Saturday, October 31, 2009

Studio Gossip . . .

Talk in the Recording Studio this week is about two great talents who have been busy laying down tracks with Sheer Joy Music.

The first is Jennifer Douglas who has recorded two new songs, Love Away the Hate and If Only I had Wings. The latter is due to be released soon as a single and will also feature on a full CD that Jennifer Douglas will be completing and releasing later next year.

The second of the two singers is 16-year old Charlotte McKelvie, a very talented young soprano. She recorded several songs for the classical CD which is also due to be released later in 2010.

These are both extremely talented singers, so watch out for more news about them and about their forthcoming CD release dates in the future.

A couple of weeks the sound of Rob Beaton, a singer/songwriter who recently linked up with Sheer Joy Music, resounded in the Studio as he recorded a great new track which will shortly be released as a single, Man From Galilee, written, composed and recorded by Rob. Watch this space for more news about this great song! Rob also composed the music to Love Away the Hate which Jennifer Douglas has recorded.

Poem for Today : 'Joy, Love and Wonder! '

Joy, Love and Wonder! 8.6.8.6.

There comes a sound from heaven above,
The great angelic choir;
They sing in praise of Jesu’s love,
And Holy Spirit’s fire.

They sing of our Creator God,
Of His great creation;
They sing of His great kingdom, and
One great holy nation.

With sin defeated, Jesus King,
N’ere to cast asunder;
Now we as one sing songs of praise,
Joy, and love and wonder!

© Colin Gordon-Farleigh, 2006

Friday, October 30, 2009

Who can claim that Islam is peaceful?








































































I was more than a little shocked to receive an email showing the pictures of Muslims demonstrating openly in London during their ‘Religion of Peace’ demonstration. Even bearing in mind the 'softly softly' approach towards Islamic Fundamentalists who seek to destroy our way of life and impose Islamic rule across Europe, the USA and over the whole face of the earth, are placards such as that which proclaims ‘Exterminate those who slander Islam’ not considered to be religious hatred ?

Another demonstration on 31st October was planned by a fundamentalist organisation called Islam4UK, which was named ‘March for Shariah’. Thankfully this march, which called via their website for all UK Muslims to join it, has now been cancelled.

Dare I suggest that if the pictures were of any religious group other than Islamic then the authorities would have rushed in to make arrests and prosecutions and incarcerations would have followed.

Sadly, one of the effects of these extremists is to denigrate all Muslims, yet Islamic extremism tends generally to come from a minority. As always, it's the rotten apples at the bottom of the barrel that create a problem for the rest. It's good to see that many moderate Muslims in this country are against the violent form of extremism that these photographs portray.

My prayer is that all people, no matter whether they currently possess any faith or not, will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and commit to following Him for the rest of their lives. To do so is to follow a faith that preaches love and not hate, that promises hope and not destruction.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Joanne Lowe's Meditations : 'Complaining or Rejoicing'

COMPLAINING OR REJOICING

“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.”
Deuteronomy 26: 11 (King James Version)

We should be rejoicing because God has given us so many things. However, instead of rejoicing, many times we complain about what He hasn’t done for us. We may have beautiful homes and cars yet we want bigger homes and more expensive cars.

How we must break His heart because not only do we complain instead of rejoicing, we are never satisfied. We are like little children who can’t have their way or another piece of candy. We take God for granted. We know that He can do anything so we expect Him to do what we want Him to do when we want Him to do it.

God is not a puppet. He doesn’t have strings for us to pull to make Him perform for us when we want something. God is a Holy God and we need to treat Him with respect and dignity. How dare you and I treat Him like He has to perform for us, that He should do what we want Him do and when we want Him to do it.

Are you rejoicing and thanking God for all that He has done for you or are you complaining because He hasn’t done something you wanted Him to do? How would you feel if your children constantly complained about what you haven’t done for them without ever saying thank you for what you have done for them?

It is time that we stop complaining and start thanking God and rejoicing for all that He has done for us. The greatest thing He has given us is His beloved Son. What tenderness, forgiveness, compassionate and unconditional love flows from the heart of our Heavenly Father for you and for me. Thank You, dear Father, for opening Your heart of compassion and love to us and sending Your Son to die for our sins. We love You and we appreciate You. Please forgive us for complaining instead of rejoicing. Amen.

Joanne Lowe
joannelowe8@cox.net
www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

Poem for Today : ' '

Building Site

Look upward at men
in yellow hats
climbing skyward
on iron scaffold;
brewing tea
on what will be
the second floor,
and more —
for on the third,
beside the long
wooden planks
forming shuttering,
and down-pipes
and guttering,
amid the mass
of concrete contusion,
there stands,
rusting brown,
paint-scarred red,
a singularly plain
corrugated shed.
© Colin Gordon-Farleigh 2006

'World Government'; what you're NOT supposed to know!

