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Oct

2016

What They Never Told You About The Twelve Days of Christmas!

What You Never Knew about The Twelve Days of Christmas. . .

Every year the old song goes around—leaping lords, maids-a-waiting, and all that stuff, culminating in a partridge nesting in a pear tree. I’ve always liked the title, so when the opportunity came about earlier this year to do a special Christmas project with author Roger Ellsworth, I got things into gear and started work with him on an old, previously published book, selecting several of the readings and modifying them to fit into a small book under this title and subtitle:

The Twelve Days of Christmas–Morning and Evening Thoughts on Immanuel: God with Us

The book is highly intentional, and its mission statement is defined as follows:

“The Twelve Days of Christmas has been written in short sections and in an easy-to-read manner. It is intended to help the hearts and minds of believers to focus on the wonder of the incarnation, as well as to encourage unbelievers to come in repentance and faith to Christ.”

I’ve written elsewhere about it, notably on the dedicated website and on my book ministry blog.

But I thought I would still share a few thoughts here, anyway, and give you a bit of the background.

I’m delighted that friends from Sermon Audio love the idea, and are helping to promote it. They kindly mailed out 100 copies to key broadcasting churches, and are featuring it as news item on the site. See HERE and enjoy some of the quite vigorous arguments for and against the opportunities that Christmas affords for sharing the evangel of God’s grace in Christ.

Elsewhere, I recently shared these ten special thoughts about the book:

Ten Great Reasons To Use The Twelve Days of Christmas!

It’s so exciting to be working on this promotion. Here are ten reasons for you and your church to use this little book:

1. It is a faithful presentation of the account of the birth of Jesus, the God-Man.

2. It is attractively produced, a small book that people will want to keep and to use.

3. It is intentionally affordable for use as a book-of-the-month or for a giveaway in neighborhood evangelism.

4. It is completely customizable and can include a message from your minister, a picture of your church, and your phone and web contact details.

5. It is easily understandable, with short readings for morning and evening of each day.

6. It is biblically rich, explaining and applying the text of the Bible to ordinary readers.

7. It’s highly applicatory, with points to think about at the end of each reading.

8. It is easily digestible, with headings and summary points to help understanding.

9. It is naturally sequential in moving its focus from the angels and the shepherds to ordinary people today.

10. It is all about Jesus–and His summons to everyone to repentance and faith.

On the Twelve Days site, you could also take a look at how the book may be customized and how it may be purchased inexpensively on scale. Check out links such as these:

I’ll end this short post with a short video I had fun generating using some of the software available from Powtoon—enjoy!

Oct

2016

Thinking About Sully

Rare Occurrence

Going to the movies is a very rare occurrence in the Holmes family. We do enjoy watching some DVDs, and some are definite favorites, but we’ve only sat in front of the big screen twice since moving to the USA. Once was when we were given tickets, and we went to see (and very much enjoyed) Paddington Bear—so well animated, and with such a good sense of setting in the UK.

The other time was just a week or two ago. Ever since 2009 when US Airlines 1549 went down in the Hudson just brief minutes after encountering a bird-strike that crippled both of its engines, my son Matthew and I were fascinated by the idea of a plane coming down in the Hudson in full view of the skyscrapers of Manhattan. We watched several YouTube reconstructions making use of simulations. So, when Matthew announced earlier this year that Clint Eastwood was directing a movie along the lines of a documentary on the well-fated flight, we decided it had to go on the “must see” list.

The film was even more gripping than I had expected it to be. It captures well the ambience of La Guardia airport, Manhattan, and the atmosphere of the Airbus A320 (I’ve flown on quite a few of them in recent years).

The flashbacks or imaginary scenarios that play out in the mind of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (played by Tom Hanks) are realistic in the drama and tension that they convey.

At the time of the incident on which the film was based took place, we were living in the UK. News coverage was extensive, and praise for the pilot and crew was widespread. The film explores the events from a different perspective—how Sully was challenged that he made the wrong decision to ditch the plane in the Hudson river—and that makes for good movie watching.

Character development is about as good as a movie will allow it to be. Not a lot can be achieved in just 90 minutes (and in that respect, I somewhat prefer the power of the written word). Nevertheless, the film is both engaging and actually quite gripping. It’s a DVD we agreed we would like to purchase when it comes on sale and can be purchased for a discount!

Things to Think About

What’s the takeaway, you may ask? We thought of the following points:

Great for suspense; life does keep us guessing at times

Excellent for atmosphere—the visuals are consistently good, and any viewer who has been to New York city in the winter will likely vouch for its sense of authenticity

Super special effects; the bird strike and water landing scenes make for very good viewing

Something very real but harder to express: capturing of the spirit of New Yorkers—ordinary people about their day-to-day business who divert course without a moment’s notice to come to the aid of the stricken plane and its occupants; Thank God for common grace!

