Have a go at this quiz

I've reached a time in my life when I really need to exercise my grey matter to stop it atrophying! In other words, I'm increasingly aware that my memory is not as good as it used to be, which is a bit scary! Amongst my relaxation hobbies I enjoy doing crossword puzzles and playing around with words. These things help to improve the vocabulary as well as sharpening the mind, and so I was particularly pleased to find this link: http://www.freerice.com/. You can have the opportunity to improve your vocabulary while helping to feed the hungry? At the site you can play a word game (basically a multiple choice test to see if you can identify the right synonym for each word they give you). For every word you get right 20 grains of rice are donated to a UN food program. Give it a shot. But I warn you - it's highly addictive!

I had a go and donated four bowls of rice in a few minutes, but I have to confess that I certainly didn't get every answer correct. There were several words that I'd never heard of previously, some of which I was able to work out correctly, but others which got a great big X! Still, dear reader, it's good fun and only takes a few moments to do a little good for others as well as stretching your mind a little, so why not take a vivit to the site and have a go today.

The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer

The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer

A Long Time Lonely

I've just received the completed sheet music from Greg Scheer for the latest song that we've collaborated on. It's a honky-tonk number called A Long Time Lonely, and you can check out the sheet music and hear a slightly cheesy 'Finale' version of the tune on MP3 on the musicblog section of Greg's site. Why not press the button, have a listen and then let me know what you think! To make it easier, I've posted the link direct to Greg's page as a separate post.

Greg and I have written a lot of songs together, including loads of worship songs, many of which are now available on CD. Our first CD of ROMANTIC SONGS is due out very soon, and the CD (which I blogged about a while back) of the Russian Ensemble, LYRA, is now in the final stages of being mastered.

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday was wet and grey; the day before was wet, very cold and dark grey; and now today we've got the sunshine once more! What a difference a day makes! Dinah Washington sang a song with that title and the opening lines were:

What a difference a day makes,

Twenty-four little hours

Brought the sun and the flowers

Where there used to be rain.

Thinking of this made me recall that great little piece on the value of time, so in case you've either never heard it or have, but have forgotten it, here it is.

To Realize The Value of Time...

To realize the value of one year:

Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To realize the value of one month:

Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week:

Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one hour:

Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute:

Ask the person who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize the value of one second:

Ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of one millisecond:

Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when you share it with someone special.

Anonymous

Time may well be a luxury in this busy world that we live in, but it's a luxury that none of us can do without! The BIG SECRET is to plan your day in advance as much as possible, and that way you should find that it's easier to manage the time that you have. DON'T waste time on needless things! Aimlessly surfing the net or sending text messages because you're bored is a poor use of time, so DON'T DO IT! For every way that you find wastes time you can find another way that makes valuable use of it. Spend QUALITY time with the people you love and less time with the people you don't need to be with. And, more than anything, realise that sometimes it is really beneficial to simply STAND & STARE!

DO spend a little time in the day to realise just how important you are to others and especially to yourself. The more you learn to love yourself then the more you are able to love others. YOU ARE SPECIAL! All you need to do is to realise it.

Holidays on my mind

Last year, whilst on holiday on the East Yorkshire coast, we went to Whitby, which is famous for much more than its stautus as a fishing port, and evn for the fact that it seems to have more AWARD WINNING Fish'n Chip shops than anywhere else I've ever known!

Bram Stoker based his story of Dracula at Whitby, and Whitby Abbey was used as the backdrop for much of the film of the same name. The story of Dracula is probably the best known horror story of all time, and certainly one of the best selling books of that genre.

After seeing the sinking of the Russian schooner, Dimitri, just outside Whitby Harbour, and drawing on his knowledge of local Whitby characters, Bram Stoker's novel was first published in 1897.

Captain Cook, the sea-faring adventurer, had strong links with Whitby, first going to sea from that port as a servant on board the Freelove in 1748. In 1757 he became the master of HMS Pembroke, and from then on his explorations were carried out whilst sailing the world on board ships built at Whitby.

