Are we moving towards the end of the age?

There is so much going on in the world that we do not understand. Dead birds fall from the sky in their thousands; dead fish are washed ashore by the million; 10,000 antelope are found dead in Kazakhstan; tens of thousands of crabs are washed ashore in the United Kingdom; bees are dying  in unprecedented numbers; natural disasters such as the flooding in Queensland, Australia and the mud-slide in Brazil claim hundreds of lives; and all of this has happened in the opening few weeks of 2011. I believe that all of these things point towards the fact that we are living in the end age. I believe that we have most definitely entered the 'beginning of sorrows' era. Oh, if only the world would sit up, look and listen!

 

This is a time in which those who will speak out for the Lord without fear must make their voices heard. For too long the Church has allowed herself to be manipulated for the enemy by men whose agenda is their own worldly progress and wealth, and heresies abound. It is so difficult in many towns and cities to find preachers whom are faithful to the Word, for so many seem to just want to tickle the ears of their listeners, making them feel comfortable with trite platitudes rather than warning them of the result of spiritual complacency. perhaps it might be argued too that many congregations get what they deserve in this sense, for so many of them have no real place for God in their lives.

 

There is a real need for those who dare to call themselves Christians to humble themselves before God and cry out for forgiveness for their tardiness in serving the Christ to whom the claim to belong. If Christ is not all in their lives then He is not in their lives at all. There can be no partial measures.

Great Quote on the subject of Prayer

"Prayer is preoccupation with our needs.

Praise is preoccupation with our blessings

Worship is preoccupation with God himself."

- Leonard Ravenhill

"God has always sought a humble people.He can use no other...There is

always much need of heart preperation,in humility and seperation,

before God can consistently come.The depth of any revival will be

determined exactly by the spirit of repentance that is obtained.In

fact this is key to every true revival born of God."

- Frank Bartleman

"A revival of real praying would produce a spiritual revolution."

- E.M. Bounds

New Hymn for today . . . 'Saved by Grace'

Saved by Grace   LM

TUNE: Rivaulx

We’re rescued by the love of Christ,

Redeemed by love and grace alone;

Blesséd gift of full salvation,

Is yours when you the Saviour own.

Questions are asked about the Lord,

The ‘What if’ and the ‘Where’ and ‘Why’;

One thing of which I’m ever sure,

The Saviour will not pass you by.

With Him you’ll not forsaken be,

He’ll never turn away from you;

With Jesus there to lead and guide,

He’ll show you right pathways to go.

When you walk on the path to heav’n,

Taking the way that He has shown,

Saved by the love of God’s own Son,

Saved by His love and grace alone.

© 2011 :  Colin Gordon-Farleigh

Joanne Lowe's Meditations

WE GIVE YOU PRAISE

 "Praise ye the LORD.  Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.  Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.  Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.  Praise ye the LORD."

 Psalm 150:1,2,6 (King James Version)

      Heavenly Father, we give You praise for who You are.  We aren't asking for anything.  We just want to praise You and thank You for all that You do for us.  You are a precious, loving and compassionate Father.  We praise You for every breath we take, for the clothes that we wear and for the homes in which we live.

      We confess that we sin at times and hurt You because we ask You for things most of the time instead of praising You.  We're sorry that we have hurt You.  I praise You for loving me and for caring about my happiness.  Thank You so much for protecting me from the poisonous vicious attacks of satan.

      Dear Father, I dedicate my life anew to You.  May everything I say and everything that I do bring happiness to You.  I pray that we will be children who bring happiness and joy to You instead of children who bring You sadness and sorrow.  Jesus, You are not only my Saviour, You are my dearest friend and I love You.

      Father, please search our hearts and if there is anything that is displeasing to You, I pray that You will forgive us.  I want my life to be a witness for my precious Saviour.  I want everything I say and everything that I do to point others to Jesus.  I praise You and thank You for the privilege of serving Jesus.  Amen.

