The Blackburns' improbable journey from bondage to freedom pulsates with the breath-catching urgency of a thriller, yet this remarkable story is true . . . An invaluable testament to resistance, resilience, and a once-denied but unalienable right to life and liberty.--Rene Graham, "The Boston Globe."

(Glory Sound Simply Sacred). The increasing treasury of modern hymns and sacred songs by Keith and Kristyn Getty and collaborator Stuart Townend are explored in this new resource designed for choirs of any level. Many of this writing team's biggest successes are included, all lovingly adapted by some of our most gifted arrangers. Music for the entire church year is contained in this collection. Transcending stylistic boundaries, the music and message are home in both contemporary-styled worship venues and traditional programs. Creative instrumental adornments offer additional options for performance while sensitive arranging make this compilation accessible to choirs of any size. Available separately: SAB, Listening CD, Preview Pack (Book/CD Combo), 10-Pack Listening CDs, Instrumental CD-ROM (Score & parts for flute, penny whistle, oboe, acoustic guitar, electric bass, drum set, percussion, violin 1 & 2, viola, cello *Note, instrumentation varies on each song), StudioTrax CD (Accompaniment Only), SplitTrax CD.

“A work of extraordinary imagination and sympathy, a journey from slavery to the mountaintop, perfectly realized.” —Ken Burns, American filmmaker Born on Emancipation Day, 1863, to a sharecropping family of black and Indian blood, Elijah Yancy never lived as a slave—but his self–image as a free person is at war with his surroundings: Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the Reconstructed South. Exiled for his own survival as a teenager, Elijah walks west to the Nebraska plains—and, like other rootless young African–American men of that era, joins up with the US cavalry. The trajectory of Elijah’s army career parallels the nation’s imperial adventures in the late 19th century: subduing Native Americans in the West, quelling rebellion in the Philippines. Haunted by the terrors endured by black Americans and by his part in persecuting other people of color, Elijah is sustained only by visions, memories, prayers, and his questing spirit—which ultimately finds a home when his troop is posted to the newly created Yosemite National Park in 1903. Here, living with little beyond mountain light, running water, campfires, and stars, he becomes a man who owns himself completely, while knowing he’s left pieces of himself scattered along his life’s path like pebbles on a creek bed. “Seen through the fresh eyes of buffalo soldier Elijah Yancy, Yosemite is Gloryland, his true home. Shelton Johnson has written a beautiful novel about Elijah’s journey.” —Maxine Hong Kingston, author of China Men and The Woman Warrior

This heartwarming picture book reassures children that a parent’s love never lets go—based on the poignant lyrics of JJ Heller’s beloved lullaby “Hand to Hold.” “May the living light inside you be the compass as you go / May you always know you have my hand to hold.” With delightful illustrations and an engaging rhyme scheme, this book offers the promise of security and love every child’s heart longs to know. From skipping stones and counting stars to climbing trees and telling stories, every moment is wrapped snugly in the certain warmth of a parent’s presence and God’s blessing. With poignancy and joy, this bedtime read captures the unconditional love parents want their children to know but so often fail to express amid the chaos of daily life.

From the song of Moses on the shore of the Red Sea, to the hymn at the close of our Lord’s first communion, the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is an essential part of worship for God’s people. In the wisdom of the Glorious Creator, God created man in his image, which included a voice – a uniquely human instrument capable of producing melody. And so, our Lord delights in worship with the voice of praise. From the psalms composed by David on the grassy hillsides of Bethlehem, to the thunderous chorus of “Holy! Holy! Holy!” offered by the seraphim in the throne room of heaven, expressions of singing in worship are evident. And notably, Zephaniah declared the Lord rejoices in singing Himself: “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17). Truly, God’s people rejoice in songs of praise through the ages. By singing Psalms in the early church, in quiet whispers of praise in dens and caves of the earth during persecution, singing praises to our Lord endures. In recent centuries, times of revival and despair alike have sown seeds of creativity, and hymns of praise blossomed and bloomed. As such, visionary men like Elder Lee Hanks, saw fit to collect hymns, true to God’s word in sentiment, and place them in hymnbook form to use in worship. To commemorate the 100th year of the Old School Hymnal, with hearts set on the glory of God, and enveloped by our rich history of worship in song, we the members of the newly restructured, non-profit Old School Hymnal Foundation Board, humbly present to you the Centennial Edition. In 1920, the founding members of the 1st edition presented a compilation of beloved hymns. In updating the hymnal, we prayerfully labored to honor their focus, endeavoring to maintain treasured, long-standing hymns, while also offering new compositions. We believe the Lord blessed us to remain true to scripture and honor Him with the words and melodies selected. In following the footsteps of our forefathers in hymnody, we echo the words of Elders Monsees and Pittman, in the preface to the 3rd edition, as we tried to include “the best old songs, and some of the new good ones...” In recent years, the Holy Spirit has blessed the creation of new hymns, born from the souls of redeemed children of God, moved and affected by the influence of grace. In honoring the spirit of past editions, and striving to obey the unction of the Holy Spirit, we are united in the desire to share some new songs. Having begun in the fall of 2019, and concluded in the midst of uncertain times, we believe a Providential blessing is in the timing of this effort. As unprecedented upheaval and abject fear prevails, we are compelled to present a point of light to push back against the darkness. While angry, dispirited voices reach a fever pitch, as the vitriolic squawk of malicious accusations command our attention, amidst the din of hard speeches and great swelling words, our prayer is that a different sound rises above the fray. In Christian homes, among congregations of Spirit-led worship, and from hearts of weary sinners, may songs of praise and voices of worship rise to adorn and adore the worthy name of Jesus. Accepting full responsibility for omissions, oversights and mistakes, and pleading for the mercy and blessing of God, we give to you this Centennial Edition, trusting the voice of praise will lift up to glorify our resurrected, reigning and returning Savior.

In 1946, Viola Desmond was wrongfully arrested for sitting in a whites-only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In 2010, the Nova Scotia Government recognized this gross miscarriage of justice and posthumously granted her a free pardon. Most Canadians are aware of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat on a racially segregated bus in Alabama, but Viola Desmond’s act of resistance occurred nine years earlier. However, many Canadians are still unaware of Desmond’s story or that racial segregation existed throughout many parts of Canada during most of the twentieth century. On the subject of race, Canadians seem to exhibit a form of collective amnesia. Viola Desmond’s Canada is a groundbreaking book that provides a concise overview of the narrative of the Black experience in Canada. Reynolds traces this narrative from slavery under French and British rule in the eighteenth century to the practice of racial segregation and the fight for racial equality in the twentieth century. Included are personal recollections by Wanda Robson, Viola Desmond’s youngest sister, together with important but previously unpublished documents and other primary sources in the history of Blacks in Canada. NEW: Teaching Guide Available Here