Beaches is one of those films that is unavoidably sob-inducing. The story is a beautiful one of friendship and love. It is a story of women’s solidarity in the face of adversity and of the reality within that.
I suppose the song from its soundtrack that crops up most for people is ‘The Wind Beneath My Wings’. Indeed a beautiful song. The one, though, that always stirs a moment of deep reflection for me is this one. I think it’s the balance of human kindness overflowing and the inevitable realisation of the fact that it’s likely to rain today.
I often wonder what its writer, Randy Newman, wants it to be saying but for me, it’s about the fact that within the relentlessness of life somehow the humanity of one for another is really what matters. It also speaks of how despite all that goodwill and generosity in play, life goes on and it’s often not easy. It’s the balancing act of the rough with the smooth. The yin & yang. The sense that life can be really, really rubbish but somewhere in the human kindness is overflowing and that’s worth holding onto. A tension in play.
Human kindness is overflowing, And I think it’s gonna rain today.
When I first became a person of faith I could have been forgiven for thinking that God’s purpose was to fix things for people. I knew even then it wasn’t all roses and happy endings. Now I’m much older I clearly see it’s really complicated. The way God works in the world. I suppose, a bit like my understanding of the lyrical content of this song, it’s a tiny bit unfathomable but I know it’s about a consistent sense that despite what’s happening – and let’s face it we’re not short on stuff to be bothered about – there’s a undercurrent of God-given love, hope and goodness.
This isn’t a trite song. It doesn’t promise better times or the sun coming out tomorrow. It does though remind us that one act can make a difference. Let your human kindness overflow today if you’re able even if it is “raining”
Broken windows and empty hallways, A pale dead moon in a sky streaked with grey. Human kindness is overflowing, And I think it’s gonna rain today.
Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles, The frozen smiles to chase love away. Human kindness is overflowing, And I think it’s gonna rain today.
Lonely, lonely. Tin can at my feet, I think I’ll kick it down the street. That’s the way to treat a friend.
Bright before me the signs implore me: Help the needy and show them the way. Human kindness is overflowing, And I think it’s gonna rain today.
Lonely, lonely. Tin can at my feet, I think I’ll kick it down the street. That’s the way to treat a friend.
Bright before me the signs implore me: Help the needy and show them the way. Human kindness is overflowing, And I think it’s gonna rain today.
Foo Fighter’s Hearing Voices’ is clearly about grief. The whole album feels as though it is a form of processing grief, that of the deaths of drummer Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl’s mother, Virginia. But Grohl is on record as recognising that part of the joy of music is that people find different meanings in the same song. For me, the song, and the idea of seeking out a particular voice, brings to mind a different experience.
Now, to tell this story I need to be clear that while I grew up in the Church, the son of an Anglican parish priest, it was very much the rational, reasonable, liberal-to-radical part of the Church. To put it bluntly, I was more likely to think someone who told me God had spoken to them was psychotic rather than a saint!
It is important to know this because I have no other way of describing the situation I found myself in other than saying that God spoke to me! And I know how crazy that sounds because I grew up thinking the same. In fact, the cynic in me is probably still more likely to lean towards hearing God’s voice as a sign of mental breakdown than of divine revelation.
Yet, this is my story. As I say, I grew up the son of a ‘preacher man’ (to coin a phrase), and faced the usual comments from usually well-meaning folk, asking, “When are you going to follow your dad into the ministry?” In my late teens and early twenties my stock answer was that “the only kind of minister I plan on being is the kind who sits on a green leather bench.”
However, as my non-political career developed, I found myself in a job that I loved, working with a team of people I loved working with. It’s important to know that – I’d done jobs I didn’t enjoy, but I loved this one. Then, one afternoon, sat alone in my office, at my desk, working on a particularly exciting project, I heard a voice in my head say, “You should be a minister.” Now, I could have ignored this. It was, after all, a nonsense – I was doing a job I loved and heading in a good direction both in terms of work and social life. Why would I let go of all of this to head in an entirely new, and to my way of thinking entirely undesired, direction?
