June 26, 2022: A Collection of My Songs
Back in 1978 an old friend, the late Bill Covert, made a reel-to-reel recording of me playing nine original songs. Bill added harmony vocals, electric bass, and an additional acoustic guitar. Funny how that seems like both a million years ago, and just yesterday. Now, 44 years later, I am presenting a second set of songs that includes two from that era. But instead of using magnetic tape, this set was recorded onto an Ipad in multiple tracks that allowed me to sing, play acoustic guitar, electric piano, electric bass and/or ukulele on the same song. But just like the first time, I've had the help of friends. Jay Pearson cowrote the lyrics to one of the songs. Evan Pyle added acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, kalimba, and maracas. Murray Clark added banjo and mandolin.
My friend Steve from high school (what we Americans call secondary school) designed a booklet to accompany these songs, complete with lyrics. You can download it HERE.
You can either play or download the songs by clicking on the title.
You can also stream this album on the WTWH YouTube channel by clicking HERE.
| Title | Something About it |
|---|---|
| You Are My Refuge | This song was inspired by Psalm 142. It is an affirmation of our eternal victory in Christ. I sing of that blessed instant ofenlightenment when a person's fears about his impending death are displaced by the joyful realization he is moments away from being with the Lord. I wrote this in 2016. |
| He's Reaching | Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” In our pilgrimage through this life, we all face times of trouble and heartache, but as Christians, we never face them alone. I wrote this song in 1978, but revised the lyrics in 2021. |
| My Joy and Crown | Another song from 1978. These verses were taken from Paul’s epistles in which he expresses the depth of his love for the people he reached through his ministry. There is a special joy that an attentive student brings to his teacher. I wrote this song for the first person I ever led to Christ, but now I dedicate it to everyone who I’ve ever had the privilege to teach, and in particular, to my students at the Nepal Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kathmandu. |
| How I Wish | Written in 2021, this song poured out of my broken heart after the unexpected passing of my dearly beloved brother in Christ, mission companion, and friend, Daniel Bucher. This is the first of many songs in this collection to which Evan Pyle made a special musical contribution. |
| Now I Know | My friend Jay Pearson has his own collection of songs on this website. Jay has written more songs that he can remember. One day, he gave me a page of unfinished lyrics and invited me to complete the song. I added some of my own ideas and came up with this, the first song I ever wrote to be played on a ukulele. |
| The Oxen Know | Our walk with the Lord is a story of trust. As we trust in God, we move forward. But when we trust rather in ourselves, we go backward. Isaiah’s words speak to the heart of the matter, and Solomon gives us words to live by. I am extremely grateful for the contribution by Murray Clark. |
| If You Don't Like Jesus | Jack Schroeder has been my friend since my earliest days as a Christian. We were talking in his garage in Maryland when this phrase popped into my head, and I told him I was going to turn it into a song. I hope such bold talk about Jesus doesn’t offend you. But if it does… |
© Workers Together With Him, Inc.