Angela Hutchison

Free Download...need we say more?

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 04:15:00 +0000

Get your copy today! Hope you enjoy; happy listening.

(Also available on iTunes, Amazon and other retailers.)

Welcome to the music of...

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:23:00 +0000

Thanks for stopping by the site! I hope you have a moment to pause and listen to the music...

Yes, new music is in the works. Music is kinda always in the works for me. When it is done, you shall among the first to know. :)

Much joy to you,
Angela

Farewell 2011...

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:59:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I thought I'd share a favourite picture from 2011 before we are too far into 2012!

Better late than never, I say!

Most joyfully,

Angela

On writing and what they wrote

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:17:00 +0000

I've been given a lot of joy of late in writing some new songs. This "birthing phase" of a new song is one of my favorites in the recording process. Next, they must be disciplined in melody, chord structure, and arrangement, as they morph into the finished product. The final outcome is always so intriguing when compared with the raw tune and lyrics I first sang out loud, and every bit as joyful!

I've recently been reading Elizabeth Elliot's book "Let Me Be a Woman". Among many others, these quotes have stirred me deeply. I thought I'd share them:

"Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living."
~ Jim Elliot
"We accept and thank God for what is given, not allowing the not-given to spoil it."
~ Elizabeth Elliot

Grace,
Angela

In quotes:

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:56:00 +0000

"Oh friend, find your fears and you'll find those idols that are keeping you from fully receiving the courage that Christ would give you to follow Him in this fallen world."
~ Dr. Mark Dever (from the sermon "Fear is Done - Revelation 1:9-20")

Completely Satisfied

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:15:00 +0000

I've been contemplating a lot lately on what it means to be satisfied in Christ.

Ever found something or someone that is lastingly satisfying? Nothing ever satisfies. No person will never disappoint or hurt me. No house will ever stay better than a new one being built. No job is eternally blissful. No marriage endlessly harmonious. No country ever without strife. No drug ever produces a lasting high. No human is ever satisfied. We seek pleasure like a drug and possessions like an opiate. Why? Because the old pleasure and the old possession doesn't please us anymore.

So, if nothing else ever satisfies and will eventually fall short of our expectations, then we have absolutely no idea what satisfaction really is! We keep trying to produce it, but we can't find it. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 4:7-8: "Again, I saw vanity under the sun: one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, 'For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?' This also is vanity and an unhappy business."

But God says that we are to be, and will be, completely satisfied in Him:

"The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied..." Proverbs 19:23 "For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." Psalm 107:9 "For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish." Jeremiah 31:25

I have been reconciled to God through Christ! He is the one who offers absolute contentment, joy, rest, unending satisfaction. If this is so, then we will only truly know what satisfaction is in Christ. He defines it. He doesn't fall short. He promises that in Him we are satisfied. To my joy, I am increasingly finding this to be true.

I love how C.S. Lewis said it in his sermon, The Weight of Glory:

"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are halfhearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mudpies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

That truth, like one of my pastors likes to say, "is like drinking from a fire hose". O LORD, let me drown in the glory of it!

Angela

Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:36:00 +0000

"Jesus came not to give bread, but to be Bread." I've got this thought stuck in my head. Here's why:

Over the years, our family has developed the habit of giving a group gift under the tree. The gift is usually something we know about, but wrap anyway to surprise ourselves all over again...surprise! This year it was the video "Don't Waste Your Life Sentence"... and a bread maker that we found second-hand for $15.00 and then forgot about until the week after Christmas (how appropriate).

During the time between Christmas and New Years', my sister and I spent some time watching the video and bonus features (because you really have to watch every bit of it... and rap along with Lecrae, because when a message makes you want to sing and shout all at the same time, what else can you do but rap I ask you?). What a massively focusing and encouraging way to prepare for the New Year we now find ourselves in!

The whole video is based around the sermon entitled "Jesus Came Not to Give Bread, But to Be Bread" on John chapter 6, preached by Pastor John Piper to the inmates of Angola Prison in Louisiana. The full sermon is in the bonus features, which is why you need to watch them.

Ever thought about faith, hope and purpose, in context of being a prisoner and never getting out? Have you pondered of late the transforming work of Christ's redemption or considered afresh the truth of Philippians 3:8? Or, have you ever wondered why the account of Jesus walking on the water is right in the middle of the chapter that is teaching a lesson on bread?

