New Beginnings

I don’t know about you, but I have never been very good at handling new situations and directions in life. There are times when we choose or appear to have the choice to make a new start or head off on a different track to the one we have been on for quite a while and where we feel comfortable.

I am and have been at the stage for a while now where my life seems to be moving in a different direction. It has given me a sense of nervous and excited anticipation, discomfort, uncertainty and disorientation at different times and sometimes in various combinations of these factors.

One thing I am trying to remember, in all of this, is that there is a greater purpose, and that although the future is always uncertain for us all, “I know who holds the future and He’ll guide me with His hand. With God things don’t just happen, everything by Him is planned.” I remember singing that song at a New Year’s day service and it was followed by the most testing year I had experienced up till then! A friend of mine says, “Don’t fear the future, God has already been there.” I think it’s his motto in life, and he certainly hasn’t had an easy ride!

Looking at our lives from our perspective is a bit like looking at the back of a tapestry or piece of embroidery. All you see is tangled threads and what looks like disorganized chaos, but God looks at it from the front and sees, beauty, order and a pleasing result. If we make it our plan to please Him, He will guide us each step of our earthly pilgrimage. If we have put our trust in  the sacrifice of Jesus in giving His life to save us from our sins, and asked  for and accepted His forgiveness, we have already passed from death to eternal life.

Once we know God through His Son, our Lord Jesus, we get to realize that He is in the business of conforming us to the likeness of His Son, a work that goes on to the end of our earthly life and will only be completed when we go to live with Him for ever. Yes, this involves, sacrifice, trials, temptations and suffering, but there are also foretastes of Heaven, rejoicing, and enjoyment of His creation and the many gifts and benefits He showers on us every day.

God will supply all our needs, see us through the difficult times and ultimately bring us safely into His presence. He will also enable us to cope with changes in our lives and circumstances which to us seem so big at the time but are just a small part of His eternal plan.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Some thoughts about praying

Some thoughts about praying expand

Here are some interesting thoughts about the nature of prayer and being God and Heavenward directed in our praying. I have always found The Lord's Prayer a great help and comfort when I am 'stuck' in my prayer life, and it is interesting to see how it is central not only in Catholic and Anglican liturgies but also in Coptic and Jewish worship. In personal devotion it is also an invaluable aid.

Amplify'd fromlifeondoverbeach.wordpress.com

The Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God ‘s holy name. It is the traditional prayer for the dead in the synagogue. There are variations on the Kaddish, and I offer here the more general form for your consideration: “May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified, throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen. May his great name be blessed, forever and ever. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, elevated, and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he- above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say, May there be abundant peace from Heaven and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen.” The striking nature of this prayer for the dead is that it does not mention the dead! The prayer is about God. It reminds me of the time when a funeral services in a traditional liturgical church were about God. It used to be that one heard complaints that the Anglican (or Roman or Lutheran) liturgy for the burial of the dead did not even mention the name of the deceased. Nowadays matters have swung much too far in the other direction. Our funerals in the west are now ALL about the dead. God is mentioned only as a measure of respectability or a desperate attempt to redeem the one who has died. We can learn a lot from the Jewish Kaddish as we think about the prayer that Jesus gave us to pray. We pray also in a similar manner to that of our Jewish brothers and sisters, asking that God’s name be made holy, that God’s kingdom come so that God’s will may be accomplished. We acknowledge God as the source of all earthly blessings. We seek redemption, and we pray that we not fail in our courage at the hour of death and that peace (shalom) will prevail at the end. In the Jewish faith the Kaddish in its various forms is not recited only on special occasions such as funerals. The Kaddish closes every service. The Kaddish is said daily and even several times a day. As one Rabbi says, “Just do it!” One understands why this admonition is so critical to the life of faith, for God is often hidden behind the veil of this life with its suffering and injustice. Prayers like the Kaddish and the Lord’s Prayer not only evoke God’s presence but they also evoke from us a true sense of humanity as we stand before God who made heaven and earth. One of the things that attracted me to the liturgical tradition was the constant use of the Lord’s prayer in the life of the faithful. This was a great contrast with my very non-liturgical (or anti-liturgical) upbringing, in which we were taught to use the Lord’s prayer simply as a model by which we were to pray strictly from the heart. But Jesus did not instruct his disciples to fashion their prayers along the line of a model. He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” (Luke 11:2-4) I don’t think we have any liturgies that are without the Lord’s prayer. It’s almost Pavlovian. When I hear the prayer, I think it is time to leave. One parishioner once worried about our use of the small bell when we pray the Our Father during the Eucharistic prayer. They said, it almost made them salivate for the bread and wine and the future that is promised in the sacred meal. Now that is Pavlovian! But the truth is, we are to pray the Lord’s prayer as often as possible in order that we remain conscious of the truth of the incomprehensible mystery of the presence of God around us mortal creatures who are incomplete without the knowledge that we are loved by this same God. That is who we really are. The Didache, which is one of the oldest manuals on the Christian faith, dictates that we pray this way three times a day. (8:3) In the Coptic liturgy the Lord’s prayer is said over and over again at an incredible speed. For the prayer in its totality evokes the sacred presence. The Lord’s Prayer is a linguistic symbol capable of placing us properly in the world and before God. We should recite the Lord’s prayer as often as possible, as Jesus admonishes in the Gospel. Ignore the wrongheaded advice from simpleminded fundamentalists that would have you believe that any prayer that is written down can not be from the heart. Our Lord has bidden us to pray this prayer. The repetition is nothing other than our persistent turning to God for help, renewal and peace. In this way the prayer delivers the blessing that Christ himself came to deliver—life now and forevermore. When the faithful visit each other at times of illness or in times of grief, it is the Lord’s prayer that most often is the decisive moment among us. As I have visited with those who face surgery or the funeral of a beloved one, I sensed more than once that all the effort that we put into holding ourselves together, of running on our own steam, condenses into the tears of relief that God is here, and in the end it is all about God.

