First, another rainbow of promise – this time over Westminster on the night that the Queen’s laying in state ended – how wonderfully reassuring that our beloved Queen is now enjoying the promises of heaven.

Second, I believe these words of Marcus Jones in the “Premier Christian News” worth sharing:

“Changed from glory into glory till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise!”

As the TV camera panned towards the Imperial State Crown placed on top of the Queen’s coffin and Charles Wesley’s hymn ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’ drew to a close, the message Her Majesty wanted to communicate through the hymns and Bible verses she chose for her funeral was clear.

The service was distinct in providing a message of hope. ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ the choir at Westminster Abbey sang, before Prime Minister Liz Truss reminded us of Jesus’ words in John chapter 14: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Every word and song had been planned by Queen Elizabeth before her death. And it resonated.

Rt Rev Ruth Bushyager, Bishop of Horsham wrote on Twitter: “Our Late Queen knew what she was doing when she chose the Bible readings for her funeral. An evangelist to the nation, even still. Thank you, Ma’am,” while The Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley remarked, “In 2022, an age of atheism and the suppression of faith, perhaps the largest TV audience in history went to an unafraid statement of Christian belief. The Queen’s gift.”

There were traditions, as you’d expect; a moving procession of family, military and religious leaders. But from start to finish, that hope-filled message resounded. It was a theme carried on through the sermon given by, Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. “We will meet again,” he declared, quoting the famous war-time song of Dame Vera Lynn.

He began by paying tribute to the Queen with a poignant message to the 500 world leaders gathered inside the Abbey: “People of loving service are rare in any walk of life,” he said. “Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten.”

The sermon, which was just six minutes long, soon turned evangelistic: “Christian hope means certain expectation of something not yet seen. Christ rose from the dead and offers life to all, abundant life now and life with God in eternity.

“As the Christmas carol says: “where meek souls will receive him still / The dear Christ enters in.”

“We will all face the merciful judgement of God: we can all share the Queen’s hope which in life and death inspired her servant leadership.

“Service in life, hope in death. All who follow the Queen’s example, and inspiration of trust and faith in God, can with her say: ‘We will meet again.’

”The service had been organised to include a variety of denominations, including the Pentecostal Church, Church of Scotland and Free Churches Group. Vincent Nichols became the first Catholic Cardinal to ever deliver a prayer at a Westminster Abbey public service.

It was the service that the Queen had wanted, but perhaps also that the country needed. After a time of mourning, a reminder, through another reading: ‘O death, where is thy sting?’. Queen Elizabeth has died, but will now take her place in eternity. A promise for every one of us, regardless of our stature.

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The passing of Queen Elizabeth 11, a truly wonderful and remarkable woman, has manifested great sadness in the nation with many, many tributes made. I have chosen two, but before I would like to share my joy, yes joy when I saw photographs of two rainbows over Buckingham Palace on the morning the Queen died. A rainbow is, of course a sign of God’s promise to never again flood the earth (Genesis 9;12-17) However when I see a rainbow, I take it as a sign of God’s presence and that all His promises to us are true. There was, for example a wonderful rainbow on the morning of Sophie Fairall’s funeral (see blog October 7, 2021) and now TWO on the morning of the Queen’s passing. Coincidence – maybe but I prefer “God instance”

Tribute One – David Nott

David Nott, a war surgeon has recalled the remarkable way in which the Queen comforted him and held his hand a week after he returned from the “carnage” of Aleppo.

Speaking on ITV Wales’ Face to Face programme earlier this year, David Nott – who has performed lifesaving surgery in some of the most dangerous conflict zones across the world – recalled the time he was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet Her Majesty The Queen.

Having spent six weeks working in war-torn Aleppo in Syria prior to his visit, David Nott explained how he had been struggling mentally, and, after the Queen had observed his fragile state, went about making him feel better.

“When I came back [from Aleppo] there was a letter from the Queen saying to me would I like to come round to Buckingham Palace for a meal.

“So I did and of course it was only a week after I’d come back from this carnage and the contrast between the carnage and the beauty of Buckingham Palace was just a bit too much for me to cope with.

“And then not only that, sitting next to the Queen was something I couldn’t cope with, I really couldn’t.

“I suddenly was unable to speak, I didn’t know what to say to her it was very difficult. I felt I just wanted to get out. I wanted to run.

