1. FIND ME SANCTUARY Lyrics and music Tess Daley
Sung by Rachael Short. Classical backing by Graham Wood.
If only we could talk …
Winds of change stir the soul’s imagination and longings … for warmth and shelter in the presence of unconditional love, a safe space for honest soul-searching. For life-transforming conversation where the most uncomfortable feelings can be unravelled, expressed and owned. A desire to re-connect with a sense of innocence (as in Genesis chapters 1 & 2), for an encounter with the holy and a sense of belonging. Healing can then take place, strength will be regained. Pain of the past will then lose its hold, with direction and energy for new beginnings and I’ll cast off this Wint’ry gown … learn to sing again!
The Church and holy places were traditionally a place of sanctuary and succour for those pursued by accusers. A fugitive was given time and opportunity to speak and declare his/her innocence. We are often our worst critics, having carried so much negativity inside that continues to pursue. Finding a special place, a personal and prayerful sacred space where we can learn to nurture and care for our soul means shackles can fall away and healing is enabled. Ultimately it’s our choice … to make a date!
2. BENEATH MY SHADE Lyrics Tess Daley; Music Pete Kennedy/Tess Daley Sung by Paul Southgate & Sr Angela Robson ; dobro, guitar and banjo Jim Hornsby keyboards Graham Wood
“Take off your shoes for you are on holy ground”
The warmest welcome imaginable! A life-affirming song unashamedly full of tenderness and nurturing love. A cheerful and playful invitation to take a break, rest and be replenished. Unconditional love in abundance, purely because we’re worth it. Precious opportunity to rediscover our dignity in communion with Creator and creation, like a child who is welcomed home ( the longing expressed in Find Me Sanctuary). Written in the spirit of Psalm 8 – You have made us little less than gods, crowned us with glory and splendour … First inspiration was this passage in the Song of Songs 2:3, “As an apple tree among the trees of the orchard, so is my Beloved among young men. In his longed-for shade I am seated…”
3. BLOSSOM LIKE THE LILY (based on Ecclesiasticus 39:12-21)
Lyrics Tess Daley; Music Pete Kennedy/Tess Daley Sung by Paul Southgate with Sr Angela Robson, Helen Rae and Rachael Short Classical backing by Graham Wood
A kind of meditative stretching! A reminder that singing helps keep us in the present moment, involving mind, feelings, spirituality and the physical. I’m told that during War times when everything was uncertain and full of insecurities, singing around a piano in the home kept body and soul buoyant. We can’t know what the future holds or control certain events, but we can make the most of the present. This ‘sacrifice of the present moment’ shows a way to live free from anxieties. Challenging questions can be put aside for a while. New discoveries can be made, losing ourselves in awe & wonder, and trusting we are ultimately in the safe hands of a Master Designer.
4. THE BETTER PART (based on Luke 10:38-42)
Lyrics Tess Daley; music Pete Kennedy/Tess Daley Sung by Ann Liddell keyboards Graham Wood percussion, bass & guitar Sean Taylor
Women are often given a hard time because they place a high value on relationship. In this well-known story abouit Mary of Bethany, however, Jesus defies the odds. A woman who cares enough to listen and drink in his every word, Mary fights for this quality time with him. She is determined to hold onto every precious moment with this most significant man in her life who values her friendship. In her eyes there is nothing so urgent as being locked in conversation with her beloved, for How can I be sure when you’ll be back this way again? Jesus was undoubtedly her source of life and sustenance. In turn he cherished Mary’s devotion, immortalising her: “It is she who has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”. In a household which prides itself on hospitality, it is this woman who truly opens her heart. Jesus takes delight in seeing that his presence illuminates her whole being. A song about the kind of relationships that matter most, and what we’re looking for in soul-friendship. An anthem to those who choose the narrow way, the road less travelled.