A Real Story

And there is one final thought: this story is, at heart, a real story. We typically read and measure life through our own experience. We do better to measure life through the lens of the Word of God, the Bible. At the time of the event in 2008, the media often referred to it as the miracle on the Hudson. A miracle (in biblical terms) is generally considered to be an exceptional and direct act of God. I’d not go as far as to call the water landing a miracle (as it was entirely within the parameters of ordinary physical possibilities), but I have no difficulty in considering it an exceptional providence of God, a remarkable display of His singular care for the people of the city (and on the aircraft) in working out the details as He did. Of course he could have kept the birds out of the way in the first place. But it pleased Him to so work events that the soundness of the aircraft and its residual and still operative mechanical and electronic systems, the skill of the crew, and the actions of others, notably air traffic controllers and ground crews, were able to ensure the safety of all concerned.

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being,” the Scriptures state (Acts 17:28). He gives to us life and breath and all things, determining not only the beginning and end of our lives, but everything that takes place along the way. The message of Paul to the men of Mars Hill (see Acts 17:15-34) makes for good reading, especially in our postmodern times.

Image Credit: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549#/media/File:Plane_crash_into_Hudson_River_(crop).jpg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.)

Oct

2016

Remembering my Father

In October 2003, my dad left this world after battling cancer for some months. I have many fond memories of him–a man of action who would never let his teacup get cold before he was up on his feet to go and get back to the project he had been working on, whether fixing a vehicle, modifying a system in his house or garden, or doing something to improve one aspect or another of my mother’s life.

I was sharing some memories with my thirteen-year-old son some weeks ago. He had been tasked to write a short story, something to do with, perhaps, a family member. I generated some points for him by way of outline that he could use in his eighth grade English class.

As I thought about this, it became evident to me that it was a story I, too, could share with others. So, here we go! I originally generated the notes in point form (expanded here), and titled it Granddad fixes his car in the middle of nowhere in Africa.

Granddad fixes his car in the middle of nowhere in Africa

The year was around 1985. Granddad, then in his early 60s, decided to drive from Durban in South Africa to Lusaka in Zambia with Grandma so they could visit their daughter and grandchildren. The distance to be traveled was about 2,000 miles each way. Their car, a small Chevrolet 1300, was well maintained, but had been driven extensively and over some lengthy distances for nearly ten years.

Granddad was a skilled mechanic, and he always carried tools in his car as he had learned since World War 2 to be as self-sufficient as he could. Once in East Africa as a very young man–possibly still in his teens, when serving in the army–he had fixed a broken water pump on the truck he was driving–in semi-desert conditions–by modifying a part from another machine that the truck happened to be carrying. Never one to wring his hands in despair, he had the spirit of determination that would not give in and admit defeat.

As he and Grandma were driving back through Zimbabwe, about 400 miles from any major city or garage, the gearbox of their Chevy failed. The casing broke, and the bearings carrying the drive shaft were in ruins.

Granddad jacked up the car, removed the gearbox (a fairly major operation to be conducted on the side of the road) and started to fix it by using strong glue and wire. He always carried Pratley’s glue, as well as a range of tools in order to make emergency repairs or temporary modifications.

While he was doing this, a Zimbabwean soldier with a rifle–I think it was an AK47–drove up and asked what was going on. He lay his weapon down on the ground next to the car, pointing in Granddad’s direction. He–Granddad–reported that he and Grandma were a bit nervous about what would happen, especially if the gun accidentally went off!

As matters transpired, there was nothing the lone soldier could do to help, so, after a while, he left, and much to Granddad and Grandma’s relief, he took his gun, and without any unfortunate incident having taken place.

After some hours of grovelling in the roadside dirt and (no doubt grunting as he struggled with the components), Granddad managed to complete the temporary repair, and drive the car, which was making a terrible noise, all the way to Pietersburg (now called Polokwane) in the northern region of South Africa where he was able to purchase a second-hand gearbox and install it. He described the rumble and vibration of the driveshaft he and Grandma had to endure for some hundred miles as being almost impossible to bear.

I am thankful to be able to say that he and Grandma managed to get back to Durban in the car eventually, around a day or two later than originally planned.

May

2016

Tweetable One-Liners!

Fun Quotes

Some time back, my friend Brian Darroll in South Africa sent me some fun quotes–they were referenced as “Christian One-Liners.” He did not originate them but passed them on from somewhere else in the ether. Many of them make a good point. Enjoy!

Christian One Liners

Don’t let your worries get the best of you; Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

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Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

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Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.

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It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

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The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes seem to come close.

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When you get to your wits’ end, you’ll find God lives there.

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People are funny; they want the front of the bus, middle of the road, and back of the church.

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Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.

