Eddie Webster, Nottingham

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

This verse struck me several years ago because, up until that point, I thought the Christian life was meant to be easy. As a new Christian, I thought that obedience and holiness would come naturally. However, I soon found that there was even more reason to be disappointed in myself than I first realised. Each time I gave into sin I would be conflicted within; ‘I’m a Christian! Christ lives in me! But… I keep on sinning. I am making no progress in holiness. Why am I still the same?’. These thoughts would get me down, but upon reading this I realised that I was meant to be broken over my sin, and that through the experience of sorrow God was close by saving me from my sin and transforming me into his likeness! Praise God that he saves those who are crushed in spirit!

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! Psalm 25:7

This has also been of help in times of brokenness. It requests God would not remember our sins but, as I pray this, I also gather assurance that he has forgotten them. His steadfast love on the cross is evidence that he has remembered me, and that he has removed my sin from me. Praise God that our sins (especially remembering those sins we commit in our youth!) have been slain on the cross and are remembered no more!

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

My sin has been dealt with on the cross! I have been crucified with Christ! The old reign of sin has gone; the new reign of Christ is here! He lives in me! This is such a great verse and there is much to expound from it. However, the part which has most helped me has been the second half where it speaks of living by faith in the Son of God. When I have realised my weakness and have been broken over my sin I then return to have faith in Christ. I no longer live according to the flesh, but now I live trusting in his unfailing love and strength to help me live for him. Praise God that he has come to live in us!

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith. Philippians 1:25

At times, however, I have wished that I was already with the Lord in heaven. The constant battle between the flesh and the Spirit is tiring; surely it would be better to be with the Lord in heaven! Paul also wrestled with this issue (Philippians 1:18-26). “To live is Christ”, he thought. Indeed, we live in Christ but “to die is gain”. He knew that it was far better to be with the Lord. Alas, it is not up to us to determine the time of our death. Rather, we have been called to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and to follow him. How to do this? We live for the joy and progress of others. This verse helps me remember my calling on earth when I would long to be with Christ right now. As we live in Christ, our lives are to be given in service of one another, encouraging and rejoicing with one another. Praise God that he has given us this great purpose of building one another up for the praise of his glory!

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

That is the great reason we exist, to glorify the Son, to boast in him! Our lives are to overflow with praise for God and Christ, for who they are and what they have done! I have been crucified to my sins and to the world! We now live, trusting and boasting in Jesus! Our weakness serves only to magnify his strength and power at work in us through the cross! May we all boast only in Christ and his cross as the power to save and transform lives!

Who would you like to find on the island for company?

Thanks to modern reprints (such as Banner of Truth’s Puritan Paperbacks) I have benefitted much from the writings of John Owen. His teaching is both thoroughly biblical and experiential; there is such nuance to his writing that I often find myself thinking ‘that’s exactly what it is like! That’s exactly the remedy I need!’. For instance, I recently read the abridged form of his work ‘On Temptation’, finding his application to be so precise and relevant to my life. I’m sure he would have been able to figure out how best to glorify God on a desert island!

It is also evident from his writing that he loved the Saviour and the Church very dearly, for he served faithfully till the end. The day before his death he wrote:

‘I am going to Him whom my soul has loved, or rather who has loved me with an everlasting love – which is the whole ground of my consolation… I am leaving the ship of the church in a storm; but whilst the great Pilot is in it, the loss of a poor under-rower will be inconsiderable. Live, and pray, and hope, and wait patiently, and do not despond; the promise stands invincible, that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.’

The great Pilot of the Church loves us, just as he loved the ‘poor under-rower’ John Owen. May we live and pray and hope and wait patiently, trusting that great invincible promise that he will never leave nor forsake us!

Which song would you take to the island?

There are perhaps too many favourite hymns to choose from, but I am always humbled when I sing this one. It strikes the perfect balance between our weakness and Christ’s power, grace and salvation. It is all of him! Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling!

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save me from its guilt and power.

Not the labour of my hands

Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All could never sin erase,

Thou must save, and save by grace.

Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Foul, I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,

When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

Gethin Jones, Paris, France

My name is Gethin Jones, I’m a minister in the International Presbyterian Church and I’ve just moved to serve long-term as a missionary in Paris.

