Preaching with a purpose

We have been given huge storm warnings for tonight and tomorrow.  I am in South West England and we should have it first, but so far we are just having a typical "dirty" night, but nothing extraordinary.  Long may it continue this gentle a storm.  Our weather forecasters have a habit of either scaring us silly or neglecting to warn us when it's needed. We hardly know what bad weather is in this country, but we do like to moan about it.

This is a very important position.  First the undertaker asks if I am available on a certain date. Then he gives me the phone number of those arranging the funeral, usually a close relative.  I ring and make an appointment to see them in their home.  I take along suitable scripture readings and poems and discuss what they want me to do. This is a time of careful listening and it is here that you get to know all that the deceased means to the mourner. Either they will have written a eulogy or you take away the information and write a eulogy for them. This is the time to get the right names of both the deceased and the mourners.  If the deceased was called Elizabeth but her whole life was called Lizzie, you want to take this on board and use the preferred name.  There is nothing worse than being at a funeral and hearing the deceased called Robert when the whole of his life he has been known as Bob; yet many ministers do not take the trouble to find this out. ...

But I don't intend to desert my reader here on Blogger. some of you have been reading my posts for several years.  There is no way I want to drop you. This is the site where I mostly express my religious views and speak on related ethical matters.  I know I come across as very strict when it is difficult in this life to know what is the right way.  I try to give you what I see as the biblical viewpoint. I do believe in absolutes but I am also a caring person who realizes life choices are not easy and straight forward on some occasions.  I just feel it is important to start with a very strict application of the Bible and then work with that to see what is the best way forward for those involved.   So I hope to be here for a long time yet giving you some starting points for your decision making. I appreciate that you continue to stop by here.

You might have missed me this past week.  I've just found Bubblews a site where you can make money for all the posts you write.  So far I am enjoying it very much and expect to receive my first $25 after just two weeks writing there.  On there you connect with other people and then you are notified when they make a new post.  so there is a lot of interaction.  It is the most cosmopolitan site I have been on with people from Myanmar, Pakistan and the Philippines as well as the usual Americans and Brits like me. There is no selling to do. You can write about just about anything.  I have put some of my poems on posts and felt they were appreciated by people. I am also able to use my own photos.  Follow the link to see one of my posts on Bubblews. http://www.bubblews.com/news/1404994-i-could-never-look-like-that

Human beings do not like to face the fact that someone can act as vilely as Savile.  We dare not face the fact that we are capable of such things so we turn away and refuse to admit what is going on, though we know it deep down. It is sin and we do not want to admit to it.  This is also why abuse of little children is not picked up on. A neighbour tells them self that the child is crying for some innocuous reason and when the crying stops believes it proves them right not to have worried. People don't like to rock the boat. As Edmund Burke said"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." That does not apply just to stopping men like Hitler, it applies in our ordinary lives.  We need to take notice of what is going on around us and we need to stand up for what is right and shame the evil doer.

  I love Autumn, when the mist hangs over the river in the morning and the cobwebs in the hedges are bedecked with dew. The year is dying but goes out in a blaze of colour. Shuffling through the fallen leaves is special and has its own distinctive sound.  The night comes in so quickly now and we find our pleasures in doors.  The barbeque is put away and warm woollies are brought out of the closet ready for use. what is your favourite season?  I love them all.

When you've lived as long as I have, 66 years, you see a few changes in life.  Whereas as a child I would rush out to see a car pass, as it only happened rarely, now I own a car and take it for granted.  When I was at primary school in the U.K. the teacher one day started to talk about the year 2000 approaching and we all worked out how old we would be.  I wasn't sure I could make it to 53.  But here I am.  How amazed I would have been if that teacher could have told me that at 66 I would be writing articles that could be read all over the world only minutes after I had written them. Truth is surely stranger than fiction.

  We have to keep in mind that X Factor is out there to make money.  Ultimately to make money out of talented young people and a few older, by training and making them  into what the market wants, people who can sing and look good. By look good they mean look sexy to the nth degree. Of course they also make money from the phone calls when people vote for their favourite starlet, lots of it. These youngsters are coached on how to improve their image and singing and compete against each other.  Several of them will get signed up by record companies.  What do they stand to gain.  Money lots of it; fame lots of it.  Unfortunately they may not be able to cope with this and end up on drugs.  Lasting relationships may also be a problem. To be fair I've had two broken marriages and I didn't need fame to help me!!  Then one day on X Factor there was a magical moment.  Susan Boyle came into our lives.  She didn't look the part but boy could ...

Are you in deep sorrow because a loved one is terminally ill? Then this will be a very difficult time for you, but you need to realize that we are all terminally ill.  From the moment we are conceived we are on a journey towards death.  However our fate is not in the hands of the doctors and medical staff.  Although we appreciate their knowledge and care, ultimately we are in God's hands alone. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and only God knows all the intricacies of our bodies. If the total number of things about our bodies was three billion the doctors know about 150 of those things, but God knows them all.  Jesus the good shepherd has us in His care.  He died for the sheep and if He has called us and we are His He will keep us in His care.   He is the only one who can decide when we leave this life and go to Him.  Paul spoke about wanting to leave this life and be with Christ which is far better, but he also wanted to stay in this life be...

