If the last two years has taught us anything, it is that, despite the wonder of FaceTime, the convenience of Zoom, and the efficiency of texting and email, there is nothing like being “In Person.”

We have always known this with family. Though nice to be able to see someone on FaceTime, it is still a poor substitute for having the person right there with you. Schools have realized that while the computer is a handy tool, learning and social interaction occur best when teachers and students share the same physical space. And church attenders have learned that while you can hear the message in multiple ways, it is while in the community with other believers that one feels more a part of the body of Christ.

In Person is good. In Person is desirable. This is why when Christ told his disciples he was leaving (John 16), they were not happy. In fact, they were sorrowful, for they had been with Him––In Person––for three years. Now what?

This weekend, Easter, marks two life-altering events. It is the date that Christ provided the ultimate sacrifice for our sins thus providing the way of redemption and salvation …  and it started the countdown to the world-wide ministry of the Holy Spirit.

What the disciples initially saw as a huge personal loss, proved to be a universal gain, for now God, through the Holy Spirit, would be with each and every believer—In Person.

Happy Easter.

One of the more contentious issues afflicting today’s evangelical churches is the question of music. What should be played? Modern worship songs? The hymns of old? A combination? Will we lose attenders if we don’t get it right? Fortunately for you, this blog is not out to discuss nor solve this issue. Though I will say that Ephesians 5:19 (“speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord”) gives credence and license to both.



And I love both: the uplifting, soul-sharing message of the current worship songs as well as the theological, thought-provoking hymns of yore.

What I also enjoy are the stories behind the songs and hymns.

In a recent Sunday service, the pre-communion song was a hymn I hadn’t heard in a long time: “Jesus Paid It All.” It is such a beautiful hymn that I decided to look up the story behind it.

In short, Elvina Hall was sitting in the choir loft. Her pastor (Reverend Schrick) had just begun to preach, and when he mentioned God’s forgiveness and love, her attention moved immediately from the sermon to her own thoughts about “all that Christ has already done to provide our redemption.” She used the rest of the sermon not to listen to Reverend Schrick but to put those thoughts to pen and paper and write a poem.

Shortly after, she made this confession to her pastor and asked him if he would look at the verses while she waited.

He agreed and told her not to feel guilty, that “when the Word of God finds root in our lives . . . the Holy Spirit [can] take these talents and use them to bring a great spiritual blessing to His people.”

But the story doesn’t stop there. As he was reading, a tune his organist (John Grape) had penned and shared with him just days before came to mind. He had Elvina say the words aloud as she meant for them to be read while he played the tune in his head. According to Reverend Schrick it was a perfect match. And the rest is history.

This was not a coincidence. “Jesus Paid It All” is a collaboration of four: John Grape’s tune, the catalytic first few words of Reverend Schrick’s sermon, Elvina Hall’s poem, and the Holy Spirit who orchestrated the whole thing. That fourth member is always at work, nudging one to action, then moving this piece here and that piece there before bringing all the pieces together.

I have attached the words to “Jesus Paid It All” in case you don’t already know the lyrics and would like to see them. The site also provides the Newsboys rendition of the hymn. It has a couple of extra drums I’m sure John Grape hadn’t expected, but the tune has not been touched, albeit a tad bit louder.  Enjoy.

“Jesus Paid It All.” 101 More Hymn Stories. Regal Publications: Grand Rapids , Michigan. 1985. (pp. 160-161)

A year ago (summer 2020), like many people around the world we were having a family zoom call. AND, like many families, this call slid into a COVID discussion. AND, like many families, there was not uniform thinking on this issue. AND, as happened to many families, the discussion got a bit heated. I was on one end of the heat and another family member was on the other. I could see that this was moving quickly into unwanted territory (for me anyway), and I felt an urge to excuse myself from the zoom call and signed off. A mature thing to do.

Since then, this family member and I have had little contact because we don’t live close to each other, and when we did see each other via Zoom or FaceTime, we didn’t interact––at least I purposefully didn’t interact. NOT a mature thing to do.

I give you this backstory in order to tell you the good part.

A second incident happened recently (regarding a different topic), but this time my sister was also on the call. I was ready to add the incident to our ever growing emotional distance, but my sister wasn’t. She thought about it. I’m sure she prayed about it, and I am equally sure she felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to reach out. Which she did, in the most caring, unthreatening manner (which I learned about later). She had no idea how her actions would be received. In my eyes, this was an act of bravery.

To fully appreciate this next part, you need to know that my sister never mentioned me or the encounter from a year ago in her text.

The next morning, I received the most sincere apology from this family member not merely for the most recent encounter, but for the one over a year ago. Plus she admitted that the Holy Spirit had been working on her heart on many levels. Her apology, in my eyes, was a second act of bravery, as she had no idea how I would respond.

My sister’s courageous act opened the door for my relative’s equally courageous act. Meanwhile, I––the coward, the avoider, the keeper of offenses––benefited.

So here is what I have learned. Listening to the Holy Spirit and then obeying that push equals bravery, because it takes courage to reach out and confront in love and gentleness, and it takes just as much courage to be vulnerable and apologize.

I am eternally thankful for both my sister’s actions and my relative’s response, both heeding the urging of the Holy Spirit and then being obedient to it. Because of them, my relationship with my relative has been restored and in my eyes is stronger and deeper than it ever was.

Is the Holy Spirit talking to you today? Are you listening? Are you obeying? Are you being brave?