The "Paradise" parts of "Lead Me On" were filmed at my beautiful waterfalls at my home, "Chapelgate." This became the Number One Christian album, video, and song of all time upon release. You can watch the video HERE
When I was working on my Creative Writing Masters degree we were given the assignment of writing a review on Amazon. I reviewed Amy Grant's "Lead Me On" album. I chose this because the video was filmed, the paradise parts, at my home, Chapelgate, at my waterfalls.
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Amazon Review by Angel Isaacs:
I read the guidelines for writing a review and it said to focus on the song. The song, "Lead Me On," as well as the album and video, is more than just a song. It is a spirit. It is a spirit that captures a journey, a discovery, a wonder, faith, a care for others. The spirit in the song and album came from a very special place inside Amy and inside her life and experiences at the time. I would like to describe the spirit of the song, this amazing, one-of-a-kind album. I can do this, at least the part of the song, and video, and album that I participated in because I was there. I saw this unique historical moment in Christian music happen, I was there as the music video was filmed because I gave Amy the Paradise, the waterfall setting, located on my property, my home, to use, freely without charge. God had given it carefully to me, I knew what it was, and I gave it to Amy for the world to also see, feel, and experience. Here is a description of the spirit of the song, "Lead Me On," the #1 Christian music song, album, and video of all time:
Amy came to my beautiful home, "Chapelgate," to film the Paradise segments of "Lead Me On" at my waterfalls. I followed immediately behind her down the steep trail into the gorge at Chapelgate (along with Michael Blanton, Polaris' group, the A&M records exec, Gary Chapman, and the rest of the filming crew). I owned the waterfalls and I knew Amy had never seen them before. I wanted to be right there behind her when she reached the bottom of the path, turned the corner a little, and would see them for the first time. Imagine a deep canyon gorge, a little pocket of paradise, with tall swaying ferns everywhere, fallen logs, towering trees you can't wrap your arms around, a canopy of green leaves and branches, a pure gently running creek with rocks. You've just climbed down a steep and treacherous path at the edge of drop-offs on the side of a cliff, next to a twenty foot baby waterfall, focused on your safety all the way down. You reach the bottom, safe! You find yourself in this little pocket of Paradise, this perfect gorge surrounding you, hugging you. You walk through the ferns enough to see what you've been hearing all the way down, the falls. You stop in your tracks. You stop cold. You stare. In front of you is a six story cascading waterfall, the most beautiful waterfall God ever created. Immediately to it's right is a fifteen story slender straight falling waterfall. You stand perfectly stilled, awed. You have found Paradise.
A song of praise to its Creator begins to swell inside you and you raise your arms in sheer wonder and jubilation and turn around and around with your arms high in the air in pure praise to God. This is what I did the first time I saw my waterfalls at Chapelgate in 1987. And this is what Amy did the first time she saw my waterfalls just a few months after me. The same identical reaction. Pure Praise and Jubilation, and Victory - like when Rocky climbs the stairs and dances around in jubilation. I followed Amy all the way down the trail, carefully watching over her, although unknown to her that I was, anticipating every possible danger in the treacherous trail on the cliff edge. Knowing, every inch of that trail because it was my trail, God had given it to me and my family, and I had explored every inch of it over and over and knew it like the back of my hand. I followed behind her and whispered just for her to hear, ok, now, careful, this part's slippery, good..., ok now, hold here, good..., the next part's the hardest, put your foot there... wonderful. Then silence and room to let her experience the bottom of the path, the slight turn, the wonder.
It was like a special gift from God to me to be able to see Amy see the waterfalls in the "Lead Me On" video for the first time and react just the same, identical, to how I had reacted when I saw them for the first time. Praise to our Wonderful God, our Creator. There is more in Amy's 1987 song, "Lead Me On," than just lyrics, there is a spirit, an experience, a depth found in the walk with God, on the path we are all on, that we all share and discover and share.
Angel Isaacs
2007 - 20 years later
Copyright 2007/2022 Angel Isaacs All Rights Reserved
Written in 2007; Article for "The Harvest of Chapelgate" February 16, 2022 7:50 pm
Angel Isaacs' Beautiful Waterfalls at Chapelgate; Amy Grant filming "Lead Me On"
Angel Isaacs & Amy Grant
Angel Isaacs & Amy Grant at Angel's home, "Chapelgate"