"Jesus came not to give bread, but to be Bread" (see John 6:35)

To be Bread. This New Year is not about stuff, bootstrap resolutions, or seeing all our dreams fulfilled. It's about Him. Christ is infinitely precious.

What sovereign irony, that a sermon about The Bread and a bread maker were the family gifts this year, and how profoundly the message overshadowed the object.

Might I encourage you to order a copy of "Don't Waste Your Life Sentence" from Desiring God. Here's the link: http://www.desiringgod.org/Store/Books/909.

Life is short. Don't waste it.

Angela

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ..." Philippians 3:8

Hope For Sure Online

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 01:23:00 +0000

The 2004 release "Hope For Sure" is now available on most online music stores including iTunes and Amazon.

If you don't have the album yet, you ought to!

Speaking of which, we did some great live remakes of a few of these songs at our recent CD release concert for "Unconquered". I hope to work at releasing a few of those online in the coming months.
We'll see how things go...

Joy to you,
Angela

Official Release of "Unconquered"

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:33:00 +0000

NEWS BRIEF:

The new CD is now available! Let your friends know.

A HUGE "Thank you" to all those who came to the CD release concert last night. It was an absolute joy to have you there with us and to give you a chance to hear some stories behind the songs. We sing because He has given us so much to sing about!

"Unconquered" on I-Tunes...

Want to help? "Angela Hutchison - Unconquered" is now available on I-Tunes and most other online music stores.

If you like the music and think someone else might benefit from hearing it, you can be a huge help by writing an online review or simply rating the album to circulate the music that way.

That said, may you be blessed and encouraged by the music.

Soli Deo Gloria, very sincerely,
Angela

Coming October 4- "Unconquered"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:33:00 +0000

After many months of work, we are thrilled to announce the release of Angela's new album, "Unconquered." The release date is set for Monday, October 4.

We are having a CD release concert on that day! If you live in or around Regina, you won't want to miss this exciting chance to hear Angela live, backed by a 3-piece band, playing songs from her new CD. For details and tickets, click here to go to the Music page. Please consider yourself invited- we would love to see you there!

"Unconquered" is also now available for pre-order. Place your order now- CDs will begin shipping October 4! You can check out the music player to the right for a sneak peak of the new album. We'll be featuring a few different songs from "Unconquered" over the next few weeks.

And, of course, welcome to our new website! The design is familiar but we hope you enjoy the fresh look.

It's coming...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:47:00 +0000

It's true. Angela has been working on a new CD. It's super good. And you'll be able to buy it here soon.

That's all we're saying for now. Stay tuned!

A Tribute to Our Mother

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:38:00 +0000

On February 11, 2009 our Mother, Adriana, went Home to be with Jesus after a long journey with cancer. In spite of our heavy loss, we are reminded through God's Word that because we have trusted in Christ, this separation is only temporary. We can rejoice even in the pain as we remember that our Mom is with Christ and that we ourselves are one year closer to our Home going.

What a year this has been. A year of persevering. Another year of God's profound faithfulness. His promises are true. We have been working on a new album of songs, many of which we were able to sing and hear Mom sing before she died. God gave us the strength, grace, and privilege to hold Mom's hands and sing to her as she breathed her last... there are no words to describe the impact of watching a believer in Christ being taken Home. We will never be the same.

We have kept Mom's picture on the website this year because the music is Mom-soaked, not unlike the lives of us, her children, who carry on the torch she passed. We thought it appropriate on this day to honor our Mom, mentor and vocal coach by posting some segments from the tribute I read at her funeral:

I would like to try and paint a picture for you of my Mother. Where can I start? I will start with the words of Mom herself where she wrote:"I love creation! My favorite past time: walking! My favorite places are the ocean, the prairie, & the mountains, in that order. My favorite flower is the yellow rose." My Mother loved nature. On her last walk in the wheelchair she asked Amy to take her outside, and all she could say as she drank in the cool air was "oh Wow, oh Wow!".

Mom loved music. I loved singing around the hymnbook with her. I loved how Mom loved God-glorifying music, and how much a part of our home that was. I cannot separate my childhood from Mom or music. When we were going through difficult times, she would sometimes play music all night. She called it "battle music". Those are now some of my dearest memories.
Mom loved to sing...

She was also our teacher. I learned so much from her. She taught me to cook, clean, write, sing. She was always involving us in life. She actively talked to us long before I'm sure we even understood.

Mom was our disciplinarian. She longed for our strong wills to yield in full submission to Christ. Mom loved each of us ferociously, but she loved Christ first.

