Under the Waters

 Verse 1.      One sign was given to make you believe,

 Just as Jonah went down to the depths of the sea,

 And the waters closed over, the weeds wrapped around,

So the grave took our Saviour and we could go free.

Chorus           Under the waters

    He showed his love.

    Under the waters,

    While we’re above.

    The sting of death broken,

    By incredible love.

Verse 2       Deep called to deep with a waterfall’s roar,

(For creation all knew that our Jesus went low,

To the feet of the mountains, the depths of the sea),

And the word was proclaimed, that a Man dared to go.

Verse 3       Those who would follow and trust in His name,

Want to become baptised in the Christian’s own way.

But all of earth’s watery pits are dried up,

And the water of Jordan is all rolled away.

Mark Humber 25^th June 2003.

On His Knees - Gethsemane

The garden is dark,

The birds sing no more.

The petals have closed,

At the close of the day.

And the Creator of Earth,

The Sustainer of Life,

Sits sobbing.

And weeping,

Tears of blood.

The beauty He made,

The perfection He sought,

The colours first perceived,

As He spoke the first words.

Were hidden in blackness,

Where colour's no more,

And Evil smiles,

And Terror,

Waits to win.

But the most terrible night,

Is only there till the morn.

And the great Prince of Life,

Rises out of the gloom,

And He crushes the fear,

And rides high on the storm,

To be King,

Of all Kings,

And forever.

For He endured that cross,

He despised the shame,

And He sits down again,

On the right hand of God.

But He knew how it feels,

He knew how it hurts,

To be depressed,

To say it out loud,

On His knees.

MJH. 30/04/23

The Train Driver

"It's the last run," he said as they waited,
"The freight cars are loaded and now
The passengers are seated and ready,
And the train, it will leave on the hour."
The driver stood quiet, by the engine,
And drew out his old pocket watch.
As he turned to his dusty old fireman,
He said, "Let's get her ready to cross."

Soon the train rumbled on to the river,
And the whistle screamed its goodbye,
As the ominous clack of the wheels on the track
Sped up as the train moved away.
At each departure, there's someone,
Who knows it's the final farewell
The heart aches, the eyes swell, the tears fall too,
But there's no more words left then to tell.

So the train drew near to the river,
And the verdant green slopes gleamed with dew,
As the train neared the end of its journey,
And the river came plainly in view.
On the other side stood the station,
On a well travelled route, we may know,
And the Master stood on the platform,
As He waited for the train to show.

So the train drew up to the platform,
And the faithful train driver stepped down,
And he said as he drew out the old pocket watch,
"We did it! We're right here on time!"
But the Master, the Lord of the station,
He smiled as the driver walked on,
And He opened His arms and was heard to exclaim,
"Well done, welcome home now, Leon."

Written to celebrate the life of Leon Smith on the occasion of his death 22/2/2022 and read at his funeral by his beloved niece, Judith Barnes.

(Tune : Log Cabin for Sale)

Anak - My Child

I knew not how His promise would become so real,

But when I first held your tiny, helpless form,

My tears of joy flowed unrestrained,

Because I never could have hoped to hold again

My child.

As then I watched you grow,

From a baby to a tiny child,

I rejoiced in each amazing change, 

And as our eyes met and you learned to smile,

I knew that you were every bit

My child.

The first words that you learned to say,

You'd heard from me so many times each day,

And as your tiny lips released that sweet, clumsy response,

I heard the words, "I love you" from

My child

You call me 'Dadda' now

And stumble round me with your tiny feet,

But I trust your faltering footsteps will soon follow me,

Because I want the best for you,

My child

I wake each morning just to see your joyful face,

And hold your giggling body in my arms again,

And as each day comes to an end, I love to see asleep

Your tiny curly head and strain to hear the gentle breath of

My child

I know I'll pass too soon to see what you'll become,

But I pray each day that you will reach that place.

That God the Father holds in store for you

And that you always may be while I still hold breath -

My child.

To my Amalia (אָמַלְיָה) : because God has made me forget all my trouble and my father’s house. 15/12/21

The Child Of Promise

I don't want to lay her down to sleep,

Though I hear her gentle breathing,

I want this day to last forever,

With my baby in my arms.

I don't want to close my eyes,

And have to wait until tomorrow,

By her cradle I could kneel,

Until the light of a new day.

But another day dawns,

And the tiny arms quiver,

As she cries for the breast,

That will nourish her pain.

But as each new morn breaks,

And I quickly grow older,

I will pray I will be strong,

For the child of promise.

I had waited for so long,

As the world changed oh, so quickly, 

So the aged ones all passed on,

And little boys became strong men.

And as the seasons turned around,

We forgot that we grew older,

But our time, it grew much shorter,

And our strength turned into dust. 

But another day dawns,

I see the smile of my baby,

And she says her first words,

And she takes her first steps.

But as each new morn breaks,

Though I quickly grow older,

I will pray to be strong,

For the child of promise.

I hope I'll be able to protect her,

Raise her noble, good and true,

Most of all, that she'll know my Saviour,

For I know He'll bring her through.

Now I dream she stands before me,

A lovely daughter, fully grown,

Even though I'm aged and feeble,

I can hear her whispered words.

Yet another day dawns,

I see a woman sitting by me,

Now she says her final words,

And she holds me in her arms.

For as the new morn finally breaks,

And I will never more be older,

I will stand before Him there,

As the child of promise.

The Gate of the Day

I once stood on the threshold of the gate of the day,

The old world behind me, the new one begun,

And he took hold of my shoulders and I heard him say,

You enter this home now, you're not come to stay,

As a visitor here but as my very own son,

As my tears fell, I knew my heart had been won.

As the years past, I drifted from village to city,

As I followed my fortunes and tried hard to succeed,

But the words that were spoken at that moment of pity,

Would brighten my pathway through much enmity,

And strengthen my faith, my soul then to lead,

To a future unknown, but a path clear indeed.

My father now stands at the gate of the day,

How long he will linger, I sure cannot tell,

But as he walks onward, I constantly pray,

That the pathway be smooth all the rest of the way,

And the journey be glorious, the sunset look swell, 

For I know that his Father's door's open as well.

Matthew 25:35

Dedicated to Leon Smith 

Marks Wedding Vows

I vow to be patient, I vow to be kind.
And try not to envy, to pride be inclined,
To always be grateful that I have found you,
To overcome rudeness, and selfishness too. 

I'll be not easily angered, forgive if you're wrong,
I'll always protect you, our trust shall be strong,
I'll delight not in evil but in truth never fear,
In hard times to hope always, and so persevere.

These three I'll commit to: to faith, hope, and love,
But the greatest of these is the bond from above:
By the same love that Jesus has loved His own bride,
So I'll always love you and stay by your side.

Derived from 1 Cor. 13, played on ukulele