Songs

Find out more about the songs we sing here:

Be Still and Know

Words and Music by Steven Curtis Chapman

Arranged by Tom Fettke

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote this song while on a 17-hour flight with his family to South Africa.  He writes the trip was a profound experience which greatly impacted on his songwriting.

On the flight over, Steven began to feel disappointed because he thought that once he left for South Africa he would be at rest and feel God’s pleasure.  Instead, he found himself just as restless as he was in his home of Franklin, Tennessee.

God began to speak to his heart saying, “What you need is to still your heart, turn the noise off, and know that I am God”.

Steven writes, “When you’re still, you quickly realise how un-Godlike you are and how much you need him.

You can watch our PowerPoint presentation and listen to the song here:

Behold the Tabernacle of the God

Words by Leonard Ballantine (based on Revelation 21: 3-5)

Music by Leonard Ballantine

This song is a personal attempt by the composer, Major Len Ballantine, to express dawning truth from the Revelation to John concerning the eternal nature of the Kingdom of God.  It is here and now; there and then; eternal.  You will hear long musical phrases which reflect the length of time itself and also moments of urgency.

The music is overall restful and reassuring reflecting the sense of peace that membership of the Kingdom of God creates.  We hope you will find many hallowed moments in the music as you focus on eternity.

Breathe

Words and Music by Marie Barnett

Arranged by Tom Fettke

Breathe is a sensitive contemporary praise song written by Marie Barnett.  It reminds us that our very breath is a gift from God.  Our every heartbeat is a gift of God.  We are constantly being blessed by the One who loves us.  This music gives the listener the opportunity to stop and meditate alone with God.  God is waiting for us.  As you listen to this music the peace you feel will amaze you.

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your Holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I’m desperate for you
And I, I’m lost without you

The essence of this music is that God’s holy presence is the very air we breathe and long for.

Creation Sings!

David T Clydesdale

For over ten years, the music of David T. Clydesdale has been synonymous with excellence in church music. With multiple Dove-award winning anthems, collections and musicals that have shaped the sound of church music today, David’s talents have been used worldwide to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This song reminds of the words Jesus spoke on Palm Sunday when the Pharisees rebuked his disciples for singing and praising God: “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19: 37-40).  It is not just we humans who praise and worship God: creation worships him in its own way too.  Imagine man and nature coming together to sing a song of praise.

Days of Elijah

Words and Music by Robin Mark

Arranged by Gary Rhodes

Orchestrated by Don Marsh

Robin Mark is a Northern Irish Christian singer, songwriter, worship leader, and recording artist based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Robin has written several songs sung throughout the world. He is best known for his songs “Days of Elijah”, “Revival”, “All for Jesus”, “The Wonder of The Cross”, “Not by Might” and many more. He has published 13 albums in total with sales of over 2 million world wide.

This is his signature song which has become one of the most sung worship songs ever and his album Revival In Belfast has become a worldwide best seller.

Robin attends Christian Fellowship Church Strandtown, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Forever

Words and Music by Chris Tomlin

Arranged by Michael Lawrence

The text from this song directly comes from Psalm 136.  Written by Chris Tomlin, the song gives us magnificent form and compelling content for worship.  Note the antiphonal pattern: God speaks and his people respond. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.   The Psalms always sharpen our focus on the target of our worship.   The sharper our focus, the more profound will be our worship.

We praise the Creator, who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters.  God speaks: from the rising to the setting sun. And we respond: His love endures forever.

This song takes us on a journey. We are being led somewhere. True worship begins with awe-filled praise of the Creator. We then confront the fallenness of the creation through confession. At just the right moment we are ushered into the most holy place, the place of atonement, where we taste redemption and respond to God as his new creation. For the life that’s been reborn, his love endures forever.

As we journey into worship with the Psalmist, we are inspired to creatively continue onward and upward with the praise he has begun.  Sing Praise! Sing Praise! Forever God is faithful. Forever God is strong. Forever God is with us. Forever! Forever!

Get on Your Feet

Arranged by Mike Speck, Lari Goss & Danny Zaloudik

Orchestrated by Lari Goss

If you are disheartened about your Christian service then this song is for you!  It’s foot-tapping tempo and lively gospel style cannot help but encourage you to get on your feet and stand up for Jesus.  Coupled with Let the Church Rise Up and even a brief reminder of the old hymn Stand Up for Jesus, you can’t fail to be on your feet and clapping along by the end of this song!

