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Hi, everyone! Thank you for spending some moments with us.
The speed of time seems to be a common subject of conversation. The older we get, the faster time seems to go. Of course, this idea isn’t new. The words of a verse of a hymn written by Frances Havergal spring to mind:
I could not do without thee,
For years are fleeting fast …
So there you have it. Even living in an age where there were no fast cars or jet aeroplanes, and the fastest thing that moved was a steam train, time flew! Frances Havergal was making the point that we are speeding to the end of time for us, and the end of time for this present creation.
I am writing at Harvest Thanksgiving time, and I am reminded of ominous words in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 8, where it says: “While the earth remains, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease”. There’s a programme in this verse, a promise and a proviso: “While the earth remains”. It’s not going to last for ever, and this I call not so much global warming as global warning. Global warming could well be the means by which the earth will perish, and nothing can stop that.
But God is in control of his creation, and we must take notice of the warnings that proliferate in His Word, the Bible.
We’ve had a fairly eventful last three months. In July Margaret and I went to Anglesey, taking with us Becky and Elissa, two of our granddaughters. We joined with some very close friends from Scotland, and had a lovely time in the hot weather. We relaxed, and revelled in the warmth both of weather and good fellowship.
Two weekends that momth was special in their own way. I enjoyed opportunities in Worcester, and Northern Ireland, including a drive-in service in Portrush. A trailer was set up with equipment – instruments, amplification and a singing group in a council carpark, and vehicles come from all over the province. In spite of some inclement weather, the best part of seven hundred people sat in their cars listening to the service. When the weather is fine, this number can rise to fifteen hundred! This was the vision of Rev Eric Stewart and a group of faithful workers.
August had its own excitement for us. Our daughter Bethanie was married on the 12th, and we were glad to inherit Carl as our son-in-law. Twelve days after that, we went for a week’s holiday to South-West France – the firswt time we’d been in that area. We stayed with Sheila, a lady who emigrated there some two years ago. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there, although the weather had cooled down a great deal.
Visits to Tewkesbury and Clapham in North Yorkshire were good opportunities in September. It was Sycamore chapel 50th anniversary celebration, and it was a very memorable and nostalgic time for me: I had been there, 50 years ago at its opening!
We look forward to the rest of this year which is going to be very busy. You can look at the diary page to get some idea of the travelling involved.
Thank you for looking in, and you know that we always like to have our little joke. This one I heard only the other day. It’s really silly, but you just have to laugh!
A policeman arrested two people, one for swallowing a battery, the other for swallowing a firework. The policeman charged the first one, but let off the second one!
Keep looking in, but above all, keep looking up!
MARGARET & PETER
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