Author: Peteaird

Nothing particularly interesting to say about myself other than after 27 years working as a GP, I was delighted, at the start of December 2023, to start work as the South West Regional Representative of the Slavic Gospel Association (SGA). You can read about what they do at sga.org.uk. I am also an avid Somerset County Cricket Club supporter and a poor example of a Christian who likes to put finger to keyboard from time to time and who is foolish enough to think that someone out there might be interested enough to read what I've written. Some of these blogs have grown over time and some portions of earlier blogs reappear in slightly different forms in later blogs. I apologise for the repetition. If you are involved in a church in the southwest of England and would like to hear more of SGA’s work, do get in touch. I’d love to come and talk a little, or even a lot, about what they get up to!.

SOME WORDS FOR HOLY WEEK: 6 – ‘IT IS FINISHED’

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion record seven things that he said whilst hanging on the cross. The sixth is found in John 19:30 where we read that Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’

I wonder what those who heard Jesus say these words thought he meant. No doubt there would have been some who believed that he was simply confirming what was all too apparent to those witnessing the crucifixion – that his life was now drawing to a close, brought to its untimely end by an unimaginably barbaric form of execution. But there may have been others who would have interpreted his words differently. Because there were some who had hoped that Jesus would lead an uprising that would result in the Romans being expelled from their country. And so, on hearing him say ‘It is finished, they may have imagined that Jesus was finally admitting what they had already come to realise – that the eagerly anticipated revolution was over – before it had ever really begun.

But that wasn’t what he meant at all – for with those three words, Jesus was referring to something of far greater significance. Because, as would become apparent just three days later, Jesus’ life was not at an end – and neither was his kingdom.

Jesus had previously said that his kingdom was not of this world [John 18:36], and so, unlike those who seek to extend their borders by oppressing their neighbours with violence, Christ’s everlasting kingdom was always going to be one that would be established and maintained by love. Even before the creation of the world, it had always been God’s plan to rescue his people by sending his Son to die as an atoning sacrifice for their sin.

And that is why, having completed what he willingly came to do, Jesus made an announcement. ‘It is finished,’ he said.

Because as the sky turned black, God was pouring out his righteous anger for every sin that would ever be committed by those who would one day turn to him in repentance. And it wasn’t just the past sins of Christians that were being dealt with that day – on the contrary, as Jesus died in their place, all of their future sins were being atoned for too. Furthermore, because God’s wrath wasn’t merely being deflected away from us but rather, was fully absorbed by Jesus, not a drop of it remains to subsequently reemerge and fall on us at some point in the future.

It is not arrogant then for Christians to be sure of their place in heaven, for they are not trusting in their own merit to get there. Rather, recognising their own unworthiness, they know that they are saved by grace, the undeserved kindness of God, manifested through the Son he lovingly sent into the world to not only die for them, but also to live for them a perfect life. Because, whilst his death paid the price for their sins, Jesus’ sinless life, having been credited to Christians as if they had lived it themselves, provides for them a perfect righteousness that makes them acceptable in His sight. That is the gospel – not a list of rules that we are demanded to keep, but good news regarding what Jesus has already done for us. So then, it is only by recognising that we contribute nothing to our salvation, other than our sin that makes it necessary, that we can be confident that our sins really are forgiven, and our place in heaven really is assured.

And were further evidence needed, the fact that Jesus’ saving work is confirmed in the book of Hebrews where we read that, ‘having offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God, because by a single offering he had perfected for all time those who were being sanctified.’ [Hebrews 10:12-14].

No further sacrifice is therefore required. Jesus’ work was complete, the job was done, and there was nothing more that he needed to do. It really was finished – which is why there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. [Romans 8:1]

But having heard this wonderfully good news, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? That is the question that the writer of the letter to the Hebrews asks his readers to consider – and one that we would all do well to consider too. And having done so, we should surely come to the same conclusion as two of Jesus’ earliest followers who recognised the uniqueness of Jesus and what he achieved for us on the cross. The first was Paul, who spoke of Jesus as the only mediator between God and man [1 Timothy 2:5], and the second was Peter, who said that, other than Jesus, ‘there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved’ [Acts 4:12].

But they weren’t alone in believing what they did, because there was somebody else who thought that Jesus was the only way to heaven too. And that was Jesus himself – the one who said:

‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ [John 14:6]

Related blogs:

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 5 – ‘I Thirst’, click here.

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 4 – ‘My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?’, click here.

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 3 – ‘Mother, behold your son! Behold your Mother!’, click here

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 2 – ‘Tomorrow, you will be with me in paradise’, click here

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 1 – ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’, click here.

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted – sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

SOME WORDS FOR HOLY WEEK: 5 – ‘I THIRST’

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion record seven things that he said whilst hanging on the cross. The fifth is found in John 19:28 where we read that Jesus said, ‘I thirst.’

Now there may be some who might be tempted to say, ‘So what?’ in response to being told how Jesus expressed that he was thirsty during his crucifixion. After all, surely it is only to be expected that Jesus would want a drink after having hung on a cross for almost six hours. Even so, these words of Jesus are worth a closer look – and not only because his experiencing thirst was predicted in ancient psalms written almost a thousand years earlier – both in Psalm 22, that we considered yesterday, and in Psalm 69, where it is further prophesied that he would be given ‘sour wine’ to drink, something that we read was fulfilled in John 19:30.

Something else that we need to recognise from the fact that Jesus was thirsty is just how human he was. There is an earthliness to Jesus’ tongue sticking to the sides of his mouth because of how dehydrated he was [Psalm 22:15], and it reminds us that, as well as being 100% God, Jesus was also 100% man. Which, though impossible for us to fully comprehend, is nonetheless important, because it was only as a consequence of him being fully human that Jesus was able to be a suitable sacrifice for sinful men and women – those who, though made in the image of God, were no longer able to fully reflect his perfect holiness as a result of their rebellion against him,

And so it was that ‘though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not count equality to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.’ [Philippians 2:6-8]

But there is more to be appreciated from Jesus’ words than the fact that they both fulfil prophecy and point to his paradoxically being both fully human and fully divine. Because the scriptures frequently describe how Jesus gives up things that we require, things that, because of his sacrifice, are subsequently made available to us. And so, just as we are told that he became sin so that we might become righteous [2 Corinthians 5:12], that he suffered so that we might escape judgement, [Isaiah 53:5], and that he died so that we might have eternal life [John 3:16], so too are we told that by his becoming thirsty we are invited to drink.

It is not, however, sour wine that we are offered. On the contrary we are invited to drink the ‘living water’ that is so satisfying that those who drink it, Jesus said, would never go thirsty again. [John 4:13]

Now, if you are wondering where to find this liquid refreshment, you will be interested to hear the answer Jesus gave to a Samaritan woman who asked the self-same question. Jesus said to her that, if we thirst, we should go to him and drink [John 7:37], and that having drunk the living water that only he can provide, it will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life. [John 4:14].

After Jesus had died, but whilst he was still hanging on the cross, John records how, in order to confirm that he really was dead, a soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear ‘and at once there came out blood and water’ [John 19:34]. The blood was the blood that he shed for the forgiveness of our sins, and the water is a reminder of the eternal life that only his death can bring about.

So then, let Jesus’ thirst be the means by which you yourself are refreshed. Let his death be the means by which you live. Draw near to him in faith – believing what he says is true and recognising all that he achieved for you on the cross. Receive his forgiveness for all that is in your past, trust him to sustain you in all that troubles you today, and hope in all that he has promised for your future. Come if you are thirsty, come to the living water that only Jesus can give you.

Drink you fill – and let your soul live.

Related blogs:

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 4 – ‘My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?’, click here.

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 3 – ‘Mother, behold your son! Behold your Mother!’, click here

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 2 – ‘Tomorrow, you will be with me in paradise’, click here

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 1 – ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’, click here.

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted – sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

SOME WORDS FOR HOLY WEEK: 4 – ‘MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?’

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion record seven things that he said whilst hanging on the cross. The fourth is found in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 where we read that Jesus said, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

These words must be amongst the most agonising ever spoken and, at the same time, amongst the most profound. Because for God the Son to have been abandoned by God the Father, two separate members of the triune God who are, at the same time, united as one in the Trinity, is far beyond our human capabilities to understand, and all the more so when one considers how perfectly both the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father.

Even so, as a supernatural darkness covered the land, these are the words that Jesus uttered – words that express something of how it must have felt for him to experience the full weight of God’s wrath being poured out on him who, sinless himself, was bearing the punishment for the sin of those he’d come to save.

For that is what was taking place on the cross that first Good Friday – a glorious exchange was taking place. Our sin was laid on Jesus such that, as he suffered, he was being ‘pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities’ [Isiaih 53:5]. And it was his chastisement that brought us peace with God. Likewise, Jesus’ perfect righteousness was credited to we who believe him to be the Christ, the Son of God and, by believing, have life in his name. Because, for our sake, God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God’ [2 Corinthains 5:12].

There is though something else of significance that is worth mentioning about these words of Jesus. For as he says them, he is quoting the opening verse of Psalm 22, a psalm that, despite being written nearly a thousand years previously, accurately predicted the nature of Jesus’ death long before crucifixion had ever been considered as a form of execution. But as well as foreseeing that his hands and feet would be pierced, the psalm also speaks of how those who gloated over him would divide his garments amongst them and cast lots for his clothing, how he would be mocked by those who passed by ‘wagging their heads’, and how some would question why, despite trusting in the Lord, Jesus was not spared his terrible ordeal.

But whilst all these ancient prophecies were subsequently fulfilled [Matthew 27:35-43], Jesus was not spared. Nor did he spare himself, as others suggested he should. Instead Jesus allowed himself to be killed so that, by his death, he could save others.

Why? Well because that is the reason he came into the world in the first place, to save sinners. [1 Timothey 3:15]. Because that was his Father’s will – the will that, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed would be done [Luke 22:42]. And because God loves the world and demonstrates that love by giving his only Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life [John 3:16].

