HE Keeps Me Singing... Encouragement & Hope for January

There's within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet a low. "Fear not, I am with thee, Peace, be still" in all of life's ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know. Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.

The design for January's Encouragement Kit is based off of the hymn called "Keeps Me Singing As I Go" by Luther Bridgers. It was first published in 1910 when Luther Bridgers was working as an ordained minister of the gospel of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Bridgers penned several hymns, but this one is said to be his most famous.

The story of the composition of the hymn is disputed. One version says that while Bridgers was preaching the gospel at a conference in Kentucky, he learned of the deaths of his wife and three children in a fire that destoroyed his father in law's house. 

It is said that with tears in his eyes he expressed his faith in the Lord by penning the words of this hymn. The Lord kept him singing even during this unspeakable sorrow.

When I asked Pam about this design, she recalled painting the bird first, then searching for a hymn to go with it. The black and white bird resembles a black-capped chickadee, which is in fact a songbird. 

She then researched the backstory of this particular hymn and after reading about it, just soaked in the fact that suffering and sorrow is not new. People have been walking through it since the Garden. There have been countless people who God has worked through in the midst of great sorrow as they used words and songs to process their pain and write of His faithfulness in the midst of their storm... and there are countless people who have come after them who are continuing to receive the blessing of their honesty and obedience. God continues to use their stories for our good and His glory!

Just like the bird keeps singing with hopes of his future days, and just like Bridgers wrote in his hymn, we can keep singing knowing Jesus is always with us! In all of life's ebb and flows!

We have put this design on all of the products in the January Encouragement Kits, including an *exclusive* 15 ounce ceramic mug. Just like with all of our encouragement kits, we want you to use the products in the kits not only for their intended purpose, but to share encouragement with others. There are multiples of some products in the kits so that you can spread seeds of Truth with others!

If you are interested in receiving (or gifting!) monthly refills of encouragement, we would love to have you join our Lemonade Reminders family. We offer several options for our Encouragement Kits, but all are filled with God's Word, Truth and Love that we encourage you to share. You can see all of our options on our website here! 

Albert, S. (n.d.). He keeps me singing hymn story and lyrics – lyrics, videos and stories behind hymns. Lyrics, Videos And Stories Behind Hymns. Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://christianmusicandhymns.com/2019/09/he-keeps-me-singing-hymn-story-and.html