Count Your Blessings

4

This morning I decided to find a version of “Count Your Blessings,” a gospel song written in 1897 by Johnson Oatman and published in a collection called Songs for Young People. As I perused YouTube and GodTube, I found several other songs by the same name, including the one made famous by Bing Crosby that includes the famous line, “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.” That’s a totally different song–but well worth a listen.

This particular version of the gospel song was recorded by the International Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army during a 2007 concert in Sweden. It’s hard not to smile and clap and sing along with this rollicking, uplifting presentation. In case you don’t know the words to the song, you can find them here. 

I love it when the director turns around and starts clapping along with the music. And those women on the piano do a little ragtime between verses. If this video doesn’t get you going on the day before Thanksgiving, I don’t know what will. Those Salvation Army folks really know how to play and sing with heart and soul. I think William Booth, their founder, would like this. I know I do. 

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Visitor Comments:

November 26, 2008, 1:08 PM judyshub says:
	Right on, Ray! It seemed to me that the pianist wearing glasses could hardly contain herself - she was lovin’ it! Happy T’day!
November 26, 2008, 1:17 PM Olie says:
	Smiled and sang along all the way through! Great song to keep on our lips during these trying times...God is faithful!!!
November 27, 2008, 7:02 AM Patrick sullivan says:
British / Australian . Retired Pastor. Hospital Chaplain. Creator and Webmaster of www.jesuschristonly.com	What a great vidio thanks Ray. From your friends in Australia we send a happy Thanksgiving to you and yours Ray, and to all you good folks in America. God Bless. Pat
January 10, 2009, 9:52 AM Hyoung-Kab Kim (in Salvation A says:
	To whom it may concern, By way of introduction, my name is Hyoung-Kab Kim, the missionary sergeant major and the conductor of Jinju Salvation Army Songsters- Korean Territory. I came to see to your music, “Count Your Blessings” . Undoubtedly, it was an excellent music and the praise deeply touched my heart. Our Corp also has 35 members of band and 25 members of songsters. If available, I would like to obtain a musical note or a full score of “Count Your Blessings” etc.” during a 2007 concert in Sweden” for our choir and band members. Wishing your songsters God’s enduring blessing, I look forward to your feedback on this. Thank you very much. Further to my e-mail below, I would like to make sure that the musical note I want is the one in which the band and the songsters perform altogether. The note only for choir or band can be easily obtained here in Korea, but the full score for band and choir together is hard to come by. Hence, I would like to request for your help on this. Your prompt reply will be highly appreciated. Thank you. Best regards, Hyoung-Kab Kim Missionary Sgt Major, Salvation Army Jinju Corp. Professor (Ph.D.) Department of Environmental Engineering Jinju National University, Jinju 660-758, Korea Tel. 82-55-751- 3342, Fax. 82-55-751-3484 E-mail: hgkim@jinju.ac.kr