How Sweet the Sound

What a fabulous book! I loved all the hymns that Laura Smith chose to include. They were very familiar, solid hymns. I love how she related a scripture to each hymn. She also told anecdotes from her life as well as from the hymn writers themselves. In addition, she quoted other authors from time to time, including one of my favorite authors, Annie Downs. I would highly recommend this book to any one who loves the great hymns of the faith.

Music has a strange power to move us. It helps us remember thoughts and words written way back in the past. It also brings back memories of our experiences of old. It also creates new experiences as the music connects our being with words that reflect how we feel. Hymns are one of the most visible and audible signs of a Christian community. Regardless of the traditional vs contemporary worship wars, most of us would recognize the unique place of hymns. We may not sing them as often in some modern churches, but we do appreciate how they have impacted Christian communities but also society at large. Hymns such as "Amazing Grace," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," and "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee" have been used even in secular places and situations such as funerals and weddings. If you want to know the stories behind these popular hymns, how the hymn speaks to people then and to us now, and the reasons why the hymns are considered "beloved," this book answers all of that curiosity. The "Doxology" is a hymn of unity. Praises help us express gratitude. Hymns are infused with Scripture to point us back to God through the Word. Singing hymns enable us to declare our hope and security in Christ. They stir us to action. They give us words and music to express our emotions. They bring us peace and joy; hope and humility; assurance; and many more.

Author Laura Smith have chosen 30 beloved hymns from the public domain. For Christians who have been attending church services for years, many of the hymns would look familiar. Each of the thirty hymns comes forth with a central theme where Smith would guide us through the lyrics to explain how the hymn connects Scripture with our emotions. She gives readers some questions to contemplate as well.

My Thoughts
==============
If you are a worship leader, this book should be one of the top resources to use to help us connect our music with the words. We don't have to be of the older generation just to appreciate the hymns. Many contemporary musicians have used and updated the older hymns with modern music. Worship leaders can creatively do the same or to adapt their music with the words of truth. Leading worship can be an educational experience as well. We don't have to abandon the old just to make room for the new. We can adapt the powerful truths of old and teach it to our younger generation. There is something quaint and touching with regard to the background and powerful effects of these 30 hymns. Dismiss them at your peril.

If you are a Bible study leader or group facilitator, this book provides us a way toward singing acapella together with the people. Sometimes, there are situations in which there are no musicians to provide background music. When that happens, it is always possible to lead with our vocals alone. After all, the most powerful musical instrument is our voice. Plus, the hymn chapters in this book can be a study or discussion guide in itself! Perhaps, once in a while, squeeze in a chapter or two from this book to supplement one's regular Bible study sessions.

Finally, for the layperson, this book helps us appreciate the hymns and songs more in the hope that it will deepen our worship experience. The different hymns collected in this book cover a wide range of emotional needs. At the same time, they all point us to the same God of the Word. They stir our hearts to sing together with the rest of the congregation. May God help us worship better with this helpful resource.

Laura L. Smith is a best-selling author and speaker. She loves Jesus, her husband, her four kiddos, music, books, coffee, France, and chocolate. Smith lives in the college town of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Our Daily Bread Publishing and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

I really enjoyed the hymns, even if I did not know some of them and the information about them. Very informative and I think this book will be a wonderful gift for people that enjoy hymns. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This book compels a Christian to appreciate the rich history and treasure that is finding the precise hymn for all manner of life experience in divine worship. Hymnology is missed by so many in 2020; this book is an invitation to a spiritual moment that is anything but rote, though the words of many classic hymns have remain unchanged for a hundred or more years. Those who cleave to the notion that hymns are dried-up and dated will not be disappointed when this book changes their mind.

Smith provides discussion and reflection prompts that can stir greater moments of involvement with her book, the Bible and God in prayer. The amount of scripture that this book affords the reader is lauded, especially since Smith situates Biblical verses with appropriate context.

The personal stories and examples Smith brings to bear from her own life are relatable and relevant. The easy to follow language is effectual in humility, warmth and respect. She doesn't drift into narcissistic territory unlike many other female Christian writers obsessed in telling a self-conflating story. Through her unassuming tone, Smith communications that she is just one of many Christians seeking to worship God in spirit and truth.

