HymnTalk with Melody Kneezel
22 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago -Have you ever noticed how you can be singing an old song and like totally zone out while you're singing it? I have found myself contemplating in great detail my lunch plan or grocery list while simultaneously perfectly singing the songs in church. This seems to especially happen with old hymns that I've known my whole life. But then, every so often, the Holy Spirit moves, even in something I've heard a million times, and it becomes new. When I realized that old hymns have so much to offer, HymnTalk was born. I'm so stoked to dive into these old hymns that I grew up singing and find something new and meaningful, enriching my worship. It's in with the old, to see something new! It's time for HymnTalk!
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Episodes
Faith Is the Victory
November 05, 2021 22:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBReady 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
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
October 31, 2021 03:00 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MBHow 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
Were You There
October 06, 2021 20:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBGet 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
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
October 04, 2021 00:00 - 40 minutes - 27.5 MBGet 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 liv...
Jesus Paid It All
September 28, 2021 16:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBWhen 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...
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
September 09, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBOh 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
Abide with Me
September 03, 2021 21:00 - 31 minutes - 22 MBWhat 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
Softly and Tenderly
September 01, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBThanks for listening to HymnTalk! This week, we're talking about Softly and Tenderly, a sweet invitation hymn about the patience of Jesus as he calls us to himself. Support the show
How Great Thou Art
August 30, 2021 11:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBWe're back with a full episode! Undoubtedly one of the most beloved hymns of all time, this week we talk about How Great Thou Art. Thanks for listening! Support the show
BONUS 2021 Fall Return
August 27, 2021 19:00 - 5 minutes - 4.06 MBHey there! It has been a while since I've been able to upload an episode of HymnTalk, and this short bonus episode explains a little more of why. Get excited for HymnTalk to return regularly now! Thanks for listening! Support the show
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
February 18, 2021 12:00 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MBThe shortest episode yet, but its definitely one of my favorites. What an incredible hymn! In this episode, we discuss Jesus's suffering body as he hangs on the cross and how that relates to our lives. My favorite line is undoubtedly the last: "Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for thee." I hope you'll take a listen to O Sacred Head, Now Wounded as we begin this Lenten season. Support the show
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
February 11, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBIn this episode, we discuss the background of the story What a Friend We Have in Jesus. What a privilege it is to be able to turn to Jesus for anything, and to look forward to the day when all relationships are perfect. Thank you, Jesus, for being our friend. Support the show
Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine
February 04, 2021 14:00 - 53 minutes - 36.4 MBCome hang out with my dad, Dr. Steve Hamrick, and me as we talk about his favorite hymn, Blessed Assurance, written by the infamous Fanny Crosby. We talk about my dad's background in worship and hymnology (maybe that's where I get it from ;)!) and all about Fanny Crosby's fascinating life and experience as a hymn writer and poet. Then, as always, we dive into the deeper meaning of the lyrics, where we experience God right now on earth with our senses, and we imagine what it'll be like someda...
Take My Life and Let It Be
January 28, 2021 06:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBToday we're talking about one of my favorites, even from childhood, Take My Life and Let It Be. There's discussion of Psalty kids musicals from the 80s - do y'all remember those? Ah! I loved them! Because that's where I first learned this hymn. And it's such a good one about giving every part of your life to the LORD. Enjoy, and be blessed in your walk with the LORD and in your worship. :) Support the show
I Need Thee Every Hour
January 14, 2021 06:00 - 39 minutes - 27.2 MBWritten by a wife and mom in the middle of her everyday tasks, this hymn speaks deeply to my heart. We can be full of the Spirit of God, in communion with Him, even in our most boring of daily tasks. May you be filled with purpose right where you are as you listen to I Need Thee Every Hour. Support the show
Be Thou My Vision
January 07, 2021 13:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBHappy New Year! And in the spirit of the new year, let's talk about vision. I can't get enough of it - goals and dreams and hopes for this year, especially following last year! But our goals and dreams and hopes and visions mean nothing if not rooted in Christ. So let's study an old favorite, "Be Thou My Vision" to see how God speaks through this hymn in light of the new year. It's in with the old to see something new. It's time for HymnTalk - 2021! Support the show
Nearer, My God, to Thee
February 27, 2020 12:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBThe hymn from the Titanic legend is based on the story of Jacob's ladder. So how in the world are those things connected? Listen and find out! Support the show
Amazing Grace
February 20, 2020 19:00 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MBThis is probably my favorite episode I've recorded so far. The LORD just spoke to me in this! I pray He speaks to you, too. We talk about grace - what it even is, and why it moved John Newton so much that he wrote a whole song about it - and why that song has become so beloved to generations. Support the show
Because He Lives
February 07, 2020 13:00 - 37 minutes - 25.5 MBGet 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
It Is Well with My Soul
January 30, 2020 13:00 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBIn 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
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
January 25, 2020 17:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBIn this episode, I get super excited (as usual) as I talk about the meaning behind Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. We talk a lot about my favorite words from this one: "bind my wandering heart to thee," (any other #enneagram7 folks out there? Wanderers for life!) and "prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above." God seals us into his grace, and we are free in that, not stuck. It's GREAT. And it mo...
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
January 25, 2020 16:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBI'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...