Pastor Ador (tribute song)

Words and music by Gendo
Copyright © 2005


You nurtured me, in His word
Surrounded me, with real love
That I felt our Father's love
Through you, our father dear

You taught me how to stand on my feet
You showed me the real faith
That led me to know my Jesus
Who's the Lord of all of my life

Refrain:
Soon my time will pass
My story won't last
I will be an old man
And soon I will be gone
But I'll be forever grateful
Pastor Ador

Someday, somewhere
We will see each other again
In the presence of our glorious Lord
When you'll receive all your rewards
Someday, somewhere,
We will meet each other again
In the presence our glorious Lord
When we'll receive all our rewards


Losing his father must be the hardest trial Gendo has ever faced so far. But amidst this trial, the Lord was filling his heart with unspeakable joy by showing him how good his father was to them. The sadness was overcomed by thoughts of thankfulness that later became the words of this song. But Gendo would often say that "I have been working on the words of this song as poem, even before my father passed away. The sadness of his passing inspired its melody." The song indeed is sad in its melody. This was first played as background music of his father's photo slideshow on the first death anniversary in 2006

Tanaw

Copyright © 2005

Natatanaw ko na ang langit na bayan

Sa may di kalayuan kumikinang

Natatanaw ko na ang bagong umaga

Na ang lumang mundo ay lumipas na.

KORO:

Di na magtatagal at ako'y paroroon

Lahat ng luha sa mata'y mawawala

Wala ng kasing inam

Wala ng kasing inam

Magpakailanpaman si Kristo'y kasama.

Natatanaw ko na ang, ang pagdating Niya

Na dun sa alapaap ako ay kukunin Niya

Natatanaw ko na ang bagong umaga

Na ang lumang mundo ay lumipas na.

       It was one afternoon of August 2005 when Gendo was on the piano working on a tune he thought could be another song on the rise. It was also a time that he was indulging in the study of eschatology (the series of  future events foretold in the Bible), a topic that he loves so much, making him look towards the future with an intense anticipation of Christ's second coming. 

      As he was working on the progression of the chords, the words that seem to fit perfectly on the tune slowly spawned.  Tanaw, is a Tagalog word of foresight. The first line of the lyrics is translated as, "I can foresee now, the heavenly city..."

       During that song writing moment, Gendo's late father was taking his afternoon nap on the living room's floor carpet. So little did he knew that the song he was writing, aside from its obvious message about the second coming, was also a premonition in the making. Apparently, Gendo's father died two months later that year. "I never thought that the song I was writing was actually like, his song." referring to his father.

        It's the reason why Tanaw, is one of Gendo's most memorable song. His father actually had a chance to listen to it as he sang it in church in the same month.

        This is one song he may want to include if ever he could record his first album.

Magagawa Ko Ba?

Copyright © 2003

Magagawa ko bang mamuhay pa sa kamunduhan

Magagawa ko bang talikdan ang 'Yong kalooban

Gayong lahat sa akin ay sa'Yo rin nagmula

Magagawa ko bang Ika'y limutin pa?

Magagawa ko bang limutin ang 'Yong kabutihan

 Sasayangin lang ang buhay Mong sa'ki'y inilaan

Upang ako sa putik ay iahon Mong muli

Buhay kong taglay sa'Yo iaalay.

KORO:

Magpakailanpaman, Dios sa'Yo ilalaan

Ang buhay ko't kalakasan

Pag'kat sa'Yo lamang

Aking natagpuan

Pag-ibig na walang hanggan.

Magmula ng maranasan ang 'Yong kabutihan

O Dios sa buhay ko'y biyaya mo'y walang hanggan

Aawitan Ka mula ngayon kailanpaman

Buhay kong taglay sa'Yo iaalay

     Gendo was driving around his town in 2003 when the first line of this song played over and over again inside his head. He started singing it aloud like most of us drivers would do whenever we are driving alone in our car, just not to lose the tune til he gets home and work on finishing the song. As soon as he got home, he picked up his guitar, and Magagawa Ko Ba was born. He first sang it in church on the first Sunday that passed after its creation.

      The lyrics first came to his mind after seeing some of his former companions while he was driving around. Them tempting him to go back and do wild things again. He refused and left them, something he just can't do three years ago from 2003, he drove away asking himself the questions which are exactly the lyrics of this song. It's a song that tells us, he cannot afford to turn his back from the Lord after all He has done for him.

Reminded

Copyright © 2004

Every morning when I see a rainbow in the sky

Just before the early rain would shower the land

What a world, that reminds me of Your grace to me

Every morning I can feel Your warm embrace

Every time I see the sun kissing the leaves

What a world, that reminds me of Your love to me

What a world, that reminds me of Your love and grace to me.

       Written on mid 2004, Reminded is the shortest  lyric song Gendo has ever written. Listening to its lyrics is like waking up early on a  fragrant new day where the dew are still on the earth's green vegetation and the suns rays are piercing through some early rain clouds just over that luscious mountain making the stream below to glitter like crystal glass.

