10 Piggy Pics!

Pigs Fall in Love Too!

Smiling Pig

Cute Pig

Birthday Pig

Colourful Pigs

Flying Pigs


Contented Pig

Posh Pig

Minnie Pig

Guinea Pig

Is Praising Islam Coming to Your Church?

I pass on the following because I think that it is so important. Judge for yourself!

ARE EVANGELICAL PULPITS ABOUT TO PRAISE ISLAM?
By Jan Markell

Following a four-day conference last week at Yale University, Christian and Muslim leaders from around the world announced the first step of the "Common Word" exchange drafted last November. A joint statement was affirmed in their support of religious freedom and further interfaith dialogue based on their common love for God and neighbor. But something is very wrong with this picture. Over 140 conference participants unanimously approved a cooperative statement that signaled a "new beginning of collaboration between Christians and Muslims" where stronger assertions of faith would be required. So the statement began by affirming the "unity and absoluteness of God" and God's merciful love as central to both religions. Wait a minute! Allah has merciful love? And Allah is central to both Christianity and Islam? Isn't it devotion to Allah that causes people to strap explosives onto themselves and blow innocent people to shreds? And it seems he also encourages some of his followers to cut off heads of the innocent.

In attendance and in agreement, sadly, were both the head of the National Association of Evangelicals and the World Evangelical Alliance. Those two organizations represent most evangelicals in America. Both faiths--Christianity and Islam -- pledged to spend one week a year sharing the good aspects about the other's faith. Our pulpits are already lacking in sound gospel preaching! Now we must take one week each year to learn that Islam might really be "a religion of peace?" And that Christians and Muslims worship the same God? The Lord's Day is just that: A day to worship and learn about the God of the Bible, not to hear about the positive nature of Islam or any other faith. It's tough enough that many reading this are laboring in churches that have forsaken the Bible for "new ways of doing church." We have leftists and Emergent Church leaders praised in our pulpits, and now once a year we will have Islam praised in our pulpits--and I am speaking of "evangelical" pulpits since the heads of the evangelical world signed on to this. Don't these evangelical leaders know that deception is part and parcel of the Muslim religion when they deal with "infidels"? Do they really think American mosques are going to start heralding Christianity once a year and really mean it? Don't they know that many American mosques--certainly not all--are the breeding ground for calling for the destruction of America and its takeover by Islam?

I have to conclude that the primary goal here is unbiblical ecumenical unity. The second goal is to get Christians to see Islam in a positive light. Sharing the gospel with Muslims is not part of the agenda with this interfaith effort, even though thousands of Muslims are turning to Christ today. If this element were a part of the plan, it would be less egregious. I ask, "Where is the outrage toward the evangelical leaders who are promoting this agenda?" It has long been the standard of congregations who are a part of the National Council of Churches to promote ecumenical unity and praise false religions. Now that so-called evangelical organizations are doing the same, is there a dime's worth of difference between them? Forgive my cynicism but I think the Muslims are laughing all the way to Mecca. RADIO: Our programming from last weekend is posted at "Radio Archives." Learn of some of the "101 Last Days Prophecies" with Jim Tetlow and about vanishing discernment today with Sandy Simpson from Deception in the Church. Our archived programming is even dial-up friendly if you don't have DSL. For podcasting information, visit this link. We are live Saturdays, 9 to 11 AM CDT out of AM980 KKMS, Minneapolis/St. Paul, simulcast with AM820 KGNW, Seattle/Tacoma, 7 to 9 AM PDT. We are heard nationally through affiliates and satellite and internationally via the Internet.

You can always "listen live" at AM980 KKMS or AM820 KGNW.

If you would like to become a CD subscriber for $30 a month and get two CDs a week of hour two-hour program, call 763-493-3010 or 763-210-8291. We take Visa or MasterCard.

"I trust in You, O Lord . . . Our times are in Your hands..." Psalms 31:14

AND THAT's NOT ALL . . .

Here are a few choice tidbits to consider as well from someone who knows:

"If you knew Islam as I know Islam" ... I teach on this subject and lived 10% of my childhood in Libya.

The Islamic principal of " El Taqu'hia" instructs Muslims to lie to infidels to further the cause of Islam. THIS IS NORMAL PRACTICE FOR THEM.

This is why NO treaty signed by Arabs is worth the paper it's written on ( vide Oslo ).

Did you know that Yasser Arafat's uncle lived in Germany as Hitler's guest during the war and helped with The Final Solution? That he founded a muslim SS Regiment ?

Did you know that as Mufti of Jerusalem in 1928 he announced ( to the surprise of most Muslims ) that Mohammed had ascended on his horse from the Dome of The Rock?

There's an awful lot about Islam that most Christians NEED to know " Know thine enemy "And enemies THEY ARE ; The Lord Jesus died for them too but the very idea that their 'god' is the same as The Lord is farcical. Islam declares " A**ah has no son" so he clearly isn't God The Father.

God bless!

At the recent Healing Conference which was held at Gregynog in Mid Wales, we sang the following hymn at the Blessing Service. The singing at that Service was truly blessed, and I thought that the roof would lift off with this hymn, such was the angelic choir! I hope that you like it, dear reader, and that you will introduce it into your own worship. Why not take a copy along to your next church Service or Choir rehearsal? As long as you print it out in full, including the copyright line, you have my permission to make as many copies for non-commercial use as you like. The tune, All to Jesus, is both well-known and easy to sing. (It's the tune to the hymn All to Jesus I surrender, and is in number 25 in Mission Praise.) If you use it leave a comment. In fact, leave a comment even if you just sing it on your own. When you do that you'll be praising God!

Saved for Glory 8.7.8.7.
Tune: All to Jesus

Saved for glory by the Saviour,
Christ is all in all to me;
I will tell the wondrous story,
How He came to set us free.
Saved by Christ alone!
Saved by Christ alone!
Saved for glory by the Saviour,
Saved by Christ alone!

He came down to bring us freedom,
From man’s own self-righteous law;
Came to grant us free salvation,
Tell it out from door to door.

Refrain

Christ, the one Son of the Father,
God incarnate came to earth;
When you claim through Him redemption,
Through God’s Spirit get rebirth.

Refrain

You can claim this glorious blessing,
You receive the bounty free;
You can sing the Saviour’s story,
Tell it out aloud like me.

