REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (12) - REVIVAL SONG

It has always been God’s intention to have a worshipping people. Psalm 117 says ‘Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.’ It’s something God wants. And it’s something that brings blessing to the worshipper. It’s John Piper who says ‘God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him’. And how better to be satisfied than through worship – communion with the One who made us.

It's no surprise that with the premium God puts on worship, worship itself is both a catalyst and a result of revival. The Welsh Revival of 1904 spread through song. The hymn ‘Here is love, vast as the ocean’ was particularly used by the Holy Spirit to spread revival fires.

In the earlier revivals of John Wesley and George Whitefield, song was again a key. In the mid-1700s not so many could read, so one way to remember scripture and key theology was to sing it, and that is exactly what happened. John Wesley’s brother Charles became the voice of the revival song, writing many classic hymns during this time such as ‘And can it be that I should gain?’, ‘Hark the herald angels sing’, ‘Love divine all loves excelling’, and ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing’.

We are enjoying revival at Chroma Church Leicester right now, so again, it is no surprise that worship is at its centre. We have a band, Chroma Music, that are passionate to worship. And it has been recognised. They have just returned from Rotterdam, leading worship in a conference of 20,000 and seeing many lives changed.

If you have yet to hear their music, look them up on YouTube. Enjoy the revival songs.

A Tribute to Julie and Jonathan

For a few years near the end of the 70s I headed up a Christian rock band and did some solo work on the London gospel circuit. Not a lot of gigs, but a lot of fun.

About half the material consisted of covers of the Christian artist of the day (think Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Nutshell, Barry McGuire…) and about half was self-penned.

Aside from the obvious Christian influences, I took some song writing inspiration from folk-rock troubadours of the day, two of whom died recently – Julie Felix and Jonathan Kelly.

I first got hold of a Julie Felix album in 1973. Those of us at Walsall Technical College were well aware of the fact that the manager of the Record Department at Boots the Chemist didn’t know his Abba’s from his Zappa’s and would often sell stuff off at ridiculously low prices. The first Parchment album on Pye (a collector’s piece today) for 10p with a small scratch on the first track. A first issue single of Free’s ‘All Right Now’ for 5p.

And there was Julie Felix. At 20p I took a risk, having never heard her. I loved her stuff. I loved her obvious left-wing politics, and the choice of the cover songs she selected. In fact she was already well known in the UK having been championed by David Frost and had two long running shows of her own on TV. But that had passed me by somehow.

My favourite album is the 1972 ‘Clotho’s Web’ which includes the single ‘Fire, Water, Earth and Air’. It’s worth a listen.

I must have first heard Jonathan Kelly at around the same time. A few of us would gather in each other’s houses to listen to records at the weekend. (Does that still happen or is it all social media nowadays?) And it was then that my friend Godfrey played ‘Twice Around the Houses’, Kelly’s second album. I loved it. The upbeat love song ‘Madelaine’ the protest song ‘We are the People’ and the haunting ‘Ballad of Cursed Anna’. But the one I loved the most – and the one my family had to put up with me singing – was ‘Rock You to Sleep’, the final track. I sang it to all our children at bedtime throughout their early years.

Well there you are. Two folk-rock legends have passed. RIP Julie and Jonathan. And thank you.

The Sound of the Stars

Well done to NASA, the American space agency.

In a new experiment, they put music to the stars. By identifying the position of the star, its size and its density, this all counts as to how the sound is then reflected.

First NASA identified an image from the Hubble telescope with which to work. They call this particular image a 'galactic treasure chest' because of the number of galaxies displayed. Each visible speck on the picture is a galaxy which is itself a home to countless stars.

Then NASA added a computer generated sound.

Objects near the bottom of the image produced the lower notes, while those near the top produce the higher ones. The higher density of galaxies near the centre of the image results in a swell of mid-range tones halfway through the video. Short galaxies give clear tones and spiralling galaxies have longer tones.

It’s a reflection from NASA on the message from the stars and although it is a computer generated sound, it shows in sound what we see in the skies.

The Psalms say ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.’ (Psalms 19:1).

And now we can hear it:

Just Another Brick in the Wall?