So then, by dying in our place, Jesus propitiated God’s wrath. He demonstrated his Father’s righteousness by satisfying the need for divine justice and thus enabled God to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Christ [Romans 3:26]. These were the reasons that Jesus endured the cross and despised the shame that was rightfully ours to bear.

All of which means that, because of what Christ achieved for us on the cross, we no longer need to be ashamed of the shameful things that we’ve done. ‘For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s steadfast love towards those who fear him – and as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us’ [Psalm 103:11-12].

Related blogs:

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 3 – ‘Mother, behold your son! Behold your Mother!’, click here

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 2 – ‘Tomorrow, you will be with me in paradise’, click here

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 1 – ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’, click here.

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted – sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

SOME WORDS FOR HOLY WEEK: 3 – ‘WOMAN, BEHOLD YOUR SON! BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!’

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion record seven things that he said whilst hanging on the cross. The third is found in John 19:26-27 where we read that Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ and to the apostle John, ‘Behold your mother!’

Of all these sayings of Jesus, this is, perhaps, the least well known, but it is nonetheless worthy of some consideration. Bear in mind that Jesus is experiencing unbelievable pain and, having been nailed to the cross for approaching six hours, is now drawing near to his inevitable death. But even as he does so, he is thinking of others – of both his mother Mary and the disciple John, who is the author of this eyewitness account of his crucifixion. And so Jesus speaks of how they are to care for each other over the coming weeks, months, and years.

But we should not just be amazed at how Jesus expresses his concern for others despite his own overwhelming difficulties. Firstly, we should also see how Jesus is honouring his mother in the same way that we, no matter our current age, should honour our own parents. Secondly, we see his concern for Mary, generally believed to be a widow at this point of her life, and how he therefore fulfils another biblical mandate that we too are called to keep, namely to care for widows and orphans in their affliction [James 1:27]. And thirdly, we should note too how Jesus’ followers should consider themselves as part of the same family, the bond between them every bit as strong as that which exists between those who share the same flesh and blood.

Because it is not that we Christians enjoy union only with Christ. Alongside that immense privilege, we are also united to one another, with Christ the head of the body that each and every one of us are a part.

One of the things that I’ve both noticed since starting to work with the Slavic Gospel Association, is how Christians in other countries seem to refer to each other as brothers as sisters far more commonly than we do in the UK, or at least, those part of the country that I most commonly frequent. And they’re right to. Because as Christians we are all a part of God’s family, the family that we have all been adopted into by our loving Heavenly Father. And so, just as we should rejoice with those who rejoice when they are enjoying good things, so too we must weep with those who weep when they are beset with sorrow, like, for example, our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in Ukraine, caught up as they are in the continuing conflict there.*

Jesus’ words also remind us how even those closest to Christ are not immune to sadness, for how great must have been the sorrow experienced by Mary as, stood at the foot of the cross, she saw in all their horrible proximity, the nails which pierced her own son’s hands and feet. Not that it will have come as any surprise to her, for soon after she’d given birth to Jesus, Simeon had predicted that the one who was now nearing his death would be opposed in such a way that a sword would pierce her soul too. [Luke 2:34]

Even so, as she beheld her two sons, both the one that she once laid in a manger, and the one who from that very hour took her into his home, she was seeing the one who would rise from the dead in just three days’ time, and the one who would be the first to bring her the news of his glorious resurrection. [John 20:10]

For Mary then on Good Friday, weeping tarried for the nighttime, but joy came with the dawning of Easter Day. As it will one day also come to all those who long for Christ’s’ return.

*You can read about how Ukrainian Christians are approaching Easter this year by following this link: https://sga.org.uk/easter-hope-in-ukraine/

Related blogs:

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 2 – ‘Tomorrow, you will be with me in paradise’, click here

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 1 – ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’, click here.

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted – sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

SOME WORDS FOR HOLY WEEK: 2 – ‘TODAY, YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.’

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion record seven things that he said whilst hanging on the cross. The second is found in Luke 23:43 where we read that Jesus said, ‘Today, you will be with me in paradise.’

His words were in response to a request by a criminal who was guilty of the crimes that he was being justly punished for that day. But despite recognising both his guilt and Jesus’ innocence, the man nonetheless asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom. That he should ask to be treated with such undeserved kindness from the sinless son of God is, in its self, remarkable, but the faith of this now penitent thief is all the more astonishing when one considers that the one he is asking for help, is hanging on a cross and about to die too.

But to trust God in situations of apparent hopelessness, is what genuine faith is all about. And when all hope seems lost, it is by believing that God is guaranteed to keep his promises that hope is actually kept alive. Which is why the penitent thief, despite his dire circumstances, was able to make his famous request – and why Jesus was able to give his famous reply. Because Jesus saw in the thief somebody who, by faith, trusted the power of God despite seeing, what to unspiritual eyes, was nothing but weakness, somebody who saw victory where most saw only defeat, and somebody who understood the mysterious paradox of Good Friday.

That on occasions at least, the reasons why bad things happen to good people, is so that good things can happen to bad people. For isn’t that what happened on that first Good Friday – when the worst possible thing, crucifixion, happened to the best possible person, Jesus, so that the best possible things, salvation, can happen to the worst possible people.

People, that is, not only like the penitent second thief, but people like us as well.

Because make no mistake, just as it was possible for that guilty criminal to be forgiven, so it is possible for you and me to be forgiven too. And just as it was possible, even in the last hours of his life for lifelong sinner to start looking forward to being with Jesus in paradise, so it is never too late for any one of us to put our trust in Christ and so start anticipating an eternity in heaven as well.

But there is more that we can learn from the penitent thief. Firstly, we need to realise that, like the one who had no opportunity to clean up his act, our place in heaven can never be earnt. Rather than relying on our own meagre good works, we must instead throw ourselves on the mercy of a gracious God who promises to forgive all those who, acknowledging their sin, turn to him for help. And secondly, we must not imagine that our becoming a Christian will necessarily improve our current situation. On the contrary, things may just get steadily worse – as they did for the penitent thief who, rather than receiving a last-minute reprieve, subsequently had his death hastened when Roman soldiers broke his legs.

Even so, putting our faith in the promise keeping God of the Bible will undoubtedly do us good. For along with it giving us absolute assurance that our sins really have been forgiven, it will also give us great cause to hope that a day really is coming when we will experience, with the penitent thief, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined. For we will discover then what God has prepared for those who love him, a place where every tear will be wiped away and death will be no more. [2 Corinthians 2:9; Revelation 21:4]

Related blogs:

To read ‘Some Words for Holy Week: 1 – ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’, click here.

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted – sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’, click here

To read ‘T.S. Eliot, Jesus and the Paradox of the Christian Life’, click here

To read “Luther and the global pandemic – on becoming a theologian of the cross”, click here

To read “Suffering- A Personal View”, click here.

To read “Why do bad things happen to good people – a tentative suggestion”, click here

To read ‘Monsters’, click here

SOME WORDS FOR HOLY WEEK: 1 – ‘FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.’

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion record seven things that he said whilst hanging on the cross. The first is found in Luke 23:34 where we read that Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

So here we have Jesus, asking that God would forgive those who crucified him. And this is not sometime later, having somehow come to terms with what they had done to him, Rather he asks that they be forgiven just moments after they have driven the 9 inch, square edged iron nails into his hands and feet and whilst he is struggling to take his each and every agonising breath.

Which. you have to admit, is pretty remarkable of a man who, irrespective of what you might think of him, cannot be considered by anyone to be a hypocrite. For here Jesus is seen practicing what he preached when, in Matthew 5:44, he urged his followers to ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’.

But what comfort there is in these words too. Because Jesus is praying for the forgiveness of those guilty of the greatest sin that was ever committed. And if those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah, conspired to have him found guilty of crimes he did not commit, and then saw to it that he suffered the most barbaric of deaths, can be forgiven, then there is hope that God’s grace is sufficient even for us, and that our sins can be forgiven too.

In what sense though did those crucifying Jesus not know what they were doing – for surely, they weren’t unaware of the cruelty that they were guilty of inflicting?

One answer to that question is that they weren’t aware that he was who he had previously said he was. That he’d claimed to be God was something they knew full well, for that, in essence, was why they wanted him to be put to death, but that his claims of divinity were true was something they had manifestly failed to grasp. Even so, as Jesus suffered and subsequently died, there was at least one for whom the penny finally dropped – for as Jesus eventually breathed his last, a centurion who had witnessed his final hours announced what was, in reality, plain for all to see – that ‘truly this man was the Son of God!’

But there was something else that Jesus’ executioners didn’t know they were doing that Good Friday. They were unaware that by crucifying Jesus they were inflicting on him the punishment that they themselves deserved – including for the sin that, in that very moment, they were guilty of committing. For it was only by Jesus’ death, that their guilt could be atoned for. Remarkably then, in asking God to forgive them their sins, Jesus was including the evil act by which that forgiveness was ultimately made possible.

Because what man means for evil, God can mean for good. [Genesis 50:20] This is, without doubt, a paradox, one that is, perhaps, more mysterious than any other – but it is, nonetheless, one that is completely true. A few weeks later the apostle Peter, preaching to a huge crowd, spoke of how Jesus’ death at the hands of lawless men was, at the same time, the result of him being delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. [Acts 2:23]

And then, having been urged by Peter ‘to repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ’ three thousand people did just that – and in so doing they received the forgiveness that Jesus had asked for when he said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

Which is nothing but what we should expect, because ‘the prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working’ [James 5:16].

Related blogs:

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted – sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

HOPE REMAINS

Hope remains.

I’ve said it before – initially back in 2016, just after Trump was elected to the Presidency for the first time – and I’ll say it again – by reposting now, very lightly edited, what I wrote back then.

Because I continue to stand by what I said I believed nine years ago.

*****

“Nearly 3000 years ago King Uzziah died, and the future seemed uncertain for the people of Isaiah’s day. Isaiah, however, saw beyond the immediate political uncertainty.

‘In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.’ [Isaiah 6:1]

There is an image of one who is utterly in command. Uzziah may have died, but God was still on the throne and in absolute control.

As I believe he still is today.

