Reasons to be Cheerful - Ridley

With apologies to Ian Dury

Old dogs learn new tricks... More straw for the bricks... Need a caffeine fix
Baked beans in the stews... Telling the Good News... Friday staircase booze
Mission fields to gaze on... Study beds to laze on... Kyrie eleison
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley

Practising your part... Essays you can't start... Soaking in Karl Barth
Fighting the good fight... Reading N T Wright... Never jump the light
Iron sharpening iron... Friends you can rely on... Peter with his tie on
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley

Practise all your tact... Tell the myth from fact... Read the righteous act
Chapel's atmospheric... Wannabe a cleric... Being evangelic
Thank the church that picked us... Westcott's never licked us... Sing the Benedictus
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley

Time spent on your knees... Hot pud, cake or cheese... Split up into threes
All the stuff we're taught... Books unread but bought... Please keep off the Court
Preach and they don't boo ya... PCCs can sack or sue ya... Glory, hallelujah
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley

Never playing hookey... Be a holy rookie... Have a fairtrade cookie
Time for Mission Tea... Using BCP... We're the C of E!
Talented yet humble... Making Dawkins crumble... Watch out, Nicky Gumble
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley

Preaching to a fen... Singing in the rain... Mission soup again
Up for morning prayer... Time to read's so rare... Napping in my chair
Clinging to the cross... Counting all but loss... Don't forget who's boss
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley

Whizz past dreaming spires... Reading all the flyers... Pumping up your tyres
Have an essay crisis... Say hi to the Spices... Surtaxed choccy prices
Supper looks alarming... Always being charming... Antiphonal psalming
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley

Porridge in your bowl... Freedom in your soul... God bless Charlie Moule
Working like a Trojan... Here I'll make my sojourn... I'm a theologian
Ministry formation... Good news for the nation... Up the Federation!
Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley Reasons to be cheerful - Ridley