Here is a collection of hymns that I have written. Some are new words and tunes; some are new tunes to old words. They may all be copied and used freely for non-profit personal and congregational use (please acknowledge the source). If you, however, are interested in publishing or performing any of them then please get in touch.

Please leave a comment if you use them in a congregational setting.

A Sovereign Protector
A new tune for Augustus Toplady’s hymn. The full words are here.

Beloved, let us love
A new tune which I hope might give new life to a little sung hymn by Horatius Bonar on the little sung theme of love within the Christian community. The original words are here, but I’ve re-written them in a more contemporary idiom.

Beloved, let us love: for love is of God;
in God alone has love its true abode.

.

2. Beloved, let us love: for those who love,
they only, are his children from above.

.

3. Beloved, let us love: for love is rest,
and those who not love remain unblessed.

.

4. Beloved, let us love: for love is light,
and those who do not love still live in night.

.

5. Beloved, let us love: for only thus
shall we see God, the Lord, who first loved us.

Bless’d are the poor in spirit (7676D)
This is a setting of the beautitudes. The words below are by me while the link above is to a tune by my friend Rob Spink, one of the leaders in The Crowded House.

Bless’d are the poor in spirit
and bless’d are those who grieve,
for theirs will be the kingdom
and comfort they’ll receive.
The meek the earth inherit
and so they now are bless’d.
And they’ll be filled who hunger
and thirst for righteousness.

.

2. Bless’d are those who show mercy
for mercy they’ll be shown.
The pure in heart find blessing,
to them God will be known.
And peacemakers God blesses,
his children they are called.
And those who suffer for him
have heavenly reward.

By His Spirit
Words and music by me this time, but it’s not the most exciting tune! It can be sung to any 8787 tune including the two other new ones for that metre which I’ve written for ‘Come, O Fount of Every Blessing’ and ‘Once in Chaos’.

By his Spirit God dwells in us,
in his presence life we live,
all we do we can do for him
through the grace which Jesus gives.

.

2. We, God’s children, share together
in the life of God above,
with the Father, Son and Spirit
in the unity of love.

.

3. All our joys and all our laughter
with the God of life we share.
All our troubles, all our worries
we can bring to him in prayer.

.

4. When we’re busy, under pressure,
when in sadness or in fear,
we can know him as our refuge,
know the God of peace is near.

.

5. When Christ comes again in glory
we will know his full embrace,
now we see him only dimly,
then we’ll see him face to face.

.

6. Praise and blessing, honour, glory,
be to him who calls us friends,
for his love is everlasting
and his mercy never ends.

Come praise and glorify our God
The words below are a setting of Paul’s great hymn to God’s sovereign grace in Ephesians 1:3-14. Three times Paul says that the triune God has acted for the praise of glory or the praise of his glorious grace (verses 6, 12, 14). And the sections this refrain seems to create focus in turn on the role of the Father, Son and Spirit. I’ve tried ot retain this structure in my setting. The music above is the second tune I’ve written. I didn’t think the first one really worked (the time signature changed back and forth which is never a good sign). Not entirely sure about the second version. It needs to be played with a jazzy feel and maybe also some freedom around the rhythm. If you are playing it on a guitar then I suggest you put a capo on the first fret and play it with open A and B chords replacing the Bbmaj7 and C chords (i.e. with an E shape on the fifth and seventh frets with the top B and E strings left open). You can do the same with the Gm and Am chords - playing them with an Em shape on the second and fourth frets with the top two strings left open.

Come praise and glorify our God,
the Father of our Lord,
in Christ he has, in heav’nly realms,
all blessings on us poured.
Holy and blameless in his sight
he chose that we should be,
he gives adoption through his Son
into his family.
Come praise his glory;
come praise his grace;
come praise his glorious grace.

.

2. Come praise and glorify our God
who gives his grace in Christ,
in him we are forgiven sin,
redeemed through sacrifice.
In him God has made known to us
the myst’ry of his will,
that Christ should be the head of all,
his purpose to fulfil.

.

3. Come praise and glorify our God,
for we have heard the word,
and through our faith we have a seal
the Spirit of the Lord.
The Spirit guarantees our hope
until redemption’s done,
until we join in endless praise
to God, the Three-in-One.

Come, O Fount of every blessing
A new tune for a hymn by Robert Robinson that has meant a lot to me. Again, I have written a slightly more contemporary version of the words.

Come, O Fount of every blessing,
tune our hearts to sing your grace:
streams of mercy never ceasing
call for songs of loudest praise.

.

2. Jesus sought us when as strangers
we were wand’ring far from God,
and, to save our souls from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

.

