My birthday

Woot yesterday was my birthday :P
So I am officially old, lol. I have been old since I was ten...
Anyway, I got authentic Australian Cadbury's Black Forest chocolate for my birthday because Fiona scored a heap of it off her friends and family who were visiting as part of the Melbourne staff band or something... And she gave me a block!!! mmmmm chocolate... So yeah.

During the day we went to the Toronto Korean corps youth meeting, which was really good (and they bought us Subway in case we didn't like the Korean food, how nice was that! They didn't have to do that. And the seaweed soup with rice wasn't so bad.) and later we had Soldiers class at the Regent St office. Then we helped with setting up for church, and had church.
I hate all the attention and stuff, so instead of throwing me a party and embarrasing me to death, they had a "gathering" at our house afterwards where we ate brownies and ice cream, then later went through a bunch of books someone was getting rid of, and then someone found a Salvos songbook...

So of course they started an impromptu worship service where they heartily sang (and harmonised quite well, nice work guys!) all their favourite songs including many that I didn't know (not surprising considering my contemporary corps background... ANYWAY) ... They sang Send the Fire, and Dare to be a Daniel (my suggestion) and O Boundless Salvation, and a heap of others... Who was there... Matt, Tim, Greg, Colin, me, Fiona, Grace and sometimes Kathy and Twix (?) and earlier Sherrie, and Tara aaaaannnnnddddd is that it? I can't remember...
I think Grace took photos, so yeah.

So that was seriously pretty sweet. Having a bunch of young people fully doing the whole songbook thing - they really did harmonise well, and they were gorgeous songs. Like when I gatecrashed Regent Hall and they sang this old song unaccompanied (? Or with one piano) THAT was completely AMAZING. Some people have such good voices :) I WISH I remembered the song; it was gorgeous...
I really like alot of contemporary christian music, but last night really made me heaps more impressed with the more "traditional" songs. They are gorgeous when you do them for the sake of singing to God and because they are awesome songs. (and not for the sake of having to do them because it's your tradition). Which is what they are meant to be used for :) And when you are not afraid of using different instruments or tempo etc sometimes to make it more contemporary if you want to. Still keeping the words obviously...