"Where there's muck there's brass" : 'Fifty Shades of Grey' : A tale of Pornography

     When I was in W H Smiths the other day I noticed a group of women by a display placed near the sales counter. They were all talking excitedly about the book on display which was 'Fifty Shades of Grey' written by E L James. This book has been labelled as 'mummy-porn', and it is sweeping the best-seller lists. For this reason many of you may be tempted to buy it and see what all the fuss is about.
     Well, let me tell you what the fuss is about. This is what ABC News have summarised about the book:
"Anastasia Steele, 21, and a virginal college student, can't say no to dashing 27-year-old Christian Grey, who insists she sign a contract that allows him to submit her to his every sadomasochistic whim. In their first sexual encounter, Grey unveils his silver tie and binds her wrists in knots, and Steele does as she is told. He is also fabulously rich, a telecommunications tycoon, and uses his wealth to take care of her like a pampered princess. "Ana," as he calls her, willingly and excitedly agrees to spanking, whipping and gagging, with props like ice, rope, tape—a repertoire right out of a BDSM [bondage, discipline, dominance and submission] manual. Grey instructs her to call him, "sir" and sets rules on everything from her diet to her most intimate grooming routines."
     So there you have it. It's pornography, dressed up slightly by those with a vested financial interest to create the impression that it's okay and just a little harmless reading --- but it's not!
     If you are tempted to buy it and read it then just ask yourself if you would place it next to the Bible on the bookshelf without any pangs of guilt.
     Well, the expression "Where there's muck there's brass" certainly applies in this case, for the author has already made several million from writing and peddling this filth, and stands to make much more. However, the time of reckoning will eventually come of course.

'Drawing Strength from the Right Sources' by Chris Goppert

     Some time ago, Chris Goppert, a friend from my days in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe sent me a copy of a book of meditations that he had published called 'Drawing Strength from the right Sources.' 
     Whether you use it in a corporate or an individual way,this is a book that will be a great blessing to you to have. It really is a great devotional book, and Chris is one of Christ's servants in Zimbabwe, a nation in which he has laboured from many years.
You can order copies of our book: Drawing Strength from the Right Sources on-line. 

'In Praise of Him' series of Meditations

 Have you checked out these popular and Award-winning collections of Christian verse and meditations by Colin Gordon-Farleigh? You can buy them on-line from Voice Publications.

There is also a best-selling CD available with a generous 34 tracks, including 'King of Kings.' You can download individual tracks or the whole album from CD Baby, iTunes or Amazon, or purchase the CD from Sheer Joy Music. 

'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 there

across the room,

and then

I light the flame once more

a thousand times.

© Colin Gordon-Farleigh 2006

First published in Fragments of Earth, 2006 by Voice Publications, 33 Balfour Street, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 4PH

www.voicepublications.com

ISBN 0-9553583-1-0

978-0-9553583-1-0

'The Last Voyage of the Titanic' by Richard Ball

In 1968 I published this book by the poet Richard Ball, under the imprint of Gazebo Books, Wilts. The Last Voyage of the Titanic is a narrative poem which depicts the structure of the ship alongside the ill-feted maiden voyage. In this centenary year of the tragedy I am wondering whether to issue a reprint of this booklet which has long been out of print. What do you think, dear reader?

About Don Yarber's latest book, 'The Sign Killer'

In  "The Sign Killer":

Four boys are out having some fun, shooting at deer crossing signs.  Down the country highway, a man is hit in the head with a shot from a rifle.  He dies immediately.

The little town of Green Village Tennessee experiences a Hodge-podge of events with more twists than the law allows.

The banker wants to be governor.

The sheriff wants to retire.

The lawyer wants the victim's widow.

The game warden wants to keep his job.

The boys want some one else to take the fall.

The killer wants a free pass.

Fast moving, cleverly constructed, this mystery will keep you turning pages in the manner Don Yarber's readers are accustomed to in his first 3 books, Bodies and Beaches, Corpses and Canyons, and Death and Deep Waters.  Yarber is currently writing Evil and Everglades, the 4th in the Kip Yardley, PI, series.

