Variation on a Theme

For quite awhile now, I've been thinking of putting up a collection of songs inspired by or a variation of Amazing Grace. With a little technical good luck, this week I submit a few of my favorites.

The original lyrics were written by John Newton around Christmas 1772. The song is believed to be his testimony of his conversion to Christianity and against his life as a slave trader. (click here for more) Over the years, musicians accross many different styles have performed it - Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, Whitney Houston, Randy Travis - even Aerosmith's Steven Tyler...

The variations I selected are: "Grace Like Rain" by Todd Agnew, "Now My Lifesong Sings" by Casting Crowns; "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" by Chris Tomlin and Judy Collins' rendition of the original.

To those who like to read my messages that go with the song each week, sorry but this one's all about music. No worries, next week will be back to "business as usual".....Mark

Happy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day: the day we honor our planet, pledge our support to protect the environment and embrace a more eco-friendly lifestyle. We see the campaigns that urge us to "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and remind us that we're "borrowing the Earth from our grandchildren".

Being "Green" couldn't be much more popular than it is today. Countless companies (including mine) are making a strong attempt to serve this fast growing market. Its clearly a feel-good effort and more - a place where profitability can meet the greater good. Is it any wonder why green is so appealing?

To me it just makes sense that a huge part of honoring our planet also includes honoring its creator. While we have a responsibility to preserve the environment for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, God has loaned us the Earth from generation to generation for thousands of years.

On Earth Day, my selection is an updated version of the classic hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King" by the David Crowder Band. As we jump onboard the "green" bandwagon, lets remember to praise and thank God for creating such an amazing place.

Who's the Tough Guy?

Sorry this is a bit later than usual, but Uncle Sam required almost all of my free time yesterday....

This week my pick is "Savior, Please" by Josh Wilson. Recently, I faced some difficult decisions and I really struggled with the choices. None of the options seemed to be clearly good, honest, fair and satisfying. Ultimately, I did make the "lesser of two evils" choice but really mishandled the way I communicated the result.

As I listened to this song, I realized that I tried to do this on my own - without asking God for direction or even strength. In trying to prove just how "together" and "strong" I am, I ended up being quite weak. If I had asked for God's help, perhaps I would have made the decision more quickly and delivered the news more fairly.

Hope you enjoy the song. Peace, Mark

Darkest Before the Dawn

I've always enjoyed Easter. Probably because its about making a fresh start, there's a sense of renewed faith. This week we hit the lowest point in Christianity - Jesus' death on the cross. Followed 3 days later by the highest point - Easter!

I'm putting up Sunday by Tree63, which reminds us that even when things seem their darkest .... Sunday is coming with new life, new promise and good things.

Happy Easter one and all.

No Foolin'

So.... I was planning on todays posting being something funny - its April Fool's Day for cryin' out loud - when I came accross a message that I just couldn't pass up. Sorry, its another one of those press the solid square, "stop" button accross the page and then come back to the bottom of this section and press the play button to see and hear my selection.

For this pick, the video is what really moved me, the song is a good one - "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" sung by Nicole C. Mullen - but the video was awesome. With yours truly about to close out another year, I found the story very humbling and inspirational - triumphant, even. Boo hoo, woe is me, I'm too old, its too hard, I could never... blah, blah,blah. Clearly I CAN, YOU CAN, WE CAN......