Wife and mother Charlotte Attlee tells how she was touched by a modern gospel track by Al Green.

Al Green
Al Green

I was at a turning point in my life. I was going through a divorce, was moving to a completely new area to start a new job with my eighteen month-old-daughter, and to make matters even more complicated I had fallen in love with a Christian. Up to this point my interest in Christianity was negligible and my knowledge of Christian music was limited to hymns and Sunday school choruses. During my stay in London I'd discovered black gospel music. I attended a number of gospel concerts and found moved by the voices, but used to think how wonderful it must be to actually believe what they were singing about so passionately. I'd also attended a few church services and had come to the point of praying to God to find out if He was really there and able to meet my needs. On the dole in London I prayed for a job and a new home and within a month I found myself a well paid job in beautiful surroundings in the countryside. Finally I believed God existed and that He answers prayer. I was listening to the Al Green album 'Going Away' throughout this time, but it wasn't until I got to the country, away from my friends in a new environment that I started to listen to the words and realise that I could lean on God instead of the things I used to lean on. Before I'd prayed I used to sing along to this song - - "Power"" ----- and it probably helped give me the courage to pray. Around this time my sister became seriously ill, and the song helped me believe there might be hope in a situation that seemed hopeless. Again God answered prayer in a miraculous way. Even now if I play the song it makes me cry because it brings back that whole period so clearly. Much of the songs power is in the singing - in isolation the lyrics probably don't look like anything much - some of them are spoken as an aside or sound improvised by Green on the spot, but the sincerity and breathtaking beauty of the vocal performance convinced this cynic that there was a God out there who wanted to be her friend.

POWER
Al Green/Willie Mitchell
Sometimes it seems like everything goes wrong
And sometimes we don't know how we'll make ends meet
But we keep moving on
Sometimes we're a little lost - a little lost along the way
But there's that hand keeps me running back to you
Oh Lord, He's been so good to me - Oh yeah
I can't seem to explain why it is that
Every time I feel this way I have to remember
You got the power, the power
He s got the power

When you 're in trouble, don't know what to do
He'll always be there to come through for you
Power - Lord He's got the power
All we really have to do is hold on real strong
The wind, the rain, storm, snow -
You'd better know
That Jesus - He'll make a way for you
Jesus 'II bear your heavy loads
Because He's got the power etc

I'll always remember when no one else was around
You were always there, always there
I'll always remember when everyone wanted to put me down
You lifted me up - you lifted me, saved a wretch like me
I have to remember, you've got the power etc.
You made me walk right, made me talk right, made me live right
I've got to hold your hand, got to understand
You've got the power...
(fade) '
< Copyright 1985
Rondor Music Ltd Chapel Music Ltd
Reproduced with permission CR

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