Cowboy Church #260

 Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing Sweet Hour of Prayer. Prayer is one of the important parts of a Christians life but it also something that many Christians don't spend enough time doing. I admit myself to having been guilty of prayer far less than I should. Yet talking to the God of the universe is an incredible privilege we have and one of the greatest blessings in our lives. 

This is followed by Joan Beaz with The Tramp On the Street. This song was introduced by the husband-and-wife country duo Grady and Hazel Cole, who were very successful in the 1930's and 40's. The Tramp on the Street is their best-known song, especially due to Hank Williams Sr.'s cover. Joan's version of the song comes from her 1969 album, David's Album. The last verse of this song was added for Joan's version to comment on the Vietnam War. 

Afterwards comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Lord You Made the Cowboy Happy. This song should remind us of how blessed we truly are. It is the things we take for granted each day that are our greatest blessings. Sometimes we need to stop and simply thank God for these blessings. The narrator of this song is not thankful for any big event in his life, but rather for all the little blessing he receives every day.

Then comes Bill Carliese with his 1947 recording of Shine Your Light to Others.

 This is followed by Johnny Cash with When I Take My Vacation in Heaven. This song was written by Herbert Buffmun, a Pentecostal Evangelist who lived from 1879 to 1939. Writing gospel music was a passionate hobby for him and he is said to have written around 10,000 songs with around 1,000 of them being published. Ripley's Believe It or Not claimed that he once wrote 12 songs in one hour. However, songwriting can hardly be said to have made a living for him. Most of his songs were sold for $5 or even less. This did not stop The Los Angles Time from calling him, “The King of Gospel Song Writers” upon his death. This recording of the song comes from John's 1962 gospel album, Hymns from the Heart. This album featured a number of gospel songs that John grew up with as a child including this one. 

Next comes Iris DeMent with Blessed Assurance. This hymn came about when songwriter Fanny Crosby visited composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp. Knapp played a tune for Crosby and asked what came to her mind with that tune. Crosby said, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!" She then immediately followed it with more lyrics that would be in the finished song. The song was published in 1873 and first appeared in a monthly magazine for which the editors were Joseph Fairchild Knapp and Phoebe Palmer Knapp (who were husband and wife). When it later appeared in 1887's Gospel Songs, No. 5 by Ira Sankey, this we lead it to greater fame as it would be commonly sung in the revivals of Dwight L. Moody and Sankey. By 1889, the hymn commonly appeared in Methodist hymnals. 

Today's musical selection ends with Chelsea Moon and Uncle Daddy with Jesus Paid it All.  Elvina Hall wrote the words to this hymn on the flyleaf of her hymn book and handed it to her pastor. Meanwhile the church's organist John Grape handed the pastor a new piece of music he had just written. Noticing that the poem and the music fit together perfectly, the pastor put the two together and the hymn was born. The hymn came to be in 1865. 

Now for the fourth episode of The Lone Ranger TV series. 

Now for a sermon from Martin Luther King Jr. 

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2     Worship the Lord with gladness;

    come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God.

    It is he who made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving

    and his courts with praise;

    give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

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 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11

They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:11

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

Thank you for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy Trails to you until we meet again.