Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
Charles Wesley wrote Jesus, Lover of My Soul only months after he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. He titled his hymn “In Temptation”. Little is known about the details and inspiration of the writing of the hymn. The title “In Temptation” clues us in to he meant it to help with fighting sin. The poem was first published […]
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This Is My Father’s World was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock in 1901. Babcock was a minister living in Lockport, New York. He enjoyed taking frequent walks along the Niagara Escarpment which provided a “panoramic vista of upstate New York scenery and Lake Ontario.” Upon leaving for his walk, he would tell his wife Katherine, he was “going out to […]
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There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit was written by gospel songwriter Doris Mae Akers. She was born in Brookfield, Missouri on May 21, 1923. She was one of ten children and developed an interest in music at an early age. By the age of six, she had taught herself to play piano by ear. She wrote her first song, “Keep the […]
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An art museum in Dusseldorf, Germany has a vivid painting on display of Christ, “wearing His crown of thorns as He stands before Pilate and the mob”. Underneath the painting, by Sternberg, are the word “This have I done for thee, what hast thou done for Me?” Francis Havergal came upon the painting while in Germany. Sources differ on whether […]
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Priscilla J. Owens was a Baltimore public school teacher for forty-nine years and often wrote hymns for children’s services. She was very involved in the Sunday School at her church. She wrote the words to this hymn for a missionary service in the Sunday School of Union Square Methodist Church. The song was “originally adapted to the chorus “Vive le […]
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The hymn God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is over 500 years. The song we sing today has a completely different meaning then at the time it originated. The hymn is one of the oldest known Christmas carols. Over the centuries, times and meanings have changed. The song we sing today does not have the same meaning that it did to […]
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Now Thank We All Our God is translated from the German hymn “Nun danket alle Gott”. The German hymn was written by Martin Rinkart in 1636. Rinkart was a Lutheran Minister and accomplished musician. At the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War he came to the city of Eilenburg, Saxony, which was a walled city. The city served as a […]
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Fairest Lord Jesus is a song of mystery. The author and origin of the song are unknown. The song seems to have originated as a folk song in Germany and other areas of Europe. Some historians believe the song may even date back to the 12th Century when it was sung by the German crusaders as the made their long, […]
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One Day was written by John Wilbur Chapman. Chapman was born on June 17, 1859 and came to understand salvation from D. L. Moody. Moody later encouraged him to enter full-time evangelism. Chapman was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1918 and considered a leader among the American Presbyterians. Charles Howard Marsh was a student of Dr. Chapman. […]
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Despite his lack of formal education, Thomas Obadiah Chisholm became a teacher at the age of sixteen. By the age of twenty-one, he was associate editor for his hometown newspaper Franklin Advocate. He became a Christian in 1893, due to the ministry of Henry Clay Morrison, who founded Asbury College and Seminary in Kentucky. While ordained into the ministry, he […]
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He Hideth My Soul was written by Fanny Crosby, a popular hymn writer. He Hideth My Soul may have been Crosby’s prayer throughout her life. While a renowned songwriter, her life was not easy. As an infant, Fanny Crosby lost her eyesight due to fever and poor ministrations in her care. She lived the rest of her life blind, but […]
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Dr. Jeremiah Rankin was the Pastor of First Congregational Church in Washington, D. C. He was looking for a farewell hymn to close the worship service. Nothing really worked and the closest possibility was Bless Be the Tie that Binds. But, Dr. Rankin wanted something less formal and more engaging. Unable to find the hymn he wanted, he decided to […]
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Holy Ground is a song that once again shows the power of God. Geron Davis was nineteen years old when his minister father ask him to write a song for the new building their church was dedicating in Savannah, Tennessee. Weeks before the dedication his father asked him to write a song and Davis kept meaning to, but either inspiration […]
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Lord Lift My Feet on Higher Ground was written by Johnson Oatman, Jr. Oatman was born on April 21, 1856 in Medford, New Jersey. He was a businessman and wrote over 5,000 hymns in his spare time. He did not begin writing hymns until he was 36 years old and was never paid for more than $1.00 for any of […]
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Moment by Moment was another hymn written by Major Daniel Webster Whittle. He is also the author of I Know Whom I Have Believed. Ira Sankey recounted that while at the World’s Fair in Chicago, Rev. Henry Varley stated “I do not like the hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour. I need him Moment by Moment.” Major Whittle was impressed […]
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I Know Whom I Have Believed was written by Major Daniel Webster Whittle. Daniel Webster Whittle was born on November 22, 1840 in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. He was named for the politician and founder of the dictionary, Daniel Webster. Whittle was very religious as a young man and worked as a cashier for Wells Fargo Bank. In 1861, he joined […]
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Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus is another hymn where God used a tragedy for his good. In 1858, Dudley Atkins Tyng, an evangelist and abolitionist, had just finished preaching at a successful mission in Philadelphia. Tyng visited his farm, where he reached his arm out to pat a mule. This mule was working on a machine that shelled corn […]
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Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus is another hymn that was born out of tragedy. The lyrics were written by Louisa M.R. Stead in 1882. Louisa Stead was born in 1850 England. In 1871, she came to the United States and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. She had hoped to become a missionary but was prevented by ill health. In […]
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We’re Marching To Zion is sometimes referred to by it’s opening line, Come We That Love the Lord. The hymn was written by Isaac Watts. Watts was an English minister, hymnwriter, theologian and logician. He wrote over 750 hymns and is known as the Father of English hymnody. Marching to Zion may have been based on Jeremiah 31:6, “Arise ye, […]
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The Solid Rock or My Hope is Built on Nothing Less was written by Edward Mote. He was a pastor at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham, West Essex, England. Mote was born in 1797 and trained to be a cabinet maker. At the age of 50, he entered the ministry. When offered the church building as a gift, Mote replied […]
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