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For Today...
'Jesus, take me as I am'
A golden oldie we don't use much now, but still good. Electric piano is good, so is guitar (in E) with plenty of open chords.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0zno7MB5_o - nicely paced.(13/02/2025)
Recent links
'Jesus, All for Jesus'
Beautiful folk ('Celtic') style worship song.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Wa2msOq9c - a Robin Mark interpretation.(12/02/2025)
'From the squalor of a borrowed stable'
One of Stuart Townend's para-Celtic songs (needs a flute or two), which has been part of our Advent repertoire ever since it first appeared. And it's good to use at other times too. Repeating and stretching the last 4 lines works well for us.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YksTeR61O1I - live worship recording led by Mr Townend himself.(11/02/2025)
'Lord, You have always given'
From the Northumbria Community's Evening Prayer.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvzSTOFd6i0 - a video presentation of the recording which originally introduced me to this.(10/02/2025)
'Praise to the Lord, the Almighty'
A fine German hymn with a good (Joachim Neander) tune. A standard traditional opener.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhQi4yWTUBY - sung by the choir of King's College Cambridge.(09/02/2025)
'O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder'
A very popular song with many people. I find it comes up often at funerals. Alas, Mission Praise printed a version with a devil's tritone in the melody, and not everyone corrects it!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdE_NKyY_o0 - a Songs of Praise version from Winchester Cathedral.(08/02/2025)
'Only by grace'
A well written and well known song.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ixkmBOIUE - a popular recording.(07/02/2025)
'Cleanse me, O God'
A good song to use with prayers of confession. Musically, it works well with open chords on the guitar.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve-UyHjAnPU(06/02/2025)
'One more step along the world I go'
A children's song from the incomparable wordsmith that was Sydney Carter.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jhAzbdKq6U - provided by Chet Valley Churches.(05/02/2025)
'My life flows on in endless song'
There are many variations on this old hymn:- we use the version published in "I will not Sing Alone", from Wild Goose. Robert Lowry was in a different league to most of the late 19th century evangelical hymn writers and composers, and this song illustrates the point.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BifkC92nT8 - a quite different version to the one we use - by a church choir from Oakland CA, nicely done.(04/02/2025)
'May the mind of Christ my Saviour'
There was a time when this was a regular closing hymn for us.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE5fOXSymBc - A Chet Valley Churches 'support during Covid' recording. Could do with an intro, but nicely played and sung, from a useful resource.www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ZBhSxWots - solo voice and guitar, nicely done. Not the obvious instrument to choose, but I've been there, in the days before portable/electronic keyboards. (We do not have the 6th verse.)
(03/02/2025)
'Mine eyes have seen (Now, O Lord, I can depart in peace)'
A lovely Nunc Dimittis by Liesel Stanbridge.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaTD_AptP9g - the only recording available.(02/02/2025)
'Surely our God (Revealer of mysteries)'
One of a relatively small number of songs we acquired through 'Baptist Praise & Worship'.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJhepkSYsYo - from a live recording, extended version.(01/02/2025)
'We bow down and confess'
Different to our arrangement, but the harmony is very similar...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tblhqgHfVrI - opening verse is beautifully done.(31/01/2025)
'Here is Love, vast as the Ocean'
A very popular Welsh hymn (and rightly so). It works well in a modern style... but it's also great to sing more traditionally (with an organ and - ideally - part singers).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8YOPj5TnUM - a Robin Mark version.(30/01/2025)
'Yet will I praise Him'
A useful song, which can be sung by a congregation (in full, or chorus only).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=An6OtWrHETA - Geraldine Latty singing a lovely arrangement of her own song.(29/01/2025)
'Don't be afraid, my love is stronger'
Memorable, useful and beautiful 4-liner from John Bell.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXCMv5lF-TM - a recording where it's sung by children(28/01/2025)
'Nothing can trouble (Nada te terbe)'
A Taizé chant based on words of St Teresa of Avila. Both of the linked recordings are guitar-accompanied, but it works very well on the organ.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaqeUO6Rw-I - a short version, in English, with the words on-screen.www.youtube.com/watch?v=go1-BoDD7CI - A longer version, in Spanish, from Taizé.
(27/01/2025)
'One church, one voice'
A good but undervalued song, and a song with a rhythm to wake everyone up in the morning.
satelliteworship.bandcamp.com/track/one-church-one-voice - from some of Scotland's finest.(26/01/2025)
'May the fragrance of Jesus'
One of Graham Kendrick's call and response worship songs.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlUsGfXo8Ww - this recording waits until the second verse to include both parts.(25/01/2025)
'Welcomed into the courts of the King / Facedown'
We haven't used the whole song for a long time, but the chorus and the bridge (especially) work well on their own or with other songs/fragments altogether.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FTYmgnRyDA - Matt Redman album recording.(24/01/2025)
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