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Quit griping about your church; If it was perfect, you couldn’t belong.

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If a church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

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We’re called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

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God Himself doesn’t propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

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Some minds are like concrete: Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

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Peace starts with a smile.

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I don’t know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

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Be ye fishers of men. You catch ’em — He’ll clean ’em.

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Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

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Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.

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Don’t wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

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Forbidden fruits create many jams.

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God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

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God grades on the cross, not the curve.

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God loves everyone, But probably prefers ‘fruit of the spirit’ over ‘religious nuts!’

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

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He who angers you, controls you!

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If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

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Prayer: Don’t give God instructions, just report for duty!

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The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

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The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

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We don’t change the message; the message changes us.

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You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him or her.

Image credit: courtesy of http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Apr

2016

If Just 100 People Lived on Our Planet. . .

In the 1970s. . .

I remember at school learning that the world’s population was around 3,6 billion–that was in the 1970s. Things have changed quite a lot since then, but it is likely that some of the poverty and other demographic ratios shown in the video are relatively unchanged.

And Now!

View the video below (I came across it on Facebook) for an interesting schematic sense of how those ratios would look if there were just 100 people living on earth.

Apr

2016

Maintenance-Free Spring Flowers

Seasons Turn. . .

I love the way spring eventually breaks through at the end of winter. Spring in the Upstate of South Carolina is an especially beautiful time. Gorgeous pink and mauve colors are to be seen everywhere in the area, especially beautiful against a mild blue sky and newly green trees.

Not having the expertise (or time) to spend much time in the yard (“yard” = “garden” for non-US readers!), I am glad to have a few hardy plants that do their own thing regardless of my efforts. Water (mostly from the rain) and sunshine seem to do the trick as far as keeping them going is concerned.

Genesis 8:22 is a reminder of God’s faithfulness in the transformation of the seasons. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Enjoy the few pictures in the slides below!

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Mar

2016

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Peter Jeffery is a retired pastor and author of numerous books. Some years ago, he put together some tracts, intended for circulation by whatever means were possible. I suggested to him that we could prepare them for use on the Internet, as well as being able to be printed. He liked the idea. Here is one of them. Enjoy the gospel illustration!

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

One of the most popular recent TV programs in both Britain and the USA is the quiz show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”

Once when I was watching, a man was going for the last question and a possible winning of £1,000,000. He had sailed through the previous questions, answering easily and with confidence. This man was not guessing. He knew the answers. Then he faced the final question having already won £468,000 (about US$ 700,000). If he got the answer wrong, he would lose all that money; but he didn’t have to answer, and could go home with the half-million.

When the final question was asked, the four possible answers were shown. I thought I knew the answer, and I said to my wife, ‘The answer is “C”.’ But I was wrong! The man, however, did know the right answer and even said what it was, but the possibility of losing £468,000 made him hesitant.

He knew the right answer, but he was afraid to commit himself to it. In the end he didn’t play for the million, but if he had done so, he would have won. In that circumstance, you couldn’t blame him—a sure half-million is better than a possible million.

What would you have done in his place?

The interesting thing is that many people face a similar dilemma with regard to God. I’m talking about people who know the truth about God. They believe the gospel, but won’t commit themselves to what they know to be true.

Are you like that? You know you’re a sinner and that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. You know you need to be saved and that Jesus can and will save you if you come to him in repentance and faith. It’s not a question of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ but of ‘Who wants to be a Christian?’ Who wants their sins forgiven? Who wants to be acceptable to God? Who wants to go to heaven?

You know that Jesus is the only answer to your problem of sin but you won’t commit yourself to what you know to be the truth. You won’t do it because you’re afraid of what you may lose. But you have lost sight of what you’ll most certainly gain if you become a Christian.

Your position is not like that of the man in the quiz—he won half a million anyway. If you continue to reject Jesus you will lose everything. There are no gains for those who turn away from God’s offer of salvation. The man in the TV show went away happy with his winnings, but I wonder if afterwards he ever regretted not having the courage of his convictions and going for the big prize.

The biggest prize is Christ. To have him as your Savior far surpasses anything else in this world. It means knowing peace with God and having an assurance of a place in heaven. It’s knowing victory over death and the grave and beginning to enjoy God’s gift of eternal life.

You know this is true, so why don’t you trust the truth? I’m not asking you to believe a fairy story or something you know is wrong. I’m asking you to commit yourself to the One you know is the Truth.

Even if you became a millionaire, the day would come when you’d have to leave it all. You know that you can’t take it with you when you die. But Christ as your Savior is for all eternity. Not only can you take him with you, but he goes before you into death and takes you safely through to the heaven of God. Turn to Jesus now. You know the gospel promise that he will not turn you away. Go to him in prayer, ask for forgiveness of sin, and begin to enjoy true riches that you can never lose.

