Behind the Hymn: All Hail King Jesus
Dave Moody was preparing for the worship service he was to lead that evening in 1977. He sat down at the piano and began to worship God. A song came to him, and as he…
Behind the Hymn: Majesty
This is Mama’s favorite song. In honor of her birthday this week, I thought I would cover the history of this song of praise. The song was written by Jack William Hayford, who is a…
Behind the Song: The King is Coming
Recently, I heard a sermon relating the first days of the church of Christ to the uncertainty of our future as Christians in this world. The sermon ended by assuring us that although we…
Behind the Song: The Savior is Waiting
This hymn was written by Ralph Carmichael in the mid-1950s. Mr. Carmichael shares that his pastor, Lester Harnish, requested he write a new hymn to be used as an invitation each night for the upcoming…
Behind the Song: Burdens Are Lifted At Calvary
This hymn was written in 1952 by Rev. John M. Moore. Rev. Moore was born in Kirkintilloch, Dunbartonshire, Scotland on September 1, 1925. He shares that he was raised by godly parents and…
Behind the Hymn: All Hail the Power of Jesus Name
Edward Perronet was born in 1726 England, the grandson of a French immigrant. He followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the ministry. He became close friends with John and Charles Wesley, eventually leaving the…
Behind the Hymn: Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross
This popular hymn was written by Fanny Crosby, author of over 8,000 hymns and songs. She often collaborated with composer William Doane. Doane wrote the music and then the melody was played for Crosby. Upon…
Behind the Hymn: Whispering Hope
No known story of the writing of this hymn is available, but the life of the author is very interesting. Septimus Winner was born in 1827 Philadelphia to a violin maker father. He was the…
Behind the Hymn: A Child of the King
This is a song I’ve always loved. Daddy and I performed this song together several times. Harriett Buell wrote the song one Sunday morning walking home from the church service at her local Methodist church.…
Behind the Hymn: For the Beauty of the Earth
Folliott Sandford Pierpoint was born in Bath, England in 1835. After being educated at Queens College in Cambridge, he taught at Somersetshire College. He contributed hymns to various publications and published at least two song…
Behind the Hymn: I Stand Amazed in the Presence
The other day my grandmother asked me about the song, I Stand Amazed In the Presence. This hymn, which is also known as How Marvelous or My Savior’s Love, was written by Charles Gabriel. Charles…
Behind the Hymn: I Must Tell Jesus
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…
Behind the Song: Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting
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…
Behind the Song: Grace Greater Than Our Sins
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…
Behind the Hymn: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place
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,…
Behind the Hymn: Great is Thy Faithfulness
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…
Behind the Song: The Longer I Serve Him {The Sweeter He Grows}
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…
Behind the Hymn: My Country Tis of Thee
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…
Behind the Hymn: I Surrender All
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…
Behind the Song: I Can Only Imagine
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…