Refrain

Tell the world you’re saved for glory,
That in heav’n one day we’ll meet;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
We will worship at their feet.

Refrain

© Colin Gordon-Farleigh, 2006

Walking With Jesus

I never understand those people who think that being a Christian is boring! I first gave my life to Christ in September 1969, and have had an exciting journey since then. I don't mean that it's always been an easy journey, and I've certainly struggled for parts of it, but it's certainly never been boring!

I've always tried to make sure that I listen out for God's voice in order that I know what He wants of me. Sometimes I have heard that voice as if it spoke right next to me, and this has happened at moments of great revelation in my life such as the time that I knew God was calling me into full-time ministry. I guess that my only explanation is that I expect to hear God speaking to me.

So often I have had people ask me why 'special' things seem to happen to me in my Christian life, and the only answer that I have is that I expect them to. After all, my God is all-powerful, and there is nothing that He is incapable of, so why should we be so surprised when things happen to us that have a beneficial impact on our spiritual lives. Surely, to go through life and not expect anything to happen to you is a sign of weakness in your faith?

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14: 12-14 NAS).

Often in the Bible, we discover Jesus has taken Himself apart from the others in order to pray in communion with God the Father. These were the times when His mission was reiterated and strengthened. They were times of renewing and refreshing. Jesus knew that He needed to Go to the Father in order to submit Himself completely to the Father's will, and that in so doing He would receive the strengthening and the refreshing that He needed to fulfil all that was asked of Him. It's no different for us as His followers, for if we truly want to follow Him then we must do all that we can to be like Him, emulating the way in which He lived, walked, touched, spoke, and prayed. If it was necessary for Jesus who was perfect to pray to His Father for renewing and for guidance, how much more do we --- with all of our imperfections --- need to do the same. It's only by submitting ourselves totally to God through prayer and in the name of Jesus that we will know the path that He wants us to take, and receive the strength that we need in order to fulfil God's will for our lives.

We must let God dictate the small things as well as the big things, handing our lives over to Him completely. That way we will experience REVIVAL through the constant renewing of our minds in Christ, and be able follow the leading of our hearts that are Christ-centred.

Boring? NEVER! The journey has been so exciting this far, and there is so much more left to do and to experience. What a wonderful blessing it has been, it is and it will be! That's because our God is unchanging --- the same yesterday, today and for ever! Praise the Lord!

I have never regretted giving my life to Him for one millisecond, and I pray that He will continue to use me to help others in their spiritual walk, to encourage, to touch, to heal, and the myriad other tasks that He sets before me. one thing is sure, as long as I walk with Jesus I will never be alone and I will most certainly never find myself bored!

God bless you!

TRUE & FALSE REVIVALS

I have a limited quantity of Andrew Strom's latest book, True & False Revivals, which Voice Publications have printed. In it you can read the TRUTH about the Lakeland 'Revival'.

What are the FACTS about Todd Bentley's Lakeland revival that we are not hearing?

• What is really behind the strong emphasis on getting 'drunk' and strange angel encounters, etc? What is happening around the world as this 'anointing' hits other places?
• Why does the New Age "Kundalini" experience seem almost identical to this 'impartation'?
• What is True Revival, and how do we tell the false from the true?
• All these questions and more are answered in this provocative book.

The author, Andrew Strom, spent 11 years in the same Prophetic movement as Todd Bentley - until he quit in anguish over the unbiblical and bizarre things going on in that movement. Thus he brings a real "Insider's" perspective to this subject.

HOW to GET THIS BOOK

We are making it available for *ANY* donation - or even just the cost of postage ---which is only $2.65 to the USA. We do not want anyone missing out just through lack of finances.If you are able to send a 'donation' that is great. But otherwise just enough to cover post and packing costs. The best thing to do is simply pray and send whatever God leads you to send.

TWO Simple STEPS:

1. Please email your postal details to us so that we can reserve a copy of the book for you.

2. Simply SEND YOUR DONATION to us.

You can send it by post via the address on our website 'Contacts' page or else use PAYPAL to donate to us securely online. Simply use this link to the following web page to do that. You'll find the 'Donate' button on the bottom panel on the page.

THE MASTER MECHANIC

The following is the latest work which I've received from Joanne Lowe, who sends me something every day, and it's a blessed ministry. From time to time I plan to share what she writes with you dear reader. I hope it brings a blessing into your life today. This writing is Joanne's copyright. If you like her work then why not email her and tell her.

THE MASTER MECHANIC

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory both for ever and ever. Amen.”
Philippians 4: 19, 20 (King James Version)

The neighbour that lives across the trailer park from me has been having a lot of problems with his car not running right. I saw him underneath the car last week. Apparently, he was unable to fix the problem. For the last three days, I have seen him and three other men standing around the car and looking inside the hood trying to determine what is wrong. It is obvious that he is unable to fix his car so he needs to take it to a mechanic, someone who has the skills and the knowledge needed to fix the car.

The same is true with us. So often, we try to fix what is wrong in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. We don’t have the skills and the knowledge that we need to fix our problems and the problems of our loved ones so we need to take them to our master mechanic, our precious Saviour. Only Jesus can see into our hearts and see exactly what is wrong and what needs to be fixed. Jesus is the only one who can fix our hearts and our lives and tune them with His tools of unconditional love, compassion, understanding, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

If only we would stop trying to fix others and ourselves, we would live a lot more peaceful lives. It is not our responsibility or even our right to fix someone, that is His right and responsibility. We need to get out of the way and stop hindering Him for working in heart and in lives. Are you trying to fix yourself and your loved ones? If so, stop it and get out of the way and let our master mechanic, Jesus, fix our hearts and our lives.

Joanne Lowe
August 2, 2008
joannelowe8@cox.net
http://www.heavenwardbound.com

Entrances & Exits

Doors and doorways are fascinating to look at. You can ponder for ages about them from so many different aspects. You can consider what's on the other side of the door, for example, when you are standing on the outside of it. You can consider the number of different people who have passed through its portals, or perhaps been carried out through it for the last time, prior to setting off on their final journey from this life.

You can look at the workmanship of the door itself, and consider the person who created the overall appearance of such a doorway as the one in the picture above. or you can spend some time thinking about the history that goes with the doorway below.