Have a listen to this radio interview of Alan Jones with Lord Monckton on the Copenhagen Summit. Lord Monckton was a former adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It is a very important warning about the climate scare, and the anti-democratic push coming from the Copenhagen Treaty:



On October 14 Lord Christopher Monckton, former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, gave a scathing refutation of the concept of man-caused global warming at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

A new climate change treaty (likely to be known as the Copenhagen Treaty) is due to be presented for ratification at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in early December. It is clear that if passed, this treaty, which has no provision for future exit, will “impose a communist world government on the world.”

Read a damning report on this matter, written by Larry Greenley last week here.

This is of extreme importance to everyone, and the need to lobby your MP or equivalent is great. If this Treaty is ratified it spells the end of individual sovereignty everywhere. If you currently think that the concept of a United States of Europe, headed by a political clown such as Blair, is a frightening proposition, just imagine the whole debacle on a Global scale.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

UK Immigration places a ban on Christians

I have just been advised by one of my international contacts that over the last few weeks the UK immigration officers at the airports have been refusing to allow Christians to enter the country (UK) for ministry. U.S. singer Don Fracisco was refused entry back in March of this year and Benny Hinn and a choir were refused entry on October 3rd.

Benny Hinn has visited the UK previously without encountering any problems, but the Home Office introduced a new points-based system for all ministers of religion attempting to visit the UK last November. Mr Hinn fell foul of the tier five section of the new rules. One of the aims of the new rules is to prevent and combat religious extremism and prevent teachers of religious hatred from entering the UK. It would appear, by virtue of the practise, that Islamic Fundamentalist clerics who peddle hatred and foment destruction of anyone opposed to their views, are allowed to stay her without any problem, the excuse against their deportation being that they would face persecution or even death if they were returned to their own country.

A Border Agency spokesman says that 'Under the UK's tough new points-based system, religious workers must obtain a valid certificate of sponsorship prior to arriving in the UK. These rules are designed to make sure that a legitimate sponsor is linked to each application to enter the UK for work purposes. These rule are applied objectively and clearly set out for travellers. People who arrive without the required documentation can be refused entry to the UK."

Should we really be that surprised, living as we do under a Government that actively protects Islamic extremists and allows blasphemy against Jesus Christ, against God Himself, and the persecution of Christians?

You may well wonder how these things can happen, but the answer is easy. They happen because not enough Christians are prepared to challenge them. Make no mistake, we are at war with the darkest of forces, and Satan has been rallying his troops for a long time. Soon we will see our once-proud nation completely swallowed up by the United European State of which Blair aspires to be the first president, and once that happens it will be a great strengthening of the moves to create an Islamic Europe.

Be warned! Wahabiism (Islamic Fundamentalism) is well advanced in their plans for world domination. Here in the UK we are suppose to refer to Saudi Arabia as 'our friend', and we watch idly by as they continue to influence people by their pots of gold, inveigling their way into our education system as well as businesses.

The time to protest is NOW, before it's illegal to even think about protesting! If you are a Christian, then lobby your MP in the Christian cause and protest about anything and everything that is offensive to Christianity. As we draw closer to all that is forecast in the Bible we will see more and more attacks on Christian freedom such as this.

After all, Jesus Christ gave up His life for YOU. Can you not hand over your life to Him?

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Poem for Today : 'Old Flame'

Old Flame

My memory plays the tricks
of age, making the lines
and shadows disappear
from your face.
I catch your eye and,
turning half away,
you beckon with a look
for me to follow.
Your hand slips
comfortably into mine
and we move off into the night,
there to live our
shared fantasies:
and then my head jerks,
lolling, half asleep in
my chair,
dreaming
half-remembered dreams,
I wake,
seeing you thereacross the room,
and then
I light the flame once more
a thousand times.

© Colin Gordon-Farleigh 1978
taken from Fragments of Earth
Published by Voice Publications, 2006. ISBN978-0-9553583-1-0

Latest news about Hayley Oliver

The latest news about Hayley Oliver, who ranks as one of Country Music's great singers in my opinion, is that her new CD, I can still dream, is soon to be released. She reminds me so much of a young Dolly Parton, and I'm sure that one day she'll be up there with all the other 'Greats'.

You can get a sneak preview of the CD by visiting her revamped website, as well as watching a video of Hayley in action, performing with her band.

Dealing with life's problems . . . (3)


If you are ever the unfortunate victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, gossip, smallness or insecurities, just remember . . .
things could be worse . . .
You could be one of them!

Only recently I was in a Post Office queue when a middle-aged woman subjected an elderly lady to a barrage of verbal abuse, totally uncalled for and undeserved.
My advice to the unfortunate victim, who was very visibly upset by the attack, was this:
"Don't let it get to you too much. After all is said and done, you only had to put up with her sourness for a couple of minutes, whilst she has to live with it every day."