There are variations on the Kaddish, and I offer here the more general form for your consideration:

“May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified, throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen. May his great name be blessed, forever and ever. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, elevated, and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he- above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say, May there be abundant peace from Heaven and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen.” The striking nature of this prayer for the dead is that it does not mention the dead! The prayer is about God. It reminds me of the time when a funeral services in a traditional liturgical church were about God. It used to be that one heard complaints that the Anglican (or Roman or Lutheran) liturgy for the burial of the dead did not even mention the name of the deceased. Nowadays matters have swung much too far in the other direction. Our funerals in the west are now ALL about the dead. God is mentioned only as a measure of respectability or a desperate attempt to redeem the one who has died. We can learn a lot from the Jewish Kaddish as we think about the prayer that Jesus gave us to pray. We pray also in a similar manner to that of our Jewish brothers and sisters, asking that God’s name be made holy, that God’s kingdom come so that God’s will may be accomplished. We acknowledge God as the source of all earthly blessings. We seek redemption, and we pray that we not fail in our courage at the hour of death and that peace (shalom) will prevail at the end. In the Jewish faith the Kaddish in its various forms is not recited only on special occasions such as funerals. The Kaddish closes every service. The Kaddish is said daily and even several times a day. As one Rabbi says, “Just do it!” One understands why this admonition is so critical to the life of faith, for God is often hidden behind the veil of this life with its suffering and injustice. Prayers like the Kaddish and the Lord’s Prayer not only evoke God’s presence but they also evoke from us a true sense of humanity as we stand before God who made heaven and earth. One of the things that attracted me to the liturgical tradition was the constant use of the Lord’s prayer in the life of the faithful. This was a great contrast with my very non-liturgical (or anti-liturgical) upbringing, in which we were taught to use the Lord’s prayer simply as a model by which we were to pray strictly from the heart. But Jesus did not instruct his disciples to fashion their prayers along the line of a model. He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” (Luke 11:2-4) I don’t think we have any liturgies that are without the Lord’s prayer. It’s almost Pavlovian. When I hear the prayer, I think it is time to leave. One parishioner once worried about our use of the small bell when we pray the Our Father during the Eucharistic prayer. They said, it almost made them salivate for the bread and wine and the future that is promised in the sacred meal. Now that is Pavlovian! But the truth is, we are to pray the Lord’s prayer as often as possible in order that we remain conscious of the truth of the incomprehensible mystery of the presence of God around us mortal creatures who are incomplete without the knowledge that we are loved by this same God. That is who we really are. The Didache, which is one of the oldest manuals on the Christian faith, dictates that we pray this way three times a day. (8:3) In the Coptic liturgy the Lord’s prayer is said over and over again at an incredible speed. For the prayer in its totality evokes the sacred presence. The Lord’s Prayer is a linguistic symbol capable of placing us properly in the world and before God. We should recite the Lord’s prayer as often as possible, as Jesus admonishes in the Gospel. Ignore the wrongheaded advice from simpleminded fundamentalists that would have you believe that any prayer that is written down can not be from the heart. Our Lord has bidden us to pray this prayer. The repetition is nothing other than our persistent turning to God for help, renewal and peace. In this way the prayer delivers the blessing that Christ himself came to deliver—life now and forevermore. When the faithful visit each other at times of illness or in times of grief, it is the Lord’s prayer that most often is the decisive moment among us. As I have visited with those who face surgery or the funeral of a beloved one, I sensed more than once that all the effort that we put into holding ourselves together, of running on our own steam, condenses into the tears of relief that God is here, and in the end it is all about God.

Read more at lifeondoverbeach.wordpress.com

Make Disciples of all Nations

I came across this article which investigates what it means to make disciples of all nations as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28 verses 19-20 where He says:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Editorial- Christian News- Christian Action

by Juanita Berguson

Make disciples of all nations

Who would ever think that you or I could fulfill the command of Jesus, make disciples of all nations.

Let’s examine 5 keys to making disciples of all nations. Success is closer than we might think. Five simple steps put us on a path of fruitfulness, including being serious about what Jesus says, how we live our lives, putting His purposes first in our hearts, and not being satisfied until we see a harvest!!!

