ScriptureAndStillness
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Hymn for Fifth Sunday in Lent — “Spirit, lead us through the valley” (87 87 D)

The hymn “Spirit, lead us through the valley” reflects themes of hope, resurrection, and renewal amid grief, guided by the Spirit’s presence through life’s challenges. Continue reading
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A hymn of the New Covenant — “In whispered winds You speak again” (CM)

In whispered winds You speak again 1.In whispered winds You speak again,Your covenant made new;Not carved on stone of Sinai’s height,But written deep and true.2.You trace Your promise on our heartsLike sunlight on the dew;As meadowsweet in summer fields,Your mercy rises too.3.The shadows flee the morning light,The ancient rites give way;The tent of cloth and… Continue reading
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A hymn from Romans 16 — “Across the hills of heathered gold” (DCM)

Across Ireland’s hills and rivers, Paul’s greetings in Romans 16 become a hymn of memory—women and men named in faith, their witness echoing through prayer. Continue reading
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“At Evening, God Has Spoken”: A Vespers Hymn on Psalm 110 (76 76 D)

110 has long been one of the traditional psalms of Sunday Vespers. My new hymn, At Evening, God Has Spoken, reflects on that ancient text through the quiet landscapes of the Irish midlands—heathered hills, the Barrow’s waters, and the stillness of evening prayer—resting in Christ our High King through the night. Continue reading
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Braided Grace—A Hymn on Psalm 129 – “Long have burdens pressed upon us” (87 87 D)

Despite suffering and oppression, God’s enduring faithfulness and promise bring hope, resilience, and strength to His people. Continue reading
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One Faith, One Hope, One Lord: A Hymn for Unity

The hymn prayerfully calls for unity in the Church, invoking the Holy Spirit to heal divisions and reaffirm faith in Christ. Continue reading
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Singing Psalm 98 in an Irish Key

“Sing to the Lord a new song…” Psalm 98 is not shy. It is tidal. It calls rivers to clap their hands and hills to sing for joy. It insists that creation itself is caught up in praise—not as backdrop, but as choir. In the Anglican tradition, Psalm 98 can be used at Evensong as… Continue reading
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Unknown Paths, Rising Hills: Writing a Hymn for the Second Sunday in Lent (Year A) — “You call us out to unknown paths” (CM)

You call us out to unknown paths You call us out to unknown paths,Like Abram long ago;Through mist along the Barrow’s bends,Your pilgrim people go.You lift our eyes to rising hills,Where skylarks greet the dawn;Your keeping shade, like hawthorn’s bough,Stands guard till night is gone.Not by our striving, strength, or claimBut gift of grace alone,You… Continue reading
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Stay with me in the waiting.

There are days when Jeremiah’s cry—“My anguish, my anguish!”—feels less like something from long ago and more like the body’s own truth. In the dialysis unit, with the soft beeping of the machines and the hush of people doing their best to get through another session, you can hear that same ache. Jeremiah speaks of… Continue reading
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In the Thin Place of Forty Days

Rooted in the landscape, spirituality, and imaginative tradition of the Irish midlands, the text interweaves the great biblical “forty” journeys—the flood, the exodus, Sinai, the wilderness, and the risen Christ’s forty days—with the sacred geography of Kildare and its surrounding boglands. Drawing on Celtic Christian imagery and the rhythms of creation, it invites worshippers to… Continue reading
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Rule. Dawn. Praise.

This hymn and stained-glass image are inspired by Chapter 13 of the Rule of Our Holy Father Saint Benedict, in which he sets forth the reverent ordering of the Divine Office at Lauds on ordinary days. Rooted in the rhythm of psalmody, canticle, Gospel praise, and litany, the work reflects Saint Benedict’s vision of a… Continue reading
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Incense. Whisper. Hope.

This hymn is inspired by Psalm 141, the Church’s ancient evening prayer: “Let my prayer rise before you like incense.” Set in the landscape of Clonmacnoise, it joins the psalmist’s cry to the Shannon’s air and the long vigil of those who prayed on these stones before us. As night gathers, it asks Christ to… Continue reading
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Shepherd. Host. High King.

This hymn began with a simple wondering: What if Christ doesn’t only meet us at the table, but walks the whole week with us? Faith is rarely confined to sacred hours. It unfolds in Mondays heavy with responsibility, Wednesdays full of noise, Fridays marked by grief, and Saturdays thick with waiting. This hymn traces the… Continue reading
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Faith. Truth. Welcome.

With the twelve bells of St Patrick’s overhead, I offer this hymn as a prayer for Ballymena: for its people, its churches, and Christ’s light in the valley we call home. Continue reading
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Hidden. Humble. Everywhere.

Celebrating those who proclaim the Word with care—parish readers, musicians, writers, and the everyday saints who let Scripture breathe in our lives. A new hymn, inspired by the Book of Kells, now on NeuroDivine.blog Continue reading
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Psalms. Places. Presence.

Psalms. Places. Presence. Hymns shaped by landscape, memory, and the quiet work of beginning again. A small book of thresholds for anyone who finds prayer in the ordinary. Continue reading
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Rooted. Gathered. Blessed.

NeuroDivine has always been about recognising the sacred woven through our whole selves—our minds, our bodies, our ways of sensing and moving through the world. It’s a space where difference becomes a doorway, where the textures of neurodivergent experience are met with gentleness, dignity, and grace. This hymn grew from the ancient devotion of Tantum… Continue reading
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Berries. Stones. Songs.

There are moments when ancient scripture meets the landscapes that formed us, and something quietly transformative happens. This newly written hymn, inspired by Psalm 137, does exactly that—taking the ache of exile and setting it among the Glens of Antrim, where memory, belonging, and spiritual resonance run deep. Rather than retelling the psalm’s sorrow in… Continue reading
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Machines. Mercy. Meaning.

In the long, measured hours of dialysis, I began to notice how healing is carried not only by machines and medicine, but by the people who sit beside us, the families who steady us, and the landscape we carry within. This hymn‑poem grew from that stillness—a way of naming the courage found in ordinary care,… Continue reading
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Rise. Renew. Forgive.

A reflection and a new hymn based on Baruch 1.15 – 2.10 and Matthew 20.1-16 rooted in the landscape of the Irish midlands. Continue reading
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