This song was written for the 2021 online UCC General Synod, and draws from the imagery of Psalm 1:
“The truly happy person
doesn’t follow wicked advice,
doesn’t stand on the road of sinners,
and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful.
Instead of doing those things,
these persons love the Lord’s Instruction,
and they recite God’s Instruction day and night!
They are like a tree replanted by streams of water,
which bears fruit at just the right time
and whose leaves don’t fade.
Whatever they do succeeds.” (Psalm 1:1-3 CEB)
I think of it as an invitation to resilience, drawn from being connected to God, to our history and to our story as a people of faith.
All Glory, Laud and Honor
A traditional Palm Sunday song, set to a new tune I’ve written, Soul Crow. It gives the song a new feel and emphasis.
Blessed Be the Tie that Binds
The favorite hymn about love among members of a faith community, set to a new, upbeat tune – More Pretty Girls.
Brightest and Best
A Christmas or Epiphany hymn, Brightest and Best tells the story of the magi and all of us, seeking to bring good gifts to God. Traditional words and tune.
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
The Charles Wesley hymn, set to the guitar-friendly Shepherd’s Star tune from Walker’s Southern Harmony.
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For the Good Green Earth
Inspired by the hymn For the Beauty of the Earth, this song celebrates God’s creation and the many gifts we receive, just by being humans in this beautiful world. The tune is a modified version of Angeline the Baker.
Guide Me, My Great Redeemer
A new tune for the Isaac Watts hymn Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah, which calls on imagery from Exodus and the people of Israel in the wilderness. The tune is modified from All the Good Times are Lost and Gone.
Higher Ground
A classic hymn about reaching for excellence in our faith journey. Upbeat and fun.
House of Love
I wrote most of this hymn at jury duty, in a quiet room waiting to see if I’d be put on a jury. The subdued setting was an interesting contrast to the exuberance and joyfulness of Psalm 100, which declares the depth of God’s love and welcome for each of us. This is an original tune and original lyrics.
How Wide is God’s Welcome
A hymn about God’s loving acceptance and care for all of us, no matter how far we may wander. Works from Luke’s parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son(s). Set to the tune of Adieu to Cold Weather.