In times of doubt, fear, and loss, we turn to the songs and hymns that remind us that this world is not all there is–that what awaits us as followers of Jesus is a heavenly kingdom. Songs like “Face to Face,” “Amazing Grace,” “Heaven Came Down,” “Victory in Jesus,” and “I’ll Fly Away.” And behind every song about heaven is a story. So many were written amid circumstances of great personal pain … pain on the part of the songwriter. And in sharing their story, we can find even more comfort in our own circumstances.
Award-winning author Ace Collins offers this collection of 30 inspiring stories that provide hope for this world and insight into the next, painting a picture of eternal life filled with joy, peace, and happy reunions. This book is perfect for those who love the stories behind the great hymns of the faith as well as anyone who has experienced loss, and pastors, hospice workers, and counselors will find it the perfect pass-along for the grieving.
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A good overview of the stories behind these hymns
I really appreciated this book. Although there are 30 songs in here, I’m pretty sure I was only familiar with 23 of them—but almost all of those are favorites of mine. I’ve been interested in the stories behind different hymns for years, so this book was right down my alley for the most part.
While a couple of the stories stuck out to me, I failed to connect with others, so I ended up feeling like this book is a bit of a mixed bag. Besides telling an overview of the hymn writer’s life, and what brought them to write the hymn featured here, this also traces how the song became widely known today. After that, there is generally a short devotional at the end, some of which are longer than others. I appreciated having that diversity, but personally, I would have liked to see a bit more storytelling in here. I feel like there’s a lot to learn from different life stories, and that wasn’t always as strong of a point as I had hoped.
Even though I wished there was a bit more of some aspects, and more succinctness in others, I did enjoy this book overall. It isn’t a quick read if you were to go through it from one end to another (even though the book is short, there’s a lot of information here), but each chapter can be taken on its own as your interest is piqued by one song or another, and individually, they don’t take long to read. Recommended if you want a good overview of these songs; some of the stories were fascinating! I think my top two favorites were “This Ole House” and “Victory in Jesus”.
I requested a free review copy of this book from Baker Books (thank you!), and this is my honest opinion of it.
In the introduction of this book author Ace Collins states that most of the songs that are listed in this book were inspired by the suffering of people searching for answers during difficult times. In the pages that follow he shares stories behind the classic hymns, modern songs, and black spirituals that are all about Heaven. Did you know that “Wayfaring Stranger” is probably 250 years old but no one knows who wrote it? That “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” was inspired by the death of an underprivileged young girl and sung publicly, for the first time, at her funeral? And the amazing fact that even though John Newton is credited with writing “Amazing Grace” in 1799, the final verse was actually written by an unknown American writer and added to this beloved hymn in the early 1800s.
Ace Collins shares scripture and many interesting facts about thirty well-known hymns and songs in Stories Behind the Songs & Hymns About Heaven. This is a book that will appeal to both music lovers and history buffs and I believe that it would be a wonderful addition in both personal and church libraries.
I received a copy of this book from Baker Books but there was no obligation to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts.
Very interesting book explaining the background and history of some of my favorite hymns. Adds a lot of meaning to these old songs
Reading Stories Behind the Songs & Hymns About Heaven by Ace Collins took me longer than expected. Learning the stories behind the songs was highly interesting, but sometimes very sad. Many of the songs were born out of slavery, death of a loved one, or the Great Depression. It speaks to the how well-written the entries were that the narrative could draw me in and evoke emotion in such a short form.
Though I grew up in a church that sang many old gospel hymns, I was familiar with only about half the songs in this book and hadn’t heard of most of the song writers/singers featured. Fortunately, the author supplied sufficient information as well as sources for further reading. I appreciated that the lyrics were included when possible. Two of my favorite entries were: When We All Get to Heaven and Victory in Jesus. Other popular songs included in the book are: Amazing Grace, I’ll Fly Away, I Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now.
Stories Behind the Songs & Hymns About Heaven by Ace Collins is a beautifully designed hardcover book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys music history and/or gospel music.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.