William Doane was a businessman in Cincinnati, Ohio, who liked to write Gospel music. So, he searched out Fanny Crosby, who could write words to a song at the drop of a hat. Despite her blindness, she already had a reputation as a song-writer, and William wanted to see if […]
Song Story
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Rebecca St. James told, “When I was growing up, I often stayed at my grandparents’ house. They owned a beautiful, multistoried house, with flower gardens and fruit trees. It was such a comfort to go to that house because no matter how things changed around me, this place always stayed […]
John H. Sammis was the writer of the Christian hymn Trust and Obey in 1887 with music composed by Daniel Towner the year before. Sammis was born in 1846, in Brooklyn, New York and died in 1919 in Los Angeles, California. A man of business who later turned to preaching for a Presbyterian church, John Sammis additionally wrote the popular hymn He’s a Friend […]
This worship song was first written in the 1990s by Dennis Jernigan and is arguably the best known of all his songs. He wrote the song at an Oklahoma City church during a daily 6am prayer meeting. Jernigan believed God was constantly singing over him so he needed to be constantly listening and writing […]
Sixty miles north of where this author lives, there is an historic marker on the side of the road. On it are these words: “Philip P. Bliss. The great gospel-singing evangelist and gospel songwriter was born July 9, 1838, in a log house which stood a little distance from here. […]
From the unruly streets of London to the pulpits of Baptist churches, Edward Mote’s life was a testament to the transformative power of God’s grace. Born in 1797 to pub-owning parents, young Edward grew up without any knowledge of the Bible or the loving presence of Christ. As he later […]
Robert (Bob) Gillman (b. 1946), raised in the East London Borough of West Ham, calls himself “an East Ender.” He notes, however, that he was “not close enough to hear the sound of Bow Bells of Bow Church, which would have made him officially a ‘Cockney’!” (Email, 2020, n.p.). He […]
Julian Keith Getty was born December 16, 1974, in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. His musical training began at age eleven on the guitar and flute, with later formal studies at Durham University and Tanglewood in Massachusetts. He continued his study in conducting, arranging, and orchestrating and was helped greatly in his […]
Isaac Watts wrote “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” in preparation for a communion service in 1707. Originally, the hymn was named “Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ,” following the practice of the day to summarize a hymn’s theme in the title. It was first published in […]
This hymn was written by Annie Sherwood Hawks. She was born on May 28, 1835, in Hoosick, New York. By the age of fourteen, Hawks was writing poems that were being published in a variety of newspapers. In 1859, she married Charles Hawks and focused on raising their three children. […]
“Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mould me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.” Jeremiah 18:3-6 sets the scene for this hymn: “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, […]
A hymn which identifies Christ as the King of kings and Lord of Lords with many crowns upon His head is “Crown Him With Many Crowns.” The original text was written by Matthew Bridges who was born at Malden in Essex, England, on July 14, 1800. Educated to be a […]