France under attack.

Such an evil attack is a perfect display of the total depravity of man.

We pray for you!

We will not surrender to the bully boys!

Re-building a right foundation.

I cannot believe that it is now my fifth month as Pastor of the Mustard Seed Evangelical Church in Callington and this is my first post about the church. It might be hard to believe but it is not surprising considering all that has been going on.

This public forum is not the place to reveal what has been happening over the last few months as much of it has been deeply personal and very painful to all that have been involved. 

The church called me to be pastor in May and held an induction service (simply put this is a recognition service) where together before God we recognised that together with His help we would work together as the church.

The above picture to some might appear a bit spooky but all that is happening is that respected leaders of various churches are recognising that this is God's appointment and are praying for the work here at the Mustard Seed and the part that I will take in the ongoing ministry of the church. Without the help of God and the support of His people the church will never prosper and so prayer is vitally important.

J.K.Rowling is a great example of somebody who hung on in there in desperately difficult days and has from great difficulty has been able to rebuild her life. The church reached a very low ebb at the end of 2014 when we became involved but God is good and He loves His church and is building a people for His glory that we call the Mustard Seed. 

But 

How does a church go about raising up when the people are so downcast? On my first Sunday I felt it necessary to begin a series of sermons from Acts of the Apostles called "Building a right foundation" where we are learning lessons from the infant church of the New Testament. The Apostles were being re-commissioned by the Holy Spirit and were having to come from rock bottom to victorious followers of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus. They were now about building His church and so Luke records a wonderful history of how it all took place. Acts is not a paradigm of how church should be but simply a history that reveals the high and low points of the emerging church of Jesus Christ.

What we have most learned is that as we move forward and seek to be more Godly then opposition is always heightened. It is then that we need to be resolved. The devil will not let go of the damage he has caused easily and so will in every way that he can cause grief for the people of God. 

We all agree that the past has been difficult and that there are issues that are still in need of resolution but if we keep on looking backwards we will stumble and fall therefore yet another line is drawn in the sand and we are determined by God's grace to move forward. Scripture is full of wonderful promises of blessing if we look forward and to Jesus only and so we are looking at what can be for the church. We are well aware that the promises of God are that He will bless His people but that His blessing is not our wants. we would want many things but what we need is what he has ordained for us. 

Therefore

We are praying and studying the bible and seeking the way in which He would have us go. there are some very practical issues that first need attending to. Our building had fallen into disrepair and needs some re-vitalising attention and so we have had a good old clear out and have cleaned and are continuing to do so. The entrance into the building is awkward and somewhat dangerous for any with even minor mobility problems and so we are embarking upon re-siting the entrance and making it not only easy access but also attractive and welcoming. This is something that most thought would never happen but is now in progress! 

We are moving forward!

Pray with us and for us that God will be our motivating force, our guide and that all will be for His glory and the benefit of the gospel here in East Cornwall.

FIVE REASONS TO SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONE

One of the blogs that I regularly follow published this article that says just what I would love to have done. It gives a biblical rationale for putting away the communication device that has become all important. I get tired of talking with people who are constantly looking at an electronic device rather than the person in front of them We would count it as the height of ignorance for a person to walk up to us and speak privately to the person in front of us but yet a phone can do just that and so often it does. It is infuriating to say the least and always leaves me with the temptation to get up and walk away. I am now even more determined to be the last man standing that does not own one of the wretched devices.

Please read what Janet Denison has to say and even if you are not a Christian take note even if it is only when you are talking to me.

Written by Janet Denison on her blog: Focusing on God's word. 06 October 2015 10:00




Sherry Turkle holds an endowed chair at MIT and "serves as a kind of conscience for the tech world," according to a New York Times article. Her recent book, Reclaiming Conversation, is a self-help book for people who overvalue technology and undervalue the fundamental art of meaningful conversation.

This book lists important reasons to consider quieting our technology that every spouse, parent, friend, and family member needs to pay attention to. I'm writing about this topic because I think that the conversation crisis in our culture will also dramatically impact the church. Did someone text you the plan of salvation, or did you come to know Jesus after deep and meaningful conversations?

Even as I type I am picturing a large number of cell phones that are buzzing or dinging or ringing—right now. If that just happened, look Satan in the face, tell him to flee, and keep reading.

