Veganism - No, Not To My Taste.

I never forget watching Clint Eastwood play the part of the Good in the Big Screen movie Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo, with such beautiful music accompanying the film, the music composed by Ennio Morricone. The title theme is most likely the better-known piece, however, The Ecstasy of Gold, from the same movie, is to my mind, one of the best tunes the music industry has ever offered. Whenever played from YouTube or from one of our CD albums, I can't help but associate this musical track with my hiking trips down into the Grand Canyon during the years 1978 and 1995 alike, walking, fully laden, down that dusty trail into the desert environment until reaching the Colorado River and beyond.

Colorado River, Grand Canyon, taken September 1995.

Although the story is set just after the American Civil War of the 1860s, the location conveys the idea of the Utah/Arizona area of western United States - hence my association with the Grand Canyon hiking experience. In fact, the movie was shot in Spain, at a landscape very similar to that of the western USA.

But I'm drifting off from my point here. Please excuse me for that. Anything to do with Travel and I can get so easily carried away. The point here is that one of the better-known actors who took part in the movie was Clint Eastwood.

Although I know of Eastwood, he doesn't know me and I guess he never will - unless he has faith in Christ as Saviour. Then we'll get to know each other in Heaven.

Celebrity is a subject I have touched on before. On one of my earlier blogs, Three Little Boys, at present standing at #3 on the most popular personal blogging list, I have gone quite deeply into the celebrity culture, specifying that my birthday was very close to those of Patrick Swayze and Christopher Reeve. Swayze was a month older than me while Reeve was a couple of weeks younger. Location of all three newborns was the only preventative from all three of us lying side by side in our cots, with me in the middle. Of us three newborns, not only was I the only one who had never made it to celebrity status but I'm also the only one of the three still alive, having outlived the other two by quite some years.

However, thanks to the internet, it's actually possible to send a private message to a famous person if that person has an active account on social sites such as Twitter or Facebook. But without doubt, the star has to shift through hundreds, if not thousands of messages each day or each week - my own message would be close to irrelevance. Or quite likely, my message may go unread for weeks, months or forever. For him (or her), I'm just another faceless one in the crowd.

As celebrities go, there is quite a number who is gathering fame on YouTube. Videos posted recently can gather a viewing rate of several tens of thousands in just a few weeks - a rate which compares more favourably than blogging, since I believe that watching a mini-movie is more illustrative than reading words. Could this be the reason why so many great films shown on the Big Screen and TV alike are adaptions of novels?

However, I doubt very much that YouTube celebrities will ever reach the status of an actor, pop artist or even a sportsman, such as a professional footballer. Actors such as Clint Eastwood, Christopher Reeve, Patrick Swayze, Michael J. Fox, and many others became famous by appearing on the cinema screens. In turn, singers such as John Lennon, Harry Secombe, Mick Jagger, Cilla Black and Sandie Shaw became famous through their sale of records. On the football field, Sir Alf Ramsey received a knighthood for managing the England team to victory at the 1966 World Cup final against Germany, with Geoff Hurst scoring three of the four goals in a hat trick which made 1966 the only year in international football history ever to lift the Cup.

Those are true celebrities, whose talent in their particular fields have made them pass through an otherwise impossibly narrow gate to stardom. However, it does look as though YouTube stars will never make it to the level of the names mentioned above, but many of these vloggers (I think I got that right) have a wide-enough audience to actually sustain their living. One of them, university graduate Gabriel Morris, better known by his screen name as Gabriel Traveler, makes his living by videoing his travels around the world and posting them on YouTube - and getting paid for his contributions from Google. And as such, there are many vloggers on YouTube who can be classified as "minor celebrities". 

But one vlogger, in particular, I would like to bring to the forefront here. His real name is Alexander J. O'Connor, known under a screen name of Cosmic Skeptic. Barely out of his teens, this Oxford undergraduate already has close to 300 subscribers and at present 24,040,703 views since joining the website on February 2nd, 2013. Being a student at Oxford is a huge advantage, as being an academic will add authenticity to his presentations. Like the long-haired and bearded Gabriel Traveler, O'Connor is always dressed in a crew-neck tee-shirt whilst in his own studio, and he wears an open-neck shirt when speaking to a live audience. The absence of a tie does not seem to affect his viewing statistics, nor his popularity.

Alexander J. O'Connor, aka Cosmic Skeptic.

O'Connor grew up as a Roman Catholic and he devoted his childhood to the faith, I believe, as an altar-boy. But as his disillusion with his faith began to grow, along with his faith in Evolution, he became a staunch atheist. And that is the main theme with all his presentations, with the words moral and morality, which, according to him, can be attained equally well in an evolutionary setting without the need for religion.

But one video he recently made was a talk delivered to a live audience at an auditorium in Tel Aviv. The subject was about why he has turned to be a vegan. In a half-hour presentation, he explains about the cruelty of animals and their slaughter in the abattoirs - just to delight our taste buds.

I do believe there's a difference between veganism and vegetarianism. The latter excludes meat and fish from the diet, but I think, milk and eggs, along with their products, are allowed to be consumed. But veganism excludes everything which comes from animals. Not only meat and fish but milk and eggs too. This would include all cheese, yoghurt, and all other dairy and egg-based products. Furthermore, according to O'Connor, veganism also excludes all clothing made from animal fibre, an issue which would make both winter clothing and footwear choice difficult matters. For example, this atheist speaks against wearing woollen jumpers, despite that the sheep which supplies the wool is not killed, but shorn alive - a procedure which actually enhances the health of the sheep.