The song from Pink Floyd was anti-establishment; a protest song. There was a bitterness to it. A cry from a generation of kids brought up in a system that meant they would be nothing, do nothing – just another brick in the wall:

We don't need no education

We don't need no thought control

No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Teacher leave the kids alone.

 ‘Just Another Brick in the Wall’ was number one in the UK charts for five weeks late in 1979. It followed a tradition of similar songs, attracting the attention of teenagers with angst. ‘Schools Out’ by Alice Cooper was the one I remember from my schooldays. Banned at school, we were put in detention if we were heard singing it.

The thing is, we’re not just bricks in a wall. Every one of us has a story. Every one of us can affect history, write history, change this world.

The Bible tells us we each have a destiny – if we find it, it changes us and those around us. In a world with the perception that we are ‘just bricks’, this is good news!

“For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I’ve just put a brick in the wall. And it’s not ‘just another brick’. It’s a brick of declaration.

Let me explain.

The Wall is a project to build a sculpture of a million bricks honouring Jesus – it’s a declaration of the Christian faith; a National Landmark of Hope to remind generations of God's goodness. Every brick is sponsored. Every brick tells a story of answered prayer. Once built, next to a busy motorway, over 140,000 people will pass it every day. (Picture shown is one of 5 possible designs).

If you were to line your phone up on brick number 12335 and press the App, this is what it would say:

UNCLE BEN'S PRAYER

In the early 1960's letters started arriving for me, from India. They were from my Uncle, Ben White, a missionary in south India. He was telling me about Jesus - and my parents (not believers at the time) were most concerned! I don't remember any of the contents of the letters- as a child, the stamps on the envelope were more interesting! But God was doing his work and my Uncle's prayers were answered. Both my sister and I became Christians as teenagers, and my Mum became a Christian on her deathbed. Later on, God called me to India- speaking to me in an audible voice. I married an Indian girl, Rohini. My wife and I have been working into India for nearly 30 years now, taking teams most years, rescuing children, supporting churches and declaring the message my Uncle Ben so wanted me to know.

Not just another brick in the wall after all.

Flawed. Frail. Fanatical.

I’m reading a fascinating book on the life of Larry Norman, the pioneer of Christian rock music. He comes over as flawed and frail – but at the same time as fascinating and almost fanatical. His passion for Christ shines through even the most troubling of times. He knew his God and wanted more than anything to tell others about Christ in the way he knew best – through his music. His albums were many but for me, the standout is Only Visiting This Planet. There’s not a weak track in sight and a challenge to the listener in every verse.

I’m also listening to the news today, on the death of Winnie Mandela. Another flawed, frail, fanatic. She faced prison and death threats on a daily basis. But unlike her husband, she seemed unable to forgive, nor to manage retribution in the right way. Flawed. Frail. Fanatical.

These words are not the worst labels to hang around our lives. You can make a case for the apostle Peter being flawed, frail and fanatical too. His very public failures are reflected later in a passion for Christ that led to martyrdom.

The first two words reflect all of us if we’re honest. The last one gets more of a bad press. Maybe I should use ‘tenacious’ or ‘strong minded’ instead. But my prayer is that although I see my flaws and frailties all too well, I may also be known as someone who is absolutely fanatical about his faith in Christ.

Blinded By Your Grace

In musical terms, I’m a child of the 70s. I grew up on the heavyish rock of Argent, Led Zeppelin, Free and Deep Purple. And when I’m feeling nostalgic, that’s still where I return.

So you won’t be surprised to learn that I never really got into Rap, didn’t particularly get along with Punk and as for Garage, Grunge and Grime… it passed me by.

That was, until four months back, when the artist Stormzy appeared as a guest on X Factor on TV, and sang Blinded by Your Grace. I’m told he’s a Grime and Hip Hop artist. What I heard was pure Gospel. In fact, for me, one of the best Gospel songs I’ve heard in many years.

If you’ve not heard it yet, here’s a link:

As I watched, I found myself worshipping:

Lord, I've been broken
Although I'm not worthy
You fixed me, I'm blinded
By your grace
You came and saved me...

You saved this kid and I'm not your first
It's not by blood and it's not by birth
But oh my God what a God I serve…..

