Preaching with a purpose

If there is one person who has worked hard after the past few years, to return Britain to democracy, it is Nigel Farage.  He therefore deserves a knighthood; but,of course , he is not getting one or anything else in the Honours List.  We all have to do our best in life to make things better for others without looking for this kind of reward.  How I try to make things better for you is to tell you of your need of Jesus Christ as your Saviour.  We are all, without exception, sinners deserving God's punishment but He has provided Jesus as the way to God.  If we put our trust in Jesus alone as the only One who can bring us to God we are promised that we will be forgiven.  That is the best message of all.

The more I learn about President Putin, the more I like and respect him.  His response to America's action to expel 35 Russian diplomats from America for computer hacking, which cannot be proved to have come from Russia, shows a much finer reaction than Obama's. Mr Putin has decided not to take retaliatory sacking of American diplomats in Russian and in a conciliatory way has even invited children of the American community to attend the New year and Christmas parties in the Kremlin. What a stroke of genius!   BBC news today has not mentioned the invitation of children to the parties.  In today's climate it is good to check all news available so that you can make up your mind from a wider choice and perhaps then have a chance of knowing what is really going on in the world.

From quite early in my life I have been aware of the Red Army Choir.   From the first time I heard them I was thrilled with their harmony and musicality.   I am but a poor musician but good enough to know just how good this choir has always been.   All over the world there will be people today, like me who mourn their loss.   How quickly joy and anticipation can turn to sorrow.   This will be keenest for their family members, but many people around the world will share that sorrow.   The Russian people are resilient after centuries of hardship and I am sure there will be those who will take on the challenge of re-building such a great choir again, not the same but of equal musicality. I saw on the T.V. this morning a lead singer from the choir who had stayed behind for family reasons.   My wish for him is that he would take a lead role in re-building the choir in memory of the friends he has lost.

Recently Andrei Karlov, Russian ambassador to Turkey was gunned down.   Ambassadors are people representing their country in a foreign country with the intention of having good relations between the two countries. He seems to have been killed simply because he is Russian and the gunman wanted to protest in an extreme way, against Russia’s part in the conflict in Syria. I send my condolences to Mr Karlov’s family and his country who have posthumously given him Russia’s highest medal, Hero of the Russian Federation.   The young man who shot Karlov will also have relatives mourning his loss.   All death is important.   Why? It is because it reminds us all that this is the fate for each one of us. Some will die sooner, some will die later.   The inevitability of death should make us ponder more what comes after.   We spend a lot of time in denial about our death, but that makes no difference,; we will all die.   As a Christian I want to alert ...

Just get off your phone, tablet, PC whatever and experience the wonder of talking one to one with another human being.   On the internet there is no eye contact, no body language, no really great immediate interaction.   The words on the page cannot tell you what the other person is really like.   It is so easy to read the wrong tone of voice on the internet.   You can think someone is angry with you when they are not.   You can think someone agrees with you, when they do not.   You need real live interaction.   So meet up with a friend and experience the joy of conversation.   Meet with several friends and really chew the fat.   When you talk with others it helps you to understand life and put things into perspective.   You might feel you don’t need this, but think about the others who are missing out on your viewpoint   If you are a Christian you need to speak with other Christians and see if you have the right thoughts...

I wonder how many of the elderly, which includes me, really find any benefit from receiving the ten pound Christmas bonus?   If the government were to channel the millions that could be saved from this they could put it into the N.H.S. and make a small but real difference.   I do not speak as a wealthy pensioner.   No, I am on pension credit.   I have to say this is perfectly adequate for my needs.   I even run a car.   I don’t have a large flat screen T.V. or smoke, or drink or gamble. I actually enjoy making ends meet and am able to plan my first holiday abroad for next year.   I do wonder why the N.H.S. stuffs us full of statins and then the politicians grumble about keeping us all. I don’t take statins.   Even though my cholesterol level is fine and my blood pressure likewise I have been offered statins by my doctor. I do take medication for other things but believe it is best to avoid medicine if possible.   There was an inter...

How many people these days can truly say they are contented? Many people are looking around for the next thrill, owning the latest phone or gadget. The Bible says, in fact Jesus said, “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” So no matter what things you are heaping together for yourself if you do not honour God, the reality is, you have nothing! In contrast if you honour God, you are right to be content, even if you have little, even if you have nothing else but God, because honouring God is the one thing that really matters.