Dealing with life's problems . . . (2)

If you ever find yourself stuck in a traffic queue, don't get mad or despondent.
There are millions of folk in the world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Life may not be all roundabouts and swings but there are usually enough bright times to outweigh the troubled ones.

Dealing with life's problems . . . (1)

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, you don't have to resolve it yourself! Place it in the SFGTD --- (something for God to do) --- box. He will get to it in His time.
Every situation will be resolved, but in His time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Some Great Quotes . . .

"There is a great deal of worldliness, and earthly-mindedness, and covetousness among the professing Christians of our day. They are worshipers of the golden calf! O sirs! the world is
all shadow and vanity. The world is like Jonah's gourd -- a man may sit under its shadow for a time, but it soon decays and dies.

The main reason why many professors dote upon the world, is because they are not acquainted with a greater glory. If the heart of man is not filled with God--it will be filled with the world, the flesh and the devil."
- Thomas Brooks, 1670.

"By affliction, the Lord teaches His people to sit loose from this world, and to be prepared for eternity. By affliction, God shows His people the vanity, vexation, emptiness, weakness, and nothingness of all created things; and the choiceness, preciousness and sweetness of communion with Himself." - Unknown.

"The average Christian is so cold and contented with his wretched condition that there is no vacuum of desire into which the blessed Spirit can rush in satisfying fullness." - A.W. Tozer

"The spiritual man habitually makes eternity-judgments instead of time-judgments. By faith he rises above the tug of earth and the flow of time and learns to think and feel as one who has already left the world and gone to join the innumerable company of angels and the general assembly and Church of the First-born which are written in heaven. Such a man would rather be useful than famous and would rather serve than be served. And all this must be by the operation of the Holy Spirit within him. No man can become spiritual by himself. Only the free Spirit can make a man spiritual." - A.W.Tozer

"Preach the word purely and fully; mix nothing with it that does not belong to it... The gospel is not suited, and cannot be made to suit, the corrupt dispositions and inclinations of the carnal mind; but the faithful preaching of it is calculated to oppose and to overcome those evil prejudices so far as to excite men to attend to the doctrines it contains and the blessings it proposes. It is your duty, not to bring down the gospel into a conformity with them, but to change them into a conformity with the gospel." - Robert Hall.

"Oh the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him!" -Duncan Campbell

"We stink more of the world than we stink of of sack cloth and ashes. Alot of contemporary churches today would feel more at home in a movie house rather than in a house of prayer, more
afraid of holy living than of sinning, know more about money than magnifying Christ in our bodies. It is so compromised that holiness and living a sin-free life is heresy to the modern church. The modern church is, quite simply, just the world with a Christian T-shirt on!"
- N. Cruz.

"Preaching is God's great institution for the planting and maturing of spiritual life. When properly executed, its benefits are untold. When wrongly executed, no evil can exceed its damaging results." -E.M. Bounds

"Despite the atrociousness of it, Satan really does have "little cause to fear most preaching." Most preaching in the modern church is completely devoid of unction. Pastors are too busy
playing golf or racquetball to bother spending time on their knees. No wonder some pastors I've heard can more readily quote Dr. Laura then bible passages pertaining to prayer. It's disastrous.
Satan need not fear under those conditions."
- A. Reavis

"The Lord has shown me that I can do anything, but that He has said, "apart from Me ye can do nothing." So it comes to this, that everything I have done, and can still do apart from Him is nothing!" - 'The Normal Christian Life' - Watchman Nee

"How do we worship our God wholeheartedly? To answer the question we must respond to the command... "If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15. True Love is complete
obedience ... If you love Jesus, you will obey what He commands. This is true love and true worship."
- Unknown

"A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God." - Leonard Ravenhill

"Resolved: that all men should live for the glory of God. Resolved second: That whether others do or not, I will." - Jonathan Edwards

"Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a
thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle."
- C. T. Studd

"How often people give their lives to Christ one day and then borrow it back a short while later." - Colin Gordon-Farleigh

"Make sure you are praising God on the right side of the sea." - A former pastor, Speaking of the Israelites.

"I believed also that nobody is more a Christian. I had read in the Bible that there will be in the last time the great apostasy, that people will leave the faith and I believed that I lived now this time. But I said to myself if Christianity is dead, I will sit at its tomb and will weep until it arises again, just as Mary Magdalene sat at the tomb of Jesus and wept until Jesus showed Himself. Then when I came out of prison I saw Christianity is not dead. The number of practising Christians in Rumania according to the figures given by the Communists themselves in 20 years of Communist dictatorship has grown 300 percent." - Richard Wurmbrand.

"There is nothing little in God." - C.H. Spurgeon

"I love to live on the brink of eternity." - David Brainerd

"Oh! one hour with God infinitely exceeds all the pleasures and delights of this lower world." - David Brainerd

'Eats Shoots & Leaves'


I'm currently reading a great little volume entitled Eats Shoots & Leaves. Written by Lynne Truss, and sub-titled 'The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation', this book earned the accolade of 'Book of the Year 2004'. the title comes from a joke:
A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

'Panda: Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.'