Whilst there, I purchased a necklet, bracelet and ring for Gill, made from sterling silver and local Whitby Jet, which is the finest Jet to be found anywhere. The correct name is gagate, and it's fossilised coal. Jet jewellery was particularly popular in Victorian times for use as 'mourning' jewellery, following the death of someone close during a time when the period of mourning was often at least a year. I should add that the jewellery that I gave Gill was very pretty and most definitely not for mourning!!!

We also enjoyed some Award-winning Fish 'n Chips whilst we were there.

All in all, a pleasant and interesting place to visit.

New life for all!

One of the first signs that Spring is on the way is the appearance of snowdrops in the garden. I well recall my mother proclaiming that Winter was on the way out because she'd found the first snowdrops in our snow-covered garden. Somehow it managed to put a brighter outlook on life, reminding us that the apparent 'deadness' of the long Winter months still fostered new life. That, I guess, was one of the first lessons that I learned about regeneration, albeit a lesson learned without any conscious application on my part!

I love the way that snowdrops force their way up through the snow, the tips of their leaves hardened for the task. They always look so delicate and yet must be strong to grow the way that they do. They thrive in cold weather, (unlike us!), and the colder the weather the longer their flowering period, some species even flowering well into March.

It never ceases to amaze me how you can bury a dead-looking bulb or seed in the ground and then, some time later, enjoy the flowering display that it produces. It's a real sign of new life and regeneration. Each year the flowers that come are new ones, not simply the old ones growing back. The new flowers are raised in all their glory, proclaiming to the whole world that they are here! Each time that I see such beauty I wonder again at the beauty of all creation and just how great God is.

It's not only plants that can be raised of course, for one day the followers of Jesus Christ will be raised with Him to glory. We will be new creatures in Christ! How fantastic is that!!! To walk with Him in this life is a blessing, and to proclaim Him a joy, but to be with Him for eternity and to praise God for ever in glory --- that is joy unspeakable!

So every time that I see new life around me my thoughts are focussed more sharply than ever on God who has created it all so wonderfully.

Easter Eggs for Sale!

I thought it was bad enough that the shops started putting displays of Easter eggs out so soon after Christmas, but yesterday I heard about a shop that was displaying them last September! Now, dear reader, maybe I'm a little suspicious or just plain cynical, but it might just be possible that the shop in question simply might have had them on display since last Easter, don't you think?

The objections that people raise about them are usually based around the idea that they should only be on sale around the time that we remember Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb on the third day after, but of course the celebration of the Festival of Eastre was really a pagan celebration connected with the goddess of offspring and the return of Spring. It was hi-jacked in the 2nd Century when Christian missionaries made the occasion a holy celebration as well. The pagan festival, Eastre, coincided with the Christian observance of Christ's death and resurrection, and so it made sense to make it a Christian celebration as well, the name Eastre ultimately being converted to the more modern spelling of Easter.


Many may mistakenly think that the Easter Bunny is a modern invention, dreamt up by chocolatiers! In fact the symbol has very pagan roots, for the goddess Eastre was worshipped through the symbol of the rabbit.


Well what about Easter eggs? Surely they at least are a modern invention! But no, in fact the exchange of an egg, which is a symbol of rebirth in the majority of cultures, is centuries old. Eggs would often be highly decorated or even wrapped in gold leaf in order to make them beautiful. Often they would be boiled in water containing the leaves or petals of plants in order to dye the shells.


Personally, I would prefer that the name Easter be dropped from the calendar, and get replaced by the term Resurrection Day, because what Christians celebrate on that day is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The darkness and despair of the crucifixion, which we remember on Good Friday, is replaced with the joy of the Risen Christ and all that His resurrection implies for each of us.

Not to say that we cannot or should not enjoy Easter eggs, but let's treat that as just a bit of fun that helps us to welcome the arrival of Spring and new birth! What do you think, dear reader?

I would LOVE this place!

