Movies With Michael : Cowboy Church #249

Sunday, December 28, 2025

Cowboy Church #249

Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Near the Cross. This hymn was written by Fanny Crosby, who had written many beloved hymns including Blessed Assurance and Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour. This song first appeared in an 1869 collection of hymns entitled Bright Jewels. One of those who put together this collection was William Doane, who would write the music for this hymn. Fanny had been blind since she was six weeks old. Evangelist Dwight L. Moody once asked Fanny, “If you could have just one wish granted, what would it be?” Fanny's answer shocked him. She said, “If I could have one wish, I’d wish that I might continue blind the rest of my life.” She explained this answer by saying “Because, after being blind for all these years, the first face I want to see now is the face of Jesus.”

This is followed by Red Sovine with If You Should Visit Heaven.

Afterwards comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1941 recording of What Wonderful Joy. Though many don't want to give their loves to Jesus because they don't want to give up their sins, the truth is that the joy Jesus can give us is greater than anything we may get out of sinning. This song is about the incredible joy that only Jesus can provide. This recording is very much a duet between two members of the band. Lloyd Perryman and Bob Nolan share the main vocal duties on this song, and both sound as great as ever.

Then comes Washington Phillips with his 1929 recording of I've got the Key to the Kingdom.

Next is Carl Smith with I Dreamed of the Old Rugged Cross.

Then come Bill Anderson with Blessed Assurance. This hymn came about when songwriter Fanny Crosby visited composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp. Knapp played a tune for Crosby and asked what came to her mind with that tune. Crosby said, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!" She then immediately followed it with more lyrics that would be in the finished song. The song was published in 1873 and first appeared in a monthly magazine for which the editors were Joseph Fairchild Knapp and Phoebe Palmer Knapp (who were husband and wife). When it later appeared in 1887's Gospel Songs, No. 5 by Ira Sankey, this we lead it to greater fame as it would be commonly sung in the revivals of Dwight L. Moody and Sankey. By 1889, the hymn commonly appeared in Methodist hymnals. This version of the hymn comes from Bill Anderson's 1967 gospel album; I Can Do Nothing Alone.

Today's musical selection ends with Johnny Cash singing Let the Lower Lights Be Burning. In the notes for the box set Unearthed, John wrote, "This is a very special song for me, and I'll tell you what it means to me now. When my father was dying, he was in a coma, and all my brothers and sisters and I were gathered around the bed, and we felt like telling him goodbye. But my oldest sister Louise said, 'Let's sing to him.' So we started singing 'Let the Lower Lights be Burning.' At some point I looked at him and, though he had been sound asleep in a coma for days, his lips started moving and he started singing that song along with us. The more we would sing it the more he sang. And he opened his eyes, and he looked around at us as we were singing. Ad of course everybody had a good cry as watched him and listened to him as he sang 'Let the Lower Lights be Burning' with us."