Of course every door has two functions; firstly it is used to enter a building or space, and secondly it's used to exit through. Life is just like that, isn't it dear reader. We enter this life through birth's doorway and then, whenever God decrees that our time on earth is complete, we exit this life through another door. But of course, every door, as I said before, is both an exit and an entrance, and so, when we exit this life through death's doorway, we are also entering eternal life by the same passage. In some respects it's a matter of perspective.

Of course some doorways and doors will speak of a bygone age, rather like the Art Nouveau example above. In its design you can feel the flow of the artist at work and sense the romance of the design period. Yet its purpose is still the same, no matter what design it is.

I love to see a doorway in which the door has been left slightly open, almost as though you are being invited in to sample the secrets that lie hidden within. The series of arches below create the impression of a doorway that has no barriers, yet one that needs to be carefully negotiated nevertheless. With each arch you climb another step until you finally achieve the goal. Perhaps this too is symbolic of life, for we go through many entrances until we finally exit through the last one in order to enter into Glory!

The recent earthquake in China was in the area where giant pandas live. After the earthquake they rushed out and some stayed together. I received these pictures on an email from a friend, and I really thought that you'd love to share them with me, dear reader.

Now THIS has gotta raise a smile!

To get the full effect, this should be read aloud. You will understand what 'tenjewberrymuds' means by the end of the conversation. This has been nominated for the best email of 2007.
The following is a telephone exchange between a hotel guest and room-service, at a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and published in the Far East Economic Review:

Room Service (RS): 'Morrin. - Roon sirbees.'

Guest (G): 'Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service.'

RS: 'Rye..Roon sirbees..morrin! Jewish to oddor sunteen??'

G: 'Uh..yes.I'd like some bacon and eggs.'

RS: 'Ow July den?'

G: 'What??'

RS: 'Ow July den?...pryed, boyud, poochd?'

G : 'Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please.'

RS: 'Ow July dee baykem? Crease?'

G: 'Crisp will be fine.'

RS : 'Hokay. An Sahn toes?'

G: 'What?'

RS:'An toes. July Sahn toes?'

G: 'I don't think so.'

RS: 'No? Judo wan sahn toes??'

G: 'I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan sahn toes' means.'

RS: 'Toes! toes!...Why jew don juan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we bodder?'

G: 'English muffin!! I've got it! You were saying 'Toast.' Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine.'

RS: 'We bodder?'

G: 'No...just put the bodder on the side.'

RS: 'Wad! ?'

G: 'I mean butter...just put it on the side.'

RS: 'Copy?'

G: 'Excuse me?'

RS: 'Copy...tea...meel?'

G: 'Yes. Coffee, please, and that's all.'

RS: 'One Minnie. Scramah egg, crease baykem, Anglish moppin w bodder on sigh and
copy....rye??'

G: 'Whatever you say.'

RS: 'Tenjewberrymuds.'

G : 'You're very welcome.'

Tag, Hop-Scotch, and Gin Rummy!

I got a message from Natalie at Koinonia who, being someone who reads anything, (even the labels on sauce bottles I'm led to believe), is a regular reading of the ramblings of this blog. She advised me that I've been 'TAGGED'! Years ago, when I was but a small sprog, I played Tag and knew people who played 'Hop-Scotch', but either the rules have changed or this is a different sort of Tag! I mentioned Gin-Rummy 'cos it seemed to 'sit' well with the other two.

Anyway, for the uninitiated, here are the rules:

• Link to the person who 'tagged' you.


• Post the rules on your Blog: in other words what you are reading now.


• Write 6 random things about yourself (mine are below).


• Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them. There's nothing sinister here --- it's just a game!


• Let each person know they have been tagged, and leave a comment on their Blog.


• Finally, let the 'Tagger' know when your entry is up.

Well, that seems simple enough, doesn't it, dear reader. At least it is if you know lots of Blogs, but if, like me, you don't, then it creates the problem of actually finding six to link to. Anyway, being an adventurer at heart I'll have a go!

6 bits of random info about yours truly!

1. I guess the first has to be what I'm about, which is serving God in any way that I can. You can tell that from my Blog and from my website. I've been a committed Christian since 1969 and no matter how much I do in the way of 'Serving' it never seems to be enough! I'm conscious that every Christian is called to preach and heal, and so it's important to realise that it's not just the task of the ordained Pastor to minister to others, but the task of every Christian. Christ Himself has commissioned us to share the Gospel message everywhere we go, so that's good enough for me.


2. I have a great sense of humour! The problem is that not everybody agrees with me about that. I think that's funny! But there again, with a sense of humour like mine I think that most things have a funny side if only you know how to look for it. Humour in my average day starts the moment that I get up and look at myself in the mirror . . . oh well!


3. I love doing 'busy' jigsaw puzzles, usually 1000 piece ones. I like a puzzle that takes me about a week to complete, fiddling with it when I have an odd moment. (My wife thinks that, being me, I have lots of odd moments. Hmmm! I wonder if she means the same thing as I do!


4. I usually have a couple of books on the go in addition to my Bible reading. I like to dip into a 'serious' type of book, whilst, at the same time, I enjoy reading what I describe as 'Country Sagas'. I like characters who I can get to know through the pages, and then I can go to work with them and see the world through their eyes.


5. I spent twelve years living in Africa --- Rhodesia/Zimbabwe Rhodesia/Zimbabwe --- and I have a passionate concern for the people who are so desperately in need for so many reasons. You can understand what I mean when you read the entries on my Blog about Zimbabwe.


6. I'm married to the best woman in the world! In fact, today is our Wedding Anniversary. She makes me feel special, and I absolutely lover her to bits. What more can I say! My Valentine's Day gift to her last year was a love-song, When I'm With You, so you might gather that I'm a bit of a romantic kind of guy. The song was recently released on CD as the title song, and you can hear a whole SIXTY SECONDS of it on the Sheer Joy Music website.

My first 'TAG!' is for the 'Roosters' at A Hen's Pace which is always a worthwhile visit to make. I don't get a lot of time to check out other Blogs, but this is one I enjoy. If ever you think that real families don't exist any more this family will restore your faith a little!

My next 'TAG' is reserved for two great guys at Oddwalk Ministries who love to share the Gospel in a variety of ways, using a mixture of fun and music to do so.

When I need a little extra Scriptural nourishment then I know I can find it by paying a visit to Starr at Thresholds. I know that she has already 'Tagged' Natalie, but so what? I enjoy her Blog, and so that's a good reason to list her here!

