Amazing Grace -- Chris Tomlin

Mama fell in love with this song during Sunday service many months ago. She stumbled upon this clip by the original composer and singer. What a powerful projection of the meaning of grace.

Not too sure about the story line, but seemed like a man trying to fight for the freedom of a good friend and grew frustrated as all odds were against him---a lawyer (somewhat like that). Scene of a court and a man in jail. See for yourself and may His grace open your eyes to see indeed, only His grace is more than enough.

A very reassuring verse from the song goes like this..........
The Lord has promised good to me
His Word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

And eventually the jailed man was released, he was happy and grateful. And said, "....I'm a great sinner and Christ is a great Saviour.."

Coincidentally, Mama was at the hair salon this morning. A male patron was getting his hair cut too. Having an occupational hazard, Mama is "trained" to listen out to individual conversations going on even in the nosiest environment if she wants to---all thanks to open concept preschools she had been in :P

So she "casually" listened in to this man and his hair stylist talking. The salon was, well, had a multi-religion display of idols, bumper stickers and figurines. There were Buddha, guang ying, guang gong, Mary and Jesus's statues everywhere! It even had bumper stickers like "I trust in God, do you?!" pasted onto the mirror! Ya, you must be wondering what was Mama doing in there, right?! She was there because she wanted to spot cheap and good salon just opposite our house. And something led her in to this one, perhaps, Mama brought me there before to cut my hair and she liked their service. (Indeed, they had very good service. Excellent head, neck and shoulders massage! Cheaper than her usual salon by half which also failed to even match up to that kinda of massage, not even near it.)

But the shop was decently cleaned. Main reason why Mama didn't detest going in too. Anyway, back to the man. So he asked the hair stylist in Cantonese (just nice, Mama could understand Canto), "Wah, your shop like temple, like church. You believe in so many gods ah?!"

Then the hair stylist replied, "No lah. I am a Catholic, my husband's a Buddhist. So like that lor." The man continued, "I see. Good hor. Can compromise no need to fight. I also. When I was younger I go church. My daughter asked me to go, I go lah. Then my wife asked me to go temple to pray with her, I also go lah. Pray to many gods won't lose anything what. The more the merrier! All gods are the same. All teach you to be good. In the end, all go heaven what. So I anything, chin chay one."

Mama almost wanted to burst out laughing, but she controlled herself. She thought she would only hear this at Chinese services as one of pastor's example of the thoughts of Chinese non-believers typically. To hear it for herself, she found it a little amusing, yet sad.

Then the man went on. "What I don't like to hear in church is some pastor said, "all sinners can go heaven as long as they say sinner's prayer." Wah, like that I go kill people, set fire, abuse my mother, then just say prayer, go heaven last minute before I die lah! Where got such thing!? How can say such thing!"

Mama sat there and thought what words can a christian say to convince this man that indeed, all sinner saved by God's grace can go heaven, yes, even in his last breath. She knew he made a valid point. He was looking from a righteous point of view. For a long moment, Mama was stumped.

But this song reminded her that it is not by man's word that converts a soul, but by His spirit. When words don't seem to speak through, it is all the holy spirit's work within a man. So she said a silent prayer that they will find within them an emptiness first. So empty and vacant that they will one day go in desperate search for truth. For someone to fill this gap, yes, even in the last minute of their tiny life. And they will find that only Jesus is the only way.