Adventures in West Africa with Rob & Lois http://www.robbaker.org News, music, and photos from Rob and Lois in Mali, West Africa Wed, 09 May 2012 10:53:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Song of the Week no.15 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/30/song-of-the-week-no-15 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/30/song-of-the-week-no-15#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:22:39 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3099 It’s funny how God works sometimes. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised – that’s what He does!

A few weeks ago, I was listening to a sermon which mentioned ‘The Seven Ones’ in Ephesians 4. This immediately struck me as material for a song, so I drafted out a chorus and part of a verse, to finish at a later date. Then I came to the retreat in The Gambia this week (to lead worship) and what should be one of the main readings but Ephesians 4:1-16!! The very same bit! So, I quickly finished off the song and we sang it a couple of times at the retreat – it went down pretty well.

The song is in a slightly 80′s style, but with some more recent features (ie the Bm chord at the end of line 2 and the unresolved Esus4 chord). Remarkably, the entire song only contains six notes (D, E, F#, G, A and B). Yet it has eight basic chords! Unusual to have more chords than notes in a song, but there you go.

Here it is:

Walk a Walk that is Worthy

(Based upon Ephesians 4:1-16)

______D________D/F#_______G___________D
Walk a walk that is worthy of His call upon your life
____Em__________D_____________Bm__A
With gentleness and patience for each o—ther
_____D__________D/F#_______G___________D
By His grace we can be free from bitterness and strife
__Em_____D________A___D
So unity and peace will ever reign
.
.
____A_______D
One body, one spirit,
___A________________D
One hope to which we’re called
___A___________F#______Bm
One baptism, one Lord, one faith
____Esus4__________A
One God and father of all
___________D
United in our saviour
___A_____________D
His love will make us strong
___A______________F#__Bm
The more we grow like Je–sus
___Em_____A_______D
The more we are made one

Bridge:
D___C
He is above all
____G
And through all
____D
And in all (x2)

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/30/song-of-the-week-no-15/feed 0 Song of the Week no.14 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/21/song-of-the-week-no-14 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/21/song-of-the-week-no-14#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:51:23 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3091 Someone recently noted that many of my songs are more to do with encouraging Christians to live lives closer to God, and to reach out to others. Nothing wrong with that, but there’s also a need for songs which purely worship the Lord for who he is. That’s what this song does.

The melody is not as original as I’d like, but it is certainly singable (and it will stick in your head!!) The last line, of course, is from Henry Twells’ lovely song “At evening, when the sun had set” (1868). Click here to see all the words.

Now, whilst my piano came with me to Senegal, it has now gone off (by road) to The Gambia! However, I had the foresight to record the accompaniment for this song over a week ago, before the instrument disappeared! Here it is:

Jesus, you are everything to me

A__________E___________F#m___F#m/E
Jesus, you are everything to me
___D_____A_________G___D/E
My life, my hope, my salvation
A____________E/G#__________ F#m_____F#m/E
On the cross you gave your life to set me free
________D_____________E________A____D/E
And I will serve you all the days of my life

Chorus:
__________A_______________A/G#
You are my strength, you are my might
__________A/F#_______A/E
You are my never-ending light
___D_________A
My comfort and refuge
___Bm7_________D/E
My healing and my sight
____A__________C#
My shield and my deliverer
___F#m____________F#m/E
My strong and mighty tower
D________A_______Bm___E______A
Lord, your touch has still its ancient power

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/21/song-of-the-week-no-14/feed 0 Song of the Week no.13 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/12/song-of-the-week-no-13 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/12/song-of-the-week-no-13#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:08:40 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3083 Yes, Song of the Week is back! Having ‘escaped’ from Mali, I’m currently in Senegal and finally have the chance to compose some more songs!

It’s funny where the inspiration for song words comes from. In this case, I was in my wife’s classroom in Bamako (before the coup) and saw Deuteronomy 31:8 on the board. The words immediately struck me as being good song material, so I made a note of them. Here’s it is:

“The LORD himself will go ahead of you, He will be with you; He will never leave you, He’ll never desert you. So don’t be afraid; don’t lose hope.”