Don Yarber and the 'Kip Yardley Mysteries' : Good reads for the Holidays!

Here's a trio of books that will keep you engrossed through the holidays. Written by Don Yarber, they feature Kip Yardley in a series of mysteries. Buy them from your book store or online from Amazon, or download them onto your nice new Kindle. Whatever way you do it, one thing is for sure, these mystery will keep you guessing!

Check out these reviews:

Corpses and Canyons:

     Kip Yardley is called to the wild, desert areas of Arizona to find the killers of a highway surveyor.   He gets shot at, left to die in the desert, and warned by Flagstaff Police to drop the case and go back home to LA.  Kip is determined to find out what the clues in an old Inidian Peace pipe, a topography map, and a drawing in the sand all add up to. 

     The bad guys are out to kill him and the girls are out to tease him.  But when the daughter of the higway construction boss disappears, things start getting hot in a hurry.  Fast paced, hard hitting, and cleverly constructed, this mystery will keep you guessing "who done it?"

Bodies and Beaches:

     In "Bodies and Beaches" Don has created Kip Yardley, hard hitting Private Eye, former California Highway Patrol officer.  Kip is hired by beautiful Starla Lang to find her brother's killers.
     Kip fights his way through beaches full of beach bums, barns full of marijuana and topless bars full of sleazy dancers and illegal aliens.
     Something keeps nagging Kip about the connection between the killers and a friend, Toby Smith, who is Kip's connection to the California Highway Patrol, and a guy who has always dealt his cards straight.
     Kip needs to prove to himself that Toby isn't a bad guy but all indications are that he is being set up for a hard fall.
     Funny at times, serious at others, this book is fast paced and easy reading.

Death and Deep Water:

     The third in the "Kip Yardley" mysteries, Kip is asked by an aging Hollywood movie star to find the remains of her WWII pilot husband, shot down over a South Pacific island. Kip's fee: $250,000.

     Then the old lady turns up dead, shot through the head with a .22 calibre handgun.  LA police find a contract for Kip's assignment, signed by the old lady.  All Kip has to do to make the quarter million dollars she offered is to sign the contract and find the remains.

     There are dark forces and deep waters between Kip and the quarter million.

I'm currently reading ... 'Revival Praying' by Leonard Ravenhill

I'm currently about halfway through this Spirit-inspired book by the late Leonard Ravenhill, and I completely concur with the writer of the following review which comes from the Amazon website.


     'REVIVAL PRAYING is one of the best books on prayer. In fact, I would rate it just a bit ahead of Leonard Ravenhill's best known book, WHY REVIVAL TARRIES?. The book focuses not on revival as much as prayer. It is Ravenhill's firm belief that we lack a true sense and awe of God's holiness and majesty because we don't pray (Luke 18:1). Despite the church being very active in politics, programs, and everything else under the sun, the average church's prayer meeting is either non-existent or lacking. For example a local church near me boasts in their 500 members but only 6 usually come to their prayer meeting. How sad!
     If you are a weak, defeated, sinning, dead in your sins, no hunger for God "Christian" then please don't read this book on prayer. Try a lighter book such as Bill Hybels' TOO BUSY NOT TO PRAY but don't read any books by Tozer, Wesley, Ravenhill, M'Cheyne, Morgan, Torrey, or any other of the older saints of God (Colossians 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17; James 5:16). These books are not books on HOW to pray but are written to encourage those who DO pray (Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 11:1; Acts 2:42; Romans 12:12).'


Of course, if all you do is read this book and then put it back on your bookshelf then you will have only got a taste of a good book. What you need to do is to pray before, during and after you read it, begging God to help you apply the wisdom and truths found in it to your own life, for this is a Spirit-inspired book which has the ability to change your life if you so desire and so permit.

New book by Brigitte Gabriel: “Understanding the Threat of Radical Islam”

A book on Radical Islam—for our youth!
by Brigitte Gabriel,
President, ACT! for America
I am so excited to be able to announce the completion of a new ACT! for America book for our youth—

“Understanding the Threat of Radical Islam”

Everywhere I go I hear from parents and grandparents who ask me, “is there a good resource about radical Islam available for young people?”