To impose a self-made restriction on what I can and cannot eat or wear or even what I can have as a utility (eg, a leather wallet or briefcase) would make my life a misery. After all, I love chocolate, and here in the UK, confection such as Cadbury's Dairy Milk is as enjoyable as it could ever be, and Easter would be a nightmare for any vegan parents teaching their children what to enjoy and what not to eat, especially when the kids are escorted by Mum through the superstore displays. The same with Christmas, when confection is also high on the family's treats. More so at tea-time when parents make sure to buy biscuits without any chocolate toppings or chips.

But this is the very thing which upsets O'Connor. Why must cows endure forced pregnancy to supply milk for us humans? Then if the calf is female, it will be raised for her to produce milk in the future. If the calf is male, it too will be raised to face the abattoir for beef and veal production. But what really strikes O'Connor as particularly upsetting is the forced separation of the calf from its mother, causing her to suffer over the loss of offspring. If such sentimentality is promoted to make us feel guilty, then to some this might have an effect of converting to veganism.

And that is the central theme of O'Connor's preaching. To convert. And not because eating all animal-sourced products is bad for us. Rather, to convert to veganism from an omnivorous lifestyle is all to do with personal morals rather than nutritional benefits.

Therefore it's my moral responsibility not to touch turkey for Christmas, not to have roast chicken thighs each Sunday, not to accept a succulent roast lamb or stewed beef fillet whilst guests at a friend's home, never to have milk with my morning cereal, just soya instead which doesn't taste so good. And I'll miss eggs too, especially the omelette which my beloved knows how to blend with Red Leicester cheese to give such a tangy taste. And buy dark chocolate only, some, let's face it, taste awful! And if I want biscuits (or cookies), then I have to make sure that they are free from any milk chocolate chips or coating.

Indeed, living to vegan normality would not only be crushingly dull but on the verge of insanity! And I believe that this morality is based on two factors: the elimination of animal suffering, and a move to combat climate change.

Animal suffering in human hands of course! Because in this fallen world, carnivores have no empathy whatsoever for the feelings of their prey. Suffering is the very soul of this fallen world. A cheetah will chase a reindeer or gazelle until the latter is exhausted and then the big cat will bring it down. The meercat is on constant watch, out of fear and anxiety, for the approach of the hyena or leopard. In the ocean, a large school of salmon will hunch into a ball which is targeted by carnivores - whales, sharks, dolphins - and from the air, birds swoop down. Even the fossil record shows the constant suffering and violent death of prehistoric life, a very sobering story which contradicts any molecules-to-man evolutionary theories.

It was not always like this. At the beginning of Creation, all the animals fed on vegetation and all humans fed on the fruit of the trees, according to Genesis 1:29-30. It was the result of the Fall, the entry of sin into the world and death following sin, which brought a massive change within Creation, according to Genesis 3:17-19. Since that awful day, the whole of creation has been subjected to pain, suffering, sorrow and death. No amount of veganism will change anything. There will always be carnivores and there will always be prey, fear, pain and suffering within the animal kingdom along within humanity itself.

And the great Amazon rainforest of Brazil - it decimation is not so much for the breeding and grazing of cattle, as O'Connor would like to think it is. Rather, vast areas of forest are being cleared out to make way for farming, the sowing and harvesting of palm oil. After a while, the area is abandoned and becomes a wasteland. As rainforest provides a high percentage of global oxygen supply, I think it's of far more important for the health of our planet than veganism.

A Future Chat With the Pharmacist.

Alex looked concerned as she checked her prescription supply.

Alex: Sweetheart, can you pop down to the surgery and order another supply of Diazepam and Baclofen?

Frank: Okay no problem. As a matter of fact, my Warfarin is running low too. I have only four day's supply left. It's time to top up. How much do you still have left?

Alex: (counting) I would say four or five days.

Frank: Okay. I'll be back shortly.

As I walk merrily down the tree-lined path into the woods which makes up a corner of South Hill Park, I ponder on how fortunate as a nation to have the National Health Service. Being a short walk, I decided to leave the bicycle behind. By walking, I can look around our unspoilt environment and thank the Lord for his sustained Creation, as well as thanking him for allowing me to see another day in human history.

I approach our local NHS surgery. Ordering prescribed medicine is a simple task. Just tick the boxes printed next to each drug listed on the form, which came with the last prescription, and then to post it through into the renewal box fixed for the purpose next to the Prescription Enquiries window.

As I approached, I began to feel alarmed at the empty car park, which was never free from the four or five cars which were parked there during office hours. As I approached the main entrance, I was suddenly paralysed with shock! I continued to stare at the notice fixed to the glass-panelled door from the inside, which read:
DUE TO PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS SURGERY WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Further notice? What "Further notice?" It could be just for a few hours or days. But equally, it could be for weeks, months, years.

I was gripped by cold, naked fear. I broke into a cold sweat and even felt my long hair attempting to stand on end. How on earth are we to renew our prescriptions? Especially with my wife's Diazepam? With her neurotic disorder, without this vital drug, she can go into involuntary fits of muscle spasm, a convulsion of her body which cannot be controlled by the conscious mind. Her daily dose of the medicine keeps her from having such fits and therefore able to lead a normal life.

