Names of Jesus: Christ
Hymn Story: All That Thrills My Soul is Jesus
“All that Thrills My Soul is Jesus” was written by Thoro Harris. Harris was born on March 31, 1874 in Washington, D.C. He produced is first hymnal in 1902 while living in Boston, MA. Throughout his life he composed and compiled numerous works and became known for walking around Chicago (where he’d moved) to sell books from canvas bags he […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: Chief Cornerstone
Book Review: In This Moment
Gabrielle Meyer has another hit with her newest release “In This Moment.” If you enjoyed “When the Day Comes” you’ll love this book. Maggie lives three separate lives. In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a navy […]
Read moreHymn Story: Rise Up, O Men of God
William Pierson Merrill wrote “Rise up, O Men of God!” in 1911. Merrill was born on January 10, 1867 in Orange, New Jersey. He was ordained in 1890 and attended seminary working his way up to a Doctor of Divinity in 1904. Throughout this time he served several churches and met his wife at one of them. He married Clara […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: Bride of Christ
Hymn Story: Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling
Daniel March wrote the lyrics to “Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling” in 1868. At the time he was a pastor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Asked to speak at an associational meeting, he learned shortly before the service that one of the hymns chosen was not suitable. In “great haste” he wrote the hymn, and it was sung from the manuscript. […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: Bridegroom
Hymn Story: The King’s Business
Elijah Taylor Cassel wrote “The King’s Business” in 1902. Cassel was born on November 27, 1849 in Indiana. At a young age his family moved to Nebraska. He completed a medical education and practiced in Hastings, Nebraska. Cassel married Flora Hamilton and both were talented musicians. Around 1910, he left his medical practice for the ministry and served a church […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: Bread of Life
Hymn Story: We’ve A Story to Tell to the Nations
“We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations” was written by Henry Ernest Nichol, a British civil engineering student and musician. He was born on December 10, 1862 in Hull, Yorkshire, England. He wrote around 130 hymns, primarily for children. “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations” was first published in a London hymnal in 1896. The first printing […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: Branch of David
Patriotic Song: Only in America
The 4th of July will be here in a few days. Brooks & Dunn released the song on their June 2001 album Steers & Stripes. Kix Brooks co-wrote the song with Don Cook and Ronnie Rogers.
Read moreNames of Jesus: Beloved Son of God
Hymn Story: Jesus! What a Friend of Sinners!
Jesus! What a Friend of Sinners! was written by J. Wilbur Chapman and first published in 1910. Chapman was born in 1859 in Richmond, Indiana and attended a Quaker Day School and Methodist Sunday School as a youngster. As a young man he received a seminary degree from Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, OH and later was awarded a Doctorate […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: Alpha and Omega
Hymn Story: Take Thou My Hand, O Father
Happy Father’s Day! Take Thou My Hand, O Father was written by Julie Katharina von Hausmann, a Baltic German Poet (born 1825). Daughter of a teacher she became a governess until ill health forced her to return home. After her father’s death in 1864 she lived with her sisters in Germany, Southern France, and St. Petersburg, Russia. She never married […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: Authority
Hymn Story: No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus
“No one ever cared for me like Jesus” was written by Charles Weigle, an itinerant evangelist. The song was written after a very dark period in his life, when his wife left him. She decided she did not want to be an evangelist’s wife. After coming out of his dark spell, Weigle longed to put on paper a song that […]
Read moreNames of Jesus: The Anointed