Now I'm in a better place
No longer afraid
Blinded by your grace
You came and saved me

It’s been a particularly tough time, especially with regard to local church. I’m a part-time church historian, so I know that even in the most successful revivals in history, there’s often an undercurrent of unrest and disagreement. Even my heroes George Whitefield and John Wesley fell out for a while!

There’s a verse in Proverbs that says:

There are friends who pretend to be friends
But there is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.

It’s important to focus on line 2, not line 1, and that is what I choose to do.

As I write this, I look out of the window, I see all His creation, I think of all He’s done and I’m blinded by His grace. Amazed at a God who would love me, who saved this kid- and I’m not His first. What a God we serve…

Twenty Albums Everyone Should Own (Part 2)

A reminder -  it’s a personal selection. Of course it is. And it reflects a certain time period as well. But you wouldn’t go far wrong in seeking out these albums/downloads and adding them to your collection…..

I’ve excluded compilations and they are kind of in an order, but can pretty much change at will, depending upon the mood you’re in. Here are the next ten; there could have been so many more! Let me know what you think!

1.       PINK FLOYD – THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Floyd at their best. ‘Time’, ‘Money’, The Great Gig’…. If you’ve not heard them, you’re missing one amazing album.

2.       ADELE – 21

A new and prodigious talent. A mix of folk and soul with most of the tracks written by Adele, who was only 21 when writing! ‘Rolling in the Deep, ‘Rumour Has It’ and ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ are just three of the brilliant tracks, with no weak ones in sight. Now famous the world over - with reason.

3.       HARRY NILSSON – NILSSON SCHMILSSON

The Beatles declared Nilsson as their favourite artist and this, the strongest of his albums, is why. ‘Gotta Get up’, ‘Coconut’ and ‘Without You’ are the best of a strong set of tracks. And Nilsson’s version of ‘Without You’ went on to be a worldwide hit.

4.       DEREK AND THE DOMINOES – LAYLA AND OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS

Trying to tie Eric Clapton down to a ‘best album’ is next to impossible. He has continued to produce top quality albums to this day. But if I had to pick, I’d go back in time to this one. It has the best guitar lick of all time in ‘Layla’ and strong tracks all the way, partly due to the able assistance of a strong band including Duane Allman.

5.       JONATHAN KELLY – TWICE AROUND THE HOUSES

I can pretty much guarantee you won’t have heard of this guy. His album is haunting, emotional folk-rock. Great lyrics, especially on ‘Ballad of Cursed Anna’ and the political ‘We Are The People’. And for every up tempo song, there is a lilting ballad such as ‘Madelaine’ and ‘Rock You To Sleep’ (which I used to sing to my children when they were growing up!)

6.       SANTANA – ABRAXAS

How can one album pack so many classic Santana hits? It does! ‘Black Magic Woman’, ‘Samba Pa Ti’ and ‘Oye Como Va’. Incredible guitar playing. So different to most guitarists, you can tell it’s Santana within a few seconds as the Latin-Rock style begins.

7.       PAUL MCCARTNEY AND WINGS – BAND ON THE RUN

Slightly controversial choice in that I put this ahead of all the Beatles albums! Pop at its slickest, McCartney at his best.

8.       SIGUR ROS – TAKK

The Icelandic band with a made up language and grandstanding melodic symphonies. ‘Takk’ gets the nod ahead of other albums mainly because of  'Hoppipolla', a beautiful melody. You will have heard it; believe me, you will have heard it!

9.       BOB DYLAN – SLOW TRAIN COMING

This is from Dylan’s ‘God’ era and is all the more wonderful for it, with fabulous lyrics alongside the best of melodies. ‘When He Returns’, the title track, and the fun (for Dylan) ‘Man Gave Names to All the Animals’ are the best of a strong bunch.

10.   MOUNTAIN – NANTUCKET SLEIGHRIDE

A close run final slot with Mountain just seeing off Stray and ‘Saturday Morning Pictures’. Leslie West’s guitar and vocals is what gives it the edge. Strong, powerful rock. Wish I’d made it to one of their concerts!

Twenty Albums Everyone Should Own (Part 1)

OK, it’s a personal selection. Of course it is. And it reflects a certain time period as well. But you wouldn’t go far wrong in seeking out these albums/downloads and adding them to your collection…..

I’ve excluded compilations and they are kind of in an order, but can pretty much change at will, depending upon the mood you’re in. Here are the first ten; the others will follow. Let me know what you think!