Newcastle Town Moor
5. WISDOM (based on Wisdom 7: 22 – 8 inclusive)
Lyrics Tess Daley; Music Pete Kennedy/Tess Daley Sung by Aaron Bayley Keyboards: Graham Wood violin: Anthony Constantine
King Solomon’s eulogy of the perfect woman!. In the care of his soul she is unrivalled among all the most regal women he has ever met. Understanding her enlightened ways involves being receptive, but also active: following, seeking, waiting, learning from experience, listening closely as if to our own heartbeat. Sometimes intimately near, other times playful and elusive, she is always reliable. Disciplined, yet not bound by rules, culture or convention. Making herself known in many guises she is most present in the midst of our cares. It may well be that once we invite her to do so she will guide us through the most heart-rending experiences. We’ll be drawn along a royal road that teaches compassion and ultimately promises deep peace.
Anna/Silence
6. SILENCE (Matthew 26: 6-13/John 12)
Lyrics Tess Daley; Music Pete Kennedy Sung by Anna Raine Classical backing by Graham Wood
Anna brings a mother-earthly Celtic sound to this lullaby-like song. The intimate closeness of mother and suckled newborn, reflected also in the mature woman who expresses gratitude for unconditional love in bold and extravagent self-giving. A loving gesture of total abandonment. While all else races around her she finds love, presence and communion. Taken from the story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and poured aromatic oil over his head. A woman able to shut out the voices of people who condemned her. She was lost in love for this man who restored her well-being. Jesus was her Universe.
7. BROKEN MAN ON A TREE by Tess Daley Based on Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised …”
Sung by Terence Dowling Classical backing by Graham Wood; violin Anthony Constantine
Dedicated to the memory of Fr Eddie Gibbons (5th Sept 1940 – 7th Oct 2012), a loving man, priest and missionary drawn to the suffering of others.
The lyrics were inspired by the life and work of Terence Dowling, the soloist.
Human beings are capable of the most shameful things. But there is also a great desire to reach beyond our weaknesses and limitations, to love with more understanding. This song began as a simple refrain I sang for years – No need to run, no need to fear. Neither fight nor flight from the most disturbing things but a centred stillness. It is contemplation of the most enigmatic and universaly recognised of Christian symbols. One which embodies the whole spectrum of our human story in its unfolding drama. The crucified God-made-man doesn’t flinch one bit at what we find most ugly, harrowing and disarming. He holds it all in a steady gaze that promises I am with you in the midst of it all – right to the end. A reflective quietness allows us to draw near to an awareness of our mortality. To encounter disturbing and bewildering feelings and thoughts we have disowned as unacceptable. Or aspects of our personality that have been crushed. Still waters reminds me of the proud and soul-less Narcissus (in Greek mythology). One day he stooped to drink from a still pool of water. He caught sight of his reflection and became fascinated by this new ‘face’, this ‘other’ he had previously rejected and disowned. So entranced he pined away, yearning to make this new image his own. He lay with his head on the grass and disappeared deep into the underworld. He was reborn in the softer, flexible and lovely form we recognise as the narcissus, our springtime and Easter flower. A song to help us look with fresh eyes upon parts of our soul we find most difficult to accept. To give more time. To look deeper through the eyes of Mercy personified. Take time to understand the human story behind upsetting feelings and behaviour. Find new depths beneath the surface, and see the divine spark reflected back. Graced, transformed, born anew it’s our gift to life.Even in our brokenness, humanity and the life Jesus wholeheartedly embraced, is full of wonder. It’s glorious!
8. VOICE IN THE DESERT (Isaiah 40: 6-8)
Lyrics Tess Daley; Music Pete Kennedy/Tess Daley
Sung by Paul Southgate & Rachael Short Keyboards & backing by Graham Wood
In a world always changing and shifting like sand … God’s words are welcomed as eternal source of life and sustenance for every stage of our journey to the twilight years of our lives and beyond. After coming through an ordeal, loss or illness, it’s amazing to discover that the spirit still feels youthful and strong. You sing in me still, sing in me still!
