Blessed Jesus – Joey Holder

He lived a short 51 years, but his beliefs were written for all to see in the song “Blessed Jesus” and several others that he composed. Though one could be sad, realizing that he died at a relatively young age, there’s a peace too, knowing that he lived to share His Spirit in music, and helped others worship that way too. Joey Holder, praise and worship leader at Calvary Fellowship Church in Florence, Alabama…that’s how his friends and loved ones remember him. He evidently touched many people, and was involved in producing music for albums for 20-30 years, quite an accomplishment for anyone. But, one suspects that Joey’s goals were not earthly ones, but ones best summed up in the words of the song that he composed in 1987.

Holder was 28 years old when he wrote “Blessed Jesus”, and had already been engaged in music productions for at least the previous five years. Let’s see, that means he began in his early 20’s, singing background vocals for an album Will McFarlane cut called “Right from the Start” in 1982. It wasn’t long before he took on more, for he’s listed as a songwriter, among other roles, on McFarlane’s 1984 album “A Colony of Heaven”. He also apparently wrote songs for Mylon LeFevre’s “Faith, Hope and Love” album in 1992, too. In between those two album efforts was the “Blessed Jesus” song he wrote. One wouldn’t have to read his biography (in his obituary) to assume he was gifted, given what we see of his ability in this one song. The tune’s words tell us he was looking to Him for peace, comfort, and communion. Joey must have been like many of the rest of us who’ve ever lived in their 20’s, with life having some dips, mingled with hopes and dreams propelling one forward. But, his song words suggest he was counting on Him for life’s accomplishments…”as I look to You alone”.  It’s good to know he’d figured this out then, and one can imagine it must have stuck with him and been communicated to others about him for the next couple of decades, given the role he played at the Alabama church.

What would people say about me if my biography concluded today? What would yours sound like? Joey Holder had dozens of people writing remembrances of him at his memorial. Will McFarlane, his partner on their 1982 album, evidently provided some of the music at his friend’s memorial. …think one of them might have been “Blessed Jesus”? That would be a pretty good line in anyone’s biography, one of which his family could be proud. His brother Jesus is perhaps blessing him right now, because of this. Think of it…Joey asked for a blessing in 1987, blessed us with a song, and now he’s blessed by the Blessed One. Kinda great how that works, huh?

   

This link is an obituary for Joey Holder, who died April 30, 2010 at the age of 51. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesdaily/obituary.aspx?n=joey-e-holder&pid=142455554&fhid=7055

 

This is the Facebook page for the Calvary Fellowship Church in Florence, Alabama where Joey Holder was the worship pastor/minister:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Calvary-Fellowship/334585099001

Other songs by Holder include:  “Holy Lord”; “ I Will Sing to the Lord Forever”; “Unto the King (Now Unto the King)”; ”We Are Your Treasure” , according to this site:  http://www.innerechos.com/authors/Joey+Holder

He’s listed as the songwriter on two albums by singers Will McFarlane and Mylon LeFevre at this link. He also contributed to two other albums by them. All four albums were produced between 1982 and 2003:

http://www.christianmusicarchive.com/artist/joey-holder#credits

Blessed Be Your Name – Matt and Beth Redman

Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. (Nehemiah 9:5)

Thank you. It’s a pretty common phrase. Yet, it’s sometimes difficult for us to vocalize the words. Even to God, to whom a believer owes so much, a thanksgiving might be forgotten amongst other emotions. That ‘s the sense that Matt and Beth Redman convey in their book “Blessed Be Your Name”, a detailed exposition of their thoughts that are summed up in the song by the same name. How does one say ‘thanks’ to the Almighty, the eternal God? Is blessing the Lord possible?


Maybe that’s why I say it so seldom, because I think the words are so inadequate for Him. How can I, a puny human, ‘bless’ His name. Do a keyword search in your online Bible using the words ‘bless’ and’ Lord’, and it’s usually Him blessing us (depending on the Bible translation version you use), with God’s people exhorted on a rare occasion to bless Him, during Nehemiah’s time (see the passage above). So maybe that’s why it seems so foreign, this ‘blessing the Lord’ idea. The Redmans write that we need to cultivate, to nurse along the gratitude attitude, because it’s so easily ignored in a human’s heart, perhaps as rare as the Biblical phrase ‘bless the Lord’. They challenge us to consider the following which can be taken for granted: the human body – my brain, my heart, my skin, and my senses, all of which are marvels of complexity. Also, where would I be without food, and the many avenues God has paved for its provision? What about family and friends? And, the list goes on, if you just stop and look around. That’s one chapter in the Redmans’ book. The song tells us that there’s another side to ‘blessing God’ – when times are tough. What’s their advice on ‘blessing’ in the wilderness and the desert, where it’s dark? Job’s words (1:21) resonate with those who have traveled this way. That chapter (or chapters) is also part of the Redmans’ testimony, with a hint of it in the song.


