The Real Story Behind the Song

There have been many printed references to this story and connected it to the great American band leader, Tommy Dorsey.

But the classic gospel song "Precious Lord Take My Hand" was actually written by a different man with the same name.

The trombonist and band leader named Tommy Dorsey was born in 1905 and died in 1956.

Thomas Andrew Dorsey the composer of "Precious Lord Take My Hand" was a jazz pianist and composer was born in 1899 and died in 1993.
He is regarded by many as the father of gospel music.
After a successful career as a blues musician, he switched to gospel music.
For more than 40 years, he was the choir director Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church.

The actual story of the tragic death of his wife is a bit different from the eRumor.

In an account in his own words written for Guideposts Magazine, Dorsey said he was actually scheduled to be in St. Louis to sing for a revival.
He had anxiety about going because his wife was in her 9th month of pregnancy
When he left his home to head for St. Louis, he realized that he had forgotten his music case, so he returned to get it and found his wife sleeping.
He stood next to her and felt that something was telling him to stay home. 
He decided to leave and headed back to his car for the drive to the meetings.
The next night at the revival and after he had finished singing, a telegram was handed to him that said his wife had just died.
He returned home to learn that his wife had given birth to a baby boy before she died.
Before the night was over, the baby had died as well.
Dorsey went through a difficult period after that.
He said he wanted to give up serving the Lord and go back to jazz.
One of the thoughts that haunted him was whether his reluctance to leave his pregnant wife had been a leading from God and whether he had been disobedient by ignoring it.
He vowed that he would never be insensitive to such a leading again.
It was during a subsequent visit to a friend that he sat down at a piano and found himself at peace and a melody being played.
That became the song "Precious Lord Take My Hand."
Dorsey wrote, "As the Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power. And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home."

Sing Along

I'm recommending the song only - not the source at the end of the video.

A Word, A Song and an Observation

Why do some Arminians and their kin act like Calvinists have never seen

John 3:16?

The difference is in what is emphasized.

The Arminian stresses (or stretches) the "whosoever".

The Calvinist emphasizes the "whosoever BELIEVES'

shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Does God love the world? Certainly! He is the Creator of ALL!

Does God have a special love for His Bride?

You better believe it! He redeemed her for His own!

The Bride in Heaven will have no missing toes or fingers.

In other words, no one will be missing.

Matthew 1:21 says,  "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus,

for he will save his people from their sins.”

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Here is a "hymn" a pastor sent me recently. I asked if I could use it on my blog and give him full credit but, he wanted to donate it to the cause, without official credit: 

To Me Be the Glory
(An Arminian Version of a Once Flawed Hymn)

To me be the glory, great thing I have done;
So loved I my God that I’ve chosen His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that ALL may go in.

Refrain:

Praise myself, praise myself,
I have made a good choice!
Praise myself, praise myself,
Such a cause to rejoice!
I’ve chosen the Father, and Jesus the Son,
Now give me the glory, a great thing I have done.

O perfect decision, which adds to His blood,
It causes salvation, or so hopes our God;
The vilest offender who we cause to agree,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

(Refrain)

Great thing I’ve accomplished, in subduing my sin,
And great my rejoicing through my decision;
How pure, and how high, and how great I must be
It’s mostly of Jesus, but some is by me.

(Refrain)

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And now for a simple observation. You may have noticed this before...I just noticed it this morning while doing some anagrams. "Earth" and "Heart" both contain the same letters. I thought that went well with John 3:16.

And now, I close with a quote from Bruce Ware:

"As a wife is to relish, not resist, the exclusive love her husband has for her alone, so God’s people only know His deepest human-directed love as we relish, not resist, the fully unmerited and undeserved exclusive love that God has for His people alone.  These are the people of His making, of His redeeming, whom He has called by name, and who are called by His name.  To know the saving love of God in Christ is to know not merely the universal love of God for all people, but it is to know especially and most deeply this redemptive-covenantal love that God has exclusively for His own people.  As we close, hear afresh these precious words of comfort and admonition from 1 John:  “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:1-2) “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10) 

So, embrace this special love, this redemptive-covenantal love of God for His own. Be humbled by it, be filled with joy over it, and be empowered to live lives that express the depth of our dependence upon and gratitude for such unspeakably lavish, costly, and undeserved love.