“And she was very nice and she understood this. She looked at me sternly for a bit and then she held my hand, which was a bit odd, well I felt a bit strange at the time and then she said ‘let’s do something else shall we?’

“And then she turned around to the courtier and brought all the dogs in and so we just spent the whole lunch stroking the dogs, we didn’t eat anything and she stayed with me the whole of the time.

“It was quite remarkable.

“I felt like she was like my mother and of course she’s the mother of the nation and she looked on me as someone who needed help immediately.”

Tribute Two – The Archbishop of York.

The Archbishop of York has shared a touching, humorous memory of Her Majesty the Queen as part of his tribute in Parliament.

Most Rev Stephen Cottrell met the monarch on a number of occasions, but there’s one particularly moment that clearly stands out in his memory.

Many of the bishops speaking in the House of Lords had met the Queen personally, and shared first-hand accounts of her sense of humour, faith and servitude.

Archbishop Stephen said: “Stories to tell of doing jigsaws in Sandringham on a Sunday evening, stories of barbeques in the woods in Sandringham in the middle of January.

“I have even got a slightly scurrilous story about healing the Queen’s car – maybe I will tell it.”

He continued: “I had preached in Sandringham parish church. We were standing outside. The Bentley was there to get the Queen, the Bentley didn’t start. It made that throaty noise that cars make in the middle of winter when they are not going to start.

“Everybody stands there doing nothing. I am expecting a policeman to intervene. Nothing happens.

“Enjoying the theatre of the moment I step forward and made a large sign of the cross over the Queen’s car to the enjoyment of the crowd. There were hundreds of people there – it was the Queen.

“I see the Queen out the corner of my eye looking rather stony faced at this point and I think perhaps I’ve over-stepped the mark.

“Anyway, the driver tries the car again and praise the Lord, the car started.

“The Queen gets in and goes back to Sandringham. I follow in another car.

“When I arrive at Sandringham as I come into lunch, the Queen with a beaming smile says ‘Ah, bishop. It’s the bishop. He healed my car.”

However – he wasn’t the only one to remember the incident.

He continued: “Two years later when I was greeting her at the west front of Chelmsford Cathedral just as a very grand service was about to start… she took me to one side and said ‘Bishop, nice to see you again.

“I think the car’s all right today, but if I have any problems I will know where to come’.”

Quote of the week

“There’s Gonna Be A Party” featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the album “His Story” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Continuing on from the previous two weeks posts on how to obtain joy and happiness here are some more thoughts from “Word For The Day”
Here are two more ways to increase the level of your joy:
1) Start serving others. As long as you live with a sense of entitlement believing that others should serve you, your joy gauge will be reading ‘empty’. Jesus said it’s in giving away your life to others that you find abundant life (see Mark 8:35). Paul reminds us: ‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do’ (Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV). The happiest people are typically too busy helping others to ask themselves, ‘Am I happy?’ Find a cause greater than self-interest, and pour your life into it. If you do, your legacy will be much greater than your life span.
2) Share your faith with someone. ‘There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents’ (Luke 15:10 NLT). Your greatest joy in life will be the result of trusting in Christ as your Saviour. And your second-greatest joy will come from introducing others to Him. Imagine sharing your faith with someone. They may not respond at the time, but you have still sown the seed of God’s Word. Later, they commit their lives to Christ. Perhaps you didn’t know it. But imagine them meeting you in heaven and saying, ‘I want to thank you for taking the time. I’m here because you cared enough to tell me about Jesus.’ You say, ‘I’ve lost my joy.’ Question: when was the last time you shared your faith with someone or led them to Christ?

Quote of the week
From The Diary of a Young Girl

Webmaster comment – This blog was given to me Wednesday for posting yesterday which is why there is no reference to the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Love is the Way featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard from the album Love Is
The Way recorded and produced by John Hodgkinson

Continuing on from last week on how to obtain joy and happiness here are some thoughts from a recent copy of “Word For The Day”

