The Bakery

True Unity: a poem

That we might be One

A prayer in poetry for the followers of Jesus; His Body on earth - His Church 

Lord Jesus, in a world that’s dark, we need Your perfect Light
Great challenges we face today - such enemies we fight 
We need to see the truth, dear Lord, for Truth is who You are
Our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, eternal Morning Star 

This world is dead without You, Lord, for Life is who You are
The people need to see You here; not distant or afar 
So, Jesus, will You come to us? - though we are many parts
And, by Your Spirit, make us One; uniting different hearts 

We want our hearts to beat as One, in rhythm with Your own 
To live the way that speaks of You, our King now on His Throne
For once You walked upon this earth; and You became our guide 
The Way is who You are, dear Lord, You called us to Your side 

Jesus, You taught us how to live; You died to make us whole 
It cost You everything You had: Your Body, Spirit, Soul 
Jesus - our Way, our Truth, our Life - we want to love You, too
To be Your Body here on earth - to be as One in You

For You have prayed for us, dear Lord, that we would all be One 
One in the Kingdom of our God; in Father, Spirit, Son 
For we reveal Your Body now, while here on earth we dwell 
And, with One voice, we want to speak the Truth You want to tell 

This world is waiting for Your Truth, it needs to know Your Love 
The Love that brought our God to earth from His own realm above
For, as we live in Oneness, Lord, this world will know Your story 
We shall display the Truth of You, and show God’s Heart of Glory!  

Doxology 

All glory to the Father, all glory to the Son 
All glory to the Spirit, while endless ages run 
For God is Love and He is One: in Holiness and Glory 
And we exalt His Majesty; the Author of Life’s story

Key Scriptures:
‭‭
Lord Jesus, in a world that’s dark, we need Your perfect Light
Great challenges we face today - such enemies we fight
Isaiah 59:9 & 11-15 

“So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.”
‭‭We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away. 
For our offences are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offences are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. 
So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey…..


For You have prayed for us, dear Lord: John 17:20-23 

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.17.22-23.NIVUK

A Short Reflection

The Source of Unity

What good news it is that Jesus makes us His own brothers and sisters, when we are born again by His own Spirit!

We also become part of His own Body here on earth, because He is now seated in Heavenly places with His Father. There is One Body of Christ with many different parts across all the nations of this world.

This poem does not detract from that good news. It reflects the deep desire which Jesus expressed in His prayer, that His followers on earth- those who live and believe in Him – will be one with the same Unity that exists between Himself and His Father.

Jesus wants us to be seen to be one so that the world will believe in the one true God. That’s the enduring theme of His prayer before He died on the Cross.

Oneness is a compelling quality, when different people believe in – and so are united by – the very same thing. This has spiritual power.

Darkness and Light

I was led to the verses in Isaiah – the Old Testament prophet – because they speak of the darkness in our world today.

We live in very dark times on earth. Truth now is often relative and not absolute at all. Justice is skewed and not impartial. Righteousness is a concept that is not even understood.

Unlike those mentioned by Isaiah, who were conscious of their offences against God, many people today have no concept of sinning and turning their backs on Him. We are fighting spiritual enemies, empowered by people who do not know or worship the One true God.

Many people in this world exist without believing in the God of Love. Sadly, they have become His enemies and reject His ways.

But we have His Light and Jesus wants them to see it. To see Him – the Way, the Truth and the Life – reflected in us.

Kate Stanway: November 11th 2025

Seasons

A poem and a reflection centred on the seasons; in our gardens and our lives.

A couple of months have passed since my last post, written in late August. What an amazing summer we had here in England; so much sunshine and dry weather. In fact, the lawns and fields were yellowed and even white with drought, although the flowers, shrubs and trees seemed to weather the lack of rain in amazing ways.

And now we’re in late October after a pretty damp September. The fields and lawns are the brightest green again. It’s incredible to me how their restoration has been so swift, even while the leaves on the trees are displaying their wonderful Autumn colours!

Meanwhile, the roses are continuing to bloom abundantly in our garden.

