Everything

It was a time of great religious revival in America, or widely known as the Second Great Awakening. People were generally enthusiastic and emotional over religion, while Deistic ideas and rationalism brought on by Enlightenment were rejected. William Miller, a New England farmer, former colonel and a staunch Deist decided to prove God by the study…

Tis Almost Time for the Lord to Come is one of those hymns I used to sing a lot in my childhood. It has a catchy tune and a nice driving rhythm to it. I remember my friends and I would always look forward to sing that pause “Oh…” at the beginning of the refrain,…

This week’s lesson quarterly touches the theme of the three angels messages. When was the last time you sang precisely about this topic? One of the great things about the early advent hymns is that the pioneers sang hymns that were distinctly ‘Adventist’ in nature. The actual Bible studies they did were largely embodied and reflected…

There are many kinds of hymns in the hymnal. Some are to be sung slowly and others faster. Some are rugged and powerful; others are gentle and quiet. How the hymns should be sung should be given careful study. To have most effect, the hymns that are chosen should be the most appropriate for a…

This hymn was really interesting to write about in that its words spanned nine years of revision by three (maybe four) different ministers who are all connected to each other. The general happenstance was this though — that after a conversion experience, this hymn was borne. Interestingly, the first one who originated this hymn was…

Music concerts as a fundraising campaign are quite the norm. I have been in countless of such concerts, mostly choir settings, as well as a solo instrumentalist or as an accompanist. I would admit tho that it does take a lot of time, planning and a concerted effort to hold such fundraisers. You deal with…

A strange plague swept across Europe resulting in deaths of an estimated 25 million people. London, Florence, Venice, and Avignon took a hard hit as the viral plague, which came to be known as “The Black Death,” ravaged the cities. German cities were not hit as hard if compared to the death tolls of other…

Many Adventists are familiar with the story of William Miller’s discovery of the partially correct, but extremely crucial, interpretation of Daniel 8:14. We all know of how he made a promise to God about sharing this message to people, only if invited to preach. For eight years, Miller was true to his promise. His itinerary…

The period between  1899 and 1901 was a dark history for Christians in China. A movement called “The Boxer Rebellion” took the life of many people, especially those who were associated with Western ideas of colonialism and the religious missionary activities that were associated with it. “They have eaten the foreigner’s medicine” This rebellion was…

It is a natural human tendency to ask, “How long?” when they have no idea what to expect of time. This question comes in all varieties, depending on the context we ask it. “How long do I have?” a patient on the brink of dying might ask. “How much longer will this take?” an annoyed…

A missionary couple, Mr. and Mrs. Porteous, were led to a lonely mountain spot by their Chinese executioners. The angry band hated that these missionaries were preaching the gospel. Pushing them to the ground, one very angry man took out his long sharp knife to kill them, only awaiting for the leader’s order to kill. Expecting…

Two weeks ago, I visited my brother in Texas and did what we love during Sabbath afternoons, make music! It’s been years since we played together and it was a lovely experience to collaborate with him again. We played several pieces of music, but we played heavily from Ed Hogan’s Instrumental Duet Series, Book 3…