Favorite New CD

On Sunday night, after hearing Derek Webb and his wife Sandra McCracken perform many of their songs, I picked up Sandra McCracken's solo hymns CD, "The Builder and the Architect." She's taken many older hymns from the 18th and 19th centuries and has set them to her own arrangements, ones which allow for full meditation on the words of the songs. She also has a few songs on the CD that she's written the lyrics for. And I think it speaks well of her hymn-writing ability that I have a hard time telling which song was written in 1799 and which was written in 2005. If you click on the link above, you can hear samples of the songs and read her explanations of each song. I highly recommend this CD if you're looking for music that will deepen your enjoyment of God and the gospel.

One of my favorite songs from the CD is "Jesus, the Lord, My Savior Is," a quiet song performed with guitar and cello:

Jesus, the Lord, my Savior is,
My Shepherd, and my God;
My light, my strength, my joy, my bliss,
And I His grace record.

Whate'er I need in Jesus dwells,
And there it dwells for me
'Tis Christ my earthen vessel fills
With treasures rich and free.

Mercy and truth and righteousness
And peace most richly meet
In Jesus Christ, the King of grace,
In Whom I stand complete.

As through the wilderness I roam
His mercies I'll proclaim
And when I safely reach my home
I'll still adore His name.

"Worthy the Lamb," shall be my song,
"For He for me was slain;"
And with me all the heavenly throng
Shall join and say, "Amen."

Mercy and truth and righteousness
And peace most richly meet
In Jesus Christ, the King of grace,
In Whom I stand complete.

Words: William Gadsby, 1814
Music: Sandra McCracken, 2001