Listen and Love
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If You Were
words and music by Doug Howell (For David – Valentine’s Day, 1991) if you were God’s grace to me would your face be any dearer to my eyes? would your love taste sweeter to this thirst of mine, welcome home this wandering child? if you were God’s peace to me would you bring my battled…
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Diamonds
words and music by Doug Howell (11 Nov 1979) a thousand diamonds on the back of a leafa hundred on a single blade of grassfrosty jewels fallen from some store of wealth unseensunlight through the crystals on a glassprisms splashing colors in the airswirlin’ all around me everywhere you give me diamonds everydayand every night…
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House on the Ocean
words and music by Doug Howell (12 Jan 1978) I’ve always wanted a house on the oceanall made of glass, perched high on a hillthen every morning I’d wake with the sunriseand every night rock to sleep with the wavesall down the stairway that leads to the waterflowers are dancing in time with the breeze…
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Kiss the Old Romantic Goodbye
words & music by Doug Howell (25 Oct 1978) © 2019 Creative Measures I could write a bookI could go downtownI could take in a movieand then just drive around I could make a speechto the bedroom wallon the risk involved in loving youand the way I lost it all and you can kiss the…
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The Love You Must Have Had
words & music by Doug Howell (1973) © 1980 Love’s Music, assigned to Creative Measures Sheet music available! Vocal-Piano-Guitar Lord, to think You came down herereally makes me wonderwhy we go on the way we dohurting one anotherit just don’t seem rightthe way we give you second placeand You gave us the worldbut we can’t…
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Keep This Heart Tender
words & music by Doug Howell (1972) • © 2018 Creative Measures LLC I was hurryin’ down the sidewalkso busy looking straight aheadI didn’t notice the sky or the leaves on the treestill one floated down in front of meit was a beautiful shade of yellowand also orange and brown and red how much does…
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Everything I Am
words & music by Doug Howell (2015) • © 2015 Creative Measures LLC Sheet music available! Vocal-Piano-Guitar everything I ameverything I’ve doneI pour it out to you, Lordeverything that’s goodand everything that’s badI lay it down before you, Lord we start out with nothingand that’s where we endwe lose track of all we held dearall…
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The Lord’s Prayer (St. Barnabas Mass)
music by Doug Howell (Spring 2014) • © 2015 Creative Measures LLCadapted from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), Rite 2, Eucharistic Prayer B Sheet music available! Vocal-Piano-Guitar Our Father,who art in heaven,holy is your name.Your kingdom come,your will be doneon earth as it is in heaven.Give us this dayour daily bread,and forgive us our…
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Retirement Career—or Calling?
I retired just this last February, and had begun using the term retirement career (which I heard somewhere last year) instead of retirement when telling others about my plans—mostly because I didn’t want to convey the impression that I don’t expect to work. On the contrary, I hope to do a lot of work. But…
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A Big Hawaiian Adventure
Back in 2015 we began a big adventure and started blogging about it, so we could more easily share photos and experiences—both ups and downs—with family, friends, and anyone else who might be interested. In case you’re not a Facebook friend, or haven’t found or followed my Facebook music page, I’d like to share the…
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A Musical Prayer for You
As some of you know, I’ve been working on a contemporary musical setting of the Holy Eucharist mass (that’s “communion worship service,” for my Baptist friends), dedicated to our little St. Barnabas congregation in Chelsea, MI—and our patron saint, of course! We plan to premiere the St. Barnabas Mass on Saturday, June 13, 7:30p, at…
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How Does an INFJ Prepare for a Concert?
Since people at St. B are starting to make fun of me, I thought it was time to address this head on. The stories are beginning to get around of how I send David out of the house so I can practice. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Keep in mind that it’s been over…
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Concert at St. Barnabas on August 18
Yes, folks. You heard me correctly. I’m doing one of those very rare local concerts. So what’s the occasion? It’s the last in St. Barnabas’ “Music and Meaning” summer concert series. I’ll do an evening of contemporary Christian music on Saturday, August 18, at St. Barnabas, Chelsea MI, sharing original songs born from moments when…
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According to Your Word
I’m singing “According to Your Word” tonight at St. Barnabas’ Lessons and Carols service. We’re doing six of the traditional nine lessons in our service, and the third in our line-up is Gabriel’s message to Mary from God, and her response, from Luke, chapter 1. Her answer of simple, total obedience is what the song…
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Were God To Ask
May 19, 2001 • for Davey Photo courtesy of Sara Biljana were God to askby what measure of sweetnessHe should make heaven for meI could only makeone answer—just an ordinary day—with you
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Hello Sun, Goodnight Moon
Description NOTE: Check your favorite music channel to listen to or purchase this album. Last children’s music album by the SongSisters, an Ann Arbor-based singing duo. Although they are still sisters in song, Chris Barton and Julie Austin are now creating music separately from their home bases in Indiana and Florida (and online, of course).…
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The Day Before
November 29, 1989 • for Davey the day before your birthdaywas much like any otherlittle did this country boy realize—working half-heartedly in the orchard,singing songs and dreaming of the city—that soon in that citya new life would arrivethat would change his forever the day before we metwas much like any otherlittle did this bleary-eyed dreamer…
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Stubborn Arms
June 11, 1989 • for Davey Photo [detail] courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the Yorck Project “What foolish, romantic notions”—they looked down and smiledand for years, I nodded my head,chuckled agreeably,while my heart folded stubborn armsand waited and then, you simply appearedas if all those crazy songs and poems are truebetween dances in a summer courtyardin…
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Vampires
March 2, 1989 • for Thomas Photo courtesy of giupuo I bought the book you recommended(though I admit, right then, in that light,any suggestion from those perfect lipswould have made perfect sense to me)I tried to read it—I began—but scarcely the vampire had begun his sad storyand suddenly there were sad songs on the radio—sad…
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I Feel Like Celebrating Your Birthday
February, 1989 • for Tim Photo courtesy of Noël Zia Lee I feel like celebrating your birthdaypopping corks and pouring champagnelighting candlestying a bow around the world you look on in humble protest—too much, you say(you smile a little)much too lavish the attention paidto that insignificant day! not so, not so—you overlookthe effect of that one,…