Quickly and panic-stricken, I make my way to the Drugstore, just less than 150 metres from the surgery. I then asked the Pharmacist what's on earth is going on. She then explained the current crisis of the NHS. Ever since the Tories had regained power at 10 Downing Street back in December of 2019, as well as leaving the European Union soon afterwards, there has first been a trickle of staff deserting the NHS, followed by a flood of those leaving to return to their home countries. She also explained that a large proportion of the Doctors, Consultants and Nurses were from Europe and India, the latter renowned for its children's ambition to qualify as Doctors through dedication to study hard at school and college, without such distractions such as television, play stations, football team support or pop music.

What? I asked. Isn't there a gene pool right here in England for training qualified NHS staff?

Not according to statistics, was her reply. But equally distressing, according to this Pharmacist, was the strangulation of medical supplies, especially from Europe, where a large proportion is made and shipped. Being outside the European Union, such supplies have now to pass through custom and tariff legislation. With such shipping held up and delayed, along with border tariffs, the price of medicine had to rise.

I responded that I'm not too worried about that, for Alex has a pre-paid certificate and since I'm over 65, I qualify for Senior Citizen's State-funded medical supply.

The Pharmacist gave me a rather drawn-out look, then reassured me that she now has the authority to sign for the medicine in place of the Doctor. What a huge relief! When I told her that we need our prescription renewed right away, she took the forms from me and with her fellow staff members, proceeded to prepare the medicines which we both require. About twenty minutes later she appeared holding two packets.

Disturbingly, she began to jab at her calculator.

That will be ninety pounds, please.

WHA-A-A-T!!! I cried. My wife has a pre-paid Certificate and I'm a pensioner. What's going on?

Pharmacist: You should know by now that since recently, the NHS had imploded on itself, it no longer exists. With that, pre-paid certificates are now invalid and every senior citizen has to pay now as well. Look, you asked for three packets of Warfarin, one of Losartan, one of Spironolactone, one of Bisoprolol, and one of Bumetanide. At ten pounds each, that would be seventy pounds. Then your wife wanted Diazepam and Baclofen, adding a further twenty pounds. That totals ninety.

Frank: My wife did not ask for Antidepressants, Oramorph, Co-Codamol, Senna or Laxido, at least not this time. If she had, then the whole shenanigan would cost us both 140 pounds! That's more than the 110 pounds she spent to buy her pre-paid certificate valid for a whole year. 

Pharmacist: I'm very sorry things turned out this way. But our NHS has been on its breaking point for the last several years. Sooner or later something had to give. Hence the closure of all our GP surgeries.

As I left the Drugstore feeling crushed and out of pocket, I was wondering how on earth are we going to manage all this. Fortunately, my Pension income is healthy, we should be able to pull through - just, without the need to tighten our belts too much, although it may mean saying goodbye to taking breaks away, whether it's in the UK or abroad. Or as long as we don't fall ill in need of hospitalisation. Just by calling 999 may itself cost us more than a hundred pounds.

On the walk home, I decided to take a longer route, so I can mull on my thoughts.

"Fear coursing through my whole being. Fear? That's an understatement. It was more like terror - frightened of the future. I guess it goes back to December 2019, the month of our last election. Boris Johnson leading the Conservative Party back into power, hence a majority Government back into Parliament. His new Cabinet also included Jacob Rees-Mogg as Chancellor and Nigel Farage as Health Minister.

"Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit Party? Once, yes. But not any more. The Press, especially the Daily Mail newspaper, advised his followers not to vote for a Brexit Party candidate, in case the Brexit issue was split and divided enough to let Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party into power. The result was that the Brexit Party polled so badly - it folded up, leaving its leader to reconcile himself with Johnson and joined the Tories. The Prime Minister saw Farage as a fit enough candidate for Health Secretary.

"How the Media had demonised Jeremy Corbyn! Nicknamed Jezza by the Daily Mail, his "extreme left-wing" manifesto was reputed to have terrified the middle-classes and the high earners into paying higher taxes. By contrast, the newspapers poured endless praise on the Tory Party. With the promise of "getting Brexit done" along for lower taxes for higher earners, Johnson also promised to pour "billions" into the NHS - but following Brexit, there has been a rapid rise of racial and xenophobic threats, with white, English patients throwing insults at foreign Consultants and Nurses, causing them to leave their profession to return to their home countries, along with being bogged down with the catch 22 situation. The more hours they put in, the more taxes they pay and their pension savings robbed.

"I wonder whether I must take a share of the blame. I did not vote for Corbyn's Labour Party in the last election and it was not because I was opposed to some of his principles, but because of his antisemitic stance, or at least reputed to favour the Arabs, including the Hamas, above the Jews. I can't be dogmatic about this, but if true, then I'm convinced that his lack of popularity with the electorate was spawned by his disregard for the Jews and for Israel's right to exist. It seems so ironic. Antisemitism was always the dogma for the far-right. Therefore what was it doing lurking among the Left? Especially when British political history has demonstrated that the Jews were always favoured by Labour, and in all past elections, the Jewish community had played a vital role in putting Labour into power. By contrast, for a long time, the Conservatives had a level of contempt for the Jewish community, and thus, failed to win their vote."

As I kept on walking, the Hilton Hotel came into view, giving me more time to keep pondering.

