If you have been to any pages on this site, you have seen DGL a lot.  I'm sure most of you already know what DGL is, but for those of you who don't, I will explain.  I will also tell you why I chose the name "A Balm in Gilead" for my site, and I will tell you why the show is named what it is.

DGL is an abbreviation for Down Gilead Lane, a Christian radio drama show played on many radio stations in the United States, Canada, and even in overseas countries!  Down Gilead Lane is produced by CBH Ministries, a Christian broadcasting company.  The show focuses on the life of the Morrison family, and on one special character, Miss Grace Andrews.  The Morrisons and Grace are Christians, and the show teaches biblical lessons based on the their, and others, decisions, problems, and mistakes.  If you haven't ever heard a "Down Gilead Lane" episode, then you can order episodes or listen to episodes online at the Down Gilead Lane Official Website or at OnePlace.com.

For information about the characters of DGL, visit "The Bed & Breakfast."

Why did CBH chose the name Down Gilead Lane?

According to CBH, the producer's of DGL, they chose the name "Down Gilead Lane" to represent God's healing and grace.  I think they put it best when they said, " Sometimes healing can only be found in the hard places. To be healed, we must go through hard times, only to find that through it all we’ve been made stronger! We develop patience and understanding through an argument with a friend or sibling, or an accident turns out to be an unexpected blessing. It’s through these hard places that the Lord provides healing."  After siting the verse Exodus 15:26, which says, "I, the LORD, am your healer,"(NASB) they remarked, "It’s God’s grace in the hard places that brings peace – He is the balm in Gilead! Our story, DGL, is all about God’s grace. It’s about the healing and forgiveness that we all can experience when we give our lives to Jesus Christ."  I think that sums it up nicely, don't you?  An interesting side note is that Grace Andrews is a source of comfort and healing to many people in Coleraine, the small town where DGL is set, and lives at the end of Gilead Lane, therefore, people have to go "Down Gilead Lane" to find comfort, Grace, and healing.

A Little Background on "Gilead"

In Israel, north of the Dead Sea, there is a mountain range that reaches 3,000 feet above the Jordan River Valley.  The name of this region was Gilead, or "a hard and rocky place."  Gilead was best known for the spices and aromatic gums, which were exported to Tyre and Egypt.  BibleGateway.com says that "The tree yielding this medicinal oil was probably the Balsamodendron opobalsamum of botanists, and the Amyris opobalsamum of Linnaeus. It is an evergreen, rising to the height of about 14 feet. The oil or resin, exuding through an orifice made in its bark in very small quantities, is esteemed of great value for its supposed medicinal qualities."(sic.)  Quoting again from DGL's Official Site, "Scholars tell us that a tree that grew in Gilead produced a balm that acted similar to medicine, and people from all around would go to Gilead to seek this amazing, healing balm. The hard, rocky place was actually a place of healing."  In the Bible, Gilead was always mentioned as a place of healing or a place that provided medicants, as in Jeremiah 8:22, "Is there no balm in Gilead?  Is there no physician there?" and  in Jeremiah 46:11, "Go up to Gilead and obtain balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt!"(NASB)  Also, the word balm is a contracted form of the word balsam, a word that comes from the Greek word balsamon, which in turn was adopted as a form of the Hebrew phrase baal shemen, meaning "Lord or Chief of oils."

Why did I choose the name "A Balm in Gilead" for my website?

Well, if the name of the show isn't enough, than maybe this song will tell you!  Also, I wanted to continue with the theme of DGL and another DGL fan site, The Road to Gilead Lane.

"A Balm in Gilead"

Chorus
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.

1.
Sometimes I feel discouraged,
And think my work's in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again.
Chorus

2.
Don't ever feel discouraged,
for Jesus is your friend,
and if you look for knowledge
he'll ne'er refuse to lend.
Chorus

3.
If you can't preach like Peter,
If you can't pray like Paul,
Just tell the love of Jesus,
And say He died for all.
Chorus

African-American Spiritual