On November 10, 2020 I wrote: “I will be back soon. Thank you for reading. –Pastor Leon Stier” Sorry it took so long. I hope you are all still there. It has been a while since I posted one of these. I had some computer and website issues that needed fixing, […]
A young teenager once complained to his father, a minister, that most of the hymns they sang in church were boring to him because they were too far behind the times. His father put an end to his son’s complaints by saying, “If you think you can write better hymns, then let’s see
1350) Joy to the World Read More »
————————— In 1773, English poet and hymn-writer William Cowper experienced a nervous breakdown. He struggled with mental illness and despondency all his life, and now his mind was telling him that he was condemned to hell for all of eternity. In his mental sickness he thought God was telling him to take his
1205) God Moves in a Mysterious Way Read More »
By Bob Kauflin, September 22, 2010 blog at: www.worshipmatters.com The story behind “Great is Thy Faithfulness” should encourage every Christian who thinks of their life as ordinary. There’s no tragic story (think “It Is Well” by Horatio Spafford) associated with this hymn. It’s just the fruit of a faithful man with a simple
1172) Great is Thy Faithfulness Read More »
———————- II Kings 2:11-12a — As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And
1154) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Read More »
Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), blind rescue mission worker Phoebe Knapp (1839-1908), wife of one of the founders and second president of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company —————————————————- Fanny Crosby and Phoebe Knapp lived on opposite sides of the track and were of very different dispositions. Fanny Crosby lost her sight as an infant, lived in
1153) Blessed Assurance Read More »
Johnny Cash (1932-2003) recorded almost one-hundred albums in his long career. Of all those many albums, he said his favorite was the last one he did, released just a few months before he died. None of his best-known songs are on this album, none of the songs in that album were written by
1026) Johnny Cash’s Mother’s Hymn Book Read More »
(…continued) It is no wonder that down through the ages one of the main items on the agenda for philosophy and religion has been this whole area of the relationship between the spirit and the flesh. Plato gave birth to the whole study of philosophy with the thought that you could think your
980) Bodies and Spirits (2/2) Read More »
One of the best-loved Christmas carols is Joy to the World. The song begins with “Joy to the world, the Lord has come; let earth receive its King;” and then we sing, “Let every heart prepare him room.” Prepare him room, it says, or, make room for Jesus. The phrase brings to mind
Rich Mullins (1955-1997) Rich Mullins was an American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter. He was born in Richmond, Indiana. Mullins was best known for his worship songs Awesome God and Sometimes by Step, both of which have been embraced as modern classics by many Christians. Some of his albums were considered
871) Rich Mullins; The ‘Awesome God’ Guy Read More »