1.       EVA CASSIDY – SONGBIRD

The artist never knew fame in her lifetime. Her version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ was picked up by Radio 2, and this, the best of her albums, sold millions. A clear as crystal voice makes for moving listening.

2.       MIKE OLDFIELD – TUBULAR BELLS

It was so different when it came out in the early seventies. Aside from earning a fortune for Richard Branson and his new record label, it’s a great fusion of classical meets pop.

3.       FLEETWOOD MAC – RUMOURS

Beautifully crafted pop music with the amazing voice of Stevie Nicks and fabulous harmonies. This is their best studio album, in my view, recorded as they reappeared on the pop scene. Includes the classic tracks ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Go Your Own Way’.

4.       ARGENT – IN DEEP

If only Rod Argent and Russ Ballard had stayed together, Argent could have been as famous as Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin. Brilliant keyboard and guitar mixes and the classic often copied song ‘God Gave Rock and Roll to You’.

5.       DON MCLEAN – AMERICAN PIE

In his later years, he appears to have become disillusioned with fame, and the quality of his songs reflect it. This is a young Don Mclean at his best, with the title track and ‘Vincent’ as stand out tracks. Not a weak track on the album.

6.       CAROL KING – TAPESTRY

The whole album is a work of art. The tracks flow together, bringing a great listening experience. Includes classic tracks like ‘Natural Woman’, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ and ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’.

7.       LARRY NORMAN – ONLY VISITING THIS PLANET

Something of a Christian/Mainstream crossover, this is the prolific troubadour at his very best. Not a weak track in sight (which sadly can’t be said of later albums), it’s a mix of strong politics and big messages.

8.       EMILE SANDE – OUR VERSION OF EVENTS

There is no doubt that the Olympics gave Sande a whole new worldwide audience. And she deserves the fame with this classic album. A great voice linked to memorable tunes.

9.       NICK DRAKE – FOUR LEAVES LEFT

What if Drake had lived? He would be world renowned. His short and tragic life left us with a gem of an album. Introspective, haunting, magical.

10.   SIMON & GARFUNKEL - BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

This is the last, and best of five classic albums. Paul Simon has gone on to greater fame, but may best be remembered for his collaboration with Art Garfunkel, who provides the beautiful harmonies alongside Simon’s penmanship.

Dangling Conversation

Thank you Miss Kerr.

Miss Kerr was my English teacher at secondary school. And she introduced me to pop music.

Ours was a 'classical' home and 'Top of the Pops' was frowned upon. So it was only as I reached senior school that I began to pay attention to the charts. My very first contact was my English lesson where we were given the lyrics and listened to 'Dangling Conversation' by Simon & Garfunkel. Not exactly leading edge rock, but a wonderful song and great lyrics.

The album it came from, 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme' is unbelievably 47 years old now. But good lyrics last the years.

May we never become lost in 'dangling conversations', but make every day of our lives count.

It's a still life water colour,
Of a now late afternoon,
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
And shadows wash the room.
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference,
Like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
In the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs,
The borders of our lives.

And you read your Emily Dickinson,
And I my Robert Frost,
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what we've lost.
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm,
Couplets out of rhyme,
In syncopated time
Lost in the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs,
Are the borders of our lives.

Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
"Is the theatre really dead?"
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow,
I cannot feel your hand,
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation.
And the superficial sighs,
In the borders of our lives.

Surprise

2000 years ago. The shepherds were surprised. They knew the stars in the sky. They saw them every night. But this one was new.

Then the real surprise. Bright light and glory! And for them. The poorest of the poor. The nobodies. The also-rans.

The wise men were surprised. They too knew the stars in the sky and this one had no right to be there. And it was for them. The richest. The wisest. But not so rich and wise as to think they could ignore the sign, ignore the call.

260 years ago. The audience were surprised. What an amazing sound. Handel had been working on The Messiah for an incredibly short period of time. He was inspired. The sound was in his head, the star was in the sky. Refusing food and sleep, he kept working until it was finished. As the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ was completed, with tears in his eyes, Handel cried out “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.”

Recently in a shopping mall in Canada. The innocent shoppers were surprised. They had no idea that a full choir had seated themselves across the food court in what was to be one of the best Flash Mob’s ever.