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” John 21:12a

It may seem a strange or funny verse to pick but the Lord helped me quite deeply through it a few years ago. I was visiting the USA for the first time and had found myself within a mile of where the bombs went off at the 2013 Boston Marathon, having been at the Finish Line about half an hour earlier. It was a rather stressful experience. The following morning, I wasn’t sure whether the friend I was staying with was up so I texted him this verse as we’d planned to go out for breakfast. I sent it partly in jest, but then I started to reflect. I realised these were words spoken to disciples who were themselves just getting over the trauma of having one they believed to be the Messiah die. They knew he was alive again, but recovery from that kind of shock can still take time. Of course, Jesus had things to tell them, issues to deal with, but first, he invited them to eat breakfast with him.

And there’s actually an important doctrine here. What is the key thing the risen Christ gives us? Justification? Sanctification? Adoption? He does give us all those things of course, but as means to an end — communion, deep friendship, with God. That’s what the Lord’s Supper is about. We believe in a God who loves, and wants to have breakfast with his people.

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became life-giving Spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:42-9

This passage (v45 especially) has become precious to me as it represents a lot of how my understanding of the Bible grew during my studies at Westminster Theological Seminary. I came to appreciate the significance of Jesus’ resurrection in the context of the flow of the Bible. Reading Geerhardus Vos was a key help for me here. In this verse is a second Adam who passed the test which Adam failed. Here, at last, is a man who has passed on to the glorified state that God offered man from the beginning. Now there is a man in heaven with resurrection life coursing through him because he has been given the Holy Spirit in a special way — so special that Paul even says he has become life-giving Spirit. And he has given us the Spirit who was given to him. Actually, here’s another key truth about the Lord’s Supper. Just as by faith we receive spiritual life from a man in heaven, by faith we receive spiritual nourishment from bits of bread and wine. It all comes back to our enjoying deep friendship with God.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3

This past year I had the privilege of serving as an Assistant Minister at IPC Ealing, and I had some fun side-projects like teaching Greek at London Seminary and the Cornhill Training Course. I got all my students memorising this verse in the Greek — it’s such a key verse for understanding what God has done for us. I had grown up with the idea that there are different degrees or stages of becoming a real Christian. And of course it can seem like a gradual process for some. But, for example, I remember someone teaching me that there’s a difference between being regenerated and being baptised in the Spirit. That’s a perfect recipe for ruining someone’s assurance, as the experiences or benefits have been separated from the person of Christ. Paul is clear here. We have every Spiritual blessing, and we have them by our being in Christ. How are we saved? Simply by being united to Christ — by being put in him. Regeneration and Spirit-baptism are just different ways of speaking of being united to Christ. The key is not different processes, it’s whether or not I’m in Christ. And I get into Christ simply by repenting from sin and entrusting myself to him.

Who would you like to find on the island for company?

I’d probably just want to take a friend but I’ve been told I have to pick someone dead. 
I’d probably choose one of the writers I’ve most enjoyed reading so the top candidates would be John Calvin, Herman Bavinck, Francis Turretin and Geerhardus Vos. Turretin would be a good laugh because he sometimes just says something totally random out of the blue. It’d probably be between Vos and Calvin though and Calvin would win just because I can speak French. Vos spoke English but I guess he would just want to speak Dutch when he got tired, and I don’t speak Dutch.

Which song would you take to the island?

Handel’s Messiah! It’s a work of genius and beauty — and a great way of sneaking some extra Scripture onto the Island. I’ve found music to be a great way of memorising Scripture as well as the Shorter Catechism. Handel’s Messiah is just straight Bible through and through. I recommend the recording done by The Sixteen and Harry Christophers — the way the soprano solo interprets “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” is especially stunning.

