Ruach Breath Of Life

Autumn Glory Some years ago, I wrote a piece for Nicola which I called Japanese Peace. Unbeknownst to me, it so happened that I sent it to her on her birthday! She recorded this piece for us during our last such event, Heaven’s Kingdom. This year I felt to write another piece for her, which I called Autumn Glory, and this time, it arrived as Nick, Nicola’s husband, was showing her all their wedding memorabilia in celebration of their silver wedding anniversary. Amongst the list of presents was a crockery set called ‘Autumn Glory’! How precious is that? Bless Nicola as she plays it.

The roll call grows of those whose blood no longer flows and who have moved on to higher things. I thank and praise You, Lord, for the memory of those heroic ones who have passed at last beyond the ravages of time and dust to take their place in the great communion of saints. May we play our part now to the full, so that we ourselves will be no less when our time comes. Lord God of History, Author of all Mystery, How fiercely the enemy seeks to smother the wisdom of every other time, so that each generation struggles up the climb, unable to perceive the clear connections that deeper reflections would bestow. Lord, hold our spirits fast to lessons from the past, and then display true skill to implement Your will. God of our fathers, those pioneers and settlers, conquerors and seers, when my lens is true I can begin to view the links and patterns that perpetuate Your blessing as well as those that cause such strife in my life; strong invisible threads that Heavenly hands have meshed together b

Francis Cummings Reawakening part one, instrumental.

The Lord gave me this haunting theme and melody some time ago, but shaping and arranging it on paper proved more challenging - not least for Sally Mowbray, who took up the call to make it her own song and to sound forth the magnificence of our God, as well as reflecting some of His intercessory longings. Recorded at House of the Open Door (2022) with Sally Mowbray, (vocals and keyboard), Jo Garcia (cello), and Nicola Gerrard (flute).

Savour the powerful worship of this song by Huw Humphries, one of God's troubadours – and soak in the prospect of one day being part of the worshipping community in God's Heavenly Kingdom. Isn’t that a vision to rejoice our hearts? As this song indicates, God comes most richly and most deeply to those who are prepared to lay down their own idols, and to worship Him with all their heart. May this song enthuse and enable us to come before the throne of God afresh, lost in wonder, love and praise. 1. All the hosts of Heaven sing their praises to Your throne. From the poor and lonely come the ones You call Your own. Jesus, Jesus Jesus, Jesus 2. There within the centre reigns the Lamb who once was slain; Holy One, we sing our praise in honour of Your Name. 3. Father, I draw nearer with my heart to bring to You. Take Your flame of suffering; with it my love renew. 4. Laying down my idols, I embrace Your holy ways; Worthier than loved ones, You're the jewel of my praise. 5. From the deepest hollow of my h

Behind the seismic shifts that the world is handling, and all the social, political and military challenges it faces year after year, God is working His purposes out. Life, even in the relatively comfortable West, seems more fragile than it did, and certainties have become uncertainties, but the day is coming when the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. (Hab. 2:14) This song by Linda Entwistle is based on Joel’s prophecy which speaks of a war that puts to an end all wars, for it culminates in the return of the Lord Jesus to Earth. (Joel 3) As Linda put it, “As the threat of war hangs heavy over the world in these days, this song looks at and beyond the catalytic events that will unfurl in the land of Israel, and affect the whole world. There is so much that the Lord is doing as He prepares to usher in an entirely new phase of His Kingdom on Earth when He will put right all that has taken the world so far from his ways, en route to fulfilling the glorious promise of Isaiah 65:17-18

I wrote this piece for cor anglais for Thomas Herzog to play. I called it Das Lied vom Fremden in einem fremden Land (‘The Song of the Stranger in a strange Land’) to help us identify with the many millions of people across the world who forced out of their homes. But as the Earth buckles under the effects of climate change and war, perhaps none of us can be certain that our familiar places will remain places of shelter and nurture. I hope this piece will help us pray into these things.