Joy is like a muscle; the more you develop it, the stronger it becomes. Here are two exercises to help you develop inner joy:
1) Try to show more gratitude. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). Note, it doesn’t say be thankful for all circumstances, but in them. Hans Seyle, the father of modern stress studies, says gratitude produces more emotional energy than any other attitude. So, look for more ways to express gratitude. Send an email or make a phone call to someone to tell them how much they have meant in your life. And remember to express gratitude to God. The psalmist says, ‘With my song I praise him’ (Psalm 28:7 NIV). If you’re not naturally a joyful person, start singing praises to God and watch your attitude change.
2) Look for ways to give. ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35 NIV). Someone has jokingly said, ‘When it comes to giving, many people will stop at nothing.’ What does the Bible reveal? ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV). Why? Because you are most like God when you give, and He doesn’t give grudgingly. Your giving actually determines how much you receive from God! The Bible says when you give Him the first tenth of your income, He will ‘throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it’ (Malachi 3:10 NIV). You cannot outgive God. As the old farmer said, ‘I shovel it into God’s storehouse, and He shovels it into mine – but God has a bigger shovel.’

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Father Help Me Acknowledge You featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “I Look Up To The Heavens” recorded and produced by John Hodgkinson

A friend of mine recently wrote these wise words on social media which I thought well worth sharing.

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough, and we’ll be more content when they are.
After that, we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our partner gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice holiday, when we retire.
The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges.
It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.
A quote comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said,
“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.
So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time…and remember that time waits for no one.
So, stop waiting until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until winter, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink…. there is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Work like you don’t need money,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
And dance like no one’s watching.
I say it’s better to travel sensibly than to arrive
Always remember God is always with you by your side, just remember
God loves you
I’ll continue with this theme of happiness and joy next week

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I belong to a WhatsApp group who had been praying for a little boy aged 2 who is now in Great Ormond Street Hospital being treated for a rare condition which led to sepsis and which may require parts of his leg to be amputated.  Since praying for him the little boy has grown stronger and stronger, but is still in danger of losing part of his leg.

One of the encouraging WhatsApp messages told the story behind today’s featured song “Raise a Hallelujah.”

Bethel Music CEO Joel Taylor and his wife Janie took their two-year-old son Jaxon to the hospital with what they thought was a normal child’s illness. The Taylors soon discovered that Jaxon’s kidneys were shutting down due to an E-coli virus attacking his organs. Jaxon then began to undergo blood transfusions and go on dialysis, while suffering from seizures and respiratory issues.

Soon after, their four-year-old daughter Addie was diagnosed with the same infection. Faced with the possible loss of their son and daughter, the couple cried out to their community for prayer and support. Joel Taylor recorded a video on Instagram asking for prayer from the community that soon went viral, as Christians from all over the world joined in prayer and intercession for the Taylors.

Worship leaders and friends of the community Jonathan and Melissa Helser were in constant contact with the Taylors from the beginning of the crisis, and received news one night that the Taylors didn’t think Jaxon would make it through the night. “As soon as I got that text, I felt like this giant of unbelief stood in front of me,” Jonathan Helser said. “I thought, ‘Jaxon’s going to die tonight, we’re not going to see the miracle.’”

As the Helsers dove into prayer over Jaxon, a new song came out. “All of a sudden, out of my gut, this song came out in the face of the giant – ‘I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies. I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief.’” This song became an anthem for the Taylors throughout the rest of the battle over Jaxon’s life.

Making worship their weapon, more friends from the community came to the hospital room and sang over Jaxon and Addie. After several weeks in the hospital, numerous treatments and countless prayers, the Taylors were admitted to go home with two healthy children. Joel Taylor recounts his experience, “God’s timing often doesn’t make sense until you look back to see that mountains were climbed and canyons were crossed on no strength of your own. In the battle for Jaxon’s life, the global church community rose up like a mighty army and joined us in prayer and worship all over the world. Our son was miraculously healed and today is perfectly healthy.”

Quote of the week

I read this interesting article in “Premier Christian News” and thought it very much worth sharing.

It’s been revealed that Elvis Presley said a prayer before his performances to settle his nerves and to ask God to bless his concerts.

In a new interview with the Observer, the rock n’ roll legend’s stepbrother Bill Stanley, who also worked with Elvis said: “It [the prayer] was probably about 15 seconds long. I asked him once, ‘Why do you say the prayer before?’ He said: ‘It kind of settles my nerves but also I want God to help bless this concert, so make it a good one.’ He always turned to God whenever he needed help.”