My friend Lindsey from Just Enjoy the Journey left me a comment after my list of places that I'd like to visit on holiday, extolling the virtues of North Carolina, so I looked it up and I was hooked!

These are a few shots that I liked 'cos they whetted my appetite.

Hope you like them too!!!!

10 Holidays I'd LOVE!

The NEW YEAR is a good time to make lists, and so I'm starting off with a list of the 10 countries and places that I would LOVE to go on holiday.

1. Ffald-y-Brenin, near Fishguard in West Wales. It's a truly PEACEFUL Christian retreat centre, set in the Waun Valley.

2. Canadian Rockies to see the breathtaking scenery. I LOVE MOUNTAINS!
3. Japan to experience a totally different culture.

4. Eire, because I love the natural beauty that I've seen on TV.

5. Antarctica. I'd love to go whale watching there!

6. Switzerland. More MOUNTAINS and it's soooooo CLEAN!

7. France, to explore the French countryside and experience the lavender fields.

8. Almost ANY TROPICAL ISLAND with silver sandy beaches, palm trees, and WARM SUNSHINE with low rainfall (At least whilst I was there!)

9. New England in the Fall, for the amazing colours.

10. Prague, to check out the wonderful architecture.

New Year, New Beginnings!

Well, here we are with my FIRST POST of 2008! I hope, dear reader, that I will keep you smiling, laughing, and thinking throughout the year as you share my journey with me. What will this year have in store I wonder? One thing is for certain. It will be a grand mixed bag of things, some good and some not-so-good, some happy and some sad, some easy and some challenging. I look forward to them all, no matter what, for having placed myself firmly into God's hands I know that whatever I come face to face with it will be in accordance with His plan for my life. The first thing that I do on waking every day is to place myself in His hands, so that I can then go through my day working for Him. That way, every day is a GREAT day!

There is so much to look forward to this year. Over the next few months the new CDs of my hymns and songs will be released, and that's a very exciting prospect! In April there is a concert planned by a chapel in Wales when all the work sung that evening will be selected from the songs that I've written. HOW EXCITING IS THAT!!!

Great though these things are, they're not the most important, for there is much to do for the Lord in other directions. For some time now I have been greatly concerned about the need for Revival, and that means that we need to see a move to repentance amongst our land. Despite the seeming affluence that glitters around us it's easy to find that, when you scratch at the surface, there is no real depth to our society. There is a great darkness over the land that only the power of God can lift off. We live in times when the moral fibre of our Nation has almost disappeared, where the attitude of so-called 'political correctness' has allowed materialism and immorality to prosper with little fear of correction or complaint from the few who do care.

2008 offers us a new opportunity to change things. Each individual voice may be small on its own, but add the voices together and they produce a great clamour. We should speak out against the SIN of the nation, sharing with people the need for REPENTANCE before it's too late. So much that is going on in the world points towards the LAST DAYS and the triumphant RETURN OF OUR LORD JESUS. Scripture warns us that not everyone who calls out 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven. Let us each commit ourselves to ensuring that we will number with those who DO get called and also that we will endeavour to share both the warnings and good news with others, so that they too might find true salvation.

Of course, when we talk about repentance and revival, although we look for it on a NATIONAL scale, we need to firstly look to our OWN lives and repent of all that's wrong in our own lives before we can call others to repentance. In other words, we need to experience revival ourselves first!

So this year is going to be very much a YEAR OF PRAYER for me. Prayer for forgiveness for myself, for my town, for my nation. Won't you join in, applying the same prayer criteria in your own life this year? And let us pray that each person who reads this blog and who makes an active decision to respond accordingly, will be blessed by the prayers of their fellows.

I wish you, dear reader, every blessing for the year, every single moment of it! May it be a time of fulfilment in your life as never before, rich in God's touch on all that you seek to do for Him.

The Pushmepullyou

In the film 'Dr Doolittle', there is a creature called a Pushmepullyou which has the ability to look backwards and forwards at the same time. Today, on the last day of December, we can take a brief look at 2007 whilst looking forward to 2008, both at the same time!

