The True Story of Pain and Hope Behind “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”

DECEMBER 21, 2014 Justin TaylorIn March of 1863, 18-year-old Charles Appleton Longfellow walked out of his family’s house on Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and unbeknownst to his family—boarded a train bound for Washington, D.C., traveling over 400 miles across the eastern seaboard in order to join President Lincoln’s Union army to fight in the

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Hymn Spotlight: Silent Night

Hymn Spotlight: Silent Night—celebrating 200 yearsAuthor – Joseph Mohr, 1792-1848English Translation – John F. Young, 1820-1885Composer – Franz Grűber, 1787-1863Tune Name – “Stille Nacht” Christmas Eve, 1818….a song was born that would wing its way into the hearts of people throughout the world. Joseph Mohr was born in the lovely city of Salzburg, Austria, in

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Hymn Spotlight: Now Thank We All Our God

Hymn Spotlight: Now Thank We All Our God Author – Martin Rinkart, 1586-1649 English Translation – Catherine Winkworth, 1827-1878 Music – Joann Crűger, 1598-1662 Scripture Reference – Psalm 147 Upon hearing the hymn, we would never realize that this paean of praise was forged during times of tragic experiences. From some of the most severe

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Hymn Spotlight Just As I Am

Author – Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871 Composer – William B. Bradbury, 1816-1868 Tune Name – “Woodworth” Most of us are familiar with “Just As I Am” because of the Billy Graham Crusades. Here’s how the hymn came to be. Charlotte Elliott seemed to have everything going for her as a young woman. She was gifted as

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Hymn Spotlight: Be Thou My Vision

The true and complete story behind this hymn is hard to track down. Most information states it was written in 8th century Ireland, and I’ve found 3 different names of who possibly could have written the words. The story which comes up most often and my attention is this………..it is believed that St. Dallan lost

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Hymn Spotlight: America The Beautiful

After what I owe to God, nothing should be more dear or more sacred to me than the love and respect I owe to my country. -Jacques Auguste de Thou America The Beautiful They wrote the words and music to “America the Beautiful,” but Katharine Lee Bates and church organist Samuel Augustus Ward never met……they

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Hymn Spotlight: Jesus Paid it All

Paid in Full Jesus Paid It All was written under unusual circumstances. Did your mind ever wander during a Sunday service? Perhaps you started thinking about other things–maybe what occurred last week, or plans for the coming week or what you will be doing later that day. Something like that happened to the writer of

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Hymn Spotlight September

Hymn Spotlight: Holy, Holy, Holy Holy, Holy, Holy – The History Holy, Holy, Holy has been sung in Christian churches since the 1800s. Over the centuries, this hymn has blessed people throughout the world. Its inspiring words are the work of Reginald Heber (1783–1826), the Anglican Bishop of Calcutta. Heber was an esteemed scholar who

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Hymn Spotlight God Will Take Care of You

Hymn Spotlight: God Will Take Care of You    Sometimes it takes a child to remind us what it means to truly have faith in our Father. That’s what Civilla Martin and her husband, Rev. Walter Martin, discovered one Sunday. Rev. Martin was a renowned evangelist in the early 1900s, and he and his wife

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