Hymn Story: In the Cross of Christ I Glory
“In the Cross of Christ I Glory” was written by Sir John Bowring. He was born in 1792 in Exeter, […]
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Hymn Story: In the Cross of Christ I Glory
“In the Cross of Christ I Glory” was written by Sir John Bowring. He was born in 1792 in Exeter, England and a gifted linguist mastering thirteen languages. In 1854, he was knighted by Queen Victoria. He helped Great Britain develop relationships with a number of countries and served in Parliament for two terms. Even in retirement he remained highly […]
Read moreSong Story: Thank You Lord For Your Many Blessings On Me
I was able to find very little about this song, Thank You Lord For your Many Blessings on Me, other than it was written and performed by Jeff and Sheri Easter. The message is so beautiful, I decided to share it anyway. It’s a great reminder to be thankful for our many blessings.
Read moreHymn Story: Jesus, Lover of My Soul
“Jesus, Lover of My Soul” was written by the prolific hymn writer Charles Wesley. He wrote the hymn within months of his 1738 conversion and titled the piece “In Temptation”. It was first published as a poem in 1740. Not until nine years after Wesley’s death was a tune added to the poem. Yet, it has become one of his […]
Read moreHymn Story: Jesus Saves
“Jesus Saves” is often known with its opening line “we have heard the joyful sound”. The hymn was written by Priscilla J. Owens. She was born on July 21, 1829 and lived in Baltimore, where she worked in the public-school sector. Most of her hymns were written for children’s services with many of her works appearing in the Methodist Protestant […]
Read moreHymn Story: There is a Balm in Gilead
“There Is A Balm in Gilead” is a traditional spiritual. While the date of composition is unknown, the song dates back to at least the 19th Century. A version of the refrain can be found in Washington Glass’s 1854 hymn “The Sinner’s Cure”. A “balm in Gilead” is a reference from the Old Testament taken from Jeremiah 8:22.
Read moreHymn Story: All My Hope On God is Founded
“All My Hope on God is Founded” began as the German hymn. The original words “Meine Hoffnung stehet feste”. Joachim Neander wrote the hymn around 1680. Neander was born in 1650 in Bremen (modern day Germany). He served as a German theologian and hymnwriter. He wrote over sixty hymns and is best known for the hymn Praise to the Lord, […]
Read moreHymn Story: In Heavenly Love Abiding
“In heavenly love abiding” is based on the fifteenth chapter of John’s gospel. Anna Laetitia Waring wrote the hymn, which explores heavenly love. Anna Waring was born in Wales in 1823, to a Quaker family. She would later join the Church of England. Many of her poems and hymns were published and very popular. Her love of writing seems to […]
Read moreHymn Story: Jerusalem
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. In his epic collection Milton: A Poem in Two Books is a poem titled “And did those feet in ancienty time”. Various lines of the poem are drawn from either historical events or passages of scripture. Sir Hubert Parry composed the music to the poem in 1916. Today this is the […]
Read moreHymn Story: Who Shall Separate us?
“Who Shall Separate Us?” is an eight-part a cappella choir composition. It was written by James MacMillian and commissioned for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II sometime around 2011-2012 when the song was written. The commission is said to come as a surprise, but MacMillian is known as a “masterly composer of small-scale religious choral pieces”. MacMillian said he […]
Read moreHymn Story: O Taste and See how gracious the Lord is
“O taste and see how gracious is the Lord” was composed for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. Ralph Vaughan Williams married his melody with the scripture found in Psalm 34. The hymn was inspired by Psalms 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (KJV) Williams was born in […]
Read moreA Journey of Hope by Stacy Simmons
This week my dear friend and critique partner Stacy Simmons released her book A Journey of Hope. But, you see, Stacy celebrated her release day in heaven. It was my privilege to journey through this story with Stacy as Hope’s story sprang to life. Last July Stacy shared about a personal struggle and the first book in this series A […]
Read moreHymn Story: Blaenwern
Blaenwern is a Welsh hymn. The song was composed by William Penfro Rowlands during the 1904-1905 Welsh revival. Rowlands was born on April 19, 1860. He was a Welsh schoolteacher, composer, and conductor of the Morriston United Choral Society. He died on October 22, 1937. The song was first published in the 1915 Cân a Moliant by Henry H. Jones. This […]
Read moreHymn Story: My soul, there is a country
My Soul, There is a Country was written by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. He was the 1st Baronet and an English composer, teacher and historian of music. He was born February 27, 1848. He is best known for his choral songs “Jerusalem” and anthem “I was Glad”. He died on October 7, 1918 from the Spanish flu. “In May […]
Read moreSong Story: Auld Lang Syne
Every year we sing Auld Lang Syne on New Year’s Day, but where did it come from? Auld Lang Syne is a Scots poem that was written by Robert Burns in 1788. His poem was set to a traditional folk song. Music historians are unsure if the melody used today is the original melody Burns set to the song or […]
Read moreChristmas Song: The Hallelujah Chorus
The Hallelujah Chorus is the most well-known portion of Geroge Frideric Handel’s “Messiah”. Handel used the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter to compose his text. The “Messiah” was first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742. The “Hallelujah Chorus” is at the end of part 2, which concentrates on the Passion of Jesus. This portion has become a […]
Read moreThe Nativity by Dianne Marie Andre
Mary, mother of Jesus. My heart can barely grasp what an extraordinary woman she must have been to be chosen the mother of the world’s Savior. I imagine her perfect, without sin. Though this is unlikely, God blessed her above all women. Yet His path for Mary wasn’t easy. To avoid disgrace as an unwed mother, God instructed her fiancée […]
Read moreEmbracing Christmas Traditions by Julie Arduini
Thank you so much for hosting me today! As a child, each Sunday we could count on roast beef for dinner. If we’d lost all calendars and had no idea what day it was, seeing roast beef on the table would give us a clue it was at least Sunday. Honestly, because it was so predictable, I made fun of […]
Read moreChristmas Hymn: Sussex Carol
The “Sussex Carol” is a popular Christmas Carol in Britain. Luke Wadding, a 17th Century Irish Bishop, first published the song in 1684. It is unknown whether he wrote the song himself or had recorded it from earlier coposers. The text and tune were discovered by Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The men wrote the song down as sung […]
Read moreA Common Girl An Uncommon Time Journey II by Jane Baker
Thanks to Caesar Augustus’s demand for a census, which Mary didn’t mind, since it rescued her from Nazareth, Mary and Joseph trod the same crowded road Mary had six months ago. The donkey plodded along, and she recalled arranging her clothing to mask her expanding abdomen when she’d walked back into Nazareth after her visit with Elizabeth. Mary planned to […]
Read moreFar From Home Christmas by E.V. Sparrow
In 1975, I accepted Jesus Christ’s work on the cross for my salvation, and a few months later, my parents sold my childhood home. We moved into a new community for people over 55. Because of my parents’ ages, they allowed me in. The promise of the clubhouse pool helped sell me on the idea and get excited. The day […]
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