The Vine and The Gardener

Last Sunday we were in a service in church led by two friends. It was an informal time but, even so, there was a lot of depth. The focus was on Jesus as the Vine, with His Father as the Gardener.

“‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

I always wince at the word “pruning”. I think it’s because spiritual pruning can be quite painful! But I know that my Heavenly Father is the very best Gardener….

Which season are you in?

During a time of reflection in the service there were opportunities to engage in different activities or discussions.

One of the suggestions was to write a poem considering which “season” we think we’re in just now?

That brought an immediate reaction from me, focused on the years of my life. Am I in the Autumn of my days, or the Winter? And that made me somewhat downcast! I’m not a great lover of Winter. It’s gloomy, dark and cold and the days are short.

I definitely prefer the other seasons and so I asked the Lord, where am I? I know that He is kind and wouldn’t add to my angst! I really liked His reply. So I started a poem and wrote one verse, which I then finished at home the next day.

Lord, where am I!? 

The leaves are yellow, red and gold 
And different shades of rust
The season of my life today 
Is wrapped up in my trust 

My trust resides in You, my Lord
To show me where You are
And lead me through this season
By Your own guiding star 

I’ll walk with You from Autumn
Into the Winter days
And trust that, through the darkness
I’ll walk on in Your ways

I’ll trust that Spring will come again
Those days of kinder hours
With buds and blossoms breaking
And light and sun and showers

I’ll walk in Summer fullness
With hope full in my heart 
And trust I’ll see Your glory 
Before those days depart 

“Where I am, you also will be..”

“And when everything is ready, I will come back and take you to myself so that you will be where I am.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭3‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Trust

As you can read from my poem, the key word He gave me is TRUST. I do not need to know which season I am in spiritually or, indeed, physically. All I need to know is that I am with Him and He is with me. In fact I will be where He is forever.

The rhythm of these days on earth continue. The seasons come and go but with Jesus, the Vine, as one of His branches under the touch of His Father the Gardener, I will bear fruit as long as He wants me to!

Hope: a poem

Today I’ve just published a post – a poem – on our other blogsite http://www.kingdomheritageproductions.com

The full context is described on that site – Hope & Glory. But here is the poem:

HOPE


Hope, when we are weary and Hope, when we are down
We know that those who turn to God will wear His Victor’s crown
Our God will work all things to good, for those who know His love
And seek His Holy purposes; His guidance from above 

No need to fear the future, uncertain though it seems
Our hope is in God’s promises; beyond our little dreams
His plans are so much greater, our future in His care   
With God our days are certain, for He will take us there

“There” is where we’re meant to be; to prosper in His love
Protected from our enemy; watched over from above 
“There”, living in His love and peace, and in His perfect will
We find that He was always “Hope” and know that He is, still

Our Father is eternal, with Him no shifting sands 
Our Hope is everlasting, when held within His hands 
So here and now we worship Him; our God the Three in One 
The Hope of all creation; in Father, Spirit, Son 

Lord Jesus, You’re our Living Hope; in coming here to earth
You sealed our Father’s perfect will by giving us new birth
And now that You’re within us, we have Your hope of Glory 
Our future held within the One who wrote our lifetime story 

All glory be to God on High, the only God who saves
Who keeps the earth in balance; who rules the restless waves
And knows each man and woman and sees each tiny flower 
We worship and adore You; our Hope in every hour.

A Prayer

My prayer for you is:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

Rest, comma, pause

Thank you, dear friends and subscribers, for your very encouraging responses to my poem “Rest”.

Today, I am delighted to introduce a guest contributor, Aaran, with a piece entitled Comma!

She has become a dear friend in the USA, after subscribing to this blog a few years ago. She lives in Tennessee. Here’s her contribution:

Comma

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” – Psalm 27:14

This beauty is called an Eastern Comma, of the Angelwing family

On an extremely hot Saturday during a drought, while having to drag the heavy water hose around the yard, keep my daughter on track, and plan how I would approach my husband about behavior I didn’t think was best for us, I was lamenting mildly to the Lord and asking for strength to deal gracefully with my family.

