Just As I Am- the Hymn sung around the world

 

This will be the last of my hymn stories, so I wanted to talk about one of my favorites. I’d never heard Just As I Am until I became a Christian and attended a revival. Not only was the hymn used at altar calls in the church I attended as a teen but is known worldwide because the Billy Graham Crusades used it as their altar call hymn. Mr. Graham felt it was the most biblically accurate hymn when calling sinners to surrender their lives to Jesus.

What surprised me is this popular hymn is almost two-hundred years old. 

Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871) was born in Clapton, England, one of six children. Her father was a clergyman as were her two older brothers. Charlotte was a pleasant woman whose talents were portrait painting and writing humorous poems. She led a rather carefree life, ignoring her religious upbringing, until in her twenties she became seriously ill. There is no record as to what the illness was, but it also brought on severe bouts of depression that plagued her for the rest of her life. In 1822, while living in Brighton, England with her married brother Henry, a Swiss evangelist, Dr. Ceasar Malan, visited the Elliott family. He challenged Charlotte regarding her faith. She insisted she needed to clean up her life before she came to the Lord. But Dr. Malan encouraged her to come to Christ as she was. She did and celebrated May 8^th as her spiritual birthday every year as a reminder of God’s great love for her.

 Charlotte wrote hundreds of hymns published in various collections. “Just As I Am” first appeared in the Invalid’s Hymnbook in 1836. She was inspired to write the poem while her brother’s family was at a bazaar raising money for a home for poor clergymen’s children. She wanted so badly to help in some small way. The words Dr. Malan had spoken to her so many years ago came flooding back and when her sister-in-law returned home to check on her, she showed her the poem. Those words raised more money for the children’s home than anything sold at the bazaar. God used those simple words to change lives.

Thomas Hasting joined the tune “Woodworth” by American gospel composure William Bradbury to the poem “Just As I Am Without One Plea. The moving melody sets the tone to the words.

Original Poem

Just as I am - without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - though toss'd about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just As I Am goes around the world and through the decades

This hymn has been translated into many languages and sung over the centuries. You can find gospel albums from various artist, from Johnny Cash to Carrie Underwood who include this song in their hymn albums.

Here is a link to Carrie Underwoods rendition of the song.

https://youtu.be/qRbrK6Pydgs

Often on hearing this hymn, I was brought to my knees in repentance and gratitude that I belong to Jesus.

When was the first time you heard Just As I Am? How did it affect you? 

Cindy Ervin Huff is a multi-published award-winning author. A 2018 Selah Finalist. She has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.

Cherishing Her Heart

 

 

 

QUEST FOR LIBERTY

 

By Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

Our National Anthem spanned countless decades in its creation. Is it any wonder why, considering the rocky road Americans traversed in our nation’s quest for liberty? 

George Thacher Balch was known for his patriotism and strong work ethic. Nothing got in the way of his objective. His drive for excellence would become a beacon of light for those who served alongside him during the dark days of the Civil War.

Born on October 2, 1828, in Biddeford, Maine, George dreamt of attending West Point Military Academy someday. That day did arrive and he proudly walked forward to receive his honors, graduating in 1852, and he he was commissioned as a lieutenant of artillery.

In 1859, he married Harriet, daughter of the Honorable John P. Cushman, who was a judge at the time in the New York State Supreme Court.

        Then in April 1861, George was given his orders to go to Fort Pickens, Florida. He served under Colonel Harvey Brown. George felt the civil unrest in this Southern state immediately. He heard the voices raised in anger over Lincoln’s thoughts on slavery and freedom for all, nor could he ignore the picket signs of discontent and threats of secession.

 With Lincoln’s inauguration, the unrest in the Southern States reached a boiling point.  As I tell in Swept into Destiny, Lincoln emphasized in his address, “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war.” Lincoln went on to say, “The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict, without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to ‘preserve, protect and defend it.’”  President Lincoln never wanted succession, only unity. But his words fell upon deaf ears. 

On April 12, the Confederate soldiers opened fire upon Fort Sumter, a Union-held Fort in Charleston Harbor. The skirmish lasted for thirty-four hours. Fort Sumter surrendered on April 13th. Union troops evacuated Fort Sumter on April 14th.