 Joanne Lowe

joannelowe8@cox.net

www.joanne-ourprecioussaviour.blogspot.com

Poem for Today : 'Wiltshire Memories'

      Wiltshire Memories

Green trees look down in regal splendour

upon the lushness of prolific summer;

the gentle sweep of grassy slopes

echoing the soft lullaby of Nature.

Whispering leaves above the cricket’s chorus,

calling onward to the pink flush of sunset,

looking back with fond reflection

upon those pleasant Wiltshire summers

when life had just begun.

Rolling fields of golden corn

stretching far beyond the country Inn.

a place where farmhands rested tired feet,

and stopped to quaff a jug of English Ale.

Where the lustre of red-gold sunset

hangs deep into the velvet night,

carried onward into tomorrow

by the gentle breezes of the summer evening,

scented sweet by the new-mown swathes.

In the distance, past the sloping Downs,

where chalk beasts watch the closing day,

as the last fading rays of sunlight fall,

bringing the cool of silvered moon,

Then I will rest, safe till dawn breaks.

I’ll sleep sound, wrapped by dry stone walls,

the ancient stones supporting musty thatch,

dreaming of West Country life,

Where man can pleasant moments snatch.

© Colin Gordon-Farleigh

Seen on a church notice board (5)

On East Street, Bedminster

East Street Police Station, Bedminster, Bristol, was closed

down in 1972 after being in use since 1821.

Cold stone slabs, engraved with years of grime,

supporting crumbling, stuccoed walls, touched

by the dirt of years and echoes of man.

Green paint is peeling now from timbered wall,

to hang, suspended, in some vulgar limbo,

giving my memories a final smear.

How many men have worked in uniformed rank

behind the elbow-polished wooden desk,

casting suspicious eyes on painted strumpet;

mixing pity with unenvied self-disgust, to

keep the drunk here, bedded one more night.

How many eyes have watched the hours go by,

relentlessly scratched on lime-washed walls.

Laughter too has held its place here,

Along with the faces of visiting friends.

Now nought but empty rooms, and the grey shroud

Of dust that’s settled on the damp and musty rooms;

Only the sounds of sleek grey rats

As they chew at life’s long-dead umbilical cord.

© 1973 : Colin Gordon-Farleigh

New Hymn for today . . . 'We'll Praise God'

We’ll Praise God    76 76

TUNE: Cara

For all that God has given,

The blessing of our days,

We’ll glorify the Father,

In never-ending praise!

For every gift and talent,

For all the joy and love,

Our worship wings to heaven,

In praise of God above.

For He alone is worthy,

Deserving of our praise,

So now our lives we offer,

Walk always in His ways.

© 2009 : Colin Gordon-Farleigh

Great Quotes on Prayer

"The truths that I know best I have learned on my knees. I never know a thing well, till

it is burned into my heart by prayer."

- John Bunyan

"Today, we are living in desperate times. Yet, the Church is not desperate before God in prayer."

- Chuck Smith

"Courage is fear prayed for."

- Anonymous

The cartoons of Cody Stromberg

A short time ago I was introduced to a talented satirical cartoonist called Cody Stromberg. He has much to say through his cartoons that make you sit up and think. This is one of many which I like. You can find lots more by visiting his website via this link.  

Islamic Fundamentalists expand the parameters of their Hate Campaign.

The Region: Revolutions, walk-outs and fatwas
By BARRY RUBIN
Jerusalem Post
01/16/2011
In Egypt, an extraordinarily important fatwa has been issued by Dr. Imad Mustafa, of al-Azhar University, the world's most important Islamic university.

He began by stating the well-known doctrine of "defensive jihad," that is Muslims must go to war against infidels who attack them. Of course, the word "attack" is often spread rather thinly to justify aggression.

But now Mustafa has publicly and explicitly come up with a new concept, one that up until now was supposedly restricted to groups like al-Qaida: "Then there is another type of fighting against the non- Muslims known as offensive jihad... which is to pursue the infidels into their own land without any aggression [on their part]...