Of course, at the time I had no idea how significant these words would be to me and the whole family in the days to follow, but the verse is certainly true and God was with us throughout the curfews, the gunfire, the powercuts and the constant fear of what may or may not happen next.

Here’s the song (it works in a round):

Dm
The Lord will go before you
Gm7
In every step you take
___C
And He will not desert you
____Dm___________A
Whatever choice you make
__Dm
So do not be discouraged
__Gm7
Or gripped by pain and fear
___Dm/A
Just rest on the assurance
_______A___________Dm
That the Lord is always near

Dm________Gm7
He will never leave you
C_____Dm____A
He will never forsake you
Dm________Gm7
He will never leave you
Dm/A_______A____Dm
He will never forsake you

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/04/12/song-of-the-week-no-13/feed 2 Song of the Week no.12 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/26/song-of-the-week-no-12 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/26/song-of-the-week-no-12#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:20:05 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3075 The melody is a bit ‘mainstream’ for my liking, but the words are – I hope – challenging and powerful. The Church of the West has been described as ‘asleep’ in other parts of the world. Is it not time we all became more open and radical about our faith?? The opening lines are inspired by J.B.Phillips’ New Testament translation of Romans 12:2, where it says:

“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within”.

Living Every Moment for You

Em______C_______________G
This fallen world is squeezing us
D__________Em
Into its own mould
____________C_____________G
Your truth has been so compromised
____D______________Em
That many have grown cold
_____________C
So we come to You, Lord Jesus
G_________C
And in Your name we stand
Am___________Am/G
You alone have power to bring
___F__________D
Salvation to our Land
.

____________G____________C
I wanna speak out, I wanna be bold
________Em__________D
There’s a message to be told
____________G_____________C
I wanna have faith, I wanna be strong
_________Em_________Am___D
You’re my strength, you are my song.
__________G_____________C
I wanna live out my life each day
________Em__________D
Walking humbly in your way
____________G______________Em
A mind that is fixed and all that’s true
Am_________D________G
Living every moment for you.
.

At Pentecost, in awesome power
Your Holy Spirit came
And Your disciples all announced
The glory of Your name
So we come to You, Lord Jesus
We need your power again
Oh, Holy Spirit, fall on us
So we can do the same.

We need to share your Gospel now
Yet all around we see
Where hearts once burned with love for You
There is mediocrity
So we come to you, Lord Jesus
And ask that, in Your name
We’ll tell salvation’s message
Without fear and without shame.

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/26/song-of-the-week-no-12/feed 0 Song of the Week no.11 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/19/song-of-the-week-no-11 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/19/song-of-the-week-no-11#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:56:36 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3065 Recylced hymns have become quite popular in the last couple of decades. Be it ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘When I survey’ or ‘The Lord’s my Shepherd.’ But here comes a recycled hymn with a difference!

Firstly, the words to verse one (and the inspiration for the other verses) come from this song by Ada Anne Whiddington, which was written in the 19th Century! The tune is then mine, but I composed it to fit in with the chorus of ‘All to Jesus I surrender’ by Judson W. Van De Venter – also a pretty old song from the 1900s!

So, three song-writers from three different centuries have combined to form this song, which I hope you’ll like. Making the multi-track recording was a bit of a nighmare, so I hope you’ll excuse the minor timing/pitch issues!

You could use this in your church next Sunday and folk would love it! Here you go:

Best order: Ladies begin with verse 1, men enter with verse 1 as ladies begin chorus.
At end, men finish at the end of verse 3 (ie no final chorus). NB The recording differs from this!

Not I but Christ

________D______________________Em
Not I but Christ be honoured, loved, exalted,
________A_______________________D
Not I, but Christ be seen, be known, be heard
________D__________________G_D_Em
Not I but Christ in every look and action
________D/A____G/A__A_________D
Not I but Christ in every thought and word

Chorus:
D________Em
I surrender all
A________D
I surrender all
D_________________G
All to you my God and saviour
D/A___A___D
I surrender all

Not I but Christ, my strength in times of sorrow
Not I but Christ to wipe away my tears
Not I but Christ to lift my weary burden
Not I but Christ to take away my fears.