I have found it an exciting year, filled with opportunities to serve the Lord. It has been a somewhat traumatic year for the church that I pastor, with all the problems regarding the huge building project that has been subjected to more on/off moments than the light switch on a busy landing! At first it seemed as though everything was perfect, but then one spanner ater the other was proverbially thrown into the works. As each new point was raised so it was answered, only for someone to raise another. All of this takes its toll from a stress-level point of view, and many people in the church have found themselves stressed out over the issues. However, looking forward, it would appear that work will finally commence in about six to eight weeks, unless, that is, there is another box of spanners lying around somewhere! Most importantly, we know that if it is God's will tyo go ahead then nothing can stop it, but equally, if it His will that it should not go ahead then nothing can make it.

The Voice magazine has gone from strength to strength through the year, and, based upon the print-run and the estimated number of readers per magazine, we estimate current readership at around 2500. The magazine now goes to America, Canada, Finland, Israel, India, Australia, Eire, New Zealand, and across the UK, and circulation is constantly increasing. I hope that we will have doubled our circulation by the end of 2008, and we are looking forward to eventually achieving a print-run of 5000 copies per issue. Please pray for this project as we need to raise funds to achieve results, both from advertising revenue and donations.

In 2007 we released three new CDs through Sheer Joy Music, the music arm of Voice Ministries. In September there was the 'Come & Sing' CD which was recorded at Arddleen Tabernacle in mid-Wales, and featured the congregation singing a selection of my hymns. Also in September I released a meditation CD, 'One Starlit Night, and then in October came the great sound of the group 'Cantoris' who recorded There is Joy, a selection of 15 of my hymns. Lokking ahead to 2008, there are three new CDs being worked on at present, the first of which is 'When I'm With You' by Susan Marrs, a terrific mezzo-soprano, who has recorded fifteen love-songs written by Greg Scheer and myself. Hopefully this will be released about mid-february. Later on, due for release towards the end of March, there is a CD recorded in St Petersburg by the LYRA Ensemble, who have recorded 15 of my hymns in Russian and sing them a capella. The third project, still in the early stages, is to record Charlotte Kerce, a great alto who lives in Tallahassee. The music will be recorded first in Manchester and then sent across to Florida for the final recording, the end product hopefully being released about late October.

Lots to look back on and be grateful for, but lots to look forward to as well, and all to serve the Lord, pointing people towards Him in any and every way possible.

Of course, I cannot complete this review without mention of this BLOG! Since I started it with my very FIRST POST on October 4th, I have tried to post every day, something that I've almost succeeded with, excepting the few days BLOG HOLIDAY that I've taken over Christmas. I posted on all sorts of subjects, some serious, some humerous, and hope that you, dear reader, have enjoyed most of them if not all. For a Blog is a two-sided thing. Without a writer it doesn't exist, but equally, without a reader there's no point in it existing, so together we form a friendly partnership. I LOVE to get your comments, so keep them coming!

One of the things that I've tried to do on my Blog is to use pictures to speak and illustrate, so here is my final picture for 2007:

The Night Before Christmas

See! I couldn't resist posting this today, so I got up early enough to do it!

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

by Clement Clarke Moore
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

I'm taking a Blog Vacation!

With Christmas Day just a few days away, and several church services to lead over the next three days, I've decided to take a blog-holiday, albeit a little reluctantly. At least, that's my intention, but you never know --- I just might find a few moments to post a few words and maybe a picture!

Tomorrow I will lead our service of Carols & Lessons at 11am, then Christmas Eve I'll be leading a Communion Service at 11.30pm which will finish just after midnight, allowing us to herald in Christmas Day in a contemplative and peaceful way.

Later on that morning I have a 9.30am service, after which I usually go and visit one or two folk from our church family who live in Care Homes before going home to our Christmas Dinner with the family.