Chaos exploded like an unwanted cyclone in Washington D.C., especially in the War Department.  Recognizing George’s cool head and exceptional organizational and executive skills, he was transferred to the Ordnance Bureau in Washington.

George rose to the ranks of Captain. The Civil War reached a critical stage after the Battle of Gettysburg. The Army Ordnance Department was having a tough time. The men on the lines needed equipment and the best possible support given to every combat branch.

        Balch stepped in as Chief of Ordnance, and he was given substantive control over its operations. He engineered virtually all essential decisions. Under his leadership, urgently needed weapons, munitions, and equipment flowed to the front lines. 

        Upon the completion of the Civil War, he left the affairs of the Ordinance Department in excellent shape.

        George then served as an instructor at West Point Academy and after he retired from the Army, he served on the New York Board of Education. This became his mission, his shining achievement.

He threw himself fully into promoting the teaching of patriotism in schools. He encountered large numbers of foreign-born students and George immediately saw a need for teaching them about American principles and the development of integrity and practices that could foster a sense of American identity in these students. 

        He developed a way of instilling the patriotic values of the American dream that embodied the feeling of the American flag along with a pledge and salute that predated today’s Pledge of Allegiance. “I give my heart and my hand to my country—one country, one language, one flag.”

George Balch spent the rest of his life dedicated to this cause of inspiring patriotism in children. He died on Sunday, April 15, 1894.

        In 1892, a Christian socialist, a former Baptist minister, named Francis Bellamy, put together a pledge. However, historians have seriously questioned whether Bellamy wrote this version of the Pledge of Allegiance. He worked for the family magazine Youth’s Companion and many believe the words were stolen from a boy who submitted it to the magazine for the marketing of the Columbian Exposition in October 1892, marking the 400^th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in Americas.  The pledge was written thusly:     “I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands—one Nation indivisible—with liberty and justice for all.”

Flag Day was proclaimed by Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and President Coolidge in 1927 to be June 14.  The formal, permanent establishment of the observance came with the passage of the Act of Congress.

        The wording was changed in 1923 and 1924, by the national Flag Conference. Then in 1942, upon America’s entrance into World War II, Congress officially adopted the pledge, decreeing it should be recited while holding the right hand over the heart.

        Before then, the pledge included a Bellam salute by extending the right arm toward the flag with the hand outstretched. Then with the rise of fascism in Europe, people did not like that because it resembled the Nazi salute.

        The final revision came in 1954 when a grateful nation gave their praise and homage to its Founder and Maker. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Congress passed a new bill that added the words “under God” to the National Anthem. 

    Throughout America’s history, Americans have recognized God, as their King and Jesus as their Savior as told in our songs:

    My Country Tis of Thee…” Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King.”

The Battle Hymn of the Republic… ”In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me;
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.”

    America the Beautiful…” God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood.” 

      God Bless America… “land that I love stand beside her and guide her thru the night with the light from above.”

Strong willed, patriotic men like George Balch and President Dwight D. Eisenhower made the voice of America heard. Because it was the citizens and patriots of America who made up the backbone of this nation. Fighting against unprecedented odds and beating those foes that would destroy our love—in their solid belief in one God and His Son, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is what the United States of America represents.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 

        It took four wars, countless lives, and a grateful nation to create the words of our beloved National Anthem. Like the stars and stripes changed with each annexation of the states, so did the words of the anthem, with each war adding to the anthem’s fruition. As it states in the Declaration of Independence, America continues to depend upon the firm reliance and the protection of Divine Providence. Their strength as a people, and a nation lay—under God, indivisible. Our quest for liberty complete.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV)

Swept into Destiny: Ben McConnell is a proud Irish immigrant who is determined not to give up despite hunger and deprivation. He clings to his mustard seed faith believing—nothing is impossible.

Maggie Gatlan is a rebel disguised as a Southern belle. Ben and Maggie’s journeys delve deeply into the truth about faith and devotion.

