I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. ² My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. ³ He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. ⁴ Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:1-4

When you look at this glass what do you see? Do you see it as half full or half empty? Perhaps the most famous story in hymnody is the true life event which detailed the context of the hymn ‘it is well’.

Economic and Personal tragedies struck the Spafford family in a way that could possibly drive someone away from God, but H G Spafford took the calamities that befell him and turned them into a heartfelt expression of contrition before God that would last through the ages.

He lived with his family in Chicago where he was the best of friends with the renowned preacher of the day, Dwight L. Moody. Spafford was a lawyer and had earned a good living and made many investments in real estate in the city but in 1871 he faced several tragedies. He and wife Anna had just lost a son to Scarlet Fever and then the Great Chicago Fire destroyed most of his real estate holdings.

The family carried on, then about 2 years later Horatio decided to take a trip to Europe being aware that his friend Moody would be preaching in England later that year and the family could perhaps attend. However, business matters kept Mr. Spafford behind sending wife Anna and their four daughters ahead on the journey.

The trip turned tragic when their vessel was struck mid-voyage by a large industrial ship taking the lives of 226 passengers including all four of the Spafford daughters, Annie, Bessie, Tanetta and Maggie. However, wife Anna survived and finally arrived in England where she would send a chilling telegram to her husband with only two words, "Saved Alone".

It would be two years before Horatio would sail to England to rejoin his wife. While on the voyage across the ocean, he was made aware of the very spot where the accident had occurred which tragically took the life of his children. There he penned the fateful words to the beloved song, "It Is Well With My Soul".

The Psalmist David, also a musician, told a lot of his life through the poetry of the psalms, noticing that in times of personal struggle and tragedy, God is the only true author of our help.

Today lift up your eyes and see God from a different point of view.

Brooklyn Tabernacle sing ‘Psalm 121.’ Click on the picture to listen.

April 15-16 -

“Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity” (Proverbs 3:1b-2 NIV).

I have been watching a programme on TV, presented by Angela Rippon. The theme of the programme is on living healthier and longer, and how to stay looking young, You’d probably pay a lot of money for a pill that promised to add years to your life – wouldn't you?. As Christians we don't need to pop anti-ageing pills, we already have the key to a long life – free, no strings attached. - the same key used by the following doctor

Episode One of the programme contained footage of a visit to Loma Linda, a town in California America, where they interviewed an ex-surgeon, Dr. Ellsworth Wareham, who had reached the grand old age of 100 years. Physically and mentally intact, and looking 30 years younger than his age, this gent had worked full-time up to the age of 95 years. He puts all of this down to his 50 year diet as a vegan. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/12/16/100-year-old-surgeon-wwii-vet-who-retired-at-age-5-shares-secrets-to-longevity.html

God has given us all of the principles for health management in his Word, the Bible. The diet God gave people at the beginning of Creation was fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds (Genesis 1:29, 2:16; 3:18). The Bible is the owner’s manual for your body. As David says, “You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws” (Psalm 119:73 TLB). And in Deuteronomy, it says, “These instructions are not empty words — they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land” (Deuteronomy 32:47a NLT, second edition). God says, “If you do what I tell you to do with your health, you will enjoy a long life.”

Our key verse today says, “Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life” (Proverbs 3:1b-2a NIV). What are some of those commands? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing” (Proverbs 3:5-10a).

These verses highlight some factors that you probably don’t think about but that will keep you healthy: tranquility, trust in God, integrity, humility, and generosity. These things will cause your health to be better, because your physical health is influenced by your spiritual health. Speaking of physical health, the programme tested various forms of exercise to discover the best all-rounder to maintain muscle and cardiac strength. The result? - dancing. Dancing gave every muscle and organ in the body, a good work-out.

That, combined with a Mediterranean diet was said to add a number of years to our lives. Worth a try? I think I'll go now and give the calypso a whirl!

Music today is by George Jones “Choices” - with lyrics – thank you Bryn. Click on the picture to listen.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30

My wife shared this idea with me.

 “It is finished” were the last words spoken by Jesus on the cross at Calvary as recorded by John the Apostle. They are amongst some of the most well-known verses of scripture standing alongside Psalm 23, John 14:1-3, Genesis 1:1 and Matthew 6:9-13 commonly known as the Lord’s prayer.