The reason this book has 4 stars instead of 5 is because I do not endorse Bethel, Elevation, and other seeker-friendly worship bands that are mentioned in this book. Smith, of course, is telling the story of the benefit she gained from the study of hymns written a long time ago and in that light, makes a sincere connection to the present day and other worship experiences that may be shared with the reader. I am in the evangelical minority in not supporting these charismatic bands, and my convictions [for the error of these ministries] are copious but not necessary to bring forth in this review. Aside from this one disclaimer, the book is outstanding.

Okay, so I don't think I've ever given a book a one star rating, and it's not that this is necessarily a bad book... To be honest, it's just written horribly. I feel like it has a good story in there, a good message, but it was not written well to fully grasp that.
I must admit, I did skim over most of it. I really wanted to try to like it, but I have never in my life read such a dry book.
The author obviously really put a lot of effort and time in this, for all the different hymns, I just personally think it could have been written a little better, more meaningful to get readers to truly fall in love with all of these beautiful hymns.

Music has the power to change a life and this book is a great commentary on this phenomenon. I have always loved hymns for their ability to speak directly to my heart. I can remember always wondering about the backstories and how authors were inspired to pen words that would shine light and infuse hope, joy, and peace into the recesses of my soul. This book looks at 30 popular hymns and provides the lyrics, an insightful message and thoughts for contemplation. A great resource for all lovers of hymns.
I received a complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are my own and freely given.

Lately, there has been a longing to have traditional hymns for my times of worship. Whether on the radio or at church, I have been inundated with so many contemporary worship songs that I have found myself wishing for a return to some of the hymns I sang at an earlier point in life. Strangely enough, several of my friends have expressed the same desire during our conversations. The depth of theology traditional hymns offer often surpass much of what is played or sung today. Therefore, I was excited by the opportunity to read this book.

The author has taken 30 public domain hymns and songs that would fit the traditional genre and written reflections, bits of history, and contemplation questions for each one. Honestly, I was expecting the comments to be about the history of each hymn or song. So, I was pleasantly by the reflections shared and how each one highlighted the theme of the hymn or song. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this book but I am so glad I chose to read it. Furthermore, at the end of the book, the author has included three different Spotify playlists for the reader to enjoy.

This is a book that you could use not only for personal reading or devotions but also for group discussions. In addition, it would make a wonderful gift.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher and Net Galley. However, the thoughts expressed are totally my own.

I’ve been a fan of Laura L. Smith’s books for years, especially her YA stories. When I heard that she was writing a new book, to be honest, I didn’t even care what it was about– I knew I wanted to review it!

This book, though. HOW SWEET THE SOUND manages to be at once informative, giving some background about the hymn writers or context for when it was written, and also invites readers to peel back the layers of their own hearts and examine how these words impact us our core.

Reading the chapters is like sitting down to listen to music with a friend. It’s easy to get lost in the lyrics of the songs. I found myself humming along with some of the ones I was more familiar with. Then as the author begins to discuss her experience with these songs, she explains things in such a real, raw, open and vulnerable way. Seriously, I don’t know how else to explain it but that it felt like sitting in the living room with her, the way you would with a dear friend.

Her words are encouraging and always full of love. This isn’t a judgey book in any way. It’s definitely a faith-filled story about how God uses hymns to change hearts and lives and draw us closer to Him. I’m so glad I read this book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who needs an encouraging boost to their faith right now.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Although I'm not familiar with every hymn listed in the book, the one's I'm familiar with that I grew up singing I enjoyed the author's perspective of the hymns. I also enjoyed the perspective of the one's I didn't know. Not only were the words of the hymn included, but some history of that particular hymn, a personal story from the author as well as biblical scripture accompanied every single one. Sometimes it's good to step away from a lot of modern things and go back to what helped our ancestors endure trying times. I really enjoyed this book.

I was so excited when Laura Smith asked me to be part of her book launch. She’s a great author and this is a fun topic. “How Sweet The Sound” is a one of a kind book. Part devotional, part memoir, part music lyrics. Each chapter is based on a classic hymn where Laura expounds on how it has touched her life as well as how we can apply the lyrics to our life.