She was also wonderfully blunt in her honesty. She didn't believe in saying something to us just to make us feel good, if it wasn't true. When she complemented us, we knew she really meant it.

Every letter I write makes me think of Mom, who loved words and grammar, and went after verbosity like PacMan eating those little round things. (I am attacking the verbosity in my own tribute to Mom à la Mom!)

Mom was one of the hardest workers I have ever known and lived her life in a fairly predictable routine of celebrating after the work was done. She had the ability to make even the darkest times celebrational. Mom was spontaneous. She had a sense of urgency to finish what she started and to do it to the very best of her ability.

Mom did not shelter us from hard truths. I remember going for long walks in the cemetery by our home growing up. I loved that place. We'd spend ages reading tombstone markers, and discussing life. She would guard us with her life, but life was an object lesson and she lived her life before us as an open book.

Each one of us watched our Mother sacrifice her own needs first to make sure ours were met. She invested her very life 150%. She believed mothering was the most important career, and sacrificed greatly for it. In light of all we could not afford, we had a mother, and we knew she loved us!

The greatest gift Mom ever gave was to point us to Jesus. Nothing else mattered more to Mom than that we follow Jesus and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. She made mistakes, she was not perfect, but she belonged to Jesus. She was a trophy of His grace. It was her heart's desire, and her final exhortation to us her children, that she wanted to see us in Heaven!

I loved my Mom. I thank God that she is Home free, and for giving her to me. I know that because Christ died for my sins, we shall meet again. And next time, I will not have to say goodbye.

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

"For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

"Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)

~posted by Angela on behalf of us all

"Lift up your eyes on high and see"

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:28:00 +0000

"Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing." Isaiah 40:26

Ever get discouraged? I do. It's those times when tunnel vision threatens to narrow my perspective to a pinpoint, and the weight of gloom makes my eyelids heavy and my heart afraid that God in His sovereignty has forgotten about me. When life seems confusing and the world seems small. When I'm praying for strength to plod on in faithfulness with a weighted heart.

There can be many reasons for discouragement and God gives us the sword to fight with the promises of His word to stand on. Patiently persevering in the dark, holding His hand by faith in His Word, gives Him great glory. However, I am afraid that too often tunnel vision is the effect of my own heart limiting the immensity, grandeur, and glory of God. At those times- and at all times- how I need to look up!

These verses are huge "eye-lifters" and "isolation-busters".

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalms 19:1

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..." Hebrews 1:3

"You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end." Hebrews 1:10-12

Consider the words of God to His servant Job:

"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?" Job 38:31-36

He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure." Psalms 147:4-5

In the exercise of looking up for perspective, ever wondered just how big "the heavens" are?

I was recently loaned a copy of "The Privileged Planet" by Illustra Media. I sat back in awe as I was taken on a journey of the universe and the many things that make planet earth so incredibly unique. The immensity of the charted universe is so mind-boggling that it almost made me nauseous. It's like trying to think about eternity. I couldn't take it in. God is amazing! You can find out more about it at: www.illustramedia.com/tppinfo.htm

It reminded me of a quote I read in John Piper's devotional "Taste and See". Chapter 20 is about Clyde Kilby, one of Pastor Piper's professors in College. He was a man who had eyes "to drink in the remedies of God in nature" and was used in the author's life to drive home the truth of Psalm 19:1 - "The sky is telling the glory of God". At a lecture he gave in 1976 he shared a list of resolutions and this was first on the list:

"At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me."

May I be resolved to do the same!

While we are on the topic of looking up, I also recently came across a children's book entitled "Fool Moon Rising" written and illustrated by Kristi and T. Lively Fluharty (see www.foolmoonrising.com). The moon was stealing glory from the sun until he realized where all of his light came from. You get the application...

In all this I'm reminded of a part in C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian where Lucy is speaking to Aslan:

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."

"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.

"Not because you are?"

"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

If God seems small in our hearts, it is not because He is, but because we are. May I not limit His grandeur because of chosen ignorance, but instead grow in the knowledge of Him through the reading of His Word, standing on His promises therein, and exercise my eyes to look up, out, and around to behold His handiwork and give Him glory for it!

And remember, as a powerful contrast to steady my fearful heart, that the same God who "upholds the universe by the word of His power" (Heb.1:3) will not forget His own.

"But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.' 'Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.' " Isaiah 49:14-16

He upholds the universe and He upholds me! Soli Deo Gloria!