Yet the voice was insistent, and I took it seriously precisely because I could not consider it my own voice – I would never have said that! So, as stupid as I thought it sounded, I told my then-girlfriend (now wife), my minister, my dad, some friends I trusted (faithful, agnostic and atheist). None denied the idea was somewhat amusing, but also none suggested it was unreasonable. So here I am, closing in on 20 years later, an ordained minister, in circuit for over 11 of those years.
Since then, I’ve continued to hear voices – as a depressive and sufferer of anxiety, Black Dog’s voice is a familiar one, sometimes quiet and sometimes overwhelmingly loud; my own voice is also familiar to me as someone who has a very keen internal monologue; and there are the voices of those who have helped or hindered me down the years, who continue to echo around my mind. But only that once would I say I heard the voice of God speak straight to me.
The journey since has not been easy, but I know what I heard, and I will never regret listening to what it said. And I keep listening, just in case…
Lyrics
I think I spoke too soon It’s time to clear the air It’s quiet in my room The silence is unfair
I’ve been hearing voices None of them are you I’ve been hearing voices None of them are you
Late at night, I tell myself Nothing this good could last forever
No one cries like you No one cries like you
I’ve been hearing voices I’ve been hearing voices now I’ve been hearing voices None of them are you None of them are you None of them are you None of them are you
I’ve seen you in the moon I wish that you were here You promised me your word A whisper in my ear
Every night, I tell myself Nothing like you could last forever
No one cries like you No one cries like you No one lies like you No one lies like you
I’ve been hearing voices I’ve been hearing voices now I’ve been hearing voices None of them are you None of them are you None of them are you None of them are you
Speak to me, my love Speak to me, my love
I’ve been hearing voices None of them are you I’ve been hearing voices None of them are you
If anybody has watched the Louis Theroux documentary with Stormzy, you’ll know that in it Stormzy talks candidly about his life and his battles with poor mental health. Watching it, you get the sense when Stormzy talks about being broken and afraid, it’s real. This is somebody who has been there and has integrity.
When I first heard ‘Blinded by Your Grace Part Two’ I could fully relate to the lyrics and knew that Stormzy was authentic because I’d been there too.
If we go back to the first Sunday of the new millennium, 2 January 2000, I was a single mum living on benefits; having escaped having my flat repossessed by the skin of my teeth. I had spent a couple of years completely broken, suffering reactive depression and being afraid of life and my ability to cope.
I walked into a church and saw that they were giving out stickers that had a Bible verse on saying, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jeremiah 29:11)”. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For me at that point plans to prosper went about as far as it being a good week for offers in Iceland and Sainsbury’s.
To cut a long storyshort, I decided to say to God, “Okay, if this sticker means anything I’m going to hold you to it.” Nine months later I went back to university to study for a PGCE, and started a new life, just me and my daughter, halfway across the country from our family.
When I look back at those times and think about the nightmare my life was – a totally broken mess – I see the journey I’ve been on. I, too, am blinded by God’s grace and the way he has been with me, helping me rebuild my life. Yes, I needed to do my bit, but God did fix my life and has been with me as I’ve moved forward. Some of that has involved God working through the right medication but it’s also been a whole lot more that I can’t describe. The key thing is that I’m no longer afraid.
So, when I heard this song for the first time, I immediately got it. You know when someone else has been ‘there’; not through the same experience but has felt that level of pain and hopelessness and come out the other side, so thankful that they’re not in that place anymore. That’s what the lyrics of this song express to me.
