What then?. ( Matthew 16 v 24- 26 ]

                               One of my sons is one the leaders in
                               his local church. Two ladies are going
                               to be baptised, my son will be taking
                               the service. He will be given a short
                               word , the title of his message is
                               'What then?'. Yes what then? have
                                you ever asked yourself that question.
                                The fact is Jesus our blessed Saviour
                                always made clear to people what it meant
                                to become His follower. He spoke about
                                taken up ones cross, of denying  oneself,
                                and many other things , The question is
                                are you prepared, for the 'what then?'.
                              

Yes it is very serious. ( Genese 19 v 14 ]

                              I have always enjoyed ,'Readers digest',
                              the first item I turn to is , 'Laugh'. Here are two
                              jokes,' What do  Alexander the Great, and
                              Winnie  the Pooh have in common ?. Same
                              middle name'. I hope that brought a smile
                              to your face. Humour is  an important part
                              of life. The Hitler's and Stalin's took them-
                              selves very serious, and of course it  showed.
                              Life would be so much better if we  could
                              laugh. I heard a comedian telling that when
                              he was born, people would  look at him in his
                              pram, and they would say, oh what , a baby,
                              he was making the point that he was not very
                              cute. Yes comedians are very popular, but
                              the message of the Bible is very serious, we
                              neglect it to our cost. Sin and its consequence
                              is very serious, serious enough for Jesus to die
                              in order that we may receive eternal life, now
                              that's no joking matter, in fact its very, very
                              serious.
                             
                             
                             
                                 
                          

Better He choose ( Psalm 47 v4 )

     
                             Having attended Bible college for three
                             years, living by faith, this meant we had
                             trusted God to meet all our needs. We had
                             three children, it was very challenging. I
                             who had not liked school had successfully
                             completed the course. I had done everything
                             one is supposed to do to qualify for missionary
                             work. We applied to the mission we thought
                             was Gods  place for us,  only to receive word,
                              they would not accept us, we did not even get
                              an interview. This was the pattern with most of
                              the missions we applied for. My dear wife even
                              completed a year at Bible college, but it did  not
                              Change anything.  Looking back now I can trace
                              Gods leading, but at the time it was hard. A verse
                              in Psalm 47 v4 was encouraging and instructive
                              it reads'', He  will choose  our inheritance for us''.
                              and here's the good news He did.

                                  ''I loved to choose and see my path
                                   but  now lead me on''
                                      (  J.H. Newman)
                              

Man of sorrows ( Hebrews 4 v 14- 16 )

                     
                            A young lad aged four, said the following,''I
                            wish that Dada could walk like other dadas
                            I want to cry for ever'' ,His father suffers from
                            motor neurone disease (MND ) Those words
                            'I  want to cry for ever', uttered by that young
                             child touched me. Children  are effected by
                            the suffering  of others, Prince  Harry recently
                            has spoken about the death of his mother,and
                            how it effected him. I want cry for ever, caused
                            me to think of  Jesus, who was called a man of
                            sorrows, and  I found myself asking, does  Jesus
                            still shed tears in heaven, I do not know, but this
                            I believe that He feels deeply for His suffering
                            creation, He takes all our suffering seriously, as
                            the words of an old hymn reads,' No one understands
                            like Jesus' , come to Him now in all your sorrow
                            and  brokenness, and let Him dry your tears, and heal
                            your hurts.
                           

Pray for me. ( Ephesians 6 v 19 )

                          
                     To me this daily reading  is important, as
                     indeed is my preaching.  I pray about these
                     ministries , so when I saw the  finished
                     article was looking like a dogs dinner, I was
                     concerned. My son tried to help me but to no avail
                     so I prayed the result is this new format. It appears
                     to be working, I am relieved and thankful to God,
                     Now I know my grammar and spelling may never
                     be perfect ,but I do hope it is reasonable. I do my best
                     imperfect though it be , I am always studying Gods
                     word, always trying to grow in understanding of that
                     precious book, always seeking to preach and teach
                     Gods word, that Gods people may be blessed. I share
                     this with you and ask that you would pray for me ,as
                     I serve God , we are all called to serve , it may be less
                     than perfect , but be assured God can use us.

Nero's circus ( Galations 6 v 14 )

                              
                             Under the emperor Nero , Christians were
                             persecuted, devoured by wild beasts, others
                             were crucified. This spectacle took place in
                             what became known as Nero's circus. Today  this
                             site is  St. Peters square, there is an obelisk standing,
                             it has this inscription written on it  ,which reads
                             'Dedicated  to the undefeated Cross'.

                                           Onward with the Cross our aid,
                                           Bear its shame, and fight  its battle,
                                           Till we rest beneath its  shade.
                                                  { S.Baring- Gould )

Start ....Use...Do. ( Matthew 25 v 14 30.)

                            Arthur Ash a great tennis player
                            said the following.

                                       Start where you are,
                                       use what you have ,
                                       do what you can.

             It is said that far of fields look green ,the term missionary
             conquers up  the idea of romance, even adventure, but in
             reality it's not. We do  not start being missionary in
             a far of country we start at home, where we are.
             We often think if only I was more gifted, I could accomplish
             so much, use what you have, we all  been given gifts by God,
              use what you have  been given the need is great, millions
              of  people need help and support, do what you can.