Guest Post: Jodie Wolfe
It’s my pleasure to welcome Jodie Wolfe today as she shares about her new release. This sounds like a great […]
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Guest Post: Jodie Wolfe
It’s my pleasure to welcome Jodie Wolfe today as she shares about her new release. This sounds like a great story to check out and I’ve enjoyed learning more about Jodie’s writing process and books. Tell us about your new release. Here’s what the back cover blurb for Convincing Lou says: How hard can it be to round up one […]
Read moreHymn Story: Lead, Kindly Light
John Henry Newman wrote a poem “The Pillar of the Cloud” in 1833. The poem was first published in the British Magazine the following year. Charles H. Purday’s “Tune” was married to the poem. It then became the hymn we know “Lead, Kindly Light.” As a young priest, Newman became sick while in Italy and was unable to travel for […]
Read morePatriotic Song: The Stars and Stripes Forever
“The Stars and Stripes Forever” is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa. Sousa is considered America’s “March King”. “In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote that he composed the march on [Christmas Day], 1896. He was on an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife […]
Read moreHymn Story: Face to Face
Carrie Ellis Breck wrote “Face to Face with Christ my Savior” in 1898. Throughout her career she wrote numerous poems and hymns, but this is her most well-known. She was born on January 22, 1855 in Vermont. In 1884, she married Frank A. Breck. It is estimated that she wrote between 1400-1500 songs before her death in 1934.
Read moreHymn Story: An Evening Prayer
The hymn “An Evening Prayer” was written by C. Maud Battersby. I’ve been unable to find any additional information on Battersby. The hymn is sometimes referred to by the first line “If I have wounded any soul today.” Charles Gabirel wrote the tune around 1911. Gabriel wrote the music for numerous hymns and often worked with Fannie Crosby. In 1912, […]
Read moreHymn Story: I Have Found a Friend
Happy Father’s Day! “I’ve found a Friend” was written by James G. Small. Small’s was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1817. In 1847, he became the minister of the Free Church at Bervie. He wrote many poems before his death in 1888. “I’ve found a friend” is his best known hymn. It first appeared in thy Psalms & Sacred Songs […]
Read moreHymn Story: When they Ring those Golden Bells
Daniel de Marbelle wrote “When they Ring Those Golden Bells” in 1887. The song describes a phrase found in the Bible with a “golden bells” a reference found in Exodus 39:25. “And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates.” de Marbelle was a European immigrant, veteran of the American Civil War and […]
Read moreHymn Story: Old Time Religion
The Jubilee song, “Old Time Religion” has a long and complicated history that’s not very clear. Whether it originated as an English folk song or a spiritual is up for debate. It is believed that it dates back to at least 1873 or earlier. Charles Davis Tillman published the song after hearing it performed by African-Americans at a camp meeting […]
Read moreAuthor Spotlight: Tamelia Aday
It is a joy to introduce my friend, Tamelia Aday to you today. Her debut novel just came out. Welcome, Tamelia! What inspired you to become a writer? As soon as I could read, I wanted to create books. I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. My favorite stories had cats and I wrote stories and a friend […]
Read moreHymn Story: Day by Day
Lina Sandell wrote the hymn “Day by Day (and with Each Passing Moment)” in 1865. Several years earlier she’d witnessed the tragic drowning of her father. She was a prolific Swedish hymn writer. The hymn was originally titled “Blott en dag,” its first three words in Swedish, meaning “just one day.” Andrew L. Skoog, a Swedish immigrant to the U.S., […]
Read moreHymn Story: Somebody Bigger Than You and I
The song “Somebody Bigger Than You and I” was written by Johnny Lange, Hy Heath, and Sonny Burke. The men were American composers. Mahalia Jackson released the song on her 1960 album “I Believe.” Other recordings were maid by Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, and Whitney Houston.
Read moreHymn Story: God Give Us Christian Homes
Baylus B. McKinney wrote the hymn “God, Give Us Christian Homes” which is very fitting for Mother’s Day. He wrote around 150 songs and composed music for about 115 more songs. McKinney served as music editor for the Robert H. Coleman Company and on the faculty at the School of Sacred Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also pastored […]
Read moreHymn Story: No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus
Charles F. Weigle wrote the hymn “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus” in 1932. Mr. Weigle wrote over 1,000 Gospel songs and spent his career preaching and song writing.
Read moreSong Story: Spring Has Sprung
Spring is in the air making us think about the song “Spring Has Sprung.” The song was written by Thomas Chisholm, a Methodist minister and hymn writer. He dedicated his life to Christ around 1893 (age 27) during a revival led by Henry Clay Morrison. After his 1903 ordination, he only served as a minister for one year before his […]
Read moreSong Story: Shine, Jesus, Shine
“Shine, Jesus, Shine” is a popular praise song. It was written in 1987 by Graham Kendrick. Kendrick recounted that he’d written three verses and road-tested them. The song didn’t seem to come together and he put it away for a while. Sometime later the phrase “Shine Jesus Shine” came to his mind and he wrote the song in less than […]
Read moreHymn Story: Come Worship Him
“Come and Worship” is a hymn written by Fanny Crosby. Over her career as a hymn writer, Crosby’s words were partnered with melodies of numerous composers. Phoebe Knapp is the composer of this hymn and wrote over 500 hymn tunes. Her best-known song with Fanny Crosby is “Blessed Assurance.”
Read moreHymn Story: Scars in Heaven
“Scars in Heaven” is a song by Casting Crowns about hope in the midst of loss. Mark Hall wrote the story as his grandparents slowly passed away. To learn more about the story behind this song watch Mark Hall discuss what inspired him. During this journey, he was inspired by an event following the resurrection in the book of Luke.
Read moreEaster Song Story: St. John Passion
The Passion or oratorio “St. John Passion” was written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was written during his first year as director of church music in Leipzig and was first performed on April 7, 1724, at Good Friday Vespers at the St. Nicholas Church. There are two halves, which are intended to flank a sermon. The Passion narrates the Passion […]
Read moreAuthor Spotlight: Chris Maday Schmidt
Today it’s my pleasure to welcome Chris Maday Schmidt, as she tells us about her newest release. Welcome, Chris! I can’t wait to hear more about the llama and alpaca. Tell us about your latest release: A FATHER’S VOW—my debut novel with Love Inspired that released on March 26—is a contemporary inspirational romance about a veterinarian and a single dad […]
Read moreHymn Story: My Song is Love Unknown
Samuel Crossman, a Puritan minister, wrote the hymn “My Song is Love Unknown” in 1664. At the time he wrote the hymn, he’d been exiled from the Church of England for his opposition to the Act of Uniformity (public prayers and sacraments rites) 1662. Crossman rejoined the Church of England the following year after writing this hymn. He continued to […]
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