How I have made it this far into Music Mondays without highlighting this group is beyond me. They are my ringtone for goodness sakes. Anyway, we are hitting gospel again this week cause the somewhere in my heritage there has got to be a big black gospel singing woman (Courtney, maybe we are related?). There is nothing like some gospel music when you are in the music to praise God. We white folks just don’t do praisin’ justice.
On that note, my all time favorite song by Mary Mary, as heard below and on my ringtone has got to be far and away, “Shackles.” My oh so white church in Chicago attempted to sing this one Easter. We don’t have a building so we move around sometimes for the “bigger” services and happened to share a building that Easter with a mainly African American church. Now we were a bunch of white chicks (and Courtney 
) singing a gospel song. Some of us have soul, but we were still no Mary Mary. Still, I will never forget looking out among a sea of white worshippers clapping politely off beat while seated and seeing a small contingent from the other church who had showed up early for their church service. By see, I mean unable to miss these woman standing up with their hands raised hollering out some “Praise Jesus” and various other worshipful noises. One of my best worship leading memories.
Anyway, the original doesn’t hold a candle to our version (ahem), but I defy you to remain seated (clapping slightly off beat) when this comes on. If you are in the privacy of your own home you are required to raise your hands and yell out a few “Hallelujahs” of your own. I will personally be doing the rap part at the beginning and end so don’t even think about it.
That song has got to be one of my all-time favorites! First heard it with a group of teens who I was directing a retreat for back in 2000(?) That actually did a dance all dressed as nuns to this one. This song brings back major memories… good ones. Thanks!
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That’s one of my all time favorite songs!
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Ohhhhhhh I love this song.
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