I enjoyed this book because hymns have become more special to me to me in the past year or so. The lyrics can easily feel trite and old fashioned but when I stop and think about what the words mean, even with all the thees and thous, there is a lot of wisdom to ponder. Seeing how others have connected to them brings a new level of depth as well.

If you love hymns or are just looking for thoughts to ponder, you’ll love this book.

“What if all of us ‘creatures here below’ focused on praising God above everything else, above our personal habits and styles and traditions?”

If I had to tell you what I would want in a book that focuses on 30 beloved hymns, How Sweet The Sound is exactly it. But I wouldn’t have been able to define it so specifically until after reading through this new release by Laura L. Smith.

There are plenty of books that have crossed my path over the years that tell the stories behind the hymns, with the theory that if we know what prompted the words we’ll better take them to heart. And while that probably does help to some extent (though the only one that’s stuck with me is It Is Well With My Soul), Smith’s approach takes this a step further and is much more to my preference. Instead, she dives into the meaning behind the words and how that should change not only the way we worship but also the way we live.

I loved the selection of hymns & only one was unfamiliar to me, easily solved by pulling it up on Amazon Music or Spotify. It turned my reading into a time of personal worship, as I was able to sing the hymns to God before I read the thoughts that follow each one, positioning my heart in a better place to hear Smith’s spiritual applications. There were also some new-to-me verses (and not just the 3rd verse that we inevitably never sang in the Southern Baptist churches I attended growing up haha), and I loved getting to pause and really reflect on each hymn. Smith’s writing after each hymn met me where I’m at in day to day life and challenged me to apply these beloved lyrics in ways I may not have picked up on before.

Probably the example of this that stood out to me the most was Be Thou My Vision – which Smith talks about in a chapter entitled “How Hymns Help Us Fight Our Battles”. This hymn was our class song at Asbury College (now University) back in the late 90s & I chose it as the processional at our wedding. Over the years the words have come to mean so much to me in various ways, but I couldn’t figure out how she got “helping us fight our battles” from it. And then I glanced at the lyrics that I’d mistakenly thought I certainly didn’t need to read for this one… and sure enough, there’s a verse that everyone always skips on the rare occasion that it’s sung in public worship – a verse I’d never read until that day. I won’t spoil it for you but I will say that I NEEDED that chapter and I won’t ever sing this hymn the same way.

Bottom Line: How Sweet the Sound is a must-read for anyone who grew up singing hymns or for people who are only familiar with the more modernized versions. Reading this book feels like sitting down with a dear friend for a chat, so refreshing and open is Smith’s writing style. We can readily identify with her personal stories, and the unity in worship that hymns bring is something we need more than ever. Easily accessible and sincere spiritual application further elevates this to one of the best books on hymns that I’ve ever read. Highly recommended!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

Everyone has hymns they know and love. This book tells the story of 30 beloved hymns that we are all familiar with and how they can impact our lives today. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone that loves hymns.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest opinion.

( received pre-published e-copy in exchange for review )

There was much activity for me with this title, besides ' just ' reading! Very much enjoyed my time reading, singing, reflecting and being inspired! Really enjoyed my time with this title!

Great devotional based on classic hymns we all know well. Followed b very helpful comments and questions for reflection. Highly recommended for all hymn lovers.

I do enjoyed reading this book and doing the reflection at the end of the chapter. Hymns are always such a refuge for me, thus this book that use hymns as the topic to help us getting closer to Him, is a blessing for me.

I loved the selection of hymns that the author chose for this book. All of them were familiar to me; many were favorites of mine; and all of them have lyrics that are encouraging, comforting, and inspiring. As I was reading the lyrics of each hymn, the familiar melodies filled my mind. I enjoyed reading the author’s devotions for each hymn and sharing her own experiences made the spiritual application more personal. These devotions would be a good addition to accompany your daily Bible reading, or reading for needed encouragement .