Lyrics
I’m Blinded By Your Grace (By Your Grace) I’m Blinded By Your Grace, by your grace (By Your Grace) I’m Blinded By Your Grace (By Your Grace) I’m Blinded By Your (By Your)
Lord I’ve been broken Although I’m not worthy You fixed me I’m Blinded By Your Grace You came and saved me
Lord I’ve been broken Although I’m not worthy You fixed me Now I’m Blinded By Your Grace You came and saved me
One time for the Lord And one time for the cause And one round of applause One time for Fraser T Smith on the chords I think we got one, I stay prayed up then I get the job done Yeah, I’m Abigail’s yout, but I’m God’s son But I’m up now, look at what God’s done Now I real talk, look at what God did On the main stage runnin’ ’round topless I phone Flipz then I tell him that we got this This is God’s plan, they can never stop this
Like, wait right there, could you stop my verse? You saved this kid and I’m not your first It’s not by blood and it’s not by birth But oh my God, what a God I serve
Lord I’ve been broken Although I’m not worthy You fixed me I’m Blinded By Your Grace You came and saved me
Lord I’ve been broken Although I’m not worthy You fixed me Now I’m Blinded By Your Grace You came and saved me
I said a prayer this morning I prayed I would find a way To another day, I was so afraid ‘Til you came and saved, you came and saved me And the rain was pouring, ’cause the sun faded away
Now I’m in a better place, no longer afraid Blinded By Your Grace, you came and saved me, yeah
I said a prayer this morning, I prayed I would find a way
To another day, I was so afraid ‘Til you came and saved, you came and saved me
And the rain was pouring, ’cause the sun faded away Now I’m in a better place, no longer afraid Blinded By Your Grace, you came and saved me, yeah
Lord I’ve been broken Although I’m not worthy You fixed me I’m Blinded By Your Grace You came and saved me
Lord I’ve been broken Although I’m not worthy You fixed me Now I’m Blinded By Your Grace You came and saved me
We would love to hear about how this song made you feel. Make sure you share your thoughts with us on social media, by tagging our account on X (formally Twitter), Facebook, Instagram or TikTok and using #OutOfTheOrdinary.
Clarification – For our reflection on the 14 December, Adela Samayoa was introduced as a Mission Partner. While Adela is a greatly valued member of our partner Church in El Salvador and a partner in our shared mission with God, she is not part of the Mission Partner programme of the Methodist Church in Britain. Our apologies for any confusion caused.
Wherever you are in life, there’s a place for you at church. From Sundayservices to events during the week, we’d love to welcome you.
Sometimes I feel powerless in the face of all that’s happening in the world – inequality, conflict, injustice, hunger, greed, exploitation. I can see there is so much that needs to be different, better.
“I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat. Who am I… pretending not to see their needs?”
When I get overwhelmed like that, I find it helps to remember that the only thing that I can change is myself.
Michael Jackson sings about “starting with the man in the mirror.” Now for me, that’s the woman in the mirror. It’s me whose ways have to change. Me who has to stand up and do something differently.
“No message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make that change.”
That change for me is often about sharing more of what I have; speaking up instead of staying silent and being more open to how other people experience things differently from me, rather than only seeing things from my perspective. I think it’s true that “when you close your heart then you close your mind.”
I was in town once when I saw a couple of young people who appeared to be vandalising a phone box. I then wondered if I was jumping to conclusions and went over to see what was going on. It turned out that they were stuck inside, and so I learned a lesson in reflecting on first impressions.
In my work I am responsible for leading unconscious bias training, which is all about noticing what is going on with our thinking and reactions and making an intentional effort to change assumptions. By making these kinds of changes I think we get to show more love and respect for each other, and so be more as God would like us to be – to be our best selves.
“Gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference.”
Lyrics
I’m gonna make a change For once in my life It’s gonna feel real good Gonna make a difference Gonna make it right
As I, turn up the collar on My favorite winter coat This wind is blowin’ my mind I see the kids in the street With not enough to eat Who am I, to be blind pretending not to see their needs?
A summer’s disregard A broken bottle top And a one man’s soul They follow each other on the wind ya know ‘Cause they got nowhere to go That’s why I want you to know
I’m starting with the man in the mirror I’m asking him to change his ways And no message could’ve been any clearer If they wanna make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make a change
I’ve been a victim of a selfish kind of love It’s time that I realize That there are some with no home Not a nickel to loan Could it be really me pretending that they’re not alone?