Many are those who are longing for a leader who is wise enough, good enough, and powerful enough to bring about real positive change. And the good news is that there is such a ruler – for that is the type of ruler God is.

And just like many a politician, he too has made promises. Like the one where he says that a day is coming when he ‘will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things [will] have passed away.’ [Revelation 21:3-4]

Trump is currently promising to make everything great again, but this is a ludicrous claim – as it would be if it were made by any other politician too. Because the truth is that neither Trump, nor anyone else, is up to the job of delivering such a satisfactory outcome, no matter how earnestly they promise to do so.

Nobody, that is, except God – who through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has already, not only demonstrated how deeply committed he is to keeping his word, but also proven his ample ability to do so.

So then, we can be sure that the promises God makes, are ones that he will surely keep.

Now I know that there will be some who ask how I can be so confident that God will deliver all that he has promised when there remains so much suffering in the world – some of which will have been experienced first hand by those who are reading this.

Well there is, of course, no easy answer to the problem of pain. Even so, I continue to trust in the God that I believe entered into our suffering so that he could redeem us from it by experiencing it himself. Which, though it might not be the way that we’d have gone about it, is nonetheless the only way that I could ever have been dealt with.

Because we are not God – and his thoughts are not your our thoughts, just as his ways are not our ways. [Isaiah 55:8]. Rather than any world leader, therefore, believing that God is wiser than me, I will continue to trust my future to the one who reliably promises me that ‘though weeping may tarry for the nighttime, joy will still come with the morning. [Psalm 30:5].

Some will have been foolish enough to believe that for the world to prosper, Trump had to be president, whilst others will have have been equally mistaken in believing that for everything to be OK, America had to be led by anyone other than him.

But the truth is that, when compared with God, no human being is that important, or that powerful, that it all depends on them.

So if you are dismayed by Trump, remember, in universal terms, he is just a leader of a local council in some unimportant backwater. This is not meant to suggest that politics and voting and pressing for change aren’t important, on the contrary we must continue to do all of these things, but putting our hope in people has always resulted in disappointment – and ultimately it always will.

So instead of hoping in weak men and women who cannot deliver what they claim to be able to, we need to hope in God, and bank on the fact that his promises are ones that he will most certainly keep.

And for all my atheist friends, please don’t think I’m referring to the god who is pulled out by those who want him to endorse their own questionable point of view. My God is not an American – neither he is not on their side or on the side of anyone else as a puppet deity bound to support whatever their proud and arrogant leaders want him to.

Not at all. Because he himself is the one who is sovereign. And he alone is in control.

Furthermore, my God is for those who know their weakness – he blesses the poor in spirit and comforts those who mourn. [Matthew 5:3].

My God will not break a bruised reed, nor will he quench a faintly burning wick. Rather he will faithfully bring forth justice. [Isaiah 42:3]

And my God is gentle and lowly in heart and gives rest to all those who labour and are heavy laden.[Matthew 11:28-29]

So then, we can be sure that the judge of all the earth will do what is just? [Genesis 28:25] And knowing that is what will enable me to sleep tonight despite all the uncertainties the world currently is facing, not to mention those that I am facing myself.

God can be trusted – and I commend him to you.”

To read ‘Grace in a political world’, click here

To read ‘If (POTUS)‘, click here

To read ‘A Bad Day at the Oval Office’, click here

To read ‘Hope or Despair’, click here

To read ‘Contending for the truth’, click here

I SPY SOMERSET’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON.

Today sees the start of this year’s domestic cricket season and Somerset will have to go some if they are going to exceed the enjoyment that they provided the Taunton faithful with last summer. But ever hopeful, I have prepared a list of a dozen things to look out for over the coming six months which, as a Somerset supporter, I’d love to see happen, things that, once they have all been noted and ticked off, will indicate that the club’s 150th anniversary year really has been the greatest in its history.

1. In a desperate attempt to relaunch his range of electric auto-motives, Elon Musk approaches Somerset in the hope of having the CACG renamed the ‘Tesla County Ground’. The request is turned down in favour of a considerably more lucrative offer from Tom Lammonby, the upshot being that his 9/15 Cafe becomes the nation’s favourite chain of coffee shop.

2. Lord Bath offers everyone’s favourite feline the use of his luxury ancestral home as a winter residence. Tourists are soon flocking to his estate hoping to catch a glimpse of the big hearted cat who soon adopts the epithet ‘The Br-ion of Longleat’.

3. Stumpy is made chair of the ECB and secures the future of county cricket by bringing in sweeping changes that lead to all forms of the domestic game being broadcast live on Channel 4. Meanwhile, the Hundred is picked up by U&Yesterday and is watched by nobody in what consequently proves to be its final season.

4. The Somerset Livestream Commentary Team win a BAFTA for their coverage of this year’s gala performance by Somerset’s most well known supporter at the Royal Albert Hall. The show, ‘Tractor sings the Wurzels’, is itself nominated for a Grammy, but narrowly misses out to ‘Louis G and First XI’ after their recording of ‘Blackbird’ tops the UK Charts for a record breaking 26 weeks.

5. Trusted to bring the necessary gravitas to such occasions, Pete Trego, Vic Marks, and Sophie Luff are signed up by the BBC and commissioned to provide commentary on all future events of national significance – commencing with Somerset’s triumphant tour of Taunton (and Nempnett Thrubwell) in an open top bus following their winning of all three domestic competitions.

6. The Somerset Cricket Museum becomes the new custodian of ‘The Ashes’ after being recognised as housing the finest collection of cricketing memorabilia in the known universe. One or two visitors do give the miniature urn a cursory glance before getting down to the far more important business of venerating a bat once wielded by Marcus Trescothick.

7. Opening the attack in the Blast Final, Archie Vaughan and Jack Leach match Brian Langford’s legendary bowling figures when together they bowl eight consecutive maiden overs. The wily pair of spinners also share a total of eight wickets between them, thereby leaving Hampshire with no chance of reaching the 433 required to deprive Somerset of the T20 trophy.

8. With the women’s team matching the success of the men’s, Somerset CCC draws the attention of Donald Trump who, determined to exploit the rich vein of cricketing talent that lies within the county, announces his intention to make Taunton the 83rd U.S. state – the list of territories he claims sovereignty over having grown considerably since the beginning of the season. However, following a snap General Election which saw him made Prime Minister, James Rew meets with the American president and, demonstrating that his hands are just as safe a pair when it comes to running a country as they are when donning the wicket keeping gloves, persuades the erstwhile leader of the so called free world to resign. Millions of people from across the globe, pleased by the republican’s dismissal, celebrate by taking out associate membership for Somerset’s 2026 season and so secure the clubs finances for the next fifty years.

9. As a result of their performances over the summer, Tom Abell and Craig Overton are both awarded the freedom of the city of Taunton, the former county town being granted that status by King Charles who, it emerges, loves Somerset CCC almost as much as a pint of cider and one of the reduced price sausage rolls customarily made available during the final session of a day’s play. A cathedral is subsequently constructed to cope with the influx of pilgrims who come to the ground, on the rapidly revised route of the Camino de Santiago, in order to sit a while in the James Hildreth stand and gaze in ecstasy towards Gimblett’s Hill – a truly transcendent experience in anyone’s book.

10. The ‘Win Predictor’ is added to the ground’s electronic scoreboards which, true to form, subsequently suffer a technical glitch. However, nobody notices because, having got stuck whilst indicating that the chances of a Somerset win was 100%, it turns out that the fans are provided with a highly accurately forecast of the outcome of every game played.

11. Somerset’s infamous detractors on their own social media platforms fall silent, their only complaint being that they have nothing to complain about. One critic does attempt to poor scorn on Sean Dickson’s poor strike rate after he allows the opening ball of the season to pass harmlessly past his off stump, but the keyboard warrior ends up with egg on his face when the aforementioned opening batsman completes a double century in the penultimate over of the morning session.

12. Tom Banton suffers a nasty injury whilst warming up before the second day of a county championship game. He is left temporarily blind, unable to use his left arm, and in urgent need of surgical repair for his fractured neck of femur. Undaunted, he returns the next day, a guide dog acting as his runner, to score a triple century against Surrey, and Somerset end the game with maximum points. The result also makes it mathematically impossible for the uncharacteristically out of form Londoners to avoid relegation.

No prizes for any Somerset fan who spots all twelve, as to do so will, I’m sure you’ll agree, be more than sufficient reward.

So, irrespective of your personal allegiance, here’s wishing everyone a great summer of cricket – be you a player, a member of the support staff, or just a supporter who, like me, dares to believe that this year might just be the one that Somerset fans the world over have all so longed for.

A SPRING WATCH

I love a pre-season friendly, a warm up game all the more necessary on a sunny, but nonetheless chilly March morning, as the Somerset players emerge from hibernation in what is still only early spring. Suitably attired with a scarf and woolly hat, the latter similarly adorning the Gloucestershire slip cordon, I pull out my binoculars and see what I can see from my vantage point high up in the Marcus Trescothick hide.

Glimpsed first is a young Vaughan. Having flown the nest last year, he’s enjoying time at the crease away from his parent’s watchful eye though, if they are looking proudly on, they’ll be pleased by how he strikes the ball effortlessly to the boundary three times in a single over.

A more seasoned Dickson is also foraging for runs. though less hurriedly than his companion in the middle, playing perhaps a more nurturing role for the youngster who is still in a formative stage of his development.

But what’s this I spy, lurking undercover in the shadows of the Andrew Caddick stand? It’s a couple of Toms, indigenous to this part of Somerset – a lesser spotted Banton and a great crested Abel, neither seemingly keen to venture out just yet, wary no doubt of the threat still posed by the predatory new ball that may yet pose a problem were it to come too close to the outside edge of an unwary fledgling.

Suddenly the danger is proven to be real as there’s a commotion out in the grassy field that forms the principal habitat of these largely diurnal creatures. And then a startled look appears on the face of the Vaughan who turns and briskly heads for shelter, dragging his now lifeless bat behind him.

