Behind the Hymn: Count Your Blessings
When searching for a Thanksgiving hymn, I was surprised we have not discussed this hymn yet. Count Your Blessings is a hymn written in 1897 by Johnson Oatman, Jr. Oatman was born on April…
Hymn Story: Faith of Our Fathers
Faith of Our Fathers was written in 1849 by Frederick William Faber. He began as a priest for the Church of England, but later seceded to the Catholic Church. He published a number of articles…
Hymn Story: Since Jesus Came Into My Heart
Since Jesus Came into my Heart was written by Rufus Henry McDaniel. McDaniel was born in 1850 in Ohio. By the age of nineteen he was already preaching and eventually became a minister of the…
Behind the Song: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands is a traditional American spiritual. As a spiritual this song was probably around for a long time before it was recorded and written down. The song was…
Behind the Song: Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man
Zacchaeus was a Wee Little Man is another popular children’s song. It’s a great way for children to learn the story of Zacchaeus. After all a song stays in your memory much longer than a…
Behind the Song: I’ve Got Peace Like a River
I’ve Got Peace Like a River is an African-American spiritual. Spirituals began on the fields and the slaves would sing to pass the time of day. It was also a great way to pass messages…
Behind the Song: Jesus Loves the Little Children
After Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children is one of the first songs children learn in Sunday School. The song was written by Clarence Herbert Woolston. He was born in 1856 and died…
Behind the Song: I’ll Be a Sunbeam
I’ll Be a Sunbeam is a popular children’s hymn often learned in Sunday School. The song is often referred to as Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, due to the opening lines of the hymn.…
Behind the Song: Lovest Thou Me?
Lovest Thou Me? is another beautiful song by Bill and Gloria Gaither. This song is based on John 21. To provide a little background, Peter denied Jesus three times “before the rooster crows” on the…
Behind the Song: Sheltered in the Arms of God
Sheltered in the Arms of God is another one of those songs close to my heart that has helped me through so many difficult days and hours. This beautiful song was written by Dottie Rambo.…
Behind the Song: Consider the lilies
There are times when it is so easy to worry about whatever concerns or issues are going on in our lives. However, true faith is turning it over to God and not worrying any longer…
Behind the Song: Precious Memories
Precious Memories is one of the songs that when I began to play or sing it many others seem to naturally join in. Memories of days gone by seem to roll through our minds and…
Behind the Song: My Faith Still Holds
This is a very special song to me. With the anniversary of the passing of my Dad, my mind is turning to this song more and more these days. You see, My Faith Still Holds…
Behind the Song: Until Then
Until Then is one of the songs that can climb into my head and remain for days. I can’t help but sing the lyrics on my heart. Until Then, also sometimes referred to as My…
Hymn Story: Be Still My Soul
Little seems to be known about the author of the hymn Be Still My Soul. Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, the author, who was born in 1697. She is believed to have come from an…
Hymn Story: All Creatures Of Our God and King
All Creatures of Our God and King was written by Francis of Assisi shortly before his death in 1225. The song was published 400 years after Francis of Assisi died. He wrote the words for…
Hymn Story: Crown Him with Many Crowns
Matthew Bridges was in the middle of the 19th Century battle between the Catholic and Anglican Church. He wrote scathing articles condemning the Catholic church, before later converting to Catholicism in 1848. He based the…
Hymn Story: Be Thou My Vision
Saint Dallan Forgaill, wrote the text “Rop tú mo Baile”, in the 6th Century. Mary Elizabeth Byrne, founder of the Irish Text Society, translated the Old Irish Text into English in 1905. Seven…
Hymn Story: Trust and Obey
John H. Sammis was born in 1846 in Brooklyn, New York. He was a successful businessman, Presbyterian minister, taught at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and wrote more than 100 hymns. He died in…
Hymn Story: Heavenly Sunlight
Henry Jeffreys Zelley, a Methodist minister, wrote the song in 1899. Born in 1859, Rev. Zelley served in ministry for over 50 years. He was considered a Bible scholar and also known to write poetry…