Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
God Moves in a Mysterious Way was written by William Cowper. Cowper wrote a poem titled “Light Shining Out of Darkness” in 1773. he poem consist of six verses. This poem is believed to be the source for the hymn God Moves in Mysterious Ways, which was part of the opening line of he poem. He wrote the hymn to […]
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Isaac Watts wrote I Sing the Mighty Power of God as a song for children. He originally titled the song “Praise for Creation and Providence”. As a teenager, Watts complained to his father about how boring the songs of the day were. His father challenged him to write something better. Hence, a hymn writer was born. He would write at […]
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I am so thankful to have a mother who loves Jesus and taught me about him from a young age. Faith of our Mother’s was written for Mother’s Day around 1920. The hymn was written by Rev. Arthur B. Patten and modelled after the popular and well known 19th Century hymn, Faith of Our Fathers. The hymn expresses a genuine […]
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Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah was written by William Williams Pantycelyn. Williams was born in Carmarthenshire, Wales in 1717. He was the son of John and Dorothy Williams. His father was a prosperous farmer. He grew up as an Independent and Calvinist. He intended to be a doctor, but upon hearing Howell Harris preach he became a Christian. He […]
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Harry Dixon Loes, was a popular music teacher at the Moody Bible Institute for almost three decades in the early 20th Century. Harry Loes was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on October 20, 1892. He served as music director at a variety of churches before becoming affiliated with Moody Bible Institute, which he joined in 1939. He remained until his death […]
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Pastor Louis Giglio and singer Chris Tomlin discussed writing a song which would help people who were walking through the valley of grief and loss. In a 2011 interview Chris Tomlin shared, “”We were sitting across a table at lunch one day and he said, ‘Man, I feel like there needs to be more songs for people who are really […]
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An art museum in Dusseldorf, Germany has a vivid painting on display of Christ, “wearing His crown of thorns as He stands before Pilate and the mob”. Underneath the painting, by Sternberg, are the word “This have I done for thee, what hast thou done for Me?” Francis Havergal came upon the painting while in Germany. Sources differ on whether […]
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Priscilla J. Owens was a Baltimore public school teacher for forty-nine years and often wrote hymns for children’s services. She was very involved in the Sunday School at her church. She wrote the words to this hymn for a missionary service in the Sunday School of Union Square Methodist Church. The song was “originally adapted to the chorus “Vive le […]
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Jesus told the parable of the shepherd who left his ninety-nine sheep to go after the one lost sheep. {Luke 15:3-7} Elizabeth Clephane lived in Melrose, Scotland during the 19th Century. She was an invalid and wrote the hymn, based on the parable, to help children remember the truths of Jesus’s words. The text to her poem appeared in the […]
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Horatius Bonar was a Scottish minister and writer who lived throughout the majority of the 19th Century. He is described as a “most gifted and influential” minister. Bonar wrote the lyrics to I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say while he was pastoring the Presbyterian church at Kelso, Scotland, which lies along the Scottish borders. The hymn was intended to […]
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In 1898, Mrs. Lelia Morris was at a camp meeting in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland. When the invitation was called, a woman “of culture and refinement” responded to the invitation. Leila Morris joined the lady, where she placed “an arm around her shoulder” and whispered, “Just now your doubting’s give o’er”. The song leader joined the two women and said […]
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George Beverly Shea’s deep baritone voice, set the mood during the Billy Graham crusades. George Beverly Shea was born on February 1, 1909 in Winchester, Ontario, Canada. He later said he gave his life to Christ at five years of age and rededicated his life at eighteen. His parents taught him to play the violin, piano and organ at a […]
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This is one instance in which the cart came before the horse. The area of Bradford, Iowa was first settled as the California Gold Rush was getting underway in the late 1840s. William Pitts, was a music teacher, traveling from Wisconsin to Iowa to visit his future wife. As the stagecoach horses were being changed, he began to wander around […]
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What Wondrous Love Is This began as an American folk hymn, which was passed down from one generation to another through the course of time. The origins and text of the song are not known and was probably refined over time, as being passed down. Folk songs usually consist of the repetition of key phrases, to assist in learning the […]
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Elizabeth Prentiss, wife of a Presbyterian minister, spent much of her life as an invalid, “scarcely knowing a moment free of pain”. She was described as friend as “a very bright-eyed little woman with a keen sense of humor, who cared more to shine in her own happy household than in a wide circle of society.” Elizabeth wrote this hymn […]
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Philip Bliss attended a service where the hymn O How I Love Jesus was sung repeatedly. After the service, he remarked, “Have I not been singing enough about my poor love for Jesus and shall I not rather sing of His great love for me?” He sat down and quickly composed this hymn, which soon became a favorite of both […]
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George Beverly Shea is known for his strong, booming baritone voice. He ministered alongside Billy Graham and Cliff Barrows, often singing right before Rev. Graham stepped to the podium. One of his best known songs, was I’d Rather Have Jesus. Bev Shea had been singing since he was a young man in the Wesleyan Methodist churches were his father was […]
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Lydia Baxter lived her life in bed as an invalid for the majority of her adult life. However, she is said to have had a “cheerful and patient” manner. She was born on September 2, 1800 to Jonathan and Mary Odell. Lydia and her sister are said to have been responsible for establishing the Baptist church in Petersburg, New York, […]
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Helen Lemmel was a gift singer and musician, a gift her parents recognized while she was still young. She was born on November 14, 1864, in Wardle, England to a Methodist minister and his wife. When she was twelve years old, her family moved to the United States and settled in Wisconsin. Helen Howarth Lemmel, was given a tract, titled […]
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Joseph Henry Gilmore was a seminary professor, Baptist minister, and author of several textbooks in Hebrew and English. However, he is best remembered today for his hymn He Leadeth Me. The year was 1862, and the Civil War was raging all around. Gilmore later wondered if God was leading him to focus on His {The Lord’s} leadership. He was invited […]
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