Next a Lammonby appears, gambolling playfully in the bright morning sunshine having spent the winter surviving on a selection of cakes, pastries and other reasonably priced comestibles he’d stored up for himself over the proceeding months at 9/15.

Yet to develop the bright plumage that becomes more apparent later in the season, both he and the Dickson put on a colourful display of cover drives, a courtship ritual no doubt designed to draw the attention of those responsible for team selection over the coming weeks and months.

A little later, I hear the characteristic call of an umpire. indicating that it’s time for me to stop for a bite to eat. And as the batsmen return instinctively to their burrows, the scoreboard is indicating that, at 133-1, their prospects of survival are looking good this year

Last seasons’s cricketing blogs:

To read ‘Reasons to be cheerful’, click here

To read ‘First of the Summer Wine’, click here

To read ‘Safe and Sound at the County Ground, Taunton’, click here

To read ‘Is Cricket Amusing Itself to Death’, click here

To read ‘A Purr-fect day at the cricket’, click here

To read ‘Worth Every Penny’, click here

To read ‘The Somerset Cricket Emporium – 2024’, click here

To read ‘One Fine Day’, click here

To read ‘WWFD – what would Freddie do?’, click here

To read ‘A Shady News Story’, click here

To read ‘The Abolition of County Cricket’, click here

Cricketing blogs from 2023:

To read ‘20 Things we have learnt this summer’, click here

To read ‘When rain stops play’, click here

To read ‘Only a game’, click here

To read ‘The Hundred: is cricket amusing itself to death?’, click here

To read ‘The Somerset Cricket Emporium – 2023’, click here

To read ‘for the third time of asking, CRICKET’S COMING HOME…surely’, click here

To read ‘Twas the week of the final’, click here

To read ‘Sharing the important things: on introducing your grandchild to cricket’, click here

To read ‘Somerset v Nottinghamshire T20 Quarter Final 2023’, click here

To read ‘Breaking News’, click here

To read ‘Lewis Calpaldi – Retired Hurt?’, click here

To read ‘Cricket: It’s All About Good Timing’, click here

To read ‘Bazball, Bazchess, Bazlife’, click here

To read ‘Online criticism: it’s just not cricket’, click here

To read ‘Cigarettes, Singles, and Sipping Tea with Ian Botham: Signs of a Well Spent Youth!’, click here

To read ‘A Historic Day’, click here

To read ‘Cricket – through thick and thin’, click here

To read ‘Stumpy: A Legend Reborn’, click here

To read ‘my love is NOT a red, red rose’, click here

Cricketing blogs from previous years:

To read ‘A Cricketing Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story’, click here

To read ‘Scooby Doo and the Mystery of the Deseted Cricket Ground’, click here

To read ‘Brian and Stumpy visit The Repair Shop’, click here

To read ‘A Tale of Two Tons’, click here

To read ‘A Song for Brian’, click here

To read ‘A Somerset Cricket Players Emporium 2022’ click here

To read ‘A Cricket Taunt’, click here

To read ‘A Song for Brian’, click here

To read ‘At Season’s End’, click here

To read ‘A Day at the Cricket’, click here

To read ‘The Great Cricket Sell Off’, click here

To read ‘On passing a village cricket club at dusk one late November afternoon’ click here

To read ‘How the Grinch stole from county cricket…or at least tried to’. click here

To read ‘How Covid-19 stole the the cricket season’, click here

To read ‘A Cricket Tea Kind of a Day’, click here

To read ‘Life in the slow lane’, click here

To read ‘Frodo and the Format of Power’, click here

To read ‘If Only’, click here

To read ‘I’ve got a little CRICKET list’, click here

To read ‘Eve of the RLODC limericks’ click here

To read ‘It’s coming home…’, click here

To read ‘A Song for Ben Green’, click here

To read ‘Enough Said…’, the last section of which is cricket related, click here

A Jack Leach Trilogy:

To read ‘For when we can’t see why’, click here

To read ‘WWJD – What would Jack Do?’, click here

To read ‘On Playing a Blinder’, click here

To read ‘Coping with Disappointment’, click here

And to finish – a couple with a theological flavour

To read ‘Somerset CCC – Good for the soul’, click here

To read ‘Longing for the pavilion whilst enjoying a good innings’, click here

IF (POTUS)

If you can impose tariffs huge, on those with whom you trade,
And stop supporting causes who provide much needed aid,

If you can hold to what are not substantiated views,
And claim that those opposing you are making up false news,

If you can sack advisors who suggest you think again,
Preferring to surround yourself with cowardly ‘Yes’ men,

And if you think that Greenland now, is somehow yours to claim,
Or that the Gulf of Mexico should have a change of name,

And if you think announcing plans for a new Riviera,
In Gaza with no Gazans there, makes you a good news bearer,

If you can meet Zelensky and then stab him in the back,
And cosy up to dictators, who sovereign states attack.

And if despite all this you find, you love yourself no less,
Then you could be the President – of the U.S. – I guess.

To read ‘A Bad Day at the Oval Office’, click here

To read ‘Hope or Despair’, click here

To read ‘Contending for the truth’, click here

IN PURSUIT OF PURPOSE

This week I read of a 23-year study, published last autumn in the Journal of Psychology and Aging, which concluded that, when it comes to longevity, it is more important to have a purpose in life than it is to be simply satisfied with one’s existence. As one commentator said, ‘Having worthwhile goals is a source of vitality. It’s nice to feel happy today – but it’s important to have something to strive for tomorrow.’

The researchers were not blind to the fact that there is, of course, a significant correlation between the two parameters that were under consideration as predictors of a long life – that to some extent at least, to have a reason for getting out of bed in the morning is what it takes to make life satisfying. But it was nonetheless interesting to note which of the two is more important, suggesting as it does, that it is healthier to pursue purpose than mere pleasure.

All of which got me thinking, particularly in regard to how the study’s conclusion would suggest that it is healthier to have a purpose that seeks to benefit others, rather than one that seeks only to benefit oneself and that, notwithstanding the satisfaction that we experience by helping somebody else, it is better to pursue the happiness of others, rather than that of ourselves.

Which is something that, if it needed any confirmation, was made tragically apparent by an item on the 10 o’clock news on Wednesday evening. The story was that of Nicholas Prosper, the 19-year-old who, last September, murdered his mother, sister and brother before being arrested as he made his way to a local primary school where he had planned to shoot, who knows how many children, in the hope of becoming the Britain’s most notorious mass murderer.

Now don’t get me wrong, despite it apparently being the dream of many today, none of you who are reading this are, I’m sure, capable of crimes as awful as those that Prosper aspired to – but it is surely a warning to us all of the terrible things that, if left unchecked, the human heart is capable of craving, and how, if as we are so often encouraged to, we follow that frequently hot-blooded seat of our desires, our ensuing pursuit of instant gratification may be detrimental, not only to us, but to others too.

It is then better to give rather than receive, to consider others more highly than ourselves, and look, not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. None of which should be of any surprise since such wisdom is far older than a scientific journal that was published just six months ago. [see Acts 20:35, Philippians 2:3,4]

But if our hearts are not, as that same ancient wisdom suggests [Jeremiah 17:9], as dependable a guide to what we should or should not do, how then can we decide what our life’s purpose should be?

Well, here’s the thing. Before we can determine the part that we have to play in what seems sometimes to be an increasingly uncertain world, we need to know whose story we want to be a part of. And the choice is a straightforward one. We can either seek to be the hero of our own story, seeking our own glory whilst not worrying too much about those around us, or we can content ourselves with a minor role in the greatest story ever told, in his-story, the one that God has written, the end of which he already knows [Isaiah 46:10]. Chose the former and we may find a degree of happiness, but it will only be fleeting [Hebrews 11:25] – choose the latter and, as well as experiencing far greater satisfaction in our current lives, we will also be able to look forward to the one that will follow, characterised, as it will be, by both infinite joy and an extreme longevity that will last, at the very least, forever! [Psalm 16:11]

For the time being, of course, I cannot speak personally of the reality of everlasting life – but I can vouch for the joy that comes from being a part of God’s perfect and purposeful plan. Because, whilst my hope of a never ending existence is based on compelling evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb, credible eye witness testimony of those who saw Jesus after he was raised from the dead, and the authoritative word of the one who, as well as speaking the universe into existence, promised eternal life to all those who put their trust in him, the satisfaction of being used by God to bring joy to others is something that I have experienced for myself.

Most recently this has been through my work with the Slavic Gospel Association. It really has been a pleasure to have been used, albeit in an exceedingly small way, to take the gospel to some of those who are so desperately in need of some good news. Seeing the delight on the faces of those in far of places who have just received, for the very first time, a copy of the Bible in their own language, is something that I’ll long remember and more than matches the satisfaction I previously gained from working as a GP, a job, it should be noted, that, for the most part, I very much enjoyed and genuinely considered a means by which God brought a great deal of comfort to many.

Being a part of SGA really has given me a reason to get out of bed in the morning, a purpose which promises to deliver so much more than pills and potions ever could, and a cause that, now being a part of, I can’t help but be genuinely excited about.

So, if you’re interested, why not follow the link below to take a look at SGA’s website and discover some of the many ways that, despite their immense ongoing difficulty, God is giving people hope – not just for today, but for all of eternity too.

www.sga.org.uk

To read ‘The Way Ahead – from EQMC to SGA’, click here

To read ‘So it’s goodbye to EQMC’, click here

To read ‘An Advent Countdown – reflections for Christmas‘, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here.

To read ‘Speaking in Tongues’, click here.

A MONUMENT IN TIME

Last week I visited Stonehenge together with, not only a couple of overseas friends, but thousands of others who had travelled there seemingly from countries the world over. And as we made our way from the carpark to the ancient monument itself, I found myself pondering why so many people had chosen to make the long journey to see what, in reality, amounts to little more than a few, admittedly large, boulders in an otherwise unremarkable field.

The reasons are, no doubt, many and varied, but as I strolled around the perimeter of the stones, I wondered if, for me at least, the appeal was similar to that of going outside late at night to gaze at the stars, or finding a rocky coastline from which to look out over a vast expanse of ocean.