Peter Jeffery

Mar

2016

From Wood Off-cuts to Desk

A Place for Everything

A place for everything, and everything in its place. It’s a good saying. I like to try to inculcate this in my young son, aged twelve. Or, to adjust an old saying slightly, “Orderliness is next to godliness.”

“He really needs his own desk,” I said to Sue. “That way, he can start to develop good study and work habits.” We were in a departmental store a day or two later, and we spotted a small desk for sale. “Something like that would be good for Matthew,” we found ourselves saying to each other.

I sketched it up in my mind’s eye. “I have some wood from the bookshelves I made,” I remarked, referring to a project I had recently completed” (oh, the joys of being in publishing and book-selling!) “I think I could make something rather like this.” Sure enough, when we got home, and when I checked the supply of off-cuts in the corner of the garage, it looked like there was enough lumber to make a small desk.

Some days later, a trail of sawdust leading into the house, some sandpapering, and a couple of coats of varnish, the outcome was a compact little desk about the same size as the one we had seen in the shop–and for just a few dollars for the materials that I did not already have to hand. Pine can look nice when it has a lick or two of stain and varnish on it.

Our predecessors, early settlers in Africa and America, learned to make do with what they had, finding that they could be both frugal and artistic in the process. I’ll always remember the words of a mentor who said to me: “We often discover that we need what we already have.”

I’m glad to say that I had what I already needed, as well as needing what I already had!

Dec

2015

A Hymn for the New Year

Standing at the Portal of Another Year (Frances Ridley Havergal)

This evening in our family devotions, we thought of and then sang, the words of the lovely new year’s hymn written so many hears ago by Frances Ridley Havergal.

Standing at the portal
Of the opening year,
Words of comfort meet us,
Hushing every fear;
Spoken thru the silence
By our Savior’s voice,
Tender, strong and faithful,
Making us rejoice.

Refrain

Onward, then, and fear not,
Children of the day;
For His Word shall never,
Never pass away.

“I, the Lord, am with thee,
Be thou not afraid;
I will help and strengthen
Be thou not dismayed.
Yea, I will uphold thee
With My own right hand;
Thou art called and chosen
In My sight to stand.”

Refrain

For the year before us,
O what rich supplies!
For the poor and needy
Living streams shall rise;
For the sad and sinful
Shall His grace abound;
For the faint and feeble
Perfect strength be found.

Refrain

He will never fail us,
He will not forsake;
For His eternal covenant
He will never break.
Resting on the promise,
What have we to fear?
God is all sufficient
For the coming year.

Refrain

To listen to the midi score courtesy of Cyberhymnal, activate the following link: hermas

Image of Frances Ridley Havergal courtesy of Cyberhymnal.

Dec

2015

Christmas 2015

2015 Is Nearly Over

Click to read newsletter

The year 2015 draws to its conclusion. It is my practice to share a few pictures and text each end of year, so there is a link to our annual PDF here. Click or tap to activate. . . and enjoy the short meditation on Micah 5.

If you enjoy reading our year-end newsletters, you could check out the link here to the one from last year, and the cluster of archive links to be found there!

To view a special piano rendering by Matthew of The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, activate the video below.

What They Never Told You About The Twelve Days of Christmas!

What You Never Knew about The Twelve Days of Christmas. . .

Ten Great Reasons To Use The Twelve Days of Christmas!

Thinking About Sully

Rare Occurrence

Things to Think About

A Real Story

Remembering my Father

Granddad fixes his car in the middle of nowhere in Africa

Tweetable One-Liners!

Fun Quotes

Christian One Liners

If Just 100 People Lived on Our Planet. . .

In the 1970s. . .

And Now!

Maintenance-Free Spring Flowers

Seasons Turn. . .

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

From Wood Off-cuts to Desk

A Place for Everything

A Hymn for the New Year

Standing at the Portal of Another Year (Frances Ridley Havergal)

Christmas 2015

2015 Is Nearly Over

Windows on My World

Jim’s Recent Posts

Jim’s Recent Twitter Feed

Receive Jim’s Occasional Updates

Recent Comments

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What You Never Knew about The Twelve Days of Christmas. . .

Ten Great Reasons To Use The Twelve Days of Christmas!

Rare Occurrence

Things to Think About

A Real Story

Granddad fixes his car in the middle of nowhere in Africa

Fun Quotes

Christian One Liners

In the 1970s. . .

And Now!

Seasons Turn. . .

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

A Place for Everything

Standing at the Portal of Another Year (Frances Ridley Havergal)

2015 Is Nearly Over

Windows on My World

Jim’s Recent Posts

Jim’s Recent Twitter Feed

Visit Jim’s Social Media Sites.

Receive Jim’s Occasional Updates

Recent Comments

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