John Hallett R= Ruth!

Continuing in John Hallett: From A to Z

Since today is Valentine’s Day, there was no better letter in John Hallett’s earthly alphabet than R.

R = Ruth!

Ruth....the love of his life! They were married February 17, 1945 and lived happily together for forty-five years until he went home to be with Jesus, in June of 2000.

Ruth made his heart sing! (Picture is of John and Ruth sitting at the piano where he composed. Ruth said she often sat right there with him as he wrote.)

Ruth is an amazing woman. A whole book could be (and should be) written about this gracious and beautiful woman of faith. She is one of the kindest and loving people I have ever met. We have had many wonderful conversations on the phone and she has always been so encouraging! I have heard from many people how she has blessed their lives. I am one of them! But, we’ll just share a few highlights of her life in her own words and in the words of others. Before we do, I say "Happy Valentine's Day, Ruth, from your countless number of friends. We all love you!"

Johnnie meets Ruthie (as told by Kelly Bihl)

“Well, when Johnnie’s days at the Children’s Bible H… whoop, I must tell you, it was during those days, and before his Children’s Bible Hour days that he had met a little girl in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He was introduced by a very good friend of ours, and Ruthie got acquainted with Johnnie. When we lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was where the broadcast was emanating, she came to visit. And it was there in our living room, in our little apartment, where Johnnie and Ruthie got together. And they burned the candles down to the candle holders at night. But at any rate, they had their blossoming romance, and finally Johnnie said, “Will you?” and she said, “Yes, I will.” And they became husband and wife and became the big part in Johnnie’s life. And so we welcomed Ruthie, beautiful Ruthie, into our little family of friends and in circular of friends. But burning the candles down into the very nub continues to remind us of the romance that they enjoyed and enjoyed until the very last days of Johnnie’s life.” (recounted by his life-long friend Dr. Carl (Kelly) Bihl during John Hallett’s Memorial Service)

The wedding, reception and honeymoon

In an interview I had with her in May, 2007, she shared a little about her wedding reception and the couple days before they went to Grand Rapids where John was the Music Director for the Children’s Bible Hour national radio broadcast.

“We were married in New York at Glad Tidings Tabernacle. We had our reception at the Hotel New Yorker and that’s been torn down now. They don’t have it. And then we got on the train…Oh no, before that we saw “The Song of Norway” about Edvard Grieg’s life, it was very good. And then the train and we went to Buffalo and we went the Niagara Falls. And, I remember I slipped and fell. Everything was frozen ice. Every where…it was beautiful, but frozen.

And it those days you couldn’t get nylons and I happened to have a nice pair and they ripped, so we had to go to Buffalo and buy a pair of stockings and they were ugly, cotton (Laughter) and I was so humiliated. I had to wear those stockings. And then we sat in the station waiting for the train to go to Grand Rapids. And I started to cry (Laughter) I was homesick.

So, Johnnie said, “Well, honey, if you want to go back home, it’s okay. Then you can come in a week or so.” And, I thought, “Wouldn’t that be great…he arrived in Grand Rapids without his bride. (Laughter).”

Ruth, the song writer

Ruth was often in the background since John was the one “up front” – directing choirs and orchestras, performing on the piano, conducting clinics. But Ruth, too, was instrumental in the writing of a number of songs. Some of the songs she wrote with John include Jesus, The Son of God, Just Jesus, The Name of Jesus, My Wonderful Lord, The Lord is Good, ‘Tis Glory, Sing for Joy, Christ Will Come Some Day, The Sun Will Shine Again, Let Me Not Be Ashamed, Since I Found The Lord, In Gloryland, and many more.

Thank You, Jesus

I asked to Ruth about John’s songwriting and their collaborating on songs, particularly the song, Thank You, Jesus. The following account includes a couple additional items from a note Ruth has written. “He (Johnnie) was good…he’d give me credit for some that he was working on, too. So, I can’t take really all the credit. I will take it for “Thank You, Jesus,” though. Because, that one, we were just…I was just counting my blessings.

We were sitting in our first home (renting of course) but we had it furnished quite beautifully. We had our piano in the living room and I was counting our blessings and thanking the Lord for all He had done for us. We had just gotten, oh, a little Chevy. During war time we couldn’t get cars and this was wonderful after we had …Chevy and we had gotten some furniture and I was just sitting there counting my blessings. It had been war time and impossible to buy many luxuries. My father brought an electric toaster (that was a miracle in itself).

