KWYG - Wyoming Gospel Radio

12/26/2024

Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon virgin mother and child!
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born!

Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Rad’ant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

The story of this beloved Christmas carol has been told many times. Just before Christmas in 1818, in the small village of Oberndorf, Austria, it was discovered the church’s organ was broken. Music was an essential part of the Christmas Eve service, and since it would be impossible to have the org...

12/19/2024

God rest you merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Saviour Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan's pow’r When we were gone astray.
Refrain
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
In Bethlehem in Jewry This blessed babe was born,
And laid within a manger Upon this blessed morn;
The which his mother Mary Nothing did take in scorn.

From God our heav’nly Father A blessed angel came,
And unto certain shepherds Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born The Son of God by name.

Fear not, then said the angel, Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour Of virtue, pow’r, and might;
So frequently to vanquish all The friends of Satan quite.

The shepherds at those tidings Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a feeding In tempest, storm, and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straight-way, This blessed babe to find.

But when to Bethlehem they came, Where-as this infant lay,
They found him in a manger Where oxen feed on hay,
His mother Mary kneeling Unto the Lord did pray.

Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood Each other now embrace;
This holy birth of Jesus All others doth deface.

“God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen” is one of the earliest Christmas carols commonly sung today, dating from the 16th century or earlier. It was familiar in 1843 when Charles Dickens referred to it in “A Christmas Carol” when Ebeneezer Scrooge threatened a caroler for so joyfully singing it in t...

12/12/2024

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heav’n’s all gracious King” –
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful strains unfurled,
And still their heav’nly musick floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hov’ring wing,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

But with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love song which they bring;–
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing;–
Oh, rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hast’ning on
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendours fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

First published in 1849, these lines mark the first of any carols by an American writer and one of only two lyrics penned by Edmund Sears. “Although I was educated in the Unitarian denomination, I believe and preach the divinity of Christ,” he wrote. The depths of turmoil at its writing are in s...

12/05/2024

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not,
As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:
“Great is Thy faithfulness!”
“Great is Thy faithfulness!”
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided,—
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

It may seem as if most hymns are written as the result of some dramatic experience, but that is not always the case. Some are simply an expression of the blessing of a daily walk with the Lord. Such is the case with “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”.The hymn was written in 1923 by Thomas O. Chisholm. ...

12/01/2024

While visiting Mr. Doane in Cincinnati, Ohio, evening shadows began to draw near as the sun sank over the distant horizon. The conversation turned to the nearness of God and the subject, impressing deeply upon the heart of F***y Crosby, brought inspiration to this song – “one of the most useful she has ever written.” Doane fitted it with its tune, engraving it thus upon the annals of hymnody.

The pairing of lines and melody are so fitting as to be inseparable in this song, receiving abounding acceptance both near and far. While visiting Mr. Doane in Cincinnati, Ohio, evening shadows began to draw near as the sun sank over the distant horizon. The conversation turned to the nearness of Go...

12/01/2024

New Christmas songs added 12-01-24:
Ashleigh Crabb - Strange Way to Save the World
Authentic Unlimited Band - There's a New Kid In Town
Chosen Road - The Star Still Shines
Chosen Road (feat. Emily Ann Roberts) - How Many Kings
Darin & Brooke Aldridge - It Wasn't His Child
Gerald Wolfes-Gospel-Music-Hymn-Sing - Go Tell It On The Mountain
Gerald-Wolfes-Gospel-Music-Hymn-Sing - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Greater Vision - Good Christian Men Rejoice
Greater Vision - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers - There Once Was A Time On Earth
The Nelons - New Star Shining
Tate Emmons Music - Would You Like To See My Baby

11/28/2024

When he was forty years old, Thompson was influenced by D. L. Moody to write some sacred songs. Once he started to write them, he dedicated himself to writing only Christian songs. His concern for people in the small towns with limited exposure to good music inspired him to take it to them. He loaded a piano on a horse-drawn wagon and sang concerts of his music in many of the towns.

The author and composer of this gospel song, Will L. Thompson, was born in 1847 in East Liverpool, Ohio. After graduating from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, he went to the New England Conservatory of Music in 1873, and he later continued his musical studies in Leipzig, Germany. He wrote man...

11/24/2024

Watts responded by writing a paraphrase of the first seven verses of Psalm 90. He pointed out to the English people that the God Who had helped them in the past would also help them in the future. “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” was widely circulated in leaflet form and helped to calm the fears of his countrymen. This hymn is considered to be one of the finest of Watt’s hymns, which numbered more than 600.

The celebration of the new year is a time of mixed emotions for many people. Memories of the past year, both good and bad, are reflected upon, and for the believer, the new year holds the promise of God’s blessings. The Christian knows that God will be in control even through uncertain times. Isaa...

11/21/2024

William J. Kirkpatrick visited F***y with a new tune he’d just written that needed suitable words. He had previously composed a tune for one of her poems, "Redeemed." When he played the new melody for her, she knelt in prayer, and that day, she gave Kirkpatrick the lines of "He Hideth My Soul."