Toni Saad, Cardiff

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

Since Scripture is an organic unity, it is difficult to pick only a handful of desert island verses. Nevertheless, verses which I would return to on the island include some of Christ’s words to his disciples:

I will ask the Father to send you another Helper, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you know will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you. John 14:15-20

Not only will Christ return, but, in the meantime, he will send the Holy Spirit to indwell us. He shall be in us, just as Christ is in us and we are in him. This is the glorious reconciliation between man and God in Christ, and the union and communion which we have in Christ. By giving us the Holy Spirit to unite us to himself, Christ gives us himself, and we are made to share in the Triune God. These are verses which helped me understand that Christ is the gravitational centre of redemption, and that none of God’s benefits (justification, adoption, sanctification etc.) can be abstracted from our union with Christ. Our salvation is as concrete as Christ is, and so can our assurance be.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions … For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:5-13

This great summary of Christ’s work is also an exposition of its significance regarding the life to come and the life we live now. No longer are we slaves to sin, if we are in Christ, since we are under grace. Paul presents us with the lifelong challenge of killing sin, but it comes sandwiched between whole-grain gospel truth. This passage is justifiably optimistic about sanctification in Christ, and dispels the perverse passivity that I and other Christians sometimes deceive themselves with in the face of sin. I have learnt from these verses that being a sinner is no excuse for sinning if I am in Christ. And this lesson is the source of lasting joy.

Who would you like to find on the island for company?

There are many greats at whose feet I would gladly learn all day. Thomas Aquinas would be a highly intellectually-stimulating fellow castaway. The great Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck would be an excellent tutor of reformed theology. But my pick would be the Swiss reformed theologian Francis Turretin (1623-1687), author of Institutes of Elenctic Theology. Turretin’s theology is a distillation of Reformation doctrine blended with the very best of the Christian philosophical and scholastic tradition, which makes for a rich system of theology of lasting influence on the great theologians of yesteryear. To share an island with Turretin would be a marvellous opportunity to learn to see Christ and Scripture in all their kaleidoscopic glory and think about these with philosophical rigour. There is perhaps nothing better for a marooned soul to do.

Which song would you take to the island?

Perhaps Turretin would join in The Church’s One Foundation (SJ Stone, 1886) with me. This hymn beautifully summarises the story of Christ’s redemption. But it is also a humble confession of the Church’s troubled, sinful and divided state, a lament of faith to God. Singing it reminds me that not all is well for now in Christ’s Church, so there is no place for complacency or self-satisfaction. We cannot rest on our laurels. But, however bad the mess of the Church gets, Christ is picking up the pieces, building his church—and so there is no room for self-pity either. The Church is Christ’s, as I am, and our destinies are entrusted to his eternal wisdom.

The church’s one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is His new creation, by water and the Word;
from heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.

Elect from ev’ry nation, yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued.

Tho’ with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord, to defend,
to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end;
tho’ there be those that hate her and false sons in her pale,
against the foe or traitor she ever shall prevail.

‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we,
like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.

Pete Conway, Fflint

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

But now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:1-2

This verse isn’t mine really but rather reminds me of the reality of Christian life. My mother was a genuine and lovely lady; gentle and unassuming. She struggled with assurance and never had anything to boast about. In the eyes of the world, she was lovely and kind but a timid, quiet, even weak, little old lady. My Dad died of a sudden stroke and my mum’s heart was broken; she later developed cancer and had to go to hospital, the inevitable drew near. I wasn’t there at the time but her pastor was visiting the day before she died and he began to read this passage in Isaiah. When he stopped reading, she carried on to finish the passage. Where did that come from? These were the last moments of her life, when she was at her weakest and most vulnerable; yet she was at her strongest. Yes, she was passing through the waters but she absolutely did not fear, she knew she was His. She knew she had been redeemed and her confidence was in her Lord. The reality of her faith was so evident and it was amazing. So, when doubts rise, it’s such a helpful reminder that faith in Christ is not just pie in the sky when you die. It’s true, it’s real, there is nothing more real than people dying and there she was, as bold as anything.

He also made the stars. Genesis 1:16

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Psalm 147:4

We may be in the ‘day of small things’ but we don’t have a small God. Sadly, my view of God is much smaller than it should be. Even if I read big things about Him, it rarely moves me; so I would like to keep these verses close to hand as I often refer to them. I am able to relate better to things I can see, like when I look up on a clear night and see the stars, twinkling in the night’s sky. It’s estimated there are 300 billion stars in our galaxy, and 100 million galaxies. How much space is given in the bible to such a mind blowing feat of creation? A massive 5 words: He also made the stars!!!! Sounds like an add-on….Small God?…right!!!!