So all that is left at the moment is for me to wish you all

A Perfect Read

I've just finished reading a great book. In fact, out of the tremendous number of books that I've read, I would say that this is probably one of the most perfect, if not the most. It's not a new publication. In fact it was published originally way back in 1994, but that doesn't stop it being great. It was the first novel written by Tim Pears, and is entitled, In the Place of Fallen Leaves.

Tim Pears was born in 1956 and grew up in Devon (UK), leaving school at sixteen. He has worked in a wide variety of jobs and is a graduate of the National Film and Television School. His first novel, In the Place of Fallen Leaves, won the Hawthornden Prize for Literature and the Ruth Hadden Memorial Award. His second novel, In a Land of Plenty, has been adapted for television and is now a major BBC television series. Since then he has had a further three novels published, the latest of which, Blenheim Orchard, was published earlier this year.

The story is set in the long hot English summer of 1984 --- one of the hottest summers of the 20th Century, and records life in a small Devon village through the eyes of a young girl who is part of a dynastic farming family. The fact that the author is also a published poet shows through every page of this book, his descriptive abilities transporting the reader to be an onlooker, almost to the point of voyeurism, of all that took place during that summer affected by the miner's strike, record levels of unemployment and a national teacher's strike.

Jennifer Salway, in a review of this book for the Observer newspaper, wrote of it that it was 'More perfect than any first novel deserves to be'. I concur. When I finished the final paragraph last night I felt saddened that what seemed to be a special episode in my own life had ended, such is the power of this writer to draw the reader into becoming an integral part of the story themselves.

Have I eulogised too much dear reader? Well, all I can say is that if I have then this book deserves it, and more! I guess that a good second-hand copy will probably be available from Amazon.com if you want to read it for yourself.

Today is the shortest day . . .

Hurrah! Today is the shortest day of the year, and that means that from now onwards the daylight hours start to lengthen out, almost imperceptibly at first, but within a few weeks it starts to become noticeable. It starts me thinking about Spring and the abundant new life that the new season will bring with it.

Here's a few of the things that I'm looking forward to:

Lambs in the fields

Proliferation of Daffodils (Wow! That's a long word, must be for a crossword puzzle!)

Warmer days (I hate the cold weather!)

New life all around

All the GREAT things that we're blessed with!

Now I realise that some people will berate me on the basis that all I'm doing is wishing time away, BUT, when you really don't enjoy freezing cold temperatures and both getting up and coming home in the dark, what else can you do but look forward with hope to brighter days?

That's the whole story of LIFE really, isn't it, for as we go through life, travelling on the many different paths that we find, isn't our journey taking us forward to the LIGHT? If the answer's 'No' then it's time to make changes, for we need the Light in order to banish the darkness altogether. Of course, when I refer to the Light there can only be one real understanding of it, and that is the Light of the World. Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and one day we shall all praise Him in His radiant glory. Now that is REALLY something to look forward to!

What about you, dear reader? What do you look forward to in order to dispel the dark, and often dreary, days of Winter? Let me know!

Christian Qualms about Christmas

There are many different attitudes regarding the celebration of Christmas. Today, more than ever, many Christians are concerned at the over-commercialization of what they feel is purely a Christian event, i.e. the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. On the other hand there are many who are concerned that much of the celebration contains, and is based upon, elements with Pagan roots. There are so many questions asked regarding this celebration, and, as is always the case, some people get very hot under the collar about it all! Of course, generally speaking, people like others to agree with them about strong issues in particular, and that makes the whole thing even more contentious.

Now you, dear reader, know that I love all the coloured lights and the 'trimmings', so you know where I stand on that one! However, like many people, I am concerned that the whole celebration of Christmas is little more than an excuse for many people to 'eat, drink, and be merry'. Whilst I was looking at Andrew Strom's Revival School website I came across the following piece on the subject, written by K. Olsen, on a discussion forum under the heading 'Does God care about Christmas?'

This was written by K. Olsen concerning the Qualms About Christmas.

