Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God was written by Stephen P. Starke. He was born in 1955 and described as “a prolific hymn writer”. In the notes below the song it says “This hymn is a versification of the Te Deum laudamus.” Te Deum laudamus is Latin and means “God, We Praise You.” It is “traditionally sung on […]
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Christ, Be My Leader was written by Timothy Dudley-Smith. He was born in 1926 and served in the Church of England. He also edited the Billy Graham Crusade magazine. In the 1960s, he began writing hymns. He has written over 400 hymns. The tune is called Slane and is an old Irish folk tune.
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Built on the Rock was written by Nicolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig. He was born at Udby, in Seeland, in 1783. Upon leaving university, he took to teaching. During this time, he devoted his attention to poetry, literature, and Northern antiquities. In 1810 he became assistant to his father in a parish in Jutland where he became ordained. After his father’s […]
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Oh that I had a Thousand Voices was written by Johann Mentzer. The song was first written in German and translated into English by Henry Mills. Mentzer was born born July 27, 1658, at Jahmen, near Rothenburg, in Silesia. He became a student of theology and is said to have suffered great affliction. He wrote many hymns by his 1734 […]
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My Song is Love Unknown is a hymn by Samuel Crossman. Crossman was a Puritan minister who opposed the Act of Uniformity 1662 and was exiled from the Church of England. He wrote the poem “My Song Is Love Unknown” in 1664. It was not published until he rejoined the Church of England and published in The Young Man’s Meditation […]
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The Day Thou Gavest was written by John Ellerton. The hymn was first published in 1870. Ellerton was born in London, England in 1826. He was ordained to the Church of England in 1851 and served six different churches throughout his career. He also helped to compile several hymn books. He died in England in 1893. Ellerton wrote and translated […]
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He Keep Me Singing is sometimes also referred to as Sweetest Name I know. The song was written by Luther B. Bridgers. Bridgers was born on February 14, 1884 in Margarettsville, North Carolina. He grew up assisting their father with revival meetings. He became an ordained minister in 1908-1909 after completing his training at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. He […]
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All People That on Earth Do Dwell was written by William Kethe. Kethe was born in Scotland and fled to the continent during Queen Mary’s persecution in the late 1550s. While living in Geneva he traveled to visit other English refugees. It is believed he was one of the translators of the Geneva Bible–which was favored by the Pilgrim fathers. […]
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“Lying bedridden with a near fatal illness in 1866, William C. Dix found the hope to pen the words to the joyful hymn of victory, “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!” Inspired by the words of Revelation to sing a new song, this hymn calls us to lift our voices and praise the ascended Christ, who yet remains with us and intercedes […]
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The Day of Resurrection was written by St. John of Damascus, an eighth-century Greek poet. He is known for his writing of six canons for the major festivals of the church year. He lived a life of wealth and honor until he became dissatisfied with his life at age forty. He gave away his possessions, freed his slaves and entered […]
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Go to dark Gethsemane was written by James Montgomery. He was born in 1771 Ayrshire, Scotland. His parents died on the mission field while he was at boarding school. He is said to have a passion for missions, be independent minded and express radical ideas and causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall […]
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Thomas Ken was born in 1637 Hertfordshire, England. He studied a Winchester College and became ordained in the Church of England in 1662. He is said to be “a man of conscience and independent mind who did not shirk from confrontations with royalty.” The story is told “when King Charles II came to visit Winchester, he took along his mistress, […]
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Come down, O Love divine was written by Bianco da Siena an Italian poet and wool worker who was born at Anciolina, in the Val d’Arno around 1350. In 1367 he entered the Order of Jesuates, consisting of unordained men who followed the rule of St. Augustine. Little is known of Bianco beyond the fact that he is said to […]
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As We Gather at Your Table is a communion song. The hymn was written by Carl P. Daw. Daw was born in 1944 to a Baptist Minister. He became an Episcopal Priest and served congregations in Virginia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. He began writing hymns and served as editor for several hymnals. “He is Curator of Hymnological Collections and Adjunct Professor […]
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Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven was written by Rev. Henry Francis Lyte. The text is based on Psalm 103 which begins with “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” He first published the song in his 1834 The Spirit of the Psalms and remains a popular hymn in some […]
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O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing was one of the more than six thousand hymns that was written by Charles Wesley. In May 1738, Charles Wesley was suffering from pleurisy, while studying with his brother, John, in London. During this time he was plagued with extreme doubts regarding his faith. After taking to his bed, he attended a Bible […]
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Day is Dying in the West was written by Mary Artemesia Lathbury. She was born on August 10, 1841 in Ontario County, New York. Day is dying in the West was written at the request of Rev. John H. Vincent in the summer of 1880. It was a “Vesper Song” used in the responsive services. The Vesper’s came from the […]
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God Leads Us Along is a beautiful hymn that is not as well known as many of other hymns.The hymn was written by George A. Young, an obscure preacher and carpenter. He often struggled to support his family on the meager amount he made. No exact date of birth is known but it is believed he was born sometime around […]
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I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart is a popular song with children as well as sung around a camp fire. The tune is upbeat, catchy and hard to forget. George William Cooke wrote the song, which was copyrighted as “Joy in My Heart” in 1925. As a young man, he twice circled the globe in evangelistic […]
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Breathe on Me, Breath of God was written by Edwin Hatch. Hatch was an English theologian born in Derby, England on September 4, 1835. He eventually became Bishop of Manchester and noted for his strong mental independence and extreme study habits. By the 1880s, he was a well-known lecturer. Hatch published the song privately in 1878 in a pamphlet titled […]
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