And Christ alone will be my hope and vision
His mighty hand will guide me all the way
My all to Him I gladly now surrender
Oh, Jesus, come and rule my life today.

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/19/song-of-the-week-no-11/feed 0 Song of the Week no.10 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/10/song-of-the-week-no-10 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/10/song-of-the-week-no-10#comments Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:59:06 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3059 Right now, I’m entering one of the biggest transition times of my life: returning to the UK after 7 years in Africa. I guess that’s where some of the sentiment of this song comes from.

However, I think there’s something in it for everyone; life is tough in this day and age. Yet the good news is that help is at hand! This song is a call to perserverance, but also to trust in God, whatever the situation.
See also Romans 8:37.

I found the words to the chorus in this daily reading from ‘Our Daily Bread’ and was immediately drawn to them. Written by someone called ‘Fitzhugh’. I’m guessing many years ago, and yet the words are just as powerful and meaningful today. Although I’ve googled Fitzhugh over and over, I cannot find out any more than his/her surname! If anyone knows any more, please do let me know!

For me, this is one of the most beautiful tunes I’ve composed (discovered?). It’s a lovely chord sequence, but had not been used in any recent songs I know. Sorry my voice is sounding a bit dodgy this week!

In a world gone mad we look to you

Intro/interlude: Em__Am__Bsus4__B7__Em

_____Em_____Am7___D_____Gmaj7
In a world gone mad we look to You
_C____Am7_____F#sus4_F#_B
Eternal Hope, Your words are true
___Em___Am7__D______Gmaj7
The road ahead is long and tough
___C_________Am7___B7___Em
We know Your grace will be enough

Chorus:
______G_____C______D____G
Though danger lurks on every side
__Em_____Am_____D
In Christ our Lord we will abide
____G____C_______D_____G
Our God is strong, our hope is sure
__Em__Am____D____G
In Him alone we are secure

Though trials and temptations come
I put my faith in Him alone
He is my strength and He is my song
When I am weak, then He is strong

We need you more than ever now
So by your spirit show us how
To face the storm and trust in You
For by your grace we’ll make it through

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/10/song-of-the-week-no-10/feed 2 Song of the Week no.9 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/05/song-of-the-week-no-9 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/05/song-of-the-week-no-9#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:09:07 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3054 There are not enough songs about the importance of the Bible. And yet it is a huge need in the Western church today.

This website states:

“American Christians are biblically illiterate. Although most of them contend that the Bible contains truth and is worth knowing, and most of them argue that they know all of the relevant truths and principles.”

It goes on to say that 35% of Christians in the USA never read the Bible. Shocking indeed!

Yet this one says that “Half the books of the Bible can be read in 10 to 45 minutes each, and many of them can be read in less than 20. The entire Old and New Testaments can be read aloud slowly and with expression in less than 71 hours.”

Wow! So, here’s my latest song on this subject:

Your Word
.
Chorus:

____Bb_____Eb________Fsus4
Your Word is like a shining light
_______F
In every situation
Bb_______Eb_____________Fsus4
A timeless source of truth and life
________F
For every tribe and nation
Gm_________Gm/F#________Gm/F
Transforming hearts, renewing minds
____________C
Through every generation
Bb/F_________Eb/F
Eternal God, we thank you (x3)
______Eb_Bb/D__Cm7__Bb____Bb7
For the Bible.
.

Eb____________Bb
It teaches and equips us
Eb____________Bb
For life upon this earth
Eb___________Bb_D_Gm
It tells us of your Kingdom
Eb___Cm___________Fsus4__F
And it celebrates your worth

It fills the tired and weary
With the strength to carry on
It guides our path from day to day
And shows us right from wrong.

It tells of how You made us
And how we went astray
It shows the path to Jesus Christ
The life, the truth, the way.

Inspire us through its pages
And let our faith increase.
It’s sharper than a two-edged sword.
Yet it fills our hearts with peace.

If you use this song in your church, do let me know how it goes! The message is very important, as I’m sure you can see!