Because just as it is healthy, when up close to something enormous, to recognise one’s own inherent smallness, so too is it beneficial, when alongside something that has outlasted countless generations, to realise one’s own inherent transience.

More than that, it is ultimately reassuring too.

It is estimated that Stonehenge has stood on Salisbury plain for 4,500 years – which one has to admit is an impressively long time when compared to the seventy or eighty years most of us will manage.

And so the Bible is right to liken us to ‘a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes’ [James 4:14]. Elsewhere the scriptures describes us as those whose days are but ‘a few hand-breadths’, those who ‘go about as a shadow’, a ‘mere breath’, whose length of life is as ‘nothing’ before the LORD. [Psalm 39:5-6] Unlike God who, we’re told, is ‘from everlasting to everlasting’, our days are like the grass which, when the wind passes over it, is gone and ‘its place knows it no more’ [Psalm 103:5-6]

Interestingly though, rather than sticking his head in the sand and trying to forget that he will one day die, the psalmist seems to want to fully come to terms with how fleetingly short is his life [Psalm 39:4].

So why might that be? And how might knowing the answer help us further understand why so many want to visit Stonehenge?

Well the clue is given in verse seven of that same psalm where, having recognised his own limitations, it’s writer says that his hope is in God.

We are then, not only small and therefore relatively weak, we are also short lived and therefore relatively inconsequential. And so it comes as no surprise that we are not the answer to our problems. On the contrary, all too often we are the cause of them. Little wonder then, that we sometimes find ourselves ‘in turmoil’ [Psalm 39:6]

But if as a result of recognising both our weakness and our transience, we put our hope in the eternal and all powerful God who is, therefore, of infinite significance and worthy of our praise, we will discover what it is to be secure. Because if we are not so foolish as to deny the sinfulness that is all too obviously a part of who we are [Psalm 39:8-9] and, in our weakness, humble enough to ask to be forgiven [Psalm 39:10], as well as being delivered from all our transgressions [Psalm 39:8] as a result of Christ death for us on the cross, we will also come to understand that we are only sojourners in the land [Psalm 39:12] – that this world is not our home and we are, as the old song put it, ‘just a-passing through’.

And so when our three score years and ten or, by virtue of strength, four score years are over, and our time of toil comes to an end, we will ‘fly away’ [Psalm 90:10] to continue a blissful and sinless existence in the presence of our Heavenly Father who, even as he saves us, adopts us into his family as his much loved children.

And unlike Stonehenge, which will then have become just one more relic of the past, the lives we’ll enjoy in our new resurrection bodies really will last forever. Furthermore, we will dwell in a heavenly home that is similarly eternal – as everlasting in fact, as both God himself and the steadfast love he has for all those who cry out to him for help.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. [Romans 10:13]

To read ‘When our joy will be complete’, click here

To read ‘Longing for the pavilion, whilst enjoying a good innings’, click here

To read ‘Be drunk’, click here

To read ‘Rest Assured’, click here

To read ‘How to be fit when unwell’, click here

To read ‘Because sometimes, not even chocolate is enough’, click here

To read ‘An Advent Countdown – reflections for Christmas‘, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here.

To read ‘Speaking in Tongues’, click here.

HOW TO BE FIT WHEN UNWELL.

It’s one I’m never quite sure how to answer. And perhaps you have felt similarly uncertain how to respond, when you have come across it yourself, in the course of completing a job application perhaps, or when seeking to take out health insurance.

The question I’m referring to goes something like this: ‘Would you currently consider yourself to be fit and well?’ And the reason I hesitate before responding is that, whilst I do generally feel well, it’s been a long time since I could honestly say I was fit.

Looking back over my life, I am grateful that I have enjoyed good health. It is now eleven years since I last had an episode of illness that left me unable to work and that particular bout was the first time in my career that I’d ever taken a day off because I was unwell.

That said, that particularly spell of sickness was a significant one, landing me in hospital for seven weeks with a midline in place and the need for four hourly infusions of antibiotics such that I would have struggled to carry out the duties of a doctor. At least, that is, for my own patients, though, had I been motivated to do so, I suppose I might have been of some use in the care of those of my ward based colleagues.

That time of relative incapacity was an interesting one, not least because, in the early days of being bedridden, when a diagnosis had not yet been made, I genuinely thought I might die and I remember experiencing, if not a dark night of the soul, periods of dimly lit sleeplessness when I pondered questions like, ‘Is this illness God’s way of punishing me for something I have done wrong?’, and, ‘If I do die, will I go to heaven?’

These are questions to which, as a Christian, I believed I knew the answers, but I nonetheless found that I needed to be reassured of them. And so, I reminded myself how Jesus bore on the cross the punishment for all of my many sins and that, as a result of his dying in my place, it was simply impossible that God was now punishing me for those things that had already been atoned for.

And that I would indeed go to heaven if I died, not because of any merit of my own but because, having already been forgiven for all my wrongdoing, I had also been credited with Christ’s own righteousness thereby making me wholly acceptable in God’s eyes.

But why am I telling you all this now?

Well, it’s not, I hope you will be relieved to hear, because I have recently received a terminal diagnosis, and this is now my clumsy and characteristically prolonged way of letting you all know! Rather, it is, perhaps, because this week marks the anniversary of that time when I was laid low with bacterial endocarditis, that I have been considering my inevitable mortality again.

But this is not me being morbid or melancholic.

Rather it is simply me recognising that, at 58 years of age, I have now missed my opportunity to have a midlife crises and, with my healthiest years behind me, if the grim reaper does not seek make my acquaintance beforehand, I can now look forward to the inevitable physical decline that will accompany my headlong rush into my impending senility.

Today though, I find myself not so averse to the idea of dying as I was eleven years ago. Whilst the process may be one that is painful, and though I still enjoy the life I have, death now seems a less unpleasant path to take than it did back then. Perhaps there will be those who might say that this just a consequence of how the world now is, and that my acceptance of an early exit, should that be my future, is no more than a desire to lazily cop out of all the cruelty, bitterness and unkindness that is now so prevalent.

But that is simply not the case. Because, whilst there are a number of reasons why I would not wish to accelerate the day of my death – reasons that include that life is far too precious a gift for that, I like to think there is still useful work for me to do, and the fact that I don’t believe it’s for me to chose the moment of my demise – the reason for me not being afraid of dying is far more positive than that.

Two bishops were talking one day. One told the other that he’d just been told he had cancer. And by way of a reply, was congratulated for his good fortune!

Now it’s no doubt an apocryphal story, but it makes the point that, notwithstanding the suffering that might follow such a diagnosis, for Christians at least, death is not the end but is, in fact, just the beginning, the gateway into a better, more fulfilling existence in the presence of God. As such it need not be feared in the way that, generally at least, it is by those who do not share the believers sure and certain hope of the resurrection.

That is why the apostle Paul could write that for him, ‘to live is Christ, and to die is gain’, that, whilst he was pleased to serve God for as long as there was fruitful work for him to do, his desire was to depart and be with Jesus, because that, for him, was ‘better by far’ [Philippians 1:21-23].

This week I have spent time with two men who I believe would say the same thing as Paul wrote to those first century believers in Philippi, two seasoned saints from overseas who have lived the Christian life, not only longer than I have, but with far greater authenticity as well. As has been the case with so many others of my brothers and sisters in Christ that I have had the joy of meeting since starting working with SGA, the sincerity of their faith oozes out of them such that it is an encouragement to simply spend time with them.

It has not only been a great privilege to partner with them in the gospel, but a wonderful blessing too, one that has served to strengthen my own faith by confirming, as it has, that what I already know to be true from God’s word, is born out in the life of those who live according to it.

Which is that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to save sinners, is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation to all who believe, and the gospel that can save even the likes of me.

All of which means that, just as the healthy can, at the same time be terribly unfit, so too can the unhealthiest, even those who are dying, be simultaneously fit for heaven.

Which is already wonderfully good news for all of us – and will be all the more so as we each inevitably draw nearer to death ourselves.

To read ‘On death – my first and last’, click here

To read ‘On my near Death Experience’, click here

To read ‘Three Times a Patient’, which includes a little more detail on two of my three near death experiences, click here

To read ‘Professor Ian Aird – a time to die’, click here

To read ‘On Finishing Well’, click here

To read ‘A Time to Mourn – Reflections on a funeral’, click here

To read a review of Dr Lucy Pollock’s first book. ‘The Book About Getting Older’ click here,

To read a review of Dr Lucy Pollock’s second book, ‘The Golden Rule’, click here

To read ‘On approaching one’s sell by date’, click here

To read ‘Bleak Practice’, a fictionalised version of ‘On approaching one’s sell by date’, click here

To read ‘At Halloween – O death where is thy sting’, click here

To read ‘On not being afraid at Halloween’, click here

To read ‘Monsters’, click here

To read ‘Assisted Dying – we all need to be happier to help’, click here

To read ‘Assisted dying in the light of the cross’, click here

To read ‘Health – it’ll be the death of us. Institutional arrogance in the Health Service’ click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here

To read ‘All’s Well That End’s Well’, click here

To read ‘T.S. Eliot, Jesus and the Paradox of the Christian Life’, click here

To read “Luther and the global pandemic – on becoming a theologian of the cross”, click here

To read “Suffering- A Personal View”, click here.

To read ‘Looking back to move confidently forward’, click here

To read ‘The Resurrection – is it just rhubarb?’, click here

To read ‘Faith and Doubt’, click here

A BAD DAY AT THE OVAL OFFICE

You can’t help but admire President Zelenskyy who, unlike some world leaders, who seem perfectly happy to pander to Trump’s oversized ego, is prepared to speak his mind and tell the one occupying a ‘disinformation space’ how things really are.

As in all good circuses, the one currently taking place at the White House, orchestrated as it is to try and make the President of the United States look good despite his trying to profit from war, has both a strong man and a clown.

And I think we all know which one is which.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, on numerous previous occasions, expressed gratitude to America for helping Ukraine in the war against Russia.