A willow deeply scarred Somebody’s broken heart And a washed out dream (washed out dream) They follow the pattern of the wind, ya see ‘Cause they got no place to be That’s why I’m starting with me
I’m starting with the man in the mirror (oh) I’m asking him to change his ways (oh) And no message could’ve been any clearer If you wanna make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make a change
I’m starting with the man in the mirror (oh) I’m asking him to change his ways (oh) And no message could’ve been any clearer If you wanna make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make that Change
I’m starting with the man in the mirror (oh yeah) I’m asking him to change his ways (better change) No message could’ve been any clearer (If you wanna make the world a better place) (Take a look at yourself and then make the change)
You can’t (Then you close your) close your, your mind With the man in the mirror, oh yeah I’m asking him to change his ways (better change) No message could’ve been any clearer If you wanna make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make a change
gonna feel real good now
I’m gonna make a change It’s gonna feel real good Come on (change) Just lift yourself You know You’ve got to stop it Yourself (yeah)
I’ve got to make that change today (Man in the mirror) you got to You got to not let yourself brother (Yeah) you know (Make that change) I’ve got to get that man, that man
You’ve got to You’ve got to move Come on Come on You got to Stand up, stand up (yeah, make that change) Stand up
Stand up and lift Yourself, now (Man in the mirror)
Gonna make that change come on (Man in the mirror)You know it
You know it You know it You know Change Make that change
I’m sure, like me, you have found yourself at some point in your life caught up in a situation where, although things don’t feel quite right, you can’t seem to prise yourself away from it to move on. It may be a set of circumstances that has been imposed on you and from which you see no escape; it may be a friendship with someone who seems to suck the joy out of life; it may be a place where you don’t feel safe or where you can be yourself.
Although this is a classic ‘break-up’ song from Gabrielle, I think the meaning of it can be also be applied to any situation or relationship that has needed to come to an end. A career move; a move to another house, or town, or country; that bittersweet and gradual transition from childhood to adulthood; a decision to end a friendship or relationship; a congregation having to decide to close their church.
Endings are a big thing aren’t they? They can be sudden and a shock to the system; they can be planned and carefully thought through; they can be welcomed and anticipated with excitement or enthusiasm; or they can be consistently avoided until there’s no other way than to bring things to an end.
The verses in ‘Rise’ capture the key emotions of a period of transition. The first verse is all about disbelief, denial and a touch of scepticism; verse two is all about processing; unpicking and coming to an understanding of what is happening; and verse three is acceptance and starting to move on.
It’s funny really that we can be so resistant to change when fundamentally that is what life is. “It is when we are in transition that we are most completely alive.” says William Bridges. It’s when we question, push back, wonder, learn and grow.
I’m not keen on the saying that ‘God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle’ or that ‘everything happens for a reason.’ What I do see is that it’s the richness of life’s experiences and the moments of doubt, insecurity and worry that can lead us to a place of hope. If we embrace these times and wrestle with them, it can truly be a time for growth and understanding – and who knows where that may lead us.
One of the messages that we hear every year during Advent and Christmas is ‘Fear not’. That’s what speaks to me in this song. You may have been laid low, and yet, there are hopes, and there are dreams, and there are bridges from these scenes and the opportunity to ‘rise’ again.
Lyrics
I know that it’s over But I can’t believe we’re through They say that time’s a healer, yeah And I’m better without you It’s gonna take time, I know But I’ll get over you
Look at my life Look at my heart I have seen them fall apart Now I’m ready to rise again Just look at my hopes Look at my dreams I’m building bridges from these scenes Now I’m ready to rise again
Caught up in my thinking, yeah Like a prisoner in my mind You pose so many questions That the truth was hard to find I better think twice I know That I’ll get over you
Look at my life Look at my heart I have seen them fall apart Now I’m ready to rise again Just look at my hopes Look at my dreams I’m building bridges from these scenes Now I’m ready to rise again
Much time has passed between us, hmm Do you still think of me at all? My world of broken promises You won’t catch me when I fall
Look at my life Look at my heart I have seen them fall apart And now I’m ready to rise again Just look at my hopes Look at my dreams I’m building bridges from these scenes Now I’m ready to rise again
Yes, I’m gonna rise Gonna make it alright I’m gonna be who I wanna be Yeah baby, yeah, yeah
I’m gonna make it alright I’m gonna make it alright…
As I typed that, I heard the voice of Sheena Easton singing it…
Anyhow.
For the next four weeks, the Friday Fix is going to be ‘Out Of The Ordinary’ and won’t drop a reflection each Friday. This is because a handful of our regular contributors were asked if they could write a reflection for the Methodist Church’s Advent campaign ‘Out of the Ordinary’ this year – and it makes much more sense to share those reflections as they are released each week.