God of my praise

Leslie, Rhonda & Becki Sites & Chris Springer, arranged by Camp Kirkland

This song is a psalm of praise. Its words echo many of the thoughts and feelings found in the book of Psalms. An opportunity to sing praise to God and worship and adore the Rock of our salvation.

High Above the Earth

Words and Music by Twila LaBar and Maurice Carter

Arranged and Orchestrated by Cliff Duren

Twila LaBar is a prolific songwriter with success in the Christian music industry, (Avalon, Point of Grace, Charles Billingsley, Dottie Peoples, Babbie Mason, The Talley Trio, The Hoskins Family and many more).  This song invites us to join with creation and exalt the name the Lord, praising him as the one who reigns high above the earth.

How great is our God

Chris Tomlin

How Great is our God by Chris Tomlin is a really majestic modern worship song.  It proclaims God’s greatness as it moves from quiet amazement at God’s splendour, building up to a fantastic crescendo as we proclaim How Great is our God.  This particular arrangement couples this song with the well-known hymn, How Great Thou Art.

The splendour of a King
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end

The Godhead three in One
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Then sings my soul, my Saviour, God to Thee!
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Indescribable

Words and Music by Laura Story

Laura Story’s song Indescribable contains some weighty lyrics unashamedly based on Scripture and has become a favourite.  It expresses the indescribable nature of God.

Laura says:

When I first wrote “Indescribable,” it never occurred to me that this song could be used in a corporate worship setting. Let’s face it, there aren’t a whole lot of praise choruses that use a string of five-syllable words. I was driving through the mountains of North Carolina, admiring the blue haze of each mountain and the unique form of each tree and leaf. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God, and on that day, God was truly nourishing my soul with the beauty of His creation. My first inclination was to sing, but initially, no words came to mind. And that’s when I started to consider how indescribable God is. What words could mere humans give to express His grandeur? Any praises we lift to Him are our feeble attempts at capturing a small glimpse of the magnitude of who God is. Even now, five years later, I never tire of singing that song at all my concerts. I am always reminded of how small I am in comparison to His greatness and how fortunate I am that a God who holds all of time in His hands still seeks to know me intimately. And that is a truth worth singing about!

The lyrics to the song truly are amazing, as is the God which they describe:

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty

From the colours of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God
Indescribable!

Morning song

Eric Ball

Morning Song was originally written for girls voices, but was reworked for adult voices in four parts by the composer for the Salvation Army’s premier choir, the International Staff Songsters.  Eric Ball was a Salvationist known around the world both in the Salvation Army and in the wider brass band scene as a composer of fine brass band music. But he also turned his hands to choral music, producing much loved classics, including this song, a wonderful prayer by which to start any day:

You are here, Lord,
And the morning sun shines with promise of a wonderful day.
I shall walk upright in the power of your love
And your light shall illumine my way.
You are here, Lord Jesus,
Christ of my every day.

You are here, Lord,
Though the clouds are dark
And the day may bring some burden to share;
I shall walk by faith with my head held high,
Never doubting your love or your care.
You are here, Lord Jesus,
Christ of my every day.

You are there, Lord,
In the future years, love eternal holding all I shall need.
In your likeness growing, transformed by your power,
Spirit guided in thought, word and deed.
I shall know your presence,
Christ of my every hour.

Shine on Us

Michael W Smith and Deborah D Smith

arranged and orchestrated by Bruce Greer

Michael W. Smith is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, musician, recording artist, composer, and actor. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in Contemporary Christian Music, and he has achieved considerable success in the mainstream music industry as well. Smith is a three-time “Grammy Award” winner, and he has earned 34 “Dove Awards”. Over the course of his 24-year career, he has sold more than 13 million albums and he has recorded 29 number-one hit songs, fourteen gold albums, and five platinum albums.

This song, written with his wife, Deborah is a favourite song of prayer for God’s light, God’s grace, and God’s love in our lives.

Thine is the Kingdom

arranged by David T Clydesdale

The words for this song come from The Lord’s Prayer: “For thine is the Kingdom, the power and glory, for ever and ever, Amen”.  The verses also reminds us of the promise found in Psalms 24: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”.  This is a lively, up-tempo song which we often use to end our concerts.

