O beautiful for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
and crown thy hood with brotherhood
from sea to shining sea.
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
and every gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
The words and music to this consummate patriotic American song were written in the late 19th century by Katharine Lee Bates and Samuel A. Ward respectively. The America of popular culture today challenges the meanings of nearly every line. The following post is from March of 2011....seven years ago! Following this post are words to a hymn written by John Newton. The above song is temporal in importance but the hymn below is eternal. The glory of the song will fade. The glory to He whom the hymn praises is imperishable. The words of the song could have never been written without the mercies written of in the hymn extended.
"America, America....God Mend Thine Every Flaw"
for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
and crown thy hood with brotherhood
from sea to shining sea.
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
and every gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
The words and music to this consummate patriotic American song were written in the late 19th century by Katharine Lee Bates and Samuel A. Ward respectively. The America of popular culture today challenges the meanings of nearly every line. The following post is from March of 2011....seven years ago! Following this post are words to a hymn written by John Newton. The above song is temporal in importance but the hymn below is eternal. The glory of the song will fade. The glory to He whom the hymn praises is imperishable. The words of the song could have never been written without the mercies written of in the hymn extended.
"America, America....God Mend Thine Every Flaw"
Not since the Civil War has America been imperiled as it is today. The national debt can never be paid down. We are so globally intertwined that even if we straightened out our own economic paths, we are handcuffed to others who have no desire to do so. China, no friend to us whatsoever, at least their civilian and military leadership, can bring us down if they want to, and if their own current events go south they may implement this option. Israel is surrounded and its enemies, like a pack of wolves or shiver of sharks, need only the smell of blood to unleash another war. Russia (Putin) would sell our enemies the noose to hang us. Both China and Russia are building their militaries while we are weakening ours.
Our media, in the main, hates conservative principles and our traditions and heritage to such an extent that the Marxist Bill Ayers/Saul Alinsky cabal has a veritable free rein in propagandizing our postmodern, politically correct, idol craving culture. Our borders are porous, bureaucrats legislate and privileges are now seen as rights. The events of 9/11 even pale in comparison to the organized effort today on every level to bring us down. .
I wrote the following in a November 13, 2009 post titled America...The Beautiful....."We know who built this nation. They were in the pulpits, pews and courts, on farms and in the cities, under pilgrim, tricorn and coonskin caps, Civil War kepis, Cavalry hats, helmets and berets. They cooked and sewed and drove rivets when needed. They wore blue and grey, G. I. Brown, navy white, air force blue, jungle and desert camo." Heroes are born in the cauldron of trying times and we are seeing them again today. How about the Christian women who in their limited free time would rather read of Ruth and Orpah than watch Ellen and Oprah, or Christian fathers whose children see them thanking God before every meal, or faithful pastors who say you can keep the crowds, I'll preach Christ and seek the approval of the crowds of witnesses gone on before, or of those teachers whose first priority is still the children, or of conservatives on university campuses who are too bright to be scammed, or of every country music singer that sings of God, family and country, or of every retiree who did their part and now shares their wisdom, or of every union member who says I'll fight for what is right and not for what isn't, or of every janitor at a Tea Party who is a giant compared to the executive who would rather be on the golf course, or of our military in every mess hall and PX....and behind every desk or 50mm gun....wearing either private stripes or brass?
These are only some of our heroes. This nation may not survive. Why God has not ended this experiment as of now is the real mystery but even if we do survive there will always at least be a remnant giving glory to God for past mercies given to us that we might help others.
Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me...
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
we have already come.
Twas Grace that brought us safe thus far,
and Grace will lead us home.
The Lord hash promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.
When we've been here ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
then when we've first begun.
Our media, in the main, hates conservative principles and our traditions and heritage to such an extent that the Marxist Bill Ayers/Saul Alinsky cabal has a veritable free rein in propagandizing our postmodern, politically correct, idol craving culture. Our borders are porous, bureaucrats legislate and privileges are now seen as rights. The events of 9/11 even pale in comparison to the organized effort today on every level to bring us down. .
I wrote the following in a November 13, 2009 post titled America...The Beautiful....."We know who built this nation. They were in the pulpits, pews and courts, on farms and in the cities, under pilgrim, tricorn and coonskin caps, Civil War kepis, Cavalry hats, helmets and berets. They cooked and sewed and drove rivets when needed. They wore blue and grey, G. I. Brown, navy white, air force blue, jungle and desert camo." Heroes are born in the cauldron of trying times and we are seeing them again today. How about the Christian women who in their limited free time would rather read of Ruth and Orpah than watch Ellen and Oprah, or Christian fathers whose children see them thanking God before every meal, or faithful pastors who say you can keep the crowds, I'll preach Christ and seek the approval of the crowds of witnesses gone on before, or of those teachers whose first priority is still the children, or of conservatives on university campuses who are too bright to be scammed, or of every country music singer that sings of God, family and country, or of every retiree who did their part and now shares their wisdom, or of every union member who says I'll fight for what is right and not for what isn't, or of every janitor at a Tea Party who is a giant compared to the executive who would rather be on the golf course, or of our military in every mess hall and PX....and behind every desk or 50mm gun....wearing either private stripes or brass?
These are only some of our heroes. This nation may not survive. Why God has not ended this experiment as of now is the real mystery but even if we do survive there will always at least be a remnant giving glory to God for past mercies given to us that we might help others.
Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me...
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
we have already come.
Twas Grace that brought us safe thus far,
and Grace will lead us home.
The Lord hash promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.
When we've been here ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
then when we've first begun.
