Friday, November 2, 2007
amazing grace
whether you've ever stepped foot in a church, you've heard this song. and whether you know God or not, i trust that it still does something in your soul. i seriously can't listen to this song without getting tears in my eyes. there's just something about it. and i love Chris Tomlin's "version". there are many "contemporary" versions these days. i love that his is the "real" melody...and i love that he uses so many of the actual verses, not just the first 1 or 2 that we all know. i just made a cd with this song on it 10 times in a row. my house is blasting with it. this song is on the Amazing Grace Soundtrack (great movie!) which is based off this book (great book!).
and here's a devotion by Frederick Buechner on "grace":
"After centuries of handling and mishandling, most religious words have become so shopworn nobody's much interested any more. Not so much with grace, for some reason. Mysteriously, even derivatives like gracious and graceful still have some of the bloom left.
Grace is something you can never get but only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth.
A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to love somebody?
A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do."
i pray that each and every one of you feels His grace in a specific way today. i've seen it in my children's smiles, the leaves falling from the trees, a friend calling randomly and letting me know she understands where my heart is, being invited to dinner at the last minute, a family friend's heart began beating on it's own again after coming out of open heart surgery. these are just a few. God is good. and His grace is amazing.
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3 comments:
this is my favorite hymn and when they played it at church two weeks ago, I just welled up...each word is breathtaking and meaningful..thank you Lord for your "amazing grace"...
One of my favorites - our chains really are gone!!! We've been doing this one for months now, and every time it just tears me up. Very powerful.
Hi Courtney, thanks for posting this. I am trying to read people's blogs and look at them... Debbie told me about her's and introduced me to her family through it...and so I saw a link to yours and I have had fun feeling like I am back home...hanging out with you all. Thanks for posting! hugs julie
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