“… Brakefield’s flowing descriptions pull you into Swept into Destiny and keep immersed in the world of the Antebellum south…This isn’t just a world of beaus, belles, and balls, but of moral ambiguity and searches for truth…” L.H. Reader

Catherine is the award-winning author of Wilted Dandelions, Swept into Destiny, Destiny’s Whirlwind, Destiny of Heart, Waltz with Destiny and Love's Final Sunrise. She has written two pictorial history books, The Lapeer Area and Eastern Lapeer, and short stories for Guideposts Books, CrossRiver Media Group, Revell Books, Bethany House Publishers. Catherine and her husband of fifty-two years live on a ranch in Michigan and have two adult children, five grandchildren, four Arabian horses, three dogs, three cats, six chickens, and three bunnies. See CatherineUlrichBrakefield.com for more information.
https://goordnance.army.mil/HallOfFame/2000/2001/balch.htm

http://balchipedia.wikidot.com/georgethatcherbalch

https://www.history.com/articles/who-created-the-pledge-of-allegiance

 

Quanah Takes a Bride

 

American Indian on a Pinto (image by Daniel Eskridge)

by Sherry Shindelar 

Quanah Parker, the son of a Comanche war chief and Cynthia Ann Parker (the most famous captive of the 19th century), fell in love with a young Comanche maiden named Weckeah, but his prospects were dim. Weckeah returned his affection, but her father, Old Bear, didn’t favor Quanah. For starters, Quanah only owned one horse, and strike two, he was an orphan (His mother had been recaptured by the whites and died of a broken heart. His war chief father had died, as well—when and how he died is disputed. But by the time Quanah reached adulthood, he had no family connections). Strike three, he was half-white. 

Horses were the currency of choice amongst the Comanche, and Quanah’s rival for the young lady’s hand was the son of a prominent chief, Eckitoacup. The chief’s son, Tannap, offered ten horses.

But Quanah had a gift for leadership. He convinced his friends to give him some of their horses. However, when he led the ten horses to Weckeah’s teepee with expectations of triumph, he discovered that his rival had upped his offer to twenty horses.

Not one to accept defeat, Quanah asked Weckeah if she would elope with him. In Comanche culture, this was a last resort when a parent would not approve a marriage, but it was risky. It brought dishonor to the bride’s family, and a young man could only hope to make amends through many horses, something Quanah didn’t have. With his rival being the son of a powerful chief, it was more likely that Weckeah’s father would send a war party after Quanah.

Palo Duro Canyon, West Texas
A favorite haunt of the Comanche (my photo)

Quanah had a plan. He convinced twenty-one young warriors to accompany him and his bride. They rode for seven hours at a gallop, and then traveled by night, dividing into smaller groups to elude any trackers, reuniting in west Texas at the North Concho River. This would be their new home. From there, they did what Comanches had been doing for centuries in Texas: raid and steal horses.
For over a year, they lived along the river and prospered. Some of the braves traveled back to the tribe’s main encampment to retrieve their wives and sweethearts, convincing other warriors to join in the adventures of riding with Quanah.

Quannah Parker 1890 (Twenty years after this incident)
(Daniel P. Sink, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

At last, Eckitoacup determined to make the upstart rebel pay for his audacious disregard for tribal hierarchy and customs. He gathered a war party and headed south to attack Quanah’s camp. But he was taken aback by the hundreds of Quanah’s warriors who rode out to confront him in battle. The old chief decided it’d be better to negotiate instead of fight. For the price of nineteen ponies, Quanah was allowed to return to the main tribe with his men and his bride in peace and was awarded the honor of becoming the new war chief.

Cynthia Ann Parker and Prairie Flower 1861
(Public Domain)

 

Source: Gwynne, S.C. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches. Scribner, 2010.

Originally from Tennessee, Sherry loves to take her readers into the past. A romantic at heart, she is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. When she isn’t busy writing, she is an English professor, working to pass on her love of writing to her students. Sherry is a multi-award-winning author. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of forty years. She has three grown children and three grandchildren.

Connect with Sherry: website newsletter Amazon FB

The man who destroyed her life may be the only one who can save it.

Maggie Logan (Eyes-Like-Sky) lost everything she knew when a raid on a wagon train tore her from her family. As the memories of her past faded, Maggie adapted—marrying a Comanche warrior and having a baby. But in one terrible battle, the U.S. Cavalry destroys that life and takes her captive. Forced into a world she wants nothing to do with, Eyes-Like-Sky’s only hope of protecting her child may be an engagement to the man who killed her husband.

