The fantastic Portsmouth Gospel Choir in another clip from the finals of BBC’s “Pitch Battle”. Credit BBC

So this week’s blog has three parts 1) Promotion 2) Update on Risen! The Musical Theatre in Education 3) Quotation

• Promotion -:

Please visit www.tinyurl.com/PGCconcert for tickets and details of what will be a great night on March 3rd at Kings Church, Portsmouth with the Portsmouth Gospel Choir in concert (see featured pic and video) With special guests C.J. Edwards from “The Voice” and members of the cast of Risen! The Musical.

• Risen! The Musical Theatre in Education

I am so very pleased to tell you that the Risen! The Musical Theatre in Education tour -February 26th to March 16th is now fully booked. Our six actors will spend one full day in the following schools: St Faiths Primary, Winchester, Western Primary, Winchester, Brune Park Secondary, Gosport, The Kings School, Fair Oak, Lessland Junior, Gosport,Wickham Primary, Wickham, Arreton Primary Isle of Wight, Andrews Primary, Alton, St Marks Primary, Southampton, Bransgore Primary New Forest, St John the Baptist, Waltham Chase, Bartley Primary, New Forest, St James Primary, Emsworth, Central Academy, Chichester and St Georges Beneficial, Portsmouth. We also hope to be in Bay House Secondary School, Gosport.

The Risen! The Musical cast is : Max Panks playing Jesus. Caroline Wethefelt playing Mary Magdalene, Katie Rogers playing Joanna, Rebecca Davis understudy to Joanna, Andrew Dovaston playing John and Cleopas and Mikey Wooster playing Peter, Thomas, Cleopas’ friend and Judas.

• Quotation:

On the 11th November 2000 my dear friend Roberta Cousins, who is a missionary in Uganda, gave me a journal in which to make notes. In the forthcoming weeks I will share some of the quotes that I committed to the journal.

People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care

Attributed to Theodore Roosevelt

So this week’s blog has three parts 1) Promotion 2) Humour 3) Quotation

• Promotion -:

Please visit www.tinyurl.com/PGCconcert for tickets and details of what will be a great night with the Portsmouth Gospel Choir in concert (see featured pic and video) With special guests C.J. Edwards from “The Voice” and members of the cast of Risen! The Musical.

• Humour:

Have you noticed how fairly ordinary terms are now being “jazzed up” into things humorously pretentious? Yesterday I laughed when told that the receptionist at my doctor’s surgery was now a “care navigator.” However my favourite is “water transfer solutions” which is a hosepipe manufacturer!

• Quotation from Theodor Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stubbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat.

“Father Let Your Spirit Fall Upon Me” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album ” I Look Up To The Heavens” recorded and produced by John Hodgkinson

I trust that this week’s blog is self -explanatory – All at Mustard Seed Songs do hope you can make Saturday, March 3rd at Kings Church, Somers Road, Portsmouth. The concert is going to be amazing – all the tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite (by clicking here). There is only one performance and with the Portsmouth Gospel Choir having been on BBC 1s “Pitch Battle” C.J. Edwards on ITV’s “The Voice” and the cast of Risen! The Musical on Revelation TV we are confident that the evening is going to be a “sell out.” See you there!

Building the Risen Christ Central Chapel in Cross River State Nigeria begins!

“How Great Are His Signs” EP featuring the Portsmouth Gospel Choir

“Lean on Me” ( Bill Withers) featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the album “Heart and Soul” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

So this early in the year Mustard Seed Songs are already involved in a number of exciting ventures

