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.