So – for Advent only – look out for a ‘Saturday Shot’ instead!
The bass from this one echoed around the church as we prayed. The subwoofer had to be on.
Isaiah 2:2 says:
“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”
Or in other words:
“If you look into the distance, there’s a house upon the hill Guiding like a lighthouse It’s a place where you’ll be safe to feel our grace ‘Cause we’ve all made mistakes”
What if the house of God, the temple on the mountain was like a lighthouse, a beacon calling out to all those in distress, welcoming all who were lost?
What if that Temple were the Church?
What if the people who follow Jesus were given a mandate to keep the light on for those who needed to find a way home?
If only Jesus had said:
“You are the light of the world. A town (or a temple, perhaps!?) built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5)
Light brings hope, and guidance, clarity and warmth. But one of the things light does is something we don’t talk about in church.
When you go camping and dusk is falling and you turn on a light you attract a whole host of bugs. Uncomfortable creatures who make us itch, that sometimes bite and suck blood, that we want to swat away are drawn to the light.
Isaiah is prophesying of a time when the temple would do the same. The light of the temple that was originally for just the people of God will attract all nations, all sorts of people who make the Israelites uncomfortable, including their enemies. But all would gather in the light to worship.
I think we need to be aware that we are called to be a light, to leave that light on, and to attract the people that make us uncomfortable. To be a people and a place of welcome and refuge for the world around us, a place to show and find grace because we’ve all made mistakes.
Tom Walker is calling out to a friend who has been lost to addiction, who he wants to welcome home and help, and declares that he will leave a light on.
I wonder if we could declare the same as people of faith calling those with needs home to the embrace of God? Could we really be a place of love, welcome and blessing?
Or will we do what I inevitably do when I’m camping and swat them away?
I am a big fan of cover versions. This might be a controversial thing to say, since cover versions can somewhat divide opinions – among both musicians and fans – but it’s nonetheless true. There are those, such as the late Prince, that would argue that in no other art form is an artist so little in control of who can produce different versions of your intellectual property – if another musician pays for the appropriate mechanical licence there is generally nothing the original artist can do to stop an alternative version being performed, recorded, and distributed, even if the new version is disliked by the original composer or performer. Of course, proper acknowledgments need to be given, but beyond that, once you put music out there, any other artist can pretty much cover it any way they like without your say-so.
This can, of course, result in cover versions becoming better known than the original. For example, the late Sinéad O’Connor’s cover of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ is undoubtedly better known than Prince’s own versions – the Irish woman certainly comes above the Minnesotan man in a Spotify search. Yet the debate will rage as to whether a cover version is actually better than the original. I’d personally argue that almost any cover of a Bob Dylan song is better than the original – because while I think Dylan is an amazing songwriter I don’t think he’s a great singer, but plenty of Dylan fans would passionately disagree with me, and I suspect Dylan would too!
Yet sometimes a cover version can almost indisputably be considered superior to an original, so much so that the song somehow becomes the property of the later artist. I would suggest that one such song is the Johnny Cash version of Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Hurt’. And if any NIN fans want to disagree then I’ll simply point out that Trent Reznor himself is on record in several places as saying that it’s Cash’s song now rather than his.
Recorded for the album, American IV: The Man Comes Around, in 2002, it was the video of the song released the following year that truly captured the imagination of critics and the popular music-listening population. In it, Cash takes an industrial rock track about the writer’s struggles with heroin addiction, and turns it into a meditation on life, love, faith and mortality (the mystique and emotion of Cash’s version is rooted in part by the reality that by the end of 2003 both Cash’s wife June Carter Cash and Johnny himself had both died from medical complications). Most notably, the conversion to a religious reflection comes as Cash changes just one word from the original, moving from singing about the wearing of a crown of “shit” to instead referencing one made of thorns.
For me, Cash’s incredible cover reminds me that nothing is irredeemable in this world. To be clear, I’m not sold on the idea Reznor’s original needs redemption, yet even those who might argue it does would struggle to argue against the idea that this is precisely what Cash has managed to do. Cover versions may be controversial, but their existence enables artists to offer new possibilities, challenge presumptions, and create new ways of engaging with the transcendent.
The Friday Fix 