This is a book, as you may well have gathered by now, about the misuse of punctuation. It's one of my personal bugbears that not only has spelling been considered as irrelevant in the education system for many years, but also that punctuation appears to be neglected almost to the point of its imminent demise.

Of course, people realise that punctuation exists, and they even think that they know how to use it, although so often they are sadly ignorant, particularly when it comes to the use of the apostrophe. Hence you will find signs proclaiming items for sale such as potato's, tomato's, video's, Cd's etc.

Of course the abuse of the apostrophe is not confined to placing it where it has no right to be, but also to omitting it from where it should be. Recently a council erected a sign proclaiming that the name of a road was St Johns Close. Now the obvious question that this raises is 'To what or to where?' Will we ever discover to what St John is close to? I doubt it. The reason that this item made the national press was because someone rather like myself, easily offended by the ignorance that persists when it comes to the use of the apostrophe, painted one in, thereby correcting the sign to read St John's Close. Rather than applauding him for correcting the erroneous omission he was derided as a vandal!

Ignorance about punctuation is something that I personally come across on a regular basis because of my name. My surname is hyphenated, not, as is often the case today, because my parents were unmarried and made up a name from both of theirs, or because they wanted the family name to sound posher, but because it brought together two families several generations ago. When asked for my name I respond by saying that my surname is Gordon-Farleigh and that my Christian name is Colin, whereupon so often I am then immediately address as Mr Farleigh or, as is often the case nowadays, by using what is presumed to be my Christian name, 'Gordon'! What it proves to me more than anything is that the party concerned, having asked the question, has no real interest in the answer, for they prove that they have not listened as soon as they open their mouth.

Just imagine how difficult life would be without any punctuation:
there are three hundred and sixty five days in the year starting on january the first and running through to the end of december i like the latter part best because i like the cold weather and snow which do you like is it the warmer seasons like summer and autumn or perhaps the spring do you like that perhaps because its a time when things start to grow and the air is fresh

Then there are the examples of people who seem to have grabbed a handful of commas and thrown them up in the air, letting them settle wherever they happen to land:
The young man said after he was dead, that he wished to be laid, to rest in a wooded copse.

There are, of course, many vagaries in the English language, yet the general level of understanding is not increased by the constant abuse of punctuation, either by its misuse or its absence.

Good bedtime reading for the 'Sticklers' like myself, this book is published by Profile Books, and the ISBN is 1 86197 6127. If nothing else it will make you smile!

Poem for Today : 'Waiting for You '



Waiting for You

I stand
as agreed
Beneath
the friendly clock
on Platform Two.
Waiting,
dreaming,
waiting for you;
the soft ticking
of the clock
reminding me
at seven
you arrive.
At eight o’clock
I stand
Cursing
that sullen sound,
Questioning
where you went —
till when—
with whom.

© Colin Gordon-Farleigh 1978
From Flight of A Bee,
published by Voice Publications 2006

Joanne Lowe's Meditations : 'On Call'

ON CALL
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46: 1 (King James Version)

Doctors are on call all the time unless they have arranged with someone to cover for them. Pastors are on call all the time also. There are times when pastors ask someone to go visit for them or handle a crisis. There is someone else who is on call twenty four hours a day every day and it is our Heavenly Father.

He is our haven of refuge and our strength. He is also a very present help in trouble. We can call on Him any time day or night and He is there to protect us. How comforting it is to know that God is our refuge and strength and that we don’t have to face the trials of this life by ourselves. No matter what time of the day or night we call Him, He is available to us. He is on call all of the time.

There is a question that every Christian should ask themselves “Am I available and on call twenty four hours a day if God asks me to do something for Him?” If we can’t answer that question with a yes, we need to ask God to forgive us. Are you available and on call any time of the day or night if God asks you to do something for Him? After all that He has done for us, shouldn't we do everything that we can for Him?

Heavenly Father, thank You for being our refuge and strength. Thank You for being on call any time of the day or night when we need You. Please forgive us for not answering You when You call on us to do something. Help us to be available and on call for You any time of the day or night. We love You and we appreciate all that You do for us. Amen.


Joanne Lowe
joannelowe8@cox.net
www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Will YOU share this message?

A TIME FOR GOD
Read this only if you have time for God. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom without giving up!

When I first received this in an e-mail, I thought, ‘I don't have time for this…’ and, ‘This is really inappropriate during work.’ Then I realized that this kind of thinking is exactly what has caused lot of the problems in our world today.