"Two schools [of Islamic jurisprudence] have ruled that offensive jihad is permissible in order to secure Islam's border, to extend God's religion to people in cases where the governments do not allow it, such as the Pharaoh did with the children of Israel, and to remove every religion but Islam from the Arabian peninsula."

What does it mean about extending "God's religion," i.e., Islam? On the surface, "where the governments do not allow it" and the reference to Pharaoh seem to imply the complete prohibition of Islam.

But in the current context, this means that it is permissible to wage jihad against a country if anything "necessary" to Islam according to (hard-line) clerics' interpretations is blocked (polygamy, child marriage, special privileges at work places, building mosques anywhere, permitting the wearing of head scarves or burkas).

In practice, according to this doctrine, then, any non-Muslim can be attacked anywhere. Thus, mainstream, powerful clerics are now calling for a seventh century-style jihad against non-Muslim lands even if the victims cannot be accused of attacking Muslim ruled lands. Merely to "extend God's religion" to others is a sufficient motive. Mustafa says that two of Islam's main schools have always endorsed offensive jihad, but I doubt if he would have made that argument ten or 20 years ago.

Of course, that doesn't mean most Muslims will accept this new stance. But it does mean that radical groups now have mainstream support for their most extreme, aggressive behavior. Even if nobody repeats Mustafa's statement publicly - if for no other reasons than it is bad public relations in the West - this idea will be more and more taken for granted. ...

Moreover, we probably won't see senior clerics denouncing and rejecting the doctrine of offensive jihad.

This is a development of stupendous proportions that will probably not be covered in the Western mass media. If this viewpoint continues to spread, along with the growing al-Qaida type doctrine of the Muslim Brotherhood, it could be a historical turning point that will greatly intensify revolutionary Islamist terrorism and attacks on the West. 

Psalm 100 : A psalm for giving grateful praise.

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
 ² Worship the LORD with gladness;
   come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
   It is he who made us, and not we ourselves;
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
   and his courts with praise;
   give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Today let your worship continue throughout every moment as you dwell on the words of this psalm and enact them in your own life. Praise the Lord with your every breath and let every word you utter be a word that magnifies the name of the Lord. In every sense today, walk with Jesus as your companion, with the Holy Spirit as your guide and with God as your inspiration. Keep focused on seeking His righteousness. After today comes tomorrow of course, and then you will have the opportunity to live your life full of praise and worship all over again, and every day after that.

Seen on a church notice board (4)

Matthew Wright sneers at The Bible, Christians and the Christian Faith

In his television programme, 'The Wright Stuff' broadcast on UK's Channel 5 on Wednesday 19th January, Matthew Wright sneered openly at the Old Testament during a discussion about the case of Peter and Hazelmary Bull, the Christian hoteliers who recently lost the case brought against them by two homosexuals in which they were challenged for refusing to allow the two men to share a bed in their B & B. Their policy of only allowing married couples to share a double room is clearly stated on the B & B's website, as is their interpretation of the term 'married' and the fact that as Christians it offends their faith to go against Biblical teaching.


The fact of the matter is that marriage, by its very nature, is the union of a man and a woman. I realise that homosexual couples and lesbian couples often like to state that they are 'married', but, by the very definition of marriage, this is an impossibility. A Civil Partnership is just that, a Civil partnership involving two people of the same sex, designed to afford them the rights that would otherwise be deemed to not be existent. I have no argument with that, and uphold the concept of the protection of rights embodied in it. It is not, however, a marriage, and neither can it ever be in the strict understanding of the word, for as stated previously, marriage is the union of a man and a woman. 


I agree that if the life-style choice of the individuals is to live together in full union then they have every right to do so. It does not, however, change Scripture. No matter how many times you say that something is right it does not mean that it is so. 


What was needed in this instance was a greater degree of tolerance. The Bulls made it quite clear on their website what their viewpoint and practise was. It may be claimed that the two men in question failed to look at the website, although I would find that difficult to believe in these days of Internet literacy. What was not made clear by either of the two men at the time of their booking was that the booking was for a homosexual couple. Had this been the case then the issue would not have arisen. It was not imperative that they stayed at the Bull's B & B, only a choice, and obviously, if their was no malice aforethought in their booking, a misguided choice at that. It has to be said that, particularly as Stonewall had previously targeted the Bulls with a complaint about their policy, that the whole thing smacks of a set-up. Personally I would be hard to convince otherwise, as would countless others. 


