Our lovely, rather simple song is listed at Hymnary.org as old enough to be public domain. Neither date nor composer are known. They suggest an old story from 1750’s Virginia may have inspired the song. The story goes that a Continue Reading →
Years ago I saw comic book ads selling lessons on muscling up. There’s a scrawny fellow on a sandy beach. A bully kicks sand in his face and the scrawny guy can only sit there and do nothing but be Continue Reading →
We might not always feel happy, but we don’t have to stay that way. This peaceful song reminds us we are never alone, never unloved, and never without God’s promises. He is faithful, present, and loving. Please give the song Continue Reading →
This delightful song appeared in a handful of hymn books in the early 1900’s under the title “Joy Of Forgiveness”. I’m going with the title “Gladness In My Heart Today” because those words are actually in the song. But the Continue Reading →
“There’s A New Day Dawning” was written about a hundred years ago. Back then, what new day was our song writer thinking of? Please give this bright song a sing-along listen, then we’ll talk about three possible candidates for this Continue Reading →
Pentecost is a bit like Christmas in a few ways. For starters, the dates we celebrate both are not the exact calendar day the original event occurred, but rather are based on tradition. Both celebrate birthdays (of Jesus and of Continue Reading →
There are lots and lots of Christmas songs, many Easter songs — and a few Pentecost songs. Maybe if more people knew what it is we celebrate at Pentecost, we’d have more songs about it. “The Very Same Power” is Continue Reading →
This peaceful song was written in 1903, the same year the Wright Brothers made aviation history at Kitty Hawk, but remained relatively unpublished for its first thirty years. Around the early 1930’s its reach grew, and by now it has Continue Reading →
Who can count the songs that have been written about — or because of — the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Our song “He Arose” is one of them. This is a bright, attractive song. It carries many teaching topic ideas Continue Reading →
I’ve known this song a long time, but not as a song I would especially care to sing solo. That’s because I’ve experienced “Were You There” mostly by hearing recordings of awesome singers like Tennessee Ernie Ford and Mahalia Jackson, Continue Reading →