I began to write Unrivalled during a time when I had become heavily dependent on the wrong things for a sense of fulfilment. I looked to success and got nowhere. I looked to relationships and became socially anxious. I looked to possessions and became jealous. I looked to business and became fatigued. 

It felt as though there was a war over my heart and it had left me broken. As I began to recognise the reality of my situation, I also began to recognise and experience the vast, eclipsing, healing, relentless nature of God’s affection, mostly through the prayerful care and encouragement of others. There really is nothing like it.

Huge thanks to all those at Christ Church for encouraging me to go for it with this song. Particular thanks to Tom Slinger and Nick Duncombe for cradling it in it's infancy and to Chris Kipling and the band for helping me arrange it.
​
CCLI Song Number 7082656
Words by James Collie | Music by James Collie and Chris Kipling | © 2017 James Collie
All Rights Reserved | www.jameshughcollie.com

Unrivalled

Take a stroll around the city of Bath and you’ll notice that between the clumps of golden sandstone there is a thick swathe of rich green cascading down from the encircling slopes. It gives the city a beautifully cocooned quality. Safe and sheltered. Yet, it is near-impossible to see passed those hills. to see beyond our beautiful city, to see beyond ourselves, to catch the sunrise unveiling.

This song is, in part, a response to the nature of Bath and draws from Zachariah's song in Luke 1:67-79 . 

Huge thanks to Ben Coulter for much of the inspiration and for Simon Barber and David Smith for helping to sharpen the lyrics.

Horizon

This quote says it better than the song...

'The goodness of God is ever complete;
and nearer to us,
without anything else to compare;
for truly our lover desires
that our soul cling to Him with all its strength,
and that we are evermore holding on to His goodness'

- Julian of Norwich

Embrace

I had the chorus for the song for a long, long time. It was just an idea I had after reading about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. I could not for the life of me finish the song. There is something about the pain, the anguish and the grief that Jesus endured that is impossible to express. Not to mention His obedience, His love for us and His communion with His Father.

Soon after I joined St Swithin’s, a member of the church explained how they were feeling as though they were war-worn and wounded on a battle ground, without the strength to go on, and just wishing a medical stretcher would rescue them away from the conflict.

And I thought, “That can’t be far from how Jesus felt on the eve of His crucifixion. He knows what it is like to be at the end of yourself, He knows the comfort of the Father, He knows the courage needed to carry on and He’s counted the ultimate cost of war. Perhaps this song could shed a glimmer of hope on the hopeless trenches of life.

26/03/2018

Blood And Tears

One of my favourite songwriters Josh Garrels has composed this absolutely beautiful piece inspired by Homer's 'Odyssey'.

Here is my cover. Do check out the original. It's stunning!

Ulysses [Cover]

Shelved

Painter, poster-maker, photo-taker & worship pastor at St Swithin's Walcot

James Hugh Collie

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