Captain Garret Ramsey finds himself assigned to the Texas frontier, where he witnesses the brutal Indian War in which both sides commit atrocities. Plagued by guilt for his own role, Garret seeks redemption by taking responsibility for the woman he widowed and her baby. Though he is determined to do whatever it takes to protect them, is he willing to risk everything for a woman whose heart is buried in a grave?

 

Florida Artists ~ George Inness, Jr.

I confess I’d never heard of George Inness, Jr. (nor George Inness, Sr., also recognized as an important artist) before researching Florida artists.

And yet, this renowned landscape artist and philanthropist contributed so much to the one Florida town’s cultural development that it is often referred to as the City of Arts.

That town is Tarpon Springs, located on the west coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay area, and it’s also known for its Greek heritage, freshly caught fish, and sponge-diving. (I’ve been a tourist there ~ the fish and the baklava are great and you can buy all kinds and sizes of sponges!)

Mr. Inness (January 5, 1854 – July 27, 1926) was born in Paris, France and lived an intercontinental life. While living on the East Coast of the U.S., his father often took him to Europe. 

He began his artistic career as a magazine illustrator but eventually attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He later opened a studio and even became “an Officer in the Académie des Beaux Arts, a rare distinction for an American” (Hall of Fame).

Once he returned to the U.S. in 1900, Mr. Inness became a snowbird. He lived in Cragsmoor, New York, but wintered in Tarpon Springs. The latter is where he spent his most productive years as a landscape painter.

The Unitarian Universalist Church in that Florida city owns eleven of his works. A few of these are murals painted on the church sanctuary walls.

Museums that include his paintings in their collections include: 

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• New Jersey’s Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ
• Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art, Daytona Beach, FL 

“He is recognized as a great Florida artist for his depiction of the state’s unspoiled landscapes full of the flora and fauna of his time” (Hall of Fame)."

Here’s an interesting tidbit ~ Financial success seemed to be launched after Mr. Inness sold a large painting of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington to his father-in-law, the founder of a publishing company.

Mr. Inness’s 27-room Florida home, known as Inness Manor, became a famed artists’ colony. It boasted a large painting studio and artists’ cottages where other prominent painters often visited.

Chetolah, his New York home, has its own claim to fame ~ it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Johnnie Alexander is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of more than thirty works of fiction in multiple genres. She is both traditionally and indie-published, serves as board secretary for the Mosaic Collection, LLC (an indie-author group) and faculty chair for the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference; co-hosts Writers Chat, a weekly online show; and contributes to the HHHistory.com blog. With a heart for making memories, Johnnie is a fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips. Connect with her at JohnnieAlexander.com.

Photos

George Inness, Jr. Portrait By Internet Archive Book Images ~ https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43632603; no restrictions

Sources

Hall of Fame ~ https://dos.fl.gov/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/george-inness-jr/

Unitarian Universalist Church in Tarpon Springs ~ https://www.uutarpon.org/inness-paintings/

The Great Tan Line: How the Suntan Became Chic

Now that summer is here, many of us will spend time outdoors, perhaps at the beach or pool, gardening, or bicycling. With increased sun exposure, the question “To tan or not to tan?” often comes up.

During a recent TV documentary, I was intrigued by the assertion that “tanning drinks” became popular in the 1930s. However, I found no evidence of such a product (which shows you can’t believe everything you hear on television). The closest I could find were health tonics that promised to “brighten the skin” or “give a glow of vitality,” but the focus was on wellness, not on tanning the skin.

Still, the story of how tanned skin became fashionable proved interesting.

Until the 20th century, pale, fair skin was associated with wealth, leisure, and social status. The wealthy had little reason to spend extensive time outdoors, so tanned skin was linked to the working class and outdoor labor. (Even as late as the 1960s, having a “farmer’s tan” was not considered a compliment.) Wealthy women used parasols, gloves, hats, and long sleeves to protect themselves from the sun. Skin whitening powders and creams were employed to maintain a pale complexion.