Not strictly a blog site but almost! I like John Roller's FREE STUFF, in which he shares his Scriptural viewpoints, and so I've decided to include him on this list, if only because it's such a worthwhile read when you visit. Why not take a look and see for yourself.

There are some Blogs that I visit occasionally simply because they're nice to drop in on. One such blog is A Circle of Quiet, so why not drop on by and call in on them sometime? Some great pictures and a cool look at life.

Finally, because I like the things of God I also like to find people of God and share the moments that they're generous with. Here's a good place to drop by for a while and enjoy a Holy Experience. Share a wide variety of thoughts drawn from the whole gamut of human experience. (That sounded good didn't it!)

So there we are! My first experience at this particular game of TAG. It was fun, but not as easy as it might at first seem.

Andrew Strom to come to UK?

Revivalist preacher Andrew Strom is due to come to Holland in October, and the United Kingdom towards the end of that month. The Voice Christian News & Views magazine regularly features his writing, and it's one of the first items that many people turn to when they receive their latest issue.

I greatly like the way that he writes, telling it like it is, and I would go as far as to say that we could do with many more of his ilk who are prepared to show their heads above the parapet in order to ensure that the TRUTH of the gospel is shared, rather than the watered down version that so many people get served up to them these days.

I cannot wait to meet up with him, a meeting which will follow something like 4 years of email contact, and I will hopefully be arranging a venue not too far from Liverpool to host him as part of his tour. If any of my readers in the UK feel led to host Andrew when he's here, please contact me so that I can try to arrange it for you with him. He's a powerful preacher, and right up front when it comes to Revival preaching, so I know that your church would be blessed. You can email me about this.

What a blessed time we had!

I returned yesterday evening from a 3-day Christian Healing Conference which was held at the beautiful Gregynog Hall in Mid-Wales. Surely one of the greatest of settings for such a conference. It certainly helps to heal simply by being there and appreciating the beauty of the surroundings. The occasion was the 55th year of the Summer Healing School, and the guest speakers were Canon Roy Laurence and his wife Eira. What a joy and a privilege it was to have someone so prominent (and also so humble) to share from their extensive experiences in Christian Healing. Many of Roy's books --- he's written 12 --- were on sale as well, allowing people to take the learning experience not only further, but home as well.

I was privileged to have been invited to conduct the blessing service, and an important part of this Service is when people are invited to the front for prayer and offered the opportunity to be anointed with oil. More people seemed to come forward this year than ever before (certainly in my memory going back over the past 16 years). From the time that I spent in preparation for the Service I was so aware that there was a great and precious anointing on me, and when the Service commenced at 7.30 on the Tuesday evening the atmosphere was positively charged with the power of the Holy Spirit.

I had prepared a small booklet with ten of my hymns especially for use in the Service, and the sound of about 70 people singing their hearts out in worship for the Lord was absolutely phenomenal! The Psalmist urges us to make a joyful sound, and we certainly did that!

What a wonderful blessing it was for me to know that I did not stand on the platform alone! I spoke in the Holy Spirit, and then had the privilege of anointing those who came forward for that blessing. After the last person had been anointed I received an anointing myself, administered by Canon Roy and Eira.

We certainly experienced the WOW! factor throughout the evening, not because of me, but because our Lord used me so mightily. This is not because I'm particularly special, but just because I made myself available. Of course, we are all special in God's sight, but it's when we hand ourselves totally into His hands that miracles happen. Our hands become His hands, and our words are His words. The blessing comes not from us but through us. It is all from Him. How I wish that you, dear reader, could have been there to share in the blessing. At least I hope that by my sharing it with you here, having held my report in prayer, you will still receive a blessing as you read it.

All I can say, once again, is:

Isn't God Wonderful!

Freedom or Slavery?

In some cities in the US it's already mandatory that your pet has a computer chip embedded in its body. Small farmers, including backyard farmers with a dozen chickens, are currently being advised that soon they will have to do that too. Guess who's next? There are already companies hard at work manufacturing and marketing computer chip implants for humans. Some misguided folks are already lining up for them because they been misled into believing that it will increase their 'personal security' and make their medical records immediately available in case of emergency.

You can check it out further on the Brasscheck website here. You can also download a report on the Verichip here.

My guess is that less than 1 out 1,000, maybe 1 out of 100,000, know how far along this plan is. If you don't tell them, odds are your friends and colleagues may never know.

Whatever you do, please don't accept a microchip being implanted under your skin under any circumstances. To do so will mean that you are surrendering your freewill to those who do not have your best interests at heart. They want to turn you and everyone on this planet into slaves, linked to a central computer which even now is being constructed.

The choice is yours.

Choose freedom or choose slavery.

P.S. Please sign up to receive and share Brasscheck TV, e-mails and videos with friends and colleagues. That's how they grow.

Mrs Bishop?

At the Lambeth Conference on Monday, The General Synod of the Church of England accepted that the consecration of women bishops could go ahead. Their decision struck down all of the amendments by traditionalists which would have allowed them alternative oversight by their own bishops. This move takes away the alternative options granted and promised to traditionalists when the ordination of women as priests was first allowed, and has created yet another major schism in the historic Church of England, following hot on the heels over the arguments regarding homosexual clergy.

The bishop of Dover Stephen Venner, had this to say before the final debate on the amended motion (check it out here):
I have to say that for the first time in my life I feel ashamed. We have talked for hours about wanting to give an honourable place for those who disagreed. We have turned down almost every opportunity for those opposed to flourish. And we still talk the talk of being inclusive and generous. The Rochester report said in many many pages that there were a variety of ways in which scripture and reason could be read with integrity. It argued over and over again that it is possible to be a loyal member of the CofE and [accept] some legal safeguards for those who oppose the ordination of women. It is not just those who are opposed to the ordination of women who find the motion we have at the moment difficult. I do. Where is the CofE about which we have spoken today? Is this CofE to which we have come to in this vote the CofE at its best? I have to say I doubt it. Is this the CofE to which I thought I belonged? I have to say with huge sadness, I doubt it.

C.S. Lewis explains what the objections are to female priests and bishops in his article, 'Priestesses in the Church?'

Because this is such an important issue I'm reproducing his article here:

"I should like Balls infinitely better," said Caroline Bingley, "if they were carried on in a different manner ... It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing made the order of the day."