Taking Jesus seriously.

We all have the tendency to spiritualize things. When we do that, we assume that there is some type of essence to what is being said, but it really doesn’t have anything to do with our lives here and now where all of us live. The enemy doesn’t have a lot of power over us; one thing he can do is deceive us. If we don’t believe that Jesus was serious, we won’t even begin to make disciples – culminating in making disciples of all nations.

Like reproduces like.

Is your or my life the type of life that SHOULD be reproduced? Jesus said to pass on to his followers all the things that are important to him. Is that how we live our lives – with Christ in the center and being careful to observe all the things that are important to him? Those we impact will share their faith as much as we do; they will pray like we do; their passion will mirror ours. Making disciples of all nations starts in our own hearts!

Mission and Purpose

Jesus ministered with his face ‘set like a flint.’ He knew what his purpose was and he fulfilled that purpose. We have two great Mandates, To love God and to love our neighbor and to go into all the world and make disciples – culminating in the making of disciples of all nations. It will take a lifetime to fulfill this mandate, actually, many lifetimes. The Mandates are given as our mission, but until you and I make them our purpose, the will remain unfilled. Life pushes us off course; constantly re-evaluating our purpose helps keep us on track!

Be Fruitful

Somehow a teaching has crept into the church: God doesn’t call you to be fruitful, just faithful. Hmmm… That is not what I read in John 15. We are to go and bear fruit. Making disciples is the most precious of fruit that we can bear. If a farmer plants a field and the harvest is small, he considers what needs to improve the harvest: water, fertilizer, quality of seed, etc. It is a learning process. The farmer expects to see a harvest if conditions are right. The Kingdom harvest is no different! If conditions are right, if we do our part – the Holy Spirit always draws people and always makes God’s truths real in their lives. Our role is to be responsible and continue to learn the ways of fruitfulness.

Learn from others

It takes a lifetime to master a skill. The skill of making disciples is not new – there are those who have mastered the skill. Scripture says that some produce a little harvest while the harvest of others is multiplied! Are we deliberate in finding those who are fruitful? Are we deliberate in learning from them?

Too many think that there are those special, ‘gifted’ people who are fruitful, and then there is the ‘rest of us.’ If we examine the approach of those who are fruitful, we always find these things: They take Jesus’ command seriously. They deliberately learn to be fruitful and spend time learning from others. They understand that making a skilled follower of Christ starts with me being a skilled follower. These are the things that, if we dedicate our live to them, will create a multiplied impact. Skilled Christ-followers making skilled Christ-followers will make disciples of NATIONS!

A Review of the IPED/APAD

I have just obtained the 7 inch screen version of the IPED/IPAD which is basically a copy of Apple's much hyped IPAD. Although the screen is smaller than the IPAD, and it runs on Google's Android O/S, it is a lot cheaper than the IPAD. I bought mine for about £155 and someone has informed me that it can now be obtained from some suppliers for as little as £130. I bought mine from SG International in Bradford, through ebay, but another place worth looking is Chinagrabber who import a lot of Chinese products.

The IPED/IPAD comes with its own leads and battery charger and is easy to operate once you reset your Google location from China to wherever you happen to be. I have only had to look at the instructions a few times as the device is so straightforward to use. I had it connected to my broadband Wi-Fi within seconds and was soon up and running. Considering how long it took me to get my head round my Blackberry Bold 9000 (about 8 weeks, I reckon, at least) I was very impressed with its simplicity and accessibility.

I read recently that Android provide 57% of their apps free, Blackberry (which I also use) provide 26% of theirs free and Apple provide a much lower amount of free apps.

On the IPED/APAD there is an icon labelled 'Market'. By clicking on this you can search applications for sale and for free download and they are installed within seconds. The device tends to prefer using mobile rather than desktop versions which is appropriate for the smaller size screen. There is also an 8 inch screen version of the IPED available, so I have heard.

Having seen an Apple IPAD and being rather underwhelmed by what it does for the high price involved, I was more than impressed with my new purchase. On the downside, the battery seems to need a lot of recharging, I think I need to check the contacts and maybe try a different battery to see whether this is just the way the machine works or whether it is a faulty battery.

I haven't tried out the ebook possibilities fully yet, but I find it clear for reading newspaper, magazine and news articles.

Another useful function is that I can stream music through my downstairs hi-fi from the hard drive of my upstairs computer, plugging in a lead from the 3.5mm jack headphone socket to the phono input on my hi-fi. The actual speaker in the IPED/APAD is rather weak and quiet for my liking. The sound comes out through a very narrow slot on the back of the device.

I would definitely recommend this product, especially as it also has a built-in camera which is also missing on the IPAD. There is a lot of talk about Android catching up and maybe even overtaking Apple in the future, and from what I have seen so far, I am inclined to believe this is a distinct possibility.

Do we still have 'Free' Speech?

There have been a number of developments recently which I feel are quite worrying in relation to what we once knew as a right to free speech.