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813, Miss Bingley describes Elizabeth Bennet as looking “brown and coarse,” because of her summer travels. The implication is that a proper lady would strive to keep her skin pale and untanned.

To promote their suntan oil, in 1948 L’Oréal
introduced the figure of “Suzy,” a shapely,
tanned blonde-haired woman clad in what
was then a risqué two-piece swimsuit.
Reproduced as a life-sized cardboard cutout,
“Suzy” was frequently stolen from pharmacies
and seaside boutiques.

With the end of the Victorian era, attitudes toward outdoor activities began to change. Spending time swimming at beaches became more popular among all class levels by 1900. Bathing costumes evolved to allow more freedom for the swimmer, revealing more skin. As a result, tanned skin became a huge fad after World War I.

Many sources credit the French fashion designer Coco Chanel with popularizing the suntan when she returned from a Mediterranean vacation with a sun-kissed glow in the 1920s. Her bronzed skin was suddenly seen as fashionable and glamorous, especially among the upper classes.

Simultaneously, there was growing interest in sunlight for health purposes—so-called "heliotherapy"—to treat ailments like tuberculosis and rickets, which helped normalize sun exposure.

An article in Vogue magazine in July 1929 declared, “From a chic note, sunburn became a trend, then an established fashion, and now the entire feminine world is sunburn conscious!”

Vogue promoted rules to attain a higher-class tan as opposed to the common tan of an everyday woman. These rules included: avoiding tan lines (they indicated you did not have time to get a proper tan), not wearing pearls to the beach (the white marks on the chest looked cheap), and also maintaining a tan even in the wintertime (possibly by taking expensive vacations abroad).

Tanning lotions and creams were introduced as a way to get an "even tan." In 1935, L’Oréal founder Eugène Schueller launched a suntan oil called Ambre Solaire, which aimed to accelerate tanning while moisturizing the skin.

In contrast to the health benefits of sunshine, researchers as early as 1918 began to warn about the dangers of UV rays. However, medical professionals, the US government, and the media failed to transmit that message to the public until the 1930s. Even then, people continued to slather on baby oil or olive oil to attract maximum rays in order to attain he fashionable suntanned look.

During World War II, soldiers in the Pacific theater dealt with the harsh tropical sun by using a sticky red veterinary petrolatum, originally intended for animals, to protect their skin.

Little Miss Coppertone billboard, 1959

After returning home, airman and future pharmacist Benjamin Green mixed the substance with cocoa butter and coconut oil to create a moisturizing suntan cream. Eventually his home-cooked concoction became Coppertone sunblock. The product truly took off in the 1950s, thanks to the Little Miss Coppertone campaign featuring a black dog tugging on a little girl’s swimsuit.

The desire for suntanned skin led to the proliferation of indoor tanning beds beginning in 1979. Meanwhile, awareness of skin cancer caused by overexposure made some sun-lovers more cautious. Today, more than 1,000 sunscreen products are marketed, with widely varying levels of UV protection indicated by their SPF rating.

Despite the increased use of sunscreen and awareness of the dangers, surveys indicate that people continue to believe a tan is more attractive than light skin. As in many areas related to fashion, appearance tends to overrule practicality.

Sources:

Suntans, Cornflakes, Coco Chanel & Skin Cancer - EO Smith

The History of Tanning: From Ancient to Modern Techniques - ThoseGraces.com

From Sunlight to Sunless Tanners: the History of Our Obsession With Getting Tan - Fashionista

Multi-award-winning author Marie Wells Coutu finds beauty in surprising places, like undiscovered treasures, old houses, and gnarly trees. All three books in her Mended Vessels series, contemporary stories based on the lives of biblical women, have won awards in multiple contests. She is currently working on historical romances set in her native western Kentucky in the 1930s and ‘40s. An unpublished novel, Shifting Currents, placed second in the inspirational category of the nationally recognized Maggie Awards. Learn more at www.MarieWellsCoutu.com.

Her historical short story, “All That Glistens,” was included in the 2023 Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction collection and is now available free when you sign up for Marie's newsletter here. In her newsletter, she shares about her writing, historical tidbits, recommended books, and sometimes recipes.