This hymn has obscure beginnings. We do know that it was written by Robert Lowry, a well-known hymn writer, in 1876. Lowry, a Baptist minister and professor at Lewisburg (Bucknell) University, wanted to be known more as a preacher than as a hymn writer. He would have rather preached a sermon to an appreciative audience than to write a hymn. Yet, more than 100 years after his death, what Lowry is best remembered for is his many popular and well-loved hymns. Nothing But the Blood of Jesus is among these. Nothing But the Blood of Jesus was first introduced at a camp meeting in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Ocean Grove was established in 1869 as a place of spiritual retreat and revival and a place to escape the summer heat of northeastern cities. Over the years, many famous hymn writers came to Ocean Grove, including Fanny Crosby, William Kirkpatrick, and Eliza Hewitt, as well as Robert Lowry. Ocean Grove still hosts many famous preachers and speakers, as well as musical artists.
I'm a storyteller by trade. I love to tell stories. Give me your ear (or eye, as the case may be) and I'll give you a story. It doesn't take much to trigger a story idea.
Yet the most beautiful story that has ever been told, that can ever be told, is the story of Jesus and his love. We can never get enough of that story - the story of our salvation.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me; and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
It's more than a story, isn't it? It's the truth! It's fact, not fiction. You can hang all your hope on it, because every word is the Word of God.
I love to tell the story, 'twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
This is the song we'll sing in glory for all eternity. Jesus and his love will always be in our minds and on our tongues.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song, 'twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.
I love to tell the story, 'twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
This is a story that we can't keep to ourselves. It's a story that begs to be shared - with every tribe, every nation, every tongue. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14
Each time we hear it or we tell it, it becomes even more beautiful than it was before.
I love to tell the story; 'tis pleasant to repeat what seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet. I love to tell the story, for some have never heard the message of salvation from God's own holy Word.
Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story. Acts 11:4.
The author of this hymn, Katherine Hankey, was raised in a Christian home. She organized Sunday school for the poor and disadvantaged. At only 30 years old, in 1866, she suffered from a serious illness and an extended recovery time. While she convalesced, she wrote a lengthy poem on the life of Christ. The first section, composed of 50 verses, gave us the hymn "Tell Me the Old, Old Story". It was titled The Story Wanted. The second section, titled The Story Told, brought forth the hymn "I Love to Tell the Story". Katherine herself wrote music for both of the hymns. They never gained popularity with those tunes. William Doane wrote another tune for "I Love to Tell the Story". The hymn received the tune we know today when William G. Fischer, a Philadelphia musician and piano dealer composed the music.