Total Praise

Richard Smallwood arranged by Carol Cymbala

World-class composer, pianist and arranger, Richard Smallwood has clearly and solidly changed the face of gospel music. He can impeccably blend classical movements with traditional gospel, and arrive at a mix that is invariably Smallwood’s alone. A diverse and innovative artist, Richard Smallwood has achieved many honours; Dove Awards and a Grammy also attest to his talents. At age five, he was playing piano by ear, at seven, began formal training, and at eleven, formed his first gospel group.

Richard’s music has never been confined to any one artistic genre. His song, “I Love The Lord” crossed onto the big screen when Whitney Houston sang it in the film, The Preacher’s Wife. The same song was also used in the tune,”Dear God” by R&B artists, BoyzIIMen on their CD, Evolution.

This song, which has become a standard in churches around the world is based on the words of Psalm 121:

“I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore”.

We use this song as a fitting end to many of our concerts.

When We Cannot See Our Way

Words: Thomas Kelly  Music: Stephen Bulla

Thomas Kelly was born in the southern Ireland in 1769, the son of a judge.  He also planned to be a lawyer, but after converting to Christ his career plans changed and he became an Anglican minister in 1792.  Miller’s Singer’s of the Church (1869) says of him:

Mr. Kelly was a man of great and var­ied learn­ing, skilled in the Or­i­ent­al tongues, and an ex­cel­lent Bi­ble cri­tic. He was pos­sessed al­so of music­al tal­ent, and com­posed and pub­lished a work that was re­ceived with fa­vour, con­sist­ing of mu­sic adapt­ed to ev­ery form of me­tre in his hymn-book. Na­tur­al­ly of an am­i­a­ble dis­po­si­tion and tho­rough in his Christ­ian pi­e­ty, Mr. Kel­ly be­came the friend of good men, and the ad­vo­cate of ev­ery worthy, be­ne­vo­lent, and re­li­gious cause. He was ad­mired alike for his zeal and his hu­mil­i­ty; and his lib­er­al­ity found am­ple scope in Ire­land, es­pe­cial­ly dur­ing the year of fam­ine.

Stephen Bulla is a prolific Salvation Army composer, mostly of brass music, so this song is quite unusual.  Stephen is also chief arranger for the President’s Own US Marine Band and White House Orchestra having served there for over twenty years.

The song reminds us that when we cannot see the road to follow, God will show us the way, if only we are willing to give our lives over to him.

Where Eyes Don’t Cry

Words and Music by C Aaron Wilburn and Phil Johnson

Arranged by Graeme Press

Orchestrated by Marty Parks

This hauntingly-beautiful song, written by American gospel song writers Aaron Wilburn and Phil Johnson, and arranged by the conductor of The Salvation Army’s Sydney Staff Songsters from Australia, Graeme Press, focuses on the joyous promise of heaven.  The words and music of this thought-provoking song are likely to stay with you for hours after you listen to it.

Your Grace Still Amazes Me

Words and Music by Shawn Craig and Connie Harrington

Arranged by Gaylen Bourland

St Paul wrote: “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

It is difficult for us to fathom the grace and longsuffering of our Lord. We find ourselves equating God’s patience with that of mankind, limited and partial. But it is the unlimited patience of the Lord that gives us hope--hope that while we are changing and growing, He will continue to love and befriend us.

How many people do you know who say, “I just can’t live the Christian life. I don’t have what it takes to be that good.”?  We should  assure them that’s exactly right! Not one of us has what it takes in ourselves to “live the life”; that is why we need a saviour. Face it. If we could do it by ourselves there would be no need for Jesus. But we can’t. That’s why He came to earth—to empower us to do what we could not do on our own.

Even when we continue to wrestle with old habits, bad attitudes and jaded hearts, God’s love for us never wavers. Our weakness makes God’s unlimited patience all the more evident. The apostle Paul, including himself among those who tried God’s patience, said he was shown mercy as “an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

This is not a crutch we lean on as an excuse to sin. Rather it is the understanding that even though our best is not good enough He doesn’t give up on us. He is changing us by His grace.

“Oh God, I am thankful for Your unlimited patience: you never give up on us but have high hopes and plans for our success. You see us as victors and overcomers in this life, and we are…by Your Spirit that is at work in us even now, causing us to talk, walk, and act like You our Father.”

Now that’s amazing!

More songs will be added here at a later date.