The Fine Rain

The fine rain,
Forms big drops,
Comes trickle falling,
From tall tree tops,

Assembled and collected,
By leaves on Boughs,
Poured on my head below,

As I shelter now,

I may as well face the rain.

I am taken back, on that school trip ,
To that forest place again,
When with twenty other boys, stood beneath Chestnut
Whilst the drizzle wains,

 

Water cascading,
down my neck and my nose,
Whilst it was dry outside,
And nobody knows,
But under the shelter,
It flows like a hose,

Dispensing water collected twenty minutes ago,

Perhaps this shelter has served it's purpose,
It's delayed the rain,
But still it dispersed this,

And maybe I should have faced the rain.

 

The honest to God,
Bone chilling,
Sense numbing,
Soul stirring rain.

Pride Cometh

Pride came
before the fall
first came pride
then came all
the darkness of
the night that would fall
then came flame
then came the wall

Pride came
before the tower fell
ascending to heaven
by digging in hell
and oh, look,
we're doing so well,
then burst the bubble,
then crush the shell

and all, is chaos, and confusion.

You'll be like gods,
You'll reach His height
You'll see as He see's
You'll have His sight,
You're beyond all question
You have the right
To celebrate,
What is evil,
And hidden in night,


But the morning comes,
with blinding sight,
The sun shall rise,
And flood with light

And the proud shall fall,
and rue their height,
and long,
and wait,
and hope in vain for flight,

Risen

Who is it that you're looking for,
Mary, why do you weep,
Raise your chin and face to me,
Stop staring at your feet,
The tomb lies empty,
The garden adorned, and born in dew,
The old night is cold and gone,
See what's right in front of you,

Stop this navel gazing,
Dry your needless tears,
Allow your eyes, to rise,
Above horizons,
To the Lord of all your years,

I know that you are hurting,
I know you're filled with pain,
But let the hope that once inspired you,
Fill you heart and life again,

Listen to my voice,
As I call out your name,
Remember the promises I made,
That I would rise again,

Mary, Why are you weeping,
Mary, Who do you look for,
Open the door of your eyes, and rise,
I am standing before,

You don't have a fear,
You don't have a need,
That is not cast away,
That is not met in me,

Some people are scared of shadows,
Some people are scared of light,
But greatest joy comes in the morning,
After the darkest, blackest night,

People searching in dark corners,
For the purpose that they need,
For the love that should define them,
When all the time it's found in me,

People seeking out their healing,
By crawling on broken glass,
If only they'd open their eyes,
Drop their pride and ask,

Looking for a purpose, looking for a goal,
Reaching out for something to fill the God shaped hole,
Reaching out for peace and they're crying out for love,
But they're searching in the mud instead of looking above,
You'll never find your freedom, while locked inside your head,
Let me ask you a question,
Why search for the living among the dead?

And these dead things that you look to,
To fill your aching need,
Do they still the aching longing,
Tell me, do they stem the bleed?
Do they promise to release you,
But then lock you in the grave,
Do they promise to rescue you,
But fail to save?

Ands what is it that you want?
That thing you can't define?
Open your eyes and rise,
Let the light in and shine,

This morning of resurrection,
The dawn of all your hope,
That changes your horizon,
That widens your scope,

Death is just the beginning,
That leads to life that's new,
So die to self,
And rise,
To the hope inside of you,

Tell me why are you weeping?
Who is it you look for?
The one who holds the keys,
And stands knocking at your door,

This resurrection comeback King,
The one who died but lives,
Who fills your life with mercy,
And the power that he gives,

Don't look in dead religion,
Don't look from east to west,
Don't look in lifeless loving,
Don't bother with the rest,

Mary, stop your crying,
Simply open up your eyes,
I am standing right before you,
I told you, I would rise,

We Who Put No Confidence In Flesh

We who put no confidence in flesh,
We who like to keep it fresh,
(The aroma of Christ, or the smell of death)
Place no faith, in our own success,

Our righteous rags,
Our Sunday best,
Our best of offerings;

A steaming mess.

We who put no confidence in flesh,
We shall trust in nothing less,
Than the blood of Christ,
His righteousness,

He and he alone shall bless,
Those of his to pass the test,
With scores so poor it should be stressed,
His blood makes up for the rest,

That blood can make the foulest clean,
That blood availed for you and me.

I bring nothing to this table,
My hands are tied, I was not able,
I was shaking, never stable,
My 'goodness' was merely a children's fable,
A humanist tale to make me play ball
An empty wallet with which to pay bail.

Jesus, my goodness had me rot in jail,
But your blood could never, ever fail.
To set me free;
The blood avails.

We who put no confidence in flesh
Lest we get puffed up,
Lest we forget,
We do nothing on our own,
But looking up at Jesus' Throne
Receive his Spirit, we are not alone,
We camp on earth, but heaven's home,

We who put no confidence in the flesh,
Wear righteous robes, cant be undressed,
I did not earn it and I cannot lose it,
He chose me, I did not choose it,
To come to him, to be changed,
He did it all, he rearranged,
This heart of mine,
He broke the chains.
Cleaned me up,
Removed the stains.

We who put no confidence in flesh,
Don't measure ourselves by our own success,
But by Christ's finished work, we confess,
It is done, completed, finito, I am blessed.
I need not work to pass the test,
We need not work,
Only rest.

