As I was bringing up the idea of highlighting different music, my good friend and fellow blogger, Amy, reminded me of the song, Friend of God by Israel Houghton and Michael Gunger. It is a simple song, but one that encourages us to realize who we are in the eyes of God.

Who am I that you are mindful of me
That you hear me when I call
Is it true that you are thinking of me
How you love me it’s amazing

I am a friend of god
I am a friend of god
I am a friend of god
He calls me friend

God almighty, lord of glory
You have called me friend

He calls me friend
He calls me friend…

Here is a sample of the song and the story behind the song (in the words of Israel Houghton)

When I first heard this song, I was attending a women’s conference. Singing this song, along with thousands of other women, was really one of the highlights of that conference. Now, if we can live as we believe the words that we are singing within this song, the confidence that we have of ourselves in Christ would be astounding! To know that we are a friend of God is a concept that we don’t think of often enough, but that is exactly how He sees us. He wants the intimate fellowship that we crave to be with Him, so that we may share that same intimacy with others.

Update: Jacque at Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths has started a meme about Psalms and Praise Songs. I am posting an update on this entry to participate in her theme. Go to her site and check out her latest post!

Here is the first in a series of posts that will focus on music, most specifically on music that encourages us in our walk with God. There are so many wonderful songs to discuss, so I hope that you will enjoy learning the background of each of these songs.

The song that I would like to begin with is a wonderful hymn that I know we all are familiar with…Amazing Grace. The tune is especially familiar, but you may not be aware of the history behind the lyrics and composition of the song.

John Newton (1725-1807) was the composer of this hymn, which like many hymns of that time, was sung by a different tune. The lyrics however are the same:

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

John Newton had been involved in slave trading for years and even continued this after his conversion in 1748. He later decided to give up the slave trade to become a minister. Many of his sermons led to others realizing a need for the abolition of slavery.

To me this is an example of God’s grace. A man that made decisions in his life that brought pain to others was saved and used for God’s glory! He clearly realized the grace that was freely given to him and thanked God for it through his prolific lyrics and in his actions towards others.

How many of us can use an example from our lives that demonstrate the grace of God? I know I can….and more than once. God has continued to pull me under the shadow of his wing more times than I can count. There are times that we think we see the whole picture….but then are shown the real “whole picture”. It is humbling, is it not?

It is also a picture of the love of God. He loves His children. That is so evident. When I was in a situation a few years ago that could have been devastating for me and my child, it was God’s love that prevented me from taking a step further (even though I thought I was making the right decision). He knew the “whole picture” and later when I saw what had been waiting for me, I was humbled by God’s love for me.

I think that John Newton was a humbled man. He made choices (wrong choices) and turned to God. Through each circumstance, either good or bad, he acknowledged God’s grace and love, and the belief in his ultimate destination.

Want to learn more? John Newton and Amazing Grace

Want to hear Amazing Grace?

[divshare]myFile=http://athena.divshare.com/files/2007/02/17/136851/amazing_grace.mp3&myTitle=amazing_grace.mp3&myLink=http://www.divshare.com/download/136851-5ef[/divshare]

What I am about to share was totally unplanned, but I just ran across a website that is promoting Amazing Grace Sunday for the movie by Walden Media, Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace Sunday is today, February 18, 2007 and churches are encouraged to sing the hymn Amazing Grace, to show unity in support of abolishing slavery. The idea is that the participating churches would be singing at one time…the same song…in unity.

I have not seen this film. I haven’t even watched the trailer, so I am not promoting the movie or Amazing Grace Sunday. It is just more info to check out about the history of this song and what it is encouraging others to accomplish.

I hope this post has encouraged you to listen to this song a little more closely, to experience the rich history within it’s composition and to realize the grace of God is very real… John Newton experienced it in his life and so do we…every day.

HT: Emerging Women

I love music. I love to sing music and I love to hear a good rhythmic tune. I especially love to listen to a song that praises God. There are many songs available to us that are not very edifying (yes, even of the Christian genre!), but there are many songs available to us that are edifying (some of those are in the mainstream), and I would like to make a consistent effort to write about them. Maybe discuss the history of the song, maybe how it has ministered to me personally…I’m not sure. We’ll see how God leads the writing of the posts.

So, keep checking in…I’ll be highlighting a certain song with regards to how it has encouraged me in my walk with God. Maybe you will be encouraged to share how certain songs have ministered to you as well.

Have a blessed day!

Do you sometimes feel like you need to apologize for things that Christians (in general) seem to do to others? Do you sense there is an air of hypocrisy coming from the mouths and lives of those (us) that call themselves Christians?

I do.

Sometimes I have thoughts that make me cringe. When I think of things that I have said or done to people in the name of Christ, honestly, I am ashamed. Then, when I see others making that same mistake, I just say to myself: “oh, my, that could have been me.”

Then I realize the grace of God. He forgives us when we recognize, admit and seek to change our faults. How awesome is our Lord!

There are times when I stay focused on life within the safety of my home. I don’t make an extra effort to reach out to others in my community. The reality is that I love to be with people (especially one-on-one) but something keeps me from stepping outside my box to minister to others within my circle of influence (my neighborhood). I realize that to be the church we must make an effort to make ourselves available. So, for this reason, I apologize!

I don’t want to take God’s grace for granted. I want to reach out to others. There is a whole world out there just waiting to be experienced and I want to be part of it! I want to be available to God for His use.

John Smulo has written a post entitled, Sorry. Check out his apology and the apologies of others.