'There are a growing number of Evangelicals who are concerned about Christmas and whether it should be celebrated by true believers. There are various reasons for this distress, the main one being the pagan origins of the 25 December festival. There is historical evidence that Christmas was not observed by the early church fathers and it was the Roman church which adapted the `Natalis Solis Invicti' (birth of the sun-god) and `Saturnalia' festivals. Further, there is no Scriptural injunction to celebrate Christmas. Also, the secularisation and commercialization of Christmas troubles many believers.

Some believers feel that for the above reasons Christmas celebrations should be shunned.

We submit some other points to consider - indeed good reasons why Christians should take full advantage of Christmas:

1. Ungodly origins are not always a reason to reject what God has allowed. Two examples:

a) Jesus is the King. No Christian disputes that. Yet, kings have an ungodly origin. Indeed, this pagan tradition was so prevalent that the early Israelites demanded their own king - much to God's displeasure.

But, in God's eternal wisdom He allowed it to happen and Jesus is today proclaimed King of Kings.

b) Cities have a very shady origin. The first inhabitants of cities, the Bible tells us, were the descendants of Cain. The Bible generally speaks about the evil of cities. Yet, we believers shall dwell in the holy City, the New Jerusalem.
2. Christmas is the only remaining Christian event which virtually the whole world acknowledges (even Cuba has recanted on its past banning of Christmas celebrations). It is an opportunity to proclaim Christ and the real meaning of His glorious birth. The giving of presents, festivities and the general (though temporary) feeling of goodwill can be used by Christians around the world to proclaim the Good News of the real Gift, the Christ Child, who was born to die and give us the gift of pardon from sin and eternal life.

3. Despite growing ignorance about the reason for Christmas most people still have some vague knowledge that the celebration is connected to the birth of Christ. Believers should take advantage of this and pass on the full message of the meaning of Christ incarnate. At least it is one time during the year when the secular world is more receptive to the Good News. Unconverted church members have some tinge of conscience and are willing to attend a Christmas service. What an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel.

4. Jesus and His disciples and the history of the church, have shown that opportunism is not always a bad thing. Indeed, the zealous Christian will use every opportunity, in season and out of season, to proclaim the Gospel. Paul was even willing to address ungodly philosophers in heathen surroundings on Mars Hill.
5. There are increasing attempts to `de-Christ' Christmas. Many companies do their best to avoid the word Christmas and will rather refer to Season's Greetings. All the more reason to emphasize the Lordship of Christ in Christmas and all of God's creation.

As the Editor of Evangelical Times (December 1997 No.12) puts it: Of course, opportunism is not adaptation. Jesus and the apostles did not adapt their message to the culture of their time. They did not modify the Gospel to suit their hearers. To do that must be wrong. But we must not let a fear of making mistakes keep us from taking every opportunity to preach the Gospel and using familiar things as vehicles for the unchanging truth.'

So, dear reader, what do you think about it? I always think that anything that gets people into a situation where they can hear about the Saving Grace of Jesus and the love of God is a good thing. O that our churches, chapels and cathedrals might be filled with unbeliever's and addressed by New Testament preachers!

CBC Award Picture

I thought you might like to see the photo that was taken at the recent Christian Broadcasting Council Awards, which shows me receiving my certificate from Bishop Michael Marshall, the Assistant Bishop of London.

I received the 'Highly Commended' certificate jointly for two of my collections of Christian verse, In Praise of Him and In Praise of Him Again. The comment from the judges was:

“In a time when poetry seems to be something of a lost art, it is heartening to know of the publications from Voice who keep the art of poetry alive, focusing on faith, expressed by signs of beauty and learning from every day life. We commend Colin and Voice Publications for their heart-warming poetry and material produced.”

I'm proud to have been blessed with this award, although I readily attribute the work to the Holy Spirit!

Countdown to Christmas

Just 6 DAYS to go!

Are you ready for Christmas yet?

Are the presents wrapped and done?

Are the cards long-posted since,

each and every one?

Have you been singing Christmas Carols

'till your voice is hoarse and dry?

Have you had some early Christmas Cheer

--- some coffee laced with Rye?

