Why the Hymns?

My journey started with learning the stories behind the old hymns. It seems as though the individual must be crushed before they become a hymnist. Just as the grape on the vine does not become all it can be until it has been squeezed and the juice flows from it, so must the men and women of God be squeezed before they can become all He would have them be. Much as we would like it to be otherwise, we have but to look to Jesus and see the suffering He endured for us. We learn that God’s love, true love, requires sacrifice, suffering, pain. When one endures such trials, yielding to God, their life becomes a melody, the hymnist writes the song the Lord has put in their heart, sometimes a song of past suffering, sometimes of current crushing, and sometimes of future glory and rejoicing.

Further, originally, many of the hymns we know and love today, had their beginnings in the heart of the preacher who wanted to simplify and clarify the morning’s sermon. Once this was discovered, I began to “reverse engineer” them, discovering Scriptures supporting them, unfolding truths previously unknown. Before long, I had collected several hymns, the stories behind them, related Scriptures, and reflections on them.

Years–no, decades–ago, we attended church where the hymns were sung. Then we drifted to modern church music. Today, we have returned to the old hymns. Why? For the love of God,; for the love of hymns:

A Cup of Devotion makes it easy to enjoy your coffee and a hymn every morning. Just scan the image on your cup with your Smart Phone for the day’s online devotion, a mini sermon, a 5-minute Bible study. 

A good day starts with A Cup of Devotion.

• • • • A unique, interactive, hymn-inspired cup
      • Your morning coffee; your morning revival
      • Inspiring hope, restoring faith in troubled times
      • Something to think about, something to write about
      • Sing it out; live it out
      • Verses to live by
      • Start the day with a hymn, biblical truths, a deeper understanding of the way things work, and a challenge to live out what God is putting in you.

Prepare yourself to face the challenges of the day.

• • • • Let the Scriptures shape your worldview.
      • Let the hymns inspire your worship.
      • Let A Cup of Devotion make it possible.

As they say, “Let me write the hymns of the church and I care not who writes the theology.”

May you know the “Amazing Grace” of God, may you know deep within that “It is Well with My Soul”

Cindy Sekiguchi
A Cup of Devotion
“Hymns & devotions for Troubled Times”