Got questions.org gave me this definition. “It is finished.” Found only in the Gospel of John, the Greek word translated “it is finished” is tetelestai, an accounting term that means “paid in full.” When Jesus uttered those words, He was declaring the debt owed to His Father was wiped away completely and forever. Not that Jesus wiped away any debt that He owed to the Father; rather, Jesus eliminated the debt owed by mankind—the debt of sin.

Matthew 5:37 states,

‘But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.’ 

If we are not sure what that means James 5:12 makes it clearer,

‘But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.’

It’s either a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ to Jesus. There are no grey areas when it comes to salvation. The only way we can reject the free gift, paid for by the blood of our willing saviour, is to say no through our actions and our words. Don’t call time on a chance to spend eternity with Jesus, whatever you have done or are you are going through, will pass. Jesus is giving you, us a chance to spend our lives with him in heaven. This isn’t a fairy tale or fancy words, it’s the real thing.

Jesus said ‘it is finished’ as he paid the debt for our sins. All he asks us to say is ‘yes.’ Say yes to Jesus today.

Derrick Brinkley sings ‘Say Yes.’ Click on the picture to listen.

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) John 18:10

When I was a music student I did a dramatized version of the oratorio, St John Passion by JS Bach. An oratorio is basically a setting of religious text work without staging or costume, which would push it towards being an opera. For years it has been proved that music is a great vehicle for learning bible verses and so it was in this case. One of the singers sang this phrase from verse 10 of John ‘his name was Malchus.’

Now the only time I have heard that name mentioned is in a bible trivia quiz because apart from the reference in the book of John and Mathew 26:51, we are not told a great deal more. But what it doesn’t tell us about Malchus, by default it tells us about Jesus. It tells us that even in the midst of the drama of Gethsemane, soldiers bustling around, destressed disciples, confused onlookers and reckless Peter, Jesus was still true to his character, patient, compassionate and caring.

He didn’t have to stop to perform ear surgery, but he did and because of that, the name Malchus is recorded in the bible.  If you read that one verse alone you might think that it was just another miracle, however the ‘back story’ tells us something different. Jesus time and again demonstrated the content of his character with consistency. The woman at the well, the raising of Lazarus, the wedding at Cana, all different situations but all showing the consistency of character that Jesus had meaning that in the heat of the moment his instinct was - others first.

I could have begun this blog with the text alone, but my own ‘back story’ in relation to why it is important to me and not just a piece of trivia, reminds me that I have to keep developing my character to be like Jesus.

Allied to what my blog partner Shiella blogged on April 7, the character traits that are going to survive are the ones we feed. How are you developing/feeding yours?

Jennifer Lamountain sings ‘Oh I want to know you more.’ Click on the picture to listen.

April 8-9 - Which way?

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you” - Philippians 3:12-15 ESV

On the Australian coat of arms is a picture of an emu and a kangaroo. These animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to our forefathers. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail. Those who truly choose to follow Jesus become like the emu and kangaroo, moving only forward, never back (Luke 9:62).

This took my mind back to New Year, and resolutions – 'the list,' - those resolutions we have all made. By now most of us have failed to get any of them done, forgotten them, or perhaps even misplaced them. The rest of us have dismissed them entirely. We had plans to move forward in 2016. Man has a plan, but God orders our steps. We may not have met our personal goals, but we can thank God for the positives we have expeienced, and not dwell on the negatives.

Don't look back. The Bible tells us to press on towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. We are in a race and we can’t go back and retrieve any time lost from the mistakes we've made, but we can “....press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 KJV) “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” (1 Corinthians 9:24 KJV)

We are constantly to be moving forward, growing and doing all we can to get the message of God’s love to others. We must make sure that we are living a life that reflects Christ’s nature to attract others to Him.

So there is no list of do’s and don’ts. Plain and simply put, live your life one day at a time, asking the Lord what He requires. Take each day and say, 'Lord, what is on your agenda for me today?' If you can find out His plans on a daily basis then you won’t be disappointed at the end of the year.

“One day at a time” is todays music choice sung by Charlie Landsborough. Click on the picture to listen.

April 7 – Feed the right dog.