Falling for Grace

Fallen Angels
Broken wings,
Wounded hearts
Helpless things,
Walking dead,
Trapped in Sins,

You know that I'm just falling for grace,

Trapped inside,
My little head,
All the things,
I wished I'd said,
All my shame
And my regret,

You know that I'm Just falling for grace,

I knew my place,
But lost my way,
There is nothing ,
Left to say,
Please forgive me,
Anyway....

I'm just falling for grace,

You've been here,
A long time now,
But I never,
Understood how,
You could love me,
How couldst Thou?

You know Lord, I'm just falling for grace,

You lift me up,
But it's a long way down,
I don't want,
To see you frown,
I took the mercy,
I stole the crown,

You know, I'm just falling for grace,

I took what I,
Did not deserve,
I came for worship,
You came to serve,
You talked straight,
But I threw a curve,

But I'm just falling for grace,

It's so amazing,
So divine
How you took,
This soul of mine,
I was not grateful,
I did decline,

But now I'm just falling for grace

I cannot lose,
I cannot win,
I can't muck up
Or out-sin,
At the end of me,
You just begin,

I'm just falling for grace,

Your grace; it taught,
My heart to fear,
It drew my soul,
It bought me near,
It said the words,
I need to hear,

"You know that I'll just pour out my grace"

And now I've just fallen for grace

When Cultures Colide

When Cultures collide
When you cant decide
Stood on a rock,

Or caught in a mudslide,
Standing strong,
Or swaying side to side,
Stood apart or joined,
like a groom to a bride,
When cultures collide,

I will build my church

When cultures collide
and it causes pride to rise,
crawling in dog-dung,
to reach for the skies,
When visions of grandeur,
Fill the children's eyes,
The lust of the flesh
And the pride of Life,
Is all we ever see advertised,
When cultures collide

I will build my church

The kingdom culture of humility,
To lift others up,
To see less of me,
But the spirits of the age are stood by like vultures,
to pick the flesh from the bones of this haughty, culture,
As we cultivate, court compatibility,
Are we lost in the waves of this culture,
Like we're lost out at sea,
Or do we catch the surf,
and serve God on the surface of this culture of earth,
do we ride the waves,
to the birth of new birth,
and return to shore,
to claim what's yours,
When cultures collide

I will build my church,

When cultures collide,
Can we close our eyes,
Do we run and hide,
Or simply criticise,
While their spirits, fade,
And the children die,
and we cower in corners,
and close the blinds
but the darkness does not hide us yet,
it is as light,
to the one who sets
stars in place,
and causes the Sun to rise
With the light inside,
Can we close our eyes,
And tell ourselves it's too dark?
And it's not time to leave this ark,
And repopulate with light,
Blindness giving way to so much sight,
when cultures collide

I will build my church

Sometimes we must spit in the mud,
pressing thumbs into sockets
we start to manipulate and rub,
Is this the way to bring sight?
But darkness will be overcome by the creativity of light,

I will build my church

Is it too vast,
Is it too big,
Are we too small,
To rise to the challenge of this gig
As Goliath towers,
as his insults, hiss,
With a head that big,
We could never miss,

I will Build My Church

And who would have seen.
Such opportunities,
For light coming in times' dark as these?

We are not grasshoppers, in their eyes,
We shall not be,
as faithless spies
For giants are smaller,
Than the one enthroned above skies,
Enthroned over the Universe,
King Jesus forever,
Through every chapter and verse,
The bridegroom to come,
When cultures collide,

I will Build my church,

When cultures collided,
At Golgotha , it was so one sided,
They never stood a chance,
God led them all in a merry dance
The meeting of Jerusalem and Rome,
Of law and of grace,
The towel and the throne,
Of religion and freedom,
Of darkness and light,
The collision course set for a hell of a fight,

Yet he won it by giving up,
His life unto death,
When his heartbeat had stopped,
When he exhaled his last breath,
He pulled of the greatest victory yet,

And instead of uprising or riot,
all was darkness and quiet,

Instead of conflict or violence,
His body hung in abject silence

Till earthquake ripped open graves,
And three days later,
He rose to save,

When cultures collide,

I will build my church,

And they will be overcomers,
They will be people winners,
They will be fighting warriors
they will be reaching sinners,
they will be table turners,
They will be death defiers,
They will be evil-spurners,
They will be lighting fires
They will be hope givers,
They will be hungry feeders,
They will be listening ears,
They will go where the need is,
They will be holding hands,
They will be truth speakers,
They will be claiming land,
They will be peace makers,
They will be Gospel sayers
They will be chain breakers,
They will  be My bride,
I will walk by their side

Fear not,

For, in all things,

When cultures collide,

I will build my church

And it will never fail,

And hells gates shall never prevail,

I will Build my Church















 

Gagging Jesus

Jesus spoke
Such sledgehammer words
Resounding on the hard cold anvil
Of cast iron conscience

The world cannot
Cover it's ears
Against such volume,
Against the ringing,
Against the peel of the bell,
Of his lips,

They had to crucify
Such volume,

God on mute,
Jesus Gagged,

That such things be asked of us,
Some would rather,
Lie on the seabed,
And pull the Mountains over their heads like a cover,
Than hear such words,

And even his church,
Won't hear his words,
On wealth and poverty,
Or on hell,
On counting the cost
And taking up the Cross,

They are gagging Jesus,
To this day,

And the Jesus they allow,
To speak through the gag,
is muffled,

And the life we live,
On whispered mishearings,
Make us wonder from the truth,
From Hot to warm,
Warm, warm,
Getting colder,
Colder still,
Luke warm

And the Jesus we have gagged,
Starts gagging,