Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
Have Thine Own Way, Lord was written by Adelaide A. Pollard. Born in 1862 Iowa, she had a gift for writing prose, poetry, hymns and even articles. Her birth name was Sarah, but she strongly disliked the name and changed it to Adelaide. She spent her life in ministry, teaching at schools, working with evangelist and serving in missions overseas. […]
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Thomas Andrew Dorsey experienced tremendous loss and sadness when he received word that his wife and newborn son died. In August 1932, at the time of their death he was at a revival meeting in St. Louis, Missouri and notified of his loss by telegram. He was left deeply depressed. Dorsey grew up a preacher’s kid but turned away from […]
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When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder was written by James Milton Black in 1893. The story goes that when the time came to take roll in his Sunday School class, a little girl was absent. He’d met the fourteen year old girl one day and she touched his heart. He noticed that she was poorly dressed and realized […]
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The happy song, In the Sweet By and By, came from a moment of depression. Joseph Webster, a composer, was friends with Dr. Sandford Bennett. Joseph Webster was born in the east in 1819. As a young man he studied music with Lowell Mason. In his thirties, he moved west settling in Elkhorn, Wisconsin in 1857. He is said to […]
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Have you ever been under so much stress that it caused a mental breakdown? That’s what happened to William Cowper {pronounced Cooper} while preparing for his bar exam. His breakdown was so complete that he was admitted to an insane asylum until he recovered. During his time in the asylum his life was forever changed when he came to know […]
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Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing was written by Rev. Robert Robinson in the 18th Century. He was twenty-two when he penned the words in 1757. As a young man Robinson lived a wild life that was full of debauchery. The story goes that Robert Robinson came upon a gypsy who said “And you, young man, you will live to […]
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Love Lifted Me was a joint effort of James Rowe and Howard E. Smith. The two friends wrote the hymn together. James Rowe was born in Horrabridge, Devonshire, England in 1865. He was the son of a copper miner. James worked for the Irish government for four years, before immigrating to America. He was 24 years old when he settled […]
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Send the Light was written by Charles H. Gabriel. Charles Hutchinson Gabriel was born August 18, 1856 in Wilton Iowa and raised on a farm. As a boy, Gabriel taught himself to play a small reed organ. He was following in his father’s footsteps and leading singing schools by the age of 16. One folklore of his youth, is that […]
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This beautiful song was written by Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander for the children in her Sunday School class. The author was born Cecil Frances Humphreys in 1818 Dublin, Ireland. She was the daughter of an Irish Major. She began writing verse as a child. Young Fanny was very introverted, but showed interest in poetry and writing. Her earliest work […]
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The verse to O How I Love Jesus was written by Frederick Whitfield. Frederick Whitfield was born in Threapwood, Shropshire, England on Jan. 7, 1829. After attending Trinity College in Dublin, he became an Anglican Church clergyman. In 1875, he reached the pinnacle of his carrer when he was appointed to St. Mary’s Church in Hastings. He is credited with […]
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One of the first songs we learn to sing as children is “Jesus Loves Me.” When I go into the nursing homes and daycares to perform, for music therapy or a music session I always end with Jesus Loves Me. I’ve discovered several things: 1. Everyone knows this song 2. The song seems to resonate and touch a chord with […]
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Have you ever denied Christ? Peter denied Jesus three times the night Christ was arrested. Afterwards the disciple was horrified to realize he’d done the very thing Jesus foretold. Earlier that evening while the disciple were partaking of {what we now call} the Last Supper, Jesus began to prepare the men for what was to come. “Then Jesus told them, […]
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These were people living out their everyday life. In third class, most of the passengers were emigrants headed to the New World in hopes of a better life. In second class, we had what today would be considered the average, middle class person. First class was filled with the opulence of grandeur. The most elite and richest people were on […]
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Happy Easter! Easter is one of my favorite holidays. The day we remember that Jesus did not stay dead, but He Arose! 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.” The cross cleansed our sin, but the resurrection gives us […]
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I had the joy of listening to Rev. Don Piper speak on Sunday evening. He is the author of 90 Minutes in Heaven, where he shares his story of being hit by a semi-truck, died and went to heaven for 90 minutes, as a minister friend prayed over him, before being sent back to earth. His story was a reminder […]
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Have you ever thought that you knew better than God? I spent a lifetime thinking I knew best and refusing to even consult him on matters. When I first met my ex, God tried to get my attention. He and everyone else wanted to warn me that I was being deceived, but I refused to hear it. Short of striking […]
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“Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations, And will sing praises unto thy name.” Psalms 18:49 (ASV) Do you ever have days when your heart is so heavy you don’t even know how to pray? I have many days like that. There are even times when I have no idea where the heaviness is coming […]
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Can you imagine living to be 103? What would you do if you had that long to live? On Wednesday {February 1}, George Beverly Shea celebrated his 103 birthday. He has lived an extraordinary life serving God with Dr. Billy Graham Cliff Barrows. This team has ministered around the world for over half a century. God has blessed all three […]
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