A song dedicated to bring about peace in our troubled world.
We can make a difference.
Please pray for peace in Ukraine.



You and Me, Words and Music by Rene A

We can bring back hope and love
And then we shall see face to face
Love will never fail
You and Me, anew
Hope will lead us through
You and Me
We now, can be made complete
His love and peace will flourish in our hearts
Breastplate of faith and love
You and Me, anew
Helmet of salvation
For You and Me
REFRAIN
You and me we have been called
So we might go and bear much fruit
Fruit that will last
Hope and Love
He called us by our names
You and Me
We can fervently love
We will walk by faith, and not by sight F
or with Him, loving kindness
You and Me, anew
And with Him, redemption
For You and Me
Love another as He did love you
If we speak, but no love in our hearts
We become just gongs, a noisy clanging cymbals
Let’s bring back hope and love
You and Me 

https://youtu.be/xauVM6zXI80

Responsorial Psalm 39(40):7-11

Here I am, Lord! I come to do Your will.

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.

Here I am, Lord! I come to do Your will.

In the scroll of the book it stands written
that I should do Your will.
My God, I delight in Your law
in the depth of my heart.

Here I am, Lord! I come to do Your will.

Responsorial Psalm 102(103):1-4,6-8,11

The Lord is compassion and love.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless His holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all His blessings.

The Lord is compassion and love.

It is He who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion,

The Lord is compassion and love.

The Lord does deeds of justice,
gives judgement for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses
and His deeds to Israel’s sons.

The Lord is compassion and love.

The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is His love for those who fear Him.

The Lord is compassion and love.

Responsorial psalm lyrics taken from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The music for the psalm is an original OLOR composition.

Sing Psalms to the Lord podcast can be listened to here: https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/sing-psalms-to-the-lord

Sing Psalms to the Lord YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELS1iG5t0qjs20JFugwdeQ

Music by the Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church, Verdun, St. John, Barbados.

Music (c) 2022 Michelle A. Sambrano. All rights reserved.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/DXHHASKE784

Responsorial Psalm 88(89):2-5,27,29

His dynasty shall last for ever.

I will sing for ever of Your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim Your truth.
Of this I am sure, that Your love lasts for ever,
that Your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

His dynasty shall last for ever.

‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
 I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your dynasty for ever
 and set up your throne through all ages.

His dynasty shall last for ever.

‘He will say to me: “You are my father,
 my God, the rock who saves me.”
I will keep my love for him always;
 with him my covenant shall last.’

His dynasty shall last for ever.

Responsorial psalm lyrics taken from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The music for the psalm is an original OLOR composition.

Sing Psalms to the Lord podcast can be listened to here: https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/sing-psalms-to-the-lord

Sing Psalms to the Lord YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELS1iG5t0qjs20JFugwdeQ

Music by the Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church, Verdun, St. John, Barbados.

Music (c) 2022 Michelle A. Sambrano. All rights reserved.

Note from editor Richard Schletty: Tom Mohr has been in leadership roles almost continuously since 1980. Today, he coaches technology company CEOs. Tom is the author of five books on leadership: Scaling the Revenue Engine, People Design, Funding & Exits, The Fit Systems Enterprise and The Four-Way Fit. Tom's "Rising Leader Series" includes reflections on faith and leadership, coupled with recordings of his own original songs of faith. Read Tom's bio here. Below is an excerpt from Tom's latest group mailing.

---

Rising Leader Series: Week 12 - Truth Telling

Song for March. Listen => Love You More (on the reach of Jesus’ love for us)

At eight years old, on the morning of my mother’s suicide, after my father had sat me down on the couch to shatter my world, while our church minister and a couple of police officers shuffled around talking to Dad in our living room, I gathered my six-year old sister and four-year old brother together. I found my little Bible, not much larger than a wallet, and opened it up, and just started to read. We were all crying. It was one of my last acts of unquestioned faith for fifteen years.

I grew up. I carried around a dark shadow of anger and guilt. Could I have been a better child? Would that have made a difference? Three years after Mom’s death Dad remarried. I became part of a Brady Bunch family, three joining three; a new Mom; a sister nine days older than me; two brothers two months apart; two Debbie’s in the family. Wounded soldiers we were. Against all odds we emerged into a genuinely loving family– and are still one to this day.

As I headed off into adulthood, I was nonetheless weighed down by a lot of unresolved baggage. Mom’s years of rising mental illness and eventual death continued to carom across time like a tumbling boulder, slamming and slamming into the tender parts of my soul. As a preteen, teenager and young adult, I acted out. I was selfish, and in that selfishness hurt others. I didn’t let anyone get close to my heart. I chased experiences. I severed any connection with God.