Now there is—and just in time for holiday gift-giving!!

This illustrated book covers all the essential topics needed for a young person to gain an understanding of radical Islam—without being too long or too weighty. They’ll learn about everything from al Qaeda to Khomeini, from jihad to the Muslim Brotherhood, from sharia law to Wahhabism. The book even contains a timeline and an index.

Designed for middle school and early high school ages, this book will provide your teen or grandchild, or a friend of the family, the facts they aren’t getting in school, movies or the media.

We’re making this important book available for a contribution of just $26. For just $26 you can put this book into the hands of your teenager, a grandchild, or the friend of your family.

Simply log on here, select the “Contributing Member” option, then select the $26 gift level. It’s safe, simple, and secure.


If you would like multiple copies, we’re offering bulk orders of six copies or more for a contribution of just $20 per copy. After you log on here, select the “Quantity Discount Orders” option, then scroll down to the $20 gift amount.

If you would prefer to make your contribution with a check, just click here to print out an easy-to-use reply form that you can mail in with your check.

The holidays are just around the corner, so if you’re interested, please act today. This book is a great gift for teenagers—but I’ve been told by adults who have read it that the information is packaged so well they enjoyed reading it as well.

You can change the heart and mind of a young person today by getting a copy of this book. In doing so, you’ll be helping to shape the next generation’s understanding of radical Islam.

Thank you for your support of ACT! for America. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Always devoted,


Brigitte Gabriel

Andrew Strom's book, 'How to Survive the Depression' is a 'Must Read.'

Get a spiritual perspective on the spiritual causes of the current double-dip recession from this great little book by Andrew Strom. A limited number of copies are available in return for a donation towards the cost of production and despatch by going to the Voice Publications website. 

I'm currently reading ... 'Why Revival Tarries' by Leonard Ravenhill

I have long been of the opinion that the late Leonard Ravenhill was a man with a particularly anointed ministry. He was fearless when it came to pointing the church in the right direction and exposing the many faults of today's all-too-often wealth obsessed evangelists and those who preached non-gospels from the pulpits which they were privileged to preach from. 


Leonard Ravenhill was, above all, a man of god who was a prayer warrior in the truest sense. He recognised that if you truly desire to be all that God calls you to be then you need to plug into the power source constantly, and the only method of doing that is by fervent prayer.


The call for Revival is more of a whisper these days, possibly, I believe, because Revival would upset the worldly aspirations of so many who claim to be followers of Christ. In this book, Leonard Ravenhill outlines the reasons why Revival seems to remain something in the distant past, and he pulls no punches and takes no prisoners in his indictment of the ministry practises and the lack of true commitment to the cause of the Gospel.


Why Revival Tarries has been around for many years, and it has influenced many who seek for a better means of serving the Lord. If you have not yet read it then I urge you to do so without further delay, for if you read it prayerfully you will find it life-changing, for it's a book that is both inspiring and inspirational.

'A Tiny Bit Marvellous' by Dawn French

      My wife is an avid reader, consuming books like some people consume Fish 'n Chip suppers, and she bought a copy of this book on the basis that it would be a witty and well-written read, particularly having been suitably impressed by the review quotes on the cover of the book. Miss French is a popular comedienne, and this added to her anticipation of a good read.

      What a pity then that, after struggling through the first few chapters she finally decided to consign the book where it belonged, in the nearest trash-can. 

      The problem is not particularly the story-line. After all, she never got into the book enough to discover what it was. No, the problem was that the number of obscenities, commencing with the first sentence of Chapter One, and continuing on from that, made this book a non-starter as far as she was concerned. 

      Even as I write, I can hear the shouts of protest that this is hailed as a No 1 Bestseller, and also that people use obscenities in everyday language nowadays. Both of these facts are true to one degree or another, but that doesn't make them any more acceptable. Maybe Miss French uses the sort of language that she writes in her everyday conversation, I don't know. Certainly, I hear parents of very small children cursing and swearing, both at them and in front of them, but this does not make it acceptable in any sense at all.

      How sad that this book has become a Best Seller, but I wonder how many  of those purchasers thought that it deserved to be. Whatever the answer both my wife and I are absolute in our condemnation of this book as a trashy write and a worthless read.