"Much more rational, I dare say," replied her brother, "but it would not be near so much like a Ball." We are told that the lady was silenced: yet it could be maintained that Jane Austen has not allowed Bingley to put forward the full strength of his position. He ought to have replied with a distinguo. In one sense, conversation is more rational, for conversation may exercise the reason alone, dancing does not. But there is nothing irrational in exercising other powers than our reason. On certain occasions and for certain purposes the real irrationality is with those who will not do so. The man who would try to break a horse or write a poem or beget a child by pure syllogizing would be an irrational man; though at the same time syllogizing is in itself a more rational activity than the activities demanded by these achievements. It is rational not to reason, or not to limit oneself to reason, in the wrong place; and the more rational a man is the better he knows this.

These remarks are not intended as a contribution to the criticism of Pride and Prejudice. They came into my head when I heard that the Church of England was being advised to declare women capable of Priests' Orders. I am, indeed, informed that such a proposal is very unlikely to be seriously considered by the authorities. To take such a revolutionary step at the present moment, to cut ourselves off from the Christian past and to widen the divisions between ourselves and other Churches by establishing an order of priestesses in our midst, would be an almost wanton degree of imprudence. And the Church of England herself would be torn in shreds by the operation. My concern with the proposal is of a more theoretical kind. The question involves something even deeper than a revolution in order.

I have every respect for those who wish women to be priestesses. I think they are sincere and pious and sensible people. Indeed, in a way they are too sensible. That is where my dissent from them resembles Bingley's dissent from his sister. I am tempted to say that the proposed arrangement would make us much more rational "but not near so much like a Church".

For at first sight all the rationality (in Caroline Bingley's sense) is on the side of the innovators. We are short of priests. We have discovered in one profession after another that women can do very well all sorts of things which were once supposed to be in the power of men alone. No one among those who dislike the proposal is maintaining that women are less capable than men of piety, zeal, learning and whatever else seems necessary for the pastoral office. What, then, except prejudice begotten by tradition, forbids us to draw on the huge reserves which could pour into the priesthood if women were here, as in so many other professions, put on the same footing as men? And against this flood of common sense, the opposers (many of them women) can produce at first nothing but an inarticulate distaste, a sense of discomfort which they themselves find it hard to analyse.

That this reaction does not spring from any contempt for women is, I think, plain from history. The Middle Ages carried their reverence for one Woman to a point at which the charge could be plausibly made that the Blessed Virgin became in their eyes almost "a fourth Person of the Trinity". But never, so far as I know, in all those ages was anything remotely resembling a sacerdotal office attributed to her. All salvation depends on the decision which she made in the words Ecce ancilla; she is united in nine months' inconceivable intimacy with the eternal Word; she stands at the foot of the cross. But she is absent both from the Last Supper and from the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. Such is the record of Scripture. Nor can you daff it aside by saying that local and temporary conditions condemned women to silence and private life. There were female preachers. One man had four daughters who all "prophesied", i.e. preached. There were prophetesses even in Old Testament times. Prophetesses, not priestesses.

At this point the common sensible reformer is apt to ask why, if women can preach, they cannot do all the rest of a priest's work. This question deepens the discomfort of my side. We begin to feel that what really divides us from our opponents is a difference between the meaning which they and we give to the word "priest". The more they speak (and speak truly) about the competence of women in administration, their tact and sympathy as advisers, their national talent for "visiting", the more we feel that the central thing is being forgotten. To us a priest is primarily a representative, a double representative, who represents us to God and God to us. Our very eyes teach us this in church. Sometimes the priest turns his back on us and faces the East - he speaks to God for us: sometimes he faces us and speaks to us for God. We have no objection to a woman doing the first: the whole difficulty is about the second. But why? Why should a woman not in this sense represent God? Certainly not because she is necessarily, or even probably, less holy or less charitable or stupider than a man. In that sense she may be as "God-like" as a man; and a given women much more so than a given man. The sense in which she cannot represent God will perhaps be plainer if we look at the thing the other way round.
Suppose the reformer stops saying that a good woman may be like God and begins saying that God is like a good woman. Suppose he says that we might just as well pray to "Our Mother which art in heaven" as to "Our Father". Suppose he suggests that the Incarnation might just as well have taken a female as a male form, and the Second Person of the Trinity be as well called the Daughter as the Son. Suppose, finally, that the mystical marriage were reversed, that the Church were the Bridegroom and Christ the Bride. All this, as it seems to me, is involved in the claim that a woman can represent God as a priest does.

Now it is surely the case that if all these supposals were ever carried into effect we should be embarked on a different religion. Goddesses have, of course, been worshipped: many religions have had priestesses. But they are religions quite different in character from Christianity. Common sense, disregarding the discomfort, or even the horror, which the idea of turning all our theological language into the feminine gender arouses in most Christians, will ask "Why not? Since God is in fact not a biological being and has no sex, what can it matter whether we say He or She, Father or Mother, Son or Daughter?"

But Christians think that God Himself has taught us how to speak of Him. To say that it does not matter is to say either that all the masculine imagery is not inspired, is merely human in origin, or else that, though inspired, it is quite arbitrary and unessential. And this is surely intolerable: or, if tolerable, it is an argument not in favour of Christian priestesses but against Christianity. It is also surely based on a shallow view of imagery. Without drawing upon religion, we know from our poetical experience that image and apprehension cleave closer together than common sense is here prepared to admit; that a child who has been taught to pray to a Mother in Heaven would have a religious life radically different from that of a Christian child. And as image and apprehension are in an organic unity, so, for a Christian, are human body and human soul.

The innovators are really implying that sex is something superficial, irrelevant to the spiritual life. To say that men and women are equally eligible for a certain profession is to say that for the purposes of that profession their sex is irrelevant. We are, within that context, treating both as neuters.