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” - 1 Peter 1:13

An old American Indian tale recounts the story of a chief who was telling a gathering of young braves about the struggle within. "It is like two dogs fighting inside of us," the chief told them. "There is one good dog who wants to do the right and the other dog always wants to do the wrong. Sometimes the good dog seems stronger and is winning the fight. But sometimes the bad dog is stronger and wrong is winning the fight."

"Who is going to win in the end?" a young brave asks.
The chief answered "The one you feed."

Proverbs 4:23 TEV tells us to “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” God is far more interested in changing our minds than changing our circumstances. We want God to take away all of our problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness. But God is interested in working on us first. Transformation won’t happen in our lives until we renew our minds - until our thoughts begin to change.

Why is it so important that we learn how to manage our minds? Rick Warren gives us three reasons.

Manage your mind, because your thoughts control your life.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (TEV). The power of our thoughts has tremendous ability to shape our lives for good or for bad. Maybe when we were growing up someone had said to us, “You're worthless. You don’t matter.” If we accepted that thought - even though it was wrong, it would inevitably have shaped our lives.

Manage your mind, because the mind is the battleground for sin.
All temptations happen in the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB).

One of the reasons why we get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle going on in our brains 24 hours a day. It’s intense, It’s debilitating. It’s intense because our minds are our greatest assets. Satan wants our greatest asset!

Manage your mind, because it’s the key to peace and happiness.
An unmanaged mind leads to tension. A managed mind leads to tranquility. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict. A managed mind leads to confidence. An unmanaged mind leads to stress. When we don’t try to control our minds and the way we direct our thoughts, we will have an enormous amount of stress in our lives. But a managed mind leads to strength, security, and serenity.

“Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NLT, second edition).

Remember the Chiefs advice to the young brave, and take care to always feed the good dog.

Music today, “I've got my mind made up” with lyrics – a taste of Jamaican gospel. Click here to listen.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Psalm 73:26-28

In the 60’s there was a popular board game called ‘Snakes and ladders.’ It was played with more than one person and a dice. If a person landed on a ladder then they would go up the ladder to a better position in the game. However, if they landed on a snake then they would travel backwards in the game to a worse position and have to try to make progress again.

It reminded of how life can give us pitfalls. Some of the things that we think are ladders, like the job promotion that we have secured or the relationship that we have worked hard for, can turn out not to be what they seem if the Lord is not in it. Conversely, the disappointments that masquerade as snakes, like the injury which prevented you from working or the alarm clock that did not go off causing you to miss that opportunity, can be God’s way of getting your attention.

The psalmist in the bible, David, was similarly in one of these predicaments when he cried out to the Lord,

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.⁴They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. ⁵ They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. ⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. ⁷ From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. ⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. ⁹ Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Psalm 73:3-9

Brethren, we can always be assured that God has his hand on us. He alone can turn those so called snakes into ladders, and put you on the platform you were meant to be on. All he asks us to do it to trust him.

The Winans sing ‘Trust in God.’ Click on the picture to listen.

In case you missed this. When I first read this story I thought that it was another fake conspiracy story and so I just ignored it. That was until it I was sent it for the second time. The New York Times gave credit to this story which indeed is noteworthy. I was alarmed. Should you be? You can read the article here in Charisma News but these are the main points.

As a ‘gesture of defiance’ against ISIS who reportedly blew up the original temple in Palmyra, Syria, a replica of the tower of Baal is to be set up in Times Square, New York and Trafalgar Square, London. Various other reports suggest that these erections are the first of one thousand worldwide under the guise of preserving ancient history. The arch ways of the temple will be put up in London and America then the process will be rolled out to other major cities.

According to an internet source, Baal was the name of the supreme god worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. The practice of Baal worship infiltrated Jewish religious life during the time of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became widespread in Israel during the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33) and also affected Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-2). The word baal means “lord”; the plural is baalim. In general, Baal was a fertility god who was believed to enable the earth to produce crops and people to produce children. Different regions worshiped Baal in different ways, and Baal proved to be a highly adaptable god. Various locales emphasized one or another of his attributes and developed special “denominations” of Baalism. Baal of Peor (Numbers 25:3) and Baal-Berith (Judges 8:33) are two examples of such localized deities.

Does this say anything about the times that we are living in where Christianity is openly mocked and satanic symbols are erected in plain sight? If there ever was a time to be studying Gods word and sharing your faith, the time is now.