New Mystery Novel by Don Yarber : 'Corpses & Canyons'

Don Yarber was born in Harrisburg, IL and graduated from Mackenzie High School in Detroit, MI 1954. After a hitch in the Navy, he attended El Camino College in California where he studied Journalism. Don retired in 1998 and soon after published his first novel, 'Bodies and Beaches.'


'Corpses and Canyons' is the second novel featuring Kip Yardley, Los Angeles Private Eye, introduced in the first book.  The 3rd in the 'Kip Yardley Murder Mystery' series, 'Death and Deep Waters' is available for purchase.  Kip finds himself in the Canyon areas near Flagstaff, Arizona, trying to dig up clues to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of a highway construction worker. Although Flagstaff Police want him to return to LA, and sinister forces send him a deadly message by running him off of the road and leaving him to die in a burning Jeep, Kip is stubborn enough (or dumb enough) to follow his instincts and keep digging for clues. But when beautiful Valerie Chiccaro, the daughter of the Highway Contractor, turns up missing, things start getting hot in a hurry.  Kip soon finds that Arizona women are hot to handle and hard to please.


An Indian peace pipe, a topography map, and five grand in cash are some of the clues that Kip uncovers.  In the end he faces death in the desert before he can bring the killers to justice.  But his enemies underestimate him.  Kip has a few tricks of his own up his sleeve.


If you like good old fashioned P.I. work and are tired of filthy language, explicit sex scenes and psycho killers, you'll enjoy 'Corpses and Canyons.'


You can order ’Corpses & Canyons’ from here, or from Amazon. Contact Don by visiting his webpage kipyardleymysteries.bravehost.com

Do You Have an Evacuee Story?

Runcorn author, Chris Darlington, is busy researching material for his next book and is appealing for stories about children who were evacuated during World War 2 from the cities and towns into the countryside. With the amount of time that has lapsed since the end of the War there are increasingly fewer folk who were evacuees, although there are still probably quite a few thousand around the country. However, even though you might not have been an evacuee yourself, perhaps you might have had relatives who were, and even have some photographs hidden away dealing with that period in their lives.


If you have, then why not contact Chris Darlington with the details of the experience and a copy of the photographs. You can email him here.

BRF author Brad Lincoln wins Ultimate Christian Library Book 2011 award

2011 award presentation: Left to right are Paula Renouf and Geoff Booker of Speaking Volumes, presenting to Brad Lincoln – winning author, and Karen Laister of BRF publishing.

Brad Lincoln’s One Dad Encountering God has won the Ultimate Christian Library Book 2011 awarded at CRE Sandown on Wednesday 11 May.

The award, which is decided by a public vote, is run by Speaking Volumes on behalf of the Christian Book Promotion Trust, a charity set up 41 years ago by Cecil Jackson Cole to promote Christian literature to an audience beyond the Church.

Brad’s book fought off more than 60 other books for the title, including Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef with Ron Brackin (Authentic Media), Children of God by Desmond Tutu (Collins), The Sixty Minute Family by Rob Parsons (Lion Hudson) and An Illustrated History of Gospel by Steve Turner (Lion Hudson).

‘To be shortlisted for a book award in amongst the like of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Rob Parsons, people who have had such an impact on thousands (if not millions) of people is more than enough. After all, the reason for writing the book was to find a way to reach people and to challenge their preconceptions about a remote God, when the truth is so much more intimate. I hope that those who voted for the book were indeed touched, challenged and encouraged.’ Brad Lincoln

‘This is just the kind of message we want to know is in a public library where people may be seeking to understand the true nature of God.’ Paula Renouf, Director of Speaking Volumes

‘We are really delighted for Brad. The message of this book is so important for today’s society. Using the fruits of the Spirit he carefully and practically explains how dads can learn from the perfect father how to be the dads they want to be. A book for those in church and outside!’ Karen Laister, Deputy CEO, BRF

Brad Lincoln is a company director, who previously spent five years working in western Nepal with the International Nepal Fellowship. He has also written Six Men Encountering God.