As the State grows more like a hive or an ant-hill it needs an increasing number of workers who can be treated as neuters. This may be inevitable for our secular life. But in our Christian life we must return to reality. There we are not homogeneous units, but different and complementary organs of a mystical body. Lady Nunburnholme has claimed that the equality of men and women is a Christian principle. I do not remember the text in scripture nor the Fathers, nor Hooker, nor the Prayer Book which asserts it; but that is not here my point. The point is that unless "equal" means "interchangeable", equality makes nothing for the priesthood of women. And the kind of equality which implies that the equals are interchangeable (like counters or identical machines) is, among humans, a legal fiction. It may be a useful legal fiction. But in church we turn our back on fictions. One of the ends for which sex was created was to symbolize to us the hidden things of God. One of the functions of human marriage is to express the nature of the union between Christ and the Church. We have no authority to take the living and semitive figures which God has painted on the canvas of our nature and shift them about as if they were mere geometrical figures.

This is what common sense will call "mystical". Exactly. The Church claims to be the bearer of a revelation. If that claim is false then we want not to make priestesses but to abolish priests. If it is true, then we should expect to find in the Church an element which unbelievers will call irrational and which believers will call supra-rational. There ought to be something in it opaque to our reason though not contrary to it - as the facts of sex and sense on the natural level are opaque. And that is the real issue. The Church of England can remain a church only if she retains this opaque element. If we abandon that, if we retain only what can be justified by standards of prudence and convenience at the bar of enlightened common sense, then we exchange revelation for that old wraith Natural Religion.

It is painful, being a man, to have to assert the privilege, or the burden, which Christianity lays upon my own sex. I am crushingly aware how inadequate most of us are, in our actual and historical individualities, to fill the place prepared for us. But it is an old saying in the army that you salute the uniform not the wearer. Only one wearing the masculine uniform can (provisionally, and till the Parousia) represent the Lord to the Church: for we are all, corporately and individually, feminine to Him. We men may often make very bad priests. That is because we are insufficiently masculine. It is no cure to call in those who are not masculine at all. A given man may make a very bad husband; you cannot mend matters by trying to reverse the roles. He may make a bad male partner in a dance. The cure for that is that men should more diligently attend dancing classes; not that the ballroom should henceforward ignore distinctions of sex and treat all dancers as neuter. That would, of course, be eminently sensible, civilized, and enlightened, but, once more, "not near so much like a Ball".

And this parallel between the Church and the Ball is not so fanciful as some would think. The Church ought to be more like a Ball than it is like a factory or a political party. Or, to speak more strictly, they are at the circumference and the Church at the Centre and the Ball comes in between. The factory and the political party are artificial creations - "a breath can make them as a breath has made". In them we are not dealing with human beings in their concrete entirety only with "hands" or voters. I am not of course using "artificial" in any derogatory sense. Such artifices are necessary: but because they are our artifices we are free to shuffle, scrap and experiment as we please. But the Ball exists to stylize something which is natural and which concerns human beings in their entirety - namely, courtship. We cannot shuffle or tamper so much. With the Church, we are farther in: for there we are dealing with male and female not merely as facts of nature but as the live and awful shadows of realities utterly beyond our control and largely beyond our direct knowledge. Or rather, we are not dealing with them but (as we shall soon learn if we meddle) they are dealing with us.

Well, dear reader, what do you think about the whole issue? I wonder whether you think that the only 'Mrs' or 'Miss' or even 'Ms' BISHOP should be the wife or daughter or sister of MR Bishop? Well, it's certainly a thought!

A Great Gift!

I had ordered an advertising screen for the Cardiff exhibition that I blogged about yesterday, from a local design company called Reload, owned and run by a young man called Lee Rhodes. I'd been quoted an acceptable price for the job and was duly advised that it was ready for collection. imagine then, my great and pleasant surprise when Lee announced that, as he'd got some new material to test out, it was FREE! I was thrilled, dear reader, you can be sure of that. The picture above shows me standing next to the new sign (Well, I guess that's obvious, but I needed to say something!)

Back in harness!

Well, I'm back from the exhibition in Cardiff which was a success in many different ways. The fellowship was tremendous! The concerts were great!

There were two choirs, one on the Tuesday evening and one on the Wednesday, each different from the other, and yet each using their extensive talents to praise the Lord with not only their voices but plainly their hearts as well. At the first of the concerts we were treated to more traditional Gospel singing by the Cardiff Gospel Male Voice Praise Choir, with many hymns that we all recognised plus a few that were not perhaps so well known to some people. On the second evening we were treated to a wonderful evening by the Bethesda Church Choir, a mixed choir of varying talent but all with a tremendous enthusiasm both for the Lord and for singing. This was a very different evening to the first, and we were treated to some lively singing that shouted 'HAPPINESS' as loud as they could. By that I mean that it was impossible to listen to them and not come away with a tremendous sense of joy from being there.

A real treat was that both concerts also included the internationally renowned Welsh harpist, Bethan Myfanwy Hughes, and Bethan interspersed the choirs numbers with either instrumental numbers on the full concert size harp or else accompanied the harp with her beautiful voice. It was a truly magical event, made more so by the inclusion of interviews with some of the exhibitors, a flute solo by one of the exhibitors, and also a rendition of The Aaronic Blessing, written and sung by Vivienne Oates who accompanied herself on the guitar. You can purchase her recordings from Anchor Recordings. The whole evening left one almost breathless! What a privilege it was to have been there. AND, as an added bonus, Bethan Myfanwy Hughes agreed to sign to Sheer Joy Music, so look for some fabulous recordings of her harp-playing and singing to come very soon on the Sheer Joy Music site.

A very moving moment was when the exhibition organiser, Rev Roy Weaver of Decade Ministries, unfurled one of his amazing 'Wallpaper Rolls' whilst Bethan played and sang the Louis Armstrong hit number, What a wonderful world. Roy really earns his sobriquet of 'The Wallpaper Man'! I first met him about eight or nine years ago when he came to my church to take part in the service, unrolling his wallpaper messages as he did so. If you ask him how long the sermon will be his usual answer is "About ten metres!" If you are in the UK and you've never experienced Roy's ministry first-hand, then I recommend you to book him for an appearance in your Sunday Morning Worship Service or to contact him to find out when he might be in your area. It will be a decision that you'll certainly not regret.

Why not follow some of the links in this post and find out a little more for yourself dear reader?

In Cardiff for a few days!

I am going away for a few days today down to Cardiff in South Wales, where I shall be at a Christian Arts Festival and Church Supplies Exhibition. If you have chance to visit, please come along. There's a lot going on, including concerts, drama, Gospel choirs and much more!

The Exhibition runs from tomorrow, Tuesday 15th July until Thursday 17th July, and it's at Hebron Hall, Dinas Powys. For those with a 'sat-nav', the post code is CF64 4YB.

