needing some good hymn recommendations~

I grew up in a church that sings hymns. I love hymns. Now, don't get me wrong, I love worship at the church we attend now, and we do sing an occasional hymn, but I miss singing them regularly. I love going back to visit my old church and being there during worship. It's also fun to visit during VBS, but the singing, while loads of fun, just isn't quite the same :o) One of my most vivid memories of sitting through church when I was little is when my friend Heather and I would race to find certain hymns in the book, as quietly as possible...of course.

Some of you know that I am very close to my grandmother as I grew up next door to her, and she often stayed at our house. My very earliest memories are of her rocking me and singing The Old Rugged Cross. Back when I used to actually play my piano, hymns were just about my favorite things to play. Once I was older, I used to play What A Friend We Have in Jesus for my grandmother over and over while she would sing along. Sweet memories.

Hymns have such a rich history. We have a book, Then Sings My Soul, that gives the history behind a lot of the great hymns. Oftentimes, knowing the history and circumstances the hymns was written in, gives even more perspective and depth of meaning. Such as It Is Well. I would love for my children to grow up familar with some of the great ones and be able to enjoy and appreciate them.

I am looking for some really good hymn renditions to put on my ipod. I prefer band or instrumental accompaniament, not just acapella. I tend to prefer men's voices (as with all my gruff little deep voiced boys running around here I don't handle high pitches as well), but if you have a really good version with a woman singing or a chior-type, I can always listen to the sample on itunes. If you have a good acapella version I'm up for that as well. And just instrumental is okay too, I can always sing along!

Some of my favorites that I would really like to find some good versions of...

All to Jesus I Surrender

Blessed Assurance

Come, Ye that Love the Lord

Give Me the Bible

Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah!

Have You Been to Jesus?

I Know Not Why God's Wondrous Grace (I Know Whom I Have Believed)

I Need Thee Every Hour

I Stand Amazed

I Will Sing the Wondrous Story

I'm Pressing On (Higher Ground)

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

O to be Like Thee!

On a Hill Far Away (The Old Rugged Cross)

On Jordan's Stormy Banks

Praise the Lord (Ye Heavens Adore Him)

Shall We Gather at the River?

Sing On

Sing the Wondrous Love (When We All Get to Heaven)

Standing on the Promises

There's a Call Comes Ringing (Send the Light)

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

We Priase Thee, O God (Revive Us Again)

When Peace Like a River (It is Well with My Soul)

When the Trumpet of the Lord Shall Sound (When the Roll is Called)

When Upon Life's Billows (Count Your Blessings)

When We Walk with the Lord (Trust and Obey)

Would You Be Free (Power in the Blood)

Years I Spent in Vanity (At Calvary)

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

Amazing Grace

For the Beauty of the Earth

Holy, Holy, Holy!

O Thou Fount of Every Blessing

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Christ, We Do All Adore Thee

O Lord, Our Lord

And my very favorite ever...

Our God He is Alive (There is Beyond the Azure Blue)

And two other songs, while not hymns, are in the hymnal, and I would like to have a good version of both:

My Country, 'Tis of Thee and O Beautiful for Spacious Skies (America the Beautiful)

Well, this may be a long shot, but if anyone could point me in the right direction, or even just to a general hymn cd that's pretty good that might have some of these on it, that would be great!

Happy Friday :o)