Songs for the Journey (2018)
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TRACK LIST
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
CHORD CHARTS
LYRIC VIDEOS
TRACK LIST
- Lord I come (Wash my feet)
- Walk through the fire
- This is our time
- Devoted to You
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
Lord I come (Wash my feet)
This song came out of one of the early teaching sessions at the 2017 RESOUNDWorship Worship Songwriting Retreat. Joel Payne was talking about the exchange between Jesus and Peter – and the recognition that we are clean – we don’t need a full wash again and again.
I tend to be a little wordy in my lyrics, trying to pack so much in – so I set myself the task of writing little. I think a six word chorus delivered on that challenge.
This song tries to capture the intimacy of a relationship with Jesus. Recognising our place before him as people who have been forgiven, and people who he loves to spend time with. Choosing, in that moment, to allow ourselves to be willing to sit – not rushing away – but enjoying each moment there. Listening to what it is he has to say – and then continuing on with our lives, still covered by his grace.
I performed this at the concert on the Tuesday evening that year – and the harmonies that came out of the group during the chorus were amazing.
This song is by far the most popular of my songs on Youtube (around 45,000 views), with the viewing rate massively rising in Easter Week. It has also been covered by a church in South Africa who did an amazing job. You can watch the video here.
Walk through the fire
I was at home one Saturday in 2014 when I received a text from a colleague, through which it transpired that three senior colleagues at work had been suspended. Within 10 seconds of receiving that information, and knowing the situation that it related to – I felt God say to me “You’ll come through the fire and you’ll not get burned”. Armed with this information, I headed in to tell my wife that I thought I was going to get suspended the following week.
I also shared that information with church as I led worship the following day – asking for their prayers, assuring them that I hadn’t done anything wrong and it would be all OK, and letting them know what God had said. Sure enough, as I went into work the following week, I was met with shortly after starting to be informed that I was going to be suspended.
When I led worship the following week I updated church and told them what had happened, and then during that week that followed, I wrote this song, singing it for the first time the next Sunday. It was really important that the promises that we sung about were declared whilst going through the issue, not when everything turned out fine at the end. This song really connected with people because they saw that it came out of the confidence that God was true to His word – and we didn’t need to see the evidence of it directly in this situation because we’d seen it before and could take our confidence from that.
I was off work for 10 weeks in total – possibly some of the best 10 weeks of my life. I had chance to focus on the things I enjoyed – it became a sabbatical rather than a suspension. But the thing that kept me going throughout was that there was a fire around me – but I had been promised that I would come through it without getting burned. For those who were around in church since it was written – each time we sang it, they were able to connect with the story that sits behind it – and it helped us to each face whatever our fire, valley, raging river with a faith that God is who He says he is.
This is our time
There isn’t any particularly significant story behind this song – but I’ll share what there is.
As part of our 40 Days initiatives one year, we encouraged the congregation at Bodmin Road Church to consider giving one thing up, to take up another. Giving up something that took away time, to use that time for something in their relationship with God. I remember that at that time (I think we’re talking 2007), if I had a spare moment, I would often jump on the x-box, but I wanted to choose to use that time differently, so I decided to have a go at songwriting instead.
During those 40 Days, I wrote five songs – a number of which have now made it to full production. This song was an intentional discipline – to attempt to write an up-beat call to worship.
I hope you enjoy the song!
Devoted to You
One year, as part of the 40 Days initiative across Hull, we encouraged members and regular attenders at Bodmin Road Church to think about some of the ways in which they spent their time and consider whether there were any things that they could ‘give up’ over Lent that would free up time and attention to focus more on God.
We filmed people at the start of the Lent period saying what they were planning to give up, and what they hoped that this would give them a chance to focus on – and again, filmed them at the end to see how they had got on, and any things that they had learned from the experience.
It was a really powerful time where people found that spending time in an intentional way, choosing to free yourself of distractions that become so easy to get caught up in – God spoke! There were loads of stories that came out of that time that were birthed in people choosing to give something up, for something better.
This song came out of that time. A recognition that we fill our time and attention with so many things that only serve to distract us from what matters.
“Lord I give you my life, have everything
Holding nothing back, not anything
From all distractions, set me free
‘Cos I want to be
Devoted to You”
CHORD CHARTS
LYRIC VIDEOS
Lord I come (Wash my feet)
Walk through the fire
This is our time
Devoted to You
Songs by David Brackenbury 