Episodes

A Bit About The Song… Shelter in the Storm This beautiful hymn was written in the late 1880s by Vernon J Charlesworth, who was a London Pastor serving as Headmaster of Charles Spurgeon’s Stockwell Orphanage. This well-beloved him was heard often sung by sailors as they were approaching a safe harbor in the time of storm. Near the close of 1890, Ira D Sankey, A well-known gospel singer, discovered the words written by Charles worth and recomposed the melody that we know and love today. The messag...

A Bit About The Song… Nearer, Still Nearer Jesus said in John 12: 32, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” So many times we feel alone and forgotten by God. So many times we wonder where He is as we go through trial and difficulty. So many times we feel driven to our knees by circumstances that are beyond our control and frightening and crushing. So many times the very thing that we are dreading is the thing that allows us to be drawn toward Jesus. The thought th...

A Bit About The Song… Nearer, Still Nearer Jesus said in John 12: 32, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” So many times we feel alone and forgotten by God. So many times we wonder where He is as we go through trial and difficulty. So many times we feel driven to our knees by circumstances that are beyond our control and frightening and crushing. So many times the very thing that we are dreading is the thing that allows us to be drawn toward Jesus. The thought th...

A Bit About The Song… Have Mercy There is little to compare with that terrible sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know that you have done wrong, that the consequences of your actions are irreparable, that others are going to suffer immeasurable loss and damage because of your willful or accidental indiscretion. In that fateful moment when the realization that the timeline of your life and others’ lives will be forever changed because of your actions is indelibly etched into your...

A Bit About The Song… O, For A Closer Walk With God This beautiful hymn speaks of the longing of a heart yearning for a deeper connection with God. To understand where the sentiment comes from in the beautiful words of the song, we have to take a look at the life of the original author, Englishmen William Cowper. William Cowper suffered so severely from chronic depression that his contemporaries called him Mad Cowper. Of course, during the 1700s, the connotation of the word mad during the time l...

A Bit About The Song… The Battle Hymn of the Republic has been the most iconic song of victory over slavery in the history of songs. Signifying strength, and triumph, it inspires unity and patriotism as it makes our hearts proud of the amazing country that spawned and shelters freedom and justice. Isn’t it fitting that God’s remnant should take solace in its timeless message? We hope you enjoy this re-imagined and augmented theme by The Rain. “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall s...

A Bit About The Song… Freedom One particularly late and dark night as we were going through a very dark trial we felt was going to end our lives without receiving God’s promise Nick went to the piano and began singing this new song, writing it down as the words and music came all in one hour. We felt courage return as God ministered to our hearts in the words and music he sent. We pray that you feel the same courage return as you listen to “Freedom”. “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye...

A Bit About The Song… Christ or Barabbas This song asks the most important question of all – What shall I do with Jesus? Shall I crucify Him and let Barabbas free? Or shall I set Him free? “Barabbas” is also translated as “Son of God” (bar – son of abbas – father). He also claimed to be the son of God. But his actions did not confirm his claim. Will I choose to talk the talk and walk the walk, as Jesus did, and crown Him freely the King of my life? Or will I choose the hypocrite’s path and ask t...

A Bit About The Song… Take Heed We have always liked the feeling and hearing of the natural rhythm that exists in Scripture. No matter what language it’s written in, there is music and pentameter throughout inspired writing. “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7 Support the show

A Bit About The Song… Here I Stand As some of you know, we wrote a book not too long ago called “Here I Stand.” We wanted to share the truth that the Bible and the Bible only should be the standard of the true Christian faith, not traditions or man’s contradicting explanation of what God has plainly said. We were so inspired by the true-life stories of so many we read about and interviewed we compiled their testimonies into a true-to-life story about standing for the truth, no matter what the co...

A Bit About The Song… King of Kings “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he doth judge and makes war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine li...

A Bit About The Song… What is Man Psalms 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Psalms 144:3 Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Finite beings created a little lower than the angels, one of the youngest of all of the created being so God’s enormous universe filled with all of his children. The only planet that fell. The only planet that God became as his creation incarnate an...

