UNDER THE BLUE AND SUNNY SKY

 

Under the blue and sunny sky

I open my heart and sing

In praise to the heavenly father

For the beauty of the morning

And raise up my hands in worship

Of my one true God and King

TRUST IN HIM

 

Trust in Him each day

He is dependable always

Trust Him to guide you

He will always be with you

 

Keep Him in your heart

You are never far apart

Pray in the bad times

Praise in the good times

 

Trust in Him each day

He is dependable always

 

I PRAY FOR PEACE

 

I pray for peace around the world

Each day on bended knee

So why does such a prayer of peace

Go unanswered, answer me

It’s not that God doesn’t hear the prayer

He wants the same you see

God prays for peace around the world

Each day on bended knee

But his prayers remain unanswered

For mankind is deafened to his plea

THE HOST OF STREET ANGELS

 

Spread the good news

By any means you choose

Pass on the news to all

Herald it with clarion call

And drummers drumming

The Street Angels are coming

 

A host of angels on the beat

Where the folk of Woking meet

Armed only with God’s light

To illuminate those in plight

But not to preach or evangelize

Nor to judge or chastise

But to listen with sympathetic ears

Offer a tissue to stem the tears

Have a Christian heart to care

And make a difference there

 

For road weary travellers

And over enthusiastic revellers

The intoxicated and the incapable

The distressed and the vulnerable

And for the impromptu shoeless

And the temporarily clueless

They have sensible Flip flops

And sugar boosting Lollipops

 

So spread the good news

By any means you choose

Pass on the news to all

Herald it with clarion call

And drummers drumming

The Street Angels are coming

And their blessed presence on the street

Shows that God is on his feet

ABIGAILS TALE - ONE DAY VERY SOON

 

In the comfort of the coffee shop

Nestled into a sofa

Sits Abigail, homesick and sad

As she reads a letter from home

 

She knows the sadness will pass

And sooner this time than the last

It strikes each time a letter arrives from home

With news from those she left behind

 

Her parents, loving and kind

Her sister annoyingly lovely

All her friends of long standing

And of course, him

 

She left her hometown

The only place she had ever lived

After her marriage failed

So, she is building a new life

 

Away from the people and places

Away from all the familiarity

That reminded her daily

Of her failure and her inadequacies

 

So, she lives in a new town

And is making new friends

Discovering new familiar places

And trying to forget past mistakes

 

She has joined a new church

Where her angel’s voice

Sings in praise to heaven

And she is finding peace within herself

 

One day very soon Abigail will sit

In the comfort of the coffee shop

Nestled into a sofa

And not be homesick and sad

 

One day very soon Abigail will read

A long letter from home

And smile at it contents

And not feel the old pain strike

 

One day very soon

Abigail will let herself be happy

One day very soon

Abigail will forgive herself

CHRIST THE REDEEMER

Christ the redeemer

He died on the cross

He died to save us

And His majesty

Made of the world

A place of hope

A place of grace

A place of freedom

A place of love

He called us from the darkness

Into His loving light 

THE BORN AGAIN GOD

 

Kneeling before the cross,

A simple sign of faith

A potent symbol of his love

A symbol whose holy shadow

Casts the light of love across the world

I am in the presence of the Lord

I feel His hand on my shoulder

His love in my heart

I find I am at peace

In the presence of the lord

I feel His reassuring presence

The Son of God

The Prince of Peace

Who died upon the cross

Who died on a hill in Calvary

And was born again

I feel the power of His glory

I feel at peace

I feel his Godliness

His Goodliness

He surrounds me with his love

And he comforts me

Making the world a less savage place

CS LEWIS CAME TO GOD

 

CS Lewis came to God

The long way round

But because of this

His faith was sound

 

And he knew the truth,

He called Christ’s birth

The central event

In the history of the earth

GOD IS IN MY FINGERS

 

God is in my fingers

When I play guitar

God is in my footsteps

When I must travel far

 

God is in my lips

When I whistle a tune

God is in my voice

When I sing or croon

 

God is my protector

When my goal is reached

God is in my heart

When his word is preached

 

God is my salvation

In every single way

God is in my heart

Every single day

OH GOD IN HEAVEN

 

Oh God in heaven

I thank you

For your son

For supporting me

Embracing me

Accepting me

For offering me your hand

Your loving hand

We sing oh Lord

To praise you

For your support us

Embrace us

Accept us

You offer us your hand

Your loving hand

We give ourselves oh Lord

Into your love

SING IN PRAISE TO GOD ON HIGH

Sing in praise

To God on high

Accept Him

Into your heart

 

Sing in praise

To God our Lord

Accept His

Great gift of love

 

Sing in praise

To God on high

Accept Him

Into your life

 

Sing in praise

To God our Lord

Accept Him

As your saviour 

MALACHI’S WORDS

 