So then, Donald Trump’s insistence yesterday that the Ukrainian President should now publicly and personally thank him – presumably for calling him a dictator, accusing him of starting the war, and rewarding his Russian aggression by opening negotiations with Putin, whilst at the same time offering to relieve his country of a sizeable chunk of its mineral wealth – reveals the so called leader of the free world to be someone motivated by his own self interest rather than any genuine desire to do what is right.

Furthermore, his desperate need to be admired by all and sundry explains the appalling disrespect he himself showed the office of the U.S. Presidency when he called his predecessor ‘stupid’.

But what Trump doesn’t appear to understand is that people are admired for their kindness, honesty and integrity, and not for their greed, unreliability and opportunism.

Or that those who are genuinely strong, far from throwing the weight around in order to gain more of what they already have, give of themselves for the benefit of those in need.

Yesterday then, was a bad day at the Oval Office. More than that it was undoubtedly a sad day for the world, and most especially Ukraine who meanwhile continued to suffer in the face of yet more Russian missile strikes.

But it was sad day too for the United States of America, revealing as it did just what that once great nation has now become.

To read ‘Hope or Despair’, click here

To read ‘Contending for the truth’, click here

To read ‘Real Power’, click here

To read ‘Weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘Jesus wept’, click here

CONTENDING FOR THE TRUTH

Here’s something worth remembering

The truth is the truth.

I know it sounds obvious but it’s something that these days sometimes gets forgotten.

Because you can conceal the truth, suppress the truth, or deny the truth. But you cannot create the truth.

Neither can you change it.

The truth is not dependent on what we think. Neither is it what is necessarily popular, or convenient.

Because the truth is what it is.

Never varying, the truth remains stubbornly the same.

Even so, there are those who are blind to the truth.

There are those, including some in power, who wouldn’t recognise the truth if it was stood there right in front of them.

Like Pontius Pilate for example.

Who asked ‘What is truth?’ of the one who was, and is the truth [John 18:38], and discovered that those who try to kill the truth, find that it refuses to stay dead.

Because the truth can’t be silenced.

The truth is forever.

Contend then for the truth – the glorious truth, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners [1 Timothy 1:15].

That He is the way, and the truth and the life. And that no one comes to the Father except through him John 14:6].

To read ‘In loving memory of the truth’, click here.

To read ‘Hope or Despair’, click here

To read ‘More Severed Thinking’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here.

To read ‘Speaking in Tongues’, click here.

HOPE OR DESPAIR

So if I may, and without getting too political, I’d like to say a word about Donald Trump.

Because if you’re one of those people, and there are some, who is putting their hope in him, you need to stop. Because he’s only a man.

And if you are one of those people, and there are some, who despair that he’s the President of the United States, you need to stop. Because he’s only a man.

It is God who is in control – not Donald Trump.

And God will use him, as he does all world leaders, as a means of grace, or a means of judgment, as he, and he alone, sees fit.

Hope then in Almighty God – and not in a mere man.

‘The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.’ [Proverbs 21:1]

‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God’ [Psalm 20:7]

To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here

To read ‘Weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘Real Power’, click here

To read ‘Jesus wept’, click here

To read ‘A good heart these days is hard to find’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here.

To read ‘Speaking in Tongues’, click here.

Valentine’s Day in the light of the cross.

For some, February 14th isn’t the easiest day of the year.

But whether you’re happily married, sadly still single or stuck in a relationship that you wish you weren’t, whether you’re enjoying life on your own, ’just good friends’ with someone you hope one day to enjoy something more, or grieving the loss of the person you’ve spent a lifetime with, whatever your current ‘status’, I hope that this Valentine’s Day you’ll know what true love is.

That is to say, I hope you’ll experience the love of the God who is the God of love.

For in this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the justice satisfying, wrath absorbing, sin atoning, sacrifice for our sins. [1 John 4:10]

For God’s love is longer lasting than time itself – and stronger even than death. His love is not dependent on how lovely we might be – rather it is a reflection of how infinitely loving He is. And whilst His love keeps no record of wrongs, it does not ignore our faults. For God’s love deals with our shortcomings, making us the people we were always meant to be so that, unspoilt by sin, we can look forward to enjoying perfect and everlasting fellowship with Him.

So then, I for one am grateful that God’s love is patient and kind, that his love does not envy or boast and that his love bears all things, believes all things and hopes all things.

Furthermore I am grateful that, undeserving of it as I am, his love also endures all things – even death on a cross. For that is the extent of the love he has for me, giving his life for mine as he bore there the punishment that I deserved.

Which is why I will forever now rejoice, that God’s love never ends.

And I hope very much that you’ll join me.

To read ‘A good heart these days is hard to find’, click here

To read ‘True Love’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here.

To read ‘Speaking in Tongues’, click here.

MORE SEVERED THINKING

This week I heard on the news of how two couples went though with abortions having mistakenly been told that their unborn babies had serious genetic conditions.

Described by the BBC as an NHS scandal, it is indeed a tragic story and one can’t help but feel for those affected by it.

But, whilst sympathetic to those who find themselves in seemingly impossible situations, can anyone explain to me why, when two healthy babies, believed to have a serious prenatal diagnosis, are aborted as a result of a clinical error, it’s considered a scandal, but when, in the UK alone, more than 500 babies, known to be healthy, are aborted every day, it’s not.

Or why, having contacted me about a pregnant patient of mine who was using drugs, the social worker who was minded to put the unborn baby on the child protection register, on hearing that the mother had chosen to have a termination felt no further action was therefore necessary.

Because to me it makes absolutely no sense at all.

Unlike the case I was involved with in my early years as a doctor when a young mother, on finding out that she had cervical cancer at the same time she discovered she was pregnant, deferred the urgent hysterectomy she required until her child was born.

A decision that saved her baby’s life, even as it cost her her own.

To read ‘Severed Thinking’, click here

To read ‘Assisted Dying – we all need to be happier to help’, click here

To read ‘Assisted dying in the light of the cross’, click here

SEVERED THINKING

‘When the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing’

That was the expression that came to my mind as this week I watched an episode of the Apple TV+ drama ‘Severance’. The story revolves around employees of a mysterious corporation who can opt to undergo a procedure that results in them, when at work, having no recollection of their home life and, when at home, having no idea of what they do at work. The result is that their one life is lived, in effect, by two separate individuals who, in turns, occupy the same body, with each ‘innie’, in the workplace, not knowing what their ‘outie’ does in the outside world. And vice versa.

To chose to think in such a severed way, is, of course, an inherently bad idea, as becomes evident as the imagined benefits, for the outies, of an existence unencumbered by the burden of having to work, is seen to come at a very high price for the ‘innies’, who are condemned to live lives that are no longer valued by those who control them and who restrict what, even at work, they can and cannot do.

It’s all very bizarre and not a little sinister.

But it wasn’t only whilst watching ‘Severance’ that the aforementioned expression came to mind. It did so again when I learnt of how Newton House in Bath was being threatened with closure. The five bedded unit is the only respite care facility for adults with complex care needs in the area, and an absolute lifeline for those who spend their lives caring for their highly dependent, but nonetheless much loved, grown up children.

If the closure does go ahead, it will be yet another example of how our society seems unable to provide adequate support for those who need it most, and of a healthcare system that, on the one hand is seeking to keep people alive into advanced old age, whilst, on the other, can’t care for the number of frail elderly that already exist. This is not to suggest that attempts to preserve life are not entirely laudable, far from it, but is it really a good idea to medicalise normality, and make patients of those who are healthy, in order to exponentially increase the number of those experiencing extreme longevity who, not only will one day still die, but will also require, before they do so, years of care that it just won’t be possible to give them?

Because it seems to me that the imagined benefit for the young, of being able to look forward to an exceptionally long life, comes at a very high price for those same individuals who, when old, may one day find themselves no longer valued by the system that has created a problem, with which it cannot possibly hope to cope.

So whilst in no way suggesting that it isn’t worth investing in healthier lives, might it not be better to pause our relentless attempt to extend life until we have the capacity to care for the increasing numbers that our well intentioned endeavours will inevitably produce? Rather than spending ever more time and money on the healthy, might it not be better to seek first to properly fund the needs of those who are already sick? And rather than constantly worrying the well and, in so doing, potentially condemning them to more of the suffering that they desperately want to avoid, might it not be better to value more highly the vulnerable in our society, both the elderly and those with complex care needs, who, far from being considered a burden, ought to be provided with all the support that they oh so desperately require.

Because to continue as we are, to continue with such severed thinking, would not only be very bizarre but also, perhaps, with the assisted dying bill coming up for discussion again soon, not a little sinister too.

To read ‘The Abolition of General Practice’, click here

To read ‘Paddington and the Ailing Elderly Relative’ click here

To read ‘Health – it’ll be the death of us. Is there institutional arrogance in the NHS’, click here

To read ‘Bagpuss and the NHS’, click here

To read ‘The NHS Emporium’, click here

To read ‘Assisted Dying – we all need to be happier to help’, click here

To read ‘Assisted dying in the light of the cross’, click here

‘A COMPLETE UNKNOWN’ – DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALL RIGHT.

Last night I went to see the new big-screen biopic of Bob Dylan. Timothée Chalamet puts in a tremendous performance as the complex individual who, despite being one of the most famous people in the world, remains, in many ways, a complete unknown.

Because whilst we see much of what we know for sure of Dylan’s life, his visiting in hospital of his childhood hero, the musician Woody Guthrie who was suffering with Huntington’s Disease at the time, his rise to prominence in the New York folk scene of the early sixties, and his relationships with both Suze Rotolo, his one time girlfriend who features on the album sleeve of ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’, and Joan Baez, a fellow singer-songwriter with whom he not infrequently duetted, we also hear, to the incredulous ears of those who hear it, Dylan own account of how he grew up in a carnival.