We try to meet God in church on Sunday morning and maybe on Sunday evening, and in the unlikely event of a midweek service. We like to have Him around during sickness ― and, of course, at funerals. However, we don't have either time or room for Him during work or play because that's the part of our lives we think that we can ― and should ― handle on our own.
May God forgive me for ever thinking that there is ever a time or place where He is not to be FIRST in my life. We should always have time to remember everything that He has done for us.
Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father.' Not ashamed? Then can you admit to others, without fear of who knows what you believe, that you love God. Can you tell others easily that He is the source of your existence, and that He is your Saviour?
He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I will be nothing. But, with him I am everything Christ, He strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)

If you love God, and, are not ashamed of all the marvellous things He has done for you,
share this fact with everyone you know. Of all the free gifts we may receive, Prayer is the very best one. There’s no cost, but wonderful rewards.

Easy vs. Hard
  • Why is it so often hard to tell the truth, yet so easy to tell a lie?
  • Why are we so sleepy in church but when the sermon is over we suddenly wake up?
  • Why is it so easy to delete a Godly e-mail, but yet forward all of the nasty ones?
  • Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
  • Isn't it funny how someone can say 'I believe in God,' but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also 'believes' in God).
  • Isn't it funny how you can send blasphemous and blue jokes by e-mail and they spread like wildfire, yet when you start sending messages regarding the Lord people think twice about sharing the message with someone else on their e-address list?
  • Isn't it funny how if you decide to forward a message about the Lord you will choose not send it to many names on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they’ll think of you for sending it to them.
  • Isn't it funny how you can be more worried about what other people think of you than what God thinks of you.
I pray that each of you will send this to your entire address book. Every one who receives it with an open heart will be blessed by God in a way special for them

People come, people go . . . Some thoughts on friendship.

I often muse on the people that I have known in my life. Why, I did it only a couple of days ago on this Blog when I wrote about friends from my days in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. Friendship is a strange thing sometimes with all its variations. There are those friendships that, once forged in childhood, last the course for ever, joining forces throughout all the ups and downs and the storms of life, whilst there are others that are fleetingly transient, at least relatively speaking. For example, whilst I have often written about the wonderful memories that I have spent at my infants' school, I have no particular memory of any of my classmates whom I befriended at the time. They were there to populate my life only for that brief period, although, of course, it certainly never seemed brief at the time.

At my next school I fare a little better, remembering certainly two of my fellow pupils who were great friends at the time, although I doubt that they would particularly recall me any more. In fact it's true to say that my memories of them are little more than their names, although it's not necessary for me to recount those here. I suppose that the prime reason for this state of affairs is that the friendships that I most recall are those forged outside of the school gate. Deep friendships that were thought of at the time as being ones that would last for ever, yet which have passed away over time to become little more than pages in my life's diary. For much of my early childhood my best friends were Henry Smith and Richard Pitt. We were like the 'Three Musketeers' --- always together. Yet we have not met up or communicated now for more than fifty years. From the age of about ten my closest friend was Dick Ball, sadly a victim to the ravages of heart attack in his 40's. We remained in touch almost all of his life, albeit that we never managed to see each other for the last twenty years or so due to geographical problems.

Then there are the girls that I knew and were fond of as friends as well as those with whom I fell in love. I often think about them, wondering whatever happened in their lives, and what direction they went in; remembering them (well, at least most of them), with great fondness. I'm still in touch with my very first love after a little more than fifty years, and I usually communicate with her and her husband a couple of times each year.

All of the friendships that I have enjoyed have added something to my life in one way or another, whether by forging fond memories that I can reflect on now or by teaching me the lessons of life due to their tempestuous nature.

When I was at college in Aberystwyth in the mid-1990's I made many friends amongst my fellow students, and by and large those friendships are still with me, although generally speaking, because the restrictions of time and distance, most are reduced to meeting up on rare occasions when we each attend the same meetings, or sharing Christmas Cards with each other. Nevertheless, they are still valued.

In fact, I would say that every friendship that I have ever had is still valued by me, for it's those friendships, or rather the influence of the people concerned, that have helped to make me the person that I am today, for in friendship we give to each other so much of ourselves, hopefully in proportionate measure.

Over the last few years I have had the privilege of building many friendships over the Internet, due to my work on The Voice magazine. These are friendships that have been made despite never having met each other, probably today's version of the Pen-Pals of our youth, those friendships forged with others across the world and maintained only via the postal service.

One thing is for certain, I am so thankful for every friendship that I've been blessed with, for each of them has, in one way or another, been responsible for making my journey brighter and more meaningful, so should any of you, (and you will know who you are as well as I), chance to read this Blog then I say a heartfelt 'Thank You' for all that you have given to me and hope that I've been able to reciprocate in some small manner.

Poem for Today : 'Snow'

Snow
There's snow in the air today:
its sullen greyness
waiting to dress the world
in wedding finery.
Freezing droplets
suspended in hedgerows
like virginal veils.