• 1) Writing the sequel to Risen! The Musical which has a working title of ACTS – the guide vocals are nearly finished so watch this space!
• 2) Building has started of the Risen Christ Central Chapel in Cross River State, Nigeria (see featured pics) We are still need donations if the work is to be completed so if you would like to help please visit https://mydonate.bt.com/events/portsmouthgospelchoir
• 3) Our CD “How Great Are His Signs” featuring the amazing “Portsmouth Gospel Choir” is now available to purchase at £5.00 from mustardseedsongs.org.uk Proceeds again going to building the Risen Christ Central Chapel.
• 4) “Fresh off the press” -we have a confirmed date for the Portsmouth University Choir to be in concert – Saturday March 3rd at The Kings Church, Somers Road Portsmouth. More details next week but special guests will be C. J Edwards who featured in “The Voice” and members of the “London Touring Cast” from “Risen! The Musical.“
• 5) Members of the “London Touring Cast” are available for the Gospel Choir Concert because they will be in Hampshire and West Sussex touring 15 Primary schools from February 26th – March 16th with our Risen! The Musical “Theatre in Education” project. We still have five free dates so please contact me on ken@risenthemusical.com if you know of a school that would be interested in booking our one hour version of Risen! written especially for 7- 11 year olds. As part of a day long visit to schools the” London Touring Cast” will also deliver musical theatre workshops i.e. singing, acting and dance. We have applied to numerous charitable trusts for funding, one being the “Grant Foundation” which is linked to the toy shop “The Entertainer.” You may know that the owner, Mr Gary Grant is a strong Christian, which is why “The Entertainer “ does not open on a Sunday and war type games are not sold. We are particularly hopeful that Mr Grant will support us as one of the Risen! cast, when not acting, works in the Hartlepool branch of “The Entertainer. “ His name is Andrew and he has been granted one month’s unpaid leave in order to play the part of the disciple John. We are hoping that this might just be the sort of thing that is needed to motivate Mr Grant into helping us.

I should be able to let you know more next week.

“He’s Never Lied” featuring Lucy Rutherford, Jim Rogers and Mike Backhouse from the album “The Season of Singing” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Back in August 2015 I began a series of posts that centred on my correspondence with an ex -Crofton school student named Alan. Alan is a confirmed atheist and I am a confirmed believer in God. It was very interesting for us both to exchange views but neither of us changed our beliefs.

In a series of posts beginning September 21st 2017 I talked about the Alpha course. At this time I sent Alan a link to an Alpha video clip asking him what he thought- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT6xTEewEok

He replied in detail citing Richard Carrier, the American historian and atheist activist. Alan said

There is an awful lot of confirmation bias going on in this video. Fallacious arguments like because billions believe in it, it must be true (mentioned at least twice). This is the ‘appeal to popularity’ fallacy. They mean well but their idea of evidence is very far removed from what reliable proper historical evidence looks like. It is essentially faith based with a dollop of wishful thinking thrown in. Which is fine! But faith should be recognized for what it actually is… belief in something in the absence of evidence.

Also of course falling foul of confirmation bias yet I submit far more based in real evidence…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUYRoYl7i6U

As you may gather Alan is a very intelligent man who runs a successful business and who is a student of Psychology .

So I started watching the video but gave up when Carrier said that Moses and Abraham were also mythical characters. However I noticed another video which was posted on, what I imagine to be an atheist forum. The video was a debate between Carrier and William Lane Craig on the subject “Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?” Even though it had been posted in an atheist forum I felt that the debate was fairly presented and worth sharing with you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCFuhlnsF9cI

An extract from my reply to Alan is below:

At the moment I am soaked in Christian culture and you, I suggest atheist culture  – so you and I will naturally be  influenced by the belief systems of the two  cultures in which we move.  Unless something happens for me to lose my faith in God or something happens for you to gain faith in God all the arguments in the world are not going to change the way we feel.  You and I, William Lane Craig and Richard Carrier etc will have to wait until we die to discover the truth- but I suppose if there is no God even at death we will not discover the truth as we will not exist and so be in a position to know anything.  I would guess that not existing is not a concern for you, but it is for me Alan.   To think that life completely stops when our hearts stop seems to me to be very sad-and does it really matter what we do with our lives if at the end of 3 score years and 10, or a bit more or less that’s it?  Maybe I am using Christianity as an insurance policy as I like the idea of eternal life which Jesus promised. Of course if Jesus is just a mythical figure then I have been conned – but I have to say that if that is the case then I have rather enjoyed being conned. I just can’t see any advantage of being an atheist- where would be my hope ?  I know some would say that false hope in the supernatural denies the terminal nature of man and is therefore a bad thing but I still cannot see why Carrier and co spend so much energy for a cause that appears to offer so very little.

One person offers me a gift of special worth, albeit one not necessarily guaranteed. Another person offers me information- a personal opinion based not on the truth but on what they perceive as truth – which says that the gift I have been offered is a lie – a myth. Will I still accept the gift of special worth – you bet I will!