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/03/05/song-of-the-week-no-9/feed 0 Song of the Week no.8 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/25/song-of-the-week-no-8 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/25/song-of-the-week-no-8#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:00:50 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3046 A simply a capella song based upon the words of the famous prayer by Walford Davies. Hints of Taize in this one and it also works as a four part round (if you listen all the way through, you’ll here the effect). I think the Anglicans will like this one!

I recorded this in my bathroom to get a ‘cathedral-like’ sound. (PS Sorry about the dodgy voice in places!)

God be in my Head

A capella.
Starting note: A (key D minor)

God be in my head
And in my understanding
God be in my eyes
And in my looking

God be in my mouth
And in my speaking
God be in my heart
And in my thinking

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/25/song-of-the-week-no-8/feed 0 Song of the Week no.7 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/18/song-of-the-week-no-7 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/18/song-of-the-week-no-7#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:50:16 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3043 I like a bit of Latino music, don’t you? So, this song is in a typical generic South American Latin style (not sure what you’d call it besides that!) It would normally be accompanied by plenty of percussion, guitars, trumpets etc, not just piano. Special thanks to my daughter, Mads, for singing the ladies lines.

Salvador del Mundo

Intro: Em_______C___B7
Em_______C___B7 (x1 or x2)

Em_______C___B7
He came down
__________Em___C______B7
Into a lowly stable cold and poor
Em__C___B7
At His birth
________________Em_C_____B7
His mother laid him in a bed of straw
Am___Em___B7_Em
In the stark humility
___Am___Em____B7_____Em
The Son of God became like me
___Am___Em_____C__________B7
And yet he was the saviour of the World!

Chorus:

____Em__C_B7__________Em__C_B7
Men: Salvador! Salvador del Mundo!
B7
Ladies: He was the Saviour of the World
____Em__C_B7__________Em__C_B7
Men: Salvador! Salvador del Mundo!
B7
Ladies: He was the Saviour of the World

He grew up
His purpose on this earth would then unfold
Many heard
The teachings and the parables he told
This is why my Jesus came,
To heal the sing, the blind, the lame
And die to save the people of the world!

On the cross
He suffered and he died instead of me
He was killed
To bring forgiveness and to set us free
God’s own son, the sacrifice,
Died for us and paid the price,
To make a way to Heaven for the world!

]]> http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/18/song-of-the-week-no-7/feed 0 Song of the Week no.6 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/12/song-of-the-week-no-6 http://www.robbaker.org/2012/02/12/song-of-the-week-no-6#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:47:37 +0000 Rob http://www.robbaker.org/?p=3039 Once again, this song speaks about the world’s need for Christ. However, rather than focussing on social needs and difficulties (like Song no.4), this one is to encourage us to spread His message to those who do not know Him.

The tune has hints of 1970s harmonies in the chorus, but a rarely used chord sequence in the verses is used. The whole song could be played a tone lower (in G major) but I like it better in A!

Cheers!

We want to tell the world

.
____A_______C_____D__________E
The god of this age has blinded their eyes
______A_____________C
To the Good News of the Saviour
______D_________E
To the glory of our Christ
_____A___________A/C#
Like sheep without a shepherd
_____D______________B7
They wander through the night
____A___C#__F#m
They need you, Jesus,
___Bm7_____E_______A
To give them back their sight
.

A________C#____F#m___F#m/E
We want to tell the world
D____________A_____Bm7________E
That you’re the Life, the Truth and the Way
A______A/G_____D/F#____Dm/F
The only hope for a lost generation
__A/E___E
Is Je——-sus
A_________C#____F#m___F#m/E
We want to show the world
D____________A_____Bm7___E
That you’re the cure for all of its pain
A_____A/G_____D/F#_______Dm/F
Send us out in the power of your love
___A________D/E___A
To show them Jesus today.

You made us in your image
Created us from dust
But they no longer understand
Their eyes alone they trust
Denying your existence
Ignoring your great call
Oh, Saviour, give us strength to share
Your Gospel with them all

Money, fame, prosperity,
Selfishness and lies,
Are idols on the altar of their self-sufficient lives
They worship anything but you
And follow their own way
Lord, show them what their missing,
Reveal yourself, we pray.

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