The lives that shaped the songs that shape our faith Their stories and lives are seldom considered or known, yet their works and influence are felt almost every day somewhere in the world and have been for centuries. They are the hymnists and their gift to the world for centuries and for the future are found in the beautiful words of their hymns. Hymnists are the poets of the spirit, the leaders of light who pull us from the dark and who help show the way back to clarity and purpose in our lives based on faith and redemption. Their hymns have survived wars, famines, plagues, the Dark Ages, revolutions, the rise and decline of church attendance, contemporary debasement of religion and anything related to worship, and many other follies and frailties of mankind. The hymns survived because of dedicated hymnists and the meaningfulness of their words to a world that always faces turmoil and challenges to faith and family. This book explores the lives of many of our favorite hymnists. The reader will find almost 400 biographies of hymnists, including their compelling stories. The reader will rejoice in the hymnist's inspirational stories, find redemption in their despair and heartbreak, and experience reassurance in their faith. The words of the hymnists help us cope with fear, search for hope, and find inspiration. When a reader explores hymns more closely and overlays the themes of the hymns with the lives of the hymnists a pattern emerges. There are numerous references to fear, hope, and inspiration, just like in the Bible. These themes are so pervasive that they need to be studied and in studying them consideration should be given to how they interconnect. Consequently, this book explores the impact that fear, hope and inspiration have on our lives and how they are linked.