If you love me, keep my commands John 14:15

I wouldn’t normally choose this verse but it’s a verse that stays with me. Many years ago, it was bedtime for my girls and so off to bed they went. One of them just would not do as she was told, wouldn’t get into bed. Eventually, as my frustration levels were rising, she quietly turned to me and said, “Dad…I love you,” and as quick as a flash I said back to her sternly, “If you love me, why don’t you do as you are told!?” Immediately John 14:15 sprang to mind. And now, often when I find myself in positions when I am not behaving as I should, this verse comes back to me.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Acts 7:55

A few years after I became a Christian, I was on an EMW camp at Bala. It was an unforgettable week of ministry, very special. And I remember the chaplain giving this illustration which has stayed with me. He said, ‘You are at Cardiff Arms Park, (you see how old this is) watching Wales play. Phil Bennett has the ball and he’s running to the touch line. The crowd watching don’t just sit saying, “oh there he goes with the ball”. No, the crowd are on their feet, shouting and cheering, “Go on! Go on!” They are doing all they can to encourage him to get over the line.’

Here, in Hebrews, we have the Lord Jesus Christ, after giving Himself as a sacrifice for my sin. He sat down, indicating that He had completed His mission. My sin … past, present and future, all dealt with, paid for there on the cross and He sits, never having to repeat. It’s done, complete, as He said, “It is finished”. And so He is sat down at the right hand  of the Father. And yet what does Stephen see, as he is about to be killed? He sees Jesus, standing as if He has got to His feet to encourage, “Go on…Go on… keep going… you can do it!”

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” Exodus 33:18

I had been a Christian for nearly 20 years, when this verse, and others similar to it, came to life, as if I had never read it before. In my home church I had noticed that some Christians (usually older, and only a few of them) were different from other Christians and myself in the same congregation. It was difficult to put my finger on it, but they seemed to have a greater reality of God in their lives. Later, I came across this verse; Moses had seen God work in extraordinary ways, more than the average Christian. He had been on Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights with God, and yet what do we read in the very next chapter? Moses wants more! He doesn’t want to see any more miracles or displays of power, He wants God Himself. I could link this up with these older folk in church, more than wanting to see God do, they wanted to see God Himself. And this is possible, which takes me onto my next verse…

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:17

Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus, so to every Christian this prayer is a reality, we may KNOW HIM better, not know about Him but to KNOW HIM. How often do we pray for things, even legitimate things which we should and need to pray for? How often do we pray that we would just know God better? How often do we pray for this Spirit of revelation? I was a Christian for years and this just never crossed my mind, until then it was mainly about doing church and not about knowing God.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:11-12

There is so much in these verses, you could spend hours just contemplating the truth in here but, for me, it’s a great reminder of why God saved me. However great it is that I am saved, it’s not about me, it’s about Him. My default position often is: ‘it’s all about me’, how I need this reminder! I was chosen to be for the praise of His glory, not mine, it’s not me, it’s Him. John Piper said, ‘you don’t go to the Grand Canyon or Niagara falls and say, ‘wow how significant am I’’. And so we see God and how great He is and we can praise him for who He is! The great thing is, we get satisfaction in that. It’s not about me, it’s about Him!!!

Which song would you take to the island?

The first lines are a statement of John Newton’s but I always view it as a challenging question to myself. If I didn’t love sin and myself as much as I do, and I knew Jesus for who he is, more than I do, then how sweet the very name of Jesus would be; what impact would that have on my life!

Weak is the effort of my heart and cold my warmest thought. Yes! I really get that, but when I see Thee as Thou art, I’ll praise thee as I ought. That certainly will be true when we get to heaven but it also takes me back to Ephesians where we can pray for the Spirit of revelation, so we can know him better.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul
And to the weary, rest.

Dear name! The Rock on which I build,
My Shield and Hiding-place;
My never-failing Treasury filled
With boundless stores of grace.

Jesus, my Shepherd, Guardian, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I'll praise Thee as I ought.

Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath;
And may the music of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death.

Alan Petersen, Rogerstone

As I’m sure pretty much every other contributor has found, it has been surprisingly difficult, given the breadth of choice available, to narrow it down to a few verses, influential figures and songs. I have treated this very personally and my choices have been made based on things and people who have had the most encouraging or influential effect on me over the years.