"As for this present Tory Government, their policy to restrict immigration to a points system which allowed only the most skilled workers into the UK has made me ponder: Does our PM really favour the better educated? Does he want only the professional to enter the UK permanently? Therefore for the plebs to stay out, they're not wanted? Hmm. This seems to have a smattering of eugenics. And what a surprise! Eugenics had its origins here, right here in England, of all places, and by two white, well-educated Englishmen - Charles Darwin and Francis Galton, Darwin's cousin.

Charles Darwin, the real father of eugenics.

"And the return of Dickensian England, so it seems. Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, a book which featured the young son of a poor family who was left to die of a curable illness while those who were wealthy enough to pay for treatment received it. As the family stood around the grave, watching their son's small coffin being lowered into the ground, who would ever think that it will be a Labour Prime Minister, Clement Atlee, would dream up the NHS centuries later. But by then, for that family, it's a little too late."

I pause to look around as I drew close to my home. Almost there.

"Perhaps it didn't take much of an imagination for Darwin to dream up his evolutionary theories or for his cousin to invent the idea of eugenics. Really, eugenics was already in action for centuries earlier - of some sort. Instead of Hitler's henchmen using it to usher in the Holocaust, it was Mammon which decided who was fit enough to survive, and those who were unfit (that is, the poor) who were left to die of illness. However, this was not Evolution - the development of higher organisms over generations - but man-made Natural Selection through wealth, the elimination of the weak."

I arrived home, dumped the medicine on a nearby table and told my beloved everything that has happened. Then I broke down into tears and wept copiously. While in her arms, she encouraged me to have faith in God, because he knows exactly what situation we're in, our state of health and how the three of us - God, Alex and I will deal together with it like a threefold cord.

Slowly I came to. She is right of course. Having faith in God is the only real solution to all of life's problems.

Do You Want a Pic or the Real Thing?

From time to time our church in Ascot has a post-service lunch specifically to celebrate Holy Communion, or Eucharist, in an environment closely resembling the actual breaking of bread and drinking of the wine which Jesus celebrated with his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion. Often referred to as the Last Supper, back then that's exactly what it was - a meal, where everyone at present reclined, Roman-style, around a table, enjoying a feast. However, it was not an occasion of festive joy but more of sorrow, as all knew that their Lord is about to leave them. It was John who had his head resting on the Lord's chest in sorrow.

Maybe it's this universal sorrow was where the Roman Catholic Church had gotten their idea when the Eucharist should always be observed with silent solemnity. Each Catholic participant receives the Host, a small, coin-sized disc while kneeling in a line in front of the Altar, and whilst fasting. Such was a striking difference from the original supper Jesus had initiated.

Therefore, to make our memorial more of a joyful occasion, we had tables set up within the main sanctuary. The table I sat at was directly opposite an elderly couple, whose wife regularly attends, but her husband, once a member of the music group, had long left the church over a dispute. To protect his identity, I'll call him Jack.

During the meal, Jack and I became locked in a rather serious conversation. He explained to me why he left the church and departed from the faith. On this occasion, I could have gone into a long-winded and fruitless discussion on whether he lost his salvation or whether he was ever saved in the first place. But instead, I had acted as a listening board to hear his side of the story, without trying to forcefully convince him back into the faith.

A keen member of the band, or the music group, Jack gradually became disillusioned with what appeared to be a lack of supernatural occasions, despite hours devoted to prayer. 

Throughout my time here, I have not seen a single case of proper supernatural healing, he protested. I have never seen a miracle performed, not a single occasion where I can say with conviction that this is a work of God.

I began to feel a degree of sorrow for him. I recall some years ago. Jack was in the same team as Mark, who was suffering from leukaemia. As we all watched his health gradually decline, two or three of our Elders actually travelled halfway around the world to the famed Prayer Mountain just outside the South Korean capital of Seoul. After their return, there was no sign of any recovery, and he died sometime later. But even then, a visiting pastor from another church arrived to pray for him to be raised to life again, very much like Lazarus being raised from the dead. But to no avail. According to his testimony, it looks as if Jack had seen it all. 

I felt that I was drawn to the conviction that Jack had a point which tempted me to question the faith I was so devoted to. Furthermore, Jack revealed his belief in Evolution, and therefore, if a belief in God is all hocus-pocus, then it comes as no surprise that he would be very sceptical about divine creation. I suppose such a conversation in a church environment can indeed rock the boat to the point of capsizing. After all, my own wife has been prayed over for years over her debilitating backache which has confined her to a wheelchair. But instead of witnessing a miraculous recovery, earlier this year, the shocking news was delivered that she also has breast cancer.

When I see sense through his testimony combined with my own concerning my beloved, I did feel a temptation to question my faith. And it wouldn't be the first time either. Back in 1994, whilst lying on my bed at a backpacker's hostel in the heart of Jerusalem, I was ready to renounce my Christian faith after going through some very bad church experiences. But unlike with Jack, I felt called back to my faith right there and then whilst still on that bed, a call which I gradually responded positively.

Yet I can imagine Jack likened to a hungry man. He needs food to sustain himself. So someone comes up and gives him something while asking the hungry man whether this would be helpful. What he receives is a page torn from a magazine with a picture of a roast chicken looking so succulent, sharing a large dish with well-cooked Brussel sprouts and roast potatoes, all ready to be served.

I doubt that such a piece of paper would add anything to his nutritional needs! Rather, his appetite, along with his frustration, will both intensify. I tend to think that our present church life is a bit like that snapshot, including Bible reading and knowledge. Very appealing to the eye but of no stomach-satisfying or nutritional value. And it was precisely this which Jack was talking about.