Jassica Castillo- Burley and the Mustard Seed Soul Band performing in “His Story” at the Kings Theatre, Southsea.

“Its From the Lord” featuring Jassica- Castillo- Burley and the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the albums “His Story” and “Heart and Soul” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Due to circumstances beyond the control of our brilliant Webmaster emails directing people to last week’s blog did not come out – however the good news is that this has now been sorted so to ensure no one missed last week’s message we are simply re- posting again today.

All at Mustard Seed Songs trust that you had an enjoyable Christmas.

Please don’t forget that the long awaiting debut CD from the Portsmouth Gospel Choir – entitled “How Great Are His Signs” is now available for £5.99 including P&P from www.mustardseedsongs.org.uk You will probably know that proceeds from sales will help build the Risen Christ Central Chapel in Cross River State, Nigeria. In addition to monies raised from sales of the CD we also need donations as £2500.00 needs to be raised to complete the building of the 200 capacity Chapel. You can access the My donate page by visiting www.mustardseedsongs.org.uk

A couple of blogs ago I was making the point that in God’s eyes small acts of obedience are big things. When you joyfully do little things like they are big things then God will do big things like they are little things. I quoted the words of a proverb “For Want of a Nail” and also a Mustard Seed song “We Can’t The World On Fire.” I recently read the following poem from an unknown author in “The Word For Today” and thought it would be good to share today as it has the same sentiment:

One song can spark a moment,

One flower can wake a dream,

One tree can start a forest,

One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,

One handclasp lifts a soul,

One star can guide a ship at sea,

One word can frame a goal.

One vote can change a nation,

One sunbeam lights a room,

One candle wipes out darkness,

One laugh can conquer gloom.

One step can start a journey,

One word can start a prayer,

One hope can lift our spirits,

One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,

One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference…

You see it’s up to you…..

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

Jassica Castillo- Burley and the Mustard Seed Soul Band performing in “His Story” at the Kings Theatre, Southsea.

“Its From the Lord” featuring Jassica- Castillo- Burley and the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the albums “His Story” and “Heart and Soul” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

All at Mustard Seed Songs trust that you had an enjoyable Christmas.

Please don’t forget that the long awaiting debut CD from the Portsmouth Gospel Choir – entitled “How Great Are His Signs” is now available for £5.99 including P&P from www.mustardseedsongs.org.uk You will probably know that proceeds from sales will help build the Risen Christ Central Chapel in Cross River State, Nigeria. In addition to monies raised from sales of the CD we also need donations as £2500.00 needs to be raised to complete the building of the 200 capacity Chapel. You can access the My donate page by visiting www.mustardseedsongs.org.uk

A couple of blogs ago I was making the point that in God’s eyes small acts of obedience are big things. When you joyfully do little things like they are big things then God will do big things like they are little things. I quoted the words of a proverb “For Want of a Nail” and also a Mustard Seed song “We Can’t The World On Fire.” I recently read the following poem from an unknown author in “The Word For Today” and thought it would be good to share today as it has the same sentiment:

One song can spark a moment,

One flower can wake a dream,

One tree can start a forest,

One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,

One handclasp lifts a soul,

One star can guide a ship at sea,

One word can frame a goal.

One vote can change a nation,

One sunbeam lights a room,

One candle wipes out darkness,

One laugh can conquer gloom.

One step can start a journey,

One word can start a prayer,

One hope can lift our spirits,

One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,

One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference…

You see it’s up to you…..

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

Mustard Seed Songs and The  Portsmouth Gospel Choir all say HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

“In The Beginning Was The Word” from “His Story” featuring the Lord Is Truth Gospel Choir – unreleased

Not a very long blog today but a very important one as I have three big announcements to make:

• The long awaiting debut CD from the Portsmouth Gospel Choir – entitled “How Great Are His Signs” is now available for £5.99 including P&P from mustardseedsongs.org.uk You will probably know that proceeds from sales will help build the Risen Christ Central Chapel in Cross River State, Nigeria.
• In addition to monies raised from sales of the CD we also need donations as £2500.00 needs to be raised to complete the building of the 200 capacity Chapel. You can access the My donate page by visiting mustardseedsongs.org.uk Thank you so much for your support.
• All at Mustard Seed Songs wish you a very happy Christmas and a most prosperous New Year.