I sat by her bedside

As she lay motionless

Cruelly aware of her incarceration

Trapped inside a broken body

Unable to move

Unable to speak

A mere shadow of what once was

And in my black despair

I prayed for her

And I heard Malachi’s words

So, I prayed for her release

So, she would awake with the Lord

And burst forth from her stall

Like a young calf in springtime

THANK YOU

Thank you for the morning

For the new day dawning

Thank you for the dawn chorus

Refreshing and delighting us

Thank you, lord, for another day

And for tomorrow if I may 

SHELTERED LOVE

I don’t know the minute or the hour

When God decided from his exalted tower

To make us both shelter from that shower

And to make our love bloom like a flower 

FORGIVENESS

 

I find it hard to forgive

But we are taught we must

To be a good Christian

We must first forgive others

Before God can forgive us

But I find it hard to forgive

I cannot let go the bitterness

Or it’s associated baggage

The betrayal of those I thought friends

The deceit of family

The put downs and the knocks

The adversities and animosities

I cannot make that commitment to forgive

All I can do is promise to try

Try to climb that ladder of forgiveness

One painful rung at a time

And if I do succeed

In becoming a better person

A more forgiving person

If I manage to slowly climb the ladder

And earn God’s forgiveness

I will only do so with His grace

And not by some immense effort on my part

WE STILL BELIEVE IN YOU

 

Master of the universe

Great architect of nature

Builder of the galaxies

Every facet and feature

Don’t listen to our silence

Most benevolent creator

And think us unworthy

Don’t condemn us like a traitor

We are misguided only

That is just our nature

We will turn to you again

For man is a fickle creature

 

THE TWELVE PEERS

 

The twelve peers

Champions of legend

Companions of Charlemagne

Frankish warrior heroes

The brave paladins

Slayers of the moor

Scourge of the Saracen hordes

Thorn in the Emir’s flesh

Legends of Christendom

Righting wrongs

With sword and lance

Fighting for the just

Soldiers of Christ

Soldiers of the light

Heroes of the empire

ANGELS OF THE CHOIR

 

Angels of the choir

Is this the sound of heaven?

Such sweet emanations’

Heaven sings out

Each note

Plucks at my heart

Lifts my soul

Then elevates me

Carrying me away

On a choral wave

Of sweet rapture

Then upon the final note

Of purest clarity

I return to earth

THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT PATRICK

 

The feast day of Saint Patrick

Is Ireland’s National Day

When the Irish people

Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day

BY GODS GRACE

 

At the end I am serenely at peace

In the moments of my final hour

I feel the presence of the Lord

Who gently plucks me like a flower

FAITH IS LIKE # 2

 

Faith is like electricity

You can’t see it

But you can see the light

That emanates from it

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

 

Wear your smile

Enjoy Life

If only for awhile

Enjoy the moment

It’s a special gift

That’s heaven sent

 

Life and death

Are separated

By a single breath

 

Then more or less

In an instant

Nothing-ness?

 

Then the sight

At the tunnels end

Of heavens light

HE BELIEVES IN YOU

 

Humanists and atheists

Refute God’s existence

But in all honesty

They mount a futile resistance

Because for all their vehement

Creation of fuss

The great lord God

Believes in them as well as us

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE

 

He lived his life in the shadows

Hiding from Gods light

Not acknowledging his existence

Thinking he was out of sight

He thought he walked the road alone

Without the Lord by his side

But at the hour of his death

His faith could no longer be denied

On the darkness of this death

God lights a light to show his way

Shining his light of love

To comfort those left in disarray

As he walks in Gods light

Within the sound of Heavens bells

God illuminating his path

Now he walks with the angels

FAITH IS LIKE # 1

 

Faith is like electricity

You can’t see its traits

But you can see the light

That it generates

WHERE WAS GOD?

 

When Haiti shook

And the old colonial

Structures fell

Who was to blame?

 

When the rains fell on Madeira

Making rivers of mud

Where once were roads

Who was to blame?

 

When earthquake and tsunami

Wreaked their havoc

On Chile’s coast

Who was to blame?

 

The zealots speak of God’s wrath,

Divine retribution

Against the wicked of the world

Smiting the transgressors

But it’s not the wicked who suffer

It’s the most humble and devout

The poor and the needy

Who suffer the most

Why would God do such a thing?

What would be gained?

It’s not a Godly act

But rather that of a tyrant

That’s not what my God would do

My God is a loving God

Not a wrathful being

 

The secular blame God

For not stopping natural disasters

They don’t believe in him

But blame him anyway

Where was God?

What was God doing when he was needed?

When something wonderful happens

They praise nature’s ingenuity

Yet when tragedy strikes

It’s “where was God?”