When real food is served, it's a blessing, satisfying both body and soul alike. Like one "picture" of a miracle, I will share here. It's found in Acts 3:1-10. Here we read about Peter and John making their way to the Temple to pray when they spot a paralytic beggar reclining in the vicinity, and the paralytic then calls out to them, asking for some money. The two apostles pause to tell the beggar to look straight up at them. Expecting to be given something, the beggar looks directly up at them. But Peter says, Silver or gold I have none, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!

Peter then reaches down to take his hand and lifts him up. And as he rose, his legs become strong and his healing so complete that he was able to dance and leap about, shouting thanks to God. The miracle was so astounding in the sight of every onlooker that many believed and received salvation, while there was controversy stirring among the Pharisees.

But now I will transfer the incident from ancient Jerusalem to a modern English church situation, expressed here in dialogue form:

Peter and John were on their way to a prayer meeting when they spot a paralytic beggar reclining on the wall.

Peter: Such scum cluttering the environment. Aren't there any hostels for them to sleep in?

John: Don't be so hard on him, Peter. Jesus did instruct us to heal the sick and bless the poor.

Peter: Yea, you're right, John. 

Beggar: Sirs, do you have any small change?

Peter: Look straight up at us. Silver or gold I have none, but what I do have I give you. Here is an extract from the Gospel of Matthew! Good luck and God bless you.

John (to Peter): Don't you think we should pray for him?

Peter: Oh, okay. Nothing to lose. 

(Peter then prays, first in English, then in tongues.)

Peter: How do you feel now? Any better?

Beggar: No.

Peter reaches to the beggar's hand and attempts to lift him up. He then falls back to the ground, hurting his buttocks.

Beggar: Clear off the pair of you! You were of no help. Get out! Get out!

I have heard some say that the reason we do not see miracles performed anymore is that the New Testament is complete and such must pass away. They take this theory from one of Paul's letters to the church in Corinth where he writes that prophesies, tongues, and knowledge, all these will pass away when the perfect comes (1 Corinthians 13:8). These Christians believe that "the perfect" is the completion of the New Testament. However, I once read of a true account of a Dutch evangelist Corrie Ten Boom, who was teaching a group of youngsters near a river. The subject was about a miracle which took place after the Resurrection of Christ. After spending the whole night attempting to fish at the Sea of Galilee and caught nothing, Jesus then appeared and instructed his disciples to throw the net to the other side of their boat. Immediately the net pulled tight as it filled with fish in an instant (John 21:1-6).

One of the boys in Ten Boom's class began sneering, ridiculing the historicity of the miracle. Fortunately, there happens to be an empty bucket standing nearby. Ten Boom told the boy to watch carefully as she picked up the empty pail and carried it to the river. In one swoop she dipped the utensil underwater and immediately raised it back up. She then tipped the whole bucketful of fish right in front of him! Years later, the young man became a well-known preacher and church leader.

However, the New Testament was completed long before that miracle took place. Therefore, "the perfect" could not be the completion of the New Testament. Instead, I take it to mean the Second Coming of Christ.

The motive behind Corrie Ten Boom's miracle proves the point. According to all of Jesus' miracles, the motive behind these works was always to bring his audience to change their minds about him and believe. We call that repentance, from the Greek word metaneo, a change of mind. The Lord himself had made that specifically clear just before raising Lazarus from the dead. Before performing the miracle, he cried out to his Father for everyone who sees the miracle to believe that he is the Son of God and was sent by the Father (John 11:42-43). 

The miracle has achieved its purpose. Soon afterwards, at his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, crowds were cheering him, crying out Hosanna! A few weeks later, up to three thousand were converted by Peter's first sermon. News of Lazarus coming back to life looks as though it carried far and wide. For those who heard about it, it was quite possible to connect the Resurrection of Christ with that of Lazarus - and believe.

How long to see our church in Ascot perform miracles! Along with all other churches. How I long to see my beloved wife restored to full health, like the slim athlete I met and married. But God is not likely to answer such prayers unless it's to bring the crowds into believing that this Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the risen Son of God. According to the Bible, miracles are only performed as a witness to God's existence and for the veracity of his revelation.

Most likely it was this which Jack has never brought himself to realise. Instead, all he saw was unanswered prayer after another, a kind of a failed Heavenly Health Service - except that the Divine Physician was never at his desk to receive the plethora of requests passed up to him. Little wonder that over a time his faith had floundered.

The only way I have found to keep my own faith intact is to know the Bible well and know it thoroughly, and to have a Bible-teaching church to call my spiritual home. Fortunately, Ascot Life Church is my spiritual home and I thank God for it. I hope to see it grow in both in maturity and in numbers.

A Controversial Prayer...

A Typical Saturday morning, sitting alone at a Starbucks Coffee table with a newspaper spread out in front, concentrating on an article, when I heard a hello from almost directly above. Looking up, I recognised one of my newly-made friends as he took a seat on the opposite side of the next table but still facing me.

The actual Starbucks where I frequent.

He was one of a group of athletes who calls at the same coffee bar after their morning park run. I have known this chap for several months, as he often makes the call here with his mates after his exercise. Presently his mate joined and being just the two of them this week (it's often as many as four) the three of us started talking. After various topics, including political issues, it was the second guy sitting directly opposite me who turned to spiritual things, stating his belief in reincarnation after death, and his Buddhist belief that many reincarnations have to occur before he can be free to enter Nirvana, their version of Heaven - even though he didn't admit to being a Buddhist himself.

