6: It's Christmas Again!

Of all the songs and hymns about Christmas, my favourite is "O Holy Night" for on that night a Saviour was born. Yes indeed, a truly holy night, a night divine!
And here's a wonderful rendition of it by 4 charming, singing ladies and one on a violin:
"O Holy Night" by Celtic Woman live from the Helix Center in Dublin, Ireland performing A Christmas Celebration. Listen and be inspired.

5: When Did You Last Hear a Pipe Organ?

Yes, when? Or a Hammond organ for that matter.

My earliest was at Kampong Kapor Methodist Church when I attended a Sunday School Christmas Service there, having gone there with my grandmother in a trishaw! The pipe organ was really something to behold. I was then 9 years old.

Then as a teenager, when I attended morning service at Wesley Methodist Church, the pipe organ reigned supreme.

The Hammond organ came much later, in the late 50s, when I attended Sunday School at Bethesda Katong.

So it's been years when we last heard organ music at Pentecost Methodist Church. Nowadays we are treated to all kinds of instruments - the drums, electric guitars, maracas, etc.

But thank God, there's the Internet, and Search Engines and YouTube!

And so I looked for a piece of music to accompany Hymn 16 of Sha'ir Puji-pujian chosen by Abang Johnny for us to sing at the TRAC Penyabaran Injil come Sep 26.
I found a few, but the one I liked best was by Lance playing "We're Marching to Zion". With it, I created a practice video for the occasion.

Here it is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlEKrxlBoMM, with lyrics and the Pipe Organ 8 music.

Come, sing along with it. Re-live the days of the Peranakan Service under Rev Chew Hock Hin at Geylang Straits Chinese Methodist Church at Aljuneid Road, the fore-runner of PMC Pasir Ris.

4: Music Video for Praise and Worship

The Internet has a vast collection of songs that we can use for Praise and Worship.
Here are a number of them that I particularly like:
1: "Our God is an awesome God" by Hillsong United.
2: "Here I am to worship" by Daniel with lyrics.
3: "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord" with lyrics.
4: "Lord I lift your name on high" by Rick Founds with lyrics.
See if you can use them in your Small Group Meetings, especially if you have a 37" LCD TV which can play music video direct from your computer.
Just go to YouTube and in the Search Box type what you want. A list of songs will surface for you to take your pick. Enjoy!

3: "Whispering Hope"

Just bumped into "Pengharapan" the Indonesian version of "Whispering Hope" on YouTube. It's a beautiful song.
Don't know the vocalist's name though. It's not stated on the video info-entry, only that it's in the Album Kidung Rohani Abadi. If you know his name, share it with me, won't you?
Here's another lovely rendition by him entitled
"Sampai bertemu" or "Till we meet again". Enjoy!

2: That Old Familiar Melody

Listen to this song "Yesus ada sobat kita". And if you think it sounds very familiar, you're right. Recognize the singer's voice? Yes, it's sung by Connie Maria Mamahit. It's Indonesian for that old familiar melody "What a friend we have in Jesus"!

And what about this: "Hari ini harinya Tuhan" sung by Karyn? Isn't it "This is the day that the Lord has made"?

Listen to this: "Ku tak tahu hari esokku" sung by Meriam Bellina and you'll certainly say, I know that - it's "I don't know about tomorrow". Right!

Here are three more:
"Malam sunyi senyap" by Nikita.
"Berserah kepada Yesus" by Voice of Angels.
"Besar sertiaMu" by Ruth Sahanaya.
Well, what do these old familiar tunes remind you of? What are their English equivalents?


Have you found any such old familiar melodies on the Internet? If so, why not share them with me at this blog? I'll be very grateful to you if you will.

1: Lagu Rohani Kristen Indonesia

I like to listen to Lagu Rohani Kristen Indonesia, especially those sung by singers like Meriam Bellina and Connie Maria Mamahit. They have melodious voices and they sing with conviction. These are adult singers who are featured on YouTube.

For a sample of their songs, go to "Datanglah pada Yesus" by Connie, and "Indah recanaMu Tuhan" by Meriam. One plus point about their videos is that they have lyrics which you can follow!

Here's another inspiring song "Kumau cinta Yesus selamanya" by Nonaharia. The members of PMC Persahabatan Peranakan-Indonesia love it!

For a youthful voice, I go for Nikita's renditions, for example: "Bapa Engkau sungguh baik".

If you prefer male vocalists, try "Aku percaya" ("I believe") sung by Terry Tisna. The rendition has an attractively vibrant beat accompanying the singer.
Listen to Frankie Sihombing sing "Bapa yang kekal"
and you'll be humming the tune for the next few days.
Or hear Jeffry S Tjandra sing "Allah mengerti Allah peduli".
He has, what I would call, a mellifluous voice, easy to the ears, yet firm enough to bring the message home.
Here's a good one: "Tuhan penolongku"
("God is my helper") sung by a Male Quartet with interesting outdoor scenes - certainly a "must-see" video!
Here's another by the Male Quartet with a good resounding intro from a clarinet:
"Dimata Tuhan semua sama".

Yes, view these videos at YouTube. You'll feel inspired and begin to sing along with them. I do. But if you don't understand some of the lyrics, you can always go to an online dictionary such as http://www.mykamus.my/ for a Malay-English translation.

Enjoy!