Hymns: 2007 Memories

2007 was the year of the Amazing Grace film, and the modern version of the hymn by Chris Tomlin. Another popular hymn published that year was Hosanna.

In Tipperary, in December, we moved our location from the SIPTU hall in Churchwell to a community centre hall in Blind Street. It proved much more suitable and since then, the church has moved to a larger hall, still in Blind Street. Another Tipperary memory from 2007 was obtaining and distributing some 4You magazines, which were produced by Aontas.

I’m always very impressed with his work.

I also remember discovering the 9Marks website, which included interviews with various Christian leaders, including David Wells and Derek Thomas. Derek Thomas had spoken at Limerick Baptist Church back in 1996. These are among my favourite writers and speakers.

I also remember popping into the Christian bookshop in Tuckey Street, Cork, for the first time in many years. Sadly, recently the building was in danger of collapse, so it closed some years ago. I was very sorry to see it go. The web has had an impact on Christian bookshops just as it has for many other businesses. Yet, it’s a delight to be living at a time when we have such an abundance of resources. I often ask Microsoft Copilot what a particular Bible verse means, and I’m generally impressed by the answer. I wouldn’t want to put my whole trust in it, but I wouldn’t put my whole trust in Christian books or sermons either. The most that can be said is that they provoke me to open up God’s word and investigate for myself.

Another 2007 memory was attending the Christians in Science conference in Maynooth with one of my daughters, who is now a Christian working in science. Much of it was a response to Richard Dawkin’s God Delusion book. Alister McGrath and Denis Alexander from Oxford were the main speakers. The speakers didn’t approach it from a Creationist perspective. They were theistic evolutions. Whatever view you hold, it is good to hear different perspectives. The talks are still available on the web site as is a picture of the audience. If you have a really good eye, you might see my daughter and myself, but I wasn’t able to. But I was up at the back somewhere.

In 2007, I also discovered Wayne Grudem’s lectures on Systematic Theology, which he gave to a church in Arizona. I got his Systematic Theology in 1995, and I regularly refer to it. Recently I got the second edition on Audible. And I saw and met him in St Helen’s Bishopsgate, London in 2010. I don’t like to put all my trust in theologians. I’m sure I wouldn’t agree with him on everything, but I found his books and talks very helpful over the years, and I would highly recommend them. I have become acquainted with other systematic theology books in recent years through purchases on Audible, but Grudem’s is still my favourite.

And I think that 2007 was when the Unbelievable podcast began on Premier Radio. I’m not sure exactly when I discovered it, but I listened to it regularly for many years after.

We went to the UK for our holidays in 2007, spending a week in Southport and a second week in Wales. Some of the places we visited include Blackpool, Skipton, Grassington, York, Manchester (where we saw a Doctor Who Exhibition), Liverpool, Chester, Bangor, Llandudno, Llangollen, Bridgenorth, Shrewsbury, Betws-y-Coed, and Llanberis.

On of my favourite spots was The Great Orme near Llandudno.

And here’s a pic we took at the Doctor Who exhibition in Manchester:

Anyway, here are some music, events, and films/TV shows that would have formed the background to 2007. I don’t necessarily endorse all the songs or films 😀.

10 Songs

• Umbrella – Rihanna ft. Jay-Z
• Grace Kelly – Mika
• Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
• Ruby – Kaiser Chiefs
• The Sweet Escape – Gwen Stefani ft. Akon
• Valerie – Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse
• Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song) – Enrique Iglesias
• Your Love Alone Is Not Enough – Manic Street Preachers
• Soulmate – Natasha Bedingfield
• Fluorescent Adolescent – Arctic Monkeys

10 Events

• In a historic rugby match, Ireland beat England 43–13, with “God Save the Queen” played at the Croke Park stadium for the first time.
• Sinn Féin and the DUP agreed to share power at Stormont, marking a major milestone in peace and reconciliation efforts.
• Three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Portugal.
• Tony Blair stepped down after a decade in office, and Chancellor Gordon Brown took over as leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
• Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.
• Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone, revolutionizing mobile technology
• Netflix began streaming.
• Google Street view was released, though I think that it was 2008. I dunno for sure 😀.
• Tesla introduced its first electric car, starting a new era in automotive innovation
• Romania & Bulgaria Join EU

10 Films or TV Shows

• Ratatouille
• Shrek the Third
• Meet the Robinsons
• The Water Horse
• Enchanted
• No Country for Old Men
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
• The Simpsons Movie
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

10 Famous People Who Passed Away

• Luciano Pavarotti
• Michael Foot
• Boris Yeltsin
• Evil Knievel
• Ingmar Bergman
• Oscar Peterson
• Malcolm McLaren
• Tommy Makem
• Joe Dolan
• George Melly