And then in darkness, driving back home one evening through a torrential rainstorm to a post-college townhouse shared with friends outside of Miami, a feeling of great dread descended upon me. As I pulled into the parking lot and climbed out of my car, I was struck by a bolt of lightning. Literally. I came to, lying in a puddle of water, heart beating faster than a drumroll. The shock to my system scared me. Something dislodged. I realized I was lost. I realized I was in mourning– not just for my lost mother, but also for my lost God. This event was a truth moment– the starting point for a long, winding, multi-year journey back to Jesus. 

Jesus comes to us first in love, but then in truth. We all have sinned. Obsessions and compulsions can all too easily take control of the steering wheel. As I said in my first letter to you, all people and things are connected in love. We sin when we violate those connections in one way or another. This puts us into a soul-tangle, like a fly caught in a spiderweb, there to remain until we come to terms with what we have done. When at long last we turn to Him, Jesus brings truth to us– or perhaps better said, He brings us to the truth. He reaches out and takes our hand, offers a reassuring smile, and leads us into the dark shadows of our souls– there to confront that hidden truth. Only once we confront our sins can we descend into the humility of sorrow so necessary for healing. We fall to our knees, we suffer through tears of shame and regret, and then we look up. There before us stands Jesus, the One who was always there and who always will be, eyes shimmering with love.

Life with Jesus is a journey back to our original goodness. He teaches, footstep by footstep. He calls us from depth to depth– first to confront our big sin boulders, but then to detect and address the less obvious rocks and pebbles– the patterns of self-centeredness, prejudice and pride that lurk in our souls. He teaches us not to fear the truth, but rather to acknowledge it– while still loving ourselves. It’s humbling to face our transgressions. Humility is good, insofar as it is paired with self-love. We get there when we remember that Jesus loves us with a passion beyond understanding, just as we are. He went to the cross to prove it. Knowing we are loved that much by Jesus helps us love ourselves. And so Jesus carries us forward, from love through truth to grace. Next week, we will explore grace– the third step in the journey towards joy.

Rising leader, you are called to live in authenticity and truth. Your followers deserve no less. It takes courage to see things as they really are. Lao Tzu once said, “Truth lies waiting for eyes unclouded by longing.” In your daily time with Jesus, you chip away at the self-made walls that separate you from truth. Jesus puts you in touch with yourself first, and then with others. The more in touch you are with yourself– with your tendencies towards sin, with the tender spots in your soul, with your attitudes and even biases– the more capable you are of self-regulating, apologizing and course-correcting.

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” --Mark 8:34

Next week, we will ponder the awesome gift of Jesus’ grace. Yours in servant leadership,

Tom

(For past letters and songs go to: TomMohr.com. To add people to the mailing list, click here.)

P.S.: This is the second of three poems exploring Jesus’ impact on leaders He met. It is so easy to get stuck in a soul trap. How to get out? It takes an encounter with love and truth– an encounter with Jesus.

FIRST LOVE, THEN TRUTH

The tax collect cheat, Zacchaeus the short,
Caught sight of visitor, crowd forming ‘round.
Up tree he scampered to see, hear, report;
then something observed seized... struck him spellbound.

Jesus (the visitor) called as He passed:
“Zacchaeus, come here! Together let’s dine.”
In scrambling down to prep the repast,
Corrupt civil servant met Love Divine.

They met by the tree, then met eye to eye,
then met at the knock of his soul’s closed door.
“I’m a cheat!” he blurted. “I stole!” he cried.
“To each defrauded I’ll return– times four!”

Praise the change that befalls when, gripped in sin,
Finally we stoop to let Christ’s love-truth in.
 

If you would like to add a person to the list to receive these letters, click here.

Previous Week's Letters: 

Week 1: A Time for Leadership

Week 2: Regaining Connectedness

Week 3: With Goodness in Your Heart

Week 4: Pluralism

Week 5: Connected in Time

Week 6: Leadership and the Holy Spirit

Week 7: Pursuing Piety

Week 8: Healing Waters

Week 9: Anointed by the Spirit

Week 10: The Jesus Journey

Week 11: The Love Way

 

ABOUT THE RISING LEADER SERIES – LETTERS & SONGS

The world is in deep hunger. Humanity desperately needs strong Christian leaders to step forward. As our planet, democracy, communities, neighborhoods, churches and families fall into crisis, Jesus searches for servant leaders who will respond. Will we heed Jesus’ call? Will good Christian leaders rise up and stand in the gap? As Fredrick Buechner once said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

As a 66 year old baby boomer, I feel our generation bears responsibility for much of the shallowness and selfishness that defines our age. Boomers must begin to follow or step aside; Gen Xers must make room. The time has come for the next generation of leaders to rise. 

