Have you ever noticed how you can be singing an old song and like totally zone out while you're singing it? I have found myself contemplating in great detail my lunch plan or grocery list while simultaneously perfectly singing the songs in church. This seems to especially happen with old hymns that I've known my whole life. But then, every so often, the Holy Spirit moves, even in something I've heard a million times, and it becomes new. When I realized that old hymns have so much to offer, HymnTalk was born. I'm so stoked to dive into these old hymns that I grew up singing and find something new and meaningful, enriching my worship. It's in with the old, to see something new! It's time for HymnTalk!
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Ready to talk about victory today? I know I am. This is one of the most encouraging and uplifting hymns I've done so far. I don't think it is quite as popular of a hymn, and I've never given it much thought before, so I was surprised by how much it inspired me this week. I hope you'll enjoy listening to Faith Is the Victory.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
How perfect to talk about rising from the dead on Halloween, am I right? But in all seriousness, it is sweet to spend some time in an atypical time of year celebrating Jesus's resurrection with the most classic Easter hymn ever known to humankind, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Get ready for a bonus episode in which I majorly nerd out on why this tune is so musically wonderful and satisfying. We talk about all those nerd terms I learned in my choral music college days like text painting, motifs, and form, but, like, in ways that are fun and engaging. Hope you enjoy our Good-Friday-in-October bonus episode, Were You There.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Get ready to nerd out on some history of hymnody, and how Isaac Watts pioneered a whole bunch of it, including several minutes of me being a total dweeb about poetic meter. I imagine normal people may find this boring, but I find it FASCINATING! Feel free to fastforward if you're bored to tears. ;) We also talk about these powerful lyrics, how they bring us to a place where we have to make a move and change, and the impact of that move - the single most important thing we can do with our lives is to follow Jesus. He DEMANDS our life, our soul, our all. Thanks so much for listening!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
When I was writing this one, I knew it was going to be a long one. Whew! But I just couldn't cut anything. This hymn is CHOCK FULL of scripture, and it has so many beautiful and important things to reflect on about Jesus's sacrifice. What is propitiation? If you don't know, you're gonna find out! What lame joke did Melody and her college choir director make at exactly the same time while working on this hymn? You'll know! And, BONUS, Ryan recorded an awesome arrangement of the hymn - we all knew he could beatbox, but whoa, we've been missing his mad skillz on this podcast in the past, and he's about to get attacked with requests! Thanks so much for listening to HymnTalk!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Oh goodness. This hymn has a great backstory. The essay that inspired it totally blew my mind. I've been meditating on it for days and days and days! Enjoy Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, and don't forget that when we focus on Him, everything else just doesn't matter as much. Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
What does it mean to abide with Jesus? And what does it mean when we ask him to abide with us? Let's talk about some of my favorite poetry ever - Abide with Me.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Thanks for listening to HymnTalk! This week, we're talking about Softly and Tenderly, a sweet invitation hymn about the patience of Jesus as he calls us to himself.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
We're back with a full episode! Undoubtedly one of the most beloved hymns of all time, this week we talk about How Great Thou Art. Thanks for listening!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Hey there! It has been a while since I've been able to upload an episode of HymnTalk, and this short bonus episode explains a little more of why. Get excited for HymnTalk to return regularly now! Thanks for listening!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
The shortest episode yet, but its definitely one of my favorites. What an incredible hymn! In this episode, we discuss Jesus's suffering body as he hangs on the cross and how that relates to our lives. My favorite line is undoubtedly the last: "Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for thee." I hope you'll take a listen to O Sacred Head, Now Wounded as we begin this Lenten season.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
In this episode, we discuss the background of the story What a Friend We Have in Jesus. What a privilege it is to be able to turn to Jesus for anything, and to look forward to the day when all relationships are perfect. Thank you, Jesus, for being our friend.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Come hang out with my dad, Dr. Steve Hamrick, and me as we talk about his favorite hymn, Blessed Assurance, written by the infamous Fanny Crosby. We talk about my dad's background in worship and hymnology (maybe that's where I get it from ;)!) and all about Fanny Crosby's fascinating life and experience as a hymn writer and poet. Then, as always, we dive into the deeper meaning of the lyrics, where we experience God right now on earth with our senses, and we imagine what it'll be like someday when we're in heaven with him.Autobiography of Fanny Crosby mentioned in the episode:Ruffin, Bernard. Fanny Crosby: (Heroes of the Faith); United Church Press, 1975https://www.amazon.com/Fanny-Crosby-Heroes-Faith-Concordia/dp/1593103832 Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Today we're talking about one of my favorites, even from childhood, Take My Life and Let It Be. There's discussion of Psalty kids musicals from the 80s - do y'all remember those? Ah! I loved them! Because that's where I first learned this hymn. And it's such a good one about giving every part of your life to the LORD. Enjoy, and be blessed in your walk with the LORD and in your worship. :)Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Written by a wife and mom in the middle of her everyday tasks, this hymn speaks deeply to my heart. We can be full of the Spirit of God, in communion with Him, even in our most boring of daily tasks. May you be filled with purpose right where you are as you listen to I Need Thee Every Hour.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Happy New Year! And in the spirit of the new year, let's talk about vision. I can't get enough of it - goals and dreams and hopes for this year, especially following last year! But our goals and dreams and hopes and visions mean nothing if not rooted in Christ. So let's study an old favorite, "Be Thou My Vision" to see how God speaks through this hymn in light of the new year.It's in with the old to see something new. It's time for HymnTalk - 2021!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
The hymn from the Titanic legend is based on the story of Jacob's ladder. So how in the world are those things connected? Listen and find out! Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
This is probably my favorite episode I've recorded so far. The LORD just spoke to me in this! I pray He speaks to you, too. We talk about grace - what it even is, and why it moved John Newton so much that he wrote a whole song about it - and why that song has become so beloved to generations.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
Get ready, y'all, cause we jump right into the deep end on this one! In this episode, we talk about the background of the hymn Because He Lives and the significance of Jesus's resurrection, which is everything to us in our faith, so that leads us right into the deepest waters. I'm so grateful for Christ's resurrection, and this hymn means so much more to me after studying it! I can't wait to share it with you!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
In this episode, special guest Ryan Kneezel (also known as my husband) and I talk about It Is Well with My Soul - how this hymn started this resurgence of hymn-love for us, the heartbreaking story behind the composition of the lyrics, and how it continues to encourage us as we face tough circumstances in our life together.Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
In this episode, I get super excited (as usual) as I talk about the meaning behind Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. We talk a lot about my favorite words from this one: "bind my wandering heart to thee," (any other #enneagram7 folks out there? Wanderers for life!) and "prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above." God seals us into his grace, and we are free in that, not stuck. It's GREAT. And it moves me. Hope you'll take a listen!Let me know if there are any hymns you'd love to hear about!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
I'm so excited to launch my new podcast, HymnTalk with Melody Kneezel. I love thinking about the words to old hymns that I've sung a bazillion times and inherently know the words to, but haven't ever really thought about them before. It turns out that they are deeply rooted in Scripture and allow us to worship in a new, authentic way. And even though they are old, they directly relate to our lives today. In this episode, we talk about Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, a hymn that uses an idea established by Beethoven in his 9th symphony, after he was completely deaf. How could Beethoven find ultimate joy, the subject of the hymn, after become completely deaf? How could a musician find joy without being able to hear? It totally floors me! Hope you'll take a listen!What hymns do you want to hear about? Let me know!Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod)
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