Chapter Eight of this life has taken several turns I never expected when I woke up on my 70th birthday. I remember being so grateful to God that he had allowed me to see it and celebrate with my family on a surprise getaway they’d been planning for months. I did a lot of looking back in appreciation those next weeks and months, while also looking forward to what might lie ahead. Two things never entered my head or imagination: reuniting with my band mates Ian and David in Company after fifty years (more on that another time); and with that the return to writing songs and poetry, which I used to do back in my late teens and early twenties.
It seems the Lord took that part away for a long time as he led me on different paths, which many of you will be familiar with, knowing me as you do. My life wasn’t diminished in any way, just focussed on the things the Lord Jesus had for me to do. Which was - and continues to be - incredibly fulfilling. I always continued to love literature and poetry, and all kinds of music, but composing songs, lyrics and poems never featured. Until last Spring, when the Lord brought Ian, David and I back together through a series of circumstances. We never fell out when we decided to finish band in 1974; each of us was taken in distinct directions to serve God’s purpose in his kingdom and world. Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in more soon (spoiler - we’ve been in the studio...)
Anyway, as last year progressed, I realised that the Holy Spirit was restoring to me the desire to write lyrics and poems again. After some tentative attempts and the willingness to overcome fears of rejection, I began to share them with others. They liked them and encouraged me to continue (they don’t flatter, so I knew their urging was genuine). Then somebody said, ‘When will they be published?’ And thats’s how my first collection - Treasure Island Dreams - came into being.
The first thing we discover about God in the Bible is that he is the Creator, and through the Holy Spirit, who is the first Person in the Trinity mentioned, he lives in us. I believe that each of us is therefore creative - in so many diverse ways - but we are all creative. I’m certainly discovering that increasingly in Chapter Eight. Let me encourage you to release that creative area of your life which the Creator wants to show himself through. I have no idea what it will mean for you - but that’s the adventure! As I’ve previously talked about, curiosity and inquisitiveness are encouraged in the kingdom of God.
Back to the book. Treasure Island Dreams comprises fifty or so poems written in the past year, though some of the ideas and even lines are older, resting in my head for this moment. You can buy it on your local Amazon store or at Lulu, the publisher’s site: