Ready to talk about victory today? I know I am. This is one of the most encouraging and uplifting hymns I've done so far. I don't think it is quite as popular of a hymn, and I've never given it much thought before, so I was surprised by how much it inspired me this week. I hope you'll enjoy listening to Faith Is the Victory. Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod ..read more

How perfect to talk about rising from the dead on Halloween, am I right? But in all seriousness, it is sweet to spend some time in an atypical time of year celebrating Jesus's resurrection with the most classic Easter hymn ever known to humankind, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today. Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod ..read more

Get ready for a bonus episode in which I majorly nerd out on why this tune is so musically wonderful and satisfying. We talk about all those nerd terms I learned in my choral music college days like text painting, motifs, and form, but, like, in ways that are fun and engaging. Hope you enjoy our Good-Friday-in-October bonus episode, Were You There. Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod ..read more

Get ready to nerd out on some history of hymnody, and how Isaac Watts pioneered a whole bunch of it, including several minutes of me being a total dweeb about poetic meter. I imagine normal people may find this boring, but I find it FASCINATING! Feel free to fastforward if you're bored to tears. ;) We also talk about these powerful lyrics, how they bring us to a place where we have to make a move and change, and the impact of that move - the single most important thing we can do with our lives is to follow Jesus. He DEMANDS our life, our soul, our all. Thanks so much for listening! Support the ..read more

I'm so excited to launch my new podcast, HymnTalk with Melody Kneezel. I love thinking about the words to old hymns that I've sung a bazillion times and inherently know the words to, but haven't ever really thought about them before. It turns out that they are deeply rooted in Scripture and allow us to worship in a new, authentic way. And even though they are old, they directly relate to our lives today.  In this episode, we talk about Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, a hymn that uses an idea established by Beethoven in his 9th symphony, after he was completely deaf. How could Beethoven fi ..read more

When I was writing this one, I knew it was going to be a long one. Whew! But I just couldn't cut anything. This hymn is CHOCK FULL of scripture, and it has so many beautiful and important things to reflect on about Jesus's sacrifice. What is propitiation? If you don't know, you're gonna find out! What lame joke did Melody and her college choir director make at exactly the same time while working on this hymn? You'll know! And, BONUS,  Ryan recorded an awesome arrangement of the hymn - we all knew he could beatbox, but whoa, we've been missing his mad skillz on this podcast in the past, an ..read more

Get ready, y'all, cause we jump right into the deep end on this one! In this episode, we talk about the background of the hymn Because He Lives and the significance of Jesus's resurrection, which is everything to us in our faith, so that leads us right into the deepest waters. I'm so grateful for Christ's resurrection, and this hymn means so much more to me after studying it! I can't wait to share it with you! Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod ..read more

Oh goodness. This hymn has a great backstory. The essay that inspired it totally blew my mind. I've been meditating on it for days and days and days! Enjoy Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, and don't forget that when we focus on Him, everything else just doesn't matter as much.  Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod ..read more

What does it mean to abide with Jesus? And what does it mean when we ask him to abide with us? Let's talk about some of my favorite poetry ever - Abide with Me. Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod ..read more

In this episode, special guest Ryan Kneezel (also known as my husband) and I talk about It Is Well with My Soul - how this hymn started this resurgence of hymn-love for us, the heartbreaking story behind the composition of the lyrics, and how it continues to encourage us as we face tough circumstances in our life together. Support the show (http://paypal.me/HymnTalkPod ..read more