Songs to Share with those who Suffer: Collection Two

2006, 36 pp
The songs in this collection are written to be shared with those who suffer. A distinctive feature of these songs is their honesty, expressing in poetry and music the fears, questions, pains and trauma of people who suffer physically, socially or spiritually. These songs, hopefully, give people permission to express their feelings of anguish before God—whether with others or alone.

The songs come from a range of contexts or works written during my lifetime and reflect a variety of contexts where people experience disasters, suicides, trauma, loss or abuse. Some of these experiences are personal, others belong to people I have known. All are true to life in the raw.

These songs are especially appropriate for use in workshops, rites or contexts where people seek healing after experiencing senseless suffering or spiritual abuse. I use many of them in a workshop entitled Job, Jennifer and Jesus.

This workshop follows the healing journey of Job from denial to reconciliation. Especially significant is the way Job screams at God and vents his anger at the injustice and pain he has experienced as a result of his great loss. Job confronts God rather than meekly accepting his lot as a victim.

In addition to usage in such a workshop, many of these songs provide a healthy balance in worship to hymns that seem to express blessing for a Christian who is willing to say the words ‘Thy will be done’ under any circumstance. These songs, like Job, enable us to say ‘Why?’ with the full force of our faith or doubt.

I have written the lyrics to a number of these songs using traditional melodies or known tunes. This facilitates the immediate use of these songs in worship or retreats. In some cases, the wording I have written reflects an ironic counterpoint with the traditional melody. Musicians are free to write new melodies to these songs if they choose.

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