God the Father, Be Our Stay - The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog

 Norma Boeckler's Christian Art

"God the Father, Be Our Stay"
by Unknown Author, c. 1400
Translated by Richard Massie, 1800-1887

Tune - Gott der Vater wohn - linked here

1. God the Father, be our Stay,
Oh, let us perish never.
Cleanse us from our sins, we pray,
And grant us life forever.
Keep us from the Evil One;
Uphold our faith most holy,
Grant us to trust Thee solely
With humble hearts and lowly.
Let us put God's armor on:
With all true Christians running
Our heavenly race and shunning
The devil's wiles and cunning.
Amen, Amen, this be done,
So sing we, Hallelujah!

2. Jesus Christ, be Thou our Stay,
Oh, let us perish never.
Cleanse us from our sins, we pray,
And grant us life forever.
Keep us from the Evil One;
Uphold our faith most holy,
Grant us to trust Thee solely
With humble hearts and lowly.
Let us put God's armor on:
With all true Christians running
Our heavenly race and shunning
The devil's wiles and cunning.
Amen, Amen, this be done,
So sing we, Hallelujah!

3. Holy Ghost, be Thou our Stay,
Oh, let us perish never.
Cleanse us from our sins, we pray,
And grant us life forever.
Keep us from the Evil One;
Uphold our faith most holy,
Grant us to trust Thee solely
With humble hearts and lowly.
Let us put God's armor on:
With all true Christians running
Our heavenly race and shunning
The devil's wiles and cunning.
Amen, Amen, this be done,
So sing we, Hallelujah!

Hymn #247
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 18:18
Author: unknown, c. 1400
Translated by: Richard Massie, 1854, alt.
Titled: "Gott der Vater wohn' uns bei"
Tune: "Gott der Vater wohn'", 14th century melody

Watering the Garden Worked - Washing the Dog Tipped the Scales. Rain Is Pouring Down

Fresh-scrubbed, Sassy enjoyed walking over to Bob's, wet, and sneaking up on him. He thought some mangy coyote was behind him. He just finished waxing his truck, which definitely contributed to the thunderstorm today.

Instead of washing and waxing the car, a surefire rain generator, I washed Sassy yesterday. I am sure that precipitated the precipitation we are enjoying now.

Earlier today, the Schwan rep told me he did not get stung when he drove up with the Bee Balm hanging out over the driveway and sidewalk. He also appeared to be soliciting an apology, but I was thinking how he bruised my pollinators. Bees foraging are as dangerous as Golden Retrievers. Bees are so busy getting their work done that they pay no attention to humans hovering over them or brushing into them.

 Bee Balms of various types are like fright wigs, and they attract bees and hummingbirds.

Jumping up and down, screaming, and waving arms may get the swarm interested in driving away the intruder. I have never been stung by bees while gardening and often brush them away gently with the back of my hand.

The mailman cut some of the Bee Balm down from around the mailbox. I kept moving the buzzing blooms away, but they had an affinity for the box. Once he did some cutting, I cut more away. Only 500 stems are left to bloom now. The cut ones bloomed right away, but much lower to the ground.

 Shasta Daisies grow in big clumps, but they need cutting to keep them budding and blooming. Fresh as a daisy soon looks like a dying weed. This is the mulch I use, but grassy weeds easily burst through it, even with a cardboard base underneath.

In fact, I will be cutting off blooms in the earliest  Bee Balm group to let them rebloom. Daisies and roses need and enjoy the same kind of regular pruning. Shasta Daisies become dark buttons quickly after blooming, and I planted them specifically for their hosting of beneficial insects.

Cutting promotes growth above and below. Likewise, many congregations go to seed because lazy clergy want to live off the endowment fund instead of tending to their work. The unrighteous servant took care of business, shrewdly, but the drones of the synods fail to see how their own children will have few educational opportunities and very few church occupations. Moreover, they have let the weeds take over, prolific growth in false doctrine, anti-Biblical approaches to everything - rank but sterile growth.

 This little fuzz-ball is as scary as a poodle.

Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me? - Hymn by Paul Gerhardt

The Morris biography of Gerhardt is linked here.

Luther wrote that the Gospel is not for the rich and secure, but for the poor and broken-hearted. Few Lutherans suffered as much as Gerhardt, and few wrote so beautifully for those afflicted with terrors of conscience, rejection, suffering, and persecution.


Tune - Warum sollt' ich mich denn graemen - linked here

"Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me?"
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. Why should cross and trial grieve me?
Christ is near With His cheer;
Never will He leave me.
Who can rob me of the heaven
That God's Son For my own
To my faith hath given?

2. Though a heavy cross I'm bearing
And my heart Feels the smart,
Shall I be despairing?
God, my Helper, who doth send it,
Well doth know All my woe
And how best to end it.