My son often chastises me for having favourite scriptures as, “it’s all the Word of God” and of course he is correct. It think, however, if we’re honest, we all have verses and passages that mean more to us than others. I have narrowed my choices down to three passages that have spoken to me personally in my thirty something years as a Christian.

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:1-10

The first time I am aware of hearing the gospel was in a school library, surrounded by dozens of other people. I first head of God’s love for me; a love so powerful that it sent His Son to die for me, to forgive me of my sin and change my life. In that crowded room it seemed as though the person speaking knew everything about me and had been reading my mind before speaking. Of course he hadn't, but there is someone who does know everything about us. It is both an encouraging and terrifying thought that our great God knows everything about us at any and every given moment. Nothing is hidden from His gaze, He knows our deepest thoughts, longings, desires, temptations and motivations. He knows us and yet still loves us. There is nowhere to hide from and yet nowhere out of reach of His loving care and grace. It was a realisation of this which gave me the overwhelming need to be right with Him and to seek that forgiveness and lead a life “worthy of our calling”.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

It is a staggering thought that Christ should endure the cross at all; but it is even more staggering that He should endure it for the joy of calling a people to Himself, and in particular that I should be among them. Looking to, or fixing our eyes on the One who is the perfect example of enduring to the end is our greatest encouragement and motivation. Those who have gone before us are testament that the race is worth running. In whatever field we find ourselves, we focus on the best in order to be the best. I often fail but I have found it helpful, indeed essential, to always fix my eyes on the best, the one who has run the race perfectly. This verse often comes back to me as a reminder that I do not need to fix my eyes on anyone or anything else but on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:1-4

It is always worth reminding ourselves that, whatever else may happen during the course of our lives, including being marooned on a dessert island, in the end, Jesus wins.

Who would you like to find on the island for company?

Having missed out on most of C S Lewis’ writings during my childhood, I caught up with him a little later in life. I have always had the utmost admiration for anyone who can basically invent a new world or universe; the likes of Tolkien, George Lucas and J K Rowling astound me with their ability to take us into that world. I am particularly in awe of Lewis in that his alternate world of Narnia has more than a little bearing on ours and not just our temporal world but our eternal one. His other writings always seem to have an insight that is beyond natural understanding. In addition, I have built up a significant library of his quotes over the years and it seems he has something useful to say in pretty much every possible situation. Something that would have advantages on a desert island I would imagine. He also died the day before I was born, therefore C S Lewis would be my choice for company on this island adventure.

C.S. Lewis

Which song would you take to the island?

Songs are very personal and have a tendency to evoke memories or particular emotions. Among the enormous choice available I couldn't leave out a song that has kept coming back to me over many years. It's a song I have listened to, heard performed and even performed myself on more occasions than I can count. Originally written by Paul Field in the 1970s, Empty Page expresses my own nothingness without my Saviour and my utter dependence on His plan for my life. In thinking of Revelation 21 above, I am encouraged, comforted and strengthened by the fact that ultimately, despite the ups and downs of the Christian walk, Gods love prevails.

I am nothing without you

I am not ashamed to say

But sometimes still I doubt you along my way

I am nothing without you

An eagle with no wings

If I forget about you, I lose everything

Oh, my heart is an empty stage

O let your play begin

My life is an empty page for you to colour me with your love

It’s such a common feeling to be misunderstood

But from you there’s no concealing

You know my bad and good

So I am not pretending my story never fails

But I have already read the ending

And your love prevails.

When I think of all times I’ve wasted.

The high ideals the crazy dreams.

If only every man could taste the wine I've tasted.

We’d begin to learn what freedom means.

In addition, our first and last goal as believers is to worship and exalt our Lord and Saviour. There are many songs which do this wonderfully but my current favourite is Chris Tomlin’s, The Splendour of the King. There can be no greater privilege than to worship and honour and serve our Great God.

The splendour of the King,

clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice

All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light,

and darkness tries to hide

And trembles at His voice

Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands

And time is in His hands

Beginning and the end

Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One

Father Spirit Son

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

Name above all names

Worthy of our praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God