To this, I made my faith in Jesus Christ known, although I'm sure that I might have said something about this some time ago. After saying the obvious, which was that there isn't a human in all the Earth who had managed to free himself after repeated incarnations. I then emphasised that this Jesus Christ is the only man ever to rise physically from the dead, there has never been anyone else to make such an achievement, and certainly by no other religious leader or founder.

I then quoted Scripture, John 14:6, and actually said,

"It was Jesus Christ who once said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to the Father except through me. Jesus himself said that, not me. Jesus emphasised that the only way to God is through faith in Jesus."

I then continued:

"Jesus himself had said that he is the only way to God. Either he is telling the truth or he was lying. Believe me, if Jesus had lied, then how can I trust him?"

I was taken back by his response. Why - I never saw it this way before.

Did I plant a seed into his heart that morning? If I did, then I long for someone to come along and water it, because only God could cause the seed to actually germinate and grow.

It looks to me that this is the crux of the matter, a heart belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ which leads to salvation, together with an oral confession that if he rose physically from the dead - and the only man in all of history to do so - then he must be Lord, and Lord in a sense that he is God and the Anointed One rather than mere employer, so Paul writes in Romans 10:9-10. John backs this up by writing that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God...(1 John 5:1).

I find John's statement at the beginning of his fifth chapter intriguing. Linking this to Paul's statement in his letter to the Romans, it looks to all the world that his physical Resurrection took place because he is the Christ, the Anointed One, his rising from the dead being proof of the reality. What I have also found intriguing was that when Paul wrote those two verses to the church in Rome, the apostle didn't mention anything about the Atonement for sin having been made by dying on the cross, nor his burial either, but all emphasis on his Resurrection. By believing in the heart the truth of his rising from the dead and orally acknowledging this fact is enough for salvation. 

This is what repentance is all about. Paul tells us that God wants all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). Peter backs him up when he also writes that God is very patient, not wanting anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The New Testament Greek for Repent is Metaneo, a change of mind. A change of mind from thinking that this Jesus of Nazareth is some imposter or merely a Jewish teacher, to believe that he is the Christ, the Messiah by rising physically from the grave. It's so straightforward and simple. Such simplicity is the grace of God needed by every person who is otherwise completely helpless in any attempt in reconciling himself to God, his own works being ineffective. 

As such, the evening before the morning meet at Starbucks, a Christian bulletin had dropped through our front door. Titled, Good News, and looking to be a free paper which dropped through all the homes in our estate. Inside was a testimony of one ex-paratrooper who cried out, Please God, No! as his parachute failed to open during one training session. Fortunately, his stand-by 'chute opened in time to give him a landing soft enough to not only save his life but also escape from serious injury. Afterwards, he believed and asked Christ to come into his heart and life. Now he is a church leader, when before he was an agnostic, if not an atheist, believing that all churches were weird.

Parachute fails. The participant was saved by the second 'chute.

Reading this has taken me back to that pub just off the Strand in London, on one wet December Saturday in 1972. After buying a couple of young guys a drink each, I was shown a Bible. Afterwards, I was exhorted to "invite Jesus into my heart" - sometimes known as "the sinner's prayer". It was taken from Revelation 3:20 which reads,

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come into him and sup with him, and he with me.

For many years afterwards, I have used this verse to back the idea of asking Jesus into the heart as the de-facto, one-fits-all requirement for one to be saved, even believing that one cannot be saved without first saying this prayer. However, it does have a beautiful illustration. Even back at that pub, when I first read this verse, I was able to picture Jesus sitting on one side of the table, and myself on the other, very much like that fellow and myself at Starbucks.

It was thanking God for my good friend Dr Andrew Milnthorpe, who invited me to Encounter, the midweek lunchtime meeting at the Kerith Centre when a preach about sitting at a table with the Lord was emphasised. It was actually a video recording of an American preacher who even had a table laid among his audience as a visual demonstration. The sermon was based on Psalm 23:5, where David was promised to eat at a table with God himself even amid his enemies.

The parallel between Psalm 23:5 and Revelation 3:20, I find remarkable. Maybe that may be why, since way back in 1975, I was told that Revelation 3:20 applied only to believers and not to unbelievers. Even to this day, more than forty years later, this application of the verse for unbelievers to repent is denied by our Elders. They all may have a point. But I prefer to leave the option open as an invitation for unbelievers to repent. After all, if Jesus is a friend of sinners, then how much more would he be willing to dine with anyone willing to invite him in? Therefore, although the prayer to "ask Jesus into the heart" is so controversial, really it shouldn't be. Instead, such a prayer should be a demonstration of the faith of a new believer, which God seems to readily accept, according to the testimony of the paratrooper among many others over the years, myself included.

As for the video at the Encounter meeting, indeed it was about dining at a table set up by the Lord himself amid his enemies. Being from an American preacher, while I was watching, I tended to wonder whether he would close his sermon with an appeal for funds to pay for the hire of the auditorium or to promote some other sales tat, I would never know for sure. He might have done, which, in this case, was carefully edited out, or maybe not at all, which would have come as something of a surprise by us Brits, who tend to visualise American "televangelists" as natural-born salesmen.