I was looking for a piece that would help us to pray for Russia, and was reminded of a hymn we used to sing many years ago. It is a famous Russian folk tune, and the words are so powerful. May it inspire us to see Russia in a good and godly way, but also to pray for other nations too. The reference to grain in the mills is particularly poignant. For background see, https://hymnary.org/hymn/PsH/595 Praise to God in the highest! Bless us, O Father: praise to you! Guide and prosper the nations, rulers, and peoples: praise to you! 2 May the truth in its beauty flourish triumphant: praise to you! May the mills bring us bread, for food and for giving: praise to you! 3 May the good be obeyed and evil be conquered: praise to you! Give us laughter, and set us daily rejoicing: praise to you! 4 Peace on earth and goodwill be ever among us: praise to you! Amen, alleluia, alleluia, amen.

A psalm of Robert the servant of the LORD, a prayer for a heart that is single-minded and free from deceit. To the Gregorian chant Veni Creator Spiritus. (Musicians: Shirley Richards, Helen Rees (violin), Chian Lewis-Lim, Cathie Muncey (viola), Corinne Frost, Jo Garcia, Anna Frazer (cello), Geth Griffiths (double bass), Amy Roberts (oboe), Fontane Liang (harp), Beth Davies (bassoon), Phil Steventon (percussion)) I know my fickle nature, Lord God, and fear the damage it can do – not least the dishonour I bring Your name when I claim You as my Lord and God but fail to reflect Your likeness. My body will only last so long, but my soul will remain forever. Forgive the many times when my patience grows threadbare thin, and my faith begins to wilt. Grant rather that I learn to possess my soul with patience. (Luke 21:19) Come, heal deluded deceitful hearts for which, in worldly terms, there is no cure. Attend to that sour-edged brittleness that so often surrounds and accompanies fickle hearts, and which f

This is a really lovely improvisation, which leaves a precious aftertaste. See where the Lord leads you as you listen to this beautiful piece, and who and what He might have you lift to Him.

Beginning with a powerful fanfare on the French horn, and culminating in as astonishing virtuoso piece of improvisation by Julia Herzog on descant recorder, somewhat reminiscent of the style of Luciano Berio, what came to our minds the moment we heard this piece was the Water Tower that is a major landmark in Prenzlauer Berg, the region of Berlin that the Herzog family live in. Be warned: it is very atmospheric and evocative! You will probably want to summon up the courage to listen to it more than once, to let the spirit of prayer come on you on behalf of all who are suffering captivity and cruel treatment. We had looked up the history of Prenzlauer, and had asked the players to capture something of the sound of Berlin, as well as Sounds of Heaven. This is the astonishingly powerful result.

At a folk dance on a village square in Majorca many years ago I heard this delightful piece being played, which we transcribed and arranged many years later for Julia Herzog (descant recorder) and Susanne Herzog (violin.) Having come across this piece in passing we obviously do not know who wrote it, but assume it to be a traditional Majorcan folk tune.

A psalm of Robert the servant of the LORD, a prayer for a heart that is single-minded and free from deceit. To an improvisation on the music of ‘In Church’ by Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Musicians: Christiane von Albrecht and Jo Garcia You are trustworthy, tried and true; While I, as changeable as a weathervane, and only too capable of saying one thing but meaning and doing quite another, often blowing needlessly hot or needlingly cold. Lord of quite remarkable forbearance, Let me yield no place to thoughts and attitudes, or utter words that should find no welcome in my heart. Lord, you know only too well the many ways in which I fail You; The times I fret and worry, and fail to trust You. The times I speak ill of others, neither seeing Your call on their lives, nor heeding Your warning that if I bite and devour others, I risk being destroyed in turn by them. (Gal. 5:15) The times I lash out, shrill and vindictive, my sensitivities bristling like so many quills, or, preferring to sulk,

