All good stuff, above. I like "Peace be still" too, and a lot of others of that kind: "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart", "Jesus Saves", "The Ninety and Nine" and more. When I need to slow down, I'm a big fan of Whispering Hope.

Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word:
Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the shower is gone.

Refrain
Whispering hope, oh how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.

If, in the dusk of the twilight,
Dim be the region afar,
Will not the deepening darkness
Brighten the glimmering star?
Then when the night is upon us,
Why should the heart sink away?
When the dark midnight is over,
Watch for the breaking of day.

Refrain

Hope, as an anchor so steadfast,
Rends the dark veil for the soul,
Whither the Master has entered,
Robbing the grave of its goal.
Come then, O come, glad fruition,
Come to my sad weary heart;
Come, O Thou blest hope of glory,
Never, O never depart.

Refrain

But I also like these F.W.Faber words, as we sing it in the North American Welsh hymnal to the Caradog Roberts tune, In Memoriam. I went looking for a blue-clicky, as I doubt if the tune is familiar to people here; interestingly, I only found it as Sacred Harp music (tune in the 'tenor' line) here. Faber wrote the words, I guess, as 4 line verses, but we double them up to be 8 line verses to fit the tune.

There's a wideness in God's mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.
There is no place where earth's sorrows
Are more felt than up in Heaven;
There is no place where earth's failings
Have such kindly judgment given.

There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.

But we make His love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.
If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.

I grew up also singing "Diadem" (the 'all hail the power" words) in the Welsh singing festivals – great stuff. One of many hymns that are big favourites with the ex-pat community.

Jim, which tune do you use for "In Christ there is no east or west"?

Rapaire, on an 'up' note, I've always felt that Stan Rogers' "Mary Ellen Carter" was a good 'un.


sian