Darlene Neptune. Fanny Crosby Still Lives. Faith Printing Company. 2001.

Have you ever wished to meet someone from the past with such intensity that you had a dream about them? This book shares the story of Fanny Crosby by portraying Darlene Neptune as a person who goes back in history to meet her.

Many of our beloved hymns were written by Fanny Crosby, a blind woman. This book provides a complete chronicling of her life's story. It begins with her becoming permanently blind and having to leave home to attend school. You'll learn about her conversion, her experiences at a school for the blind, and even about living through the Civil War.

This book reveals much of the culture for Fanny Crosby's lifetime. One of the fascinating stories was learning that she wrote her songs under about 250 different names! This woman, blind from a doctor's mistake, used her inner vision to give words to 10,000 hymns. Many are still popular today.

This story is told in an unusual manner. We are lead to believe that the author is actually sitting down interviewing Fanny Crosby. Instead, she learned some of the information included in the book through what I must call a vision. Fanny knew many famous people including presidents of the United States during her life time.

Short biographical sketches of many famous governmental officials, presidents, and evangelists are included here. It is truly amazing that a blind woman living in the late 1800s met so many famous people. She wrote hymns for many of them due to circumstances in their lives.

Recommendation

Knowing the history behind hymns often makes their words even more meaningful. Learning about the life of this famous hymn writer will be enjoyed by everyone from the lay music director, to the organ player, to the choir director, and to those of us sitting in the pews. Do you have an aspiring musician or singer in your family. Introduce him or her to this lady if you want to truly challenge them to seek to serve the Lord with their talents. Consider purchasing this book as a gift for them this holiday season.

Copyrighted by Diana Pederson, 2005-2009