Scripture makes it quite clear that all fornication is wrong, that is to say that all sex outside of the sanctity of marriage is sinful. Hence there is no need to trawl through passages of the Old Testament to find reference to homosexuality, but simply to abide what the whole of Scripture states quite clearly.


In order to ensure that the homosexual/Lesbian boat was not rocked, the TV programme ensured that no Christians were allowed to put forward their viewpoint. Both Wright and his guest Stephen Amos made a point at sneering at Scripture. However, I warn them both that they did so at their own peril.

The need to improve relations between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Baroness Warsi, co-chairman of the Tory Party, recently spoke about the fact that prejudice against Muslims in the UK has become socially acceptable, warning people also against dividing Muslims into moderates and extremists, saying such labels fuel misunderstanding.

In response to Baroness Warsi's comments, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali has issued a statement in which he says:

‘Diversity cannot be mere diversity.  It must be consistent with the best of British values, such as human dignity, freedom and equality, which derive from the Judaeo-Christian tradition of the Bible.

‘I know from personal experience that extremism as a mind-set is spreading throughout the Muslim world.  We do not want it to spread here through the teaching of hate and the radicalisation of the young.

‘That is why we must distinguish between those Muslims who want to live peacefully with their non-Muslim neighbours and those who wish to introduce Shari’a into this country, restrict freedom of speech and confine women to their homes, not to speak of introducing draconian punishments such as death for blasphemy recently awarded to a poor Christian woman in Pakistan.

‘If relations are to improve between Muslims and other people in the world, these are the kind of issues that must be tackled.’

Great Quote on the subject of Holiness

"A baptism of holiness, a demonstration of godly living is the crying need of our day."

- Duncan Campbell

"Holiness is an impossiblity - without the Holy Spirit."

- Anonymous

"The greatest wisdom on this earth is holiness."

- W.S. Plumer

New Hymn for today . . . 'Simple Story'

Simple Story 7676

TUNE: Carmina

It’s such a simple story,

Sharing the Saviour’s love;

Of how He came from heaven,

Sent down by God above.

He came to break the shackles,

For freedom, set us free;

Gave us the Holy Spirit,

To teach how we should be.

Christ is the blesséd Saviour,

Mercy He came to bring;

And now we call Him Master,

Our friend, our Lord, our King.

He paid the price for our sin

When He died at Calvary;

Now resurrection glory’s

Promised for you and me.

Now you can claim His promise,

By praising Christ as Lord;

Then tell the simple story

As told us in God’s Word.

© 2010 : Colin Gordon-Farleigh

Seen on a church notice board (3)

Leonard Ravenhill: God's servant: 'In Light of Eternity'

Leonard Ravenhill Biography: In Light of Eternity from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

Leonard Ravenhill was truly a man of God. He lived for Christ. Hear about him and hear Leonard Ravenhill himself in this inspirational video.

Really! Some odd signs found in hotels

Hotel bedroom, Japan:

GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.

Hotel, Acapulco:

THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE.

Hotel airconditioner instructions, Japan:

COOLES AND HEATES: IF YOU WANT CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF.

Hotel bedroom, Thailand:

PLEASE DO NOT BRING SOLICITORS INTO YOUR ROOM.

Hotel brochure, Italy:

THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE.  IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE.

Hotel bedroom, Japan:

YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

Hotel, Yugoslavia:

THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

Hotel lobby, Bucharest:

THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE.

Hotel, Moscow (opposite Russian Orthodox monastery):

YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.

Black Forest, Germany:

IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Hotel, Zurich:

BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED

Hotel bedroom, Moscow:

IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE USSR, YOU ARE WELCOME TO IT.