The Portsmouth Gospel Choir at Challow Park Studios recording their debut CD “How Great Are His Signs”

“We Cant Set The World On Fire” from the album “Uplifted” featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard  recorded and produced by Bob Ross

Our energies have been pretty much centred on recording and producing the debut CD of the Portsmouth Gospel Choir, entitled “How Great Are His Signs. “ In the forthcoming weeks I hope to let you know how you can obtain a copy.
I also spent a day with our Musical Director, Joffy Girling and my actor friend, Alex Knox recording the guide vocals to the sequel of Risen! which has a working title of Acts because – yes you have guessed it- because it is based on the Bible account of the Acts of the Apostles. We are not yet sure what format it will be in – it could be a 50 min CD or film or stage production- or all three.
This proverb called “For want of a nail” recently caught my eye and I thought I would share it with you.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost,
For want of a rider the message was lost,
For want of a message the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the Kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

I read this in “The Word for Today” which went on to say that in God’s eyes small acts of obedience are big things. When you joyfully do little things like they are big things then God will do big things like they are little things.
The words to the featured song have a similar theme:

We can’t set the world on fire
But a candle we can light
Although we may not save the world
A single soul we might.
Teach us Lord that love is doing the little things at hand,
Thus opening the door to those that are more grand.

By the way it is still not too late to donate towards the recording and production of The Portsmouth Gospel Choir’s CD – please visit https://mydonate.bt.com/events/portsmouthgospelchoir/452133

Pastor Patrick with orphans from his congregation

Pastor Patrick with bricks ready to build The Risen Christ Central Chapel

“A Mustard Seed of Faith” featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the album ” For Unsung Heroes” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

So again I do hope you will take a look at the My donate fund raising project http://mydonate.bt.com/events/portsmouthgospelchoir/452133 As a reminder Mustard Seed Songs are hoping to fund the production of a CD that we are recording with the Portsmouth Gospel Choir who recently sang with Seal in the finals of BBC One’s “Pitch Battle.” Then, with proceeds from sales of the CD which is entitled “How Great Are His Signs,” we intend to build a church in Southern Nigeria- the church leader there is a personal friend called Patrick Oki so I know how important this is for their community, many of whom are orphans.
May I take this opportunity to tell you a little more of Pastor Patrick Oki?
On the death of his Grandfather (his father had already died) Patrick Oki was about to become Chief of his village in Nigeria. However the elders wanted him to denounce his Christian faith and return to the native religion which had been practiced before his Grandfather was Chief – this included human sacrifice. When he refused his life was in danger and so he sought asylum in England. It was in Haslar Detention Centre, Gosport that I first met Patrick some ten years ago. Unfortunately his asylum claim was rejected and he was deported to Nigeria where he had to re locate a long way from his village to stay safe.
Patrick tells me that when he returned from England he was ill for two years, not being able to walk or even stand; having been rejected and abandoned by his family and friends- he was left to die, with no one to care for him except his son Emmanuel. Sometimes they had no food to eat, and he even prayed for God to take his life- all this because he had denounced the religious tradition of his people to follow Jesus. Patrick says “I made a vow that if the Lord healed me I would serve him all the rest of my life and one day the Lord sent a servant – Evangelist Lady Lizbeth who prayerfully joined hands with me and the Lord set me free. Praise the Lord I became born again to the glory of God.”

Patrick is now indeed serving God and is an unpaid Pastor in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria. His congregation is, at present worshiping in a hired hall and are looking after a number of orphans. Mustard Seed Songs are working hard to fund the building of a new church for them which is to be named after our musical Risen! – The Risen Christ Central Chapel. That is why we are producing the CD with the fabulous Portsmouth Gospel Choir and why I have included the My donate fund raising page.

The featured pics show Pastor Patrick with bricks that have been made ready for the church building to begin (once the funding is achieved) Also some of the orphan children that make up Pastor Patrick’s congregation.

The featured song is Patrick’s favourite “A Mustard Seed of Faith” sang here by the Mustard Seed Soul Band. The Portsmouth Gospel Choir sing their own amazing version on their forthcoming CD- watch this space to find out how to obtain a copy.