The Spirit

This is my walking time and my prayer time. I walk for about half an hour or so, and I rarely get done praying. So perhaps I should pray faster and/or walk farther!

Since I'm walking and praying, I don't have a list of prayer concerns in front of me -- just a mental list. I might pray for some people twice -- nothing wrong with that -- but there are others who might get forgotten occasionally, and I feel badly about that.

I wanted to share a song about The Spirit today, but have been trying to decide which song. I think I have decided:  "Sweet, Sweet Spirit" by Doris Akers. It is interesting that she wrote both the text and the tune. Many hymns and songs have different people writing the tune and the text -- or perhaps a collaboration of several people.

There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place, and I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord;
There are sweet expressions on each face, and I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

There are blessings you cannot receive 'til you know Him in His fullness and believe;
You're the one to profit when you say, "I am going to walk with Jesus all the way."

If you say He saved you from your sin, now you're weak, you're bound and cannot enter in;
You can make it right if you will yield -- you'll enjoy the Holy Spirit that we feel.

Here is the refrain following each of the three stanzas:

Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove, Stay right here with us, filling us with Your love;
And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise:
Without a doubt we'll know that we have been revived, when we shall leave this place.

Michael Olson, Minister of Music
molson@flcfargo.org