Ruach Breath Of Life

A prayer for the deliverance of Ukraine There came a time when Jerusalem was under siege by Sennacherib. The king and the prophet ‘cried out to heaven in prayer’ and the Lord delivered them. (2 Chronicles 32) Our own cry for the deliverance of Ukraine is set to the intense and relentless music of Mussorgsky’s piano piece, The Oxcart.

A prayer concerning a spiritual imposition on the Russian soul Our prayer begins with the Lord looking with pleasure upon the land of the steppes, and seeks the renewal of His purpose and calling for the region. It is set to two pieces by Mussorgsky: Une Larme (A Tear) and In the Village.

A lament for those who turn their back on God It is truly sad when those who have grown up knowing and seeking the Lord, turn their faces away from Him and vigorously pursue their own wisdom and ways. Joseph Stalin was one such, Karl Marx another. This is a prayer for those who are led astray by propaganda and fallacious beliefs. It is accompanied by two laments: A lament for Reepicheep by Celia Redgate, and Dolens, which grew out of my own heartache over global events.

O Sons and Daughters of the glorious King (O filii et filiae) If you are not familiar with this exquisite Easter hymn, written according to an ancient Gregorian tradition, you will love getting to know it! Many hymns were written in a ’macaronic’ style – that is that is, sung in two languages, Latin and English for example, but this version contains a compilation not in two different languages but rather a blend between the original words and fresh ones that I have added. Many thanks to Anthony Thompson (trumpet), Peter Richards (organ) Francis Cummings and Shirley Richards (violins) Christiane Mueller (viola) and Corinne Frost (cello), who join Megan, who sings it beautifully for us.

Religious life in England suffered great upheavals during the 17th century, during which many Puritans and Quakers were persecuted and banished. Amongst the many who were affected was Samuel Crossman who, uniquely, had been ministering to both an Anglican congregation in Sudbury and a Puritan one at the same time, until he, along with some 2,000 other Puritan-leaning ministers in the Church of England, was expelled by the draconian Act of Uniformity of 1662. Crossman wrote this moving hymn during this period of forced separation from the Church of England. It speaks of how Jesus, too, was excluded and chased away from living amongst His own people – permanently as the leaders hoped, but only temporarily as God intended - for nothing could prevent Him from living in the hearts of those who loved Him by the power of His Spirit. In this lovely new version that Carol has recorded for us, Carol Sampson is accompanied by Francis Cummings and Philippa Barton (violins), Corinne Frost (cello), Nicola Gerrard (flu

Patricia Corry is the soloist in this rendering of Vivaldi's beautiful Domine Deus from his Gloria . How relevant the words are for us to proclaim and to hold onto to these days: 'Lord God, the Almighty Father.'

‘What are you doing Lord? A heart for Seeking God.’ Based loosely around the Hebrew word for seeking – baqash – the emphasis in this section is on how God uses low tides to further the work of His kingdom, in ourselves and in the world.

Baqash Part 2 - Seeking God in dry and arid times Much of this nine-minute segment revolves around a powerful image drawn from one of CS Lewis’ poems, and focuses on our need to keep seeking God through dry and arid times. The music begins, accordingly, on a sombre note in a piece that Corinne improvised for us back in 2011, and which we called ‘Suffering Prophet’. The music then moves into Jane Horsfall’s beautiful piece, By the waters of Babylon.

One of the pieces our school choir used to sing in various churches around Leicestershire was Vivaldi’s beautiful and hugely popular Gloria, (RV 589). It is an altogether glorious piece, and in this short extract, as Patricia Corry and Harmony Greenwood sing their praises to God, how can we not join them in spirit in praising our ever faithful God? We praise You We bless and thank You We adore You We glorify You

Welcome to the first in a series on seeking the Lord, loosely based around baqash - the Hebrew word for seeking. The music you will hear on this track is a beautiful piece by Gareth Sampson called called Black Hills, which we recorded some years ago.

Seeking with Anselm and Quoist by Ruach Breath of Life

Hildegard Echoes by Ruach Breath of Life

With all my heart - Linda Entwistle by Ruach Breath of Life

With all my heart - French version - Linda Entwistle by Ruach Breath of Life

This beautiful piece by Vivaldi the title of which may be translated as "In this world there is no honest peace." It is normally a sung piece for solo soprano, but we have recorded it here for instruments so that we can pray over it. Wikipedia notes that, 'The text dwells on the imperfections of a world full of evil and sin, and praises Jesus for the salvation He offers from it.' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nulla_in_mundo_pax_sincera) There can certainly be no final peace in the world without Jesus, the Prince of Peace, for He alone is our peace, and the means of moving beyond all illusory quests for peace - but let's be sure to be praying for all initiatives that bring the prospect of peace and the hope of avoiding violent conflict for those at odds with each other - whether at a personal, church or diplomatic level between nations. A big thank you to Shirley Richards, Nick Evans Pughe and Natalie, Halliday, (strings), Anthony Thompson (trumpet), Christiane Von Albrecht (keyboard).

May the Lord use this lovely song by Anne Laure Jackson to soothe and still our soul, and to strengthen our resolve to make Him the focus of our hearts, this and every day. Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.’ Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. (Is. 55:1-3)

With all that is going on in the world - quite apart from whatever we may be going through in our own lives - there are plenty of reasons for heads to hang low. I wrote this piece of music for just such times, to encourage us to lift our eyes toward the coming King. I was inspired by John’s vision of ‘a door standing open in Heaven’ at the beginning of Revelation 4, which is when he heard a voice calling to him to ‘Come up here,’ and was privileged to see and experience the glories of the Heavenly Kingdom, as well as to glimpse the far-reaching events that were soon to take place on Earth. For us too, there is a call to come up higher to see and know such things as the Lord desires to show and lead us into – things that are sure to transform our understanding and our prayers. So much changes when we share God’s perspective! A big thank you to Nicola Gerrard (flute), Cathie Muncie (viola) Thomas and Julia Herzog, (Oboe and recorder) Heather Bradley (violin) and Sally Prittie (piano) for their beautiful play

Back in 1979 Ros and I were part of a lovely small community in Oxford set up by the Anglican church I was working for. We will always remember Martin Charlesworth writing this song and singing it to us for the first time. Megan kindly sang it for us at one of our recording events; it is as lovely as ever more than forty years later.

Since so many of have received rejections in one form or another, and been wounded by them, it can be really helpful to ask a friend, pastor or counsellor to minister lovingly into the depths of these hurts hurt. Perhaps you can send this tender prayer to someone you know who is in need of a deeper touch from the Lord. Or why not pray it for each other, and then continue on where these words leave off.

If you have been in any kind of ministry, then you will almost certainly know what it is to have felt rejected and gossiped about. Some churches ought to have a notice posted on the door: ‘Here be dragons!’ How we need to guard our heart and be careful what we say and think, Lord! You know that our thoughts control our life, and that they lead to many consequences. (Prov. 4:23) Align our hearts with Yours so that we run in the freedom of Your leading, rather than toiling and labouring under the crushing impact of stinging words and actions reinforcing our sense of rejection. Lead us to friends and counsellors with whom we are able share honestly about the pain that these stinging criticisms have caused, people who are able to lovingly tend our wounds and draw out darts and arrows that have pierced our soul. Help them to help us readjust burdens and deep concerns that we have allowed to slip from spirit to soul – for that is what it means to carry each other’s burdens and so walk in the way of the Lord. (Ga