Very touching ...

Linking from Glen Omanio's youtube entry.

Birthday song

I read somewhere that some people esp. here in Asia do not sing the "Happy Birthday" song correctly. We are all familiar with the music. Usually we sing it like this:

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you.

So what is wrong with this? That book said that the words of the 4th line should not be "Happy birthday" but should be "Dear Name of one who has the bday", i.e. if it is Michael's birthday, it should be sung like this:

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
Dear Michael
Happy birthday to you.

Yes, I think this is better than just repeating the same line. However, what if you are singing for 2 or more people?

At church we have a second stanza which goes like this:

May the Lord God bless you
May the Lord God bless you
May the Lord God
Bless you
May the Lord God bless you.

I guess it can be substituted with other words as long as it fits the measure. Such as this one which I learned since I was small:

Happy birthday to you
Ginamos kag monggo
Happy birthday
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you.

Of course we got scolded at home and at school whenever we sang this version!

Something from a freelance writer

There are lots of interesting stuff to read in this blog called "The Ups, Downs and Sometimes Insane World of Freelance Writing". Today I opened it to read some stuff and to drop some ECs, and there is a post about one gospel song which I really like to sing. You can find it here. Hope you too will feel encouraged as you listen to it.

...Behold He comes riding on the clouds...

Reviewing music

As I shared in my other blogs, writing reviews has become a way of life for most of us. Particularly in writing about music - songs, instruments, singers, choirs, and the like, I remember writing about them even when I was in grade school and high school. I studied in a school which was run by nuns. So music as a major part of everyday life. And so in this music blog of mine I hope I can be writing reviews on things related to music. An opportunity has arisen when I visited LinkFromBlog.

If you have a blog and interested in getting paid for your posts, why not head on over there and see what it's all about.

There Is None Like You

There is none like You,
No one else can touch my heart like You do,
I can search for all eternity Lord
And find, there is none like You.

There is none like You.
No one else can touch my heart like You do,
I can search for all eternity Lord
And find, there is none like You.

Your mercy flows like a river wide,
And healing comes from Your hand.
Suffering children are safe in Your arms,
There is none like You.

There is none like You, (There is none like You, Lord)
There is none like You.

I can search for all eternity Lord,
There is none like You.
I can search for all eternity Lord,
There is none, (there is none,)
There is none Lord,
There is none like You.

Lyrics from here.

Only By Grace

I first heard this song in the early to mid-90s. My two friends (bible study group mates), Yolly & Dovi, sang it as a duet in church. This song also touches deep into my heart, as we know that we have been saved by grace, through faith, so we could not boast that we did this or that to be saved. It is a gift of God.

C                    Am
Only by grace can we enter
Dm7                  G     G7
Only by grace can we stand
C                  Am
Not by our human endeavour
Dm7                     G
But by the blood of the Lamb

Em7                         Am7
Into Your presence You call us
   F          G
You call us to come
C                      Am7
Into Your presence You draw us
Dm7             G        C
And now by Your grace we come
Dm7         G        C
Now by Your grace we come

Am           G               F
Lord, if You marked our transgressions
G         C     Bm7 E7
Who would stand
Am             G            F
Thanks to Your grace we are clensed
      G            Am   Dm E
by the blood of the Lamb
Am           G               F
Lord, if You marked our transgressions
G         C     Bm7 E7
Who would stand
Am             G            F
Thanks to Your grace we are clensed
      G            Am   Gsus G
by the blood of the Lamb 

©Public Domain
Words and Music by Unverified

With Hope

WITH HOPE

This is not at all how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you've gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but ...

(Refrain)

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see your face again

And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God's plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father's smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
'Cause now you're home
And now you're free, and ...
(Refrain)

We have this hope as an anchor
'Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true ...

So we can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
There's a place by God's grace
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see your face again

So we can cry with hope
We say goodbye with hope
We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope …

This song by Steven Curtis Chapman is so true...it really gives hope to the bereaved despite the grief, only because it is founded on God's word and promise of heaven and eternal life...for those who believe in Him. As our family grieves for the passing away of Daddy, this song touches the very core of our beings.