And we are the dreamers of dreams

When power leads us toward arrogance, poetry reminds us of our limitations. When power narrows the areas of a person's concern, poetry reminds us of the richness and diversity of our existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve

as the touchstone of our judgment.

 John F. Kennedy - Address, 

Amherst College, October 26, 1963 

We are the music-makers,

And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea breakers,

And sitting by desolate streams;

World-losers and world-forsakers,

On whom the pale moon gleams:

Yet we are the movers and shakers

Of the world forever, it seems.

Arthur O'Shaughnessy

I Shall Not Want | Audrey Assad

From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood
And from a need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want

From the fear of serving others
Oh, and from the fear of death or trial
And from the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
Yes, deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

No, I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
I shall not want
I shall not want

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Audrey Assad / Bryan Brown
I Shall Not Want lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Music Services, Inc

Hey there Mr. Blue!

It's Spring! The sun's been blazing in a pale blue sky. They're voting in America! What else could one want but a bit of genuine seventies kitsch? When the kids were little and we used to head off on our Spring holidays, we'd crank this song up in the car's cassette player and belt it out, with air guitar solos, as we hooned along.

Jeff Lynne (E.L.O.) talked about writing "Mr. Blue Sky" after locking himself away in a Swiss chalet and attempting to write ELO's follow-up to A New World Record: "It was dark and misty for 2 weeks, and I didn't come up with a thing. Suddenly the sun shone and it was, 'Wow, look at those beautiful Alps.' I wrote Mr. Blue Sky and 13 other songs in the next two weeks."

So here it is, fresh from 1977, a kinder time when Jimmy Carter was president and everyone wore big flares, big hair, big beards and big pop-rock, Mr Blue Sky, the official psychedelic video!

The Hill We Climb.

"The Hill We Climb" is a spoken word poem written by American poet Amanda Gorman and recited by her at the inauguration of Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2021. 

The poem was written in the weeks following the 2020 United States presidential election, with significant passages written on the night of January 6, 2021, in response to the storming of the United States Capitol. Gorman was twenty-two years old when she recited the poem, making her the youngest inaugural poet ever.

The poem was written to call for "unity and collaboration and togetherness" among the American people and emphasise the opportunity that the future holds.

The Hill We Climb, by Amanda Gorman

When day comes we ask ourselves,

where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry,

a sea we must wade

We’ve braved the belly of the beast

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace

And the norms and notions

of what just is

Isn’t always justice

And yet the dawn is ours

before we knew it

Somehow we do it

Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed

a nation that isn’t broken

but simply unfinished

One Thing Remains

[Verse 1]

Higher than the mountains that I face

And it's stronger than the power of the grave

Constant in the trial and the change

This one thing remains

[Chorus]

And Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

And Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

And Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

[Verse 2]

And on and on and on and on it goes

It overwhelms and satisfies my soul

And I'll never, ever, have to be afraid

'Cause this one thing remains

This one thing remains

[Chorus]

And Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

And Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

And Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

Your love, Your love

[Bridge]

And in death, and in life

I'm confident and covered by

The power of Your great love

My debt is paid

There's nothing that can separate

My heart from Your great love

[Chorus]

'Cause Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

Your love

[Verse 2]

And on and on and on and on it goes

It overwhelms and satisfies my soul

And I'll never, ever, have to be afraid

'Cause this one thing remains

This one thing, it remains, remains

[Chorus]

Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

Your love never fails, it never gives up

It never runs out on me

Your love

[Bridge]

And in death, and in life

I'm confident and covered by

The power of Your great love

My debt is paid

There's nothing that can separate

My heart from Your great love

[Instrumental]

How does the Holy Spirit guide and change us?

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor, to
be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth...” (John 14:15-17) 

As Christians we celebrate that the Holy Spirit actively guides and grows us! Whilst our faith is grounded in the Word of God, it is never just a dry set of moral principles, it is a relationship and a conversation as we travel the road – the highway sections well lit and paved and the unpaved dirt sections winding through the valleys of deepest shadow.

Sometimes it is through the darker paths that insight and growth comes!

My mum used to tell the story (from the 1950s) of how as a single, young, nurse, she found herself alone and confused working as a nanny in Iraq for the Japanese ambassador’s little boy! She had thought this was God’s leading, but now it felt as if she had been abandoned in a literally ‘god-forsaken’ desert. She tells the story:

“... After a long lonely Christmas time in a Shinto household in a Moslem country – I longed for some Christian fellowship. I asked God that if there were any Christians in that town, would He let me find them. Instead, God answered my prayer by sending me a violent unbearable toothache. On top of everything else, what should I do?

I told the Embassy Chauffeur to drive me to a dentist. “Which one?” he asked. Any dentist! We drove around until we found one in Rashid Street. While I waited for my treatment, I looked out of the window. Right opposite I saw the sign “British & Foreign Bible Society.” My toothache almost disappeared! After seeing the dentist I went straight over and enquired about where these Christians met, and if I could attend.

They welcomed me and took me to the Mission Centre called ‘Dar Kalimat Allah’- Arabic for ‘House of the Word of God’.

This community became like a home for me. I spent my days off – mostly Sundays - there helping with Sunday School and other mission work. Mini a Christian lady from Belfast, and her Syrian husband Kareem, became my best friends. [They were like the Pastors of the church]. Mini became my mentor and lifelong older sister while I attended the meetings and helped them. And, that is how I met my husband! – all through a toothache!

I wonder, what are your stories of ‘toothaches’? How have you found the Holy Spirit in the desert places? Truly, as the Proverb says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” (Prov 3:5-6)

Often we miss the ‘ways’ of the Holy Spirit because we are not attending. We notice the spectacular break-throughs or the exhilarating experiences, but the everyday activities and the mundane routines slip past without attention. As for the difficult things, the frustrations, and the painful ‘toothaches’ of life, well they are rarely reflected on too deeply.

One of the practices we have been sharing in our new faith community, Haven, is the ancient practice of the Examen. It’s the discipline of pausing and sitting quietly for a while each day and reflecting on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern the Spirit’s direction for us.

In what ways can we build in time for reflection and listening to the voice of the Spirit?