Biography
Wintley Phipps, at an early age, family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada where he was. He attended Kingsway College, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian Academy, and later Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama where he received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Theology. Phipps would later go on and earned a Masters of Divinity Degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Mr. Phipps served as senior pastor to several churches in the Washington DC metropolitan area, including the Capitol Hill and Seabrook Seventh-Day Adventist Churches. He currently serves as Pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church in Palm Bay, Florida.
U.S. Dream Academy, Inc
In 1998, Phipps founded and created the U.S. Dream Academy, Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a values-based, interactive, tutorial and remedial education program targeted to children and youth at risk through community Family Learning Centers located in various states. Seeing a need, Phipps wanted something help break the cycle he played out so many times in his own family. Wintley formed the U.S. Dream Academy to give children who've had a family member behind bars. The program provides mentoring, academic tutoring, and exposure to computers and the Internet. Wintley says, "Just the computers themselves are not going to transform the lives of these kids," and "The most important part of our program is really the caring, loving adults who surround them."
Awards
* Oprah's Angel Network $100,000 Use Your Life Award.
* Grammy Award Nominations in 1988 and 1989
* 2005 MMP Fall Leadership, $100,000
Albums
Studio albums
* Lord, You Are My Music 1984
* I Give You My Life 1984
* I Choose You Again 1984
* We Are One (Phipps) 1985
* The Great Controversy (album) 1985
* It's Christmas Time 1986
* Wintley Phipps 1987
* A Love Like This 1988
* Sun Will Shine Again 1990
* The Power Of A Dream 1995
* Favorite Hymns 1996
* Favorite Spirituals 1996
* Songs Of Christmas 2000
* Out Of The Night 2001
* Heal Our Land 2001
* Favorite Hymns of Billy Graham 2005
* Spirituals:A Syphonic Celebration ?
* No Need For Fear 2006
Live albums
* Wintley Phipps Live 2000
Compilations
* Christmas in Vienna (1993) - Diana Ross 1993
* Saviour: The Story Of God’s Passion For His People 1996
* Millennium Chorus: The Greatest Story Ever Sung 2000
* Gospel Gold (Bellmark) 2000
* Spirituals: Songs Of The Soul 2004
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
Wintley Phipps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Dear Lord,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Dear Lord, let it be
Dear Lord, let it be
"Just a Closer Walk With Thee" is a Gospel hymn that was composed in the mid-19th century by an unknown African-American composer. It has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including Wintley Phipps. The lyrics express the desire of the singer to have a closer relationship with God, acknowledging their own weaknesses and the need for divine guidance.
The opening lines of the song, "I am weak, but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong," is a confession of the singer's recognition of their own inadequacies and their need for God's strength to guide them. The second stanza, "When my feeble life is o'er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o'er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore," is a plea for God to guide them safely to the afterlife.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of humility and surrender to God's will. The repeated phrase, "Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea," communicates the singer's urgent desire for a deeper connection with God, one that is sustained through daily walking in close proximity to Him.
Line by Line Meaning
I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Acknowledging my spiritual weakness, but knowing that You are strong enough to keep me from falling into sin.
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
Prayer to Jesus to protect me from all evil and lead me towards doing good.
I'll be satisfied as long
Content to have nothing more so long as I have a close relationship with God.
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
As I journey through life, please allow me to remain close to You, Oh Lord.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Yearning for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God.
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Requesting Jesus to grant me the desire to have a closer walk with Him.
Daily walking close to Thee,
Commitment to walk with God every day and not just occasionally.
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Asking God to allow me to have a closer walk with Him, according to His will.
When my feeble life is o'er,
When my earthly existence comes to an end.
Time for me will be no more;
My time on earth will be over and won't matter anymore at that point.
Guide me gently, safely o'er
Prayer to guide me safely to the afterlife and not leave me astray.
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
Guide me to the Kingdom of Heaven, where I can be with God eternally and away from all earthly troubles.
Contributed by Jayce A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.