Hope to see you there!

Jesus Paid YOUR Debt

Once again today, dear reader, I am going to share the following, which I received by email from Joanne Lowe. The copyright is hers for this piece. You can visit her via this link or email her direct.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN US

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12: 2 (King James Version)

What horror and what agony and pain our precious Saviour endured for us! It should have been us who hung on the cross that the Saviour of the world hung on. He paid the sin debt that we owed. It was a debt that we could never have paid. It took the spotless Lamb of God to satisfy the requirements of a Holy God.

Jesus had never done sinned but because His heart is filled with unconditional love and compassion for us, He allowed them to beat Him, torture Him, spit on Him, ridicule Him and mock Him. He did all of that for us when it should have been us who hung on that cross. What a precious Saviour; what a friend, this Jesus of Calvary!

Just as Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him so we should also endure the criticism, sarcasm, ridicule and scorn for the joy set before us. One day, if we have made a heart commitment to Jesus, we will see Him face to face and we will spend all eternity with Him. What joy floods my heart when I think about being with my precious Saviour for all eternity!

The next time someone says hateful words to you or does something cruel to you, remember that one day you will see Jesus face to face and spend all eternity with Him. Remember, one day it will be worth all the pain, loneliness, heartaches and burdens you bear because if you are serving Him with all of your heart He will say to you “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25: 21).

Joanne Lowe
July 14, 2008
joannelowe8@cox.net
http://www.heavenwardbound.com

A Brief Decade!

Today is the tenth anniversary of the Sunday that I came to St John's in Runcorn to 'preach with a view', as the expression goes. The church was packed with the majority of the members who had turned up to hear me and decide whether or not they wanted me to come on a more permanent basis as their Minister. Thankfully, as it has turned out, they did! I've now had the privilege of serving God and pastoring the congregation for ten years, and although I won't pretend that it's been the easiest task in the world, it certainly has been a rewarding one.

Today, to mark the occasion, I am going to preach the same sermon that I did on 12th July 1998, albeit that the Spirit will probably lead me in slightly differing directions as I speak. My message is entitled 'Freedom', and is based on Paul's letter to the Galatians, Chapter 5, verses 1-15. The picture shows the pulpit from which I preached 10 years ago, but at present we meet in the Hall behind the Sanctuary, whilst we await for our long-awaited building works to commence.

One of the exciting things when you set out on your spiritual journey is that you never know the direction that it will take. One thing, however, is certain, and that is that provided you follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and walk in the path that the Lord leads you in then it will always be worthwhile. Along the way you will find pitfalls and climb mountains, but much of the journey will be along smooth paths. I'm reminded of Acts 14:22 which says, . . .and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God. We have never been promised an easy ride. There will always be difficulties to be faced. but, oh, how worthwhile everything will prove to have been in the end when we reach, as Augustus puts it that Kingdom that has no end.

Corsham, long, long ago!

Spurred on by discovering that someone from Corsham --- the town where I was born --- actually read my Blog post yesterday and left a nice comment, I guess it just got the memory juices working a little harder this morning!

I was born in the Nursing Home --- now converted into apartments --- which was on the opposite side of the High Street, just a few yards down from The Wine Lodge, which was the family home. (Of course, from a different perspective you might say that it was a few yards up). That was almost 65 years ago, and the Corsham that existed in my childhood is vastly different from that of today. Gone are the familiar shops and the names that I knew as a boy, yet if I close my eyes for a moment I can still see them, still smell the wonderful scents that came from many of them. There was Watts' Sweet Shop at the Town Hall end of the High Street, and a paper shop next to that run by a family called Barber. A little way from that was Joe Damond's bakery where the smell of new-baked bread was as powerful as any perfumed invitation can be. I remember that you could by miniature Hovis loaves there, about 4" long. Joe was often mentioned in conversation at home because he had 'a reputation with the ladies', although I had no idea then what was meant by it!

The sweet-shop was my favourite of course, in common with most small boys. Watts also sold many of the small toys that helped you to be parted from your pocket-money, and often were the things that most annoyed your parents and were subsequently the subject of a disappearing act. I remember Mars Bars at 4d, Sherbert Dabs in a pale lemon tubed packet which had a tube of liquorice protruding from the top which you dipped into the powdery sherbert to suck off afterwards. Gobstoppers were there too, brightly coloured and available for just 1d, but my favourite was always Dolly Mixtures because you got lots of individual sweets for your money. Of course, not only did you need money, but it was necessary to have Sweet Coupons as well, for these were the days of rationing. One thing is certain, it never took me too long to be parted from my 6d each week!

I've mentioned previously about my early schooldays, spent at Miss Bailey's in the High Street, and remembered amongst the happiest moments of my early years. Looking out from one of the two classrooms you could see the Glove Factory workroom across the garden. I guess they must have rented the building from old Mr Bailey, Miss Bailey's father. He was a dapper little man with a waxed moustache that was yellowed from years of smoking a pipe, and as far as Miss Bailey was concerned he seemed to be somewhat of a tyrant. He resolutely refused to let her leave home, believing that her first duty was to care for him. As a result, although she was engaged to Ernest Hodson for decades it was not until after the death of her father that they were free to marry. I recall the school milk-breaks, when the little bottles of milk, (were they about a third of a pint?), were heated during the cold winter months in a large copper boiler in the kitchens. Every memory that I have of Miss Bailey's is a good one, and that statement speaks volumes about the care and love that she showed us all. Long after we had grown up and flown the nest she used to keep in touch with my parents to find out how we were doing. I'm one of seven children, and we all went to Miss Bailey for our early education. There was none better, yet in these days of ridiculous PC attitudes I expect that she would not have been allowed to run her little school, and that would have meant that the world --- certainly my world --- would have been a poorer place.

