Lyrical Riffs

I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. He prunes every branch in me that bears fruit. Lord, that’s easy to read, trips off the tongue, But …

Gratitude If you had not entrusted yourself to us, Where would we be, I wonder. If you had not entrusted yourself To that young poor couple in Bethlehem, If you …

If you had not entrusted yourself to us, Where would we be, I wonder. If you had not entrusted yourself To that young poor couple in Bethlehem, If you had …

I still believe, though I’m often haunted by doubt, I still believe, though the road goes uphill at times. I still believe in truth though life has its shams, I …

We are born. We cry. We fill nappies and drink milk. His love, his kindness, his caring presence is always with us. We grow. We struggle. We learn. We tumble. …

Lord we pray today for peace in your world, For those working to bring peace, For those longing to live in peace, For those with the power to offer peace. …

What of our prayers and praying? They are like a hand reaching for help and comfort And something solid for ourselves and others, A song we make up as we …

To offer it all, our whole being, the bits we like and the bits we don’t. Like Jacob wrestling with an angel, we wrestle in our love for God, We …

To live a life with open hands, I think must be a wonderful thing, Risky, and vulnerable, of course Yet also free of the compulsion to hold onto things, Free …

It matters What we put in, What we take on board, What we absorb and hold on to. Or to put it another way, The saying goes: Feed the healthy …

Give justice to our leaders, O God, May it top their to-do list. Help them judge and guide your people in the right way, Let the poor always be treated …

Fretting We fret about so many things Surviving, success, stability, Being accepted, being strong, Our looks, our finances, our family. Those we love, those we like, those we fear, Our …

Far from random, no accident or evolutionary hiccup. But a plan for meaning, a people known and designed. Flawed yes, so flawed, but offered a rescue plan. A daily beginning …

If you are the Way, the winding path, Then surely nobody knows how to get home Without you. If you are the Life, the source, Then perhaps nobody breathes or …

Calling Lord we long for you, As dry ground longs for rain, As sports fans long for a win, As weary travellers long for rest. Lord we thirst for you, …

A many layered gift, Moving us from darkness to light, From fear to compassion, From rejection to welcome, From lost to found, (Though we may struggle to find ourselves at …

A welcoming figure, Standing here on the road to life, Waiting each day for us to return, Limping up this potholed path, Our hands and hearts and minds Empty enough …

Lord, please, tune us in to your ordinary whispers, and the signs of your presence, in the regular and ordinary. Show us the footprints and fingerprints you leave, throughout each …

Blessed are the spiritually poor, Those who struggle at times, Those who find the going tough, Those who do not feel very spiritual. Those who find the narrow road a …

The human heart is rather like an old attic. It is a place of storage, a place of memories. We wander through it and discover things long forgotten, things we …

Not about the right words, Or the right background, Or best behaviour, Not about religion or being earnest, Or the right spiritual credentials. But a place of refuge, A safe …

Faith, hope and love, How we need them, Yet we so easily lose sight of them. Faith, like a flickering candle, Battered in each day’s breeze. Hope, the compass that …

Today we may not feel as if we are Star of the week, Again. Just feeling ordinary, nothing special, Aspiring to a level we will never make, And yet… and …

Known Eliashib and Hassenaah, Baruch, Zaccur, Jedaiah, Meremoth and Azariah, Palal, Rehum, Hashabiah, Zadok, Jadon, Malkijah, Hanun, Shallum, Rephaiah. You may not know any of these, Or even say their …

I lift my eyes up to the mountains, To the sky, to that wide open plain above The trees, the homes, the skyscrapers, To that space beyond the borders, Beyond …

He is with us on the hills we climb, (Often feeling like mountains to us) Hills we cannot avoid, Hills of our own making, The hills thrust upon us. The …

He has made this troubled wilderness his home, He’s walked through the valley of the shadows here, This Good Shepherd, come to save his sheep, The king in dusty, creased, …

Hold on to the good stuff, The encouragements and smiles, Those things that spur you on, Those things that lift you and Point you in the right direction, The lessons …

The one who drew close to us, The one who knew us long before we began to know ourselves, The one who stuck with us, though many times we turned away, …

We are wonderful and complex, Unique and precious. We don’t all learn at the same rate, We don’t all appreciate the same things. We don’t all laugh and cry at …

Blessed are you when you can muster a smile, You never know who might get the benefit. Blessed are you when you pick yourself up After another stumble or slip. …

‘I will call them out into the desert And speak tenderly to them there.’ So he goes, out into the dry place, Away from the distractions, To focus, to listen, …

Your presence, How we need it, How I need it. To give us courage, Patience, Strength, Meaning. The energy to keep going, The promise that there is more, The impetus …

You Lord keep in peace Those whose minds are set on you. You know how our minds race, How they dip and dive, How we paint ourselves into dark corners, …

The silences and the noises, the waiting and the wondering, the nudges and the hunches, the longings and the questions, the doubting and the believing, the moments and the hours, …

There are times when life feels tidy, Organised, neatly controlled, All the bits safely within our grasp, Motivation flowing from a tank full of energy. And there are times when …

‘Don’t worry…’ we are told. If only. But Jesus tells us more, offers us something else. Go and find something green, he suggests. Something that flies, or sings, or blossoms. …

What if the wise men Had not conferred before setting off? Before packing their bags and Saddling up in search of the starry king. Had not compared their presents. ‘I …

You are our help in our troubles, Our calm in the storms, Our strength in the pressure and trials, Out stillness in the hurrying. Our song and our lamenting. Our …

We thought of God as distant, Hidden somewhere in the clouds Up there, unapproachable, A deity too far away, One that would not be interested, Would never come close For …

As we turn our gaze once more, To the king of kindness, Once stable born and one day returning… We thank you Lord for the many glimpses Of kindness we …

Not easy to be part of the waiting, We want to get on, to do things, To achieve, to be onto the next thing, To be busy and part of …

Those of us who walk in darkness Have seen a light, A great and fragile light, A light that first brought light to the world. A light offered to all …

Why is it so hard to tell the truth? The truth about my doubts and fears, The truth that anxiety grates like a detuned radio In the back of my …

Easy to miss the moment, I do it all the time, Too busy waiting for the next thing, To appreciate the real thing. Too busy making plans, To appreciate the …

Difference I prayed a prayer today, Not sure that it really worked. Went outside and noticed the colours Carried a vivid autumnal depth. Bumped into old whatsisname, He drives me …

You know how it is when your back’s against the wall, When your bones are weary from another day, When you can’t see the sun for the clouds. You know …

Not some finely-tuned superpower, Or aggressive weapon we wield with pride, Not some glossy trophy we polish from time to time, Or a badge of honour for impressing others. But …