Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve remembers a church service he attended in Okinawa during World War II: "We were anxious to be there and see who had survived and who would not show," he said. "As we began that meeting singing ‚Come, Come, Ye Saints, we watched carefully to see who might yet come even though we knew when certain individuals didn't come, they'd been killed or had been wounded. I don't remember a thing that was said at that meeting but I remember what we sang." This is just one of more than eighty inspiring stories about how Latter-day Saint hymns have touched the lives of people that you'll find in Blessed by the Hymns.

This collection of stories will make you laugh and cry as you read about ordinary people who felt the spiritual power of the hymns. A young father faced with bankruptcy considers taking his own life, but the strains of "Love at Home" sung by his wife and children remind him of how blessed he is. Ardeth Greene Kapp describes the feelings she experienced hearing men in prison sing "How Gentle Gods Commands." Church leaders and Church members share inspiring anecdotes about how hymns have blessed their lives on all types of occasions: stories of hymns teaching, converting and influencing children and adults, opening doors for missionaries, and gathering the Saints to Zion. Blessed by the Hymns will enhance talks, lessons, hymn practices, and family home evenings.