Croydon SDA Choir sing ‘No more tears.’ Click on the picture to listen.

April 1-2 -

“Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven — it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19 TLB)

Generosity is an investment. Luke 16:9 says, “Use your worldly resources to benefit others” (NLT, second edition). When we die we can't take it with us. I don't know if it happens in this country too, but in America the mortuaries sell burial suits for people who want to be buried in a suit but don’t own one. Do you know what makes a burial suit different? There are no pockets in them! It’s true! We don’t need them, because we can’t take it with us. But we can send it on ahead.

How do we do that? Invest in people who are going there.

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:18-19, “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven — it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well” (TLB).

Every time we are generous with the poor, a friend, or a neighbor, God says we are storing up treasure in the bank of Heaven. Our life span is only about 80 and at the most 100 years. Life in eternity will be trillions of years. Where do you need to have the biggest account?

There’s no greater investment than in the Kingdom of God. When we help other people with our time, our money, our resources — whatever we’ve got — we are actually making an investment in Heaven. God protects it. It pays good rates. Over the centuries from Eden to today it’s been proved - there are great dividends and no risks.

We’re not going to get that kind of investment anywhere else!

Acknowledgements Rick Warren

“Bread Upon the Water” - LIVE is today's music. Click on the picture to listen.

March 31 - Deception

“Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus” - Matthew 4:8-11


Three weeks or so back, I was listening to local radio when they introduced someone from the Paranormal Society of Great Britain. I was washing the dishes at the time, and by the time I had dried my hands and reached the radio to change channels, the rep' was talking about Nottingham. It appears, according to him, that Nottingham has the highest number of recorded reports of paranormal 'events' in the whole of Great Britain.

What a sign of the times! What a change from the days our country was known for it's Christianity.From the Garden of Eden to today, the Old Snake is as subtle and active as ever. He slithers and writhes his way into people's minds, constantly assuring “There's no harm in it” - “everybody's doing/having it” - “go on, enjoy yourself!”

Recently I was talking with a young teenager who was telling me about a school activity week she had been on, and what she and her friends had got up to – most of it hilarious, they'd had the best of times. I got a surprise though when I asked how they had spent the long winter evenings. The board games I had in mnd turned out to be an improvised ouigi board, taking turns asking questions and sending messages. I was so relieved when my young friend said she'd had the courage to stand, be different from the crowd, saying she was a Christian and wouldn't take part. Praise the Lord!Today, I received a catalogue in the mail. Enclosed was the usual marketing ploy – the offer to have a Persoanl Account - “Buy now....Pay later.” The enclosed leaflet continued: 'Plus, we'll give you all this....Affordable payment options....Easy safe ordering....Try before you buy....Stress-free returns.'

Where had I read offers like these before? Then it struck me that these are the same offers Satan has dangled before us since the beginning of time. I'd read the warnings in the Bible, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” - 2 Cor.11:3. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” - 2 Cor. 4:4. "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. "Behold, I have told you in advance” - Matthew 24:4-5.

Every day our young people are bombarded with 'offers'....'Met someone you like – are they THE one? why wait-try before you buy....if it doesn't work out, there's plenty more fish in the sea.' 'Go on, have what you want, you deserve it'....Buy now, pay later – no stress!' Safe ordering....affordable payment options....you only live once....'believe ME' hisses the viper.

What can we do? The Apostle Paul in the Message Bible, Phil. 3:12-21 advises us to keep our minds focused and God will clear away other thoughts. Make friends of those who are “....running the same course, headed for the same goal....” Avoid those who want “easy street” - that's “....a dead-end....” they make “....their bellies their Gods; belches are their praise; all they can think about is their appetite.”

God's offers and promises surpass anything the devil dangles, and they are true, and sure - “....there's far more to life for us. We're citizen's of high heaven! We're awaiting the arrival of the Saviour, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious bodies like His own....”

With God we CAN buy now, and reap our reward NOW. Payment options? Christ has already paid the cost – no need to try before we buy. Whenever we need help, ordering is as near as a whispered prayer....nothing to return – stress-free.

As James said, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” - James 2:19.

Today's music?  "I'll Take Jesus" - sung by Jason Crabb.  Click on the picture to listen.