Welcome back to “The Porch”. Lot been going on out front but here on the porch its quite and provides a time of much needed reflection. I remember when my grandmother’s sister…everyone knew her as Aunt Mattie, family or not it was Aunt Mattie. She would always show up if one of us kids got a cold or really came down with anything. Back in the day my grandmother, who we called…Nonie…would call Dr. Long and he would show up at the house. Thats right, a house call, little black bag and a shot of penicillin followed by a glass of buttermilk. What I could never figure out was how Aunt Mattie beat him there every time with her personal “the kid is sick” medicine. It consisted of a teaspoon of Jack Daniels, equal amount of sugar, then to bed and every blanket in the house piled on top of you. Come morning you were soaking wet…but no fever. You would celebrate that with a bowl of steaming hot cream of wheat toped off with a table spoon of butter on top…real butter. I do believe that nothing says I love You more than cream of wheat and butter on top…real butter. There was something else I began to ponder and it went back to a better time and a warm and safe feeling that our kids are missing out on these days.

Those old church hymns… There were still some of those Tent Revivals going on and while I only remember going to one I can still smell that musty sawdust smell and canvas on a muggy summers eve. But it was the hymns I remember most. There was what I came to know as I got older the usual Hell and Damnation preaching and in some cases it didn’t stop until the Preacher’s voice gave out from all that hollering. But then the lady that played the piano, the hymn leader, usually of a rather stout build started to play all those wonderful hymns and there was not a hand in that tent that wasn’t raised nor a voice not raised in praise to the Lord. So as I leave the porch this evening see if you recall any of these wonderful hymns from back in a time life was simple. This one is for all you old Methodists that weren’t aware that we were at one time a pretty lively group.

“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” Charles Wesley

Amazing Grace // John Newton, England (1779)

How Great Thou Art // Carl Gustav Boberg, Sweden (1885)

It is Well // Horacio  Spafford

Blessed Assurance // Fanny Crosby, New York City, USA (1873)

What a Friend We Have in Jesus // Joseph M. Scriven and Charles Converse, Ireland (1868)

“The Old Rugged Cross” – George Bennard

 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” – Thomas Chisholm

“Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me” – Augustus Toplady

God Bless…Come back to “The Porch” next week.