But I was taken in by what he preached. The Lord sets up a table to dine among enemies. And as expected, the chief of all enemies takes his place at the table, sitting between the Lord and the believer. One of the enemy's tactics to the believer is that love and hospitality has a tag to it. And that tag is somehow is that works have got to be performed to keep this love secure, hence even subconsciously, doubting the Lord's sincerity. Or it could be something else, such as the illness or even the death of a loved one. Even the word cancer was mentioned in his preach. This hits home. My wife is going through treatment for cancer, and to see her in such a condition can be very upsetting. Indeed, I have had Christians asking how I cope in such situations.

The sermon provided the answer which was a confirmation of what I believed for a long time, to give thanks to God in all situations. Note that I didn't say for all situations. There is a big difference. To give thanks to God in a present situation is to acknowledge the greatness and the goodness of God, who is willing to dine with an undeserving sinner. Being human, there are plenty of times when I just don't want to praise God, especially if my wife is languishing in a hospital. But I also realise that by giving thanks to God in all things does open the door to praise.

The same applies to not knowing what to pray for, or as in my case, to doubt the reality of answered prayer. The sort of prayer asking for my wife to be restored to perfect health as a slim athlete I once married. But I have come to realise that such a desire remains unfulfilled, and not only that, witness the development of cancer, together with more hospital appointments. It can be a cause for discouragement, to give up on prayer altogether.

But instead, I give thanks to God for all the good things we have. First and foremost, we have each other. I always thank God for that. Then everything else follows - financial security, a roof to keep the rain out, adequate clothing and no lack of food. And even for the niceties surrounding us, items which are not life-essential but enhances our way of life. And most important of all, easy access to a Bible and our salvation. These are all to be thankful for.

It's perfectly true that when John wrote those first three chapters of Revelation, he was addressing seven churches, most likely he knew all of them. They were all believers, even though five of the seven churches had to be rebuked by the risen Christ. Then he ends by saying whoever overcomes shall not see death but will sit with him in Heaven, although each church gets a slightly different version, one appropriate for each church. Who is it who overcomes? According to Romans 8:37, which says that every believer is more than a conquerer which in itself is higher than a mere overcomer, therefore an overcomer is one who has invited Christ in to dine with him. In other words, the true believer is already an overcomer, because it's not the believer who overcomes but Christ himself who already overcame, as he finally admits in Revelation 3:21. 

Optimism - Wise or Unwise?

Since I watched England win both the Rugby World Cup Quarter- and Semi-finals, I began to feel confident that England would defeat South Africa in today's Cup Final. But unlike with the previous two matches, Ascot Life Church didn't open its doors for the final to be watched. This was because of the sanctuary, for want of a more appropriate word, was already booked for its regular monthly meet for our children, which meets between 10.00 and 12 noon.

Ascot Life Centre - Watched rugby here.

I believe this was the right decision made by our Elders. Who, for a moment, would ever think that the England rugby team would make it to the final? Yet we all knew that for a whole week England will be facing South Africa at rugby's most important international contest, yet just by shifting the kid's meeting later by a couple of hours would have created enough of a time slot for us to watch the game together as a Christian community. After all, where we meet each Sunday in a restaurant at the racecourse, nearly every week the chairs are re-arranged and the music equipment is set up, including the two large screens, by a team of dedicated and committed members. Surely, rearranging the sanctuary after the game has ended would have been minor by comparison.

Then there is the other side of the story. The weather this morning was appalling. This meant that after a four-mile cycle ride to the church, I would have been drenched. Even with a proper raincoat, my thighs would have had to endure the discomfort of wet tracksuit leggings. Then to add to this, watching the opposing team's score starting to climb ahead of our team's score would have meant a heavy atmosphere in the room, broken only when England scored a penalty. At least the game ended with England having 12 points, which is a damn sight better than nil! Quite a contrast with South Africa's 32 points, which put an end of any optimistic hopes for our side's victory.

As already mentioned in my last blogs, watching sport is a distraction from the daily mundane. During the 2012 London Olympics, I purposely took time off work to watch the men's Triathlon. It was so thrilling to watch, especially when the event was won by a Brit, who took gold, and his brother taking bronze, with a Spaniard taking silver in second place between the two brothers.

Reminiscences from the days when I competed in Triathlons myself between the years 1985-1992. Nowadays I can only enjoy the sport vicariously. But such reflected my sense of cautious optimism that I would complete the assigned course - especially during the cycling leg of the race where a flat is an ultimate nightmare for any rising or serious competitor, after glancing at a fellow participant suffering a blowout halfway through the course, and with another rider at another event, her chain becoming entangled among the rear cogs during a gear shift. To assist her while in distress would have resulted in her immediate disqualification. Such were the rules governing Triathlon events.

Cautious optimism. If I had been totally pessimistic, my fear of punctures would have kept me from competing altogether, let alone going for long-distance burn-ups, or for cycling holidays. But in life, I had come to learn that there is a difference between cautious optimism, and one which leads to arrogance, that cocksure attitude that nothing can ever go wrong. And if it did, I would be really screwed.

Therefore, I always kept my bicycle in good condition, renewing the tyres and inner tube at the first sign of wear, ditto with the chain and gear cassette. And before each event, ensuring that both tyres were inflated to full pressure, and a repair outfit, pump, and appropriate tools were fastened on the bike throughout the race. Such precautions have given me enough optimism to compete, yet remaining realistic that all could come to nothing. All it takes is a tiny shard of glass lying invisibly on the road.

