Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
This rousing hymn was written by Eliza E. Hewitt, while she was an invalid. She was born on June 28, 1851 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After becoming a public school teacher, she received an injury that caused considerable health issues and spinal problems. Hewitt became bed bound for a period of time. During this time, she wrote many hymns that we […]
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This is another Gaither song, that Daddy and I have performed many times over the years. I love the message of this song. In her book, Something Beautiful, Gloria Gaither tells the story behind writing this song. This song was not inspired by one man, or even two men. No, this beautiful song was inspired by four men. Gaither tells […]
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This is a tune I’ve sung for as long as I can remember. However, there is so much meaning about our faith packed into this short tune. The song was written by Rev. Marvin V. Frey. Rev. Frey was born in Sherwood, Oregon. In addition to He is Lord, Rev. Frey also wrote other well-known choruses such as I Have […]
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Arise, My Love is a popular contemporary Easter song depicting the resurrection. The song is a hit for the Christian group Newsong, who are also known for the Christmas hit, Christmas Shoes. Eddie Carswell, is one of the original members of the group, which was founded in 1981. However, the group did not emerge on the world stage as Newsong […]
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Robert Lowry was born in Philadelphia on March 12, 1826. He graduated from Bucknell University and became a Baptist minister. In 1868, he became editor of the Sunday School hymn books, having succeeded William B. Bradbury. In 1874, Lowry was pondering the Easter story. One evening he read the passage in Luke 24 that says “he is not here, he […]
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Christ the Lord is Risen Today celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate the conquering of death, when Jesus rose from the grave. Christ the Lord is Risen Today was written by Charles Wesley in 1739. The original version had eleven stanzas, but did not have the alleluia’s we know today. The hymn was first sung […]
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I’ve sung this song for years, but until I began to write this article I had no idea the story behind the song. The interesting factor! We are singing the author’s testimony. William R. Newell was born on May 22, 1868 in Savannah, Ohio. All who knew him considered him a “humble man”, however that was not how his life […]
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We are in the Lent season and preparing for Easter Sunday. However, before we can reach the light we must pass through the darkness. Philip P. Bliss wrote both the text and tune to the haunting hymn, Man of Sorrows. The hymn is based on Isaiah 52-53. In these scripture passages, the prophet Isaiah, depicts the suffering servant. Man of […]
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Stephen Adams felt the call to write gospel music from the tender age of eight years old. By the time he finished college, he was writing and performing with Doug Oldham, the Slaughters, and Bill and Gloria Gaither. On a way to a concert with these other performers, he began to ponder his career and how blessed he felt. During […]
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This is the song my dear friend was asking me to find, but she was so pleased to re-discover Beulah Land, Is This Not the Land of Beulah and Dwelling in Beulah Land. Sweet Beulah Land is the best known song referring to the land of Beulah to audience’s today. The song focuses on heaven and how wonderful it will […]
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This is one of the better known versions of a Beulah Land song to people today. The song was written by C. Austin Miles. After attending the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and the University of Philadelphia, Miles became a pharmacist. In 1892, he abandoned his pharmacy career and wrote his first Gospel song. He was following his life long dream […]
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Not a lot is known about this hymn. The records in the public domain attribute the song to William Hunter and states he wrote the song sometime before 1884. However, other records credit William B. Bradbury with writing the hymn. He is best known for providing the music for the children’s song, Jesus Loves Me. John W. Dadman wrote […]
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I have a dear friend that is named Beulah. Every time I see her she ask me to sing her song for her. When she first asked I was taken aback by this question and discovered there is not just one song about Beulah land. No, in actuality there a handful of songs about Beulah land. So this month we’re […]
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I recently came across this hymn during a devotional and was drawn to the words. I was also reminded that this is not a hymn I hear sung in church very often anymore. Yet, even today the message seems to remain the same. We need Jesus every hour of every day. This hymn was written by Annie Sherwood Hawks. She […]
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I recently had a friend utter the phrase, “we’ll understand it better by and by” and it reminded me of this hymn. The song was written by Charles Albert Tindley, who was born on July 7, 1851 in Berlin, Maryland. His mother, Hester Tindley, was a free woman. However, she died when he was still very young. His father, Charles […]
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Rock of Ages was written by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady in 1763. The song was first published in The Gospel Magazine in 1775. Rev. Toplady father died when he was a child. He was sixteen when he accepted Christ while on a trip to Ireland, however he’d already been preaching for four years and writing hymns for two years. His […]
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Amazing Grace is one of the best known and loved hymns of our day. When it was first written it started off as a poem to illustrate a sermon on New Years Day 1773. The poem was written by John Newton and is considered to be his spiritual autobiography in verse. John Newton was born in 1725. His mother wanted […]
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Angels We Have Heard on High commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ found in the Gospel of Luke. The song focuses on the shepherds encounter with the angels foretelling of the birth of the newborn child. Reports say that in 129 A.D. Pope Telesphorus ordained that the “Gloria” be sung at the Christmas Eve midnight mass. The phrase became known […]
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African Americans have a rich musical history through the use of passing down stories in the guise of a song. These songs are called spirituals and the slaves often sung them in the fields, while working and in their celebrations. These songs have a feeling of “incredible majesty and haunting beauty.” Go Tell It on the Mountain originated as a […]
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This is a beautiful Christmas song that Daddy and I performed together many times. The lyrics and music were written by William H. Neidlinger in 1890. No other information is known about this beautiful Christmas carol. The song has been recorded and performed numerous times over the years by various artists. Maybe his work was inspired by the passage in […]
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