The age of political correctness has hopefully come to an end following the demise of 13 years of socialist (nanny-state) government in the UK. I say this with a degree of hope that we are now living in a free society where it is acceptable to express one's opinions, beliefs and views knowing that they may be agreed with by some, assented to by others and denigrated or counteracted and argued against by another group of people.

Within this framework we know there must still be boundaries, as J.S. Mills argued, total freedom would lead to anarchy and one person's total freedom leads to the enslavement or imprisonment of other people.

We now live in a strange world where a large swathe of people have freedom to express themselves via the internet, press, radio and TV, but there are parts of the world where people are denied such freedom, for example, Cuba, North Korea, Iran and China. In North Korea only Government officials (very few) and Higher Education professionals are granted free access to the internet and it only gives them access to approved sources, probably little or nothing outside N. Korea. In China there is a firewall which we all know about, and within the last day or so their equivalent of Twitter is supposedly down for maintenance. I wonder how long that maintenance will last? I am unaware of the current situation in Iran, but I guess Twitter, Facebook and other Social media are scrutinised by the authorities and their 'misuse' can lead to political imprisonment if the regime is painted in a bad light by 'dissident' voices.

I believe we are truly privileged to be able to 'freely' express our thoughts and views in the ways we do, but I wonder sometimes how much longer we will have the opportunity to do so. I think we need to make the most of the freedom we have while it lasts and hope and pray that those parts of the world where they don't possess such a privilege will one day become free and able to stand up for their views and beliefs in the same way.

Calling Technical Support for Help

I came across this little article earlier today, which I thought might touch a chord with some of you. It consists of a dialogue between Technical Support and a customer.

Tech Support: Yes, Ma’am…. how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install Love. Can you guide me though the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart, ma’am?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running, ma’am?

Customer: Let’s see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off, ma’am?

Customer: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support : With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, “Error - Program not run on external components .” What should I do?

Tech Support: Don’t worry, ma’am. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non- technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the “My Heart” directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

A Note to Hebrews

This is an article I posted on a Jewish website earlier today, 20th. June, 2010.

I have been through a large number of challenging experiences recently, as many of us do, but believe that Hashem is speaking to us a family through the events which we would not have chosen ourselves.

In a letter written to Hebrews I have just come across the following words.

"It is for discipline you have to endure. Hashem is treating you as sons. For what father is there whom a father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who discplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

I believe that Hashem allows these sometimes bitter experiences and sufferings for a purpose. Without going into gory details, we have been withheld payment on a large itemized invoice, defrauded of over £1,100, had our car broken into with phones cards and life sustaining essential medication stolen while we were away from home on a Bank holiday, we were only going on a 20 minute walk. Yesterday, my son Benjamin ended up in hospital on his birthday with what seems to be quite a serious illness, his immune system is destroying the platelets in his blood. He may have to live with it, he is only 27 and has just provided us with our first grandson. I am convinced that Hashem is looking after us through all of this and is allowing it all for our own good!

Therefore, my friends, I am holding on to my faith in the Infinite Wisdom of Hashem. I hope this will be of some help and comfort to others. Do let me know if you have any questions or comments or experiences you want to share. Every blessing to you all, my friends.

A Small Business Update

Having worked for myself for 23 years I feel really sorry for people trying to start out on their own in today's economic environment. Over the years I have enjoyed the independence, lack of interference from anyone else in my business and the satisfaction of building a business from nothing.

However, following 13 years of bad examples of business practice in Government and the Public Sector (who are hampered in their work by centralized state interference) we have not been set good examples. For example, the answer to debt is to borrow more money (or print more to turn into junk bonds), the answer to what do I do if I don't make my business more successful? is to take even bigger bonuses (bankers). If I feel that I'm not paid enough then I claim more in expenses, courtesy of the taxpayer (MP's).

I hope that we can now put this era behind us and believe that the new coalition have better ideas as to how we should 'do business'. We certainly seem to be seeing better leadership by example, although it's still early days, and the over-regulation is gradually being dismantled, we hope.

From my own experiences working for myself, I have a few tips for those starting out in business now.

1) Start in a modest way, try not to borrow money if you can raise your own capital, or borrow from a lender that has a good track record.

2) Grow the business slowly but surely as you would tender or nurture a plant. Don't expect to be driving in the biggest and fastest car overnight or living in the biggest house within a month (unless you were rich enough to start with!). Start out with a good business plan and be prepared to adapt it according to changing circumstances. Get advice on this if necessary.

3) Although I still work in a one man business, my advice is to only start employing others as the business grows and you have the need and wherewithal to do so.

4) Advertise your business through local publications or if you must advertise on-line avoid buying from cold-callers who promise to put you in their directories and are quick to lower the price if you say you can't afford their package or tell you they can guarantee to put you on the front page of Google. Some will even lie about their company in order to sign you up, as I have learnt from bitter experience. These kinds of advertising options were not available when I started my business and I'm sorry for those who get caught by them, as I have been myself.

