Language / English

Share Your Love

The 12 song challenge was to write a theme song for your church. This is mine and hopefully it should be applicable to any church. After all surely it is our mission to share Christ's love by means of a big dose of the fruits of the Spirit.

On the day our Saviour died

Lesley Kennedy

A song of darkness and hope set against the backdrop of Good Friday

Matthew 27:11-52 Mark 15:1-38 Luke 23:13-46 John 18:38-19:37 English Folk Singer/Songwriter Agony Calvary Christ Cross Crucifixion Forgiveness Hate Jesus Passion Reconciliation Redemption Restoration Sacrifice Saviour Sorrow Suffering Victory Congregational Reflectional

I give it all up to You

Ken Spence

The more I discover about God the more I am amazed by the depth of love and freedom the LORD gives us. I also realise how we carry around a great deal of baggage emanating from what I call ‘bad church’; our received cultural heritage of “what the bible says” rather than a true understanding of what it really does say and mean. This song is about one particular issue that we may carry some hang-ups about - confession. Being brought up as an Ulster protestant it is not surprising that I might see confession as a ritual to keep us feeling bad and fallen and under the thumb of a controlling church, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Confession is a fantastic gift from our loving God who only wants us to be set free. There is nothing we can do that could make God love us less, we just think there is. We carry hurt, self-loathing, all sorts of pain, and Jesus simply says, “Give it to Me, I will take it away and release you from it”. That is what confession is for, to release us. We never have to be ‘good enough’ because Jesus is. Give all the rubbish you carry up to him, He’ll take it all and it is gone. And it isn’t a contractual arrangement where we have to confess it for Christ to take it away. We are forgiven already, the confessing is for us to surrender the hurt, pain, and wrong, so that we can let it go too and be released from it. So whatever it is that you are carrying, give it up to Jesus and just bask in His love.

Confession Forgiveness Freedom Contemporary English Congregational

House Of The Lord

Rebecca Beese

Based on Psalm 27, this is an unapologetic declaration of where we're putting our hope. Written to build faith when facing adversary, this song causes courage to rise as we seek the presence of the Lord and to fix our eyes on Him rather than the trouble around us.

Psalms 27 Authority Breakthrough Challenge Confidence Conquering Declaration Dwelling Empowerment Faith Help Power Proclamation Protection Psalms Strength Victory Warfare Contemporary Pop English Congregational

Be Thou My Vision (That Others May See)

John Grummitt, Mary Elizabeth Byrne, Eleanor Henrietta Hull

I was singing this hymn devotionally one day when I simply carried on into a chorus because I felt a need to follow up a devotional verse with a chorus that committed me to practical application. I went with it, and this is what I came up with. I subsequently used it at church the following Sunday and it went down very well. Now I just need Chris Tomlin to cover it, and I can retire. In the meantime, you could use it!

Joshua 13:33 Psalms 86:11 Matthew 6:33 Matthew 19:21 John 1:5 Abiding Aspiration Believe Calling Christian Life Commission Compassion Consecration Dedication Devotion Discipleship Evangelism Example Fruitfulness God's Love Great Commission Indwelling Light Love Missions Obedience Praise Purpose Victory Weeping Hymn English Congregational

Every Breath

Ken Spence

A song about how God talks to us. If you are envious of people who relate stories of how God has spoken to them, join the club. That type of thing can be both encouraging and discouraging prompting us to think “why doesn’t God talk to me like that?” Perhaps God does and we just don’t recognise the voice. Perhaps we are expecting thunderclaps and flashing light bulbs? Hmm …... I know God speaks to me but I often don’t realise it until some time afterwards when I have an “Oh, yeah” moment and often I don’t realise it at all. The reality is that the Holy Spirit is whispering to us all the time “help that person, share your bread, your friend needs a hug etc etc”. And “shock, horror” the Spirit whispers to everyone, not just Christians. But the biggest revelation to me was that God speaks to us all the time through every part of his creation. Listen to your own heartbeat and there is a whisper of God. “Every breath we take, every single heartbeat, every smile in the street” is a whisper of God’s voice. Wow!!!!!

Holy Spirit Listen Presence Rock English Congregational

God All Holy/Dieu Tout Saint

Rebecca Beese

Written for a Resound Worship songwriting challenge, the intention is for the song to be a really simple worship song of adoration that is easily translatable and relatable for different people groups to access.

Adoration Almighty Holiness Power Worship Contemporary English Congregational French Encounter Singer/Songwriter

Jesus, You Are

Jon Cairns

I love fast songs that have substance, so that was my aim in writing this song. It speaks about the different aspects of Jesus, from creation of the world to dying on a cross, from his unknowableness to his intimate love for us. Works well as a song to wake a congregation :)