Discipleship tunes about change

-
Over the past few weeks of our discipleship training, the songs I've tweeted about change have produced as much comment as the content of the course! 

So, for those who are asking, here are the six songs that I've used, all of them in some way expressing a yearning for change or transformation. Some are more bitter sweet, even sad and broken, but all are stretching towards a new way. They are not scripture songs, but this perhaps makes their longing all the more powerful, coming from voices who don't yet know the ultimate metamorphosis that comes to those who receive the good news about Jesus.

Week 1/ Keane - Everybody's Changing.


Week 2/ Augustines - This Ain't Me


Week 3/ Aretha Franklin - Change Gonna Come


Week 4/ David Gray - Transformation



Week 5/ Man in the Mirror - Joyful Noise


Week 6 / Tourist Ft. Lianne La Havas - Patterns



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't kiss me - cross cultural fumblings!

-
This weekend I've kissed a number of people on the lips, the eyebrow, the ear and even the forehead. This embarrassing intimacy is all the result of difficult European greeting customs which us Brits should never be subjected to! In spite of travelling regularly and schooling myself in language and cross cultural understanding, the actual moment of greeting still baffles me. I know it's coming, as they approach and dip their head, I seize up, unsure whether to swerve left or right. Consequently I either meet them full on the mouth, or some awful near miss which more resembles a yuppie 'mwah' than a genuine Italian 'Ciao'. Returning home on Monday with the scars of fumbled greetings still fresh in my mind, I recalled this old but still brilliant Pam Ayres reflection on the matter. It's still best in her own words: But Don't Kiss Me.. I want to ask a favour of the friends that I might meet, To all of my acquaintances who pass me in the street, Give me a c
Read more

Myra Wattinger & the voice of God

-
I've been reading Jack Deere's excellent 'Surprised by the voice of God' again this week. His story about Myra Wattinger is well worth retelling here. Alone & penniless, Myra wondered through the South Texas towns of the 1940's, finally getting a job caring for an elderly man. The pay was pitiful, but at least she had the security of a place to sleep & food to eat. Myra had a history of what psychiatrists today would call 'rejection'. She & her husband had recently divorced. Although he was prosperous he refused to give her any money. Her parents had died when she was an adolescent, so she had no one to turn to for help. As Myra sat in the house watching her elderly employer sleeping, she thought her life had sunk as low as it could go. Sadly, she was wrong. The devil had planned a new torment for her, something that would even bring her to the point of killing herself. One day, while the old man was sleeping, she found herself alone in the house
Read more

The Seven Marks of a Healthy Church

-
Continuing the exploration of healthy church - Robert Warren's excellent 'Healthy Churches Handbook' contains a number of helpful steps. I've used these headings to provoke discussion amongst leaders in various contexts over the years, also finding them personally useful in my own setting. Whilst Warren writes to provoke life in established Anglican churches that have lost their purpose, his challenge remains relevant and provocative for those of us who consider ourselves to be in more progressive movements. Understanding Warren's primary target church audience means we are not going to import everything he suggests, but the thinking process involved in his seven 'marks' is well worthwhile. I will simply paraphrase his marks below without comment. As you reflect on your own context, you will find they speak for themselves and leave you making mental notes and adjustments. They may even send you running for the whiteboard with your leadership team! Perh
Read more