......Beautiful Noise

Last Lord's day singing of an old familiar hymn, Blessed Redeemer, I could not help but look down and see that the lyricist was Fanny Crosby. Surely, I have seen her name in our hymnal countless times! How this woman has blessed our lives with her expressive words!

Please pray with me a moment....

"Father, O loving Father!..How you loved us so, to have placed the beautiful spirit of Fanny Crosby in this world! She has put into words the thoughts that swirl around our minds, our hearts and souls and are unable to express to you! We thank you for her, for her musical collaborators, for the publishers of her words!!! Bless each and everyone of them…and bless all who sing these praises to your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen"

Francis Jane Crosby, Fanny Crosby, was born 1820 and she died 1915. Ninety-five rich years she lived and wrote endearing songs to our Lord. She was permanently blinded at the age of six weeks due to an eye infection and ignorant medical care. This and many other things of Fanny's life you can read at the sites listed below or do a search on "Fanny Crosby". For our purpose here today we want to briefly mention that Fanny was a prolific writer having written somewhere between 5000 and 9000 hymns. Why such a large range ? Because Fanny used many other pen names as she tried to hide and minimize her popularity. ?? Maybe there are 20 more hymns in my hymnal that she wrote and are unknown to us. Just a thought to ponder. Fanny did more than ponder her Lords words as they are spoken in Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual song, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Fanny lived and breathed her faith.

Fanny's theme through her life was To God Be the Glory and she wrote of it so well:

To God be the glory, great things he hath done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.
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Fanny Crosby's Songs in Our Song Book

I systematically went through our song book and counted the following songs and hymns of this amazing woman. Read every title slowly. Even this little will bless your life.
To God Be the Glory A Wonderful Savior Blessed Assurance
Unsearchable Riches Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell Me the Story of Jesus
Nearer the Cross Thou My Everlasting Portion All the Way My Savior Leads Me
Rescue the Perishing To the Work Safe In the Arms of Jesus
I Am Thine O Lord Take the World, But Give Me Jesus Hide Me, O My Savior
One Blessed Hour With Jesus 'Tis the Blessed Hour of Prayer Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
Savior, More Than Life TO Me Some Day the Silver Cord Will Break Though Your Sins Be As Scarlet
Will You Come? Redeemed

For More Information About Fanny

http://www.nyise.org/fanny
http://www.nyise.org/fanny/books.html
http://women.eb.com/women/articles/Crosby_Fanny.html
musicmusicmusic ...making melody in your heart to the Lord. Eph 5:19musicmusicmusic
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Tell Your Friends About Us....and Come See Us Again
Each time you pick up your hymnal thank God for the writers of lyric and melody and to the people who publish their works. God gave us the gift of music and man uses that gift to return praises and worship to God.