The NYT article summarizes the conversation crisis, saying, "Our rapturous submission to digital technology has led to an atrophying of human capacities like empathy and self-reflection, and the time has come to reassert ourselves, behave like adults and put technology in its place."

We all know what it is like to be speaking with someone who regularly glances down at a cell phone during the conversation. We don't mean to be rude, but what if the phone call is from…? Looking down at a cell phone says that whoever might be calling is more important than whomever you are actually with.

If you were sharing the plan of salvation with someone, would you interrupt that opportunity for a text message? We might not ever have the opportunity to share Christ if we treat our other conversations with that person any differently. Philippians 2:4 reads, "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." When we speak with people, do they think we are more interested in them than a message on our phone?

Sherry Turkle lists five reasons why we need to carefully evaluate the impact of cell phones on our lives and our relationships, and I've listed some Bible verses to ponder as well.

1. People have adopted new technologies in pursuit of greater control, only to feel controlled by them. Ephesians 5:15-16: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." Do we spend time we should be walking with the Holy Spirit on our cell phones instead?




2. Idealized selves that are created with social media leave real selves all the more isolated. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Looking down at a cell phone might seem like a way to look busy, important, or popular but it is really just another way to isolate yourself from someone God might have wanted you to connect with.


3. People communicate incessantly but are often afraid of face-to-face conversations. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Almost everyone is more careful about what they say to someone's face than what they put in a text message or email.


4. Children develop better, students learn better, and employees perform better when their mentors set good examples and carve out spaces for face-to-face interactions. 1 John 2:20 says, "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge." The Holy Spirit is the most important source for information in our lives. In my own experience, he has never spoken to me in a text message.


5. Through conversational attention, people acquire a sense of enduring connectedness and a habit of talking about their feelings, rather than simply acting on them. One of the first verses in our Bibles is Genesis 2:18. God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." The Lord God was not referring to a cell phone.


Stop and look around the sports arena, the school cafeteria, the mall, or even the church parking lot. As Christians, called to share our lives and our witness with others, are we connecting with people like we should? Does a small electronic device seem more interesting than the child at your feet or the spouse at your side? Does your cell phone exert too much control on your life and drain too much of your time each day?

People matter most. When we stand before the Lord on the Day of Judgement, not one of us will glance down at our cell phone. A challenge: Leave that phone in your purse, your pocket, or—better yet—at home or in the car. You might have a meaningful conversation with God or someone else as a result. Why did I think it was important to write this blog post?



"So you will find favour and good success in the sight of God and man" (Proverbs 3:4). Amen??

www.janetdenison.com/blog/378-5-reasons-to-silence-your-cell-phone

My aversion to facebook.

A number of years ago now I opened a facebook account for the sole purpose of being able to contact a member of the family whilst they were is a heavily censored communist state. They had a link through facebook that was via a close by open country. Facebook at the time meant that I was able to keep abreast of their work and security without the inconvenience of opened or disappearing post or the telephone going suddenly dead.

Facebook to me at that time was a very useful tool but very quickly I learned what a silly and potentially dangerous thing it really was. Not only is it childish, playground and geeky stuff it is a replacement for the old garden fence for gossips. I found so much of it to be trite tinged with all sorts of foolish and dangerous content.

One morning when opening up my page I learned what colour underpants a member of our congregation had gone to work in that day. That was enough for me and I vowed to never look at it again. I have kept that vow for the last 5 or 6 years and am resolute to keep well away from what I now refer to as Facelessbook:

It therefore gave me great joy when I received the following by e-mail the other day.

Facebook.. in real life...

For those of my older generation who do not really comprehend why Facebook exists:

It's a way of sharing your life with thousands and making new friends.
 Presently, I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles.

 Therefore, every day I go down on the street and tell passers-by what I have eaten, how I feel, what I have done the night before and what I will do tomorrow night.  Then I give them pictures of my family, my dog, and me gardening and spending time in my pool.

I also listen to their conversations and I tell them I love them.

And it works.

I already have three persons following me:  two police officers and a psychiatrist.

This seems to put all in context to me!

Testimony part 3

Throughout the pages of this blog I have written posts concerning my relationship with the church. the blog started in the days of my Pastorate in Ogmore-by-Sea and has ended up with us now in Looe in Cornwall. How that all works out is by God's gracious guiding hand.

