Lyrical Riffs

We all have our ruins. Those bits we look back on And wish they had played out differently. The embarrassments and errors, The arguments and friction, The missttakes andd misda… …

Two worlds colliding, Fire and Ice, No wonder there is often trouble, Misunderstanding and mayhem. Agendas battling for supremacy. We shamble into the arena, Punch drunk boxers blinking in the …

He looked all wrong To those who wanted a shepherd In nice white clothes, With pristine feet and spotless hands. Was a problem for them, A disturbing conundrum. Yet was …

As we find ourselves here,Perched on the doorstep of a new year,Some things we can say we know, Some things we clearly don’t.We know that some of us welcome changes,Some prefer …

And so he is born. Not on the top of a tree, Or in a jolly fur-lined suit, But beside his exhausted mother, In a not-so silent night of blood, …

These waiting days, In a time of speed, In a time of haste. Songs download in a single click, Parcels get delivered the same day, Our meals microwaved in seconds, …

It all started way back then, When the garden of glory fell into disrepair, When the gates clanged shut, And the fiery angel stood guard, When temptation had arrived laced …

You made rhythms and seasons, Light and dark, sunrise and set. Sowing and harvesting, Sleeping, rising, play and rest. You made life, we made a clock. Tick Tock. Our bones …

Jesus knew that he had been given Power over all things, Secure, no need to prove himself, And so he knelt down and washed their feet. Knew he had complete …

Save us from the stones of false guilt, From the rocks of harsh judgement, The fingers so quick to point and accuse, The flinty words of insult and criticism. Save …

On any given day you might see A couple walking side by side, One in flip flops one in boots, One overly warm, The other not so much, Different together, …

We carry them around with us, All those extra bits and pieces We don’t really need. Hurts and pains, Disappointments and embarrassments, Misunderstandings and falling outs. Need a baggage handler, …

In the beginning… The breath of God, The hand of God, The imagination of God. Dust, a word and a vision. A new world bursting from a vacuum, Matter crammed …

Life is full of bumps and scrapes. Our knees get scratched, Our hands get scraped, Our pride gets bruised, Our hope gets crushed, Our faith gets tarnished, Our innocence pinched, …

Our lives are striped with complexities, Leisure and labour, Laughter and frustration, Kindness and callousness. Our lives are striped with complexities, Light and darkness, Bright and shade, Hope and sadness. …

There are times when the sound of love Is drowned out by the noise of hatred. When the sound of hope is drowned By the noise of fear. When welcome …

That place inside, The inner depths, That gap, that vacant lot, We do our best to fill it, To satisfy those longings. Unfortunately, We often put in there Things which …

Life ambushes us, Treats us harshly, Disappoints and discourages. You understand that. You know how it works, What can happen, What can hurt us. You were ambushed too, Conflict, disaster, …

The word became flesh And keeps moving into the neighbourhood, Occasionally with a crack of thunder, Or a Damascus Road flash of light, But more often in a smile shared, …

You put salt on our lips, To make us thirsty for you. You did it, do it, again and again… Through the friendship of others, The unexpected reminders, The warmth …

What kind of man is this?That he should keep on coming to the doorOf my heart, mind, consciousness,Through the long nights and the jagged days.Me in my confirmed and set …

‘You can be honest with me, no need to pretend. I know you’re a bit of a fake. A bit of a fraud. Because I know human beings. I know …

Keep going with the strength you have. Not with the strength you see others have, Not with the strength you think you should have, But because I am with you. …

You know these dark days, Have been there, Not being one who has held back, Or kept your distance. The sad days, the empty days, The fearful nights, the lonely …

In a world of chase, fuss and bustle, Fret and debilitating worry, One man offers another way, Offers an alternative as he washes feet. In a world of go-getting and …

When others sap our energy, You are our refuge and our strength, When life seems nothing but closed doors, You are our refuge and our strength. When the world keeps …

Funny how often I talk about you in the third person, He. His. Him. When you’re always in the room. As if you were somehow somewhere else. Busy. Unable to …

I am on your side, And I call you my friend. I am with you, and for you, Not against you. Nothing can separate you from me. Whatever life may …

The Joy of the Lord is our strength. Passed on in a smile, a kind word, a text, a call. In the midst of our fears and fretting. Sometimes framed …

We walk these strange and familiar Streets of faith and hope, Roads strewn with the debris of The false hopes and discarded burdens Of those who have walked before us. …

Don’t give up! Be determined and confident, Throw yourselves into all you do for him, Confident that nothing you do for him Is a waste of time or effort. You …

He’s come to turn those tables,Swap old dead ways for fresh hope,To shake up the stale,Breathe life into what is fading away.To readjust our focus,Shine a light onto out misconceptions,To …

He knows it, Has walked those steps, The uncertainty, The questions, The wondering, The shadows and shades Of pain and unexpected Challenges. He knows these things. Has walked those steps …

The gift and the tyranny, At the self-same moment, It may be the one thing That restores order, Brings peace, Effects precious sanity, And yet, At the same time, It …

To be a part of Something Bigger: Something endless, Eternal, World-changing, Healing, Hopeful, Mighty, Awesome And incredible. To be a part of something bigger: Something beyond ourselves Something impossible, Miraculous, …

Wild animals were there, but angels came and helped him. Where are the wild animals? Where are the angels? In your today and your tomorrow. The fearful things and the …

It could be so much easier, Taking another way, Exerting power to sidestep the problems, Turning these stones into bread. Dodging life’s troubles and issues, Seeking satisfaction rather than kindness, …

Where will it take us today? This #lovejoypeacepatiencegoodnesskindnessfaithfulnessgentlenessself-control This fruit growing within, Alongside all the cantankerous selfish bits, Alongside the weariness and the grumpiness and the groaning what-ifs. What fruit …

The Holy Spirit drove him out into the desert, Away from the noise and distractions, Away from the clamour and the fame. The Holy Spirit drove him out into the …

We can bring it all: Our doubts, our questions, Our fears and shouting, Our dry-mouthed muttering, Our whispers and murmurs, Our wondering and wandering, Our dreaming and distractions, Our mistakes …

We want to be strong But find ourselves weak, Want to be right When so often wrong, Want to be smart When idiocy reigns, Want to be the best As …

With your strength you strengthened me, With your patience you helped me hang on, With your hope you kept me going, With your faithfulness you helped me believe. With your …

And God blessed time, That Sabbath day. Not a space, Or a place, But minutes, seconds, hours, Pauses. Gaps in the madness, In the work and distraction, In the pressures …

Mary met you face to Face, voice to Voice, name to Name, In that garden of Resurrection. Now it’s as if we catch Subtle glimpses of you, Divine shadows, Sketchy …

You’re our anchor in life’s storm, Calm amidst the bluster, Good news amongst the fake, Truth in the rumours. Hope in all the headlines, Sweetness in the cynicism, Wisdom in …

Right here, right now, Known or unknown, Sensed or not, Alongside us In the dark and the light, The day and the night, Above and below, Behind and ahead, In …

‘Son of all time, now where have you been?’ ‘Touring life’s corridors – and here’s what I‘ve seen…’ Hearts of compassion tearing down hate, Calm quiet rebels storming the gates, …

The clocks tick down and We stand on the verge, Eye our resolutions With our foot on the doorstep. Thinner, nicer, fitter, better, Kinder, funnier, tidier, better prepared, Greener, happier, …

Your song is eternal. Not brash or abrasive, Not self-seeking or proving a point, Not a passing fad or fleeting trend. Your song is stronger, gentler, Kinder, more courageous, Inclusive …