There's snow falling today;
wind-whipped and swirling,
dancing and curling,
covering -
mothering -
smothering -
in its innocent purity.

There's snow on the rooftop
the field and the roadway,
the verges grey-brown
and wet with sludge.
The scene still is changing,
with nature arranging
to alter the Psalter.

There's snow an the ground
so deep, not a sound
can pass, except for a hush.
Now the bride in her veil
has left a sad trail,
with the hymnary white
overshadowed by night.

There's snow on the ground,
and the blood of the Lamb
is waiting now to be shed;
and the bride in her veil
releases a wail
as the Saviour of man
hangs lifeless and dead.

The snow has departed
and locked in a tomb
lays the remnant
of the man He once was.
But on the third day
the stone rolled away,
revealing the Saviour He is.

Colin Gordon-Farleigh © 2003

Joanne Lowe's Meditations : 'What Are We Telling Him?'

WHAT ARE WE TELLING HIM?

“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
Luke 23: 33 John 19: 33, 34 (King James Version)

Gordon Jenson wrote a beautiful and inspiring song that touches the depths of my heart every time I hear it and brings tears of gratitude to my eyes “Written in Red”. These beautiful and inspiring words that he penned came from the bottom of his heart and they proclaim the compassion and the unconditional love of our Saviour.

“In letters of crimson God wrote his love, On a hillside so long, long ago, For you and for me Jesus died, And love’s greatest story was told. I love you, I love you, That’s what Calvary said, I love you, I love you, written in red.” Yes, our precious Saviour wrote His great love for us with His own blood as He hung there on the cross and died for our sins.



What amazing love and compassion flowed from the heart of Jesus for us that day as He hung there on that cross bleeding and in excruciating pain. No one loves you like He loves you. He told us He loves us with His own blood. What are we telling Him with our actions and with our words?

Does Jesus know that we love Him by the way we live and the things we say? What are we telling Him by our actions and our words? One day every one of us will stand before a Holy God and give an account of the way we treated Jesus. May God have mercy on us and forgive us if we are hurting His beloved Son.


Joanne Lowe
joannelowe8@cox.net
www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

Saturday, October 17, 2009

We all need hope, and here's a way to find it . . .


Our lives are made more meaningful according to the hope that we have. My hope is securely placed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, sent by God in order that sinful mankind might have an opportunity to be reconciled to Him.

The offer of salvation is open to everyone and anyone, no matter what faith you follow, no matter even if you have no faith at all. Nevertheless, regardless of your condition, the offer of salvation is open to you. When Jesus died on the cross He gave up His life in payment for the price of sin. It was a once-for-all sacrificial payment. In order to claim salvation you need to do three things:
  1. Repent of your sins
  2. Believe that Jesus was who He claimed to be and that He died to pay the price for your sin.
  3. Accept the forgiveness that He offers and embrace the hope that He gives.
Accepting Jesus into your life guarantees that your life will change for ever. If you have never accepted Him up to now, why not make the decision today. If you do then your life will change for ever.

'An Auctioneer's Lot'


I've just finished reading Philip Serrell's book, An Auctioneer's Lot, which is an ideal bedtime read as you can read through a chapter (or as the author heads them 'a Lot') each night before dropping off to sleep. Not, mind you, that I'm inferring that the book makes you drop off!

It's a highly amusing collection of recollections from Serrell's early experiences as he learned the art of the auctioneer, and like many recollections it's peopled with the dour to the eccentric. I enjoyed the tale of Mr Smit from Shrewsbury who threatened Philip Serrell with a shotgun when he went to value some furniture, telling him in no uncertain terms to "Clear off before I shoot you!" And that after Philip Serrell had been commissioned to do the job by a local firm of lawyers.

Another 'Lot' that I enjoyed for all of its home-spun charm was headed A Tale of Two Tables, and in it the author relates how the table thought to be valuable turned out to be a great disappointment whilst the table that was destined for the bonfire as kindling turned out to be extremely valuable. Well, you just never know in that business.

Published in 2005 by Hodder & Stoughton, I imagine that this book is probably only available now as a second-hand purchase, but just in case here's the ISBN: 0 340 83895 7. If you get the chance then I can recommend it to you without question dear reader.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Good Times Remembered . . .

My thoughts often take me back to idyllic days spent in Rhodesia under the blazing African sun, and the manner in which I changed countries without moving as Rhodesia became firstly Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and then finally Zimbabwe. I lived in Salisbury, now known as Harare, and the first few years were spent in the Avenues, an area always awash with the colour of Jacaranda or Flame trees.

Weekend trips included visits to places such as Lake McIlwaine, where there was a great Game Reserve, and Mazoe where there were citrus orchards. Visits to friends often meant travelling to the outskirts of the city, and many an afternoon would be spent around the swimming pool.