5) If your prospective accountant makes you do all the work in order to keep your costs down, if your business is simple and straightforward like mine you can enter your own tax return on line although it took a while to set up in my case, (but then, I always seem to be unfortunate).

6) Don't let big predatory companies 'bully' you, particularly into paying bills when they are tardy and sometimes even claim that your invoices to them are not legitimate. I have been treated in this way and refuse to be intimidated or harassed by them, especially if they don't deliver you the service they originally promised. You are as as legitimate if not more so than they are, stand your ground!

7) If you wish to have your own website to advertise your business, preferably get someone you know to design and fine tune it. Some larger companies set up websites which are not fine-tuned to what you request and even have spelling mistakes and just do not deliver what you want but are quite happy to take your money each month. Make sure you are the one who calls the shots. You can build your own website which will be much more effective and in my experience will encourage the right kind of 'traffic'. Contact me if you want further advice in this area. Networking is also useful to find people with the right skills to do the more specialist jobs.

8) Expect every day to be different, especially if you work on your own. Sometimes you get great rewards and job satisfaction, other times things go pear-shaped or lethargy creeps in. Despite the misfortunes one can have, I still awake looking forward to the challenge of another day of freedom working for myself!

My very best wishes to those of you starting out in business, remember, usually smaller businesses create jobs, medium and larger companies often make people redundant at the drop of a hat.

An Idea to encourage economic recovery

I have an idea of how some restoration of growth could be made in the near future by our new coalition government. I have lots of ideas about how wastage could be stopped, for example by scrapping Ofsted, which would release enough funds to provide an extra 5,000 secondary teachers apparently. Also, head teachers who go around bossing other head teachers and hampering them in the demanding jobs they are involved in. They can do without the stress of the extra interference which also stifles creative thinking 'on their feet'.

Anyway, I intend to put forward these suggestions with a host of others when we are given the opportunity to have our say shortly.

My main idea which I wish to propose to stimulate economic growth is the lowering of the duty levied on car fuel, petrol and diesel in particular, I don't know enough to comment on alternative fuels being used and trialled at the moment, I know some of them are more efficient and don't carry the iniquitous amount of duty we pay on petrol and diesel.

I welcome the proposed re-introduction of the fuel stabilizer whereby the Government collects more tax when the fuel price is lower and less tax when the price is higher. This helps the public sector, but to be really radical I think fuel should be well under £1.00 a litre. Remember how shocked we were when it went above £1.00, those days are now fond memories now that we pay over £6.00 per gallon for our fuel.

By having one lot of duty only, either VAT or fuel duty, rather than both, there is scope for some reduction. By lowering taxes it has often been found that the general tax take overall is increased. I, like a large number of my friends and relatives, use my one car (down from 2 cars a year or so ago) as little as I possibly can. Wherever possible I walk or cycle and delight in the benefit this does to my health at the same time, I have lost a lot of weight as a result. My one car does about 56 mpg on the combined cycle and the tax disc costs me £30.00 per year!

If we all did our little bit, cut out unnecessary car journies like the school runs when the school is very nearby, did car pooling to get to work, etc. we could send a very strong signal to the new coalition who are also not very 'green conscious'. Also, think of the carcinogens in the car and lorry fuels we use! As a result of us thinking before we get behind the wheel each time, a great deal could be achieved, economically and to our health. All goods sent to shops could be lowered in price and we might actually be left with some disposable income to buy goods which are affordable. This could result in retailers doing better and taking on more needed staff, providing more jobs and, yes, generating more income tax!

I really believe that we have got it wrong at the moment and the only way forward I can see is to boycott buying fuel wherever we can to force the price downwards. I have heard that there are already tankers anchored offshore waiting to offload fuel because the refineries can't shift the fuel and the oil suppliers are greedy for oil prices to go up to feather their own nests. All this could damage our economy even more than it has been damaged over the last 13 years of new liebour.

Some of you may have other ideas about how we could regenerate the private sector, I would be interested to read your comments.

BT Customerstreet:: an ongoing saga

Today I attempted twice, without success to get to the accounts dept. of BT Customerstreet. In the course of my investigations I have found out that Black's Collections are part of BT Customerstreet and actually in the same building! Yesterday I was told that they were an intermediary and nothing to do with them, but one of their personnel let this slip. I have also written to our newly elected MP, Steven Lloyd to see what further action he can take in regard to this outfit.

This website shows that health and livelihoods of small business operators have been shipwrecked by the operations of BT Customerstreet.

http://www.btcomplaint.com/2009/01/bt-customerstreet.html

It makes for some sorry reading I am afraid, but this is the sort of world we live in.

When will we see some action in favour of the genuine, honest people who are trying to generate genuine business rather than perpetuate fraud? Preferably by shutting down companies like this who appear to be doing nothing but line their own pockets rather than help small businesses to grow and create real jobs!

Will the Coalition do anything to protect small businesses from big business predators?

