by Peter James | Nov 30, 2025 | Johann Wichern
Today’s story is about the man who invented the Advent Wreath. Johann Wichern (1801-1882) was born into an impoverished family outside Hamburg, Germany and devoted his life to missionary work among the poor. He started a home in Hamburg for neglected children...
by Peter James | Nov 29, 2025 | Eleanor Farjeon
Percy Dearmer was looking for a hymn to express thanksgiving for each new day to be included in his new 1931 hymnbook Songs of Praise. He approached Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965), a well-known English poet and writer of children’s stories for assistance. Percy had...
by Peter James | Nov 28, 2025 | Jane Crewdson
I know only the barest outline of Jane Crewdson’s life (1808-1863). She was a British poet married to a cotton manufacturer named Thomas. She was confined to bed during a lengthy, undisclosed illness, during which time she wrote poems. She composed “Aunt...
by Peter James | Nov 27, 2025 | William Brewster
I’ll get to William Brewster’s (1568-1644) Thanksgiving prayer in a moment, but first, some background. William and Mary Brewster had five children, two of whom traveled with them as young boys on the Mayflower. Their names were Love and Wrestling. The...
by Peter James | Nov 26, 2025 | Martin Rinkart
Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) came to pastor St. Anne’s Church in Eilenberg, Saxony (modern Germany) in 1618, coinciding with the start of the Thirty Years War. As a walled city, Eilenberg became a place of refuge for neighboring people. A deadly plague broke out,...
