Open Your Hymnals explores hymns to help us sing with understanding, deepen our spiritual journey, and make worship more meaningful.
In this podcast, we will dive into the lives of hymn writers and composers, analyze how the lyrics intersect with God’s Word, how music becomes an effective carrier of the message, and how we can apply these things in personal devotions, home worship, church life, and community ministries.
This podcast is brought to you by Hymns for Worship, a website dedicated to helping church members sing with spirit and understanding.
For more related resources, check out: https://www.hymnsforworship.org (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hymnsforworship.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1YcXLmTDpxRdspf39rcqcRDFpBh6NI75njPz-FmN5aNmX94GdChvzJqoE&h=AT2x3qpL683c6dUw9dJ8kRv2rAY7pPHn6f2nrues7KpkQzL1IbVP9AN32VwKOBPeVIr1xAjrQYoxS1KbaG9SNAPVs-1zbPfTcbdQRNXoRZkj1y9Mw7unCthK8f-84IRLZkvSrhg&__tn__=-UK-R)
008: Franklin E. Belden: The Adventist Hymn Writer Who Walked Away
When we talk about Adventist hymn writers, one name is almost impossible to ignore: Franklin E. Belden.
If you grew up Adventist, you have probably sung his hymns without realizing it. His words and tunes are woven deeply into our hymnody. He was gifted, prolific, practical, and remarkably tuned in to what congregations could sing.
But here is where the story becomes uncomfortable.
Franklin Belden was not only one of the most important hymn writers in early Seventh-day Adventism. He was also a man who eventually separated himself from the church, resisted Ellen White’s counsel, became deeply embittered, and, according to those who visited him near the end of his life, died without being reconciled to the faith he had once served through song.
Chapters
18 Apr 2026
007: O Brother, Be Faithful: From Popular Tune to Adventist Hymn
006: Uriah Smith: The One-Legged Pioneer God Humbled
Resources:
“Advent Pioneers Biographical Sketches and Pictures.” Ellen G. White Writings, m.egwwritings.org.
“Battle Creek, Mich., Tuesday, March 10, 1903.” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, vol. 80, no. 10, 10 Mar. 1903, Adventist Archives.
“General Conference Session of 1888.” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, encyclopedia.adventist.org.
“Pathways of the Pioneers – Uriah Smith.” Ellen G. White Estate, whiteestate.org.
“The Battle Creek Church, Uriah Smith, and the Testimonies.” Ellen G. White Writings, text.egwwritings.org.
“Uriah Smith.” EGW – Pioneer of the Month, Ellen G. White Estate, whiteestate.org.
“Adventist Education, Origins of.” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, encyclopedia.adventist.org.
“Wherefore Adventist Education?” Journal of Adventist Education, journalofadventisteducation.org.
CHAPTERS
(00:00) Intro
(02:23) Losing a leg
(04:25) Leaving Adventism
(06:48) Coming back to hope
(10:46) A man of the page
(13:47) Creativity thru invention
(15:51) Signs of weakness
(17:21) Established but mistaken
(21:18) Closing chapter
(24:39) Lessons from Uriah Smith’s life
15 Mar 2026
005: How Far From Home: Annie Smith's Hymn That Transformed a Parlor Song
In this episode, we will talk about one of the three hymns Annie Smith wrote: “How Far From Home?”
28 Feb 2026
004: Annie Smith: The Young Editor Who Helped Build Adventism
A spotlight on Annie Smith and the pivotal role she played in the early days of the Adventist movement.
23 Jan 2026
003: The Morning Trumpet: How 'O When Shall I See Jesus' Became an Adventist Hymn - Part 2 (Almost Home Series)
In Part 2, we slow down and sit with the words themselves. We’ll take a deeper dive into the hymn text—what it’s actually saying, why it resonates so powerfully with Adventist hope, and how it can be lived out in practical ways in everyday life. Then we’ll listen with fresh ears as the Almost Home piano arrangement interprets that same longing, urgency, and promise in sound—turning theology into music you can feel.
Music score available here:
https://shop.hymnsforworship.org/collection/hymn-arrangements
Transcript available here: https://hymnsforworship.org/the-morning-trumpet-how-o-when-shall-i-see-jesus-became-an-adventist-hymn-part-2/
4 Jan 2026
002: The Morning Trumpet: How 'O When Shall I See Jesus' Became an Adventist Hymn - Part 1 (Almost Home Series)
Resources Mentioned:1.
- TTBB (Mack Wilberg)2.
- SATB (Mark Hayes)3.
-SATB (Lloyd Larson)4.
- SSA (Ken Berg) 5.
(Irene Bennett) 6.
(JV Himes & Josiah Litch) 7.
(BF White)
Resources Used:1.
(piano accompaniment)2.
(Sofia Tsatalbasidis & Thomas Mayhew) 3.
(AJ Consolacion II)
Purchase Resources: (For the scores I don’t own, I receive a small commission without additional costs to you)1.
- Music sheet 2.
- Hymns sheet with transpositions 3.
- Piano accompaniment for congregation 4.
-
(Mack Wilberg) 5.
-
(Mark Hayes) 6.
-
(Ken Berg) 7.
-
(Lloyd Larson)
Transcript available here: https://hymnsforworship.org/the-morning-trumpet-how-o-when-shall-i-see-jesus-became-an-adventist-hymn-part-1/
Chapters:
(0:00) Welcome and what’s ahead
(01:28) Podcast Intro
(02:14) My early memories of this hymn
(04:34) Word vs. Melody: When hymn text meets tune
(05:18) The man behind the words: John Leland
(09:12) The birth of ‘O When Shall I See Jesus’
(10:13) Morning Trumpet: The tune that shaped the hymn
(13:20) Vocal rendition of ‘O When Shall I See Jesus’
(15:50) O When Shall I See Jesus enters Adventist hymnody
20 Dec 2025
001: 'The Three Messages' of Revelation 14 -- An Overlooked Early Adventist Hymn (Almost Home Series)
Resources mentioned:
1.
(Bryn Terfel)
2.
(Ted Wilson)
3.
(Oliver Jacques)
4.
(Ludwig van Beethoven)
5.
(Gustav Holst / Jean Sibelius)
6.
(C. Mervyn Maxwell)
7.
(John MacDuff)
8.
(WIlliam Williams)
9.
(Hymns for Worship)
10.
(Hymns for Worship)
11.
(Hymns for Worship)
12.
13.
14.
- Audio
15.
- Music sheet
Transcript available here: https://hymnsforworship.org/the-three-messages-and-revelation-14-an-overlooked-early-adventist-hymn/
Chapters:
(00:00) Episode Intro
(02:45) Podcast Intro
(03:31) How Hymns Are Created
(04:36) CWM RHONDDA and the Gymanfa Ganu
(06:59) Three Texts in the SDA Hymnal Using This Hymn Tune
(09:50) Discovering the Three Angels' Messages
(11:50) What's So Special About the Three Angels' Messages
(14:29) The Message of the Three Angels
(19:45) Almost Home: The Three Angels Piano Arrangement
(25:19) Conclusion
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