There’s a record I used to listen to during my time at South Nutfield Free Church. A few years later, when I started work as a computer programmer, I had a colleague who had been a musician on the album. I have only just realised the connection now I look at the sleeve notes. I picked up the record at a charity shop today for £1. At the time, I wasn’t committed to my faith, and I probably wouldn’t have appreciated the significance of knowing him. But, a song from the record would sometimes pop into my head after I came back to belief. Just the line “Not to us, oh Lord. But to thy Holy name give honour and glory.”

Now I know the record name, I have found it on youtube. For anyone interested in exploring old Christian ‘pop, rock or folk’ music, the YouTube channel CCM Preservation is a treasure trove.

Dave Bilbrough – Abba Father. An early worship song from the 1970s. One we sang at South Nutfield Free Church and places like the Capel Bible Week.

This song is from Songs of Praise in 1997 in Eastbourne with Dave Bilbrough and Lou Fellingham singing. Stuart Townend is on the keyboard. This performance has a wonderful breezy effect sung outdoors near the sea. It is a song we sang on Sunday at my current church, based on 2 Corinthians 5, where verse 17 in the NIV says ‘ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!’

I still have the cassette but not the T Shirt or stickers. This is a song from Come Together. Its easier to play on youtube than try to splice the broken cassette tape and find a cassette player that won’t chew up the tape. I enjoy the progressions of this one, the words Precious Jesus, the invocation to fill our hearts anew, not at my (our, your) choosing but in God’s time.

I woke last night and could not sleep and started singing this song through in my mind. I could not remember the singer but had liked the song when I was aged 17 or 18 and searching this morning on youtube found that somebody has put the song there. The All Day Song ( Love Him in the Morning ) by John Fischer. John has a regular blog at https://catchjohnfischer.live/.