One Dad Encountering God, £6.99, ISBN 978 1 84101 678 8, pb, 128 pages

For further information, a review copy or author interview, contact: Kevin Ball, Tel: 01865 319709, email: kevin.ball@brf.org.uk.

New book by Maggie Ross: 'Writing the Icon of The Heart' : In Silence Beholding

What do we mean by the term ‘beholding’? Why is it missing from so many modern Bible translations?
Maggie Ross discusses through twelve essays the critical importance of silence and beholding as the basis for Christian life, and the dire consequences, especially to understanding the Bible, spiritual texts and practice, wrought by the absence of the word ‘behold’ from contemporary translations. She demonstrates how a true understanding of silence and beholding goes beneath religious language and clichés to the actual processes of mind rooted in the body, essential to understanding the Christian textual and iconographic heritage.

‘Behold is profoundly theological. It describes a reciprocal holding in being, the humility of God sharing the divine nature with what it creates. God the Creator of all who is beyond being, in humility allows us, created beings, to hold God in space and time even as God is sustaining us in existence and holding us in eternity.’
Ross also places special emphasis on the current global ecological crisis as a spiritual crisis.

This interdisciplinary book celebrates ancient and medieval insights into the mind’s journey into silence as they converge with contemporary psychology and neurobiology.

‘Maggie Ross clears away the “white noise” that so often attends writing, and talking about faith. She invites us into real quiet, which is also real presence, presence to ourselves and the threefold mystery that eludes our concepts and even our ordinary ideas of “experience”. A really transformative book.’
Archbishop Rowan Williams

Maggie Ross is the pseudonym of a professed Anglican solitary, who divides her time between Oxford and the USA, preaching and lecturing, leading retreats, offering pastoral care, and writing books and liturgies. Among her other books are Fire of Your Life (second rev. edition 2007, Church Publishing) and Pillars of Flame (rev. edition 2007, Church Publishing). She blogs at http://ravenwilderness.blogspot.com.

Writing the Icon of the Heart is published 20 May 2011, priced £6.99, ISBN 978 1 84101 878 2, pb, 128 pages

For further information, a review copy or author interview, contact: Kevin Ball, Tel: 01865 319709, email: kevin.ball@brf.org.uk.

Songs of Praise & Worship

Over the past nine months I have published a new hymn on this Blog virtually every day, the exception being a 3-day gap when my PC was playing up and the 8 days when I was away in the USA during March. All of these hymns and worship songs will eventually be available in a collection titled Songs of Praise & Worship which will be available from Voice Publications.


I'm often asked how I manage to write a new hymn every day, and the answer is that I do it only by the grace of God. I have been blessed with the task of being a messenger to bring to wider attention songs that speak of God's love and grace, and which praise Him in all things. It is a labour of love in two ways; firstly there is the fact that I love what I'm called to do and the opportunity to share the work with you, dear readers, and secondly --- and more importantly --- it demonstrates that God is reaching out in love to His creation in every possible way.


I often refer to myself as a mailman when it comes to speaking about this task, because I see myself as delivering messages in song that God sends by His Spirit. I guess that I'm the clerk whom He uses to write down the messages. All the glory for the work goes to God!


I hope that you enjoy receiving the songs and hymns each day, and that you use some of them in your worship of the Living God. More than that, as you sing them in praise to His glory I pray that you will be blessed by them.

'PILGRIMAGE The journey to remembering our story' : New book by Andrew Jones

 ‘The greed embodied in the financial markets, global warming and the stark inequalities in the political response, the huge influence of oil production on political decision making and the madness of celebrity culture. In the face of these concerns, there is a crisis of hope throughout the developed world, a crisis leading to a serious collective depression. These things are a manifestation of our exile.’

Influenced by the exile commentary of Walter Brueggemann, Andrew Jones’ argument is simple but vital. Many churches generally, and many people who hold a Christian faith specifically, are suffering the deep symptoms of an exile situation, which has many parallels to the sixth-century Babylonian exile of the Jews. Are churches finding it difficult to reach out because, like the sixth-century exiles, they are at crucial times singing an outdated and irrelevant song? How do you sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

Those first people of exile had to rediscover relevancy by passing through a particular chain of events that not only changed their lives radically but also changed the whole structure of their theological thinking. Under the leadership of prophetic voices, they found a new, relevant way to sing the old songs. The Church is likewise required to construct a fresh pastoral theology to enable an effective response to today’s cultural circumstances.