That was in 1890.

Christians find much comfort in reading and meditating on the Psalms. “He Hideth My Soul” is testimony to the fact that blind F***y Crosby turned there to find comfort and strength in the Lord. Many of her more than 8,000 songs express the security and safety the believer can have in Christ. Wil...

11/17/2024

For most of his career, Baylus Benjamin McKinney was known as “B. B.” He often led music in revivals at the Buckner Orphan's Home in Dallas, where the children fondly called him “Big Brother.” Sometimes, McKinney used the pseudonyms Otto Nellen, Gene Routh, and Martha Annis. He composed words and music for 149 gospel hymns and songs, composed only the music for 114 others, and arranged more than 100 other works. “Glorious is Thy Name,” “Satisfied With Jesus,” and “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go” are among his best-loved songs.

Baylus Benjamin McKinney, hymn writer of “Glorious Is Thy Name,” was also a teacher, song leader, music editor, and publisher. He was born in Louisiana in 1886. After attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, he earned music degrees from several schools and conser...

11/14/2024

They became known as “The Singing Brocks” as they shared a life of evangelism and music. In addition to directing the music, Virgil managed the logistics of conducting successful evangelistic meetings, including publicity and procuring adequate facilities and staff. Blanche played the piano, sang solos, and some duets with her husband. An accomplished musician, she would write down the melodies for his poems and would then harmonize them.

This uplifting gospel song was the first of many written by the husband and wife team of Virgil and Blanche Brock. Virgil Brock was ordained when he was nineteen, and he served as a church janitor, Sunday School teacher, song leader, and pastor. Blanche had studied at the Indianapolis Conservatory a...

11/10/2024

“Howard E. Smith was a little man whose hands were so knotted with arthritis that you would wonder how he could use them at all, much less play the piano…I can see them now, my father striding up and down humming a bar or two and Howard E. playing it and jotting it down.”

This gospel song was written by James Rowe in 1912 and has been popular for over a century. It’s based on the biblical account of when Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus and walked on the water until he took his eyes off the Lord. When he did, he became afraid and began to sink. He cried to the Lord to...

11/07/2024

One cold, rainy night in London in 1853, nineteen-year-old Samuel T. Francis stood on a bridge over the Thames River. After the death of his father, he’d withdrawn from the medical apprenticeship that his father had chosen for him, and he didn’t have any direction for his life. He was in poor health and experienced deep loneliness. Staring down into the icy waters, he was tempted to throw himself into the waters to end his misery.

One cold, rainy night in London in 1853, nineteen-year-old Samuel T. Francis stood on a bridge over the Thames River. After the death of his father, he’d withdrawn from the medical apprenticeship that his father had chosen for him, and he didn’t have any direction for his life. He was in poor he...

11/05/2024

The majestic mountains and the golden wheat fields she had seen in Kansas on the trip were impressive, but she also thought of the Pilgrims who first came to America and the settlers who trekked across the country seeking a new life. She was reminded of those who loved freedom and mercy more than life during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

One summer day in 1893, a small group of professors from Eastern colleges stood at the top of Pike’s Peak. They had endured a long, strenuous mule-drawn wagon ride to the summit. One of them was Katherine Lee Bates, a renowned English professor and author from New England, who had journeyed across...

11/05/2024

New songs added 11-05-24:
Booth Brothers , Greater Vision , Legacy Five - Jesus Is Coming Soon
Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, Legacy Five - Undeserving
Chuck Wagon Gang - Dream Boat
Endless Highway - Why Don't You Try Jesus?
Kingdom Heirs - I Can Pray
The Regals - I'm So Blessed
The Reggie Saddler Family - Oh How He Loves You and Me
Vanessa Nichols & Darron Nichols - Nothing But the Blood

10/30/2024

As with many of Pounds’ poems, the music for “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” was written by James H. Fillmore. It was published as a congregational hymn in “The Praise Hymnal” in 1896. The first stanza proclaims that Christ the Redeemer lives and reigns in heaven, giving eternal life to the believer. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (1 John 5:11).

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth (Job 19:25). The poem for this hymn of Job’s declaration was written in 1893 for an Easter cantata, “Hope’s Messenger,” by Jessie B. Pound. Job’s words had also inspired other hymn writers in the 1...

10/23/2024

For many years, writers have given detailed accounts of how the song had been written shortly after this devastating loss. After further investigation, however, a discrepancy was noted. “He Keeps Me Singing” was first published in 1910, but The Courier-Journal, newspaper out of Louisville, Kentucky, reported that the fire took place after midnight on March 27,1911, which was after the song was published. It’s surmised that the confusion over the dates may have resulted from Luther’s retelling the tragedy when singing this testimony in song in his subsequent revival meetings.

“He Keeps Me Singing” was written by Luther B. Bridgers, who was born in 1884 in North Carolina. As he grew up he assisted with his father’s revival meetings, and he began to preach when he was only 17 years old. After attending Asbury College in Kentucky, he was ordained and served as a pasto...