-Angela

Philippians 2:5-11

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:43:00 +0000

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

But made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(ESV)

November sale

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:41:00 +0000

As a Christmas gift to you- and to help you give to others- we're having our first ever Christmas sale here at HutchisonMusic.com.

For the month of November only, all CDs are available for just $5.00 each- (any quantity, shipping not included).

Stock up and spread the music!

Praying according to His will

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:10:00 +0000

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." (1 John 5:14, ESV)

"The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
     He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations." (Psalm 33:10-11, ESV)

"I am God, and there is no other;
     I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
     and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose..." (Isaiah 46:9-10, ESV)

Two days after an extremely difficult chemo treatment last year, our Mom had commented on the profoundness of the peace we were experiencing as a family, and how many people were praying for us.

Just then my heart was impacted with the weight of truth that the prayers of the saints were answered because our Father intended for us to have peace, and those prayers were the gracious way He was carrying His plan out.

When as ask according to God's will, and He answers that request, that answer is the very thing He had intended all along.

How often I've expressed thanks to someone who has prayed for me, as if they moved God's reluctant hand on my behalf. Seeing that thought in print makes it seem almost blasphemous, really.

Just now, I have been struck with the Love of the Father, who allows His children to be a part of His unfolding plan, a plan that He has fixed and intended all along. When we receive the answer we requested, it was because the Lord God had planned and wanted to answer thus.

Could we dare to think that our prayers and requests are ever more loving than God Himself?
       -Angela

For more on prayer, click here to listen to a message Chris gave in July called "What Does It Mean to Pray in Jesus' Name?"

Sure of what we hope for

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:38:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 15:14 says, "And if Christ has not been raised... your faith is in vain." Verse 17 repeats it a little differently- "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile."

What these verses tell us is that there is nothing powerful about faith, in and of itself. The Bible does not endorse the sentimental North American belief in the "power of faith," which views the act of believing, irrespective of what is being believed in, as really special and worth making family movies about.

If what we believe in isn't true, than all our belief isn't worth a thing. It's no good. The only faith that matters is a faith in the truth.

This challenges another assumption that the world holds, namely, that faith is what picks up when reason drops off. You've probably heard it before- "Faith, by definition, is believing in something that can't be proven."

Don't let people force that definition on you. Because all of 1 Cor. 15 shouts the exact opposite. Paul laboured to demonstrate that the resurrection of Christ was a real, historical, empirically verifiable event (1 Cor. 15:4-7). And the entire chapter demonstrates the exacting logic he used to defend it. Christian faith is faith in reality.

As such, faith isn't a leap in the dark, going where intellect and reason cannot go. Rather, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).

Faith takes what is future ("hoped for") and invisible ("not seen"), and grabs a hold of them with assurance and conviction.

If Christ is not risen, our faith is vain and futile. But because He is risen, we can rejoice to say, "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:57).

Not If, but When

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 04:04:00 +0000

The question for us as Christians is not if we will experience suffering, but when. Just look at the way that the Apostle Paul talked to new believers. Is this how we think about basic discipleship?

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:21-22)

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. (1 Thess. 3:1-4)

Found in my outbox

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0000

This Saturday I (Chris) had the privilege of joining some friends in a band that played for the Cancer Society's Relay for Life. We were the last group to perform at the event, and our 5:00 am set was filled with songs that proclaimed the message of the gospel clearly and powerfully. Below is an email that I sent out to the band later on that day.

-----

Hi Jeff, and the rest of the band,

I just wanted to say how thankful I am to have been a part of this morning. Some things don't hit you till later, and I'm still mulling over how significant it was.

I'm deeply grateful for the Relay for Life and the Cancer Society. The money that's been raised there in the past trickled down into research that led to treatments which the Lord used to hold Mom's cancer at bay for a time, and give us several healthy and happy years together.

On the other hand, had Mom been totally cured of cancer, that would only have postponed the inevitable pain of death. We could rid the world of poverty, hunger, natural disasters and every disease, and we would all still die. Eternity is still the most relevant and pressing reality we all face.

And that's why it was such a joy to stand there this morning and proclaim Christ's death for our sins as our only hope of salvation, the difference He makes in our life now, and how His resurrection has secured for us an eternal hope beyond the grave.

It's quite an amazing thought that as we sang "Worthy is the Lamb" this morning, we were singing along with Mom- and all of heaven. And I don't know how much she sees down here, but if she saw this morning, it sure gave her one more reason to add another refrain to her eternal song of praise.

