Songs/hymns suffer the same trends as pop music/classical/country and so - they are the flavour of the month until the next popular tune/words arrives on the scene. One song written in 1918/19 by Edward H. Joy (words) and Arthur S. Arnott (chorus) is my all time favourite and 'yes' other tunes and words come and go but this song 'Jesus, thou art everything to me', and particulary the songster (choir) arrangement, still remains number 1 for me.
Jesus, tender lover of my soul,
Pardoner of my sins, and friend indeed,
Keeper of the garden of my heart,
Jesus, thou art everything to me.
chorus
Jesus, thou art thou everything to me,
Jesus, thou art everything to me,
All my lasting joys are found in thee;
Jesus, thou art everything to me.
What to me are all the joys of earth?
What to me is every sight I see,
Save the sight of thee, O Friend of mine?
Jesus, thou art everything to me.
Here I lay me at thy bleeding feet,
Deepest homage now I give to thee;
Hear thy whispered love within my soul;
Jesus, thou art everything to me.
The Salvation Army companion to the song book compiled by Gordon Taylor - says this of the song:-
Edward Joy heard the chorus at congress meetings in Melbourne and later wrote the verses during a spiritual day for cadets at Clapton, where General Bramwell Booth spoke of Christ as the 'Gardener fo the Soul'
This stone lies within the grounds of The Salvation Training College and is a continual reminder to me of my ministry as a Salvation Army Officer (minister).