Near the Cross

The hymn, "Near the Cross," sometimes referred to as "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross," or, "In the Cross" is considered to be one of writer Fanny Crosby's best-known hymns. It is based on Galations 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

"Near the Cross" was written by her in 1869, to a tune that had already been composed by William Howard Doane, who often collaborated with Crosby. The song is in F major and was composed in 6/8 time.

Though blinded at six weeks of age, it is believed that Crosby (1820-1915) was the author of over 8,500 gospel songs. The exact number isn't known, because she used more than one hundred “nom-de-plumes,” or “pen names,” many of which are not known. It has been written that at times she would write as many as six or seven hymns in one day. Other than Doane, she collaborated with a couple of other prominent gospel song composers of the day, William Bradbury and Ira Sankey.

The famous evangelist Dwight L. Moody was said to have asked Crosby the following question toward the end of her life: “If you could have just one wish granted, what would it be?” Sensing that he expected to reply that her wish would be to have had her sight reatored, she replied, “If I could have one wish, I’d wish that I might continue blind the rest of my life.” Moody was taken back and asked, “How can you say that?” Crosby was said to have responded, “Because, after being blind for all these years, the first face I want to see now is the face of Jesus.”

The theme of “Near the Cross” captures the hope and joy of heaven that is so characteristic of Crosby’s hymns: “Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.”

Jesus, keep me near the cross
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calvary's mountain

Refrain: In the cross, in the cross
Be my glory ever
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river

Near the cross, a trembling soul
Love and mercy found me
There the Bright and Morning Star
Shed its beams around me

Near the cross! O Lamb of God
Brings its scenes before me
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadows o'er me

Near the cross I'll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river

The Story of Reuben Coffey, an American Revolutionary War Soldier

In Augusta Phillips Johnson's book, "A Century of Wayne County Kentucky 1800-1900," originally published in 1939, she used War Department pension records to compile a list of 40 names of Revolutionary War soldiers who later emigrated to Wayne County. One of those soldiers was my 4th great-grandfather Reuben Coffey. He joined the Wilkes County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia on June 17, 1780 for, in his words, "as long a period as our country needed my services."

On October 7th that year, he was at King's Mountain, where the "Overmountain Men," so named because the militia soldiers all hailed from settlements inTennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky that were located "over" the mountain barrier, fought and defeated the British Loyalists, who suffered roughly 1,018 casualties and captures, while the Patriots lost only about 90 men. The victory was a massive turning point in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War.

In his pension papers filed in Wayne County, Kentucky court in 1832, a 72-year-old Reuben Coffey wrote, “We overtook the British and Tories at King's Mountain in South Carolina and defeated them on Saturday, the seven day of October 1780. We remained on the battle ground until Sunday, the next day, and then we marched with the prisoners up to Col. Walker's in Rutherford, North Carolina. We then marched about three miles to a widow Bickerstaff's (actually Biggerstaff), where a court marshall was held and they condemned and hung nine of the Tories." Today, the tree is gone but a Biggerstaff Hanging historical marker marks the spot.

Reuben moved to Wayne County around 1819 and became a respected citizen and successful farmer. He and his wife, Mildred "Millie" Morris Coffey, raised seven children. Their daughter, Sarah "Sally" Coffey Owens, was the mother of my great, great-grandmother, Almyra Owens Frost. Reuben died on June 9, 1942. He and Millie are buried at Elk Springs Valley Cemetery in Wayne County.

Kings Mountain National Military Park, located near Blacksburg, South Carolina, commemorates the Battle of Kings Mountain. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Thomas Jefferson considered the battle "The turn of the tide of success."

Let Him Have His Way With Thee

"Let Him Have His Way With Thee” was written and composed by Cyrus Nusbaum, who was born near Elkhart, IN, in 1861. In 1886, he became a minister in the Methodist Church and first served in churches in Kansas.

This hymn was produced in 1898 and was based on experiences in his first year as minister. Nusbaum had been serving in one of the poorest circuits in the district. At the end of the year, he and his wife attended the conference where he hoped to be appointed to a better charge. However, he was named to the same circuit. Unhappy in his situation, he knelt in prayer and told the Lord that he would be willing to let Him have His way with him regardless of the cost. That feeling of surrender became the inspiration for the song. It first appeared in the Gospel Praises hymnal in 1899.

Nusbaum later became a conference evangelist and, during World War I, he was appointed by Woodrow Wilson as inspector of the American Red Cross in France, holding the rank of captain in the U. S. Army. After the war, he travelled throughout the United States conducting evangelistic meetings. In addition to this hymn, he also wrote both words and music for a number of other gospel songs. He passed away in 1937.