3. God oft gives me days of gladness;
Shall I grieve If He give
Seasons, too, of sadness?
God is good and tempers ever
All my ill, And He will
Wholly leave me never.

4. Hopeful, cheerful, and undaunted
Everywhere They appear
Who in Christ are planted.
Death itself cannot appall them,
They rejoice When the voice
Of their Lord doth call them.

5. Death cannot destroy forever;
From our fears, Cares, and tears
It will us deliver.
It will close life's mournful story,
Make a way That we may
Enter heavenly glory.

6. What is all this life possesses?
But a hand Full of sand
That the heart distresses.
Noble gifts that pall me never
Christ, our Lord, Will accord
To His saints forever.

7. Lord, my Shepherd, take me to Thee.
Thou art mine; I was Thine,
Even e'er I knew Thee.
I am Thine, for Thou hast bought me;
Lost I stood, But Thy blood
Free salvation brought me.

8. Thou art mine; I love and own Thee.
Light of Joy, Ne'er shall I
From my heart dethrone Thee.
Savior, let me soon behold Thee
Face to face, - May Thy grace
Evermore enfold me!

Hymn #523
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 73:23
Author: Paul Gerhardt
Translated by: composite, based on John Kelly, 1867
Titled: Warum sollt' ich mich denn graemen
Composer: Johann G. Ebeling, 1666
Tune: Warum sollt' ich mich denn graemen

Great King of Nations Hear Our Prayer - The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog

 Norma Boeckler's Christian Art

"Great King of Nations, Hear Our Prayer"
by John H. Gurney, 1802-1862

Tune - Old 137th - linked here

1. Great King of nations, hear our prayer
While at Thy feet we fall
And humbly with united cry
To Thee for mercy call.
The guilt is ours, but grace is Thine;
Oh, turn us not away,
But hear us from Thy lofty throne
And help us when we pray.

2. Our fathers' sins were manifold,
And ours no less we own;
Yet wondrously from age to age
Thy goodness hath been shown.
When dangers, like a stormy sea,
Beset our country round,
To Thee we looked, to Thee we cried,
And help in Thee was found.

3. With one consent we meekly bow
Beneath Thy chast'ning hand
And, pouring forth confession meet,
Mourn with our mourning land.
With pitying eye behold our need
As thus we lift our prayer;
Correct us with Thy judgments, Lord,
Then let Thy mercy spare.

Hymn #583
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 65:2
Author: John H. Gurney, 1838
Tune: "Old 137th"
1st Published in: Anglo-Genevan Psalter, 1556

Enslaved by Sin and Bound in Chains - The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog

 Norma Boeckler's Christian Art

"Enslaved by Sin and Bound in Chains"
by Anne Steele, 1716-1778

Tune - Wenn wir in hoechsten Noeten - linked here

1. Enslaved by sin and bound in chains,
Beneath its dreadful tyrant sway,
And doomed to everlasting pains,
We wretched, guilty captives lay.

2. Nor gold nor gems could buy our peace,
Nor all the world's collected store
Suffice to purchase our release;
A thousand worlds were all too poor.

3. Jesus, the Lord, the mighty God,
An all-sufficient ransom paid.
O matchless price! His precious blood
For vile, rebellious traitors shed.

4. Jesus the Sacrifice became
To rescue guilty souls from hell;
The spotless, bleeding, dying Lamb
Beneath avenging Justice fell.

5. Amazing goodness! Love divine!
Oh, may our grateful hearts adore
The matchless grace nor yield to sin
Nor wear its cruel fetters more!

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #141
Text: 1 Pet. 1:18-19
Author: Anne Steele, 1760
Tune: "Wenn wir in hoechsten Noeten"
1st Published in: Genevan Psalter, 1547

All Praise to God Who Reigns Above - The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog

 Norma A. Boeckler's Christian Art

"All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above"
by Johann J. Schuetz, 1640-1690

Tune - Lobet den Herrn, ihr - linked here

1. All praise to God, who reigns above,
The God of all creation,
The God of wonders, power, and love,
The God of our salvation!
With healing balm my soul He fills,
The God who every sorrow stills,--
To God all praise and glory!

2. What God's almighty power hath made
His gracious mercy keepeth;
By morning dawn or evening shade
His watchful eye ne'er sleepeth;
Within the kingdom of His might
Lo, all is just and all is right,--
To God all praise and glory!

3. I cried to Him in time of need:
Lord God, oh, hear my calling!
For death He gave me life indeed
And kept my feet from falling.
For this my thanks shall endless be;
Oh, thank Him, thank our God, with me,--
To God all praise and glory!

4. The Lord forsaketh not His flock,
His chosen generation;
He is their Refuge and their Rock,
Their Peace and their Salvation.
As with a mother's tender hand
He leads His own, His chosen band,--
To God all praise and glory!