Stanley, who’s written a new book called The Faith of Elvis believes people don’t know the true depth of the singer’s Christian faith and that he relied on God for everything.

“It’s where he got his strength,” he told the newspaper.

“Elvis was so appreciative of what the Lord had given him. He thanked God every day and constantly sought God’s guidance through prayer and reading the Bible.”

He added: “Everybody looked at the glitz and glamour [of Presley]. They didn’t look at the man and try to understand his faith. When you’ve spent 17 years with an individual, you get to know him pretty well.”

Stanley recalled Presley reading Bible stories to him and praying with him at bedtime around the age of seven. He said one of his fond memories was of Presley singing gospel music around the house, which he said was similar to “singing the Bible”.

Stanley also revealed the music star didn’t attend church because he thought attendees would pay more attention him than the preacher.

The Faith of Elvis is due to be published in October.

Incidentally it was Caroline and my 14^th wedding anniversary on Tuesday and “How Great Thou Art” was one of the hymns sung at our Service at Holy Rood Church. Elvis’ version, featured today is absolutely wonderful – what a voice that man had!

Quote of the week

Elvis Presley adapting the words of Bob Dylan and Mary Torrans Lathrap

One of the highlights of the staged concert of “Theophilus -The Musical” on May 14th was Evieanna Mullane singing “Out of the Depths.”
I heard Evieanna sing at Waypoint Church, Locks Heath and immediately thought “Wow.” I spoke with her after the service and she kindly agreed to sing “Out of the Depths” in the staged concert. She portrayed a woman imprisoned by Saul as he persecuted the church.
I soon realised that by tweaking the words, for example changing “Save me with your unfailing love” to “Save them with your unfailing love” the song would be appropriate for the Ukrainian crisis, in particular supporting refugees.
Bishop Philip kindly allowed us to use St John’s, the Catholic Cathedral in Portsmouth so with our MD, Joffy recording and filming, and Evieanna singing, the result, as you can see from the video, is truly wonderful.
Next step will be to feature it in a “Just Giving” campaign in support of Ukrainian refugees so please “watch this space.”

Quote of the week

A Time for Everything featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard from the album “The Season of Singing” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

In last week’s blog I shared some of the content of our Arts Council application for funding of Theophilus -The Musical. As part of the application, we could include an attachment which is the feature for today – the application went off yesterday and we should hear whether or not we have been successful in the next eight weeks.

Quote of the week

The Gospel of Christ featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the album Lift Your Hearts To Heavenly Places recorded and produced by Ross Gill

In last week’s blog I shared a promo of the staged concert version of “Theophilus – The Musical” – so what is next in the development of this, our latest musical? Well, we are applying to the Arts Council to fund 5 live performances at Bay House School and the New Theatre Royal; one of which will be filmed. We had to explain in 800 words what the application was for – so please see below:
Mustard Seed Songs, in association with Gosport Council and the Gosport and Fareham Multi- Academy Trust wish to produce a co- creation community project featuring the original “Theophilus- The Musical” using the narrative of the Bible’s Acts of the Apostles to raise questions on belief and encourage discussion.
The project will inspire local young people who have limited access to the arts. 170 Primary school children will receive musical theatre workshops, vocal instruction and will work alongside professionals, performing arts students and amateur actors in 5 live performances. They will be joined by 80 dance school members to perform and help choreography the project.
This is an open application to which all local Primary schools and dance schools are invited
I wish that is all we needed to submit, but in fact the process was – well let’s say “extremely challenging.” All the below, plus sub-sections, had to be completed with most sections having a 1500 -word limit. The application is to be sent off on Monday and we should hear whether or not we are successful within 8 weeks – The amount we are asking the Arts Council for is just under £30,000- the actual project will cost more than twice that amount, but we hope to raise the extra from ticket sales and donations.
• Introduction
• Applicant details
• Address information
• Contact information
• Financial background
• Governance document
• Priorities
• Amount requested
• Your Project
• Who and how
• Where
• Budget – Income
• Questions
• Budget – Expenditure
• Questions
• Partners and collaborators
• Risks and challenges
• Delivering the Outcomes
• Investment Principles
• Inclusivity and Relevance
• Environmental Responsibility
• Ambition & Quality
• Dynamism
• Attachment
• Monitoring information
• Declaration
• Submission summary

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