Awaken the Dawn

For my birthday Mum and Dad gave me a CD. I have picky taste in music. I have to really love a CD to buy it and generally aren't a fan of CD's bought by other people. Even CD's I buy myself I tend to only like a few songs and skip the rest.

Which is a long winded way of saying when I opened my gift to find Awaken the Dawn I was a little skeptical. I knew that I would probably like the CD, because Mum knows my taste pretty well, but I didn't think I'd love it.

Boy, was I wrong. I finally got around to putting on the CD a few days ago and it's been on repeat ever since. It's Beautiful. Achingly, simply beautiful.

I was in tears more than once.



Keith and Kristyn Getty describe themselves as modern hymn writers. At first I didn't get that, but it's totally right. The music is designed to be able to sung by a congregation (though also sounds lovely as a solo - Kristyn's voice is gorgeous). The music has a traditional feel, but also sounds modern. When I first listened to the CD I thought it was old hymns put to new music, but all the songs have been written by Keith and Kristyn in the last few years. I realised that one of my new favourite songs at church is on the album (When trials come).

There is a lovely Irish lilt to most of the songs on the album (Some have a similar feel to The Corrs). Many of the songs have a stirring build up that really climaxes a hymn musically. The songs are full of real biblical truths.

I think one of my favourite things is that this album is written from a community perspective. There very few 'I' in the songs, instead there is 'we'. The gathering of Gods people together is really emphasised. God is Our God, Jesus died to save us, we worship the lamb. It is nice to sing songs together, not as individuals singing at the same time (if that makes sense)

I have many favourites from the album including; Come, people of the risen king, Creation sings the father's song, All around the world, Every promise of your word.

But my favourite is By Faith. It's a simple reminder of those who have come before us and the fact that we live by faith.





The last few days I've been feeling confused, trying to grapple with what was right about a situation, what was the real Biblical response . And it was churning me up inside. I hadn't felt like praising God, or even thinking about worship. But listening to this CD reminded me of how important it is to just worship him, to relax and give our troubles over to him.

John Newton; From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken

To start my one book a month resolution I finished reading John Newton; From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken in January.

This is a fantastic book, I can't speak too highly of it!

Considering the huge influence Newton had on the modern evangelical Christian world I was surprised at how little I knew about his life (see other thoughts about his life here). While his most famous influence was in writing Amazing Grace, he also was one of the ministers who started the evangelical revival of England in the 18th Century; he mentored William Wilberforce who led the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade and on a note closer to home he also was the person who insisted that a chaplain be placed on the convict ships coming to Australia

John Newtons life is itself compelling, but Aitken writes in a conversational manner which makes it very easy to read. Aitken used many of the letters and diaries that Newton wrote within the book, so we often hear from Newton himself how he felt at a certain time in his life or about different issues.

Aitken has also done his historical homework. He explains why Newton would act in a certain way that seems so foreign to a modern reader, without making excuses for questionable decisions/behaviour (especially at the beginning of Newtons life).

I admit towards the end I got a little lost in the larger chucks of Newtons writing (the 18th century turn of phrase is so different from our own!) and when Aitken was discussing Newtons theology, but most of the time I couldn’t put the book down. In fact I was so engrossed while at the airport waiting to be picked up, that my Aunt honked her horn for several minutes to get my attention. I was completely unaware and kept reading until someone else near me had to tap me on the shoulder.

It is quite a thick volume, but being so easy to read I was able to get through it surprisingly quickly.

This is a story of a real person, who God called to himself and the change that takes place because of that. A compelling read, I think all Christians would benefit from reading more about Newtons life.

(I read the soft cover version which has a much more aesthetic cover picture - but I couldn't find a picture of it)

Amazing Grace

Dad got Amazing Grace for Christmas and we watched it while I was up there because I hadn't seen it yet.

It really was amazing (no pun intended) - defiantly a movie that sticks with you even long after it is finished.

It's the story of William Wilberforce as he leads the political movement to end the salve trade back in Britain in the late 1700's/early 1880's.

I have to say how impressed by the movie I was. The acting was good, the costumes amazing, the feel of the time period captured well and the movie tackles the issues of the slave trade tactfully but without shying away from the horror. It's done with feeling but not graphically (which is good for someone like me with an over active imagination, the little they did showed was enough to have me tossing that night in bed).

I don't think I'll ever feel the same way when I hear the song again, I'm so use to hearing it you forget where John Newton was when he wrote those words.

Marley and Me and Marriage

A little while ago I rented Marley and Me. I had read and enjoyed the book and so knew it was more than a 'dog movie'.

What I hadn't expected was such a lovely, realistic and positive depiction of a marriage through many years. Basically it's the story of a couple as they move from being happy-go-lucky newly married, to stressed new parents and then a mature middle age couple. And all their experiences are punctuated by a crazy mischievous dog.

This movie doesn't gloss over the messiness of life, and the couple defiantly have their problems. It's a movie about finding that their life didn't turn out the way they wanted, but maybe this was better than they expected.

Even when the world around them says they'd be happier if they broke up (and they sometimes wonder it themselves), But they are committed to each other and their family. They decide that things will happen, but they can get through them if they meet them together.

Or as Owen Wilson's character says; "Mend it, don't end it"

The Nativity Story

I borrowed The Nativity Story this week. I've been meaning to see it for a while, and quite enjoyed it. I felt that it stayed true to the Biblical story and did a good job of showing the look and culture of the time. A few extra bits were added to the story (which makes sense when trying to put a few passages of the Bible into a 1 1/2 hour movie), but I never felt that they had deviated from the truth. (Except that they added to Gabriel's message to Mary, to add a 'Hail Mary' to it, which was unnecessary)

I was happy that Mary was played by someone who was still a teenager, though Keisha Castle-Hughes' fake Aramaic accent drove me slightly nuts. There is also too many long mournful looks among the actors. I would have liked to have seen a little more joy, at least around the birth.

I'd recommend it if you want to see a visual representation of the Christmas story, though it's not for young children (Herod's killing of the babies is dealt with tastefully but is still there) (though I found it in the 'family' section of the movie store).

What I found weird personally was that while I was watching it, I didn't really associate it with the story I have read often from the Bible. It felt hard to think of it as a historical story. Is it because I'm desensitised to the screen, and so use to seeing made up stories that I naturally assume that movies are all fiction? Is it because I'm cautious of any thing based on the Bible because I think it's better to actually read the Bible rather than an adaption?

I wouldn't recommend it if you want to know about the birth of our saviour, simply because you can not go past the words inspired by the One who was there.