Hello, can you hear me?

 

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Adele once asked -  ‘Hello, can you hear me?’ Adele has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, won 15 Grammies and 9 Brit awards and is worth over $400 million. 

In 2021, Adele released her long-anticipated Album 30, which received rave reviews and is deemed a ‘masterpiece’ of songwriting.

Having listened to the album, I was struck by some of the lyrics in the song ‘I Drink Wine’.

‘They say to play hard, you work hard

Find balance in the sacrifice

Yet I don't know anybody

Who's truly satisfied'.

According to the 2017 Life Happiness and Satisfaction Survey, carried out by Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser, people are less satisfied and happy than they were in 1973 compared with 2017.

The world has become a very angry place!

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When I read the newspapers, watch the news, or just generally observe the behaviour and reactions of people in society, I become aware, very quickly, that the world is an angry place. I am not saying that this is unjustified, I am just noting what I see.

Beneath the surface in many lives is an irritation, an annoyance at what life is delivering. 

There are a whole host of things that aggravate people: 

1. how people drive
2. the response to the pressures of financial commitments
3. the rising cost of living
4. the frustration of coping with under-funded and overused public services 
5. the general pressures of life. 

We live in a world where there are so many reasons to be agitated and angry.

I am sure that psychologically and physically, anger does not have a good outcome in people's lives. There may be some good side effects, such as increased adrenaline empowering you to protect yourself or giving you the motivation to do better and improve your situation, but the side effects of constant agitation and anger have got to negatively affect our health. 

The interesting story of Edward Fogarty

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Edward Fogarty was very active in preaching and Sunday School work in Belfast but in 1918 a business trip to the North of England was to change his life forever. He saw the great spiritual need of Co Durham and Northumberland and gave up his employment to take the message of the Gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, to areas rarely visited by any preacher who was prepared to go there.

He would preach in the open air and in his wooden tent. The wooden tent was a canvas tent with wooden sides, Edward himself having a room inside, which he used as his living quarters. He had little to support him for he was pioneering in areas of mining and farming that saw men taking home low wages. He moved amongst the poor with many only having the bare necessities of life. Nobody was too poor, too ill or too disagreeable for Edward to challenge them with his message. What, however, was the message that he preached unashamedly, whatever the cost to him.

In his early years Edward heard preached, at an open air meeting, that the Bible says that all have sinned before God. Furthermore as sinners men face awful consequences but God had provided a unique way to save men and women from the penalty of their sin forever and give them the free gift of eternal life. 

Imagine - what would happen if ...!

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Imagine the unsettling sight of uncollected bins and rubbish strewn across the streets. This was the reality not long ago in Warrington, a place close to my home. The refuse workers and street cleaners were on strike, likely for valid reasons. However, this situation exposed many people to potential health hazards, underscoring the gravity of the issue. 

A few years back, I was headed to Ballymena in Northern Ireland for a week. My travel route was set to pass through Liverpool John Lennon Airport. A few days before my departure, I learned from the web that some baggage handlers were on strike. Upon reaching the airport, I was relieved to find that my flight was unaffected. However, the strike did cause significant inconvenience to many and incurred additional costs for the travelling public, as employees had to be brought in from Dublin and other places to fill in for the strikers. Apart from the recent action by junior doctors, I have not been affected by people striking for quite a long time. However, I remember well the miner's strikes, the fuel protests, and many other types of strikes in my sixty-two years. Strikes are a very effective, if not annoying and sometimes illegal, way of making a point. In the long run, someone suffers, and it costs money.

My old Aunt was ready to die - are you?

In March this year (2024), I witnessed some significant milestones in life. Firstly, my old aunt of 90 years of age passed away. It was a wonderful release for her as she was sure of arriving safely in heaven when she closed her eyes in death. You may think this to be presumptive or ill-founded. My aunt was an intelligent person who had a career as a schoolteacher. Many years ago, she had become convinced that her sins needed to be forgiven and that humans are accountable to their Creator. Her hope was based solidly on the following verses from the Bible:

‘The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost,’ 1 Timothy 1. 15

Jesus said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life,’ John 5:24

‘The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance,’ 2 Peter 3:9.

The second milestone was a wedding. I love weddings, but this one was a bit more daunting as I was officiating at it. Everything had to be right as I stood before friends and family - no pressure. A wedding is a wonderful occasion marked by love, joy and beauty. The Creator attended the first wedding in the Bible as He united two lives in the great joy of an intimate relationship. The Lord Jesus also attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee and brought joy to the day when he replenished the supply of wine. Wine in the Bible is often a symbol of joy. He, Jesus, still brings joy to those who welcome His presence and company as they walk the path of life.

Finally, I was delighted to meet my latest grandchild for the first time. I am not biased, as you would know, but he is beautiful (I think handsome is the right word for a boy). New life is a miracle and a wonder. It can all be explained biologically, but it is still amazing. The newborn is vulnerable yet has everything needed for life in this world. I am amazed that God has made so much provision for this life and also for everyone to be prepared and equipped for life in the next world. 

But, back to my aunt. She understood that we can and should prepare for the next life. But in fact, it is even better than that. We can actually enjoy a relationship with God in this life now so that when our end comes, we only move location and are going home. My aunt enjoyed her relationship with God for years. She was an incredibly happy person, and when the time came for her to go, she did not dread death but was delighted to depart and ‘be with Christ, which is far better’.

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The world's best selling book!

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When I wrote this piece, I was about to go to the airport to board a flight from Wellington, New Zealand, to the UK via Sydney, Australia. We were travelling home to Liverpool in the North West of England. Home is a wonderful place to be with your own ‘kith and kin’. It is never more appreciated than when you are away from them. Though we were not looking forward to the 30 hours of travelling, the anticipation of seeing our family and grandchildren again makes up for any minor discomfort.

Carole (my wife) and I had been away for about five weeks. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the southern hemisphere. The plan was to visit some churches in Australia and New Zealand to speak at conferences and seminars on the world’s best-selling book, the Bible.

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It never fails to amaze me how timeless and cross-cultural the Bible is. It addresses the most profound issues that we as humans grapple with, such as:

Where do we come from - our origin?

Why do evil and suffering exist?

Why are we all mortal beings who eventually die?

Where do our consciousness, identity, creativity, and intelligence come from?

Why is there order and design?

Why are we all morally aware of right and wrong?

Why do we need help to do what is right?

Where did the universal concepts of love, hope and peace come from?

Is life just a game?

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As I write this article, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is in full swing. Sports games and competitions are very important to many people. Still, others think they are only games, so don't get too serious about them.

It got me thinking! Is life just a game? From one angle, the answer is no, it is not, and it's a very serious undertaking. You only get one run of it, so don't mess it up. The Lord Jesus warned people about wasting their lives when He said, 'And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?', Mark 8. 36, NLT. You were created to know God, and without Him, this life and the next will be very pointless and hopeless.

Yet, there's a certain truth in the notion that life is akin to a game. Just as games are meticulously planned, so too is our life. The Bible teaches that our existence is not a haphazard occurrence, but a purposeful design. Each of us is a unique creation, born with the mission to know our creator, God. As Jesus said, 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly' (John 10. 10).