I am at heart a Conservative, always have been and maybe always will be, and some of the noises I have heard from the new coalition sound quite encouraging. However, (although I may have missed it) I have not heard much about what they plan to do to defend one man (self-employed or sub-contractors) from the large predative companies that we see behaving like fraudsters. Here is a cautionary tale which comes from my own experience in very recent times, up to and including today.

I was bamboozled into signing a contract to advertise my music teaching business with BT Customerstreet after having been assured by the caller that they were nothing to do with BT as we know them. Today I have found that this is untrue, BT as we know them is an umbrella company under which BT Customerstreet function (tax-avoidance?). Had I known there was any connection I would not have signed up to what has proved to have been an unmitigated disaster.

They promised to produce a website to advertise my services for which I paid approximately £34.00 per month by direct debit. After they set up the site, complete with spelling mistakes, I received many calls from fraudsters trying to sell me further advertising, usually calling themselves Online Business Directory. Some of them claimed I already had an account with them and it was due for renewal. I had no records of any such arrangements. When I called the real Online Business Directory they had no record of my having an account with them and informed me that there were at least 200 organizations pretending to be them! Quite a large police file exists on this matter, apparently.

I was subsequently (last year) asked to consider having a bigger and better website for which I was assured BT would not ‘sign me off’ until I was 100% happy with the results. I was told someone would liaise with me regularly to update and enhance this site and that it was easily editable by myself. I found it impossible to edit myself and called about 3 times for features to be added, including widgets. Each time I was informed that these requests were not possible to implement. I continued to have ‘traffic‘, sometimes up to a dozen calls a day, trying to sell me advertising and renew ‘existing‘ accounts, all of which were bogus. I probably gained one genuine customer during the life of the website.

I was contacted earlier this year, in February by a BT Customer Street employee who asked if I was pleased with all the hits I was getting. I explained to him exactly why I was not happy with the service and after a 10 minute discussion he said, ‘but you are generally happy with the results, aren’t you?’ He had obviously not listened to a word I had said. As a result of insult being added to injury, I emailed BT and requested that the website be shut down with immediate effect; this took them a while to implement, probably a few weeks!

I received no response to my email of 26th. February although I was told today that they sent emails to my wife’s email box. These were NOT received by us. I then received a call from someone at BT and I aired my grievances about their lack of service and the extensive damage caused to my business through time wasted following through bogus enquiries and being diverted from my work. I was informed that I would receive no compensation and I then informed him that I would therefore submit my invoice in due course to cover the costs of my time, correspondence, phone calls and trying to seek help. He said ‘that is your prerogative, I won’t be dealing with that). I subsequently submitted an invoice for just over £1000 which is very low considering the damage that has been caused to my business by this website and negligence by BT. I have even had to add services to my landline to block anonymous and withheld numbers, for which I have not charged on my invoice.

An invoice for £35.19 has subsequently been received from BT Customerstreet and because I haven’t paid it, (I am unable to do so because I have had £1200 defrauded from my bank and we had a car break in last week in which my wife’s cards were stolen). Our cards were obviously immediately cancelled.

Today I received a letter from Black’s Collections (a debt collector) demanding that BT’s invoice for £35.19 be paid in 5 days. My new cards (cancelled due to the fraud on my account) won’t arrive for another 7-10 working days. According to the contact at Black's Collections who I phoned to inform him about my situation, BT have not yet received (or denied knowledge of having received my invoice). He indicated that he didn’t know where I stood legally submitting this invoice and that from his experience they are unlikely to pay it! What?, my time costs money as well as theirs and as a businessman I’m entitled to submit invoices like anyone with a business. I have assured Mr. Woodacre that I will not pay my invoice until they pay mine!

I sent a copy of my invoice to BT to Black's Collections and he assured me that someone from BT would contact me by 13.30 today. I have still received no reply from BT and it is now 20.23! I received a further email from the same gentleman at Black's Collections saying that BT will contact me when they have investigated further.

I hope this cautionary tale will stop others from planning to take on a contract with BT Customerstreet and advise those involved with them already to call them to account and watch them like hawks!

Meanwhile, I hope the new coalition do more to actually encourage people to work for themselves and start small businesses which grow (but not too big for their boots!).

Do we need Revival?

This is a reprint of an article on BLOG.ACHRISTIANBLOGSITE.COM.

Prayer: Prominent Feature Of Revivals, I & II

Many Christians today doubt the need of a spiritual revival in their lives or in the Church of Jesus Christ. As support for their conclusions, they point to the great variety of Christian ministries active today. Or they detail the many varied Church programs available.

Further, they cite the popularity of religion, specifically Christianity. As a result, they reason that things could not be better, and the Church does not need a revival.

To draw such a conclusion, however, builds upon two false judgments. First, it assumes that the present state of spiritual affairs is true, valid, Biblical, and God blessed, lacking nothing but more of the same. Second, it indicates a lack of understanding of the nature of true revival and its Biblical mandate.

Against this false verdict (that we need no spiritual revival), I want to examine with you one of the prominent features of spiritual revival. It is present in every revival in Biblical and Church history. Further, it has a Biblical mandate for its presence in our Christian experience. It applies to our day and to our lives. It must be present in our lives according to its Biblical terms, or else we need spiritual revival.

