I don’t remember the first song I sang when I was a kid, and I doubt if my parents would still remember. As for my kids, Grace’s first songs  were both “ABC” and the “Barney’s Song: I Love You“. That’s right, she knew both song, sang it loud and proud.  Songs are pretty easy for Grace to remember, and she sings some Vietnamese children song as well.  Quite the opposite for Benjamin, words and English vocab doesn’t quite stick with him.  He knows them, but he doesn’t say it back. When he was younger, Thao usually sang to him a Vietnamese lullaby and he remembered it.

You start singing and he can sing the next words for you, but he doesn’t sing the song. His babysit lady is from Hue, a central region of Vietnam, and she speaks with thick central-region accent. Ben also now has some Vietnamese central accent when he talks. It’s quite funny. The other day he went home from daycare and sang first line of  ”Ai Ra Xu Hue” (a well-known song about that central region) and we had quite a laugh.

Today mark a milestone for him as he can sing his first English song, “Happy Birthday to you!”  ”ABC” didn’t quite work out. Too many letters.

It sort of becomes a church tradition that we celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in the park.  Within the past few years, we have been to most of the public parks in Colorado Springs. This year, we celebrated the Father’s Day in the America the Beautiful Park, which we haven’t been to before. What makes this park special is its water fountain, which has a structural O-shape that spins around and a water wall showers down from it. I don’t know the significance symbolic meaning of it but it looks cool nonetheless.  I was a little surprised to see the water fountain was running. I heard due to state budget cutback, the water fountain was going to be out of service for the summer, but apparently some lady donated money to keep it running.

There was only one pavilion in the park, and we reserved it for the service. We began service around 10:30AM. My brother, Bao lead the program and he did a great job. There were several tributes, poems, and thoughts dedicates to Fathers besides the message from our pastor.  Bao also shared his very emotional testimony, about how much love Dad has treated him that has much to do in turning his life around. I’m very glad to see the transformation God did in his life. It’s truly made possible by God, but no doubt with countless of prayers and love from Mom and Dad.

A highlight of the event for me was a chance to sing with Grace, my daughter. Actually, it wasn’t planned. Earlier in the week, I wanted to sing the song “Your Favorite Name is Father” by Newsong, but I haven’t be able to play the guitar for the song yet. Fortunately, I found a sheet music for it, and started practice on Saturday. Grace heard me sang it couple times when I was practicing. On Sunday morning, when we were on the way to the park, I was singing and hear Grace was singing along the chorus part.  So I then asked her to sing with me.  She echoed what I  sang in the verse, and sang the chorus together with me. I think she did beautifully. It is such a wonderful song and meaningful lyric, but it has become even more meaningful when Grace sang it with me.

If you are unfamiliar with the song, check it out on this YouTube video.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

With many tributes and messages from the Fathers, our program stretched a bit passed 12:30pm. After presenting gifts for all the Fathers, we ended our service with closing prayer. I was very hungry, but fortunately, the  ladies in the church had already prepared wonderful lunch for us, readily in boxes.  Don’t they look awesome? There were several dessert dishes too, but I was too busy eating and forgot to take  pictures.

After lunch, we took several group pictures, hang around a bit. Many people came to the park now, and it just got way warmer.  We brought volleybal net but apparently they don’t allow us to set it up the field, so we decided to play volleyball in a different park where we used to play.  We cleaned up and headed home.

We and couple friends just hung out, watched soccer game, and the pictures from Linh and Peter’s Vietnam trip, then played some board game.  My sisters, Linh and Nguyen, prepared the chicken wings and steaks. We had a sit-down BBQ for dinner, in the backyard, and it was great. Lots of fun and foods.

Around 8:30pm, we head to the park and played some volleyball until 11:00pm. Ah, not to be surprised but we play volleyball this late all the time, after church service, every summer. That concludes a long, eventful, and memorable Father’s Day for me.

See all Father’s Day  pictures here and here

Psalm 40:3 said:

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

I read this verse before, but never thought much about it. I enjoy singing songs that other people wrote, or might translate to my native Vietnamese language if I really like the song. I have never thought that I would be writing a new song on my own.  But then, that is what amazing about how God works, and what He could do in our live if we allow Him. We need to expect the unexpected. When I asked God for the abiliby to learn and play guitar for worship, He granted it.  I am now still learning and developing the ability to play some worship songs. Moreover, God has given me another gift that I have not asked.

At the weekly Prayer Meeting last week, we were reading the scripture in Psalm 25,

Show me your ways, O LORD,
       teach me your paths;

 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
       for you are God my Savior,
       and my hope is in you all day long.

 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
       for they are from of old.

 Remember not the sins of my youth 
       and my rebellious ways;
       according to your love remember me,
       for you are good, O LORD.

As the pastor was sharing the message, God placed a melody in my head from these verses. It was in that quiet morning, my heart was calm and seeking out to God, a melody was playing in my head. I was humming along. Then  I started doubting that  I might have being influenced by other songs I might have heard before, but I could not identify where it would come from. I thought to myself, I need to write this melody down, sing it,  and ask others if they have heard it before.  But regardless where it comes from, it was a new song (to me) that God has put in me to sing for Him…   Now about the writing down the melody. The problem is that I don’t know much of music theory, and have never written a single note of music.  So I don’t even know where to start or what notes of these melody would be in the music sheet. I’m sure God will show it to me somehow.

I need your help!! If you have heard a song singing from these verses, please let me know.  Meanwhile, I will try to best to record the melody to show you. I will post it as soon as I get around to it.

Remember King Salomon? He  asked God for wisdom, and it was so pleasing to God that He granted King Salomon not just wisdom but the greatest wisdom and all other things he has not asked.

“Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.  Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”  (1 King 3:10-12)

O how generous is our God!!!  He never gives just-enough, but always overflowingly.   So what have you asked God today? Has He ever put a new song in your mouth?