 The Redmans have not discovered something novel, nor been the first to express it in song. Their 21st Century rendition has echoes from other composers, and they call out to them in their writing, to Fanny Crosby’s “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross” and Thomas Chisholm’s “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. So, “Blessed Be Your Name”, though a Dove song- and album-of-the-year (2005 and 2006) award-winning effort, owes its heritage to others. Its message stands on the shoulders of so many predecessors, even since Noah (Genesis 9:26). The Redmans say that thankfulness in the temporal things around me give me opportunity to practice, to nurture my gratitude. This practice will make me more conscious of weightier matters, like salvation, God’s mercy and grace, His renewal of my existence. That’s not apparent in their song, but their book spells out this message, that this maturation will further propel my ‘blessing the Lord’. It should be a message I communicate in an upbeat attitude to others, even if there are challenges here below. An elder (Larry Campbell) I knew went on to his reward recently, after a life of blessing, of positive communication. When asked, he often replied that he was “doing fantastic…because of the Lord.” That’s blessing Him, isn’t it? You pass it along to others, in order to bless the Lord. I have the feeling the blessing will continue in heaven.

See the following sites for Matt Redman’s comments on the song “Blessed Be Your Name”, a sample chapter of the book by the same name as the song, and for biographic information on him: C:\Documents and Settings\David\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\G3OMDD06\BlessedName_Sample[1].pdf

http://www.mattredman.com/bio.php

http://www.mattredman.com/writings.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Redman

The Lord Bless You and Keep You – Peter C. Lutkin

Priest: someone who administers religious rites in the church, who makes sacrifices to God as an official of the church. I have hardly ever though of myself in that way, have you? That’s the role I invoke as I sing Peter C. Lutkin’s song “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”, a scary proposition when I think about it. I don’t put on a robe, nor sprinkle holy water, but I do stand before God to make an appeal to Him to bless someone. A sincere appeal, a desire so pressing that I call out God’s name three times in this brief invocation. And this is something a body of people, not just one individual to another, has done for others, traditionally. Perhaps that’s why it taps into our emotions as believers, as we together call out our plea to Him. It’s a very basic, moving prayer, an expression of care and love among family. This was not discovered by Lutkin when he composed the song, but instead draws upon words believers have known for three millennia, first used by Aaron and his sons. Did they sing it? We can, because of Peter Lutkin.

 Peter Lutkin was born and educated in the American Midwest, although he also studied some in Europe. He began as an organist while a child in an Episcopal church in Chicago, and also sang and studied choral music. He became well-known as professor and dean of the Northwestern University’s Conservatory of Music in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and was primarily engaged in church and choral music throughout his life. Lutkin is credited with reviving the university’s music school, which had declined and was in danger of discontinuing by the last decade of the 19th Century. He was perhaps best known for organizing and leading the A Cappella Choir in 1906 at Northwestern, the first permanent organization of its kind in America, and many of his musical compositions were created for this group to perform. He composed “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” in 1900, originally for four-part vocal harmony, without accompaniment, which is traditionally sung as a closing benediction in churches, and especially at the closing of a wedding, prayer response, or as a communion hymn. One of Lutkin's most noteworthy endeavors also was the North Shore Music Festival, which began in 1910 and became internationally famous under his leadership.

 It’s June, the time of year when couples are making marital vows. Lots of teenagers and young men and women are also at turning points – graduation. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if Peter Lutkin composed this benediction as he watched students graduating from Northwestern. As we celebrate these occasions, Lutkin’s inspiration helps us link back to a centuries-old practice. I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a priest, but it never gets old to look people in the eye and say ‘take care, be blessed by Him’.

A short biography on the composer is available in the following publication: Favorite Wedding Classics for Solo Singers, by Patrick Liebergen, Alfred Publishing, publication date unknown. More information on Peter C. Lutkin was found at the website:http://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/fedora/get/inu:inu-ead-nua-19-1-1/inu:EADbDef11/getEntireFindingAidHTML