Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers singing Peace in the Valley. The hymn was written by Thomas A. Dorsey who later explained the origins of this song, “Peace in the Valley,” “It was just before Hitler sent his war chariots into Western Europe in the late 1930s. I was on a train going through southern Indiana and saw horses, cows and sheep all grazing together in this little valley. Everything seemed so peaceful. It made me question, “What’s the matter with mankind? Why can’t men live in peace?” Out of those thoughts came “Peace in the Valley.”
This is followed by Loretta Lynn with God Makes No Mistakes. This song talks about one of how the hardest truths from the Bible and one that hurts many people's faiths. However it is always important to remember even though we can't understand why God would let some things, happen, God is never asleep and always knows what he is doing. There is never a time when God is not in control and this should come as a comfort to us to know nothing happens without a reason and that God has and will never abandon us no matter how tough things get in life.
Next comes Anne Wilson's brand new music video, Living Water. This song is written for the feature film, Jesus Revolution (2023), which will premiere in theaters on February 24th.
Then comes Donna Fargo with How Great thou Art. This classic hymn was originally based on a poem by Swedish Pastor Carl Gustav Boberg. He wrote this poem after walking home one day and a sudden storm came. When the storm stopped, he saw the clear bay in front of him and heard a church bell in the distance. This inspired him to write the poem. He first published it in 1886. When he published it again in Witness of the Truth (a newspaper he edited in 1891, it included both words and music. The English language version we all know was translated by missionary Stuart K. Hine.
Now for the Sons of the Pioneers with their 1935 recording of When I Leave this World Behind. This song was written by Bob Nolan, one of the group's founding members. When talking about how he began songwriting, Nolan would say, " I never dreamed of writing songs when I was very young. And I even studied music when I was going to school and still didn’t think that I would ever write. It came about more or less of an accident after I came over to California. I got a job as a lifeguard down at Venice and I lost that, incidentally, in 1929 when the Stock Market Crash came and I was starving to death. [laughs] I would have done anything at that time and there was a lot of Chautauquas – the old tent shows, you know, going through at that time? And they’d have Amateur Nights, see? So I’d write my own songs and I won quite a few of them, incidentally. I needed it badly. I got awfully hungry about that time after the ’29 Stock Market Crash."
Next is The Oak Ridge Boys with I Don't Know Who Holds Tomorrow. This song was written by Ira Straphill a pastor who traveled the United States spreading the gospel. He did much of his traveling with his wife, Zelma. Zelma would however later decide the ministry was not for her and left Ira. She would also succumb to many temptations including addiction and other men, which added much pain to their relationship in later years. This caused Ira to fall into a deep depression as he tried everything to keep the two's marriage afloat and nothing seemed to be working. He wrote this song in a very dark time for him. He was driving and all the sudden began to hum a tune. Next thing he knew he was singing this song. As soon as he got home, he went straight to his office to write down this hymn. This makes the hymn's meaning all the more powerful. No matter what we face in our lives or how bad things may seem, we can always have hope because we know who holds tomorrow.
Then comes Willie Nelson singing The Troublemaker. This was the title song off of Willie's first and best gospel album, 1976's The Troublemaker. Though most of the album was made up of traditional gospel music, this protest-gospel tune is an exception, as it puts the truth of the gospel into a more contemporary setting.
Today's musical selection ends with Randy Travis singing Are You Washed in the Blood.
Now for Gene Autry on a 1953 episode of TV's What's My Line.
Now for the C.S. Lewis essay, Work and Prayer.
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Psalms 59:16
For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. Proverbs 3:33
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Resources Used
https://www.tumbleweedtrail.net/griffis-nolan-perryman-spencer
https://dianaleaghmatthews.com/i-know-who-holds-tomorrow/#.Y-BsrC_MK3B
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-how-great-thou-art
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