Eeeeee it's good to belong...

I've just come back from an amazing time in church. Can such a thing happen you say? Yes, you'd better believe it. I was playing bass this morning. I enjoy the bass as it's so vastly different to the piano...And I get to stand on the other side of the platform!

So, why so amazing? Well, we had 2 new songs, neither of which was known to most of us in the band. Praise God, we sailed through them as though we'd been playing them for years. The Holy Spirit will do that if you'll let Him. The worship time was special, so off to a good start. After, we had the sermon. It was one of those that just spoke straight to my heart. Ever been there and done that?

I'd totally forgotten this, but after the meeting ended, a meal was laid on for all the new folk in the church. I qualified as I've been there less than 2 years. As it happened, just about everybody stayed for the meal which was great. So, I had a great meeting and sermon, and chicken curry for lunch, with strawberry Pavlova (my favourite) after...It just doesn't get much better than that!

After the meal I played some football with Jack in the sunshine!!!! And over tea and coffee, I was stood at the front of the church watching everyone fellowship and enjoy each other's company. "This is my family," I thought, and how blessed I am to have them.

Eeeeee it's good to belong.

A Fond Farewell

I may have said this somewhere before in my writings, but it's worth saying again. Tonight I went to a farewell meeting for a local URC minister and his wife. They've been part of the Malvern scene for almost 7 years, and have made a difference both to Malvern and to me. They are a South African couple so it took faith to come here, and now they are returning to head up a new work somewhere else in the world. Malvern's loss will be somewhere else's gain.

So, Denis and Pat, farewell. I love you both and pray that God will mightily bless you as you go in His name.

There it is...The whole point of this blog...In Christianity, there is one sadness that we must all face; it's saying goodbye to those we meet along the way. I probably won't see Denis and Pat again this side of heaven, but O, what a joy it will be to meet up with them on the other side.

Which way do you run?

I don't know about you, but in my life I've come across, and seen on TV, many people who have run the wrong way. They blame God for the disaster, or loss of a loved one. You can see the anger and bitterness in their eyes. These do no one any favours; anger and bitterness eat away at your insides. Stomach ulcers and stress related illnesses are all exacerbated by them. Strange, you never hear them blaming the cancer, or 'mother' nature, or Satan...Only God.

Im my time of trial, I found a better way. I turned toward God, not away from Him. The result? Forgiveness. No anger, no bitterness, no ulcer, no stress, but a peace that passes all understanding. Tell me, which sounds to you like the better way?

At church this morning (27th July 08) I witnessed one of the greatest acts of courage I have ever seen. Let me explain. A couple went on 'a holiday of a lifetime.' Safari in Africa, sounds wonderful. Sadly, the wife was taken ill and later died. This morning, the husband stood and gave us a testimony of that holiday, including all the information we needed to know about his dear wife's passing. What a blessing for us to hear the answers to all those questions we had, and from the lips of a Godly man who is still waiting for his wife to be returned to the UK. NOT ONE WORD of complaint. NOT ONE WORD of anything except praise for God whom both he and his wife love. No anger, no bitterness...What a difference to those who run the wrong way.

There's a lesson for everyone in these two testimonies...Run to God in your time of trial, He is always there to comfort you, no matter what the dilemma. For your own sake, for your peace of mind and for your life, DON'T allow Satan to turn you away from God. Anger and bitterness are killers.

To Peter I say, "Well done my brother, you are an inspiration to all of us."
To Rosaleen I say, "Dear sister, your life has been, is, and will continue to be an example of true Christianity."

Rosaleen the princess has become, Rosaleen the Queen.

To God be the glory!

The loss of a friend

Today is a sad day for me, it's the day of a friends funeral. He was way too young to die, and dyeing the way he did is just too tragic to talk about. Suffice to say that we Christians are not immune to the pressures of life, on the contrary, we face more than most. The Bible says, "A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord rescues him from them all." I can think of no better rescue than to go and be with my Lord.

To S, a very fond farewell.
Colin.

Every day dawns eventually...

Many years ago when I was on the staff of a Bible college in the south of England, I was in the habit of getting up early and going down to the lower ground floor of the big old house I was living in to pray. I never put the light on as it seemed to help being in the dark. Anyway, on one of those mornings the Lord said to me, "Every day dawns eventually." For some reason, this struck me hard. It must have done cos it's still with me 20 years later!

So what's so profound about that you ask? Well, I've seen lots of days dawn since then. Some I really wish I hadn't, and others have been a tremendous blessing, and some, I am still waiting for. For instance: I saw the day dawn when I went to Africa on a 2 week mission. I've walked on the shores of lake Tanganyika! I've played a little battery powered keyboard with a speaker tied to a tree and seen a thousand people come to hear the gospel. I've eaten chips in a mud hut!!! I kid you not. I got my first preach in a church with no walls and a corrugated tin roof, standing on a dirt floor.

I saw the day dawn when I was the only bloke in Holloway prison playing piano for the inmates. The day I stood in Gibraltar to take a day conference. The day I taught in a Bible school in Spain without notes...All of these days I have seen.

The point is this; there's a day coming when every knee shall bow. A day when we will hear a loud shout from an Angel with a voice like a trumpet, and those of us who are born again will be caught up to meet Him in the air...Now what a day that will be.

Giving Blood...

Today has been a special day for me. It was blood donor day. Yes I wandered round to the local rugby club to sit in a queue before they stick a needle in and swipe a pint(ish). But it's a great way to be of service to our fellow man. I will never meet the folk who receive my blood, but they are out there somewhere, alive and well.

The staff are wonderful. I always have a good laugh whilst lying on the table. It's no hardship to do it, and best of all, it gives me the perfect excuse to eat chocolate!

Do something wonderful, give blood, and be a blessing to others. You'll be so glad you did.

The Train Now Arriving At Platform 60!

No, it's not a big station, it's a big birthday! I've been riding this train for 6 decades now, and there's still a long way to go. I'm old enough now to not look back. There's a lot of stuff there that's best left behind. That's one of the real joys of being a Christian, you can look ahead. You probably won't see exactly what's coming, but you know that something exciting is on the way. That little word 'hope' is wonderful, "We have a hope that is steadfast and certain."

So, the tannoy announces, "The train now arriving at platform 60 is coming in on time and in one piece!" I praise my God daily for good health and the home He has provided for me over the years. He truly is faithful to His own and has been to me since I came to know Him aged 12. Even through the dark times and wilderness years He was always there, even though I didn't see Him...Wasn't looking, but He was there none the less.

And so, on to the future, whatever that might hold. One thing I can be sure of, we'll ride the rails together, my Lord and me, right on to eternity.

To Him be the glory,
Colin. Aged 59 and 9.999 tenths!