After I left Starehe in April 2007, I joined a wonderful choir of All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi. I learnt numerous hymns while singing in the choir whose members were passionate about hymns. The hymns I learnt have molded me into the person I am today. Okay, I am not that bad!
Today, I have compiled a list of my favorite hymns - the ones I enjoy listening to over and over again because of their beautiful melodies and inspiring lyrics. Sometimes, I can enjoy a hymn so much that I croon it while showering or doing some chores in the house.
Without further ado, here's the list of my favorite hymns so far:
- Father Hear the Prayers We Offer: I first learnt this hymn on a lovely Saturday afternoon in 2007 during a choir practice at All Saints' Cathedral. It touched me so much that I sang it to my family in December 2012. The hymn beseeches God to be our strength in times of weakness, to be our guide in our wanderings, and to always be with us in our endeavors. This is a fantastic hymn, simple though it is.
- The Star-Spangled Banner: This is the national anthem of the United States. (And yes, it is a hymn since it mentions God and has rhyming lines.) I once played it on my piano keyboard to my kid brother Symo who teased me that I was such an unpatriotic citizen for me to love the anthem of another country. Symo's remarks aside, the anthem's tuneful melody and moving lyrics inspire me to trust in God and to be courageous.
- And Can It Be?: I cannot recall when I first heard this marvelous hymn. All I remember is that I came to like it so much that I sang it to a fellow chorister at All Saints' Cathedral on one Saturday afternoon in 2012 or 2013. The chorister corrected me that some of the words I was singing weren't part of the hymn, something I later confirmed was true. All the same, the hymn helped me gain an interest in Jesus Christ.
- 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus: I first heard this simple but powerful hymn in my home church here in Kiserian. It rouses me to trust in Jesus and all He says in the Bible, especially His parables and His Sermon on the Mount. One Sunday morning in 2015, we happened to sing the hymn in my home church. Since I was in a buoyant mood that morning, I belted it out so loudly and enthusiastically that the preacher of the service recognized my voice. During her sermon, she implored me to join the choir.
- Forty Years On: This is one of the two school songs of Starehe Boys' Centre. I had the privilege of accompanying it on the piano during the school's 2006 Founders' Day, so I know it very well. The song has enlightened me that "God gives us duty for us to discharge it, / Problems to face, struggle with and overcome, / Service to render and glory to cover, / Twenty and thirty and forty years on."
- My Faith Looks Up to Thee: This is another hymn that I first heard in my home church here in Kiserian. When my mother heard me play it on my piano keyboard sometime in 2014 or 2015, she sang its first verse from memory. That surprised me because my mother isn't that much educated and it has been many years since she left the school where she learnt the hymn. It seems I inherited my sharp memory and love of hymns from her. Anyway, I like the hymn because of the way it asks God to free us from the guilt that plagues us as we journey through this crazy adventure called life.
- Who is on the Lord's Side?: I cannot recollect when I first heard this phenomenal hymn. But I do recall that when I heard it being sung by my home church choir sometime in 2013, it sounded very familiar to my ears. Later on, I was pleased to find it in a hymnal that my friend Michael Njeru lent me. It's now one of my favorites. I especially like the way it exhorts us to be "right, loyal, noble, true and bold".
- Have You Been to Jesus?: I first heard this hymn in August 2007 at All Saints' Cathedral during the church's mission month. Its melody is sublime, its lyrics, edifying. The hymn attracted me to the gospel of Jesus Christ and it probably explains why I am constantly evaluating my life to get rid of the sins and poor judgements I have exhibited in the past.
- I Want to Walk With Jesus: I first learnt this hymn on one evening in 2010 at All Saints' Cathedral during a choir practice that was being led by my friend Ruth Wangire. Imagine Ruth asked me to accompany the choir on the piano without me having ever heard the hymn before. I was totally clueless as I tried to guide the choir on how it should have been sung. But after that choir session, the hymn became one of my favorites. It encourages me take Jesus into working partnership in all my problems and activities.
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NEW! NEW! NEW! If you missed my social media update two days ago, let me take this opportunity to inform you that I have produced a new hymn that is available in the videos' section of this blog. Just click on the "videos" link on the menu at the top of this blog to access the hymn.
