19/9/2023 O Holy Spirit, we welcome youThis is an unexpected song which has come just ahead of the NQCC event at the end of this month, themed God with us. More to come... 31/8/2023 Take me as I amThe Chosen's opening episode depicts a young girl's descent into a life of torment, destitution and despair. A witness to extreme brutality and tragedy, this powerless childhood victim of unspeakable trauma then becomes haunted by flashbacks. This world's dark supernatural forces have used her circumstances to degrade her and hold her captive to a pitiful life. There is no obvious way out. You watch, longing for her rescue and release. It is harrowing. It is meant to be and it represents the living reality for so many people today in this modern, advanced world. She now goes by another name. People see her for what she has become and presents to them, not who she really is. And then Jesus calls her by her real name, affirming her true identity and inherent worth. It is a fictionalised account of Mary Magdalene's first encounter with Jesus but it demonstrates his desire to reach out and rescue even those at the very extreme margins of society, struggling with experiences beyond our imagination, and often the result of a betrayal of care and protection. The Bible makes it clear that his heart is for the desperate and the powerless, the captives and the oppressed. Most of us do not find our circumstances as hopeless as Mary's but we can still be held captive to a false narrative of who we are, assume an alternative identity and then be trapped in it. But Jesus knows us all by name, knows every detail of our situation and wants to restore us to wholeness from whatever we have become, regardless of how it came about. His desire to save us does not depend on our goodness or worthiness. He takes us as we are, praise God. But how could we come to him any other way? My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:17) If we try to be worthy of his rescue by our own efforts then we have failed to accept our pitiful condition. We may have become proud, arrogant and self-sufficient. Or enslaved by addiction, worry or victimhood. We may label ourselves as stupid, useless or bad. We may decide we can never be free of guilt. It matters not what we think and say of ourselves. We can come to him just as we are and allow him to gently show us the truth and expose the lies and distortions we have allowed to influence our self-view. We just need to respond to his invitation. We are never invited as an anonymous 'plus one' on someone else's. Jesus calls us by our (real) name. 11/8/2022 Eyes of the SaviourI don't want you to get me wrong, but when we read the gospel accounts of Jesus's ministry it can sometimes seem a little bit '2D': we read what he did and said. Perhaps we might get told of a gesture or emotion but often we just read a series of interactions that can appear more like 'sound-bites' cherry-picked to support the narrative structure and theme. Of course they are far more than that but it can take a bit of imagination on our part to read more intentionally, past the flat text, and look above and below the lines to grasp the full picture in immersive 3D. It is surely worth the effort. In every situation we read there are main and supporting characters, each with their own needs, prejudices and agenda. Jesus obviously looks at all of these people before, during and after each interaction. A compelling drama includes shots of the characters displaying their anticipation and reaction to what is going on as part of the storytelling, and to communicate what could not easily be put into words or action. Some dramas have been (unfairly) parodied for their use of this technique. What did it feel like to interact with Jesus - to observe his expressions as he spoke and the anticipation and reaction to what he in turn heard and saw? What did it feel like to look into the eyes of God, our Saviour? We can ask his Spirit to help us picture the scene as we read of people's encounters with Jesus, and as we interact with him through prayer, we can ask to 'see' the eyes of our Saviour as he enjoys being in our present moment: encouraging our faith, empathising with our suffering and challenging us to keep growing in him. 1/4/2022 Look up and live ...This year started with a sermon series at our church featuring this sign placed below overhead power lines on construction sites. The words LOOK UP AND LIVE are emblazoned on the torso. The sign is warning of a threat that is often out of view when the operator's eyes are focused on the task in front of them. How many of us don't remember to look to God in our everyday life because our focus is only on the everyday events which are in front of us? 19/1/2022 At the Foot of the CrossI'm slowly working my way through previous songs to create a vocal demo for them. Here is one from 2019 and I'll probably be working backwards in time. This song came from a meditation on the cross as a member of the crowd. Jesus's blood drops falling to the ground drew parallels for me with Abel's blood on the ground in Genesis 4. Cain feels driven from God's presence yet he is protected from those who might quite understandably want vengeance. The blood of Jesus allows us to enter God's presence and we are protected from the eternal consequences of our sin. 17/1/2022 Forever YoursHowever dark our situation, whether it be the realisation of our utter fallenness or a feeling of being overwhelmed by our circumstances, we have a hope and assurance in Christ that we will prevail over [our enemy] in the morning (Ps 49:14). That hope lights the dawn for both our continued earthly life and ultimately our everlasting life. Nothing, however bad it seems to us or anyone else, can assail our security when we are 'in Christ' – we are forever His (Romans 8:35-39 and Luke 23:32-43). 17/1/2022 ImmanuelInspired by the early hymn quoted in Philippians 2, this song considers the incarnation as an event fulfilled over an extended period of human time and announced in advance. It links Advent to Easter and the hope of the complete fulfilment of Advent when Jesus, the first to rise, returns in his glory. 17/1/2022 Walking with JesusThis song was written to accompany a sermon series. It got included in the running order 11 weeks in a row! This was an occasion when the lyrics and music came together very quickly - a few hours. I hope it captures the reality of living the life of faith whilst still having to deal with our human experiences and limitations. This is also the only composition that I have never played before publishing it. My hands were in braces for an extended period with an RSI injury so nothing about this demo is 'real' except the voice. Walking with Jesus 17/1/2022 Lamb of God (Worthy is the Lamb)The scene in Revelation 5 is of profound worship and a celebration of victory over death which has been robbed of its eternal consequences and restored people to their rightful status. Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God, but also the Word of creation and Son of God who walked the talk before the Light of the World took away the Darkness of the World. Lamb of God My family collaborated for the chorus which was a technical first and learning experience for any future group recordings! I also had some fun adding the penny whistle and experimenting with some harmonies. 17/2/2021 Two more songs uploadedYou bring peace and You chose me added.
Lyric videos for seven songs are now uploaded on the deepwellmusic Youtube channel. |