Hymn Book Angels

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” ~ Colossians 3:16-17

A friend of mine asked me for these directions a few days ago and as I looked through my files I couldn’t help but remember all of the angels God has placed in my life. I hope you can also think of one or two angels that you have been blessed to entertain on your journey!

Materials needed: Old Hymnal, Styrofoam ball (for head), Gold craft paint (optional), white craft glue, thin wooden dowel approx. 12 inches long (a shish-kabob skewer works well), a 12 inch pipe cleaner (gold or silver), coordinating craft paint

Instructions: Before you start making the hymnbook angel, find a song that you would like to use to cover the angel’s head. Put this aside until later.

Next, begin folding each page, starting in the middle of the hymn book, one by one, from the top corner of the page to the center to make the skirt for the hymnbook angel. continue doing this until you have folded approx. 1/4 of the pages from the back forward, and 1/4 of the pages from the front backward. You should end up with 1/2 of the hymn book folded in the center so it looks as if you have a skirt when the book is open.

After you have finished with the folding, put the book aside and take the page you removed, dip it in warm water, then wrap it around the Styrofoam ball being sure to smooth the folds and overlap the edges. You can insert the dowel into the ball now and stand upright to dry. (This takes approx. 6 – 8 hours)

Go back to the book and stand it up in the shape you would like it to have. Using a thinned out mixture of the white craft glue and water, brush the pages LIGHTLY so they are wet but not soaked through. Set aside to dry.

After everything has dried you can decorate the angel with a light brushing of the craft paint on the paper edges or the spine and book edges. This will give it a gilded effect. When the paint is dry (takes only a few minutes) assemble your angel by placing the dowel into the spine of the hymnal with the head now attached. Finally, attach the pipe cleaner as a halo on top of the head with some additional craft glue or hot glue.

You can also add lace, pearl beads, or other decorations to make your angel unique and give it personality!

May you be blessed to entertain your unique angels this year!

(For picture, go to attached link)

Hymns vs. Choruses

Gotta laugh at this one! Hope you enjoy :)

Old farmer Joe went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

"Well," said the farmer, "it was good. They did something different,
however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses?" said his wife. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They are sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

Joe said, "Well, it's like this - if I were to say to you, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well, that would be a hymn. If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

"Martha, Martha, Martha,
Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,
the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows
the white cows,
the black and white cows,
the COWS, COWS, COWS
are in the corn,
are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,
the CORN, CORN, CORN.

"Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be a praise chorus."

The next weekend, his nephew, a young, new Christian from the city came to visit his Uncle Joe and Aunt Martha. He attended their local church in the small town. When he went home his mother asked him how it was.

"Well," said the young man, "it was good. They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of praise choruses."

"Hymns?" asked his mother. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They are sort of like praise choruses, only different," said the young man.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his mother.

The young man said, "Well, it's like this - if Uncle Joe were to say to his wife, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well, that would be a praise chorus. If on the other hand, he were to say to her:

"Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

"For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense
Harkenest they in God's sun or His rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

"Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

"So look to the bright shining day by and by
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn
Where no vicious animals make my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'

"Then if he were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn."

Isn't it such a blessing to be a part of the body of Christ, to be together in all our differences and our familiarity? Praise God!

"Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name." ~ Psalm 30:4