Alnwick Gardens,Northumberland
9. NEVER ENDING STREAM (based on John 4:14)
lyrics Tess Daley & Jim Gray; music Bob Watson
Sung by Paul Southgate & Rachael Short
Keyboards and backing Graham Wood violin Anthony Constantine
A song of recovery; the cycle of life, of giving and receiving. Water is both life-giving and destructive, as so many of us have witnessed in recent years due to flash-flooding. Paul Southgate used to work in Enoosupukia, Kenya, where it rains heavily for an hour (4-5pm) every day. The rainfall is followed by two hours of sunshine, so the land dries and is a place of fertility. Rain here is considered to be a blessing baraka. This is the mood of Never Ending Stream, “The water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14). And so with gratitude we rise as one to praise our Source of life.
10. THE MAN WHO IS MY DESTINY (John 4: 6-30)
lyrics and music by Tess Daley sung by Ann Liddell, with Graham Wood and Mike Webster on backing vocals.
Country backing with Graeme Wood keyboards; Jim Hornsby dobro and guitar; Sean Taylor percussion and bass
Based on the story of the Woman of Samaria and her serendipitous encounter with a total stranger. A woman with a dubious reputation (You have had five husbands, and the one you have now …) heads for the heights to draw water. To avoid gossip and more put-downs from townspeople she travels at noon, in the heat of the sun. Only to find she’s not alone after all. A Jewish man, Jesus, is already there. He appears to enjoy playful banter with this mature and wordly-wise woman-with-attitude. He knows what it’s like to be the butt of negative comments. A woman who clearly won’t stand for any nonsense, she is a refreshing change after a long and tedious journey. Instead of ostracising her, he encourages conversation. She’s taken aback by his request Give me a drink! He continues to entice her, revealing he does have some insights into her life. He shows he can read her heart. Rather than judging her, he sees her deeper needs and dilemmas. And while she’s vulnerable and receptive he confides in her. He tells her the most profound truths – secrets humanity has yearned to hear since the dawn of time. Overflowing with evangelical zeal she leaves her jar behind and heads for the town. Rather than attempting to cling to him she can’t wait to rush back and tell everyone …anyone … about this amazing man who told me everything about myself. So, a marginalised woman driven to avoid her neighbourhood is shown by a total stranger how to understand her deepest needs. Finding the attention and trust she’s been longing for since her youth she is euphoric. The search is over. Jesus has turned her life around. Consequently her story becomes headline news and, in time, the beloved subject of almost a whole chapter in the world’s best seller. All because she was thirsty.
ARISE, MY FAITHFUL ONE (Isaiah 50:4ff; 57:15, 58: 8; Baruch 5:1-9)
lyrics Tess Daley; music Pete Kennedy/Tess Daley Sung by Terence Dowling and Rachael Short Classical backing by Graham Wood
A cycle of healing reaches its conclusion. Taken mostly from the Book of Consolation in Isaiah this tender, joyful song celebrates the end of a period of prayerful soul-searching. Waiting, listening, seeking, wounds laid bare, thoughts scrutinised, motivations cleansed, humility and compassion grown. Energy and well-being revived. A new day can now be welcomed with youthful optimism.
Isaiah was the Old Testament prophet who foresaw a coming age when a remnant of the people would survive the fall of a nation. God would comfort this people and restore them to their holy city. Their ordeals over, they would be the ones to rebuild an era of peace and justice.
Faith and values are handed down through the generations, parent/grandparent to child; guru to disciple, Jesus to his followers, teacher to pupil, friend to friend. All those who have been tested in the crucible of life-experience pass on this faith. Their love and wisdom provide strength and guidance through challenging times. Now internalised this nurturing Voice of Faith awakens a fresh enthusiasm and a spontaneous, compassionate response. Divine inspiration, divine nature reborn. Equilibrium is a wonderful thing!
12. AN IRISH BLESSING lyrics traditional; music Bob Watson
Sung by Aaron Bayley and Rachael Short Celtic backing Graham Wood/Sean Taylor. Bob Watson wrote the melody to these familiar words sent to him on a ‘get well soon’ card. It’s therefore different to the traditional tune. And so one adventure reaches its conclusion with a simple blessing to send you on your way. Thank you for being part of our journey. And until we meet again …