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

How Sweet The Sound by Laura L. Smith contains reflections on 30 classic hymns: Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing, It Is Well With My Soul, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Amazing Grace, and several more old favourites.
As music is one of the ways I best connect with God, I found it to be a valuable resource.
Each short chapter contains reflections on some of the Bible passages the hymn lyrics are drawn from as well as a story relating it to modern life. The addition of questions for reflection or journalling make it ideal to use as a daily devotional.
I loved how each chapter also highlights one of the benefits of hymns and how God can use them to build up our faith – for example, they unite us, they remind us of God’s faithfulness, they help us fight our battles, they centre us, they sustain us… And by reminding us of the truth contained in the lyrics of the hymns, the book also fulfils many of these purposes.

How Sweet the Sound is a fabulous collection of hymns, scripture and stories. I highly recommend. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I was hoping for more history behind the songs and less about the author's personal views on the songs. It was just an okay book for me.
Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

I really appreciated this book and the hymns the author used to share her lessons about God and her faith. It allowed a lot of reflection on the words of the hymns and how they aren't just simply words but truths that inform our lives from day to day. Her writing was very accessible and I would recommend this book to others in my life.

I grew up on old hymns so they’ve always had a special place in my heart, which is why I decided to read How Sweet the Sound. I’ve also been trying to get back into devotional and Christian non-fiction, but most the ones I’ve read this year I didn’t like that much. How Sweet the Sound is one of the better ones. It still seems to be on the simple side, but it did make me think more deeply about what I sing, their meaning, and their message or impact on my spiritual life. I really liked the “Contemplate” questions at the end of each chapter for this reason, and that the author included Spotify playlists of the hymns and her favorite worship songs at the end of the book. I will say, though, that you can tell it’s written by a middle-aged, middle to upper class, white woman and mom, and kind of geared towards those demographics as well, from the writing style and tone and things the writer mentions, and thr writing is sometimes a bit cheesy. Other than a few notable places of vulnerability, I felt like when it came to taking comfort in hymns during struggles (which comes up often in the book), it glossed over the really difficult things. However, compared to other religious books I’ve read in the best, I enjoyed this one, felt like it truly added to my life, and will be recommending it to my mom. High 3/4 l (rounded up to 4 for actual star ratings, because that’s how we do math in this house, and support authors!)

How Sweet the Sound contains such a beautiful selection of hymns! The author does a fabulous job with each one: providing the lyrics, sharing a personal testimony, relating the hymn to Scripture, and asking thought-provoking questions.

This book is a must-have for any worship leaders, and I highly recommend it to all Bible study or small group leaders as well. For everyone else, this is such a fun study in hymns and can be read purely for enjoyment, or even used as a "hymns appreciation" elective in homeschooling! What a blessing!

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Overall, I enjoyed this read and definitely could see it being a valuable resource to worship leaders or those who love hymns.

I liked the selection of a variety of hymns, including a few I was unfamiliar with even growing up in church and coming from a background of a family of singers and being a singer myself. It is always fun to "discover" new music, so I appreciated that.

The author did a beautiful job sharing each hymn with a personal story and scripture to go with it, making this ideal to share in a group type setting.

***Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.***

In August they have a free sing at our church. It is what I call the classics, the ones not in the new hymnal. There is one lady there that every week requests "In the Garden". I make it the first couple of lines, and then I am basically a gonner. Like the author, this hymn was sung at my great-grandma and grandma's funerals. So I think that it just set me back to sitting in that pew amongst my family, sitting there listening to my mom's bestfriend since high school sing that song. It is a beautiful song no doubt, it just sends be back to those memories of them and that time. The other than undoes me is How Great Thou Art. My grandpa and his brothers sang at church functions, funerals, and during church and that was the one they sang the most. Every time I hear it, I see and hear them all standing at the front of the church, even now that they are all gone. Sweet memories.

This was a book about hymns, most I have heard and sung (yes along as I was reading in the book), some I have not heard before (that I know of). I thought going in it would be about the history of the song and how it came about, but I was wrong. It actually put a personal touch to each song, how it is interpreted into life today, and some of how it came about. It gave me a different perspective of each song and a little bit more perspective on how to live life according to what they are rejoicing.

In all I enjoyed this book, it was a fairly quick read. Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book. I'd recommend this book to others. I think others will enjoy reading it as much as I did.