Within the busy rush of life

Perceived ‘busy-ness’ is not a new problem; in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of his 14th-c Manciple, ‘and yet he semèd bisier than he was.’ But being busy has become an ambivalent badge of current industrialised and computerised societies, with more time-saving devices and leisure choices than ever before; many feel half-guilty, halfproud, of their alleged lack of time, and not to be busy can seem shameful. It is hymns like this by Martin Leckebusch which begin to address this felt need, and which would be hard for earlier generations or needier nations to understand. It was written in Dec 1995, prompted by the Japanese partparaphrase, part-parody of Psalm 23, The Lord is my pace-setter, I shall not rush, the English version of which was broadcast 30 years earlier and published in 1969. The hymn appeared in Sing Glory a little in advance of Praise!, and in the author’s More than Words (2000) is headed ‘Anointed by Tranquility’, from its 3rd stz.

Norman Warren’s MORDEN (see 936) is named by the author and adapted in SG from the HTC version composed for Father, although I cannot see (870). The tune here is Joseph Lancaster’s ST SILAS, set in The Bristol Tune Book of 1876 to Go not far from me, O my Strength, whom all my times obey, in the key of F. This theme seems to follow the tune, as it is also found with Father, I know that all my life is portioned out for me. Silas or Silvanus was a NT colleague of Paul from his 2nd ‘missionary journey’ onwards, and a friend also of Peter.

b Leicester 1962. King Edward VII Coll, Coalville, Leics; Oriel Coll Oxford; BA/MA (Maths) 1983; Brunel Univ Middx, MSc (Numerical Analysis) 1984. He worked for 16 yrs as a Computer Systems Programmer, followed by 5 as Support Specialist. In 2006 he was redirected to the role of Technical Design Authority for the IBM mainframe platform within Lloyds TSB. He has belonged to various CofE and Free Churches, including 6 yrs as a Methodist Local Preacher (1992–1998); currently a member of Kendal Rd Baptist Ch, Longlevens, Gloucester since 2001. His hymn-writing began in 1987; 144 hymn texts were collected in More than Words, 2000, some of which had appeared in earlier books including NewStart (1999, 6 hymns in a total of 71), Sing Glory (14 hymns), and Praise! A collection of 150 texts based on the Psalms, for singing to well-known tunes, appeared in 2006, giving a total of 275 texts by then in print. 6 of these are in Carol Praise (2006). In that year he also joined the Text Advisory Group (TAG) of Jubilate Hymns which he later chaired, and he also consults regularly with representatives of the more informal songwriters; he is active in the Hymn Soc, and lives with his family in Gloucester. In the 2005 edn of A Panorama of Christian Hymnody, which features 2 of his texts, Paul A Richardson notes their ‘conservative theology, biblical imagery and structural ingenuity’, adding that ML ‘advocates a restoration of hymnody in traditional forms to those who, like him, are in the charismatic wing of the church’. He is also keen to explore some issues often neglected by contemporary writers. By 2010, which saw the publication of a further collection Never Let the Songs End, the total number of his hymns had exceeded 400. Nos.270, 278, 285, 322, 381, 586, 604, 665, 756, 770, 771, 841, 856, 882, 892, 926, 936, 942, 1023, 1029, 1111, 1112, 1113, 1114, 1123, 1124, 1125, 1139, 1140, 1141, 1142, 1167, 1168, 1170, 1171, 1173, 1176, 1177, 1182, 1194, 1196, 1197, 1202, 1206, 1207, 1208, 1217, 1240, 1243.