Lyrical Riffs

Thank you Lord that we can be honest with you, That we don’t have to wear the masks we feel we must wear in life. Thank you that nothing will … Read on →

We like to think we know, Like to claim we have it all worked out, Tidy, measured, quantified, sorted. But the invitation is to follow, to make a start. Not … Read on →

Hosea, that old, old prophet, made a promise way back, And Jesus knew it from his scraggy, ragged wilderness days. The tender voice of God. Tugging, sustaining, wooing, shaking, calming, … Read on →

Lord, we long to be strong, To be impressive and powerful, To be the greatest, the best, The last one standing. We forget that, in bloodied weakness, In stark contrast … Read on →

Someone in the crowd, So many times we feel the noise is just too loud, Life’s pressures and the clamouring of sound, Drown out the one voice who can make … Read on →

Those places that we love, Those glimpses ever sweet, The travelling which warms our hearts, The best food we can eat. Signs of You. Signs of Another World. The calming … Read on →

Joseph met his brothers, in Egyptian clothes and hair, After years of separation they could not see him there. He took the chance to trick them, set some traps along … Read on →

The Revolution will not be about fists and fury, The Revolution will not be about bullying and bullets, The Revolution will not be about hate and hurting others, The Revolution … Read on →

In a world-changing week, Unafraid of humility and kindness, The king rides in, looking small and vulnerable, Coming so close, to see us and know us. In a world-changing week, … Read on →

You Matter. Though circumstances may rail against you, Though people may press you into a corner, You Matter. Though life squares up to you with the gloves off, Though success … Read on →

More than just words on a page, Or prayers in a service. More than notions of belief, Or rules and theology. More than a hopeful solution, Or a different world-view. … Read on →

So tiring at times, So wearing, To hold those reins, Grip so tightly, Doing our best to keep hold Of so many loose ends. So difficult to let go, So … Read on →

I watch the casually drifting clouds, Making their gentle way across the blotting paper sky, No rush hour for them, No pressured race to get from A to B, No … Read on →

We fear, We trust, We laugh, We play, We cry, We worry, We work, We spend, We doubt, We believe, We sing, We question, We agree, We argue, We’re frustrated, … Read on →

The Greatest Story of Love, Of courage and kindness, Purpose and meaning. The Greatest Story of Love, Accessible to all, Available free of charge. The Greatest Story of Love, Of … Read on →

The mother nudges her young to the ledge, They both look out and over the edge, Eases the child just a little more, It’s a long way down, but there’s … Read on →

Lord, you changed that day, Transfigured those moments, Brought glory to that mountain top, Right into the lives of those everyday disciples. Lord, as we continue though this day, This … Read on →

The first language of God is silence. Not success, Or victory, Or popularity, Or power. The first language of God is silence. Not a clamouring, Or a shouting, A vying … Read on →

To know you in all circumstances Not necessarily as an escape or a panacea Or perhaps as an excuse or explanation But as a God who has promised to be … Read on →

In the first waking moments as we enter this world, You are there. In our growing and discovering, You are there. In our learning and questioning, arguing and boundary pushing, … Read on →

Lord, we approach with bare feet, Vulnerable, humble, liberated. Letting go of so much that might get in the way. Aware of our own frailty, our humanity, Sensing the heat … Read on →

Our Christmas journeys may be Stressful and difficult and demanding, Whether trekking to a far destination Or simply making it through the season, Taking tough steps among the glitter and … Read on →

A spoken word, a tongue of fire, A burning bush, a rock, An anchor, a still small voice, A wrestling figure, a living word, A fourth figure in a furnace, … Read on →

Sometimes those blunders and regrets Can settle in the quiet corners of our being, Becoming dark creatures That bare their teeth from time to time, Frightening and subduing us. We … Read on →

Is an Hallelujah any less If we’re murmuring or mumbling? Is an Amen any less If the words come stumbling? Though it’s hard to say, My Lord, Though the praise … Read on →

If it had been me There on that dark Friday, With the words ‘Father forgive them…’ Hanging in the air, I might have been tempted to add, ‘Well… apart from … Read on →

At first the world was flooded With the colours of rainbow, Rampant, Uncontrollable, Exhilarating, Then a kind of red-grey Muddied the picture, The colour of deceit and death. Then a … Read on →

As the sun disappears behind another night sky, We wonder. As the clouds swallow the light and steal it away, We wonder. As the darkness closes in, stealing evidence of … Read on →

Entertainment can’t save us, Shopping can’t save us, The adverts can’t save us, Movies can’t save us, Fashion can’t save us, Sport can’t save us, Box sets can’t save us, … Read on →

Our lives are this strange mixture – Glory and grit, Seeing and believing, Questioning and doubting, Loving and hating, Getting it right, getting it wrong, Regretting and remembering, Trusting and … Read on →

We carry our burdens, Our friends, enemies, achievements and failures, Celebrations, frustrations and disappointments; The steps we have taken, the ground we walk on, The dust under our nails, the … Read on →

I’m the nudge inside your conscience, The anger you feel at injustice. I’m the whisper in the night, The push to keep on going, The call to take another step. … Read on →

Don’t stop believing… Though you don’t have all the answers, Though you sometimes think you do. Don’t stop believing… Though you feel like giving up, Though you want to take … Read on →

Jesus drinks the sour wine of our shame; Drinks deeply of it, drinks it down and absorbs it. Mysterious and bitter, the poison that contaminates, Seeps into our being and … Read on →

Sometimes we open the book, Take a stroll through the pages, Weave between the words, Take the hand of one or two phrases, And sidestep some of the others. Sometimes … Read on →

For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. I won’t stay at a distance. I will come out into the … Read on →

There is a whisper, a quiet call. A still small voice, Willing us to come out from life’s crevices, From the rocks we hide behind. A subtle, hopeful invitation, ‘Come … Read on →

I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, I am the resurrection. I am a fresh start and a new beginning, A voice in the wilderness … Read on →

We all have our longings O Lord, And we bring them to you as part of our worship. As Moses stood on that mountain top and looked down, Saw the … Read on →

We can bring everything to God, nothing is off limits with Him. Nothing too difficult, too harsh, too dark, Nothing too strange, too frightening, too unexpected, We can bring everything … Read on →

When we fear for the future and wonder what it holds, When the weight of our worries brings us down, We have a God who understands. When we are angry … Read on →

To offer a cup of water, A mug of tea, A helping hand, A moment to listen. To bring a kind word, A smile of encouragement, A sign of interest, … Read on →

As they were crossing the wilderness to the Promised Land the people cried out to Moses for food. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread … Read on →

A Prayer Exercise – based on Matthew 18 vv 15-20 Begin by reading the following passage from  Matthew 18: 15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out … Read on →

When we are tempted to put others down Help us to overcome evil with good When we long to pass on the latest piece of gossip Help us to overcome … Read on →

They wait with bated breath as he walks to the front. ‘Love one another.’ He clears his throat and they live in hope. ‘Love one another.’ They can still recall … Read on →

Stop. Listen. Step aside From the rushing Of your mind. Take a moment, A second, A pause. His presence, Not the idea, The promise, The notion. But him, Here now, … Read on →

When sadness triumphs over joy, When darkness threatens to put out the light, Creation groans. When fear knocks at our door, When despair threatens to destroy our hope, Creation groans. … Read on →

This week’s Lyrical Riff is a reflection on a few verses from Psalm 33 verse 13-15: ‘The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he … Read on →