How Sweet the Sound: Stories Inspired by the Hymns We Love

By T. Wyatt Watkins

How Sweet the Sound is a collection of stories inspired by the traditional church hymns people love to sing. Each moving, contemporary story brings to life the central message of 14 well-known hymns. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0817013822
• ISBN13: 9780817013820
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Judson Pr
• Length: 237 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Ashgrove, Hymns and Sweetness

When I was interim pastor at Cumberland First Baptist Church, I had lunch with the one who penned "How Sweet the Sound." Little did I know at the time how my life would be touched by Wyatt Watkins. In just a matter of months he would become a pastor of Cumberland First Baptist Church. A church that is like no other Baptist church in Indiana because of its open, graceful, progressive, accepting stance toward all people, whether rich or poor, black or white of brown, male or female, lgbt or straight. I soon learned that he was a musician and a story teller as well as an astute and gifted preacher. My upbringing didn't include classical music. However, when I went to hear my new pastor at a concert by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, there he was playing his violin. With my upbringing I thought it was a fiddle like my grandpa played. He stimulated by love affair with classical music and renewed my love of hymns. I learned that the much-loved hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," my very favorite hymn, was "Ode to Joy" from Ludwig Van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony! Later, when I was interim pastor of First Baptist Church of South Bend, Indiana, he came to be a part of our Lenten series. He played several of the hymns he explains in this book and told stories of his experiences with them in the Ashgrove Baptist Church. Just as the hymns in this book "inspired faithful people" so they inspired us in the First Baptist Church of South Bend. This book is filled with the stories of hymns and hymn notes as well as the text of many. Like Philip Gulley, author of "Front Porch Tales: a Treasury of Stories Filled with Wit and Wisdom," notes, "...Watkins weaves story, music, humor and wisdom together to form a beautiful tapestry. It stirs the soul." Yes! This book will stir your soul as well if you choose to read it.