Mercy Giver Album - Live Worship from Kings Church Catford::Songwriters

Phil Varley: Mercy Giver, the project
For a long time I had wanted us to do something like this – I have lead the worship team for about 13 years now and to be honest its been the best thing. It can be exciting, exhausting and at times challenging, but I am very proud of the team of musicians, singers and technical people we have. I love the way they serve, and the great attitude they bring. Whilst the team has had to grow and grow to serve all the meetings, at the same time we have managed to keep the bar pretty high in terms of standard. The team is more diverse than ever and we are learning to play a broader range of styles – they are a fab bunch!

That all said, with all the good things happening, I had always wanted us to do a project like this and up until now had never quite got there. I think it’s a nice thing to have an album we have written, but to be honest what is most pleasing to me is what it represents – having a bunch of people writing some good songs and having reached a standard where we can play well enough to do them justice.

The project also represents quite a journey for me personally - I had played around with song writing for quite a while but produced frustratingly little. I have had that many prophetic words about song writing that given my complete lack of songs, after a while they felt more of a burden than an encouragement. My background was playing secular music in a band of guys I knew from university – in that band was a friend of mine who was probably the most gifted song writer I have met. I think compared to him I was not at all convinced I could really write anything decent. I also knew however that for the church to be unlocked in writing, I needed to at least write something to give every one else permission. When I finally got “Once I was lost” out there, it was quite a relief and seemed to open the flood gates a little. Numerous people in the team started writing, and also believing that if I could write something then maybe they could as well.

Another key to this project was going a way for the weekend with some of the band leaders. I had always wanted to do this kind of thing but never found the right place. That was until Sarah and I went away with the kids to a place in Sussex – we stayed in converted chicken shed (nicer + bigger than it sounds) and while we were there I thought, “This could be the place!” We have now taken some of the team there 2 years running. I think it works because it gives the team something to write towards, but also most crucially time to really work on songs together. The creative process fascinates me – there is so far you can get on your own, but sometimes kicking an idea around together is so much more productive. It’s not as quick, but you need time, and other people’s contributions for songs to grow, form and change - in the end you start to work out whether it’s a go-er or not!

Chatting to Paul Burton was probably the other key from turning the project from an idea in to a reality – here was someone who could actually make it happen for us. Paul has recorded, engineered, produced loads of people over the last 15 years and his experience, expertise and gear were key. It was funny because one weekend he was working with us, and the next it was Delirious! He brought stuff to this album that none of the rest of us could have, for which I’m very grateful.

One last thing to say –The church have been great! We wrote these songs for our church and we have had such a positive response from people that it’s been quite humbling. Countless people have come back to us saying how much they like the songs and find them helpful both corporately and personally. What’s exciting is just as writing the first song seemed to give permission and energy to the team – I think the album has done that again but on a wider scale. I can almost feel the buzz around the creative types – every week someone tells me they have a song idea. I particularly see it amongst the teenagers. There are loads of them playing, singing and wanting to write. For me that’s what this is all about – God gives us gifts to use for him. There’s not a lot better than using the gifts he has given you for him. Possibly the only thing that tops it is playing a small part in encouraging, unlocking and promoting the gifts in others and watching them fly – I’m excited about what could happen next!

Once I was lost
I wrote this in 2008 – the idea for the song came as I pushed my bike out of our back garden - Strange but true! As I grappled with our garden gate I found myself singing a melody which I immediately grabbed a dictaphone and managed to record. Over the next week or so I quite quickly wrote the verse and chorus and then borrowed the middle 8 from something I had written before. The feel of it is reminiscent of a lot of music I used to play in a band I was in (half Paul Weller/half Mother Earth). The song really came together when we went away on our first song writers weekend – as we played it round, Nathan just came up with the additional refrain at the end. From the first moment we tried it, it worked and lifts the song I think to another level at the end. We recorded it that weekend – that recording is a little rough and even distorted in places, but so vibey it’s probably my favourite recording of the song.

Jesus King of Glory
This song came out of a riff I found on the guitar – I’m really a pianist and so I found myself playing chords that I had no idea what they were. The feel has a kind of “acid jazz” meets “gospel.” I like it because it is an attempt to stretch us in to broader styles of playing and worshipping. I wasn’t sure if it would work until we played it to the choir one night – they were very responsive and generous (in fact I think they made it sound better than I thought it was!) They really helped me think maybe it could work. Sometimes you have to bear with a song, stick your neck out a little and try it enough times before you make up your mind on whether it works or not.

Mercy giver
Although this is down as having been written in 2009, I had had the chorus for ages – maybe it should be down as written 2005 – 2009. I knew the chorus worked but had nothing for the verse. Then one day I sat at our piano the verse just came – I got the chords, melody and first verse in about 5mins – so the song kind of took about 4 years plus 5 minutes to write. It contains some of my favourite chords - I love D over G and other such voicings!

One thing I ask
Now this one is going to sound a little rock n’ roll because I really did write this in a hotel room – I was away at the New Frontiers leaders conference in Brighton and one afternoon I grabbed the guitar and this song literally landed on my lap – God was very gracious to me. The whole thing (apart from the second verse) came along in about 10 mins – I have no idea why it seems to work like that sometimes, but on this occasion it did.

