Hymns I’ve Written

One of the great delights of my spiritual life in recent years has been the writing of new hymns. The process of writing a biblically-saturated hymn requires patient meditation on theological themes—particularly on the cross—and it has been a spiritual boon for me. Beyond my own enjoyment and edification, however, I’m burdened that the church needs new and thoughtful hymns to point us Christ-ward. Hymns, I say, for the trend in recent decades has been to write for choirs and soloists rather than for congregations. I believe these songs can be a blessing when sung as “special music,” but I’m particularly burdened to write songs that congregations can sing.

My very good friend Greg Habegger has proven to be a great teammate in this process. He’s a gifted musician with a knack for composing beautiful and singable tunes. We’ve worked on several songs together, and I’m hopeful we can produce many more in the future. We’ve been very encouraged by the testimonies and comments from others who have been blessed by the hymns. Praise the Lord!

At this point, when we have a new hymn to share, we’ll share it here. We’d be thrilled if you’d give the hymns a look or listen. Better yet, introduce them to your own church as a hymn of the month! Feel free to use them (without alteration, please) and pass them on to others.

May the Lord be magnified!

_______

Holy, Mighty, Worthy

My Jesus Fair

His Robes for Mine

I Love Your Church

  • (more information to come)

9 Responses to “Hymns I’ve Written”

  1. Sam Hendrickson, on December 4th, 2007 at 12:11 pm Said:

    Chris,
    fine hymns…question though, why write them with “thee” and “thou”, etc?

  2. Chris, on December 4th, 2007 at 2:03 pm Said:

    Hi, Sam.

    No reason, really. I used archaic pronouns for Holy, Mighty, Worthy because it just seemed to “fit,” both with the older, traditional feel of the hymn and with the rhyme scheme. To change them in that particular song would kind of “gut” it.

    I haven’t continued to use them in more recent songs, though, and I probably won’t in the future, at least not typically.

    FWIW, I think archaic language can be effectively retained at times without losing anything. For example, in Before the Throne of God Above has as modern a feel as any hymn we sing, yet it has words like “graven” and “thence.” I know it’s an older text, but I think avoiding archaisms at all cost can sometimes be a negative thing. Poetry sometimes just uses elevated speech: ‘Tis, fewer contractions, etc.

    Sorry for the rambling answer. Short answer: “It felt right.” :)

  3. lilrabbi, on January 14th, 2008 at 12:44 pm Said:

    My wife sang, “His Robes for Mine”, Sunday morning. Pastor Hartog liked it so much he asked Jessica if he could get a copy to use in his own devotions. She got many comments from people about the song, and not just the people that gush about everything! :)

  4. Chris, on January 15th, 2008 at 12:13 pm Said:

    Praise the Lord, Jesse!

  5. His Robes for Mine >> Defined by Grace, on January 21st, 2008 at 9:36 am Said:

    [...] This is a really good song that my sister showed me the other day. [...]

  6. Jerry Maxwell, on March 3rd, 2008 at 10:27 pm Said:

    Chris,
    I love your hymns. We used ” My Jesus, Fair ” last month for our hymn of the month at Calvary. Everyone seemed to love the hymn. I plan to use your others in the near future. The texts are wonderful and the music is stiring and beautiful- [pass that on to Greg]
    Thank you for writing meaningful and appropriate hymns which honor our Holy God and Savior. Thank you also for making them accessible.
    In Christ, Jerry Maxwell

  7. Chris, on March 3rd, 2008 at 11:10 pm Said:

    Hi, Jerry.

    Thank you for your kind words. Praise the Lord! There are few church musicians I admire as much as you, friend, so your compliment means much!

    Perhaps I’ll twist your arm about working on a choral arrangement of one of they hymns sometime… :)

    Speaking of which, thank you for the arrangement of Immanuel (From the Squalor) you sent for Christmas. Our choir used it and we enjoyed it very much!

  8. Ryan C., on April 3rd, 2008 at 9:20 am Said:

    Chris,

    I just moved to Nebraska to begin work as a youth pastor. We sang My Jesus Fair last night with the teens and they really seemed to like it. The tune is very well written and complements the message well. Praise God for music that properly exalts the person and work of Christ! Keep up the good work.

    Ryan

  9. Kevin Plew, on May 12th, 2008 at 10:03 am Said:

    Chris,
    Our church has decided to add your songs as a supplement to our congregational singing repertoire. I have especially enjoyed “My Jesus, Fair”. We sang it last night for the first time and I received many positive comments. Our churches need more music like this–with singable tunes and rich doctrinal message. In publishing our supplement, I also published the doctrinal reasons for the verses that you have published on your sight, and I have encouraged our people to read through them to understand the hymn and worship better. Thank you again for all of your work and hope there are many more to come.
    Kevin

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