"He is Succour to the brave"

With Independence Day at the end of this week, I have resurrected my blogging for a bit. Tonight we shall visit a beautiful old hymn written in the shadow of a camp of Union soldiers stationed outside Washington D.C. early in the Civil War. I always enjoy looking up the lyrics to these old hymns as they are inevitably richer than the few verses I tend to remember. I do sing this one to my children at bedtime. However, I usually can only remember the 1st, 2nd, and 5th verses.

There is so much more here, I may have to expend some effort to recall them all next I share this with my little ones.

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:

His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:

His day is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

His day is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:

"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,

Since God is marching on."

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Since God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

While God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,

He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,

So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,

Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Welcome to Country Roads

Welcome and thanks for stopping by my newly started blog. As this is indeed a new adventure for me, I should start with introductions. This blog will focus on three main areas of my life. Three things that I believe really summarize who I am. In no particular order:

1. I am a patriot. I love my country. I'm fascinated by its history, it's people, culture. Not just our country in the larger, national sense; but in a regional sense as well. I was born and raised in central Illinois. I have a strong appreciation for the Midwest and its people and way of life. Don't be surprised to find posts on politics, history and life in farm country.

2. I am a man. I am a husband, a father, a leader in my church. I am (or strive to be) strong, steady, dependable, a protector and provider. Now, that didn't used to be such an earth-shattering assertion. However, I was born in the 1970's. For my entire life our culture has increasingly tried to convince me that I am an ignorant buffoon. That I am outdated, dangerous, a liability. Many men have taken this to heart. Many children don't have fathers, wives are without husbands, women are carrying rifles into combat to protect our country. I reject that world-view.

OK, this paragraph is turning into its own post. A somewhat preachy one at that, eh? Suffice to say that I intend to post a bit on family life and fatherhood. We plan on homeschooling our kids (currently 3 and almost 2 years old) so expect some posts on education as well.

3. I am a Christian. I attend a “Reformed Baptist” church and could best be described in that fashion. While the primary focus of this blog is not theology and theological issues, no discussion of my life and experience would be complete unless Christianity was woven throughout. In addition to the fact that posts on other subjects will either directly or indirectly reference the teachings of the Bible, I hope to post some occasional book reviews and Biblical responses to cultural events.

Please be patient as I figure out the technical side to blogging. I hope you'll add me to your regular reading lists. Please feel free to add your questions or comments on any posts, or posts you'd like to see.

~Gabriel