Seems quite often I have to correct, confront and wait on them; we do not work together as a well oiled machine! I do however want to deal with these situations in a loving way, not out of annoyance.

The Lord in his beautiful, gentle, loving way, reminded me through this beauty to pause and spend time with him, to fill up with his joy and goodness so I would not go down the spiral of complaining. The chorus to a song came to mind:

Come Away

(from album Uncountable Stars, Joanne Hogg)

See how, the winter is over
And the rains have been and gone
And flowers appear on the earth
And the season of singing has come

So wake up and come away with me my darling
So wake up and come away with me my darling
Wake up and come outside with me and see the sun (Son?)

Oh, don't hide your face from me
You know you're beautiful
Let me hear the sound of your voice
For it is sweet and lovely to me

So wake up and come away with me my darling
So wake up and come away with me my darling
Wake up and come outside with me and see the sun (Son?)

Wake up now
Wake up
and come away with me
Hmmmmm
Wake up now

Pause

Our Savior has a sense of humor too, knowing I’d have a smile in response to His gentle nudge of using something named ‘comma‘ to tell me to pause.

A good half hour passed before I decided to go back outside and get a photo – if my Comma was still about. Yep! He was waiting for me on the porch and even landed on me a couple of times.

That was the “fleece” that Jesus was truly talking to me this way, and it was not just fanciful thinking. He was reminding me to PAUSE, be with Him; remember we are past a lot of the painful times and are moving forward.

My dear friend Kate has been supporting me in prayer and wise words concerning my relationships, and frequently reminds me that God is doing a new thing; closing some chapters and opening new ones in the life of my family.

What an incredible blessing!

I wonder when you too might need to pause, and fill up with God’s goodness, before dealing with the difficulties in life. Let’s all remember to “come away” with the Lord for a few moments, or an extended time, whichever we are needing.

Love from across the pond.

Aaran McKinnon: August 2025

Rest

This morning we are in our caravan on a very quiet site in Somerset, with a little river running by a meadow.

Unusually, the English summer weather has been very dry and hot, so the surrounding pastures are a brownish yellow – not green at all.

Early this morning grey, low cloud covers the landscape; although it is still warm.

Even the land feels stressed right now. Certainly there is great anxiety and stress in the world. The news is unremittingly gloomy and depressing and there are wars and rumours of wars all the time. Truth, goodness and righteousness are in very short supply.

Many people are looking for rest. Primarily, I believe, rest for their souls. Only God can supply that.

So, as I, Kate, reflected this morning, a poem emerged. It’s a bit rough and ready but it is really a prayer. Here it is.

Rest 

In a world on high alert, the news so full of stress
We need a place of resting; a place of knowing less
A place of restoration, where souls and bodies heal 
A time for really letting go of all the things we feel

Surrender isn’t easy, when going through the mill
The psalmist spoke of pastures green and waters that are still 
But there we need a laying down, releasing anxious thoughts
A time for giving up the fight of all the “shoulds” and “oughts”

We need a time with Jesus, sweet Shepherd of our soul 
To pour out our anxieties, so He can make us whole 
Stretch out Your Hand, Lord Jesus, and touch our deepest need
We want to be with You alone and follow where You lead

Come, precious Holy Spirit; refresh our inmost parts
Please overwhelm our thinking and calm our racing hearts 
Indwell our fleshly beings; transform us and renew
And clear our mental focus, till we see only You 

So, Lord, these verses are a prayer; appealing for Your rest
Please minister Your love to us; we’re asking to be blessed
Today, beloved Jesus, stretch out Your healing hand 
And by Your precious Spirit, bring rest into our land

“Our hearts are restless, until they rest in You”. St Augustine of Hippo

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
Psalms 23:1-3 NIVUK

PS. Roger and I now have another blogsite, too. It’s called Hope and Glory. See www.kingdomheritageproductions.com

Thank You!

First an apology. I think that my last post was a bit discouraging and that’s not the purpose of this blog. My intention is to encourage. Thank you all for your love and prayers for me.