Would you live for Jesus And be always pure and good
Would you walk with Him Within the narrow road
Would you have Him bear your burden carry all your load
Let Him have His way with thee

His power can make you What you ought to be
His blood can cleanse your heart And make you free
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to Have His way with thee

If you are struggling with problems in life, look to Jesus and “Let Him Have His Way with Thee.”

Larry Cordle to Perform at Spirit of 76 Celebration

Larry Cordle was born in Louisa, Kentucky and grew up near the neighboring small community of Cordell. As a young child he was introduced to bluegrass, country and gospel music by his great\-grandfather, Harry Bryant, an old-time claw hammer banjo stylist, fiddle player and dancer.

“Mom said I could sing 'I’ll Fly Away' all the way through when I was two years old!” Cordle fondly remembers on his website, recalling his grandfather's influence. “We lived so far away from everything that we had to make our own entertainment. Papaw would get the fiddle out in the evenings sometimes and play and dance for us. Just as soon as I was old enough to try to learn to play, I did so and kinda seconded after him on the guitar. He ran an old country store and I spent many happy hours in there with him playing, talking about and listening to music. It was our escape into another world, something we grew up with and looked so forward to. I was always happiest when we were in a jam session.”

After graduating from high school, Cordle spent four years in the Navy, was honorably discharged and attended Morehead State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting. “I just didn’t see how I could ever make a living doing only music,” he explains, “so I worked for a CPA firm during the day and played in clubs at night.” All the while, he desperately wanted to devote all of his time to music, but his commitments would remain divided, until writing a song that changed everything for the aspiring singer-songwriter.

Cordle's childhood friend and neighbor, musical prodigy Ricky Skaggs, heard Cordle’s “Highway 40 Blues” and promised that he would record it one day. In the summer of 1983, it was the No. 1 country song in the nation, helping launch Larry’s songwriting career and skyrocketing Skaggs’ already solid music career. “A lot of people who hear it think it's about Interstate 40, which runs through Nashville, but I actually wrote it about that little state highway in Kentucky,” which runs from Salyersville through Paintsville and Inez to the West Virginia border, almost touching Lawrence County.

Cordle's best known song is “Murder On Music Row,” co-written with Larry Shell in 1999 as a complaint against the rise of “country pop” music. It was first recorded by his bluegrass group, Lonesome Standard Time, as the title track of an album, and gained its greatest fame when it was recorded as a duet by George Strait and Alan Jackson, reaching No. 38 on the country singles chart even though it was never officially released as a single. Cordle’s songs have also been recorded by Alison Krauss, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

The original version of “Murder On Music Row” won Song of the Year at the 2000 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. It was the second such award for Cordle; in 1993, the Lonesome Standard Time band won IBMA Song of the Year for “Lonesome Standard Time,” written by Cordle and Jim Rushing.

Cordle shared in a Grammy Award with friends Carl Jackson and Jerry Salley for the song "You’re Running Wild" on Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers, a project that featured numerous country music stars singing songs made famous by the legendary duo. It won the 2004 Grammy for Country Album of the Year. Cordle has played on several other collaborative albums and singles, including the 2022 Gospel Music Association Dove Award-winning song, “The Sweet By and By,” with Jackson, Salley, Dolly Parton and Bradley Walker. He has provided harmony vocals for artists such as Brooks, Blake Shelton and many more. At last count, Cordle’s songs had appeared on projects that had sold a combined total of more than 55 million records.

In April 2015, Larry Cordle was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. In 2017, he released an all-gospel album, Give Me Jesus, which received a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album and a 2017 IBMA Gospel Recorded Event of the Year nomination for the title track.

Cordle released one of his best albums to date, “Where The Trees Know My Name,” in 2021. The album produced three hit singles (“Sailor’s Regret,” “Cherokee Fiddle” and “Breakin’ on the Jimmy Ridge”) along with more chart singles “The Devil and Shade Wallen” and “Natural State” on the Bluegrass Today Top 20 song chart.

In 2022 Cordle scored with the release of his song, “East Kentucky Blues,” which reached No. 1 on the Bluegrass Today Top 20 weekly and monthly charts and was named one of the publication’s Top 50 Songs of 2022.

“Cordle remains highly active in all facets of his career,” his official biography says. “He regularly records and performs. He is also still first and foremost a songwriter, now writing independently for his own company, Wandachord Music (BMI). He is a long-time resident of the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, where he lives with his wife Wanda. However, he still enjoys the opportunity to make frequent trips back to his Kentucky home place. Those Eastern Kentucky roots certainly shine through on his award-winning original songs.”

We are proud to welcome Kentuckian Larry Cordle to Seventy Six, Kentucky, and the Spirit of 76 Celebration at the Seventy Six Falls Country Club. Hope to see you there!!