It doesn't seem to be the same optimism which was shown by many England fans who booked a last-minute flight to Tokyo from London. After beating New Zealand on the previous week, fans who had grave doubts about whether England would ever reach the finals were splashing hundreds, maybe thousands of pounds for flights, accommodation and most important of all, entry tickets into the stadium. Therefore I can imagine such optimism beginning to crush while watching the opposing team gaining points and lifting the much-prized trophy, while so I read, the England team actually refusing to wear their silver medals. Runners up, after their fans spending so much money, with no hope of refunds.

But it's my opinion that by reaching the final, England did remarkably well. And that, after beating the All Blacks, perhaps one of the world's best rugby side, into third-place play against Wales. Therefore, there is much to be praised. As such, for the eager fan who was cautiously optimistic that England could well beat South Africa, he saw it as a gamble, and a gamble indeed, to spend thousands for a last-minute trip around the globe with only a 50% chance of returning home a winner. I believe that such an individual, had his team lost, would return home disappointed but not crushed or screwed up, feeling out of pocket but not entirely broken.

Swim, Cycle, Run - the classic Triathlon.

However, there is one area I can be truly optimistic, and that's in the veracity of the Bible.

And I write this among a growing sense of pessimism over the future of our planet. Ever since BBC presenter David Attenborough had presented his Blue Planet II back in 2017, there has been this fanatical awareness of plastic waste, especially of discarded carrier bags finding their way into the oceans. Added to this is the rate in which the polar ice is melting with the threat of the sea level rising, leading to one of the main topics for discussion, climate change affecting our weather patterns. Not to mention the desecration of the rainforest, especially in the Amazon area of South America, due to those greedy capitalists whose sole interest is to make a profit from turning rainforest into temporary farmlands which would eventually transform such a beautiful environment into a wasteland. And not to mention the treat of extinction of many species who have made the rainforest their home.

And when it comes to current affairs, the fearmongers constantly ranting on how Brexit will desecrate both the superstore and the pharmacist alike. With both of us dependent on medicine, this does not bode well for optimism. Likewise, there is a fear that the NHS will be sold off to some private American investor, or simply watch as this great institution goes to pieces as foreign doctors, nurses and other staff return to their home countries while patient demand exceeds supply.

Pessimists paint a gloomy picture of our planet's future. And by rights, I'm not much of an optimist myself when it comes to current affairs affecting the British political worldview.

But as already mentioned, the Bible does lend a hand in feeling a degree of optimism. And here I'm not just referring to personal salvation. Rather, it's the covenant God made with Abraham and the people of Israel.

Jeremiah, also known as "the weeping prophet" - deeply upset in watching his beloved city of Jerusalem being desecrated by the Babylonian forces led by King Nebuchadnezzar, here he was given one of the greatest assurances by God himself. This assurance applies not only to Israel but to all of us.

God promises the prophet that if he, that is Jeremiah himself as a mere man, he can break the covenant God has made with the Earth, so day no longer follows night, and that night no longer follows day at its appointed time, only then will God will cast Israel away forever, and King David will not have an heir to sit upon his throne. He then repeats his promise:

This is what the Lord says,

If I haven't established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.

Jeremiah 33:25-26.

Just a little earlier, God made this assurance to the distressed prophet:

This is what the Lord says:

He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night,

who stirs up the sea so that he waves roar -

the Lord Almighty is his name:

Only if these decrees vanish from my sight, declares the Lord,

will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.

This is what the Lord says:

Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundation of the earth can be searched out,

will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of what they have done,

declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 32:35-37.

Here I can be optimistic! Not on whether England would win the rugby or any other World Cup tournament, and certainly not over Brexit! Instead, we read about Jeremiah weeping as he sees his beloved city razed to the ground by a mighty foreign army. He weeps as he watches the destruction of the Temple, the one place in all the earth where a man can make an atonement with his God by animal sacrifice, temporary as this atonement may be, it's still a wonderful display of God's mercy. Now the Temple is no more. There is nowhere else to make atonement. No wonder the prophet wrote a book entirely on his lamentations. Yet even within his mourning, he recites,

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself,

The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait on him.

Lamentations 3:22-24.

As I go about my business, such as sitting at a Starbucks or Costa coffee bar and watch families sitting at a table, I see children in all their abundance. It is a temptation to ponder on how will these children grow up happily in a post-Brexit Britain. Yet our own Prime Minister is very optimistic for our future, as with all Tory-supporting journalists. Daily Mail reporters, as with those from the Daily Express and The Sun newspapers, among others, all support Brexit and all giving a rosy future for Britain. They are the ones who are criticising the BBC for it's more cautious standing on Brexit and being accused as an organisation consisting mostly of Remainers.

But Jeremiah would have had none of it, and neither should I.

The prophet says that God himself is his portion. That is what I want to believe, to trust in him. Indeed, there are some Christians who are wholly committed to leaving the European Union. There is one or two holding this political view who tend to look on me with a level of contempt, despite how friendly they may appear when I greet them. Then again, my good friend Dr Andrew Milnthorpe who also voted to leave the EU - remains very close to me. 

But if Jeremiah may have felt lonely, and I'm sure there were times when he felt very lonely, yet his faith in God remained steadfast. Even to the point of thanking God in all things, one being his mercy renewed every morning. Like with Job, Jeremiah too is a good yardstick I can set as a target to aim for through faith in Jesus Christ and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 

Likewise, I would encourage every believer not to look to Brexit or a World cup victory for England, but to God, whose mercies are new every morning.