My heart was full and overflowing with love and gratitude to the Lord for His blessings on our lives and His love for us as a young couple just starting our walk with Him together. I said, 'Johnnie, you have written all kinds of songs but no thank you songs.'

'Well,' he said, 'Let’s write it now.' And, so we sat down and started to write 'Thank you, Jesus. Thank You for all You’ve done.'

And then, when we got it finished, we were so excited

I said every time we celebrate, we eat, so we went down to the soda place and had a Broadway soda...and it was coffee and chocolate mixed with butter pecan ice cream. And I was so excited and I told the woman, 'You know, we just wrote a new song.' She says, 'Oh, that’s nice.' (Laughter) And I thought, 'Well, even if she’s not excited, I knew that God was going to bless our song.' And He has blessed that song.

I think He blessed it because it was written out of a heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving. And different missionaries have told us, you know that God has brought that to their mind. And, not long ago one of the missionaries told me when he was coming out of open heart surgery, he was singing, “Thank You, Jesus.” And, so we give God all the praise. He gets it. We don’t take any for ourselves. Everything that was written was to glorify the Lord Jesus.

We had no idea of how the Lord was going to bless this song. We have heard it was sung literally around the world. TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY. Amen.”

Thank You Jesus

Thank You, Jesus, for all You've done.

Thank You, Lord.

Thank You, Jesus, for vict'ries won,

O thank You, Lord. For Thy love and tender care,

For Thy Word and answered prayer.

Thank You, Jesus, for all You've done.

Thank You, Lord.

Thank You, Jesus, for love like Thine.

Thank You, Lord.

Thank You, Jesus, for grace divine.

O thank You, Lord.

For Thy cross of Calvary,

For Thy blood that cleanseth me,

Thank You, Jesus, that Thou art mine.

Thank You, Lord.

John C. Hallett Ruth G. Hallett © 1948 Renewed 1976 Word Music, LLC

Ruth, A Woman of Prayer

“I knew John as an encourager. I knew his wife, Ruthie, as God’s pet.”

"I knew John as Minister of Music. But more than that, as a friend. I knew him longer as a friend; and I new him as an encourager. Johnnie always encouraged me, no matter how low things might look at times. He always had a word of encouragement; always was able to make it look, seem like it was all going to work out alright, that we were going to get home before the dark. And he encouraged others. I watched him over the years encourage some of you. And men and women, and boys and girls are serving Jesus Christ because of Johnnie Hallett. I knew John as an encourager. I knew his wife, Ruthie, as God’s pet.

I always get a lot of motor boating when I use that term. People would come, “But, but, but, but, but Dr. Borror. God doesn’t have pets. God’s no respecter of persons.” It has nothing to do with respect of persons. But I’m not yet sure that God doesn’t have pets. He had a pet named Abraham, one time. I don’t mean animal pets, of course, I mean just special people that he especially liked. In fact, all the Bible from Genesis 12 to the end of the book of Revelation is God keeping His promise to one man, Abraham. And He had others, called twelve disciples, and of that twelve, Peter, James and John, had a special relationship to Him. I always wondered what the other nine thought when He took these three, you know, up to the mountain. I can just see it, you know, “He doesn’t take us up to the mountain to be transfigured.” Surely, as much as they griped about other things, they must have griped about that. And I always saw Ruthie as God’s pet. And I always knew if, if I had an immediate emergency, and I’ve done it before, when I had an immediate emergency, and needed prayer right then. It was always good to have prayer chains and those things, but in addition to notifying a prayer chain I always wanted to one, find someone that I knew had trusted Jesus just a week or so before. Find a new Christian, ‘cause God treats new Christian like babies. He holds their hand; He gives them anything they want. He just, He just takes special care of new Christians. So if you want prayer answered quick, you find a new Christian. So I found a new baby Christian as soon as I could and I asked them to pray for him, for the situation, and then I would call Ruthie Hallett. And I’d ask her to pray, because she was God’s pet. He seemed to give her everything she wanted. I know in the last eleven months she didn’t feel that way at times. I’m convinced, some day we’re going to look back and she’s going to able to say, “Yeh, even then God was answering prayer. God was giving me what was best, maybe not always what I immediately wanted. God’s pet.” (recounted by his life-long friend Dr. Carl (Kelly) Bihl during John Hallett’s Memorial Service)