A New Hymn from an Emergent Hymnal

Pictured above is the new hymnal from Rob Bell's second cousin on his mother's side, Vern Mayfly, who edited the volume and wrote sixteen of the songs featured in the book. There is a hidden message in each of the "hymns" and this one is no exception:

Jesus help me grab the rope

Only you can toss me hope

Heaven is for all they say

Never to leave and go away

Christ helped me up when I was down

All souls are lost, all souls are found

Love wins big time in eternity now

Very soon everybody will choose to bow

I know my heart will love again

Never to sin against tree or men

Hell is really no place to fear

All who die will not go there

Devils and demons might stay awhile

Nobody else will walk that mile

Once people die they'll see the light

Closed eyes will open to the sight of

Love in sandals, robe and crown

Until that day we'll walk around

Ever witnessing to His love come down (hey nani nani and a hot cha cha)

So, as you can see, their theology is twisted, sister. Be warned.

Cotton Adams - Home At Last

April 26, 1761

Pastor Finn,

Thank you for the kind words in your letter. Even though, we haven't seen each other in more'n fifteen years, I still feel the friendship and brotherly love from your pen.

You asked about the time I saw the famous circuit riding Calvinist, Cotton Adams.

I will never forget the day he rode into our town. It caused quite a stir among the townsfolk of Sandy Ridge. To this day, people jaw about the foggy, Sunday morning when Cotton Adams appeared on horseback. The bridge over Sims Creek looked as if a cloud just decided to lay down on the river. It almost seemed like he was coming from Heaven, the way the clouds covered his horse, Calico, up to his knees.

Cotton Adams was quite famous in these parts, and we were all expecting his arrival that morning. Mr. Adams was to preach in the new Sovereign Grace Church building. The pastor, George Truman, was an old friend of Cotton's. Fact is, the Church was started because of Mr. Adams' strong sermon series on Heaven and Hell. He was returning to bless us with his spiritual leadership and promised to help with the selection of deacons. 

I can understand why our pastor broke into uncontrollable tears and moaning when he went to help Cotton down from his horse that early morn. You see, Calico had brought into our town, the lifeless body of a man who had sacrificed his worldly treasures for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Cotton Adams must have gone to be with the Lord just hours before.

He had a well-worn hymnal in his hand, as was his habit of singing to the Lord as he traversed the acres of forests and farmlands between towns. He had hand-written one hymn that was found tucked in his saddle:

Depth of mercy, can there be

Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear?
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face;
Would not hearken to His calls:
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

Chorus:
Depth of mercy, can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Bow Your ear, in mercy bow;
Pardon and accept me now.

There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands;
God is love, I know, I feel,
Jesus pleads, and loves me still.
Why to me this waste of love?
Ask my Advocate above.
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.

If I rightly read Your heart,
If You all compassion art,
Bow Your ear, in mercy bow;
Pardon and accept me now.
Now incline me to repent;
Let me now my fall lament:
Now my foul revolt deplore;
Weep, believe, and sin no more.

Cotton Adams, I only wish I could have heard your voice once more. Your singing alone, would bring conviction on the hurting souls who listened. Your presence seemed to be like one who had been with the angels of God. I know you are worshiping the living Savior, face to face now.

The township has decided to publish his journals and distribute them at cost. Preachers, of course, get a free copy to inspire your work in the Lord. My prayer is that they will bless many and remind all that our life is His and His alone!

Your friend,

Thomas Sawyer

Historic Site

click to enlarge

Bluegrass Calvinism

This here song is to be sung to the tune of

"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow".

Now let's git with it!


(Lyrics by Eddie Eddings)

I believe in Limited Atonement

God chose His sheep from eternity.

I bid farewell to Arminian theories

They're just not right hermeneutical keys.

(They're just not right hermeneutical keys.)

For six long years I've taught that free will

Was what we all had every day.

Now I know that wills are taken captive

We can't escape - there's just no way.

[chorus] Outside of Christ - there ain't no way.

God's sovereign choice and His rich mercy

Brought me from death's captivity.

I would not choose to follow Jesus

I was too busy following me.

[chorus] He was entombed in his psyche.

Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger

My face you'll never see no more.

But there is one promise that is given

The Elect will meet on God's golden shore.

[chorus] The Elect will meet on God's golden shore.

Oldie But Goodie

Traveling through the southern part of Tennessee on my way to another Coffee Shop Confidential, I stopped in "Criminal Records", an old record shop where all the merchandise was donated by those awaiting execution. I came across this rare album by Johnny Puleo and his Harmonica Gang. A lot of Christians don't know, but Spurgeon wrote a lot of hymns! Pilgrim Publishers in Pasadena, Texas has a paperback entitled " Our Own Hymn-Book: Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle Hymn-Book". It is well worth owning...and it is much easier to find than the album above. (...And for those who know nothing about Johnny Puleo and his Harmonica Gang, YouTube has some video worth watching.)
Have a blessed day everyone! This is the day that the Lord hath made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Updated Hymns

The only problem I had "driving to the garden alone" was with Earl Clack, the gardener. He doesn't like tire marks on his bed of ruby red begonias.