Song of Jupiter
Nathanael Devlin on the Hymn That Turned His World Around
I was raised in a Christian home; my parents were former Roman Catholics who came to know the Lord during the Charismatic renewal of the 1970s. When my parents moved from Long Island, New York, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they joined a growing charismatic church full of young, enthusiastic, Spirit-filled men and women who were eager to worship in a style that was consistent with the charismatic renewal. In those days, the musical aspect of this style was folksy, populist, and usually guitar-driven.
We did not sing many traditional hymns at church when I was young, but were well stocked with the newly written "praise choruses" of that time; indeed, our worship services rose on the same wave as did the burgeoning contemporary Christian music industry. Thus, I remember often singing Steffi Geiser Rubin and Stuart Dauermann's "The Trees of the Field" (based on Isaiah 55:12), Jack Hayford's "Majesty," Twila Paris's "He Is Exalted," and Pete Sanchez's "I Exalt Thee." My exposure to contemporary Christian music continued through the years, both within and outside of church. I attended 2nd Chapter of Acts and Petra rock concerts along the way and, in my late teen years, made two pilgrimages to the Jesus People U.S.A.'s Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Illinois.
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Nathanael Devlin is the Associate Pastor at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. He and his wife have three children and live in Mt. Lebanon.
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