       With a slow melody similar to that of a psalm, it was originally recorded with only the piano as accompaniment. Despite its short lyrics, its piano arrangement and vocal strokes will let you peep through Gendo's soul that has a fountain of adoration bursting inside it. "I think Reminded has a unique sense of spirituality that takes a person to a new appreciation of God's beautiful masterpieces." -Gendo

The Blooming Child Hymn

Copyright © 2001

Paligid ay makulay 

Punong-puno ng buhay

Kamangha-manghang tanawin

Kay gandang pagmasdan, sila'y nagpapatunay

Na ang Dios ang may likha sa atin

Dito sa'ming eskwela 

Pag-ibig Niya'y nakita

Nagbigay pag-asa sa amin

Hanggang sa'ming paglaki hatid nami'y papuri

Sa Dios, na may likha sa atin

Sa Dios, na may likha sa atin

KORO:

At sa aming paglaki kinabukasan ay makakamtam

Ang mga pangarap namin ay mararating

At sa aming paglaki ay sisikapin ding paglingkuran

Ang Panginoon at ang ating bayan.

Lalalalala lalalalalala

lalalalalalalala

Hanggang sa'ming paglaki

Hatid nami'y papuri

Sa Dios na may likha sa atin

Sa Dios na may likha sa atin

Bridge:

Pagka't kami'y the blooming child

Ang pag-asa'y nagmula

Tanglaw namin ay the blooming child

Tanglaw namin ay the blooming child

       

       Gendo's former pre-school teacher came to him one afternoon in 2001 and said she wanted her newly opened children's school to have it's own hymn that will be featured on the schools moving-up ceremony which happens to be in less than a month from then. Not willing to disappoint his former teacher, he committed on the challenge.

        None of the songs he writes that Gendo credits to himself. He always gives the credit to the Lord who always gives him every song that he writes. So, after praying hard for the inspiration and isolating himself  from the normal routine for three days with just the guitar and his writing pad, the melody first came and the words immediately followed. 

        The next challenge followed, which is recording the song as a reference for the children. But the songs anointing seems to cover even this far. He had his cousin JK who was then a ten year old kid who immediately internalized the song and was able to sing it decently in less than 30 minutes. So they went to the studio and the rest was history.

Our Praise

Copyright © 2004

You are so amazing

You are so great

In the heavens and on the earth

There is none like You

You are so beautiful

And wonderful indeed

Our words are not enough

To extend our praise

So we gather here before You

To make a joyful noise

We want to lift our voices

To praise Your holy name.

CHORUS:

Hallelujah

(We praise you Lord and)

Hallelujah

We were once so hopeless

Lost and tired in sin

But You have sent Your Son

To show Your grace

You offered Your forgiveness

To give us life no end

Oh such love that we can't comprehend

So we gather here before You

To make a joyful noise

We want to lift our voices

To praise you our God and King.

    

      When you come to the experience of the revelation of God, that's the time you have proven without doubt His existence and who He really was, and who He really is, is probably the most thrilling and most humbling experience anyone could ever have. One immediate response is to utter words of praise and adoration to Him. But another is to write those words in a more poetic way as to adding melody till it becomes a song.

       But the more you try to attach words to accurately describe the greatness of the Lord, the more you will run out of the right superlatives due to his being indescribable. That's what actually happened in the making of Our Praise. It was one Sunday afternoon in 2004 when Gendo was practicing music with the church youth that this song first came to existence. The verses and the melody were finished but except for the words of the chorus. Everybody was having a hard time working for the perfect words in the chorus until France Calagui sang to the top of his lungs, his own version of hallelujah on the chorus. That's it. Our Praise was finished with only hallelujah on the chorus. But listening to it is like realizing that the word and the melody were destined to be together forever.

Love Such Love

Copyright © 2004

Love such love

That I just don't understand

That a God so great would ever love a fool like me

I was once a rebel, a sinner I'm not free

But God became a man like me

Just to die on Calvary.

Free, I'm free

From sin and misery

He gave me life, eternal life to live

I was so unworthy

A sinner so un-free

But God became a man like me

Just to die and set me free.

Bridge:

Now I have found all the reason

And I'm so happy as can be

I only want to serve Him until I die

Love, such love

That I just don't understand

That a God so great would ever love a fool like me

I was once a rebel, a sinner I'm not free

But God became a man like me

just to die on Calvary

God became a man like me

Just to die and set me free

Jesus came and died for me

Just to save me and set me free.

      If not for France Calagui requesting Gendo to compose a song he could sing for Sunday, in 2004 this song would have not come to existence. It was timing that Gendo was about to celebrate his 24th birthday during that week and he thought he wanted to give something to the Lord in return for what He has done in his life. 

      1997-2000 was the darkest chapter of his life. It was what he considered to be a blackhole of no return. A quicksand, a dark and horrible pit where there is no more getting out.  It started with his rebellion against his parents for having a very strict Christian standard at home that led to rock music, wrong companions and all sorts of dirty activities including substance abuse and sex.

      The end of year 2000 was a dawning of a new day for him. God met him and took him out of his blackhole and began renewing his heart; and removed the spirit of rebellion from him and started to assist his late father in the ministry. 

       Just before his tears started to fall from his eyes as the Lord was reminding him of His miracle, the first verse of this song has already been written down on his paper. He picked up his guitar and finished the song the  same day before his birthday.