Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages was written by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady in 1763. The song was first published in The Gospel Magazine in 1775. Rev. Toplady father died when he was a child. He was sixteen when he accepted Christ while on a trip to Ireland, however he’d already been preaching for four years and writing Read More

God Bless America

Irving Berlin’s patriotic love song to his adopted homeland was hidden away for over twenty years before being publicly made known. Irving Berlin was a Russian immigrant living in New York City.  Growing up, Berlin often heard his mother say “God Bless America.” Berlin later said about his mother, “without America, her family would have Read More

Jesus Loves Me

Jesus Loves Me is the best loved children’s song of all time. The words were written by Anna Bartlett Warner, who was born in 1827. Warner could trace her lineage back to the Puritan Pilgrims on both sides. Her father was Henry Warner, a well known New York City lawyer originally from New England, and Read More

Nearer, My God, To Thee, Last Song Played As the Titanic Sinks

Nearer, My God, To Thee is commonly believed to be the last song the Titanic played as the ship sank. The popular hymn was written by Sarah Flower Adams and is loosely based on Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:11-19. This hymn is considered by hymnology students to be the finest hymn ever written by a Read More

Christ Arose

Friday we discussed “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”. The good news is Jesus didn’t stay dead. On Easter Sunday one of the most common hymns you hear in a service is “Christ Arose.” The hymn was written by Robert Lowry, a pastor and musician. Lowry served churches in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Read More

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

For Good Friday, I thought we would take a look at a song about Jesus death. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross was inspired by Galatians 6:14: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Isaac Read More

From a Wretch to Best Loved Hymn: the story behind Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace is one of the best known and loved hymns of our day. When it was first written it started off as a poem to illustrate a sermon on New Years Day 1773. The poem was written by John Newton and is considered to be his spiritual autobiography in verse. John Newton was born Read More