philsquest

At Singapore Airport

We finished the first leg of our journey to Switzerland. We arrived in Singapore. Federer is placing Nadal at Wimbledon and we saw our first huge display of Swiss chocolate. There was even chocolate fondue for the microwave. All this Swiss culture/inheritance even before touching down in Zurich.

Schweiz hier wir kommen!!!!!!!!!

German Worship

This morning I led worship in the German Community we have every two weeks. This is my latest worship "project". (I wrote about this last year) . Even though I speak German more or less fluent it doesn't come to me as natural as English. What I mean it is not my heart language. I personally pray in Swiss or English. So praying in "High German" feels a bit difficult.
I have a hard time motivating myself to learn new songs and to practice.  I get away with my experience, level of playing and contempt of the people who come to worship.
I like making music and leading people in worship is probably one my greatest strengths. But I'm kind of searching for something where my heart leaps again.

Today I played an old song in the set. I used to sing it more than 20 years ago. searching through the Internet for German worship songs I found it again and was taken by it's simplicity, the melody and the text. Everybody seemed to know it and sang harmonies as well as in canon. The good old songs.

Die Herrlichkeit des Herrn bleibe ewiglich
Der Herr freue sich seiner Werke
Ich will singen dem Herrn mein Leben lang
Ich will loben meinen Gott so lang ich bin

Leading worship in German

I think it is the first time in over seven years that look at my documents folder with German worship songs. I was asked to lead worship in a German setting next Sunday. I used to know those songs off by heart. Now I need to go back and practice them.
Several years ago I learned a repertoire of 40 Thai worship songs and when we first came to Thailand I had to switch from a mix off Swiss/German and English to a international worship setting.
At the moment I work with my team on a Lahu worship songbook. So my next challenge would be to learn a new repertoire of Lahu songs. Which is an entirely new language.
For the last year I haven't led worship. I kind of pulled back from it. There is no particular reason. Instead Lillian got into it and played the guitar in a worship band. This was great for her to get back into music and playing.
Now I feel like I'll get back into leading people into worship again. At least I won't turn away from open doors anymore.