We had a wonderful time in South Wales and have many great friends from those days but there came a time when we began to feel unsettled in the knowledge that God was moving us on. Jo & Jim our daughter and son-in-law were called to pastor Grace Community Church in Morval, Looe at the same time as circumstances were leading us where we did not know.

Some members of Grace Community Church were involved in a very attractive Christian resource centre right on the sea front in Looe. they were looking for a resource manager and we were immediately drawn to The Rusty Bucket Christian Resource Centre. You will find  many postings concerning the work there on this site, it was a great opportunity but sadly due to issues well documented throughout this blog it did not work out for us. I eventually resigned after 6 months hard labour within the charity. 

This left us somewhat confused as too what God was doing through the whole experience.

I found myself for the first time in my life unemployed and unsure of what the future might bring for us. Upon my return from the most difficult meeting with representatives of the trustees of the RB Pam asked how I felt. the honest answer was ecstatic and exited. 

BUT

How were we to make ends meet? The answer to that is "God is good." We have some lovely friends amongst the trustees of the RB but in all honesty the way that employees and volunteers were treated was a poor witness to Jesus and as such I have had to spend many heart searching hours in dealing with issues. There are many hurting Christians that have sought counsel from their own experience.

That is now behind us and we wish the new RB venture no ill.

We however were put in touch with a church in Callington called the Mustard Seed Evangelical Church. they were on the verge of splitting due to heavy handed leadership but we were immediately drawn to them and them to us. Over the last year they have become our spiritual family. they have appointed me to be pastor and we truly love each other. They do not replace Ogmore but they are the next phase of our experience and we are so pleased that God has worked it out this way.

the upshot of all of this is that we are so grateful to God for the past, both the good and the bad. We thank the faithful members and our friends in both Coventry and south Wales for your love and prayers. Thank you for the experience of serving jesus alongside you!

We also thank Grace Community Church for their patience and love over the last 2 years. And we are grateful to the RB for being the vehicle for bringing us here. We do hope that your new venture will be God honouring and as such blessed by Him. A special thanks to Ralph and Clare who we count as very special friends and I am so sorry for any hurt that I may have caused you both as I dealt with a situation that was painful to both you and I.

The Mustard Seed?

That is the next phase of what God is doing through this now aging old boy that some are pleased to call pastor. Please pray that we will always only glorify Him who holds our future in His hands.

It seems fitting at this point to change the name of the blog to callington Calling.

Looe Music?????? Festival

It is now 1:15 Saturday morning and the festival has been on the go approximately 9 hours. I first experienced the festival 2 years ago and was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere and the excellent way in which it was organised. Last year I was away and so this is my second experience.

The two experiences could not be different.  Leading up to the start the townspeople of looe have had to put up with arrogant organisers who have no problem in driving their trucks and vehicles down one way streets the wrong way, the police and traffic wardens ignoring people parking in ridiculous places sometimes two abreast opposite the  entrance to the Quay car park. People who legitimately have to drive through the town have been attacked and told by pedestrians that they have no right to be there. Some residents have gone away because they cannot cope with the noise and mess that the festival brings. 

I am not naturally a moaner But!

This weekend has become a monster.

There is a pretence made that the festival gives a boost to the local traders. Ask the folk in the "bucket and spade"  shops about that. The only businesses that are boosted are the cafe's and pubs and even they are somewhat compromised by the vast array of outside caterers who have gained pole position and have squeezed our faithful businesses into the background. They may well do better but at what cost. The mobile food joints are peddling their overpriced and underwhelming wares and swanning off with the so-called boost for Looe.

I suppose the council will rake off a tidy sum as will the Quay and Harbour people, the rest of us are simply compromised and all in the name of music. anybody that knows me recognises that I love a vast variety of music. The Huckleberry Fins (above) as on other occasions opened the festival and I have to say well done to them. I loved your rendition of Breathe! This was followed by some run of the mill band and later on the Proclaimers who in my estimation are good for 2-3 songs and then you have heard it all. A couple of hours of that caused me to turn on our television, only the second time in 12 months! The Rugby settled my nerve and cause me to reflect.

Does it really matter that the beach is almost inaccessible?

Does it really matter that I cannot walk along the banjo Pier as is my custom?