When sport is about appreciating what wonderful things we can achieve with our bodies and we are giving God the credit for this ability, then sport can be a very good thing; something to share with your family as you teach your kids the joy of hitting a target or running fast. I can tell you about a sport which goes back to Bible times.  In Judges 20:16 "There were seven hundred chosen men left handed; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth and not miss." Perhaps that should be a "new" sport at the Olympics.  However professional sport is all about,"Look at me, I'm the best" Often that best is only a tenth of a second better than number two. The sportsman also becomes an object of worship.  People who have turned away from the real God have a huge vacuum in their lives and their need to worship, turns to hero worship for the sportsman.  Also I do not like the way sportsmen drive themselves into injury and sometimes to death, which seems to fee...

Is there something in your life that counts as an obsession?  Are you mad about sport either as a participant or as a spectator?  I spend at least five and a half hours a week playing short mat bowls (see the link below if you are interested in what this is).  That's pretty keen.  I have to be careful not to let it get out of hand. God expects us and demands that we should love Him with all our heart, strength, mind and soul. .  The professional sportsman has to be so centred on his sport that it must become almost impossible to be giving God that kind of attention.  It is not only sport which can lead us astray.  The concert pianist has to be devoted to playing.  The ballet dancer has to stretch her body to the limits seeking after perfection and often working to the point where injuries happen. All these things are God-given activities but they so easily get out of hand and we find we are worshipping them when we should be worshipping God alone....

  There is nothing in this life that you can depend on.  Your health can suddenly deteriorate, your wealth can evaporate; your marriage can end.  What terrifying prospects.  What can you do to protect yourself?  There is only one who is always dependable and that is Jesus.  He promises that if you come to Him He will never turn you away, He will never let you down.  He is the One who entirely pleased the Father and took our sin upon Himself so that all who believe in Him and His power to save have forgiveness and find acceptance in God. Are you going to muddle along on your own in life, or will you trust Jesus.

When Jesus said these words He was watching the people of Sychar coming towards Him.  The disciples could hardly believe their ears.  These people were Samaritans and as Jews the disciples despised them. Has Jesus put people in your line of vision whom He is calling and are you despising them.  Take another look and be ready to tell them of Jesus.  For the account of Jesus with the Samaritan's at Sychar read John 4.

Peter in the name of Jesus brought healing to a lame man.  As he was talking the rulers he said,"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." In this pluralist world with its many religions we must hold on to the fact that only Jesus can save.  We offer Him to the world's people for if they will believe in Him, they too will be saved. We dare not water down the gospel and present it as just one of many alternatives.  Jesus is the only name by which we must be saved. He calls to you, will you hear Him?

How can you best have a fulfilling life? Is it a matter of the career you chose, or the hobby you follow?  Although these things can give you a satisfying life to a certain extent, true fulfillment can only be found in serving Jesus.  He may well place you in a job that you enjoy, but the greatest pleasure comes from doing everything for Him. Any setback that comes your way, commit it to Him knowing that He is in control.  His plan for you is the very best even though it includes pain and sorrow.  Your life may be in a storm but He is at the helm, he will bring you through. He has said," Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6v33)  The "other things" it mentions are the daily necessities.If we keep our sights on Jesus He will look after us and give us what we need, but not what we are greedy for.

Jesus promises us abundant life when we come into the kingdom of God through Him. We often look for abundant life in other places, health,wealth,happiness, fame.  All these things can suddenly leave us.  Health can disappear even though we spend hours keeping healthy.  We have all heard of joggers who after years of jogging have suddenly collapsed with a heart attack, or have had to stop because their knees can no longer take the strain. Money also has a habit of disappearing without trace. A wonderful marriage can prove to be false and leave us with nothing.  However you can depend on Jesus.  He will never leave you or forsake you. It is true He may take you on some difficult paths but He will always be with you, totally reliable.

In John 3 verse 16 we read"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." This states clearly that God's way of salvation is through believing in Jesus and it is a free gift.  Cults are all about earning what cannot be earned. In a cult you have to do things to earn salvation.  In true Christianity salvation is freely given to all who believe. It is true that a believer will then go on to do good as an expression of their faith, but forgiveness is God's prerogative and given where He pleases. Beating little children for the good of their souls is at best mistaken and at worst wicked.

This is found in Proverbs 15 verse 1.  Try it and find out for yourself.  If someone is aggressive towards you the temptation is to speak rudely back to them, but that just escalates the problem. Try to see things from their point of view.  What is really making them angry?  If you have wronged them then you should apologise.  However they may be angry because a situation is making them afraid.  Don't just look at the surface, but see what is troubling them.  Maybe you can help them see things in a different light. Your soft answer will help them to relax and see through the difficulties to a solution.

  I believe all politicians should go through the following period of training before they were allowed to sit in parliament.  They should spend three years in a low paid job and have to provide for their families from those wages alone.  They would not be allowed access to any money they already owned or to take out a loan on the strength of their other money. This would do two important things; it would mean they learnt how to budget money and they would also understand what ordinary people go through.  Then they might just be fit to govern for the benefit of all.

  This is very true and we should give and give.  However sometimes you need to receive in order that the other person can receive the blessing of giving.  Receiving requires humility.  Be humble and receive gratefully the gift that blesses you and also the giver.

Being a Christian isn't about letting people walk all over you.  Sometimes it is harder to stand up to them, but it may be just what they need.  You will do them more harm by letting them do what they want. Just as bringing up children means you need to be firm with them, or you will spoil them, so adults can behave like spoiled children and they too need to be handled firmly. Letting people walk all over you can seem like the easy way out, but it isn't fair to you and it isn't fair to them.  It might look as if Jesus let himself be walked over, but listen how firm he was in His teaching.  Yes He appeared to be weak at the cross but He was really doing the strongest thing ever,  making our salvation secure. By all means be a servant to your brothers and sisters, but when their welfare requires you to take a strong line, you must be strong.