My job for many years was with the Singer Sewing Machine company and it took me into the townships around the city where I made many friends as I travelled about. One particular memory which I often recall is of the times spent eating lunch in the van in the company of fellow employee and friend Geoffrey Chapurinyemba, and he and I would often while away the lunch hour discussing the situation that existed in the country at that time.

Whenever I think of the years that I spent in that country then it is the people that I met and made friends with who are foremost in my mind. The overall friendliness of people everywhere is something that would be hard to beat. I recall occasions when in the township marketplace when I would be given a gift of an egg for my little boy or an orange for myself, the gifts being given by someone who gave willingly yet had so little. I coined the phrase 'Poverty with Dignity' as a result of my dealings with these folk, and they certainly managed to leave an indelible impression on me. Many people in the Western world could benefit from learning the lesson as so often they are truculent through wealth and the expectations of being given something for nothing simply because they feel that they have a right to it.

Leaving the people behind when I returned to the UK was the hardest thing of all, but Mugabe's reign was already well advanced and the country was already in the early stages of destruction and melt-down by the time that I left. Knowing the people and recognising the suffering that Mugabe has inflicted on them is one of the great burdens of my life, one which brings much sadness with it. How easy it would be to allow the smiles of the people and their wonderful friendship so freely offered to colour the images of the dreadful things that occur today on a daily basis.

I often think about friends from those days and wonder what they are doing now, or even if they are doing now. I think of Matambo Gunde who worked for me for several years both in my supermarket and on the land at home. When the time came for me to leave he shed many tears at my departing, for he had been with me for several years since he was about sixteen years old. Then there are friends like Paul Mangate with whom I worked when I was employed by Singer. He and I were great friends, and we spent many a time putting the world to right. So many others come to mind, each one bringing pleasant memories forged by our friendship. How easily I recall Emmerson Ganza who worked with me when I ran a printing company. He had a love of fashion, and would usually be seen on shoes with huge heels!

Several years ago a Zimbabwean dance group came to perform at the theatre in Brecon, the nearest town to where I was then living, and I went to the performance which was not only enjoyable but also stirred many memories in me of these friends from the past. In fact, so strongly were they stirred that I wrote the following poem:

Africa Recalled
Recollections of African friendships
Last night I sat in the half-dark of the theatre
watching and listening to Black Umfolosi;
seeing the ghosts of yesterday
moving silently in the shadows.
Moyo, Mangate, Takawira, Msikavanhu;
so close I could almost touch them
- almost hear their breathing.

I heard the voices calling from the stage
echoing louder than the distance of time;
bringing past and present together
in one loud dreaming moment.
Matambo, Ganza, Bepete, Chapurinyemba;
all ghosts from the distant past
- fleshed out by the men of today.

Colin Gordon-Farleigh © 2000

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What's YOUR Value? (Video)


'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.'
John Chapter 3, verse16 (NAS)

This great video comes from FaithArt. Why not visit them for more great videos, photographs and clip art.

Joanne Lowe's Meditations : 'Praise the Lamb'

PRAISE THE LAMB

“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”
Revelation 5: 8, 9 (King James Version)

Margaret Jenkins Harris composed a beautiful song “I Will Praise Him”. She and her husband, John, were song evangelists. My heart echoes these words “I will praise Him! I will praise Him! Praise the Lamb for sinners slain; Give Him glory, all ye people, For His blood can wash away each stain.” I believe that these words came from the depths of her heart. How I praise and thank God for the Lamb and His cleansing redeeming blood.

Unless the precious blood of the Lamb has been applied to our hearts for the forgiveness of our sins, we are lost in our sins and on our way to hell for all eternity. We read in the Bible “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26: 28). Has the redeeming blood of the Lamb been applied to your heart for the forgiveness of your sins?

If not, I urge you; I plead with you to humble yourself and admit that you are a sinner. Repent of your sins and ask God to forgive you. Open the door of your heart and invite Jesus to come in to be your personal Saviour. Where are you going to spend eternity, in Heaven with Jesus or in hell with satan? Only you can decide where you will spend eternity. Who do you choose, Jesus or satan?

Joanne Lowe
joannelowe8@cox.net
www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Walking for Charity . . . The End of the Journey

We made it!

The end is in site as we arrive at Preston Brook Marina.

Poem for Today : 'Come, Lord Jesus'


Come, Lord Jesus

Heaven will be filled with voices
Proclaiming the Son of God;
When every person on earth
Walks in the steps He trod.

Angels will be rejoicing,
The heavenly choir will sing,
Then all will know that Jesus
Is worshipped as the King.

Give Him the praise and glory
Until at His feet you bow;
Worship the heavenly Saviour,
O come Lord Jesus, now.
Copyright 2008, Colin Gordon-Farleigh
Taken from 'In Praise of Him, Eternally'
published by Voice Publications, 2008

Walking for Charity

The time is ten-thirty, the place is Top Locks, Runcorn, UK. The intrepid walkers are (l to r): Bill Gibson, Gill Gordon-Farleigh and Alan Watson, who between them have a combined age of just over 170 years. I put that bit in because whenever the local newspapers report anything about an individual they always have to put the age in brackets after their name.

