Did you know that Mr. Shea is still with us? He was born in 1909 the very year that my grandmother was born and that makes it all the more special to me. This is a photo of Mr. Shea and Cliff Barrows at a rally just last year. He still sings!
That's an amazing part of his testimony — he still sings...
I'd Rather Have Jesus
lyrics by Rhea F. Miller
melody by George Beverly Shea
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.
Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
I’d rather be true to His holy name.
He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out of the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.
Clicking on the lyrics will take you to You Tube where Mr. Shea sings the song at the 1987 Fargo Crusade. Nothing sounds as sweet to me today. (The video was removed and I have replaced it with another. That is fine as on this older video Mr. Shea shares how he came to write the music to this song.)
Enjoy your Sunday!
Edited to Add~April 23, 2013: And the story comes full circle in a wonderful post by Dotsie ***here*** Though Mr. Shea has moved to Glory, I know that he still sings!
photo source (allowed to stand)