Have you visited the neighbours

and been to every store?

Has your family called and seen you,

(even the one they call 'The Bore')?

Have you planned some great surprises

for the loved ones in your life?

Some very special moments shared

'tween husband and his wife?

Have you seen a thousand Santas

dressed up in white and red;

and perhaps heard sleigh-bells ringing

as you climbed into your bed?

Do you wonder if the snow will come

to fall on Christmas Day?

Do you have room for a stranger,

if one should come to stay?

Have you checked the little manger,

to make sure its got fresh hay;

so that you're ready for the baby

that will lie there Christmas Day?

If the answer's 'YES' to all these things,

then, when all is said and done,

I guess you should be ready

to receive the Holy One!

The One whose birth we celebrate

who brings LIGHT to all mankind;

the little babe who came to save

the poor, the lame, the blind.

Copyright 2007 : Colin Gordon-Farleigh

Talking about giving . . .

At this time of year, just a week away from Christmas Day, we think about the birth of Jesus and the wonderful gift that God blessed mankind with. In and through Jesus, God has given to us the ultimate example of sacrificial giving. But how do we view ourselves when it comes to giving something back to God? Tithing is almost always a contentious subject, yet if we have our values right then there's absolutely no reason why it should be.

How can anyone who is committed to the Lord's work be anti-tithing? It's completely Biblical. We are urged to tithe 10% of our wealth, yet that still leaves us with the remaining 90%! So many churchgoers seem to think that all they need to do when it comes to money is to leave a 'tip' for God in the collecting plate at the Sunday service. Often the argument will be that 'they give what they can afford', yet when it comes to finding the money for an expensive holiday, new car, new anything-they-want, they manage to find it without a problem.

Suggest that someone puts a £10 (US$20) note into the collecting plate and the hands are raised in horror that they might be expected to give so much, yet if a loved one gives them £25 (US$50) as a birthday gift, they feel hard done by!God has given everything He could for us. How can we dare to withhold from Him what is rightfully His?

The other side of the financial coin is the responsibility factor. Suppose that an entire congregation tithe, and that most of them give considerable more than 10%, there is a great responsibility on the leaders of that congregation to ensure that the money given is used wisely for God's purpose, not as a means of improving the comfort zones of the leaders; something which has been seen all too often.

We are called to tithe to ensure that the spread of the Gospel message and the feeding of the flock is unhindered by financial restraint. The responsible church will be one who ensures that their giving achieves just that.

A Nativity Service with a slight difference!

This morning we had our Nativity Service in my church, but this year it was a little different because we invited volunteers from amongst the congregation to play the various parts whilst i read the Nativity story from a children's Bible.

It all started because the two children in the Sunday School who usually play the parts of Joseph and Mary decided that they didn't want to this year. In fact they both said that they wanted to be donkeys instead! When, like us, you have a fairly small Sunday School, you are not left with a lot of options, and so it was decided that, as all of the congregation are God's children, we would invite participation from amongst all the children present. It worked a treat, although the older 'children' taking part kept chattering as they walked on their journey to Bethlehem!

In these days of political correctness we increasingly hear about fewer and fewer Nativity plays happening. Most schools put together some sort of pantomime which can feature a sort Nativity which includes Batman, Spiderman, Robin Hood, and Santa Claus! The end result is a confusion which sends out the message that everything is just a comic-book story, including the greatest story on earth --- that of the birth of the Son of God in the most humbles of surroundings imaginable.

If we, as Christians, fail to let our light shine out in the darkness of the world that we live in there is a real danger that the darkness will snuff the light out altogether. Now that may well be the aim of the secularists behind so much of the politically correct rubbish, and we may well recognise it for what it is and them for what they are, but if we fail to stand against it then we become party to it, and that is unacceptable.

We need to be united as never before. If we are united in Christ then we will be united too in our resolve to boldly proclaim the Gospel message, and the united flicker of our small flames of witness will together produce a light so bright that the darkness will be banished for ever.