I call your attention to the Biblical revival under King Hezekiah. The passage I want to study is recorded in 2 Chronicles 29.1-3. Hezekiah was the 13th king of Judah after the division of the Kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms, Israel to the north and Judah to the south. He was a descendant of David and was described as righteous before God.

When he became king, he found the Temple closed. The people had trespassed against God and forsaken worship of Him. As a result, God had delivered them to judgment for their sins. Hezekiah had one purpose, the spiritual revival of his kingdom (see 2 Chronicles 29.10). His actions and response to God give an excellent backdrop for examination of the characteristics and requirements of revival.

From this passage, I want to examine with you the role of prayer in the spiritual revival of the Church of Jesus Christ. I pray that the Holy Spirit will use these certain, sure truths in your life to clarify its Biblical mandate, to convict you of its necessity in your life, and to conform you to the truths of Scripture. I pray that God by His Spirit will use them to begin a spiritual transformation in your life today.

Priority of prayer

Note the preference that prayer had in Hezekiah’s life. The Scriptures record his first action as the ruler of Judah in 2 Chronicles 29:3:

"He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them."

Given the disastrous state of affairs, he had numerous options he could have followed. For instance, he could have restored civil conditions. Others in his position resolved political problems first. But not Hezekiah.

His first actions centered around the Temple. To God's chosen people, the Temple was the focus of all religious practice. It was the house of prayer and worship to God. But he realized that God had judged Israel for their failure to seek God's face. They had filled the Temple with uncleanness and had forsaken God. They had ceased to offer burnt offerings, and the candlesticks had ceased to burn. The people had closed the doors to the outside areas where people prayed.(2 Chronicles 29.4-7)

At the outset of his reign, King Hezekiah’s actions proved the burden of his heart. He wanted to make prayer and worship again the heartbeat of God's people. First, he reopened the Temple doors. He wanted to renew the former way of life of prayer to God. Then the King repaired the doors to strengthen them for a renewed practice of prayer.

No spiritual reformation occurs nor exists without the supremacy of prayer. In times of spiritual revival, prayer always becomes a priority. In fact, it becomes a priority before revival comes. Prayer is the fuel and foundation of all such awakenings. Furthermore, Jesus commanded it to be this way. Note Luke 18:1:

"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;"

Does prayer hold such a place in your life? If so, keep on; you’re on the path to spiritual renewal. If it is not, then, my friend, you need spiritual revival.

Practice of prayer

In the record of King Hezekiah, it shows that he practiced what he preached. He did not simply make prayer available to people; he made a practice of seeking God's face for the direction and aid of Judah. The Bible documents it 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29-32.

Because of the leadership and example of Hezekiah, prayer became a vital part of the spiritual life of Judah. He directed the priests, the spiritual leaders of the nation, to resume regular Temple practices. They restored prayer and praise in the Temple and in their service to the people. Further, the nation became involved in worship, prayer, and praise, too. The people joined Hezekiah and the priests in prayer.

I lament that the Church of Jesus Christ has such poor leadership in this indispensable practice. I have read with great sorrow of the pitifully small amount of time that pastors and spiritual leaders spend in prayer. I should not wonder that it is true. One only needs to examine the prayer life of the Church to conclude that prayer does not have a priority in their minds.

It’s almost as if the weekly prayer meeting of the Church has become the one program that they wish they could eliminate but fear to do so because of the long tradition of older members. It has become nothing more than a perfunctory meeting which many of the spiritual leaders of the church miss, including, sadly, pastors. It seems like it has become a “throw-away” service. It isn’t announced, and folk are not encouraged to attend.

However, that does not describe the conditions during spiritual revival. Check out the reformation of Jacob, David, or even Samson. Prayer played a necessary role in their renewals. Or examine the restorations of the Children of Israel in Egypt, or of the times during the Judges. These revivals always included prayer as an essential ingredient. It always encompassed spiritual leadership and all of the people.

Do these descriptions characterize your spiritual life? If you are a spiritual leader or pastor, do you spend time in personal prayer? Do you encourage your people to pray and to come to times of Church family prayer? If you do, praise God. Don’t quit. Redouble your efforts. If you do not, then you need spiritual revival.

Passion of prayer

The priority and practice of prayer in Hezekiah’s life sprang from a passion of prayer. Note his statement in 2 Chronicles 29.10:

“It is in my heart…”

This desire of King Hezekiah came from the heart. It was no mere mental assent to a “spiritual requirement.” Nor was it merely for show and pretense. No, it came from the heart. Prayer that does not involve the heart is not true prayer. It is superficial in nature and gets no response from God. True prayer wells up from within, from the very inner core of one’s being.

The Scriptures abound with examples of this kind of prayer. For example, who could ever forget the strong desire of Moses as he prayed for God's people after they made the golden calf. (Exodus 32.30-32) Or recall that most humbling of all examples, the Lord Jesus, Who’s prayer life is described in Hebrews 5:7:

"Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;"

The Bible contains encouragement to prayer with passion. Heed the exhortation in James 5:16:

"…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

The Church and believers have come to place their confidence in organization. We say that all we need is better organization. In reality, as Leonard Ravenhill said, “We need to agonize, not organize.”