Does it really matter that I have had to put up with some kind of "Umpah band" playing what is best described as a cacophony of discord less that 30 feet from my very sleepy head?

Does it really matter that revellers are now entering into the Admiral Boscarn and will be kicked out onto the streets in an hours time with a belly full of ethanol and whatever else was available? 

Does it really matter that at 1:30 am there are people outside of my window shouting expletives and arguing at levels that make your ears bleed?

Does it really matter that the road to home is closed from 6:00 -12:00 midnight, locking me either in or out?

Does it really matter that I have to work on Sunday and cannot return home until after midnight and that I am going away before 7:00 the next morning?

Does it really matter that I am now getting out of this madness tomorrow and having to pay for bed and breakfast because the council, the harbour commission, the love Looers, the singers in the rock and roll bands and all and sundry are exercising their rights to hold this festival on my very doorstep?

Of course it does not matter because who am I and the other residents of this little town? Our rights are not taken into account. We really do not matter in the grand scheme of things!

I am so grateful that somebody loves Looe but what about the residents. Do they love the people or just the coffers that come in?

I will tell you that Jesus loves you and He also loves the festival goers and organisers. Instead of the chaos of discord He brings peace to hearts and souls of all who will call on His name and in this:

My Rant is Over.

Training terrorists!

It seems to me that the number 1 enemy in Cornwall is the common seagull. Here in Looe there are a number of warning signs that they are dangerous but yet people can be seen on a daily basis training them to do what they were created for but in a wrong way. Gulls are the scavengers of the coast, they should be about the business of cleaning up dead and unwanted sea creatures but humans have encouraged them in land to scavenge on open tips etc. Now they have become a danger to people old and young due to their fearless thieving of anything edible out of the hands of infants to adults. They can be seen to stalk their victim swoop and steal leaving open wounds on many. Just last week there were reports in Cornwall of a dog being attacked and killed by a number of gulls and then a pet tortoise being savaged to death.

How long is it going to be before a person is seriously injured by one of these flying terrorists?

Many of the seaside towns in Cornwall and elsewhere in the UK are overburdened by these birds who have exchanged cliff faces for our rooftops for their nesting ground. the result is an unacceptable level of noise at dawn and even worse dung dropped from on high everywhere. Nobody is safe and nothing is sacred from their aerial bombardment. It damages everything that it adheres to and is at the least somewhat unsavoury to see all around. If unfortunate to be hit then it is a violation of your personal liberty. 

These birds are out of control!

What can be done about it? Humans who train them to steal ought to be dealt with severely! We cannot blame a bird whose nature it is to scavenge when they are regularly tossed chips in order that (mostly) tourists can marvel at their exquisite flying skills. It might be holiday entertainment to them but it is just training the birds to become an even greater problem. Those guilty of feeding them should be fined handsomely and the monies gathered used to clean up the mess and devastation made by these invaders of our towns. 

I am not campaigning against gulls, I love to watch their aerobatics, they are fantastic flyers and are one of the most photogenic birds in our land. They are part of God's wonderful creation and bring pleasure to all who watch them but they have been in the terrorist camps of humanity and have been trained to be a pest. We deal with those who are trained to be terrorists and we do all that we can to stop the trainers, when are we going to do something serious about the feeders of the gulls? 

I have one last suggestion that will be unacceptable to many I am sure. In Genesis God told Adam to subdue and care for nature. Nature is now fallen and is out of balance and so we have colonies of birds that are out of control. There is nothing wrong with reducing (not devastating!!!!) the number of gulls in our towns both for the safety and security of the population and also for the sake of the gulls themselves. If that offends you why not contact me and we can chat about it. 

Public enemy number 1?

Are you saved?

The last few days have been highlighted by search and rescue operations. There has been a herring gull nest on the flat roof of next doors house. Pam has enjoyed watching the chicks hatch and grow up into fledgling birds. My worry has been about what would happen if one of the babies dropped into our garden. The garden is too small for a grown bird to land and then to take off and so we are somewhat safe from an invasion. Apart from an invasion from above:

I have to admit that seagulls are my least favourite birds, they are fantastic flyers but are dangerous to pasty eaters in Looe. In fact they are not only partial to pasties but to any food that ought to be enjoyed by children or adults alike. They are greedy and have been conditioned to take food from unsuspecting visitors. That maybe ought to be the subject of a blog to come!

