“Oh Lord Hear My Voice” featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard with Robbie Richardson on sax- from album “Where Would I Be Without You?”

This world and this life, Lord are so unsafe,

But I know You’re good, place in You my faith,

Life’s mysteries – I can’t explain,

But I’ll rejoice in You all the same.

I feel these words are particularly appropriate at this time when there is so much evil in the world.   The horrors of war and the brutality of extremists are difficult to comprehend. The so called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al Shabaab in Kenya are committing  atrocities in which it is so easy to cry out to God “Why oh why?”  And indeed there is no reason why we should not cry out to Him – after all that is what the Psalmists did in their Laments. However most of those Laments concluded with a re-affirmation of their trust in God and that is what this song attempts to do.

The saxophone is played by Robbie Richardson who has been with Mustard Seed Songs for many, many years – he is amazing but more of Robbie next week.

“You Are The Shepherd Of My Soul” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Love is the Way.”

I have just heard from Darren Bovis – Coulter that the brand new fundraiser “Cheerful Giver” that he has created will soon be ready to launch.  We at Mustard Seed Songs are delighted to be the first charity to use this fantastic innovation.  Mustard Seeds are near completion of the double Cd to our new musical Risen! – mixing and mastering  next month with a release date of Easter 2015. In the new year Joffy, our fantastic Musical Director, will start to write the musical score and in September we hope to  have  a  full stage production  at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth which is, at present undergoing a £9m refurbishment.

Obviously all this is going to cost a lot of money and that is why the “Cheerful Giver” fundraiser is so important to us.  We are only asking for a donation of £5.00- those that donate will receive a free Risen!  track to download and also the promise of a free ticket for the New Theatre Royal performance of Risen!   If you agree that this is such a brilliant deal please contact me on ken.shearsmith@ntlworld.com  and I will put you on our list to contact as soon as “Cheerful Giver” is launched.

Our featured song for this week is “You are the Shepherd of my Soul” from our CD “Love is the Way.”

“Walking with Jesus” The Mustard Seed Soul Band – recorded by Ross Gill

It was so said to hear of the death last week of dear Hazel Willis. She and her wonderful husband Doug meant a great deal to me and were much loved by all those at Holy Rood Church and far beyond.  Doug had been a great preacher and both he and Hazel real prayer warriors.

Doug and Hazel were always fantastic supporters of Mustard Seed Songs and in the blog of July 10th  I tell of how Doug inspired me to write the song “Oh the Depths of the Riches.”  In that blog I also tell of how I read a draft of the “Risen!” script to Doug and Hazel and then later, when they became available, I played  them musical extracts. When I saw tears streaming down Doug’s face I knew that Risen! was going to be something that would really bless people.

I am sure that the first thing both Doug and Hazel heard when they met Jesus face to face was “Well done good and faithful servant.”

The both spent their lives helping and blessing others – they most surely did spend their lives “Walking with Jesus”  the song which features in today’s blog.

“Sing Oh Barren Woman” Featuring Lucy Jane Rutherford and Ross Gill – recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Here is an amazing story with which I was privileged to be involved.  A very good friend, Joyce Allan had shared an amazing experience with the Vicar of Holy Rood Church, Rev. Stephen Girling.  Joyce  had kept her story  to herself for some time  but when she told Stephen he suggested that Mustard Seed Songs become involved.

Stuart Fowler recording additional trumpet for “Risen! – The Musical”

“Walking with the King of Kings” – featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard on vocals and keys with Stuart Fowler on trumpet. From CD “Precious” – recorded and produced by Ross Gill

So the last of the instrumental recordings are now complete for the Risen! double CD.  Last week Stuart Fowler adding his fantastic trumpet playing to “There is Path,” “Cleopas Come On” and the “Judas Suicide.” Stuart had already played on other tracks which include a horn section such as “How Great Are His Signs,”   “Hosanna,”  Give Thanks To The Lord,” “Heart On Fire,” and the title track Risen!

I first met Stuart nine years ago when he visited Crofton School as part of a music team from St Vincent College. Trumpet players are few and far between and so I introduced myself pretty much immediately! When he left St V’s Stuart studied trumpet at the prestigious Trinity College of Music, London.

Stuart has been a fantastic supporter of Mustard Seed Songs – playing in all our first musical  -“His Story”- productions at places like the Kings Theatre, Southsea and Central Hall, Westminster- Also at Mustard Seed concerts and on albums such as “Precious.”

Stuart’s trumpet playing featured in the song of last week’s blog – “Put Your Hand In The Hand of God.”  He also features in today’s song “Walking With The King Of Kings” – so thanks very much again Stuart.

Incidentally Stuart is the cousin of my dear friend, Dr Graham Giles MBE who is Director of the charity Europe2 Europe. You can read about some of the amazing work Graham does, particularly in Romania, by visiting www. europe2europe.co.uk

“I Will Tell” from Mustard Seed Songs’ first album “I Look Up To The Heavens” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard recorded by John Hodgkinson

Last piece of recording today – Stuart Fowler adding some more trumpet
to our “Risen! – The Musical” double CD, however nothing more really
to report this week so just leaving you with ” I Will Tell ” a song
from our first album “I Look Up To the Heavens.”