It won't be long for us! Let's keep running the race. (Heb. 12:1-2)

Thanks again,

Chris

Welcome to our brand-new website!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:15:00 +0000

It's been a long time coming, but we are happy to welcome you to our freshly redesigned website. Here's some of what's new:

Jukebox- you can listen to three full-length songs from each of our CDs.

Integrated Paypal checkout- you can buy securely right from the "Music" page.

RSS feeds- the home page is a blog, which we hope to keep fresh. Subscribe via RSS to stay up-to-date (scroll to the bottom for the link).

The Livingroom- check out what's on our bookshelf, and what we've been listening to or reading online. We only post stuff that we'd recommend or endorse. It's all good.

We hope that you enjoy the new look and functionality! Drop us a line to let us know what you think.

Angela's Journal Entry 02/25/07

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:59:00 +0000

Heaven:
Where all that is said is good.
Where all that is done is holy.
Where all that is and lives is pure.
Where the full and devoted affection is for The Godhead, Three in One,
And we are never left to wonder at our own falseness
Or have any grieveous aprehension
Of the potential or perceived duplicity of any of those who claim Christ as LORD,
As we sometimes do down here on earth.
Where we never have to guard against robbing glory for ourselves.
Where full abandon never runs the risk of being confused with lack of restraint and sin.
Where all are united - all love.
Where no one is misquoted or misunderstood and no one says what they do not mean.
The rotting carcass of self is shed forever -
We finally completely understand,
And in raptuous joy and 'tumultous' peace
We give deliberate, uninhibited, and abounding praise and glory
To the only One to Whom it was ever due.

Angela's Journal Entry 03/25/05

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Sat, 26 Mar 2005 01:58:00 +0000

When I was young I learned a very important lesson.

We had been frequenting our local hardware store in search of supplies for minor home renovations. I was five, and after wandering around aisle after aisle of non-descript, dull-looking, metal objects, my attention was captured by some mid-sized shiny garbage cans with the foot pedals and flip-top lids. I knew the rule about not touching what didn't belong to me, but I couldn't resist stepping on a pedal and watching that lid fly up as a result. Soon it was pedal pandemonium as I squeaked those lids up and down, thoroughly enjoying the cause and effect.

Once I was all played out, I decided to take a breather and sat down on the lid of one of those cans. There was no ignoring the loud crack which followed. I thought the whole town must have heard it, but even worse, I knew my mother had when she popped her head around the aisle with a worried expression and furrowed brow. I don't recall saying a word. I was staring speechless from the crack in the top of the garbage can lid to my mother's face, with that sinking feeling that sunshine and ice-cream cones were out of my suddenly bleak horizon.

Well, there was only one thing to be done. Just hope really badly that my mother would not think the incident quite so bad as I was expecting she would. Then, after supper I'd go for a bike ride and by evening we would all forget about it.

Not so! My mother quietly informed me that I must tell the store manager what I had done and that we must offer to pay for what I had broken. That garbage can was expensive! What I had formerly considered wealth now looked small and shabby in light of the price tag. What meager funds I owned afforded me the occasional lick-a-stick and sack of Swedish berries. I knew that my mother would help me out, but I knew it would cost her too, and the thought sickened me.

Wide-eyed and horrified I grasped my mother's hand, feeling strengthened by her presence, as we found our way to the check-out and asked to speak to the manager. Soon a tall, serious-looking man was standing before me, right in front of the doors that blocked my escape. Somehow I found the voice to tell him what I had done, and show the damage.

When we offered to pay him, there was a long moment of silence. There is nothing worse than when the person who knows your offense and holds your consequences says nothing at all, and just looks down at you - nothing worse than not knowing anything of this person's character or trustworthiness. Not knowing this man, I assumed the worst and hoped for the best.

There I stood in the shadow of the check-out lane with the sales lady on one side, my mom on the other and the sunshine surrounding that tall, stern man with his back to the door. Time stood still, no one moved. Finally I heard these words: "You don't need to pay for the garbage can, I'll take care of that...wait here." Mystified, blissfully relieved, and extremely embarrassed, I stood motionless as he strode to the back of the store and returned with something in his hands. He handed me a large multi-colored beach ball and smiled.

You know, I can remember feeling very awkward. It's amazing how inbred our human pride is at such an early age. I could joyfully accept not having to pay for what I had broken, but to take a gift when I'd done something so obviously wrong made me feel small and unworthy. I did accept his gift though, thanked him quietly, and with slow and thoughtful steps made my way to the car.