And this without any attempt being made to explain why he should feel the need to come up with such an undoubtedly apocryphal account of his youth. And neither are we given any insight into why he was, and indeed remains, on occasions at least, such a contrarian, or what it is that drives the man who, 65 years on, having produced 40 studio albums, is still touring extensively all around the world

But to say as much is not in any way to criticise, far from it, because this is nothing short of a terrific film, one in which it is Dylan’s songs – their words and how they are performed – that clearly matter most. This is something that I suspect the determinedly enigmatic octogenarian approves of, and all the more so given how, significantly involved in the development of the script, Dylan, apparently insisted, some might say typically, that there be at least one totally inaccurate episode depicted within the film.

Chalamet’s performance is, ironically perhaps, pitch perfect. Without ever descending into parody, he brilliantly reproduces not only Dylan’s voice, but his mannerisms as well – both on and off stage. Which is my it is of no surprise that, alongside the seven other Oscar nominations the film has received, Chalamet himself has been nominated for that of Best Actor, something that, to my mind at least, is very much deserved.

The film concludes at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where Dylan, it’s headline act, controversially laid aside his acoustic guitar in favour of a sunburst Fender Stratocaster, and performed his first electric set as a professional musician – all to the apparent dismay of many in the crowd who seemingly wanted more of the traditional style of music to which they were accustomed. Though the comment was actually made in the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, at a concert held there a year later, someone in the audience, considering Dylan to have betrayed folk music purists, is then famously heard to cry out ‘Judas’, to which Dylan responds, ‘I don’t believe you – you’re a liar’ before proceeding to play ‘real…loud’ what later proved to be one of his all time greatest hits, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’.

But while the audience at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival may have been divided by Dylan’s performance, it’s unlikely that those who go to see “A Complete Unknown’ will be similar at odds with one another. For, if my cinema going companion is anything to go by, even those who usually claim not to be able to tolerate Dylan’s music will find much to enjoy in this highly entertaining celebration of the first five years of the Nobel prizewinning troubadour’s exceptionally long career.

And so I hope that there will be those who, currently unappreciative of Dylan’s genius, will one day become true fans of the man who once described himself as nothing more than a ‘song and dance man’.

One can but hope. After all, a believing spouse…it can’t be a complete unknown!

WHEN IT SEEMS YOU HAVEN’T A PRAYER

This week I’ve been thinking a bit about prayer, partly because of a certain prayer service that took place in Washington this week and was attended by a world leader who isn’t as powerful as it seems he imagines he is, and partly because of a question I was asked recently relating to whether or not it was selfish to pray.

The question was was one that it was reasonable to pose, given how it was phrased in the context of someone praying to get a specific job. For in the event of that person subsequently being gainfully employed, wouldn’t it mean that there would be others who would necessarily be left out of work and, therefore, terribly disappointed as a result?

But before reflecting on that particular dilemma, it is perhaps worth noting that prayer ought not be primarily about requests for our physical needs. For if the Lord’s Prayer is anything to go by, and surely it should be, only about ten percent of what we pray about should relate to such things as our need for daily bread [Matthew 6:9-13].

So unless we ignore Jesus’ teaching on the subject, and foolishly embrace a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel, the bulk of our prayer life should instead be concerned with the needs of others whilst we ourselves respond to God’s holiness by recognising our own need for forgiveness, seeking an increasing righteousness for ourselves, and submitting more fully to his perfect, and all wise, sovereign rule.

Having said that, however, it’s not wrong for us to petition the one from whom all good things come [James 1:17], indeed the scriptures encourage us to do just that when they exhort us to ‘not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let [our] requests be made known to God.’ [Philippians 4:6]

And so we must return to the question that I was originally posed. Because whilst most of what I might ask God for would not, if granted by him, have a negative outcome on others, some of my requests, on the face of it at least, most certainly could. Is it then selfish to pray for these things?

I don’t think so – and here’s why.

Far from it being selfish to pray such prayers, it would, if anything, be arrogant not to, since to fail to pray would be to foolishly imagine that we are in control of the universe when it is patently obvious that that is not the case. Because it is God who is in ultimate control.

Prayer then is humbling. Because in so doing we are acknowledging that, in and of ourselves, we are weak and in need of help. We pray asking not that our will be done but the will of Him who, because his wisdom is infinitely greater than ours, knows so much better than we do what’s best and will, therefore, bring about things which, though sometimes contrary to what we want, are always exactly what we need.

So whilst when we pray it’s right that we bring our concerns to our loving Heavenly Father, we do so whilst at the same time gladly submitting to his good and perfect will even, that is, when it involves suffering.

Because let’s face it, bad things happen – and not just to those without faith. They happen to Christians too. What’s more, when those bad things do happen, we will sometimes have been calling on God to prevent them from ever taking place.

Perhaps we will have been praying for someone’s healing, for hostilities to come to an end, or for the life circumstances of someone we love to dramatically change.

But for reasons that we currently can not comprehend, rather than answering our petitions in the way we would like, God not infrequently choses to act differently to how we would have chosen.

And so, when the death occurs, the war carries relentlessly on, or our loved one’s problems continue unabated, there are, in the words of the song, ‘a million candles burning for the help that never came.’

But, as Leonard Cohen continued,

‘There’s a lover in the story
But the story’s still the same
There’s a lullaby for suffering
And a paradox to blame
But it’s written in the scriptures
And it’s not some idol claim’

He may be known as the godfather of gloom, but Leonard Cohen is right! Because scripture does indeed reassure us that, though our sorrow remains, we can, by faith, know that God’s actions are always loving.

Christians will sometimes talk about how God has a wonderful plan for their lives. Which is true. But some will then spend their whole lives trying to determine what that plan might be.

But to do so is a tragic mistake because, whilst He will no doubt have a hidden purpose for each and every one of us, one that will only become apparent over time, God’s revealed plan for our lives is to make us all more like Jesus.

Which I hope you’ll agree is a pretty fantastic one and all the more so given how he has promised to one day bring it to fruition. [Philippians 1:6]

Those who recognise God’s love, will therefore ask him to make them more loving. Those who recognise God’s mercy, will ask him to make them more merciful, and those that recognise God’s sovereignty will recognise just how relatively unimportant they are.

Far then from being the prayers and attitudes of those who are proud and arrogant, those who, somewhat alarmingly, don’t feel the need to be reminded of such things and who, we’re told, God opposes, [1 Peter 5:5], these are the prayers and attitudes of the humble, those who consider others as more significant than they are themselves, and those who, knowing they haven’t a prayer, know that prayer is all that they have.

Prayer then, when fuelled by faith at least, is not selfish – rather it’s a confident leaning on God as we learn to recognise that, rather than we ourselves, it is God who is God, and that He can be trusted in ever circumstance, no matter how desperate it may currently appear.

Because He’s the only one with real power.

To read ‘When Bad Things Happen’, click here

To read ‘Weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘Still weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’, click here

To read ‘on the FALLEN and the FELLED’, click here

To read ‘When our joy will be complete’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘T.S. Eliot, Jesus and the Paradox of the Christian Life’, click here

To read ‘Monsters’, click here

To read ‘On Sleeping like a Baby’, click here

To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here

To read ‘Reflections on the death of Leonard Cohen’, click here

Book Review: ‘Confessions of a Childless Mother’ by Sarah Fuller

Some books aren’t written to simply amuse, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be benefitted from. Because books that reflect the sadness that is the experience of many are important and, what’s more, well worth the time spent reading them.

This is just such a book – one that gives an extremely honest account of one couple’s struggle with infertility, written at a time when the tears prompted by that condition continued to flow. As such it is a book that is not always easy to read, especially for those who may be tempted to believe in a health, wealth and prosperity gospel that promises only happy outcomes for those who profess faith in Christ. For the author is Sarah Fuller, a faithful Christian who, together with her pastor husband Nick, has prayed countless, earnest prayers that have not been answered in the way they both would have liked. As indeed have those of many others – like those, whose requests for a dear friends healing have seen them only get more ill and die, and those whose pleas for a family member’s circumstances to alter have seen them stubbornly remain unchanged.

Which is why it is a book that, whilst most beneficial to other believers who have also battled infertility, would nonetheless be hugely helpful to Christians experiencing prolonged sadness for any number of other reasons.

It begins with a factual account of how, for many years, Sarah and Nick sought to have a baby and tells of the hopes and subsequent disappointments that they experienced along the way. It is an emotional read and one that, on more than one occasion, moved me to tears. The book then proceeds to describe some of the associated difficulties that Sarah in particular encountered in regards to her spiritual struggles, emotional trauma and social anxiety.

There then follows a useful chapter covering some of the unhelpful responses to their condition that were made by some of their acquaintances, including those within the church. Because to be told to ‘Smile, Jesus loves you’ is rarely helpful to the one suffering, no matter how well meant the words may have been. For, as I suspect the ‘sorrowful yet always rejoicing’ apostle Paul also knew [2 Corinthians 6:10], it’s possible to be happy and sad at the same time, and it’s no more wrong to be sad about things that distress us, when there are things that also make us happy, than it is to be happy about things that bring us joy, when there are things that also make us sad.

And though it is gloriously true that ‘all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose [Romans 2:28], it’s nonetheless appropriate to feel emotionally crushed by the unbearable lightness, and perpetually ‘momentary’ suffering that is, sometimes, the means that God lovingly uses to bring about that incomparably good outcome that awaits all those that are his – that is to say the eternal weight of glory that will, when it is eventually realised, prove worth every ounce of pain encountered along the way [2 Corinthians 4:17].

But whilst it is evident that the pain associated with remaining childless has been extreme, this book is not simply one woman’s tale of woe. Because despite what the author has gone through, half the book is given over to offering help to those who suffer similarly. Furthermore, the longest chapter in the book is, by some way, the one on finding specific help in God’s word. This is of considerable significance for, when we suffer in ways we do not understand, if we are to find any comfort, if we are to be revived that we might once again rejoice in God [Psalm 85:6], our words and our thoughts will not suffice. Instead we will need a word that transcends our sadness, a word that comes from outside of ourselves, a word from God that can speak truth into our situation and, in so doing, bring us hope.

And this is where the book may also be helpful to unbelievers, those who are seeking a reason for the hope that believers like Sarah and her husband continue to have in God [1 Peter 3:15] For many are the reasons that are highlighted, not least the assurance that God is in complete control of our lives, that he is both perfectly good and infinitely powerful, and that, as the judge of the whole earth, he always does what is right [Genesis 18:25]. And perhaps most wonderfully of all, we are also assured that God is our Heavenly Father, that we are his much loved children, and that he only wants what is for our best.

