Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
In honor of the upcoming 4th of July holiday, I thought we would look at another Patriotic song. God Bless the USA is as popular as God Bless America. The song was written and is the signature song of Lee Greenwood. He has been inspired by patriots all his life. His father, step-father, first base player and other friends were […]
Read more
Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus Our Blessed Redeemer is a hymn by beloved songwriter Fanny Crosby. Chester G. Allen married the melody to the lyrics written by Crosby. The hymn was first published in 1869 in the Bright Jewels songbook. This is a hymn that praises Jesus and reminds us to praise him. We are not told what inspired Crosby […]
Read more
Robert Lowry was a composer more remembered for the more than 500 hymns he wrote instead of the sermons he preferred to give. He once stated: “Music, with me has been a side issue… I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative audience than write a hymn. I have always looked upon myself as a preacher and felt […]
Read more
Rise Again was released in 1977 and shares the story of the crucifixion and resurrection from Jesus’ view point. The song was written by Dallas Holm, a singer-songwriter of Christian music. He has greatly influenced the contemporary Christian music genre. In an interview with the St. Augustine Record, Holm recalled: “I began to pray, which I should have done in […]
Read more
Abide with Me is a hymn that deals with comfort and help. More than ever we live in a time when we need the reminder that Christ is with us and will return again one day. The hymn was written by a Scotsman, Henry Francis Lyte. Lyte was born in Kelso, Scotland on June 1, 1793. He was educated at […]
Read more
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savor is another popular hymn by prolific and beloved hymn writer Fanny Crosby. Crosby had been blind since she was six weeks old, but wrote over 8,000 songs in her lifetime. One evening, Fanny Crosby was invited to speak to a group of prisoners at the state prison and heard one of the men say […]
Read more
I Am Thine, O Lord is another beloved hymn by Fanny Crosby. Ira Sankey shared in his book that Fanny Crosby was visiting Mr. W.H. Doane, in is Cincinnati, Ohio home. They were talking about the blessedness and nearness of God. The sun began to set that evening and the evening shadows were gathering around them, during which time someone […]
Read more
Happy Mother’s Day! I thought this was a fitting song for the day. You Raise Me Up almost vanished into obscurity, instead of becoming the hit song we know and love today. You Raise Me Up was composed by an Irish-Norwegian duo known as Secret Garden, performers of primarily instrumental music. The music was composed by Rolf Lovland. The song […]
Read more
Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this Place is a praise hymn from the 1970s which is still popular today. The song was written by Lanny Wolfe and inspired by Genesis 28:16, “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Lanny Wolfe is an […]
Read more
The Way of the Cross Leads Home was written by Jessie B. Pounds. Jessie Hunter Brown was born on August 31, 1861 in Hiam, Ohio. She is described as having been a “poorly” child in health and was educated at home. At age 15, she began submitting articles to Cleveland newspapers and various religious publications. She married John Pounds, a pastor of […]
Read more
God tells us that he will use our trials and tragedies for his good. I Will Sing of My Redeemer was born of tragedy, but had the lasting effect of good. I Will Sing of My Redeemer was written by Philip Paul Bliss was an American conductor, composer, Gospel singer and hymn writer. Philip Bliss was born on July 9, […]
Read more
Can you imagine what the disciples and followers of Jesus must have said as word spread that he was not in the tomb? The words, “He lives” seem to be one option that is plausible. The hymn was composed in 1933 by Alfred Henry Ackley. Alfred Ackley was born on January 21, 1887. His father was a Methodist Minister who […]
Read more
Are you washed in the Blood was written by Elisha Hoffman. Elisha Hoffman was born on May 7, 1839 in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. He was a Presbyterian minister and composer of over 2,000 hymns and 50 song books during his 90 years. Music historian Jacob Hall described Elisha Hoffman’s musical ability in the following manner, “When a melody is born in […]
Read more
When I survey the wondrous cross is a great song to concentrate on as we near Easter and remember the true meaning of the season. Jesus death on the cross is the greatest gift God could give to us and is a gift we can continue to accept today as we accept his salvation. However, the song was not originally […]
Read more
The Doxology is a short hymn many of us that grew up in church sung during the offering. Today some churches have moved away from this tradition while others continue to maintain this tradition. So, where did the Doxology originate? Doxology is a Greek word that is described as a “short hymn of praise to God”. Today the Doxology […]
Read more
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms was published in 1887. The lyrics were written by Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. The music was also written by Showalter. Showalter said that he received letters from two of his former pupils saying that their wives had died. When writing letters of consolation, Showalter was […]
Read more
“Standing on the Promises” was written and composed by Russell Carter in 1886. Carter was a professor at the time at the Pennsylvania Military Academy, a school in which he had been a member of the first graduating class. Carter had a variety of jobs from sheep herding to professor of Natural Science, Civil Engineering, Chemistry and Mathematics. While sheep […]
Read more
Kum ba Yah is a spiritual song dating back to at least the 1920s, when the earliest known recordings took place. According to the Library of Congress the two earliest versions were both collected in 1926. Both of these versions now reside in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. It is unknown when in 1926 either version was recorded […]
Read more
We have all heard of the great flood. In every culture there is a story about the flood that covered the earth. To this day, many still try to find the Ark, which is believed to be resting on the mountains of modern day eastern Turkey and the Mount of Ararat. However, no one has ever been able to prove […]
Read more
Love Divine All Love Excelling was written by Charles Wesley. Charles Wesley was born in 1707 Lincolnshire, England to Samuel and Susannah Wesley. He was the youngest of eighteen children {although nine of his siblings died as infants}. Charles and his brother, John, were founders of the Methodist movement. Often John would edit his brother’s lyrics and words. It is […]
Read more