Thanks to the personal challenge of my dear friend, Chris Anderson, I have begun writing again. His parting words to me at the end of a visit (back in 2014) were: “Send me a hymn!” This site is where I post some of what I write and/or team with others to write. The process of writing is extremely beneficial to me. If it proves helpful to others, then that will be an added blessing!
Declaring Glory! comes from a hymn of praise to God recorded in Psalm 96:1-3, which says:
Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
What a humbling thought…Fallen and sinful as we are, our Lord has commissioned us with the awesome privilege and weighty responsibility of “Declar[ing] his glory among the nations”! With that in mind, this site is dedicated to doing just that through the publication of original songs, hymns, and spiritual songs written specifically for congregational worship in the church.
Kevin and I have been friends since we played volleyball on opposite sides of the net during our college years. As island boys (he being from Hawaii, and I being from Guam), we hit it off from the start. We also worked together on camp staff in the early 2000s. Most recently, we have teamed up in writing some music and partnering in camp ministry out in Hawaii. I thank the Lord for this dear friend and like-minded brother in Christ!
William James Kirkpatrick was born in 1838 to a musical family. In 1854 he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to study music and carpentry. During the Civil War, he served as a fife major with the 91st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. Following the war he was connected with the furniture industry, but at the death of his first wife he left that occupation and devoted himself entirely to his music ministry. He published his first collection, Devotional Melodies (1859), at the age of 21. He went on to compile about 100 books. He wrote the music to many gospel songs.