Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
I was recently discussing this beloved hymn with a family member. However, I can so relate to the story. There have been times when I had no one to tell my sorrows except Jesus. I must tell Jesus was written by Elisha Hoffman. He was born in 1839 Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. His love of God and music were both learned from […]
Read more
I had never heard this hymn until recently when I attended the funeral of a dear man of God. He had served as pastor for several churches before being called to the mission field, where he ministered for more than three decades. The point I found interesting in researching this story was how this song has ministered to other missionaries. […]
Read more
We all need more grace to be given and to be shown. This hymn stuck in my mind because I had a resident ask for the song on a regular basis. For a long time I thought it was his favorite, but later discovered it was his wife’s favorite. After she passed, this hymn was a way for him to […]
Read more
This week’s hymn was inspired by a very special man, who had a great love for music but an even greater love for God. Although I only knew him the last year of his life, that love of both God and music was still evident. His children introduced me to this beautiful hymn and informed me this was one of […]
Read more
God wants to show us His faithfulness, but sometimes we have to surrender all before He can prove that He is faithful to us. Great is Thy Faithfulness was written by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm as a “testament to God’s faithfulness through his very ordinary life.” Chisholm was born in 1866 in a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky to James Washington […]
Read more
This week this song has played through my heart and mind over and over again. I have performed this song numerous times over the years, but this week the song has ministered to me. The song was written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. This well-known couple have written numerous Southern Gospel songs of our day including Because He Lives, He […]
Read more
In honor of the 4th of July yesterday, I wanted to share the story behind one of our beloved Patriotic hymns. My Country Tis of Thee is a popular Patriotic hymn, after our national anthem and God Bless America. Samuel Francis Smith wanted to write a song to bring the nation of the United States to God. In 1831, […]
Read more
Surrendering it all to God is not easy. As I’m sharing my Rebel to Redeemed story, I am sharing my struggle to surrender it all to God over the course of my life. Many of us have struggled with this same decision. The author of this beautiful hymn, Judson Wheeler Van DeVenter, definitely struggled. However, from his struggles came a […]
Read more
I recently heard someone publicly say they did not like the song, “I Can Only Imagine.” Their reason was that they could not imagine dancing when we get to heaven. The scriptures include several references of dancing before the Lord. These include: “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” […]
Read more
On Tuesday, I shared how this song had impacted my weight loss journey. I first heard this song several years ago in a church service. I was working my way through a very difficult time in my life. This song spoke to me and I realized I HAVE to sing this song. I remember sitting in my seat with tears […]
Read more
Have you wondered where I got my tag, “Sharing HIS Kind of Love” from? The phrase comes from the song by the same title. His Kind of Love was written by Marijohn Wilkin. For 15 years I was Daddy’s accompanists on the piano. This was a song we performed on a regular basis. After his death, I took the Easter […]
Read more
Many times it is difficult to see the path ahead. All we can do is take things one day at a time. The song “One Day at a Time” was written by Marijohn Wilkin when she was fifty-three years old. By this point she’d known considerable success as a songwriter of country music. However, she’d also suffered extreme heartache and […]
Read more
I first heard and loved this song more than 20 years ago when released. However, lately this song keeps returning in my life. As I transform with my weight loss and other areas of my life, I’m seeing the difference the touch of the Master’s Hand can make. So, how did the song originate? The song, sung by Wayne Watson, […]
Read more
The Old Rugged Cross is often requested during hymn sings. The message seems to be one that everyone can cling onto. Three different sites claim to be the home of this well loved hymn. The hymn was written by George Barnard, a minister ordained by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. Bernard began his ministry in the Salvation Army. While going […]
Read more
How Firm A Foundation was published in 1787 by John Rippon. When it appeared in Rippon’s ‘A Selection of Hymns,’ it was signed simply “K”. All efforts to identify this mysterious “K”, have been fruitless; and the mystery remains to this day. Some reprints show the author was Kenne. Dr. Rippon’s musical director was R. Keene and it’s believed he […]
Read more
Frances Jane Crosby was born on March 24, 1820 in Brewster, New York. She is best known as Fanny. At the age of six weeks, Fanny caught a cold that caused inflammation in her eyes. Mustard poultices were applied to treat the inflammation, damaging her optic nerves and blinding her. Her father died the same year she was born and […]
Read more
To God Be the Glory was written by Fanny Crosby around 1875. She originally titled the hymn “Praise for Redemption.” William Doane composed the music to go with Fanny Crosby’s lyrics. The hymn first appeared in the Brightest and Best Hymnal, which was compiled by William Doane and Robert Lowry in 1875. The song was not much a big […]
Read more
Joy to the World is a paraphrase of the Psalm 98. Originally the Christmas Carol was titled “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom” and first appeared in Watt’s 1719 “Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament” hymnal. The music is believed to be adapted from parts of Handel’s Messiah by Lowell Mason. “And heaven and nature sing” […]
Read more
O Come All Ye Faithful was originally written in Latin. No one is sure who the original text was written by. Many people have been given the credit, but most likely an order of monks wrote the text. The original text consisted of four Latin verses, which were translated and used in the hymn we now know today. The composer […]
Read more
Silent Night has become a favorite Christmas Carol around the world. The hymn was never meant to be the legend it’s become. Joseph Mohr was the assistant priest at the Church of St. Nicholas in the Tyrol Alps of Austria. Father Mohr and Franz Gruber, the village schoolmaster and church organist, were discussing the fact that they believed the perfect […]
Read more