God is not to blame

It is not within his power to prevent disasters

So he does what he can

He comforts and supports

Eases suffering and ends pain

But my God is not to blame

 

Mother Nature is the culprit

The planet is angry with mankind

And unleashes these acts of spite

To punish us for our indifference

Mother Nature roars

And defines our insignificance

When the earth moves

And mountains split

When winds tear up all before them

And the seas rise up

We are powerless

But we are not alone

When we are at our most vulnerable

Who do we call upon? God

Whoever that God might be

Mine is an understanding God

A compassionate God

OH GOD TO YOU WE PRAY

 

Oh God to you we pray

To let peace on earth come our way

Oh God to you we pray

Would that we could have our way

Oh God grant this day

That peace on earth will come our way

Oh God, we hear you say

That peace on earth will come our way

If we could from this day

Just live Christmas every day

 

Inspired by Helen Steiner Rice (1900-1981)

ON THE BLACK LAKE

 

John, in his boat one grey autumn day

Bobbing on the lakes black water

His heart gripped by blackness

As he sobbed for the loss of his daughter

 

His blood ran cold through his veins

As he stared at the dark water there

Water that would welcome him

And end a life filled with despair

 

John’s life was as empty as his heart

Now his dear little girl was gone

That sweet yellow haired angel

Without her he just couldn’t go on

 

Then  calmness came upon the water

And he became suddenly aware

He was no longer alone in his boat

As he stared at the dark water there

 

The boat no longer bobbed on the lake

As he turned to look behind him

He saw God sitting in the stern

And on the shore stood two Seraphim

 

God sat with smiling countenance

His hair white as artic snow

His soft eyes just radiated love

And he emitted a warming glow

 

John stood silent before his god

As the boat drifted towards the shore 

And the black despair which gripped him

Left his body through every pore

 

Then Gods eyes looked toward the land

To where his brace of angels stood

And John was moved to do the same

And in that instant he understood

 

For stood between the angels

Was his sweet yellow haired girl

Her broken body once more whole

And a hallow sat above her curls

 

Though the heavenly father never spoke

John understood the meaning clear

His darling child made Cherubim was safe

And his time was not yet near

Then singing the songs of paradise

The Seraphim both ascended high

While his darling girl waved to him

And ascended herself into the sky

 

John turned towards the stern

As the boat bobbed on the lake again

But saw only an empty space

The king had returned to his domain

 

John, in his boat that grey autumn day

Bobbing on the lakes black water

Now felt at peace with himself

Though he still grieved for his darling daughter

 

The waters were not so black any more

And love displaced despair in his heart

Though he would always miss his angel

He knew they would not always be apart

I WENT TO A FUNERAL TODAY

I went to a funeral today

What a totally depressing day

In was a humanist service

Cold and utterly soulless

With some mumbling buffoon

Waffling on in monotone

A couple of poorly read poems

From some well-thumbed tomes

And ended in a fit of irony

To the tune of “stay with me”

He was not religious I will concede

But even a man lacking a creed

Should be launched into oblivion

To the sound of a rousing requiem

YESHUA (JESUS)

 

Yeshua, you are

Our hope of salvation

Dying for us

Our hope of glory

Living in us

 

Yeshua, you are

Our hope for the future

Living for you

Our hope for redemption

Alive in you

THANK YOU LORD FOR BEING THERE

Thank you Lord for being there

And bathing us in your blessed care

Thank you for all your blessings

And understanding my transgressing

Thank you for being the one

Who watches over my three sons

And my most wonderful wife

Thank you for being in my life

WHERE DO YOU STAND?

 

Just standing in a palace doesn’t make you a Tsar

Any more than standing in a garage makes you a car

It doesn’t make you a cook if you stand in a kitchen

So just going to church doesn't make you a Christian

JESUS

 

He travels the four winds

He is everywhere.

He is an ever present force

He is the one who cares

 

He is our strength

He is with us from the start

He gives us joy

He lives in our hearts

 

He is our hope

His heart is full of love

He repairs us

He is love

 

Jesus is the King of Kings

Who died for us

On that cross of pain

To cleanse us

SORROWFUL WEDNESDAY

Ashes are placed on the heads

Of worshipers on Ash Wednesday,

Either by being sprinkled or

More often the traditional way

By being marked as a visible cross

On their foreheads on the day 

IT’S LENT ONCE AGAIN

 

It’s Lent once again

That time of year

To de-clutter, A time

To tidy and clear

But it’s not the time

To tidy the garden shed

The garage or the loft

Or even under the bed

Lent is the time when

Spring cleaning begins

When we cleanse our souls

And wash away our sins

LENT ABSTINENCE

This time of year is significant

For what Lent represents

But I didn’t know what to forsake

So I’ve given up abstinence 

ASH WEDNESDAY

 

ASH WEDNESDAY

 

Ashes are placed on the heads

Of worshipers on Ash Wednesday,

Either by being sprinkled or

More often the traditional way

By being marked as a visible cross

On their foreheads on the day