3. O to grace how great a debtor –
may your grace rule all we do.
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter
bind our wandering hearts to you.

.

4. Prone to wander, Lord, we feel it,
prone to leave the God we love;
here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
seal it from your courts above.

How firm a foundation
Some of us in the Crowded House were identifying old hymns with great words that we felt needed new tunes and this at the top of the list. The words are here. I would also recommend David Powlison’s wonderful meditation on this hymn in John Piper and Justin Taylor (eds.), Suffering and the Sovereignty of God(Crossway, 2006).

Jesus cast a look on me
I recently came across the words of ‘Jesus cast a look on me’, but I didn’t like the tune so I came up with this one. It also fits the hymn ‘Holy Spirit, Truth Divine’ and we don’t have many good hymns focusing on the Holy Spirit. A more contemporary version of the words is below. But the more I personally play, the more it gets a jazzy feel. Played like this it goes better with something like ‘Christ the Lord, is risen today’ (without the ‘alleluia’s).

Holy Spirit, Truth divine,
dawn upon this soul of mine;
voice of God and inward light,
wake my spirit, clear my sight.

.

2. Holy Spirit, Love divine,
glow within this heart of mine;
kindle every good desire;
perish self in your pure fire.

.

3. Holy Spirit, Power divine,
fill and nerve this will of mine;
grant that I may boldly live,
serve you fully, gladly give.

.

4. Holy Spirit, Right divine,
reign within this soul of mine;
be my law and I shall be
firmly bound, forever free.

.

5. Holy Spirit, Peace divine,
still this restless heart of mine;
speak to calm this tossing sea,
give me your tranquility.

.

6. Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
comfort this poor heart of mine;
Living Water, be my spring,
in the desert ways I’ll sing.

Jesus, your blood and righteousness
This is a new tune to the great hymn on justification by Count Zinzendorf, translated by John Wesley. The original words are here, but a more contemporary version is below.

Jesus, your blood and righteousness
my beauty are, my glorious dress;
mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed
with joy shall I lift up my head.
When from the dust of death I rise
to claim my home beyond the skies
then this shall be my only plea:
Jesus has lived and died for me.
.

2. Bold shall I stand in that great day
and none condemn me, try who may;
fully absolved by you I am
from sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
O give to all your servants, Lord,
to speak with power your gracious word,
that all who now believe it true
may find eternal life in you.
.

3. O God of power, O God of love
let the whole world your mercy prove;
now let your word in all prevail;
Lord, take the spoils of death and hell!
O let the dead now hear your voice;
let those once lost in sin rejoice!
Their beauty this, their glorious dress,
Jesus, your blood and righteousness.

Just as I am
A new tune to these famous old words (which can be found here). My version does not repeat the final ‘I come’.

Once in chaos
This was written in response to a request for a song which celebrates the story of the Old Testament as our story. Here are the words:

Once in chaos, darkness, blindness;
now the light of God we see.
Word that spoke a world of beauty
speaks Christ’s glory unto me.
.

2. Once in silence, empty, hopeless;
now we hear God’s gospel word.
Promises first heard by Abraham
once again by us are heard.
.

3. Once enslaved like slaves of Pharaoh;
now from sin and death set free.
Exodus was re-enacted
as God’s Lamb was slain for me.
.

4. Once we wandered barren pathways,
far from God and on our own;
now we’re part of God’s new family,
pilgrims with a heav’nly home.
.

5. Once we lived as we decided,
fashioning our tyranny.
David’s Son is now our Saviour,
bringing peace and liberty.
.

6. God proclaims his gracious promise,
‘Yes’ Christ echoes back again,
and we join the conversation:
to God’s glory cry ‘Amen’.

When you pass through the waters (Isaiah 43)
This song, based on Isaiah 43, was written at a time when a number of people in our congregation were ‘passing through the waters’ of affliction. Here are the words:

‘When you pass through the waters,
when you pass through the flood,
fear not, I am with you,
your Creator, your God.
And I will be with you,
I will be with you.’
.

2. ‘When you walk through the fire,
when you stand in the flame,
fear not, your Redeemer
has called you by name.
And I will be with you,
I will be with you.’
.

3. ‘In my love I redeemed you,
the ransom I paid.
In my sight you are precious
so do not be afraid,
for I will be with you,
I will be with you.’
.

4. Through our problems and pressures,
O Lord, keep us safe.
You have loved us, redeemed us;
please now strengthen our faith,
so we will trust in you,
we will trust in you.

For more on songs and hymns from The Crowded House go to: http://www.thecrowdedhouse.org/songs.htm.