Congregational Songs – New Songs for Corporate Worship

New Music Tuesday: “Adopted”

August 31, 2010

This week, I pull out one of my earliest-written congregational songs.  I wrote “Adopted” when I was working for Smarte Carte at the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport during the winter break of  ’96 (I was a junior at Belmont University at the time).  As I was pulling carts around from place to place, the rhythm of my feet got my mind rolling on a tune and some lyrics, and I just kept singing it all day long so I wouldn’t forget it.  I introduced it when I led worship for Centrifuge in Panama City during the summer of ’97, and the producers of the Centrifuge CD that came out the following year included it on an album they released the following summer (produced by my good buddy, Dave Hunt).  A few months before that, a worship leader named Daniel Hoover decided to record it on his album, making it my first actual “cut.”  Then, during the summer of 1998, a friend of mine traveled with Mercy Me and introduced the song to them.  They played it all summer and put it on their “Traces of Rain, Vol. II” album, which, if you hit that link, you’ll see you can only get used for $60 a pop!  Makes me want to sell mine! This was obviously before they were heard nationwide with “I Can Only Imagine.”

So, I’m thankful that God took this song all over the place.  I played it for the first time in years to make this video, and I still really like it.  It’s based on Galatians 4:3-7 where Paul is describing the process by which we were taken from being slaves of the principles of the world to being sons and heirs of God.

Hallelujah!  God has spoken, and I know this changes everything / “Hallelujah! Praise Him only,” sing the slaves adopted by the King / Glory be to my Father who reigns, for I met Him and cannot be the same / When in bondage to Jesus I came, He took my place and He changed my name / Hallelujah (women echo) / God has spoken (women echo) / Hallelujah (women echo) / Chains are broken

You can find the chart and lead sheet here.

Copyright 2003 Universal Music Publishing Group / Cumberland Belle Music (ASCAP).

Filed under: New Music Tuesdays,Our Songs