Psalm 27 is really the inspiration for the song and its from them that I managed to draw together the second verse.

The strange thing for me on this song was that because I wrote it in 2008, by the time we were thinking about the album I was not sure whether I liked it anymore. I had not used it in church and I just wasn’t sure – again playing it around with everyone brought it back to life for me and I guess I got faith for it as a song. I love the way the guys sing and play on this track – Luke’s little hooky line on the electric at the start is real bonus.

Where can I find some peace?
This song was written after thinking about what it’s like coming really broken to God. The truth is all of us come broken! Rick Warren says every group has an EGR in it (Extra Grace Required person) and if you look around the room and cannot work out who it is, then it’s probably you! The truth is though, we are all a bit EGR, - we cannot “fix ourselves.” That said though, the reality is that some of us have had a really rough time in life and because of that, we come even more aware of our utter need of God. As I thought about this I was reminded of the story in Mark 5 of the woman who comes to touch Jesus’ cloak – she comes desperate for an answer, knowing that she has run out of options. She comes “as she is” and completely “undone.” This song is about us and her and Jesus - I love the sense that even though we may search for him (just as she does) he is the one who finds us!

Ben Welchman: In View of God's Mercy
The song started life when I was worshipping and meditating on Psalm 8. In verses 3&4 the psalmist writes:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him…

The first draft was really a meditation on creation and the wonders of God. A lot of the song was based around what are now the intro and verse chords of the final song, and I had a completely different chorus to what is now there.

I worked on the song here and there over several months, trying different chord parts and lyrics. We had a deadline for contributing any songs and around the same time, when singing the song around with my wife Jess, I came up with new chorus chords and did a complete re-write of the lyrics. The beginning of Romans chapter 12 has always been one of my favourite passages of scripture and this formed the basis of the verse lyrics. The pre-chorus and chorus are really a declaration of my desire to honour God more in my life and see him glorified more in other peoples’ lives.

The song was knocked into shape when our number of our musicians had a weekend away together, working on ‘home-grown’ songs. Nathan Prime in particular helped me shape up the melody line of the chorus. The ‘spontaneous’ section at the end came out of a worship time on that weekend. Nathan and I were flowing in worship together, and I sang those two lines spontaneously (If the Son has set you free…) which Nathan sings beautifully on the recording.

Apart from some arm wrestling over whether we should have a bar long (4 beat) pause at the end of the chorus, we all stayed friends and managed to get a good version of the song. I hope it helps you sing a greater song, make a sweeter sound and raise a louder shout…

Luke Catley: The God I Know
This song was based out of my reading of Genesis 1-4. Having been invited to a song writers weekend away and had been somewhat unfruitful in trying to write a song by the Monday before the weekend away I was desperate to get a song written before the weekend. I wanted to write a song about who God is and about focusing on Him rather than the things we face day-to-day. 2 Hours of flicking through the bible, scrawling down the odd line about God and trying to come up with a chord progression to fit yielded nothing of much merit. Frustrated, I finally gave up and started simply playing and singing some songs which already are used at my church. It was after a couple of these songs that I found myself singing the chorus of my current song, “Hallelujah, you are the God I know!” born, I believe, out of a response to the truths I had read and sung over the past 2 hours.

This line is a response of a Christian soul to the knowledge of who God is. Too often people focus on their problems and not the God of the Bible. The God who created the universe, who is above all things, has power over all things and has promised hope and life to all who choose to follow Him. After time reflecting on God we start to realise how insignificant our problems really are compared to him, that He is control of all things and is working all things for our good.

It was at this point that I started to work on some verses that would lead to the same point that I had just arrived at. In the end I picked up on 4 themes: Creator, Faithful, Redeemer and Victorious. The song walks through the first few chapters of the bible, looking at how God created the universe and then, even in the moment of our failure when we first sin, God is promising victory over sin and death. We then jump to the sending of Jesus, that God sent His son so that He would die in our place and take our punishment so that we can be redeemed and He could achieve the victory He promised. Finally the last verse is about the achievements of Christ, that He has removed my guilt, sin and shame for He is risen, standing victorious at the Fathers side.

The bridge was an extension of what has come before, looking at these aspects of God’s character and Jesus’ achievements on the cross I wanted to bring something in that would help people to apply these to their lives and learn to live in light of the truths of who He is.

Justin Ashworth: Precious Grace
I wanted to write a song about coming into the presence of God, that would help people come into His presence in worship. The song is really based around the first line, 'Its only with your precious grace, that I can dwell with you'. When Jesus died on the cross the veil in the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:50-51), signifying the way into the holy of holies was open for all of us. When thinking about this I thought about how our sin separates us from Him and His presence, and therefore its only with his grace, and the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus' death on the cross, that we can be in His presence. Before Jesus' death only the high priest in the temple could enter into God's presence, beyond the veil, once a year. Jesus' death on the cross, and His atonement for our sins, allows to enter into His holy presence.

Whilst the verses think about this idea about coming into the beauty of his presence now, the chorus moves onto think about spending eternity in his presence in Heaven, and reflects Romans 6:23, about eternal life being a gift from God. We cannot earn and we do not deserve the gift, the only we can enter eternity is in humility and surrender.