The hymn Count Your Blessings was written by Johnson Oatman Jr. in 1897. Oatman looked up to his father dearly. It was said that his father had the best singing voice in town. As Oatman grew, he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and to bless others with his musical abilities. However, he did not possess the vocal talents of his father. It wasn’t until he was much older that he realized where his musical abilities were. At 36, he came to understand that he did indeed have a talent for music. He could write songs for other Christians to sing. Johnson Oatman wrote an average of over two hundred gospel songs and hymns a year for over a period of twenty-five years. He wrote over five thousand hymns and songs in his lifetime. Although he was not a great singer or preacher, he expressed his own unique talent in writing hymns. Through his sermons in songs, Johnson Oatman has reached millions of people that he could never have reached from the pulpit.
God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. The timeless hymn, Count Your Blessings, reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. Count Your Blessings is a wonderful song to sing any day of the year as a reminder of the many blessings of God, even during hardships. It is especially appropriate, as we reflect upon our Heavenly Father’s many blessings during this Thanksgiving season.
On September 20th I flew to Missouri to help with the Culture/Language Acquisition Practicum at the Missionary Training Center. I was there for 7 weeks and had a great time reconnecting with friends and meeting some of the new students. I returned November 8th and have been playing “catch up” ever since. When I got back, a lot of people said that they missed me. I really think that it was my computer skills that they missed the most. J
In Christ,
Bob
