Listening to…Part 3

This last weekend, a girl from the cancer caregiver support group that I belong to, Herald Cancer Care, and whom I do not not came all the way from the Bay Area to visit me.  She arrived Saturday, sang to me for an hour and then returned to the Bay Area, 6 hours each trip.  It is so touching.  And among all her songs, this one was our favorite: Listen Quietly.  It’s basically a refrain of John 10:2-5.  She sang it in Cantonese but it is also available in Mandarin. Here  is the erhu, Chinese instrumental version.

Posted September 5, 2014

Tenth Avenue North – The Struggle

Posted June 22, 2014:

Ever since I came back from Bethel Redding and introduced their music to my middle son, my house is constantly full of the live performances of the fantastic bands over there.  What you see on the video where they performed in the sanctuary is exactly just that, with perfect acoustic and roving cameras from both sides scanning the whole place, taping the real atmosphere generated from both old and young worshippers.  Bethel Music  write many of their songs and they’re superb.  Here’s one I like: You Make Me Brave

In the meantime, I have found a Lifehouse church that is only 5 mins by car from me, filled with young adults and play incredibly good live music in a club like setting.  I’m literally sitting 3 feet from the amplifiers and a master guitarist, his band and an often ballistic drummer. And on a Sunday night, it’s just the perfect outing with a solid message.  Last week they were playing Jesus Culture’s My Soul Longs For You and the intro blows me away.    The church emphasizes that it’s time we bring the music to the people and stop isolating ourselves.  I totally agree.  Chuch does not need to be traditional.  The song goes on and on and you close your eyes and just worship.

Posted May 11, 2014:

Royal Taylor – Remain

Posted April 17, 2014:

Sanctus Real – Pray

Posted April 9, 2014:

Jeremy Riddle – Sweetly Broken

Posted March 17, 2014:

Mercy Me – Move

Posted March 9, 2014:

My middle one came to the church with me today and sang his heart out. I feel so blessed to have him next to me and hear him sing.  And I could tell he enjoys this song especially. Watch the footage on the clip.  It’s so appropriate.  Brenton Brown – God My Rock

Posted February 28, 2014:

Josh Wilson – I Refuse

Plumb – Don’t Deserve You

Posted February 14, 2014:

Finally, after a long time, I heard a good song from K-love.  Josh Wilson – Before the Morning

Posted January 29, 2014:

Sometimes, Imagine Dragons’ songs sounds almost Christian.  But in any case, this UK artist, Mark Fowler, plays the covers really well in piano and it’s very soothing to draw and study with.

Posted January 18, 2014:

Neither is this Christian but it’s calming. Pablo Arellano – 1 hours of beautiful healing relaxing guitar and piano music.

 At his channel, he has many other compositions.  Ever since I started Tai Chi, I notice the peace of just some quiet music.  This cello piece is really pretty too.

Posted January 9, 2014:

So this one is not a Christian song but it’s calming.  Last night in our tai chi class, the last half hour was devoted to the full set of 104 movements of Wu Style and we got to practise to this instrumental piece: Peter Kater – Water

Posted January 8, 2014:

Happy New Year, everyone!  Looking forward to an exciting new year ahead for myself and I wish the same for all of you.  It’s been a long time since I found a great catchy song but here it is, Francesca Battistelli – Write Your Story.  I’m hoping to be able to fill this thread repeatedly with good songs as I go along so check back often.

Ever since I have been able to speak in tongue, the Holy Spirit has endowed me with new songs from time to time, and I tell you, the latest one the Spirit gave me has all the purest sounds, slow and calming and all in lower sharps and higher octave sharps and flats (pentatonic scale).  There was none of the natural notes.  It astounds me by the time I transcribed it on the computer.   I could sing much higher when I am in the Spirit than when I’m at church singing along with Western songs whereby I often go off key at the high notes.  It’s supernatural altogether.  And at times, some songs I’m endowed with sounds like African village folk songs, some Jewish folk sounding ones. Sometimes, they sound like Chinese mountain folk songs. If I replace all of the oms and ahs and yos and yees in them with some Chinese sounding pronunciation, it almost sounds like I’m singing about the Holy One, His Grace and His sun-filled earth.

One Day Too Late by Skillet

I have inadvertently introduced, Skillet, a Christian rock band to my middle one and since then, he has not stopped dipping into their super noisy music when daddy is not home in lieu of the more sedate Christian songs.  “This song”, he said to me today, “is talking about you, mom.”  So I listened to it and indeed it does – One Day Too Late.   Everyday, I go out to the marsh trail and the pool to evangelize and to everyone who has ears to hear.

Last night, my bible study group member asked the nagging question she had for a long time.  She lives right in downtown and there are panhandlers at every corner of the street.  The bible urges us to be doers of the word and not merely hearers deceiving ourselves (James 1:22).

‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat ; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink ; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36)

“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” (Hebrews 13:3)

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this : to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27)

So she kept wondering how much she should do when she has limited income and is still looking for work.  This has been my burning question 6 months ago when I started becoming on fire for Christ and whatever I did, it didn’t seem to be working.  I wasn’t working anymore and didn’t have an income and my husband resented me giving away his money.  And it’s true, if you don’t own the money yourself, you don’t give it away.  If you wanted to help a homeless, you don’t stick him to your friend who happened to pass by and make him pay for his meal.  So I too wondered how to go about it.

And then, the less I “busy” myself at God’s work and the more I observe quietly and wait for the Holy Spirit to prompt me, the more I understood.  It did not have to be a meal or money out of your pocket every time, or flowers from the supermarket that eats into your weekly family budget.  Keep your ears and eyes open and the Holy Spirit will give you divine appointments everyday.  Lonely people literally initiate the conversation when you look in their direction eye to eye.  The moment they speak, no matter how it doesn’t seem to make sense, is an invitation to you to share your testimony.  And do not walk away from these divine occasions.  Skillet’s songs amply describe it:

Today I’m gonna try a little harder
Gonna make every minute last longer
Gonna learn to forgive and forget
‘Cause we don’t have long, gonna make the most of it

Today I’m gonna love my enemies
Reach out to somebody who needs me
Make a change, make the world a better place
‘Cause tomorrow could be one day too late
One day too late
One day too late

Listening to… Part 2

This is the song I really like.  It has a worship quality to it without the excessive noise of Western Christian music.

Kumi Ori – Arise and Shine – Isaiah 60:1-2

Posted December 19, 2013:

Some Messianic Hebrew songs.

This first one is really beautiful.  Ani Ma’Amin – I Believe

Adonai 

Yeshua Kadosh – Holy Jesus

Kadosh Atah – Holy Are You Lord

Ki Ko Ahav – For God So Loved

David Crowder Band – Deliver Me