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We had a BBQ at my Dad’s church last night and a sing-song time afterwards (as is traditional). It was fairly relaxed so I played through a few songs that we sing back in North Carolina. Healer is pretty much taking the worship scene by storm at the moment.

[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QBJUVUr_PU]

Direct Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QBJUVUr_PU

I have revised the set list a little for Sunday.  Here is what it is looking like now.

• (B) My Saviour Lives
  This song was introduced recently, so it should be fairly fresh on people’s minds.
• (B) King Of Majesty
  I’m not sure if this one has been done before or not, but it will be easy to pick up and sing along to.
• (G) Your Grace Is Enough
  This is an old regular (Chris Tomlin’s arrangement).
• (B) Nothing But The Blood
  I think this one will be new, but the lyrics are familiar due to the hymn and people will be singing along in no time.
• (B) Jesus Paid It All
  This is an old hymn with a new bridge added.  My Dad knew this one from way back.  I’m hoping other folk will too.
• (G) Above All Powers / (B) Healer *
  I’d love to try Healer to end tomorrow’s set, but I’m not sure I can do it justice yet.  We’ll have to see how practice goes tomorrow morning.

Right click on song titles and select “Save Link As…” or equivalent to save chords to your computer.  Play with Capo on fret 4 for songs in B.

[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4DCZcQ2VXI]

Here’s another great lesson from Phil Wickham, this time for the song True Love.  You can find the chords for the song on his blog.

UPDATE: Head over here for a chance to win a copy of Jon Foreman’s Summer EP.
(Mud’s giveaway is over)

Mudpuppy mentioned this song today on Twitter and then sent me the video.  It’s a new song from Jon Foreman’s Summer EP.  The lyrics are based on a passage from Isaiah 1:11-17.  Check out the video and lyrics below and then discuss.

[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E53qJxltyfI]

I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show
Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stomp on my ears when you’re singing ‘em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you’re praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There’s blood on your hands
You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don’t fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There’s blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let’s argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let’s argue this out
You’ll be one of the clouds
Let’s argue this out
Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can’t love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can’t stand at all, all
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

We had band practice last night and afterwards briefly discussed some songs I would like to play at our June 8th service.

Blessed Be The Name by Matt Redman was mentioned - that’ll work well as I’m very familiar with it.  Then Happy Day by Tim Hughes was suggested and I love the song, but I thought I remembered it had a la-la-la part in it.  I don’t do songs with la-la-la in it.  Or even na-na-na.  I can’t bring myself to sing that.

I listened to Happy Day on the way home (several times) and I was glad to find it contained no la-la-ing at all.  So we could be good to go with that song for June 8th after all.

Tell me, do you like singing la-la-la (or na-na-na) songs?  Let’s hear about your favourite or most despised la-la or na-na song…

Of course, now that Gary knows this I’m pretty sure he’ll be trying to fit the odd la-la-la and na-na-na songs into our upcoming set-lists.

I love it when artists do videos like this.  Here Phil is teaching us how to play Cannons which is a great worship song.  I can’t believe I have not bought this man’s album yet.

[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_MiCMB1pEw]

Direct Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_MiCMB1pEw

(Update: My cover here)

Lyrics
It’s falling from the clouds
A strange and lovely sound
I hear it in the thunder and rain
It’s ringing in the skies
Like cannons in the night
The music of the universe plays

You are holy great and mighty
The moon and the stars declare who You are
I’m so unworthy, but still You love me
Forever my heart will sing of how great You are

Beautiful and free
Song of Galaxies
It’s reaching far beyond the milky way
Lets join in with the sound
C’mon let’s sing it loud
As the music of the universe plays

All glory, honor, power is Yours amen
All glory, honor, power is Yours amen
All glory, honor, power is Yours forever amen

Here’s the video of Come Thou Fount from NHC, 04 May 2008. 

[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5g41OEFUS4]

I’d been trying all week to pull this footage from DVD and put it on YouTube, but Adobe Premiere (Elements) was giving me jip. 

I downloaded a trial version of Sony Vegas 8 Platinum and give it a whirl.  You are supposed to be able to import straight from the DVD, but that didn’t work for me.  Apparently the DVD needs to be finalized for that to work - I don’t know if our church DVDs are or not.

So, I loaded up Super and converted the VOB to Mpeg2 and brought the Mpeg2 into Vegas.  I’d tried this step already in Premiere with unsatisfactory results, but it worked a treat in Vegas.  I cut the section I needed, added title, fades and rendered it to Windows Media 9 format for upload to YouTube.

I found a great YouTube channel (guerillabill) with loads of Vegas how-to videos.  I used tips from this video to customize the render for YouTube - except I kept the output size to 640×480 instead of the suggested 320×240.

I have to say, I was impressed by the final file size and quality of the Windows Media 9 file.  I normally use xvid/divx to keep the files under 100mb.  The Windows Media 9 file that I uploaded to YouTube was 28mb!

(There’s a $30 mail-in rebate offer available on Amazon for Vegas 8 until the end of May.  I ordered my copy this morning!)

YouTube Direct Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5g41OEFUS4

This hymn has an interesting story behind it.  It was written by a man called Robert Robinson in 1758.  He was a methodist minister and apparently used these words to close a sermon.  In his later life Robert fell away from God - or at least did not have the relationship he once had.

One day he met a lady who was reading through a hymn book.  She started to hum a hymn and asked him if he liked it.  He reportedly replied “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.”

The hymn was put to music in 1813 by John Wyeth.  I’m not sure we are using the same tune now that John composed as he was American and this version (by David Crowder Band) has a distinct Irish feel to it.  I’m singing it tomorrow at church.

Come Thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Calls for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it
Mount of God’s redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood 

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wonder, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above 

(From memory - the parts in [..] were filled in after comparing to original lead sheet!)

This praise is rising in my heart
This passion is burning deep within
I’m gonna lift your name [up] every day
And tell the world [that] You’re the only way

Come and fill me with Your power
[It’s] In You I find my strength
I’m gonna live [my life] for You alone

Jesus, my heart is crying out for more of You
King of all Kings, and Lord of Lords
My life is Yours

You are the only One for me
And I’ll keep singing on and on and on
To You my king
[I’m gonna live for You in all I do]
Jesus, You are everything to me
You are everything to me

My life is all for You Lord
Take over all of me
I live to worship You my Lord alone

I’m scheduled for my first Sunday at NHC on 27 April 2008.  I am singing the feature song “My Life Is Yours” from the “Saviour Of The World” album by Planetshakers (I’d post a YouTube video if I could find one).

Unlike my home church, NHC don’t use music stands.  Yes, we have a big screen at the back where the lyrics are displayed but I’ve seen it not keeping up with the band at times so I can’t depend on that.  I’ve got to memorize the words.

I’ve never attempted to memorize song lyrics before.  Heck, I can’t even sing my own songs without the sheets in front of me.  I’ve been listening and listening to this song over the last few days to get it into my head.

A few web pages exist that are full of tips on how to memorize songs.  What’s your secret?