This pic was taken at the starting point of a two-and-a-half hour walk to raise much needed funds for two charities, Claire House, which is a children's hospice on the Wirral, and Voice Ministries, publishers of the freely distributed magazine, The Voice Christian News & Views.

The walk will take them along a good stretch of the Bridgewater Canal between Top Locks, Runcorn and the Preston Brook Marina a few miles away. It was good to see that yesterday's rain has blown away, and so it should be a pleasant walk to do. I had looked forward to going on it myself, but unfortunately I am somewhat unwell at present (hence not many blog entries over the last week or so).

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Meditation from Joanne Lowe: 'Are We Joyful?'

ARE WE JOYFUL?

“But let all those who put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.”
Psalm 5: 11 (King James Version)

What a sad commentary it is on those of us who claim to be Christians that we have no trouble shouting for our favorite sports teams but we are reluctant to shout when it comes to praising Jesus. It’s no wonder at all that our teenagers don’t want anything to do with church or with God. Our teenagers know how we talked and acted before we were saved.

They are waiting to see if we really have changed. If they hear us yelling like we used to or doing things we shouldn’t do, not only will they not believe us, we are putting a stumbling block in their way of accepting Jesus as their personal Saviour. May God have mercy on us if we have put stumbling blocks in front of our children by our words and by our actions.

A friend of mine who is a conservative Christian leader made this remark “Everyone is watching me to see if I make a mistake”. If we have accepted Jesus as our personal Saviour, everyone is watching us to see if there is a difference in our lives. Do your family and friends see the difference in the way you live? Do they hear you shouting for joy as you praise Jesus? Are we joyful because of our precious Saviour?

Heavenly Father, please forgive us because we don’t shout with joy and praise Jesus. Have mercy on us for hurting Your beloved Son. Search our hearts and convict us of the things we are doing or not doing that hurt You. Heavenly Father, please set our hearts on fire for Jesus. May we lift up our voices and shout for joy because of Jesus, the Saviour of the world!

Joanne Lowe
October 6, 2009
joannelowe8@cox.net
www.joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com

Sunday, October 4, 2009

When I'm With You


Here's the video that accompanies my song When I'm With You. Sung by Susan Marrs, it's the title track from her CD of that name which is available from Sheer Joy Music.

The Seven Wonders of the World

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Here's a great video that's well worth watching.

Islamic Domination? Maybe, or maybe not!

I have often written about the Islamification of Europe and The West, and just as often been accused of Islamapohobia because I choose to disseminate the truth about the advance of Islam into Europe and the USA. Here in this video you can judge for yourself.

If Islam takes over Europe and America in a relatively short time, as this video suggests, then the Christian world will only have itself to blame, for the complacency and lack of commitment of millions who call themselves Christians will be the grease with which Islam slides into place. The politicians across Europe are so busy jumping on the Gravy Train that they look only as far as securing votes for themselves, and so appear not to care less about the vast number of Muslims who are entering their countries under ill-controlled immigration laws. The desire to create a United States of Europe blinkers the majority who see the EU as a guaranteed gilt-edged pension which is theirs by right.

At present there is a breakdown of law in that so much crime is re-classified, with the result that we now live in nations where feral thugs roam the streets unchallenged, meting out their particular brand of thuggery to whomsoever they choose with little punishment resulting from it. What use is it to create laws to protect the majority when they are then not properly enacted? One thing that will change under Islamic Law is this sort of thing.

You may well think that it makes it worthwhile, but be warned, when Europe becomes a gigantic Islamic State then your freedom will be curtailed drastically.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Harvest Festival Hymn


Every month Sheer Joy Music have a section on their site called 'Hymn of the Month', and this month the hymn chosen is my hymn Harvest Time. You can download both the sheet music and the words, and also listen to a track of it being sung by Cantoris by clicking here.

These are the words to the hymn:

Harvest Time

The land is ripe for harvest,
Look upward for your Lord,
He’ll soon appear in glory,
As He promised in His Word.
He’s returning for the faithful.
For those who know Him true:
Make quite certain you are ready
When He calls out loud for you.
The land is ripe, the land is ripe,
The fields are white as new:
Hasten now to reap the crops,
For the labourers are but few.

We’re told it’s just a twinkling
Of an eye, it is so brief.
He’ll return in clouds of glory
For those with firm belief.
Yes, the land is ripe for harvest,
For the people to go home,
Yes, the land is ripe for harvest,
As He calls us for His own.
The land is ripe, the land is ripe,
The fields are white as new:
Hasten now to reap the crops,
For the labourers are but few.
© 2006 Colin Gordon-Farleigh