I’ve been privileged to spend a lot of time with rising leaders, in part through my advisory work with technology company CEOs. In fact, I’ve written five books on the subject of leadership. I’m convinced Jesus calls out now to this new generation of leaders. But first, He requires preparation-- to do the interior work necessary to become His hands and feet in the world. 

This is why I have decided to launch The Rising Leader Series. In these weekly letters and monthly songs, I will call out to leaders to first bring their hearts to God and then their gifts to a hurting world. 

NOTE: This Rising Leader Series is not intended as a profit-making venture. I share it as a challenge to leaders to open themselves, by God’s love, to transformation into servant leaders ready to stand in the gap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-TEaZ2n3_M

Responsorial Psalm 138(139):1-3,7-10,13-14

If I dwell at the sea’s furthest end, even there You watch over me.

O Lord, You search me and You know me,
You know my resting and my rising,
You discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to You.

If I dwell at the sea’s furthest end, even there You watch over me.

O where can I go from Your spirit,
or where can I flee from Your face?
If I climb the heavens, You are there.
If I lie in the grave, You are there.

If I dwell at the sea’s furthest end, even there You watch over me.

If I take the wings of the dawn
and dwell at the sea’s furthest end,
even there Your hand would lead me,
Your right hand would hold me fast.

If I dwell at the sea’s furthest end, even there You watch over me.

For it was You who created my being,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank You for the wonder of my being,
for the wonders of all Your creation.

If I dwell at the sea’s furthest end, even there You watch over me.

Responsorial psalm lyrics taken from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The music for the psalm is an original OLOR composition.

Sing Psalms to the Lord podcast can be listened to here: https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/sing-psalms-to-the-lord

Sing Psalms to the Lord YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELS1iG5t0qjs20JFugwdeQ

Music by the Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church, Verdun, St. John, Barbados.

Music (c) 2022 Michelle A. Sambrano. All rights reserved.

"The Way You Look Tonight" is a song from the film Swing Time that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields.

It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.

Pray for Peace! Love and Hope to all peoples.

Recorded with my new DAW UAD Volt 2/76.
Hope you like it!

https://youtu.be/fiM_-022yW8

Stormy, by Dennis Yost and the Classics IV, 1967

The band, founded by Dennis Yost, is known mainly for the hits "Spooky," "Stormy," and "Traces," released 1967 to 1969, which have become cover standards. I love these songs, truly classics from the sixties.

Stormy weather for a lot of people around the world.

Pray for Peace in Ukraine!

Respectfully asking permission to post this video.

https://youtu.be/0MevOuzNhZE

Enjoy the Voice of Comfort with John Bauer of Bethlehem, Pa. at www.johnbauer.com

My life in sharing Catholic Christian Music has been one of Simplicity and Sincerity.  Recently I compiled nearly 58 songs/hymns that I recorded over the last 20+ years which are now available exclusively thru my website. While still sharing the Gift of Music at select Independent, Assisted Living, and Alzheimer's Resident homes, here in our Lehigh Valley area and beyond, there remains in my heart a most fond memory of visiting the St. Joseph-in-the-Hills Retreat Home in Malvern, Pa., as their guest soloist for their Saturday evening programming...
 

Responsorial Psalm 26(27):1,7-9,13-14 for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, Year C

The Lord is my light and my help.

The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?

The Lord is my light and my help.

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;
have mercy and answer.
Of you my heart has spoken:
‘Seek His face.’

The Lord is my light and my help.

It is Your face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not Your face.
Dismiss not Your servant in anger;
You have been my help.

The Lord is my light and my help.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in Him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help.

Responsorial psalm lyrics and Entrance Antiphon taken from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

The music for the psalm is an original OLOR composition.

 

Sing Psalms to the Lord YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELS1iG5t0qjs20JFugwdeQ

 

Music by the Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church, Verdun, St. John, Barbados.

 

Music (c) 2022 Michelle A. Sambrano. All rights reserved.

 

Please feel free to each out to us at singpsalmstothelord@gmail.com

ERETZ YISRAEL Sound and music of the Holy Land.

A song about the Holy Land, a bit of history, and a bit of His word.
And yes, conflict and struggle is a way of life in the region.
Peace, and going to the Promise Land, our journey's destination.

Pray for peace in our world!

*********************************
The Promised Land, Words and Music by Rene A
Oh… Eretz Yisrael
From Dan to Beersheba
A covenant to Abraham’s descendants
The Promised Land

Destiny, hope, and redemption
The struggle to escape slavery and darkness
For King to shout “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”
Give glory to His coming

Holy land
Promise land
Conflict and peace, a journey of life.