I remember The Beanstalk Coffee Bar opening in the town in the mid-1950's. Coffee Bars were springing up all over the country then, and were a part of the Rock 'n Roll era, and as such were instantly condemned by our parents and the town's 'elders'. Near to the Horse Fountain, it was along from the Town Hall, sandwiched between a shop where you could buy hardware and pet foods and George Cooper's Barber Shop. It was at the latter that small boys like myself were plonked on a piece of wood that fitted onto the Barber's chair in order to raise us to the right height for shearing. There was no choice of style, just the instruction from my mother that it should be 'a short back 'n sides, please George'. Clothing was purchased either at MacMillan's or at Smith's. I recall the pungent odour of Cigars at MacMillan's shop, and the hat boxes that were piled on the top of the cabinets, almost to the ceiling. Next to MacMillan's was the Hardware store run by Joe James, one of Corsham's elder statesmen. It was a magnificent emporium! You could wander the wooden-floored interior for ages, and you could purchase what you needed rather than what some far-distant accountant decreed was the quantity that you should by. Hence, if you wanted just two screws for a job or one 6" nail, then you could buy just that. The shop had its own interesting smells, a mixture of tallow, paraffin, metal and wood.

There were three main butchers in the town, Love's and, just a few doors up, Ives', and one on the other side of the road, run by Bill Beazant, which was our family's main supplier of meat. Shergolds ran the wet fish shop and Bollom's the Dry-Cleaners. Mr Thorn rented a shop from my father and ran the chemists. Of course there was no Precinct in those days, and you walked the length of the High Street and a little portion of Pickwick Road for your shopping. The first glimpse that I ever had of a TV set was in Bulson's window in Pickwick Road, outside which the school bus spewed us out onto the pavement at one stage of our development.

For leisure we would go to the Youth Centre, overseen by the indomitable Miss Reynolds, or when older, to the Community Centre where the Town Clerk, Bill Light, was in charge. There were Old Tyme Dances on a Friday evening, where young and old enjoyed waltzing round the floor, and later on in life there were Wednesday night Rock 'n Roll dances too. Apart from that we had church on a Sunday --- usually three times --- and a wealth of fields and woods to play our games in as we re-enacted wars and battles, played Cowboys and Indians, or pirates on the high seas. For the lucky few, and I was one of them, there were farmers who would allow small boys to go and help out, usually the payment being the occasional opportunity to drive the tractor across a field. I spent many happy days 'working' for Jack Vowles who rented Park Farm from the Methuen Estate. Sometimes, because we were friendly with the Methuens, we would take the punt out on the lake when were older, always with the warning to take great care because the weed in the lake would drag you under if you should fall in!

Well, dear reader, there's a lot more where that came from, but I guess that's enough of a trip down this section of Memory Lane for awhile, although you never know! I hope you enjoyed sharing the journey with me. I enjoyed your company.

Please don't forget Zimbabwe!

The news about Zimbabwe no longer dominates the Press, does it? Sadly, the fact that there is less in the media about the atrocities perpetrated by Mugabe and his henchmen, it doesn't mean that they are taking a rest from beating, torturing and killing innocent Zimbabweans. That continues on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, despite the threat of sanctions from many nations, Mugabe's evil regime is being propped up by those nations and leaders who either tacitly offer their support or who resolutely sit on the fence. Of course, if you are the leader of a nation yourself, and have a bad record on the violation of human rights in your own country, it might be considered inauspicious to throw stones whilst sitting in the proverbial glasshouse!

One of the images that sickened me recently was that of Mugabe holding up a Bible whilst he was sworn in for another term of office following the sham elections that he engineered. How he can hold a Bible at all is beyond me! I wonder whether it burned the skin on his hands.

He now swans about once more, surrounded by his sycophantic thugs whose task it is to protect him. Perhaps from amongst their ranks there will emerge a 'Brutus'? We can only hope!

All this apart, the major factor for concern is not the sham democracy that exists in Zimbabwe today, but the needs of the Zimbabwean people. So once again I urge you to hold them before God in your prayers.

• Pray that they might be released from the fears that grip them.
• Pray that they might obtain the food that they need to live.
• Pray that they might have the medical resources available to them.
• Pray that they might have freedom of religion.
• Pray that the leaders of the world might unite in their favour.
• Pray that they can be set FREE from the grip of this tyrannical despot.
• Above all, pray for peace in their lives and the means to live a fruitful and rewarding existence in their land.
• PRAY FOR MUGABE'S DOWNFALL. He has challenged God Himself, and so we can pray that God will deal with this totally Godless tyrant.

Hidden in the forest . . .

In my previous blog post, I mentioned the late Ivor Ball, the father of one of my best friends, Dickie Ball. I remember on one occasion, when I had my very first poem published in the local church magazine, that Ivor challenged me over it as he didn't believe that I could write poetry. Rising to the challenge I demanded pen and paper and sat down to write the following poem which is called Memories. It was to form the title poem for my first book, encouraged by Ivor's wife Aggie, whom I dearly loved and referred to as 'Mum Ball'. Anyway, I thought that you might like to read it for yourself dear reader, so here it is, exactly as it was written down in the space of about fifteen minutes, all those years ago.

Memories

Hidden in the forest
where the trees grow thick and strong,
there's a cottage, small and humble,
where I lived when I was young.

There's a yellow roof of thatch,
and a rough red chimney there,
with diamond-latticed windows
letting in the cool fresh air.

When work was finished for the day
in peace I hurried home,
through the trees so thick and handsome,
where as a child I'd roam.

A smiling face would greet me
hot dinner on the grate;
but this day all was lonely,
'twas so early, yet so late.

No smoke came from the chimney,
no whispers filled the air:
but the memories still haunt me
of my mother smiling there.

Now many years have crept along;
I sadly realise
that never shall I see again
the love-light in her eyes.

Till I walk down the cobbled path,
and lift that rusty latch:
till memory brings back again
my home with the yellow thatch.

I was a boy of fifteen when I wrote that, and the book was published in 1966 when I was a young man of 22 years of age. My, how tempus fugit!

Sometimes I ponder on where these words for the poems and songs come from. It's as though they are locked away in the annals of my mind, waiting for the right trigger to send them hurtling through time and onto the page. I have absolutely no idea how this particular poem came about in reality. Some people have asked whether it describes the home that I lived in when I was a child, or even a composite of several homes, but the answer is a resounding 'NO'. Perhaps it's an image of a home that I might have liked to live in, who knows?

I guess that the best thing to do is to accept that all of these things come as a gift from God, and serve the purpose of pleasing many people down through the ages. Perhaps, in this instance, you might imagine, dear reader, that I'm describing your home, or at least one that you might have loved. Certainly, re-reading the poem over the years has given me a great deal of pleasure, and is certainly aptly titled, Memories.