‘You get old if you don’t grow’

I hit the big ‘eight o’ a few months ago, well actually it hit me! I suddenly realised that I’d had my quota – the Bible says ‘The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty’; so I reckon I’m now living in ‘injury time’! But the Lord knows and it’s his timing that matters. The point is, what to do with what you’ve got left. Use it well, make the most of it and for those of us who are children of the King, use it to serve and honour Him, Jesus, that is! Love your family, pray for them and for all those you’ve met on the road of life especially those who as yet have never bowed the knee to Him. Show patience, kindness and understanding towards everyone and keep on telling that Good News to all whom you meet. But don’t neglect spending time with the Lord himself, reading His Word, enjoying His presence and simply worshipping Him. I guess you could call that preparing for Eternity!


A dear old gentleman I knew told me one day that he was now too tired even to pray so he simply looked out of the window and worshipped silently with a real sense of wonder at all God had made, knowing that very soon he would see his Saviour, the Maker and  Redeemer of all things and spend eternity with Him along with all the saints of God.


‘You get old if you don’t grow’, said the preacher. So keep on growing, worshipping, serving and living the one precious life He has given you.

A thought for Easter


The story is often told of a little boy talking to his mum at bed time just as she turned out the light.


“Mum I’m scared of the dark”
“But God is with you”
“Yes I know that but I want someone with skin on”!

“So God sent someone with skin on! – Jesus his own beloved Son!
I have a series of little black books full of messages I’ve prepared over the years for missions, evangelistic talks and concerts in churches, prisons, concert halls and even the open air. I was looking recently at the first one I filled in the late ‘70’s. On the inside back cover I’d written these words –

‘Speak about Jesus, what he did and said, the cross where he died and his glorious resurrection. Preach and testify that Jesus is the one whom God appointed judge of the living and the dead, that everyone who believes in him, receives forgiveness of sins in his name, the gift of the Holy Spirit and Eternal Life’.


Over forty years later the message is still the same and will be until He comes or calls. This Easter fill your heart and mind with these wonderful truths. Read them in the Bible and meditate on them in your heart. To quote the apostle Peter (1 Peter 1:8 & 9) “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls”.

HALLELUJAH JESUS IS RISEN! April 2022

No greater love

Stood on a hill outside the city
Watching the sun going down,
All the colours bleed into red
Is this Holy ground?

Two thousand years have slipped away
In a moment of time,
All the colours still bleed into red
Filling the depths of my mind.

Filling my heart and my soul
Cleansing and making me whole

Echoes of Eden still haunt the world
In it’s sorrow and pain,
Shadows of darkness still stain the world
Simply the mark of Cain.

Wandering alone in the earth
Never knowing our worth

No greater love has ever happened
No greater love you’ll ever see,
That from the heart, the heart of heaven
Love should come to rescue me.

Making the wounded whole
Saving each humble soul

A thought

Songwriting has been part of my ‘stock in trade’ for many years now. The professionals in Nashville start writing first thing Monday morning and Hey Ho, another hit appears by lunchtime! It ain’t quite like that with the rest of us! We wait for the inspiration to hit. Some call it ‘The Muse’, I just call it a word or a phrase that I read, or heard somebody say. It may even be a feeling left by a  scene I’ve lived. As I get older this happens less often, probably because less seems to happen in life anyway!

The desire is still there to say something in a song that might touch a heart, make somebody think or even point that someone to Jesus and all that he is and has done. Well, here are the lyrics to a song I wrote recently thinking about all this stuff. Haven’t recorded it yet…. but maybe that’s a good thing!!!!!

THE OLD SONGWRITER

See that old songwriter slumped in a chair,
Looking for inspiration that just isn’t there.
Dreaming of good days when words tumbled down,
Like the fast flowing freeway on the far edge of town.

Hoping and praying he’s nothing to lose,
Writing a story about yesterday’s news.
The glories of heaven, the terrors of hell,
And the wonders of life that we all know so well.

Does it matter at all
When your back is close to the wall?
Does it matter at all
When your back is so close to the wall?

Once saw a stranger drifting on by,
With a pain in his heart and a tear in his eye.
I wanted to ask him what had gone wrong,
But all that I got were the words of a song.

Eternity’s calling, whispering clear,
But who’s gonna listen and who’s gonna hear?
The ransom is payed for all who will come,
For all who will bow down to bright heaven’s Son.

Does it matter at all
When your back is close to the wall?
Does it matter at all
When your back is so close to the wall?

A blast from the past!

May 1985 seems a lifetime ago, well half a lifetime anyway!

Bernie and I went to Wiedenest, Germany where I had been invited to sing at a large youth conference. Meeting and talking to the kids as well as being up front was a great bonus; as was listening to the main conference speaker a much respected old friend of mine for many years the late Nigel Lee.


Both Bernie and I had forgotten that we’d been videoed several times until he found a cassette whilst tidying stuff up at home a few weeks ago. Who are these young slim looking guys playing guitar and singing? The thing that blew me away is that I don’t remember singing or even writing one of the songs! Oh, the joys of getting older (!) and neither of us can reach the high notes any more, even wearing a tight pair of Jeans!

In spite of all that, all these years later the message is still the same, ‘Won’t you let Jesus in your life’ to quote from the long-forgotten song – so we’re still singing, albeit in a much lower key, and sharing the love and mercy of God shown in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Links to more videos from Wiedenest are found in Live Sessions.