well…

Matt

PS: Have you heard of my good buddy, Kevin Sanders? If not, he’s put his new demo out on NoiseTrade and I implorest thou to hearest it: click here.

thirstingsoul:

Behold What Wondrous Grace!
Lyrics by Isaac Watts (slightly adapted)
Originally published in Hymns and Spiritual Songs in 1707
Arr. by Kevin Sanders 

In reading some of Watts’ hymns I came across this and fell in love with it. It’s simply a celebration of God’s grace poured out upon His children! Listen with Galatians 4:4-7 in mind… 

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.  (Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)

Lyrics: 

Behold what wondrous grace the father has bestowed

on sinners of a mortal race to call them sons of God

‘tis no surprising thing that we should be unknown 

the world knew not their King, God’s everlasting son

 

Nor doth it yet appear how great we must be made

But when we see Him here we shall be like our head

 

A hope so much divine may trials well endure

to purge our souls from sense and sin

as Christ the Lord is pure 

 

If in my father’s love I share a filial part

send down your spirit O to rest upon my heart

We would no longer lie like slaves beneath the throne

my faith shall Abba cry and thou the kindred own 

Boom. Roasted.

(Tony Bock/Toronto Star)

There is a war going on. All talk of a Christian’s right to live luxuriously “as a child of the King” in this atmosphere sounds hollow — especially since the King himself is stripped for battle.

Excited. Humbled. Ready.

Those were the words that came to mind this morning as I awoke from dreaming I had just won a “Moonman” at the MTV Video Music Awards. Now that I’m back (thankfully) to reality, I thought I’d give you another update about the progress on “My Hymnbook.”

• The Facebook page has grown to over 200 “likes” and counting. If you’re one of them, thank you! If not, click here and then click “like” to restore balance to the universe. We’re counting on you. Also, if you’re one of the brave souls to have clicked “like,” please do your part to save the planet from the evil Zurg! At the page, you can click “suggest to friends” right under the hymnal, then click all the smiling faces or strange inthebathroomholdingoutthecameraaboveheadandtakingpicture pictures…they might can help in the battle too. :)
• The Twitter page is there, yeah. It exists. Would you mind taking a moment to follow “My Hymnbook” there as well? You can do so by clicking here and then clicking the button that says follow. It’s easy as, I dunno…I’m all out of cliches. 
• I think the website has made it easier to find and we’ve just crossed 400 plays! If you’ve taken a listen thank you…but also, what do you think? A few have requested hymns, is there one you’d like to hear?
• Psalm Seven seemed to get lost in the shuffle a bit…I’m still trying to figure out the best time to upload these ditties. If you missed it, click here and then click the play button. 

Now that all of that is out of the way, we can get on to the fun stuph again. It’s just about time to pull together the first CD!

• When I first started worked on these songs, I figured they would be for Walnut Valley Baptist where I serve as the worship pastor. I knew I’d send a few of them to some friends via email, but then God began to impress on me how these could do even more. Posting them online was the first step and hearing things like this made it well worth it.
• Now we’re ready to take the next step. Very shortly we will be ordering some CDs and cases…nothing fancy, but nothing ugly either. I’ll then fill ‘em up with the songs from “My Hymnbook.”
• At this point, you come into the picture. I want you the buy them! But not for me and certainly not my pocketbook. Each cent above shipping and the cost of making the CD will be going directly to a church planter, missionary, or ministry (I’m hoping to announce the first one this week). There will be many CDs, so there will be many opportunities for you and I to link up to make an impact to further the gospel. Will you? Can I count on you to make this happen? Seriously, I need a count. :)

You in?