5. Ye who confess Christ's holy name,
To God give praise and glory!
Ye who the Father's power proclaim,
To God give praise and glory!
All idols under foot be trod,
The Lord is God! The Lord is God!
To God all praise and glory!

6. Then come before His presence now
And banish fear and sadness;
To your Redeemer pay your vow
And sing with joy and gladness:
Though great distress my soul befell,
The Lord, my God, did all things well,--
To God all praise and glory!

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #19
Text: Deuteronomy 32:3
Author: Johann J. Schuetz, 1675, cento
Translated by: composite
Titled: "Sei Lob und Ehr' dem hoechsten Gut"
Composer: Melchior Vulpius, 1609
Tune: "Lobet den Herrn, ihr"

Every Morning Mercies New - The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog

 Norma Boeckler's Christian Art

"Every Morning Mercies New"
by Greville Phillimore, 1821-1884

Tune - Voller Wunder - linked here

1. Every morning mercies new
Fall as fresh as morning dew;
Every morning let us pay
Tribute with the early day;
For Thy mercies, Lord, are sure,
Thy compassion doth endure.

2. Still the greatness of Thy love
Daily doth our sins remove;
Daily, far as east from west,
Lifts the burden from the breast;
Gives unbought to those who pray
Strength to stand in evil day.

3. Let our prayers each morn prevail
That these gifts may never fail;
And as we confess the sin
And the Tempter's power within,
Feed us with the Bread of Life;
Fit us for our daily strife.

4. As the morning light returns,
As the sun with splendor burns,
Teach us still to turn to Thee,
Ever-blessed Trinity.
With our hands our hearts to raise
In unfailing prayer and praise.

Hymn #537
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Lam. 3:23
Author: Greville Phillimore, 1863, alt.
Composer: Johann G. Ebeling, 1666
Tune: "Voller Wunder"

Rain Predicted, So I Watered the Entire Rose Garden

 A dog can melt in this combination of heat and humidity.

The weather maps were showing some optimism about rain arriving mid-week, so I watered the entire Rose Garden. That is one technique to make it rain. Washing and waxing the car is the last desperate act to bring on a thunderstorm.

Clouds without rain - but plenty of thunder - arrived about 2 AM. Some rain is still expected, even though the radar suggests otherwise.

I water with a little gadget from Amazon. When it arrived, I thought it was some little toy thrown into the box. Previous watering tools were heavy and much more expensive. This one spits out water into the air and flings it around in circles.

Joe Pye is the clue that the soil is getting dry. The leaves wilt the way pumpkin and corn leaves do. I had some good Veterans Honor roses for Sunday, and Ranger Bob took them to the cemetery for his step-father and mother. More of them were glowing in the garden, and I wanted to keep them blooming.

The diligent gardener is bound to soak himself, I assume. The faucet is in the bushes - what a great place to hide it! Three locations water the garden with the water spinner. Inevitably, the water will fall on the faucet area and make changes tricky.

Sassy was not sympathetic. I washed her earlier so she would start drying. Towel drying and walking to see Bob were not enough to dry the undercoat. Waiting outside or sitting on a towel were not enough to make much difference. She was not angry with me, just disappointed.

Crepe Myrtle are drought hardy but they respond well to water. The one I dote on - by the kitchen window - is twice as tall as their kin planted in the bright sun, yet lacking extra rain portions. A total of nine of them will provide seeds in the fall for birds short on food.

As expected, Mrs. Gardener['s fence plants have grown under the fence and bloomed where I used to have roses. I saw that coming when Morning Glory compost was dropped along the fence, followed by Hosta and Day Lilies carefully planted. Those three are invasive, but Crepe Myrtles are bully plants, claiming their own turf by growing tall and throwing shade on the competition.

Watch the Water - China Is Flooding and Also Suffering Drought

China built the enormous Three Gorges Dam to control floods and to generate electricity. The dam was a failure from the beginning.


"In a recent interview with NTD TV, Huang’s son Huang Guanhong said if both the upstream Chongqing City and the downstream Wuhan face the risk of flooding in summer, the authorities will have to choose between sacrificing Chongqing or Wuhan. In other words, there is no way both cities can be saved."

https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-fatal-design-flaw-of-the-three-gorges-dam_3432959.html

That is also called "the tail waters versus the head waters." If the tail water builds up to protect the eastern city of Wuhan with 11 million people,  the western Chongqing City will flood. To save Chonqing City, Wuhan must be flooded with the head waters. Both are major cities. 

The authorities have also admitted that the dam is deformed, as satellite photos show. They sound fatalistic about the dam failing altogether.


If that is not bad enough, various articles claim that the dam was built with shoddy materials and not secured to the bedrock. That was noted by an outside engineering firm, which was fired for being racist, anti-Chinese. That may explain the dam showing definite deformation, a scary prospect given the damage caused by the Midland area earthen dams, which failed together - Edenville collapsing and overwhelming the Sanford dam.