2000 years ago. 260 years ago. Today. It’s still true. Enjoy the video. And Happy Christmas!

Stand By Me Around the World

Thanks to Chris Kelly for sending this my way.....

"No matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life, at some point you gonna need somebody to stand by you....."

Slumdog Marley and Salmon in the Yemen

I’ve been travelling a lot recently. Both in the UK and to India, the States and the Netherlands. It’s a bit tiring and not as glamorous as it might sound. Airports and hotels begin to look much the same after a while!

But one of the advantages of travel is time to catch up on music, films and books. Slumdog Millionaire is a wonderful film. Its portrayal of the poor parts of India is very accurate. But most of all it’s simply a triumph of one poor boy against the system. And a great love story too.

‘Marley and me’ is a film we went to see as a family. I was a bit fearful that it would turn out to be a ‘Disney puppy story’ but the producer has been true to the original book (excellent too- by John Grogan) and it’s well acted. A bit near to the bone (excuse the pun!) as we lost our own Labrador just before Christmas.

You can see why Kate Winslet won the Oscar for ‘The Reader’. Beautifully acted. A fair bit of nudity though- you have been warned!

John Waller is a singer that my friends Holli and Andy introduced me to. Great lyrics. Sometimes you feel you are not where God would have you be. But what do you do with that time? Waller’s song ‘While I’m Waiting’ is a great response to such times:

I’m waiting on you Lord
And I’m hopeful
I’m waiting on you Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I’m waiting
I will serve you
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait.

John Maxwell writes great business books. His latest, ‘Leadership Gold – Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leadership’ is the best yet. He refused to write it until he reached age 60. Great wisdom.

And a wonderful first novel from Paul Torday. If you think Salmon in the Yemen are an impossibility, you have to read the book!

Praise You in the Storm

A couple of months back, I had the privilege of speaking at KingsGate Church, my home church in Peterborough. As part of my talk, I used a short dvd of a song. A number of people have asked me what the song was and whether there was access to the dvd presentation. The link is below.

The song, ‘Praise You in the Storm’ by Casting Crowns, became very precious to me over a three year period. It was a period of turmoil in my life with two redundancies. Plus I turned 50. This was something of a shock! I coped with turning 40 without a problem but 50 was something else!

I determined that age would not be a barrier to life (and this blog was one of the results- the blog address refers to the mountains I intend to climb in my 50’s and beyond.)

Back to the song. In the hard times, the words expressed so well where I was at. Some times all I could do was sing the first verse- it just felt like it was still raining, so many things unresolved. Other times I reached the chorus- I can be thankful, even in the storm!

Enjoy the song.

Pretty Amazing Grace

I'm not particularly a Neil Diamond fan, but caught the premier of his new single on the Simon Mayo show on Radio 2. Clearly, he has a Christian faith as he has written and reworked the theme of 'Amazing Grace'. His new single is called 'Pretty Amazing Grace' and here's some of the lyrics:

'Pretty amazing grace is how you saved me
And with amazing grace, reclaimed my heart
Love in the midst of chaos
Calm in the heart of war
Showed with amazing grace
What love is for

You overcame my loss of hope and faith
Gave me a truth I could believe in
You led me to that higher place
Showed me that love, truth, hope, grace
Were all I needed'

Simon Mayo (himself a Christian) has made it his record of the week.

Larry Norman, 1947 - 2008

For Christians of a ‘certain age’ Larry Norman was who we grew up with. His 1972 album ‘Only Visiting This Planet’ was voted the best Christian album ever recorded, by the American Christian music industry. It was my own introduction to Larry Norman’s music, and I agree.

In 1972, I had only recently found my Christian faith, and to be ‘baptised’ into Christian rock and roll with such classics as ‘Why Should the Devil have all the Good Music’ and 'I Wish We’d All Been Ready’ was no bad thing. Larry Norman led the way in the Jesus People revolution of the 1970’s and his ‘one way’ finger in the air became the signature of a generation. A whole raft of successful Christian artists followed in his wake, many of them signed to Larry Norman’s own record label ‘Solid Rock’.

He had been ill for some years and knew he was dying. In his own inimitable way, he signed off with some final lyrics:

Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.