And, a special thank you to Angela in California, who picked up my personal mood in my last post and sent me a card, across all the miles between us, with a wonderful verse.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Overflowing Hope

I wanted to share that verse with all of us and to pray it for each person who reads this blog.

At a time when the world is in turmoil, and there are wars and rumours of wars, we need the strength and power of that deep relationship with God, the Father, through Jesus and Holy Spirit. I’m asking the Lord to fill me and refill me with His Living Water so that I can be a source of His life and love to those whose lives I touch.

Here’s my prayer today.

Lord, we thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit, giving us supernatural connection to the Source of all true hope, joy and peace. You are our Source. You cause Living Water to flow in and through us. Refresh us all with Your Spirit of hope, joy and peace and also with love and life in all its fullness. We want to overflow with Your hope and Your life in us so that others may know that You, Jesus, are the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by You.

This day we offer You all our worship and ask You to lift us up on eagles’ wings to soar in the power of Your Spirit!

In the Mighty Name of Jesus!

Can you see it?

It’s been a while since I posted a reflection and poem. Actually I’ve been very discouraged about this blog and have been wondering whether I would continue it. There’s always such a struggle to bring it to more people’s attention and such a mixed response!

But I sat down to listen to the Lord and I sensed that He wanted me to continue using the gifts He has given me, so I have been encouraged by that. Perhaps He is saying something similar to you, about your gifts?

Anyway, today I had an inspiration for a poem. If you’re living in the UK you may be noticing that there is an acceleration in the seasons right now. We live in Shropshire and the climate can be quite cold here as we are higher in the hills. That means our gardens are often 6 weeks behind gardens in the south.

However, I am noticing spring and summer flowers blooming together at the very beginning of June and this is exciting! The roses are particularly wonderful – thanks in great measure to TLC from Allyson who looks after our garden, particularly when we are away in the USA.

As I was looking out on – and enjoying – the spring/summer blessings of our garden, I was reminded of that passage in scripture in the prophet Amos when he talks about Israel’s restoration. And I had a new sense of expectation from the words in Amos 9. I’ll quote the scripture after the poem.

Can you see it?

I’m looking from my window and seeing all things new 
The buds are on the roses, but flowers are blooming too 
The leaves are very fresh and green, while some are copper red
This season is now summer, yet spring is not yet dead

There is acceleration. Last year - my photos show 
The roses were just budded. With blooms a way to go 
That streak of sunny weather from April into May 
Turns early June in ‘25 into midsummer’s day! 

And from my summer garden, a scripture comes to mind
The days are coming, says the Lord, and this will be a sign:
The one who reaps the harvest, overtaken by the plough
And he who treads the ripened grape, by one who plants vines now 

A picture of such blessing. Hills dripping with new wine
As seasons flow together, God’s people live His time
A time of restoration. A time of great return 
A time of His fulfilment. A time for which we yearn. 

So, if you see a glimmer. And hope is in your heart
Let’s thank Him for new signs of life. Be ready for the start. 
We’ll move into the harvest time. And set our hands to plough.
God’s people in His rhythm. And waiting for His NOW!

““On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the Lord who does this thing.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it.

I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the Lord your God.”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I know that those words have had a partial fulfilment for Israel. But my sense of their relevance today is wider. There is so much need for restoration and fruitfulness in God’s people and His church. There is so much need for goodness and righteousness and a harvest of souls for God’s glory!

Anyway, see what He says to you. And please let me know if it’s something that will encourage others, too!

The sky is grey today so the flowers aren’t shining, but I took a photo nevertheless.

Inspiration & Revelation

Grace and Truth

God’s Word is full of grace and truth. It’s full of inspiration and revelation.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

While away recently in Madeira, Roger and I sensed that, in our 20th year of marriage, we were being led to use our individual gifts together again. Primarily we want to be encouragers to God’s family.

Rog loves to communicate visually and bring information and revelation to serve as a catalyst for prayer and action.