A psalm of Robert the servant of the LORD, a prayer for a heart that is single-minded and free from deceit. To the tune, St Denio, which is based on ‘Can mlynedd i nawr’ (‘A Hundred Years from Now’) and familiar to us in the hymn, ‘Immortal, invisible God only wise.’ Even many of those who instinctively enjoy and welcome change have found the upheavals and restrictions of the last few plague and climate-driven emergencies hard to endure in recent years. Not only does the Lord see the huge difficulties these events have engendered, but there is also the matter of people’s fickleness and unreasonableness to reckon with - hearts – including our own. The word ‘fickle’ has an interesting history. In Old English word (f i c k o l) it meant not only ‘frequently changing our mind,’ and being ‘impulsive and unreliable,’ it also implied deliberate deceitfulness. The Lord loves it when we keep the eyes of our heart fixed on Him, but He hates it when people deliberately set out to misrepresent facts and to conceal

The New Testament is unique. It was written by people who walked with the Lord Jesus, or who came to know Him by revelation. Many believe the author of this book is someone who knew the Lord Jesus intimately, but who did not come to realise who He really was until after the Resurrection - in which case we are talking about James, Jesus’ own brother. Come with me on this extended meditation that I recorded back in Shropshire days before we sailed to Shetland. It is set to lovely music by Tim Finch, and ponders a number of key themes that James raises: the need for wisdom and perseverance in the face of our trials and temptations, the twin themes of mercy and judgement, the extremely important and sometimes vexed matter of why we need to watch the things we say - and then at why some prayers are spectacularly answered and some are not.

The New Testament is unique. It was written by people who walked with the Lord Jesus, or who came to know Him by revelation. Many believe the author of this book is someone who knew the Lord Jesus intimately, but who did not come to realise who He really was until after the Resurrection - in which case we are talking about James, Jesus’ own brother. Come with me on this extended meditation that I recorded back in Shropshire days before we sailed to Shetland. It is set to lovely music by Tim Finch, and ponders a number of key themes that James raises: the need for wisdom and perseverance in the face of our trials and temptations, the twin themes of mercy and judgement, the extremely important and sometimes vexed matter of why we need to watch the things we say - and then at why some prayers are spectacularly answered and some are not.

Many of us appreciate the words of the Anglican collect, “Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.” Even the best of us need the Lord to cleanse the thoughts and desires of their hearts, and that is what this prayer poem reflects.

Rejoice, the Lord is King: Your Lord and King adore! Rejoice, give thanks and sing, And triumph evermore. Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice! Jesus, the Saviour, reigns, The God of truth and love; When He had purged our stains, He took his seat above; Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice! His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o'er earth and heav'n; The keys of death and hell Are to our Jesus giv'n: Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice! Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord and judge shall come And take His servants up To their eternal home: Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice the Lord is King (ii) Improvisation: With gladsome heart, lift up your voice! Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea resound, and all that fills it. Let the fields exult, and all that is in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD, for He is coming . . . (Ps. 96:11-12) When God’s Kingdom comes, and Jesus is established as Lord over all the Earth, what rejoicing there will be! Not only will the redeemed of the Lord rejoice, but so will all creation, including the heavens themselves. God too will rejoice as He comes to dwell amongst those He loves. He is coming, and the Earth will rejoice. Even now, the mountains are preparing for the day when they will burst into song! (Is. 49:13) This lovely improvisation, based around the words of the hymn Rejoice the Lord is King, captures something of the dawn of that day. May your own heart and spirit leap in anticipation as you wait for His coming. Blessings on Corinne Frost, Sally Prittie, Shirley Ric

Into this Morning . . . Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 13:14 NLT) What a difference it makes when we start each day by inviting the Lord Jesus to direct and lead us each moment of each day . . . May this song, which I wrote with considerable help from David Booth, and that Megan sings so beautifully, serve as a clarion call to remind us to dedicate ourselves to the Lord Jesus so that we can be bearers of His peace and presence in each situation that we find ourselves in. Robert Weston with David Booth. Ruach Breath of Life Ministries 2018. Megan Topper (flute and vocals), Sue Brickwell (keyboard), Corinne Frost (cello).