No Jew nor Gentile
Neither slave nor free
Neither male nor female
For you are all one in Christ

https://youtu.be/Lfw5vIn_L1w

 

An offering for Peace in Ukraine.
For the safety of all Ukrainian people.
We need peace more than ever in our world!
Pray for Ukraine!

I would like to hear your feedback and comments.
Thank you for your time and expertise.

https://youtu.be/QQ1G3LtQaB4
 

Winnie the Pooh
by Kenny Loggins

I am releasing this song my lovely daughter beautifully sang, as an offering for peace and safety of Ukrainian people all around the world.  

I can still remember her singing this same song when she was a little girl, as she would hear me and my wife sing this tune together.
Hope we can turn back time and just enjoy the good times.

https://youtu.be/aRQ3d56H_00

Responsorial Psalm 90(91):1-2,10-15

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has He commanded His angels,
to keep you in all your ways.

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

They shall bear you upon their hands
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread
and trample the young lion and the dragon.

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

His love he set on Me, so I will rescue him;
protect him for he knows My name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you,’
I will save him in distress and give him glory.

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

Responsorial psalm lyrics taken from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The music for the psalm is an original OLOR composition.

Sing Psalms to the Lord YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELS1iG5t0qjs20JFugwdeQ

Music by the Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church, Verdun, St. John, Barbados.

Music (c) 2022 Michelle A. Sambrano. All rights reserved.

Inspired by our trip to the Holy Land, 13FEB to 24FEB2022, with Father Mel Strazizich of St Mary Anacortes WA and Father Thomas Tran of St. Michaels Olympia WA.

We are so blessed to have visited Israel and the Holy Land, and all of its beauty and grandeur and history, all to ourselves. We were the first Holy Land pilgrims after 2 years of close-down due to the pandemic.

This hymn is dedicated to the Ukrainian people and for peace in our world.

Holy Mary Mother of God, Pray for Us!!!

Original Composition by Rene A, 4March2022.

https://youtu.be/RIQyOjoqsGY

Responsorial Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, in Your kindness.
In Your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against You, You alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in Your sight I have done.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
nor deprive me of Your holy spirit.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me again the joy of Your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare Your praise.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Responsorial psalm lyrics taken from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The music for the psalm is an original OLOR composition.

Sing Psalms to the Lord YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELS1iG5t0qjs20JFugwdeQ

Music by the Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church, Verdun, St. John, Barbados.

Music (c) 2019 Michelle A. Sambrano. All rights reserved.

SALVE REGINA COELITUM Choralmelodien zum Helligen Gesänge, 1808
Hail, Holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria.
Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim, Heaven and earth resound the hymn: Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Our life, our sweetness, here below, O Maria!
Our hope in sorrow and in woe, O Maria!
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim, Heaven and earth resound the hymn: Salve, salve, salve Regina!

To thee we cry, poor sons of Eve, O Maria!
To thee we sigh, we mourn, we grieve, O Maria!
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim, Heaven and earth resound the hymn: Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Turn then most gracious Advocate, O Maria!
Toward us thine eyes compassionate, O Maria!
Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim, Heaven and earth resound the hymn: Salve, salve, salve Regina!

The cause of joy to men below, O Maria!
The spring through which all graces flow, O Maria! Angels, all your praises bring, Earth and heaven, with us sing, All creation echoing: Salve, salve, salve Regina!

https://youtu.be/qm6MbxjKNx4

All My Life is from the album Silent Letter, the eighth studio album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in June 1979.

America is one of my favorite band, growing up with this wonderful duo.  I literally grew up with America songs, and would like to dedicate this song to all my co-pilgrims to the Holy Land in Israel.  A once in a lifetime visit to Jesus' land.  We are so fortunate to have visited this beautiful and historic place, and so blessed to have the Holy sites to ourselves as Israel just recently opened their borders to the pildgrims of the world.

Alleluia!!!

https://youtu.be/Mtsv3FmV8dg

Original song by Color, music composed for the Prayer to St Michael. 

 

Responsorial Psalm 91(92):2-3,13-16

It is good to give You thanks, O Lord.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to make music to You name, O Most High,
to proclaim Your love in the morning
and Your truth in the watches of the night.

It is good to give You thanks, O Lord.

The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.

It is good to give You thanks, O Lord.

Planted in the house of the Lord
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
In Him, my rock, there is no wrong.

It is good to give You thanks, O Lord.

Responsorial psalm lyrics taken from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The music for the psalm is an original OLOR composition.

Sing Psalms to the Lord YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELS1iG5t0qjs20JFugwdeQ

Chord sheets can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j3rof7YqSTWy0chLbkw8LHI1wP5LaHmH?usp=sharing

Music by the Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church, Verdun, St. John, Barbados.

Music (c) 2021 Michelle A. Sambrano. All rights reserved.