The story is told of Fanny Crosby, that sweet hymnist of our country, of how it was that she wrote the lyrics to My Savior First of All. One summer night at a Christian camp in Western New York near Lake Erie, an aged Fanny was enjoying a summer evening on the porch in a rocking chair, when she was joined by one John Sweney, who was himself also musician and song writer. 

After sharing their love of hymns and Christian music together, Sweney lamented how such a fine Christian had been born...

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“And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” Mark 9:35 

Although we as Christians would give assent to the words of Jesus, there is something about His Kingdom which is entirely beyond us, even contrary to us. Contrary to our vision of a kingdom, contrary to our desires, contrary to everything we value and strive for, contrary to our self absorbed and self obsessed Facebooking and tweeting...

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November 15, 1997 to November 15, 2017

Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of my grandfather, Jerry Osborne. It seems both a moment and an eternity that I have been without him. I can still hear the sound of his voice. I can still hear the sound of his laugh, and the way he would even snort sometimes when the joke was funny enough. His mannerisms are still vibrant in my memory, as are his idiosyncrasies. The very last time I saw him alive was at the Los Angeles International A...

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The air is sharp and chilled
Tho’ not because it’s cold
The days are short and filled
Tho’ not with joys of old
It’s just another Christmas without Grandpa

He used to read a story to us
In person, or on the phone
T’was The Night Before Christmas
I can still hear his baritone
It’s just another Christmas without Grandpa

He would read the Old, Old Story
As we gathered ‘round and settled in
Every year on Christmas morning
From his Bible he’d begin
It’s just another Christmas w...
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Though I've always wished I was a cool guitar player or a a rock'n roll drummer, I've never been able to gather enough coordination to actually fulfill those dreams. Be that as it may, I do like to write, and sometimes I'm even pretty good at it, or so I'm told. I'm certainly not some amazing lyicist, but I hope one day my Rock Star brother, Nathanael, will take his talents as a musician and put some music to these humble lyrics, even fixing up the words if need be. Until then, I hope this "s...
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Today my grandfather, Jerry Osborne, would be eighty-one years old... would be; but he's been in Heaven now for nearly 12 years. I miss him so much! I am surprised how easily my tears still flow when I think about him. I remember once, when I drove up with my grandparents to their house, standing behind my grandpa as he opened the back door for us. He was the sort of man who was hurried in his actions, and he would fling the door open with the flick of his wrist once the key turned. I had see...
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