Then Sings My Soul, Book 2
Robert J. Morgan
Published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2004
ISBN:0-7852-5168-5
This is a SONG BOOK! But, it’s more than just songs. It contains “150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories”.
I like the way the book is organized. On one side of the page is the hymn (with music) and the opposite page is the story or history of the hymn. It’s very fascinating to read the stories of hymns I’ve sung my whole life. I had no idea how interesting these old hymns are. Here are a couple of examples:
- Did you know that the traditional Thanksgiving song, “We Gather Together” is really an old Dutch folk song that grew out of a terrible period of persecution?
- William Pitt wrote “Little Brown Church in the Vale” before there was an actual building there.
- The hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful” was written to help children learn the Apostles Creed.
Knowing the stories of the hymns definitely adds to the joy of singing them. I love the old hymns. But talk about old – there are hymns in this book from 1153 to 1971. One of my favorite hymns, “All People That On Earth Do Dwell” was written in 1561. That’s almost 450 years ago! And here we are still singing it meaningfully. I find it fitting that the 1971 song is a Bill and Gloria Gaither hymn, He Lives. The Gaither songs are also in my list of favorites and they fit so well with all the ancient ones. Gloria Gaither wrote a beautiful forward to the book.
Try this book if you are one who loves the old hymns and want to know more about them.
NORTHERN CALLIFORNIA