Archive for the ‘Song of the Week’ Category

Nov
16
Filed Under (General, Song of the Week) by Rob on 16-11-2012

…and sorry for the long delay. This was partly due to a bug in WordPress, which wasn’t allowing me to upload the audio correctly. I’m glad to say this is now rectified and I have at least three more songs to share with you before the end of 2012!

So, here’s “We fix our eyes on invisible things”, which sounds like a contradiction in terms, but that’s what faith is all about. I just love the harmonies in the chorus!

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D________Bbmaj7___Am7__D
We fix our eyes on invisible things
_________Bbmaj7____Am7_________D
Looking to God for the strength that He brings
_________Bbmaj7___Am7___D
We walk by faith and not by sight
____________Bbmaj7____Am7_______D
Touched by his power, and bathed in his light

F__________C
We live in a world
Dm________Am
of many distractions
F______________C
Always filling our minds,
Bb___________Asus4 A
Controlling our actions

We shall walk by faith
and walk not by sight
Always trusting our God
To know what is right

He works in all things
As He promised he would
Not to cause us harm,
but all for our good

We live every day
in the hand if our Lord
He deserves to be praised
Worshipped and adored



Aug
24
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 24-08-2012

The Harvest is Ready!”

For all Christians out there – do you truly believe that:

(i) There is a God
(ii) He sent Jesus to die so that we can live forever
(iii) Those who do not follow him will be eternally lost
(iv) Coming to know Jesus is the greatest thing that can happen to anyone

If so, how can we not want to share this with the world at every possible opportunity? What’s gone wrong? Our culture frowns upon “discussing religion and politics” but we mustn’t let that stop us. Surely even most non-Christians would understand that anyone believing the four statements above would urgently want to share this (even if they themselves do not believe it)!

So, what are we waiting for? Pray, then pray some more, then go out into the world and ooze Jesus in all you do!

Here’s the song:

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(Click above for the audio – sorry, still can’t get the built-in audio player to come up)

___A______________E/G#
We thank you for your Gospel
___F#m_____________C#m
We thank you for your Word
____D_________Bm___________Esus4__E
And for the life abundant that we live
___A_____________E/G#
We bring before you, Father,
___F#m___________F#m/E
All those who haven’t heard
______Bm9_____E_____________A
Of the glorious salvation that You give

CHORUS:
____E_______A
The harvest is ready
_______D___________A
But the workers are so few
___Bm____________A/C#
And lost souls perish daily
_______Dmaj7______Esus__E
Without ever knowing You
___E_____________A
So give us hearts in tune with Yours
___C#_________F#m__F#m/E
And open up our eyes
____D____________A/C#
To see your awesome purpose
______Bm_____E____A___ __D_____A____(Esus__E) [third time: to key change]
In each moment of our lives

In every situation
With everyone we meet
Lord, teach us true obedience to your call
We need Your loving power
To make each conversation count
As we introduce the Saviour to them all

KEY CHANGE:
Fsus4__F
_Bb____________F/A
If we don’t go and tell them
____Gm__________Dm
Then they may never hear
____Eb___________Cm_________Fsus4__F
This Good News of unquestionable worth
__Bb_______F/A
So Holy Spirit fill us
_______Gm________Gm/F
With the power to go out
___Cm9_________F__________Bb
And be the voice of Jesus on this earth

___F_______Bb
The harvest is ready
______Eb___________Bb
But the workers are so few
___Cm____________Bb/D
And lost souls perish daily
_______Ebmaj7______Fsus__F
Without ever knowing You
__F_____________Bb
So give us hearts in tune with Yours
___D_________Gm__Gm/F
And open up our eyes
___Eb_____________Bb/D
To see your awesome purpose
______Cm_____F____Bb___ __Eb_____Bb____Fsus__F
In each moment of our lives

(Recorded for the first time on ‘The Broadwood Grand’)



Jul
02
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 02-07-2012

The first four lines of this song were written by Dave Sper from Our Daily Bread. I liked the words, so added another four lines and then a ‘chorus’. Here’s the result:

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(Sorry, the ‘audio player’ feature doesn’t seem to be working this week. Just click on the link and it downloads pretty quickly. Cheers)

Tragedy into Opportunity

F__________F/A____Bb___Csus__C
The Lord can change a tragedy
F____F/A___Bb_C
Into an opportunity
__F______F/A__Bb__C
To show us that eternity
Dm__G________Eb__Gm/C
Must never be ignored
___F______F/A_Bb_C
His awesome creativity
__F_____F/A__Bb___C
At work in us so mightily
___F______F/Eb______Bb/D_Bbm/Db
Will bring us through ad-ver-si-ty
F/C______________Gm/C__C
Empowered and restored

Chorus:
F________F/A________Gm_________C
Thank you Jesus for your all-embracing love
__________Gm__________F/A
Through the traumas of this life
____________Gm______Csus C
Your grace will always be enough
___F___________F/Eb
We put our faith in You
____________Bb/D______Bbm/Db
And claim your power from above
F/C____Gm___F/C_C__F
Saviour, healer, faithful God



May
26
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 26-05-2012

Go to All Nations!

That’s what Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 28 (read it here).

Now, fristly, apologies for the long gap since the last “weekly” song! The transition back to the home culture always takes a long time and I also find it totally zaps my creativity for a while. Not to worry – a new song is here!

Thankfully, my faithful electric piano made it home safely, having been from Bamako to Dakar to The Gambia! In the previous two songs, you can see it in two of those locations. Now, here it is in my conservatory in England (and a jolly nice sunny day it is too!)

So, it was high time two things happened in Western worship: (i) That a song be written which specifically presents Jesus’ command (and challenge) to all his disciples to GO. And (ii) That more songs in a reggae style be composed. Besides the old chestnut of “It is the cry of my heart” there are virtually no other songs in this rhythmic, accessible and enjoyable genre. Now there’s one more! Here it is:

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Dm_C________Dm
You will receive power
Bb______C___________F
When my Spirit comes upon you
Dm_C___________Dm
And you will be my witnesses
Bb_____Am7________Dm
Throughout the whole earth

CHORUS:
F___Bb__C______F
Go! Go! Go to all nations
Dm_Gm__________F___C
And make them my disciples
F___Bb_____C_________F
Go! Go! Whatever it may cost you
Gm7___________Am7__Dm
Baptizing and instructing them
___Bb_______C__F
So they can do the same

Only in my name
You will perform great miracles
To heal the sick and ailing
And show my words are true

Put your trust in me
With all your heart and mind
And together we’ll accomplish this
The time has come for you to:



Apr
30
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 30-04-2012

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

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(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)



Apr
21
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 21-04-2012

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

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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



Apr
12
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 12-04-2012

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):

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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



Mar
26
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 26-03-2012

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

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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.



Mar
19
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 19-03-2012

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:

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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.



Mar
10
Filed Under (Song of the Week) by Rob on 10-03-2012

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

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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