Back to my search and rescue theme: The inevitable happened on Friday a baby gull had slid off the roof and was now running amok in my garden. It was not going to be caught without a fight and it's parents certainly did not want me to have anything to do with it. It was a bit of fun chasing it around for a while but it quickly became obvious that the time was not right and so we went about our everyday business whilst the baby bird called to a parent who was impotent in doing anything about the dilemma.

At the time neither the baby nor it's parents knew it but I was their only hope of rescue in the whole episode. I might have seemed disinterested to them as I went about my daily routine but I assure you that I was concerned.  I may not be at the top of the seagull fan club list but I am not cold hearted and did not want to witness a bird dying of starvation but the time was not right. The bird had to get to a state of desperation before it would succumb to my rescue attempt. The right time came a 5:00 am on Saturday morning. The bird was clearly weakened, frightened and hungry. I went up to the flat roof where it was staked out armed with a bag designed for rubbish that is also seagull proof. That means that they cannot get into it to scavenge.

It seemed logical to me that if they cannot get in then if one were inside it could not get out until I freed it. I would have to catch the bird, take it through the house and release it in the street and I did not intend to be damaged by it's vicious beak!!!

The bird by now was weakened enough for me to catch it and put it into the bag and release it to be cared for by it's parents. I became it's saviour!

All of this of course reminds me of God's search and rescue plan for mankind.

Just like that seagull all of humanity are in a very precarious situation. Sin has separated us from our Heavenly Father, We are trapped in a world where we are happy to be separate from Him until we realise that separation means that we will never reach heaven. Sin separates now and forever. We like the bird need rescuing but we fight against it. Jesus is our rescuer who unlike me was willing to suffer to rescue me. He paid the ultimate price of death in order that I might be forgiven. The New Testament clearly teaches all that you need to know about the process but I tell you that sin is odious to God and so we cannot be  right with Him unless our sin is dealt with. Jesus took the sin of all who will believe on Him for forgiveness and gave His righteousness to them instead. The result being that God sees in those who are saved the righteousness of Jesus and welcomes them to be His children.

  

The amazing thing about the seagull is that it's brother or sister (who can tell which is which?) fell into the garden the next day and so the process began all over again. This reminded me that God's search and rescue of sinners is ongoing and will continue until all that He has called to salvation are gathered into a right relationship with God!

ARE YOU IN NEED OF SAVING?

CAN I HELP IN ANY WAY?

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT IF i CAN HELP YOU.

MORE IMPORTANTLY jESUS SAID THAT IF YOU PERSONALLY CRY OUT TO HIM THEN HE WILL HEAR YOUR CRY AND RESCUE YOU!

SALVATION IS JUST A PRAYER AWAY.

WHY NOT PRAY?

Looe raft race 2015

The day started off dismal, a typical British summer's day. Grey, wet and miserable, it looked like there would be no end to the clouds. Who believes the forecast when it says that the sun will come out mid-afternoon? Our weather seems to have the capability of wrecking most of what we plan!

BUT

The forecasters were right, the weather changed from bad to glorious in time to make this annual event to be a wonderful success. The race began on schedule which is in itself something of a marvel for this part of the world.

In no time at all the rafts started appearing along the quay, they had already negotiated the sea and the Banjo pier and now a straight race up river to the bridge and back. 

Some crews took it very seriously whilst others had entered for the sheer fun of the event and the adrenalin rush of the possibility of an early bath.

The crowd were enthusiastic and supportive of all. My particular favourites were the Viking boat and the double bed. the youngsters rowing the Viking boat deserve praise for stickability, they were no where near being last but their enthusiasm did not wane at all. Well done to them.

The couple from the bed and breakfast that sailed their ingenious craft were a long way down in the race order but way up in my estimation for fun factor. Again a well done to you.

Grace Community Church made the effort and proved that Christians are allowed to have fun and to enter into community events. I am proud of you for joining in and even though you did not have the fastest craft, to me it was the only one that might have tempted me to join the crew.  Proper seats on a raft made of old barrels, wood and string was really a bonus. 

All did a great job and provided me with a good hour or two of free entertainment. 

Thank you to all that joined in and to the organisers for arranging the event. I am already looking forward to next years event.