Graham Kendrick's life has always been immersed in music. Some songs arrived like kites breaking free from their strings, others like horses kicking down stable doors and galloping into the world before he could catch them. Over five decades, these songs travelled further than he ever imagined - across continents, across denominations, across generations. But behind each one lies a story.
In Shine Jesus Shine, Kendrick invites readers into the moments, mysteries, and the revelations that shaped both the man and the music. Each chapter traces a song back to its birthplace: a street corner where God felt closer than in any cathedral; a garbage site where hope refused to die; a sweltering summer afternoon when he sat indoors writing Christmas music, chasing a deadline while the world basked in sunlight - all set against the backdrop of the 1970s and 1980s which were marked by a charged atmosphere of cultural upheaval, global instability, and a longing for spiritual renewal.
And then there was the song that travelled further than any of them - Shine Jesus Shine - a song that slipped its moorings and circled the globe, becoming an anthem for churches, marches, and movements. Kendrick reflects on how a song written in faith can take on a life of its own, reappearing in unexpected places and moments. This is not the story of a God confined to altars and hymnbooks, but a God who walks the streets, stands with refugees, and enters the darkest places with light. These are songs that grew legs, ran off, and reappeared where Kendrick least expected them.
With warmth, honesty and a song-writer's instinct for storytelling, this is the story behind the songs - and of the God who inspired them.