Once the car doors were closed my mother turned to me and said, "Angela, today you've been taught a very powerful lesson. When that store clerk told you that you did not have to pay for what you had broken – that was mercy. But, when he gave you that beach ball you are holding – that was grace. That's what Jesus did for us when he died to pay for our sins on the cross. We owed a debt we could never pay. God sent his Son to pay it for us. Not only have we been spared from the death our sins deserve, we have been given a gift we don't deserve – the gift of God's Holy Spirit in our lives, and the gift of eternal life to come, for all who trust in Jesus." In the stillness of that moment the message of the Gospel sunk deeply into my heart.

I have never, ever forgotten that lesson, and I am so thankful for the store manager who modeled mercy and grace to a small child. One never knows the lasting impact one life will make on another.

It is Easter weekend. I hope that you leave yourselves enough quiet time to contemplate Redemption. "It Is Finished". Christ's death on the cross is enough. There is nothing - not one thing that you can ever do to earn it. You cannot bypass Christ and get to Heaven. Jesus tells us to become like little children and to gratefully accept the offered gift of His salvation. He gave His life in place of yours. If you have never read your Bible, I encourage you to start with the book of John. Can you lay down your pride and with pauper's hands accept so great a salvation?

Angela's Journal Entry 10/01/04

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hutchison) — Mon, 11 Oct 2004 00:56:00 +0000

I've had a childhood fascination with the British Isles. One of my favorite authors being C.S. Lewis, and one of my favorite movies being Chariots of Fire.

I first saw Chariots of Fire when I was quite young and ever-after dreamed of joining an English track team that trained on the grounds of some noble university with high stone walls, and cobblestone walkways. The kind that required you to dress up for dinner. The kind that served cafeteria food on china.

This yearning desire carried me through my grade school's arduous track program, that encouraged us youngsters to run in every spare minute. Our motivation was earning finely stitched running shoe badges that advertised how many kilometers we had accumulated. I think the goal was to keep us active and out of trouble (I'm not sure it always worked).

In High School, donning my Reeboks or Converse high-tops, I would head out for the track team and sign up to train for the longest race possible, not because I was really good, but because nobody else really wanted to. All alone out there on the field running lap after agonizing lap, I would run with Vangelis in my ears and the slow motion images of determined Olympic hopefuls sprinting along a deserted grey beach.

I suppose by grade eleven I realized that my attempts at earning a track scholarship were futile if not impossible. I threw myself into the dramatic society and joined the Student Council and yearbook. I reasoned that Lewis surely did not enter Oxford on his athletic credentials, and so I aspired to hone my intellect.

It was difficult to loosen my hold on such a long held dream that had grown to encompass an overwhelming urge to travel, to see, to know, and to be known. How I longed to be part of a place where people valued what was ancient and thoughtful. Where Time strolled through country lanes, scholars lectured in sunlit halls, and athletes ran on lonely beaches.

Several months ago I was asked to lead a speaking team throughout England. As I traveled for the first time in this country, alas, it was not the school-time world of Eric Liddel, nor the ambling speed of Shadowlands. Life moves on. The world is changing, and my England, though beautiful, was metropolitan, independent, and busy.

Once in Oxford I wandered through Magdalen College and asked a student if she could tell me where Lewis' former classrooms were. "Lewis who?" she asked. Down the street I wandered into a busy bookshop and asked the clerk where to find the works of Lewis. "Over there," he thumbed. My determined gaze led me to the bottom shelves of a book display. The closest I got to Vangelis on a beach was several blissful minutes of watching a rugby match in a secluded field off a high walled, historic campus.

I ended up at the Eagle and Child, or as Lewis and the Inklings referred to it: The Bird and Baby. Here at least were pictures of these literary greats all around the walls. Ordering a coffee, I was struck by the knowledge that time cannot stand still. Nor could I ever imagine to reinsert myself in history. As much as I wanted him to, C.S. Lewis would not walk through the door, and the proprietor would not adjust the euro pop tunes blaring over the speakers.

C.S. Lewis and Eric Liddel lived out their lives to the glory of God in their time, however idyllic it may or may not have been. My greatest joys on this trip had been to soak the moment, rather than pine for the past. Never before had eternity seemed so near, nor history so great as there for me, on a stool, in a smoke-filled room in the Bird and Baby.

My task as a believer in Jesus Christ is to live out his plan for me as it unfolds. Today's duties are tomorrow's history, with every day drawing nearer to the end of our race. Carpe Diem. May we finish well.