A Bit About The Song… WenshaliCGsus The hymn portion of this beautiful haunting amalgamation of traditional melody and original music composed by Nicholas Mazzio is attributed to an anonymous source around the beginning of the 1800s. Some say it may have been written by American Baptist Minister John Leland. But the citation has gone unconfirmed, and it is not similar to the others attributed to him. One thing is certain, the longing for our heavenly home is apparent in the lyric. It is a rousin...

A Bit About The Song… Teach Us To Pray “And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead u...

A Bit About The Song… Have Mercy There is little to compare with that terrible sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know that you have done wrong, that the consequences of your actions are irreparable, and that others are going to suffer immeasurable loss and damage because of your willful or accidental indiscretion. In that fateful moment when the realization that the timeline of your life and others’ lives will be forever changed because of your actions is indelibly etched into ...

A Bit About The Song… Man of Sin When Paul wrote his second letter to the church in Thessalonica it was in a very dangerous time for the young church. Persecution against the new Christian believers following the risen Christ was strong. They were in hiding a great deal. They were the underground church, hunted and killed freely. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes the time In which they were living like this: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perp...

A Bit About The Song… The Blessing After the Lord had given His wonderful law to the children that He loved through His faithful servant Moses, He asked Moses to give this special blessing to His priests Aaron and Aaron’s sons to speak over all of the children of Israel, not only on the mountain but throughout all generations for all who would become Israel through accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior and as their heritage forever. This is the blessing, the intent of our God regarding His pe...

A Bit About The Song… The Message Original words and music by The Rain. This is a single track from the album “Shelter in the Storm” The story behind the album: Our love of complex, meaningful words led us to collect old hymnals filled with the depths of poetic creativity from some of the most empathetic minds in history. With today’s “dumbing down” of words and meaning, we longed to have an avenue of preserving the beauty and depths of the messages contained in some of our old, favorite hymns, ...

A Bit About The Song… My Faith Looks Up To Thee This well-known hymn was written by Ray Palmer, considered to be one of America’s best-known hymn writers from the 1800s. The creative process brings us very close to the Creator. Anyone who paints or writes music or poetry or stories can attest that sometimes they take time. Other times it is as if another spirit is pouring through us something special, something otherworldly. When Ray Palmer wrote this hymn he was fresh from college. It was 1830....

A Bit About The Song… I Hear Thy Welcome Voice Lewis Hartsough, A Methodist Minister from Ithaca New York pend these beautiful worlds and the words of almost a hundred other hymns during the 1800s. Little is known about the life of this man other than What popular gospel singer of the day, Ira D Sankey, wrote in his book “ My Life and Sacred Songs” published in 1906: “The words and music of this beautiful hymn… proved to be one of the most helpful of the revival hymns, and was often used as a...

A Bit About The Song… I Will Sing Of My Redeemer This beautiful song was written by Philip Paul Bliss In the 1800s. He was converted at a Revival meeting at age 12 while he was working on farms and in lumber camps and trying to finish his schooling. At a young age, his vocal talents were recognized and he was encouraged to become a music teacher. At age 22, He became an itinerant music teacher, going house-to-house on horseback in the winter. Not long afterward, the Normal Academy of Music was...

A Bit About The Song… Nearer My God to Thee This hymn is probably most widely known for reportedly being the last musical piece the band on the sinking Titanic played before the boat tragically crashed into the sea in April 1912. The report was not able to be confirmed by eyewitnesses whose testimony were conflicting, however, Wallace Hartley, the ship’s bandleader who died when the ship sank along with all of the other musicians on board, was known to have liked the hymn very much and had even ...

A Bit About The Song… O, Come, Emmanuel This hymn, originally written in Latin, was translated roughly in 1861 by Jason Mason Neal, a pastor in the Church of England. I love the name Immanuel (Emmanuel), meaning, “God is with us” עִמָּנוּאֵל‎ Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Knowing that God is with us because that is His name, our hearts still call out to Him to come so ...

A Bit About The Song… Shelter in the Storm This beautiful hymn was written in the late 1880s by Vernon J Charlesworth, who was a London Pastor serving as Headmaster of Charles Spurgeon’s Stockwell Orphanage. This well-beloved him was heard often sung by sailors as they were approaching a safe harbor in the time of storm. Near the close of 1890, Ira D Sankey, A well-known gospel singer, discovered the words written by Charles worth and recomposed the melody that we know and love today. The messag...