I love writing and I started this blog a few years ago to bring words of inspiration to life in poems and reflections. See: www.poems-and-reflections.com

This is a new season on the earth and there are lots of challenges. Following Jesus, we’re all here to extend the Kingdom of God to individuals and nations using the gifts He has given us.

Inspiration and revelation in Madeira

I’m sharing below a link to two short pieces of video from Roger, filmed in Madeira a week ago.

To set it in context, if you haven’t been following this blog, we unexpectedly found ourselves at a small hotel called Churchill Bay in Camara de Lobos, a fishing village, where 75 years ago, in January 1950, Churchill went to paint the local scenes as part of his personal rest time after the stresses and strains of the Second World War. Interestingly, Churchill is now in the news again! Did we start something….?

Just click on this link for Roger’s short video at the bronze statue of Churchill:

https://vimeo.com/1061262961

And this link for a slightly longer piece by the fishing boats..

https://vimeo.com/1061209845

(PS if you get rather strange closed captions – these are automatically generated and not by us. You can switch them off!)

And here’s my contribution today, by way of a short poem.

Inspiration & Revelation 

You and I - created - to bring God's revelation
To those that we encounter; community and nation
His words of inspiration; His words of life and peace
To bring His living Presence; His grace and truth release
 
He is the true Revealer, inspiring minds and hearts
He is the One we worship, His Spirit now imparts
To those who will receive Him, the wonders of His love
The treasures of His Kingdom, imparted from above.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

Change of Plans!

We were due to leave Madeira on 17th February but, late in the day before, our afternoon flight was postponed for over 8 hours by an incoming storm and we would have arrived back in the UK at 4.00am. Not a happy ending to our restful holiday and Roger was totally set against it! Some stress set in..

So, we prayed. And others very kindly prayed, too. The outcome was good! Our flights were changed free of charge to Thursday 20th and we found a very good value place to stay for 3 more days. It turned out to be the Churchill Bay Hotel – a shortish taxi ride from the accommodation we were leaving, but in a fishing village called Camara de Lobos.

Journey to the Churchill Bay

We saw God’s hand clearly in our change of plans. The taxi driver who drove us was a good English speaker. His name was Mario and he had just lost his wife of 52 years, Maria. The opportunity to talk to him about eternal life in Jesus was so open and easy and he was very moved. We shared the love of God and His invitation to be born again. We spoke of our own experience. By the time we got out of the taxi, we knew that the Holy Spirit had used us to comfort Mario and give him hope. It was a beautiful experience.

The Churchill Bay Hotel

As soon as we arrived here we were excited. What a great place to stay! And we sensed that this was a place where the Lord would speak about His future plans for us. The storm that changed our plans was His plan all along!

Early next morning

This is my journal entry for 18th February:

It’s early morning. In fact it’s very early… I actually woke before 4.am to the sound of the heavily crashing waves stirred up by last night’s storm. Our hotel room with its street level balcony is right next to the small harbour of this fishing village called Camara de Lobos. The sea is only yards away.

I had hoped to sleep again but it has proved elusive, so here I am sitting in the small chair in the corner of this small hotel bedroom, writing.

This historic Madeiran Pousada – the Churchill Bay – has now been converted into a small modern hotel. Once, this fishing harbour provided a welcome holiday resting place for the great wartime leader Winston Churchill. He came here in 1950, after the Second World War, to paint the local scenes and generally, I imagine, to recover from the intense pressures and reverberations in his own mind, heart and spirit, following that terrible war and its aftermath. He had led nations and inspired and directed armies into victory against a dark enemy, but he was just a man.

The inspiration of his life is very present in this building – his memorable words are written in large letters on the hallway walls and murals of his paintings are a striking part of the bedroom decor.

The price of greatness is responsibility.

So, as I reflect this morning, I think not only of the man, Winston, but his Creator. The One whose words are eternal and life giving. Our God is worthy to be worshipped and praised for ever.

I’ve just looked up the Bible verse for today:

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIVUK

Inspiration for the future

Today, in February 2025, the issues are great in this world. We are so little and weak in the face of them. I may not be a Churchill, but my own calling – along with Roger – is to cry out to God for the United Kingdom – my own nation – at this time, as we fight our enemies within and without.