Andrew Jones believes that pilgrimage can provide an appropriate place for such a conversation, ‘as the act of pilgrimage is itself a spiritual laboratory in which Christians can start to work out what it means to be church today.’ And it is already happening. Jones claims that the experiences of renewal and refreshment of faith at places of Christian pilgrimage often now far outweighs what is happening in many churches. But why is this?

Journeying together inspires the sharing of the narrative of the Christian faith, rediscovering a sense of who we are, where we have come from and where we are going. It immerses the pilgrim in the story of God’s creative and redeeming work, bringing reassurance that God has created a relationship with his people and continues to work in and through them to fulfil his purposes. Just like those ancient exiles, pilgrimage provides the catalyst to recover and reconcile our past stories, to heal memories and to see the hope of the current and the future.

The sixth-century exiles also found renewed hope in being heirs of God’s story and likewise today, pilgrims can connect with God’s story by discovering a deep sense of inheritance from the pilgrimage sites. As Jones comments, ‘tourist pass through such sites but for the pilgrim the place passes through them.’ He supports his argument by recounting the stories of eight contemporary pilgrims who have reconnected with the story through pilgrimage to sites in the UK.

‘This book speaks to our condition: we feel exiled from our former sense of a familiar environmental, political and religious landscape. It compellingly points a way forward through prophetic, ancient faith-future faith pilgrimage.’Ray Simpson, Founding Guardian, the Community of Aidan and Hilda


‘In this inspiring and insightful book, Andrew Jones invites us to travel with him as he unravels enriching conversation between God’s story in scripture, the sacred locations of pilgrimage, and the joys and tragedies of individual human lives.’Leslie J Francis, Professor of Religions and Education, University of Warwick

Andrew Jones is Archdeacon of Meirionnydd and rector of four churches on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. He previously served as Director of Pastoral Studies at St Michael’s College, Llandaff and lectured in theology for Cardiff University. He regularly leads pilgrimages to sites around the UK and abroad and has also written Every Pilgrims Guide to Celtic Britain and Ireland (Canterbury Press, 2002) and presented the DVD A Celtic Pilgrimage to Bardsey.

Pilgrimage is published 20 May 2011, priced £8.99

ISBN 978 1 84101 834 8

pb, 208 pages.

The publisher is: 

BRF, 15 The Chambers, Vineyard, Abingdon OX14 3FE; Tel: 01865 319700 Fax: 01865 319701

www.brf.org.uk email: enquiries@brf.org.uk

Andrew Strom's book 'TRUE & FALSE REVIVAL' available here.

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

What are the FACTS about Todd Bentley's Lakeland revival?

• 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 to cover the costs of printing and posting. 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.

    We will then confirm that a copy has been reserved. 

2. Simply SEND YOUR DONATION to:

    Voice Publications, 33 Balfour Street, Runcorn, WA7 4PH, UK.

3. Alternatively, you can 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.

In Praise of Him Again!

The second book of Christian verse in the series, 'In Praise of Him' was titled In Praise of Him Again! and the front cover photograph is of the Bridgewater Canal at Runcorn,a short distance from Top Locks. The book was published in 2006 by Voice Publications. It's available from Voice Publications, 33 Balfour Street, Runcorn, WA7 4PH, priced at £4.95 plus 95p post & packing, ISBN 978-09553583-2-6.


The following poem appears in the book:

Have You?

Sometimes it makes me wonder

about the people whom I meet;

those I find in a quiet church,

or on a busy street;

hurrying and scurrying,

being kind and doing good,

the way that well we know,

God has ordained we should.

Yet, sometimes, we meet someone

with a special word to say,

And when they do we wonder,

did an angel come our way?

We see no angelic wings,

and hear no heavenly choir;

yet something in the way they look,

 — familiar, not odd  —

Leaves us with a sense

Of having briefly met with God.

© Colin Gordon-Farleigh