You could at least give me a chance to wake up!

Took a while to wake up this morning after the alarm went off at 0530 so I could trudge through the snow to get the bus. Just as I was climbing out of bed the song ‘It’s all about You, Jesus (aka Jesus Lover of my Soul)’ immediately started playing in my head! It’s by Paul Oakley.

It’s a song I regularly force myself to sing the chorus of to keep me grounded and remember who’s in charge:

It’s all about You, Jesus

And all this is for You

For Your glory and Your fame

It’s not about me as if You should do things my way

You alone are God, and I surrender to Your way’

But this time there was no ‘me forcing myself to sing it’. There it was, right in my head.

Not entirely sure why, but He knows best!

Anatomy of a carol

I really, really love ‘Hark the herald’. A genuinely uplifting hymn that’s probably just as relevant in mid-summer as in the Christmas season – that Wesley chap had a way with theology and words!

Hark the herals angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled”                                     Thank You, Lord, for coming down to reconcile us

Joyful all ye nations rise                                Yes Lord – may ALL the nations rise and join in!

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim

“Christ is born in Bethlehem”

Hark the herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King”

Christ by highest heaven adored                              Yes Lord

Christ the everlasting Lord                                          You are the same, yesterday, today and forever

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a virgin’s womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see                      Hidden by a human form, God with us

Hail the incarnate Deity                                    I hail You and praise You, Lord

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel                                         Praising the Lord like this is an all-year thing!

Hark the herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King”

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace                        Oh that Your peace would come again, Lord

Hail the Son of Righteousness                                       A man inherently right

Light and life to all He brings                                         Thank You, Lord, may it shine bright in me!

Risen with healing in His wings                                      Thank You for healing me, Jesus!

Mild He lays His glory by           Lord You made the earth, but came down to it as a baby in a manger

Born that man no more may die                   Thank You for dying in our place

Born to raise the sons of earth                    

Born to give them second birth                      Thank You for giving us life as we are meant to live it

Hark the herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King”                           Lord I bow before You in wonder and glory

Satisfaction

“And oh how I need You

Jesus, I need You

You are the one who satisfies”

From ‘Nothing in this world’ by Tim Hughes

I’m increasingly finding that when I’m working like a nutter (6 hours Sunday, 15 hours Monday, 16 hours yesterday, a mere 12 today) that the only way I can get through it is by being hooked up to my library of worship songs on my laptop.

I guess it’s normal that I can’t get satisfaction any other way!

This blog

“Such a tiny offering

Compared to Calvary

Nevertheless, I lay it at Your feet”

From ‘God with us’ by Cathy Burton

Father me

A Father’s Day post ( the day after!)

Each Christian will have a different perspective on God the Father. My Mum, for example, who has had a less than straightforward relationship with her parents, has had struggles with the concept. For myself, having lost two fathers (careless, you might suggest!), the fact I have a heavenly Father is deeply comforting.

I grew up with Graham Kendrick songs on the cassette player in our various family cars, so despite the ‘oh he’s sooo yesterday’ approach that many Christians take to his music (forgetting that he brought lively worship to the masses for perhaps the first time in the UK), I often find myself prompted to remember them. I think this was from his ‘Crown Him’ CD:

Father me

Forever You’ll father me

And in Your embrace I’ll be

Forever secure

I love the way You father me

As White…

This category should perhaps be called ‘other people’s songs put onto my heart by the Spirit’…but perhaps that’ll go over the word limit!

A great song by Delirious that I always carry with me – from the same CD as ‘What A Friend I’ve Found’ and ‘History Maker’ (about which I may post in due course)

With You I’m washed as white as the snow

And all crimson stain

Becomes just a shadow

You know I would be blind without You

So light up my way

To find my way home again…

Today, today, today

We’re going all the way

I first bought the CD shortly after breaking up with my first long-standing girlfriend. I’d moved to London to do a work placement and it was like a new start, and a new opportunity to reconnect with the Lord after a period where – to be honest – I was running around like most men do in their early 20s!

I genuinely felt touched, and reassured by the words of the song that – through Jesus – the stain of my actions was being washed away.

It often comes back to me, although it’s tempting to use it as a ‘get out of jail free’ card – I do something stupid and can sing that song to make me feel better!

But the reality is not trivial – it’s a reminder to me of how the Lord came in power and demonstrated that He’s capable of turning my life around at any time, in whatever situation I find myself in.

Whatever life brings

Be it the taste of your childrens’ packed lunch pate on your honey sandwich

Friends’ lives being hit by personal grief or external events entirely beyond their control

Whatever life brings, still I will sing

You are good, You are good, You are good…

At all times I will say ‘You are faithful’ for Your goodness remains and Your love is the same

And no I don’t just listen to Vicky Beeching songs, but they are rather good!

Be bold, be strong

When I visited Campaigner camp (at one of which I became a Christian) one of early songs to emerge as something different from the usual rousing and spiritually meaningful, albeit long and rather dull hymns I was used to was ‘Be Bold, Be Strong’.

I was really struggling last week – people were giving me seriously negative feedback at work, and we had a seemingly insurmountable lot of ‘stuff’ to do before our twins’ 3rd birthday party last Saturday.

Be Bold, Be Strong came into my head, especially:

I am not afraid No! No! No!

I am not dismayed Not Me!

Cos I’m walking in faith and victory, come on and walk in faith and victory

For the Lord your God is with you!!!

Thank you Lord for giving me the strength to go on, despite wanting to jack it all in.