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Guest Post: Finding Peace in Each Day by Barbara M. Britton

Finding Peace in Each Day By Barbara M. Britton In a novel, conflict and tension keep readers turning pages to see what happens to their beloved characters. I am always throwing troubles in the paths of my main characters. It’s fun to send imaginary people on these adventures. But what happens when the troubles come fast and numerous in your real life? Life isn’t very fun. I send my latest…

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Guest Post: A Holy City Christmas by Christina Sinisi

There’s something magical about Christmas…but in Charleston, South Carolina, the holiday is extra special. The local chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers has published an anthology of eight short stories that celebrate the festive joy of the holiday with the beauty of the Holy City (called that because of the number of churches and the regulations that no downtown building can be…

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Guest Post: Jodie Wolfe

It’s my pleasure to welcome Jodie Wolfe today as she shares about her new release. This sounds like a great story to check out and I’ve enjoyed learning more about Jodie’s writing process and books. Tell us about your new release. Here’s what the back cover blurb for Convincing Lou says: How hard can it be to round up one delinquent groom? Ellie Lou Williams will do just about anything to…

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Hymn Story: Lead, Kindly Light

John Henry Newman wrote a poem “The Pillar of the Cloud” in 1833. The poem was first published in the British Magazine the following year. Charles H. Purday’s “Tune” was married to the poem. It then became the hymn we know “Lead, Kindly Light.” As a young priest, Newman became sick while in Italy and was unable to travel for almost three weeks. In his own words: Father Newman Before starting…

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Patriotic Song: The Stars and Stripes Forever

“The Stars and Stripes Forever” is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa.  Sousa is considered America’s “March King”. “In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote that he composed the march on [Christmas Day], 1896. He was on an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife in Europe and had just learned of the recent…

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Hymn Story: Face to Face

Carrie Ellis Breck wrote “Face to Face with Christ my Savior” in 1898. Throughout her career she wrote numerous poems and hymns, but this is her most well-known. She was born on January 22, 1855 in Vermont. In 1884, she married Frank A. Breck. It is estimated that she wrote between 1400-1500 songs before her death in 1934.

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Hymn Story: An Evening Prayer

The hymn “An Evening Prayer” was written by C. Maud Battersby. I’ve been unable to find any additional information on Battersby. The hymn is sometimes referred to by the first line “If I have wounded any soul today.” Charles Gabirel wrote the tune around 1911. Gabriel wrote the music for numerous hymns and often worked with Fannie Crosby. In 1912, he began working with Homer Rodeheaver’s…

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Hymn Story: I Have Found a Friend

Happy Father’s Day! “I’ve found a Friend” was written by James G. Small. Small’s was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1817. In 1847, he became the minister of the Free Church at Bervie. He wrote many poems before his death in 1888. “I’ve found a friend” is his best known hymn. It first appeared in thy Psalms & Sacred Songs hymnal in 1866. George Coles Stebbins composed the music.

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Hymn Story: When they Ring those Golden Bells

Daniel de Marbelle wrote “When they Ring Those Golden Bells” in 1887. The song describes a phrase found in the Bible with a “golden bells” a reference found in Exodus 39:25. “And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates.” de Marbelle was a European immigrant, veteran of the American Civil War and Mexican War, and circus leader. Marbelle was…

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Hymn Story: Old Time Religion

The Jubilee song, “Old Time Religion” has a long and complicated history that’s not very clear. Whether it originated as an English folk song or a spiritual is up for debate. It is believed that it dates back to at least 1873 or earlier. Charles Davis Tillman published the song after hearing it performed by African-Americans at a camp meeting in Lexington, South Carolina in…

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Author Spotlight: Tamelia Aday

It is a joy to introduce my friend, Tamelia Aday to you today. Her debut novel just came out. Welcome, Tamelia! What inspired you to become a writer? As soon as I could read, I wanted to create books. I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. My favorite stories had cats and I wrote stories and a friend of mine made up songs about cats. Then I found C.S. Lewis and the Narnia series and that…

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Hymn Story: Day by Day

Lina Sandell wrote the hymn “Day by Day (and with Each Passing Moment)” in 1865. Several years earlier she’d witnessed the tragic drowning of her father. She was a prolific Swedish hymn writer. The hymn was originally titled “Blott en dag,” its first three words in Swedish, meaning “just one day.” Andrew L. Skoog, a Swedish immigrant to the U.S., translated Sandell’s hymn into English. “Day…

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Hymn Story: Somebody Bigger Than You and I

The song “Somebody Bigger Than You and I” was written by Johnny Lange, Hy Heath, and Sonny Burke. The men were American composers. Mahalia Jackson released the song on her 1960 album “I Believe.”  Other recordings were maid by Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, and Whitney Houston.

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Hymn Story: God Give Us Christian Homes

Baylus B. McKinney wrote the hymn “God, Give Us Christian Homes” which is very fitting for Mother’s Day. He wrote around 150 songs and composed music for about 115 more songs. McKinney served as music editor for the Robert H. Coleman Company and on the faculty at the School of Sacred Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He also pastored several churches and in 1935, became music…

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Hymn Story: No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus

Charles F. Weigle wrote the hymn “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus” in 1932. Mr. Weigle wrote over 1,000 Gospel songs and spent his career preaching and song writing.

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Song Story: Spring Has Sprung         

Spring is in the air making us think about the song “Spring Has Sprung.” The song was written by Thomas Chisholm, a Methodist minister and hymn writer. He dedicated his life to Christ around 1893 (age 27) during a revival led by Henry Clay Morrison. After his 1903 ordination, he only served as a minister for one year before his poor health caused him to resign. He later worked as a life…

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Song Story: Shine, Jesus, Shine

“Shine, Jesus, Shine” is a popular praise song.  It was written in 1987 by Graham Kendrick. Kendrick recounted that he’d written three verses and road-tested them. The song didn’t seem to come together and he put it away for a while. Sometime later the phrase “Shine Jesus Shine” came to his mind and he wrote the song in less than thirty minutes. The chorus fell right into place but the tempo to…