String Quartet recording for Risen! – The Musical
Kirstie Richardson – First Violin – Liz Peskett – Second Violin – Ruth McGibben – Viola – Fiona Murphy – Cello

“Put Your Hand In The Hand of God” – from CD “Precious” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard, with backing vocals from Fiona Poustie – Recorded and produced by Ross Gill.

Thanks so much to Kirstie Robinson , Liz Peskett , Ruth Mc Gibben and Fiona Murphy  and of course Joffy who spent all day recording on Sunday for the Risen!- The Musical double CD.  Joffy had spent hours and hours scoring pieces for the string quartet with Kirstie on first violin, Liz on second violin, Ruth on viola and Fiona on cello. It all sounded great and the album is going to be amazing.  A big thank you also to Global Fire Productions who allowed us to use their studio – www.globalfireproductions.co.uk – thanks very much Ross and co.

Next up is Matt Watling recording some Tuba, Stuart Fowler some trumpet and then we are looking at mixing and mastering at the London College of Music in the last two weeks of November.  So we are getting closer and closer to the CD’s completion. We are also working hard at organising a full Risen!- The Musical stage production for May 2015 – so please continue watching this space.

So no blog this week – should have some more info on  Risen!- The Musical soon – in the meantime here is a song from Lucy Stimpson- Maynard taken from the Mustard Seed album Love is the Way.

it was my great privilege for this to be played at the signing of the register at the recent wedding service at Holy Rood Church of my dear friend and webmaster Peter-John Radcliffe to the lovely  Lorna

“Behind the Stone” featuring  J Marie Cooper (Mary Magdalene) from “Love Beyond – The Concept CD”

“Jesus Christ Superstar” has been running off and on for 43 years; it has some fantastic songs such as the theme tune and the haunting“ I Don’t Know How To Love Him.” However it does not include the Resurrection of Jesus and not many would regard it as telling the story from a Christian perspective.  The musical “Godspell,”   although again missing a definitive resurrection, is much more Christian based – being mostly centred on the parables of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Matthew.  “Godspell” also has had many different productions since 1971. One fantastic version I recently saw was produced by my good friend Paul Clements’ theatrical company Vision Works visionworksmtc.co.uk. There have also been numerous Passion plays such as the one staged in Southampton in 2011 by another friend,  Neil Maddock for  E- Quip Arts Community Project www.e-quiparts.org.uk

However Christian musicals are very much few and far between.  We are of course so excited that our very own “Risen! – The Musical”! is well on its way to having a completed double CD, with a written score in the pipeline and hopefully a full stage production ready for 2015. As I have previously said this is somewhat dependant on funds, hence my reference in recent blogs to our potential fund raiser “Cheerful Giver” which we hope will be launched on Oct 26^th.

Risen! focuses on one relatively small part of the Bible – namely the resurrection appearances of Jesus -a  small  part of the Bible but one which most Christians would regard as the most important – after all St Paul says that if Christ is not raised then our preaching is useless and so is our  faith.

The new musical “Love Beyond”  www.lovebeyondmusical.com  however features the theme of love using illustrations from the whole of the Bible -Genesis through to Revelation.  I had the privilege to see the show last week on the final night of a two day production at the Wembley Arena. The writer and Producer,  Richard Haley who I recently met  (sorry I seem to be name dropping big time today!) told me that he had a dream to create a concept musical some 15 years ago inspired by his progressive music heroes Rick Wakeman and Jeff Wayne. He also had a vision whilst at the Wembley Arena with his son that this would be an ideal venue for dramatising his Christian faith in music. Part of the story behind “Love Beyond” involves Richard meeting with Tabitha Webb when she was currently singing the female lead in “Phantom of the Opera”. Tabitha collaborated with Richard in writing and arranging the music and was instrumental in bringing in many West End performers.

The show richly deserved the accolades it has received – here is one typical of many posted on Facebook;

This was a fantastic evening, splendid, thought-provoking, and richly layered. Awesome choreography, superb use of minimal props and staging, world class performances, and a thoroughly up-lifting and faithful presentation of the greatest love story ever told.

So “Love Beyond”  has proved that a Christian musical can be produced in a top, top venue- can be totally professionally presented and be extremely well received – where “Love Beyond – The Musical” has gone – I hope and pray that “Risen! -The Musical” will follow.

In the next few weeks Joffy is recording a string quartet for the Risen!  CD and backing tracks and Stuart Fowler is returning to add some additional trumpet so until then I am going to take a rest from blog writing and wait until there is more info to share such as the “Cheerful Giver”  fund raising launch.  In the meantime we will post on this blog a Mustard Seed Song each week.

As promised some info on our fund raising plans. We are hoping to launch the Risen! Fundraiser on Oct 26^th which is the day the clocks go back and also the birthday of Darren, the inventor of the fundraiser known as “Cheerful Giver.”

“Cheerful Giver” will work in a similar way to that of a chain letter – I will be sending off invitations by email to people asking them to help fund the completion and manufacture of the Risen! CD – the writing of a musical score and the production of a stage show.  The plan is that each person invited donates £5.00 and then invites three others.  Those that donate receive a free download of one of the tracks from Risen! – “How Great Are His Signs.”

Today’s blog features the promo which will accompany the “Cheerful Giver” email invitation. Please let me know if you would like to be one of the first to be invited – just email me on Ken.shearsmith@ntlworld.com

Thanks so much.  Next week I will give you an update on how the recording of the Risen! CD is progressing.