We are so weak, but God is so powerful. And His grace is sufficient for us. His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.

I wrote a poem about 10 days ago while here in Madeira. It was a painful reflection on the present need to bring the UK back from its accelerated slide into godless values.

But here at The Churchill Bay, where we heard a storm rage from a sheltered place, God has encouraged us to have hope in His future.

We are truly encouraged by the turn around in the USA, where God’s people cried out to Him for help over many dark years.

My poem: “Bring this nation back“

Our nation is in stress and strain, under a heavy yoke
Of spirits dark and chafing, which burden us with “woke”
There is no light appearing, save that of God’s true Light
That cannot be extinguished, in deepest, blackest night

The truths that they are telling us, are many barefaced lies
The facts are often missing, or hidden by disguise 
We are an island people. We have a sovereign power 
But our true King is needed. This is a darkening hour. 

The twisting of our history. Our children hurt and lost  
Erasing their identity - they pay an awful cost 
Their lives are being sacrificed, on altars hewn by hell 
And blinded leaders worship there, while under Satan’s spell 

The people are in deep distress, “help us to live!” they cry 
But “no” - the answer comes to them - “yet, we will help you die!”
We will erase the pain of life, so you can feel no more 
As we destroy your nation fair, from east to western shore 

The green that you have loved so much. That green will disappear
Under these heavy concrete slabs, that even now draw near
The workers grunt in unison beneath such heavy weights 
While marching metal shall appear at Britain’s ancient gates 

But now a stir within my heart, for all is not yet lost
We will reclaim our heritage and pay the awful cost
The price to bring our nation back is met by our true King  
Oh Jesus - we cry out to You, as Lord of everything! 

For we have heard that You once trod, upon this nation fair
And still tread now, with those who will Your Royal Standard bear
You are the King of glory - stretch out Your sceptre’d hand 
Fling wide our ancient doors and gates, o green and pleasant land!

The King of glory shall come in, He is our Lord of might
He leads His Royal warriors to conquer in this fight 
Lift high His Royal Standard, it shall not suffer loss 
Our battles are already won - by power of His Cross!

Let God Arise!

I concluded my poem with a bridge to the words of the English hymn “Jerusalem” because that’s how the Holy Spirit inspired me. Here they are.

Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!

Jesus is the Risen King.

His Name is above all names and it is our battle cry!

And did those feet in ancient time
walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
on England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
among those dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant Land.

Newness of Day

We’re in Madeira. By the grace and the goodness of God we are having a holiday in a warmer climate on a lovely island in the Atlantic.

This morning as we reflected on the gospel of grace, having read a little in Galatians, I sat down at the table in this room and simply asked the Lord for a poem. The title came quickly. Newness of Day.

I believe we are in a new day – a new season – on the earth. We need hope, because there is so much turmoil at home and abroad. But God is full of grace and truth – as Jesus came to show us during his life and death on earth, before He was raised in the power of the Holy Spirit to the Heavenly realms to sit with God, His true Father.

Jesus, the only Saviour of the world. I honour Him and thank Him today for the hope he brings in the newness of this day, looking out across the sea with a mixture of white and grey clouds hiding the fullness of the rising sun.

Newness of Day 

As I set out upon this verse, I seek the new creation 
The life that only God can bring, to me and to my nation
And in my heart a prayer is formed - a call for truth and love
That only Jesus can fulfil - God’s answer from above 

A life of grace not earned by me - for grace is purest gift 
The newness comes from God’s own heart, in His eternal lift
He raises up the poor in heart to know that He is near 
In Jesus we are rescued - and saved from every fear 

For Jesus is our newness - the newness of each day
Let’s celebrate His beauty, in blue skies or in grey 
He is the Son of Son-shine, our glorious true Light 
His Presence changes everything - and ends the darkest night

To God be all the glory - in Jesus and His Spirit

Written in Madeira - early morning 4th February