Book Review

Well With My Soul:

Four Dramatic Stories of Great Hymn Writers

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Plan of Salvation ______________

Tell others about Jesus like these memorable Christian Hymn Writers did:

 Though we are not all called to the ministry of a Christian Hymn Writer, we are all called by God to share our faith (witness) with those who are not Christians.  Some Bible verses that you will find helpful for doing this, and that you may want to commit to memory are found on other pages on our  web site (see: Memory Verses; 2nd Set: Salvation!, Plan of Salvation, and Statement of Faith). ____________

Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Urichsville, Ohio

© 2000, All Rights Reserved. ____________

Author: Rachael Phillips

Review by: Mark N. Aikins

Barbour Publishing's Heroes of the Faith series found an able storyteller in Rachael Phillips, a Christian writer and humorist whose talents as a researcher and biographer are clearly on display in the book, Well with My Soul.  This work, suitable for preteens on up, gives vivid life-portraits of four of Christendom's most colorful and prolific hymn writers.

Phillips, as she did so well with her "Heroes" treatments of Billy Sunday, Frederick Douglass and Saint Augustine, once again weaves historical and personal details together to give us very human characters.  

Horatio Spafford, whose intrepid efforts for Christ and His church during the era of D.L. Moody and the Great Chicago Fire, suffered the dark tragedy of losing four young daughters during their Atlantic crossing with his wife in the Ville du Havre disaster of 1873. 

Phillips delves into the wells of Spafford's emotions as he wrestled with this and other spiritual challenges that resulted in such important hymn poems as "It Is Well with My Soul."

I think it laudable that this biographer doesn't shrink from mentioning such unfortunate and unflattering details as the petty and uncharitable treatment Spafford and others received from fellow churchmen, as well as Spafford's own idiosyncrasies which surfaced later in his life.  

But the inclusion of such blemishes is always seasoned by Phillips' compassion and charm with which she sums up her subjects' true greatness, namely their faith in a God of unfailing grace and providence.

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Other stories in this very readable volume tell about Phillip P. Bliss ("Hallelujah! What a Savior"), William Cowper ("God Moves in a Mysterious Way") and Frances Ridley Havergal ("Take My Life and Let It Be"). 

This book would be wonderful as supplemental reading during family times, and both educational and joyful material for hymn lovers everywhere. __________________________

Well With My Soul is available to Supporters of The Prayer Foundation.™  For more information on how to obtain your own personal copy, and for a list of other Gifts available to our Supporters, go to our page: Gifts For Contributors!   __________________________

Related Page:

• Movie Review: "Amazing Grace: 5 Hymns That Changed the World" __________________________