Chills in Church

I love to sing. I don't sing exceptionally well, but I can carry a tune and read music and I enjoy music of all shapes and kinds. A quick scroll through my iPod will reveal rap, Broadway show tunes, Disney and Veggie Tales songs, Celtic women, country, contemporary Christian, classic rock, and even classical music. As much as I love all kinds of music, I especially love to sing in church. A classic church hymn sung particularly well will give me chills and bring tears to my eyes. This is one of the things I miss most about Harding~ the singing in chapel. I love hearing all four parts of harmony blending and shifting and separating into one glorious tune. Certain songs, though, cause me to break into chill bumps even when they're not particularly well-sung. I love certain hymns more than others (don't we all?), and thought I would share of few of my favorites and what makes them special to me.

"Holy Holy Holy"~ One of the few songs for which I sing the alto part. Not because I can't sing the soprano part, but because the alto part is so solid and so soulful. Often a line from this song pops into my head in the morning ("Early in the morning my song shall rise to Thee"), and I associate this song with all things lovely and new. I could sing this every Sunday and not grow weary of it.

"It is Well with my Soul" ~ I love the alto part in this song too, though that is not my favorite part. I love the words in the last verse:

"And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend..."

My heart races everytime I hear those words, and I like to think that if the Lord were to release a soundtrack, this would be the last track on it.

"In the Garden" ~ Part of the reason I love to sing is because my mom sang to me as a baby and toddler. I know she sang many songs, and even made up a few as she went along, but the only song I actually remember her singing is this one. I can't even sing it in church, because I start crying~ just as Mom is probably crying right now. Love you Mama!

"Where the Soul Never Dies"~ I don't know for sure why I associate this song with my Magra Peggy (my mom's mom), but I can't sing this one without crying either. I also cry everytime I pass through a Crabtree and Evelyn store, because it smells like Magra in there.

"The Greatest Command"~ This is the most recent song on the list. I heard this song for the first time at Haskell Singing School in 1997, and it remains one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.

Feel free to share your own list!!