How do your times of prayer measure up with these accounts? Has it become dull, lifeless, and spiritless? Have your times of prayer turned mundane, without any passion? In my own personal practice, God has recently convicted me in this area of my prayer life. I confess that tears have come infrequently. Like Elijah, I want to pray with passion for God's presence and power in my life and among His people. Will you make it your desire, too?

Purpose of prayer

Finally, Hezekiah had a purpose which drove his enthusiasm for prayer. Again, refer to 2 Chronicles 29:10:

"Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us."

He had noted the deplorable spiritual condition of God's people. They justly deserved God's judgment for their sins and their rejection of God. Only spiritual repentance and revival could stem the tide of God's wrath. The king made that his driving purpose and priority. And God heard the prayers of His people, and, according to promise, He forgave their sins and healed their land. (2 Chronicles 7.14)

Why don’t God’s people want revival? Perhaps they have fallen for the fallacies which I outlined at the beginning of this article. They see active programs, growing attendance, and happy enthusiasm and conclude we only need more.

Some, I regret, avoid it out of fear: fear of the unknown, fear of their own spiritual condition, fear of loss of control, fear of loss of fame or position. I do know, much to my sorrow, that most spiritual leaders and pastors do not seek nor desire spiritual revival in their own lives or of the churches they lead.

But not Hezekiah. He had a passion with a purpose, the spiritual renewal of God's people. Nothing short of the same miracle will save the Church of today, either. I, for one, let me quickly state, share Hezekiah’s passion and purpose.

There is nothing in life I desire more than to experience spiritual revival personally and among God's people everywhere. That’s why I produce and preach on “Power For Life” and write this newsletter. I pray that God will use them in some fashion to spur you on to a spiritual transformation in your life, too.

I pray that the Holy Spirit has opened your eyes and clarified these truths to you. I pray that He has identified the fallacy of the view that “We have no need of revival.” I pray that He has moved you to distrust the conclusion that “I’m Okay, you’re Okay.”

These truths give us instruction to believe and obey. They should correct us from error. These truths should mold and shape our lives with a new realization of the importance of prayer and a devotion to its proper practice.

Where has the Holy Spirit identified your failure to apply these truths in your life? Do they describe you? Or do you believe that the Church needs nothing more than more of the same of what it now has? Does prayer hold a priority in your life? Do you practice regular times alone with God in prayer, seeking His face? Has your heart filled you with passion for the lost and the spiritual needs of God's people? Do you seek spiritual revival or do you fear spiritual revival in your own life?

I do not know where God's Spirit has identified your failure to apply these truths in your life, but I believe that He has. Maybe He has shown you that you have accepted a fallacy. Perhaps you have for a time set aside what once was a regular priority in your life.

What conclusions about your condition has the Holy Spirit revealed to you? Has He approved or disapproved? Has He found you innocent or guilty? I pray that He has revealed to you that your neglect grieves and quenches His work and ministry in your life.

The lack of conformity to God’s word brings the judgment of God. Too often, I believe that we accept the mercy of God and His longsuffering nature as a wavering from His demands. Sometimes, God simply gives us up to our desires, but sends leanness to our souls. (Psalm 106.15) God does warn us that He does not always strive with us over our sin. (Genesis 6.3) He may suddenly withdraw and send punishment. I remind you of the clear warning in Proverbs 29:1:

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

What changes does the Holy Spirit need to bring into your life today because of these truths? First, He must help you realize the refuge of lies that keep you from faith and obedience to them. To defend your actions or to excuse those which differ from God's word denies the truth and rejects it. A rejection of the truth does not change the truth. It still leaves you accountable to God for your sin and naked before God's judgment.

Second, you need to recognize God's requirements and your obligation to them. He demands personal holiness, and trusting obedience to His word. He grants no excuses for delay. Delayed obedience is disobedience.

Third, God desires you to repent from your sin. Confess your neglect of prayer without compromise or concealment. In humbleness, turn from your sin and find forgiveness from your Advocate, Jesus Christ, the Righteous. You will find cleansing unto spiritual revival. His mercies are great, and He abundantly pardons. (Isaiah 55.7)

I pray that you will experience the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life today. I pray that, in grace, He will apply these Biblical truths to you and begin a spiritual transformation in your life that will spur you on to spiritual revival.

Bibliography

Edwards, Brian. Revival! A People Saturated With God (Evangelical Press, Durham, England) 1990.

Gill, John. Exposition Of The Old And New Testaments (The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc., Paris, AR), 9 Vols. reprinted in 1989.

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary On The Whole Bible (Revell, New York) 6 Vols.

Poole, Matthew. A Commentary On The Holy Bible (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MS), 3 Vols.

Ravenhill, Leonard. Why Revival Tarries (Bethany Fellowship, Minneapolis).