The book also tackles some of those Biblical passages that, if not fully understood, might lead one to believe that our suffering is a punishment from the Lord. But with a reminder of the gospel, that Christ suffered the penalty for all our sin, comes a realisation that such thoughts can be confidently dismissed. Rather trials are sent our way to develop in us the character of Jesus, which is, surely, God’s wonderful plan for all our lives – one that is so much more precious than simply our transient earthly happiness.

None of which is meant to suggest that a simple realisation of these things lessons the pain that we still experience in our trials. The book never descends into triteness or formulaic platitudes, – on the contrary, the fact that faith is often a battle is more than apparent, but it is good to be reminded that our suffering is not without purpose, our sorrow is not incompatible with joy and even the darkest night can be followed by the brightest day.

There are of course, no easy answers to our suffering, irrespective of its nature. And the author recognises that the reason for our sadness may never be fully ours to know. Even so, this is a book that will be helpful to many who find life a struggle, those who may be comforted by knowing that they are not alone and are prepared to find in scripture good reason to continue to hope in one who is sovereign over all, the one who really does know what is best, and the one who can be trusted in even the most desperate of situations.

To read ‘When Bad Things Happen’, click here

To read ‘Weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘Still weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’, click here

To read ‘on the FALLEN and the FELLED’, click here

To read ‘When our joy will be complete’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘T.S. Eliot, Jesus and the Paradox of the Christian Life’, click here

To read “Luther and the global pandemic – on becoming a theologian of the cross”, click here

To read “Why do bad things happen to good people – a tentative suggestion”, click here

To read ‘Monsters’, click here

To read ‘On Sleeping like a Baby’, click here

To read ‘But this I know’, click here

To read ‘But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope’, click here

To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here

To read ‘The Promise Keeper’, click here

To read ‘Hearing the grass grow’, click here

To read ‘Because the world is not enough’, click here

To read ‘Do you hear the people sing?’, click here

To read “Suffering- A Personal View”, click here.

To read ‘Faith and Doubt’, click here

To read ‘Real Power’, click here

To read ‘Foolishness – Law and Gospel’, click here

To read, ‘But this I know’, click here

To read ‘Rest Assured’, click here

To read ‘The Resurrection – is it just rhubarb?’, click here

To read ‘One Day’, click here.

To read ‘General Practice – still a sweet sorrow’, click here

THE SOUND OF HECTOR – HIS FAVOURITE THINGS.

THE SOUND OF HECTOR – HIS FAVOURITE THINGS

Biting the hand, even those that might feed me,
Following not where my master might lead me,
Never retrieving the ball that he flings,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Lying on sofas that I’m not supposed to,
Destroying all plant life that I’ve been exposed to,
Rolling in fox poo – it’s scent to me clings,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Spending all day having my tummy tickled,
Consuming food, if it’s not yet been pickled,
Barking whenever the doorbell it rings,
These are a few of my favourite things.

My dirty paw prints all over the kitchen,
Using my hind leg to scratch what is itchin’,
Being attended to as should all kings,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Zooming round gardens as if I’m delirious,
Staring at folk with a look supercilious,
Making a mess of what the postman brings,
These are a few of my favourite things,

Whining when ignored, when I won’t be muted,
Eating what’s smelly, what’s rotten and putrid,
Crazily jumping as if I’m on springs,
These are a few of my favourite things,

When I’m all wet,
Or at the vet,
And the days are tough,
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don’t feel so ruff!

Some more songs inspired by the ‘Sound of Music’, firstly on a medical them:

To read ‘My least favourite things’, click here

To read ‘My most favourite things’, click here

And now two more relating to a holiday in Austria:

To read ‘Salzburg – some favourite things’, click here

To read ‘Mayrhofen – some more favourite things’, click here

And now some more canine inspired attempts at poetry:

To read ‘If…”, click here

To read ‘Ode to a black Labrador’, click here

To read ‘Beware of the Dog’, click here

To read ‘A Farewell to Barnes’, click here

And finally, to read ‘The Hector Chronicles’, click here

A HAPPY NEW YEAR?

Yesterday, several people wished me a Happy New Year. And it was kind of those who did so. But as 2025 begins I’m not.

I’m not happy that a war continues to be fought in Ukraine and men, women and children are still dying needlessly. I’m not happy that virtually the whole of Gaza looks like a bomb has hit it as a result of a bomb having hit virtually the whole of Gaza. And I’m not happy that, just this week, a jet plane has crashed landed in South Korea killing 179 of its passengers.

Furthermore, I’m not happy that 2024 saw me attending far more funerals than weddings and had me welcoming far fewer into this world than those to whom I said a last goodbye,

I could go on, but suffice to say that it’ll take more than a new series of ‘Blue Lights’, our eventually finishing the Christmas turkey, and my dog Hector always coming when he’s called, to make the year ahead a truly happy one.

Even so, I do still want to wish all those I know, and all those I don’t, a very Happy New Year – irrespective of whether you are eagerly anticipating the next twelve months, or are genuinely terrified of all that they might contain.

Because I believe that ‘in Christ’ we can be happy despite there being much that still makes us sad. I believe that it is possible to be content no matter our circumstances [Philippians 4:11] and that, though sorrowful, we can nonetheless be always rejoicing [2 Corinthians 6:10]. Because irrespective of whether it arrives this year or not until long after we have all died, I believe there is a day coming when Jesus is coming back and when he does he will ensure that, just as has been promised, every tear will be wiped away and death will be no more [Revelation 21:4].

And that will mark the beginning of an all new happy ever after.

Other seasonal blogs relating to Christmas and the New Year

To read ‘The Repair Shop at the end of the year’, click here

To read ‘Hope for a New Year’, click here

To read a Facebook post from January 1st 2021, click here

To read ‘A Merry Christmas Omnibus’, click here

Other related blogs:

To read ‘When bad things happen’, click here

To read ‘Weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘Still weeping with those who weep’, click here

To read ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’, click here

To read ‘on the FALLEN and the FELLED’, click here

To read ‘When our joy will be complete’, click here

To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here

To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here

To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.

To read ‘T.S. Eliot, Jesus and the Paradox of the Christian Life’, click here

To read “Luther and the global pandemic – on becoming a theologian of the cross”, click here

To read “Why do bad things happen to good people – a tentative suggestion”, click here

To read ‘Monsters’, click here

To read ‘On Sleeping like a Baby’, click here

To read ‘But this I know’, click here

To read ‘But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope’, click here

To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here

To read ‘The Promise Keeper’, click here

To read ‘Hearing the grass grow’, click here

To read ‘Because the world is not enough’, click here

To read ‘Do you hear the people sing?’, click here

To read “Suffering- A Personal View”, click here.

To read ‘Faith and Doubt’, click here

To read ‘Real Power’, click here

To read ‘Foolishness – Law and Gospel’, click here

To read, ‘But this I know’, click here

To read ‘Rest Assured’, click here

To read ‘The Resurrection – is it just rhubarb?’, click here

A MERRY CHRISTMAS OMNIBUS

Here are a selection of Christmas stories, poems and articles that I’ve written over the past few years. Please feel free to follow the links of any that take your fancy.

MEDICALLY THEMED

To read ‘A PRIMARY CARE CHRISTMAS CAROL’, the story of how Dr Scrooge changes from a grumpy old GP trainer to someone you might just want to work with, click here.

To read ‘SCROOGE IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS’, which tells of Dr Scrooge’s experiences during the pandemic and includes two Christmas stories, the latter of which has a shocking conclusion, click here.

To read ‘THE DR MUNGO CHRONICLES’, stories not related to Christmas but included here because they relate to a parallel set of stories to those above, click here.

To read ‘PADDINGTON AND THE AILING ELDERLY RELATIVE’, a Christmas story that combines and concludes both the stories relating to Dr Scrooge and Dr Mungo, click here

To read ‘HOW THE GRINCH, AND COVID STOLE GENERAL PRACTICE’S CHRISTMAS’, a poem written during the pandemic, click here

To read ‘TWAS THE NHS WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS – 2022’ a poem from the point of view of a GP practice, click here

To read, and listen to ‘WORKING IN A HEALTHCARE HINTERLAND’, click here

CRICKET THEMED ARTICLES

To read ‘A CRICKETING CHRISTMAS CAROL – A GHOST STORY’, a curiously similar tale to one made available above, only this one is, surprisingly enough, about cricket, click here.

To read ‘HOW THE GRINCH STOLE FROM COUNTY CRICKET – OR AT LEAST TRIED TO’, click here

To read ‘HOW COVID-19 STOLE THE CRICKET SEASON’, click here.

ONE ABOUT HECTOR

To read ‘HECTOR’S RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR’ click here

ARTICLES RELATED TO MY CHRISTIAN FAITH:

To read ‘AN ADVENT CALENDAR COMPLETE’ – which includes 24 reflections on the Christmas Story, click here

To read ‘A CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN – 2024 – COMPLETE’ – which includes 24 reflections on why Jesus came to Earth on that first Christmas Day’, click here.

To read ‘ A MERRY AND RESILIENT CHRISTMAS – A PERSONAL VIEW’, click here

To read ‘CHRISTMAS 2021’, click here

To read ‘CHRISTMAS 2020’, click here

To read ‘CHRISTMAS 2018’, click here

To read ‘ADVENT 2018’, click here

To read ‘ADVENT 2022: PART 1: HOPE’, click here

To read ‘ADVENT 2022: PART 2: PEACE’, click here

To read ‘ADVENT 2022: PART 3: LOVE’, click here

To read ‘ADVENT 2022: PART 4: JOY’, click here

To read ‘A HAPPY NEW YEAR?’, click here

To read ‘THE REPAIR SHOP AT THE END OF THE YEAR’, click here

To read ‘HOPE FOR A NEW YEAR’, click here

To read a Facebook post from January 1st 2021, click here