Joffy Girling and Alex Knox recording guide vocals for Acts – The Musical

Unsung Heroes featuring Katy Summer from the album For Unsung Heroes recorded and produced by Ross Gill

As promised today I am sharing a song from Acts – The Musical in which Barnabas confronts Paul for not wishing to take John Mark with him on Paul’s second missionary journey. (Acts: 15: 36 -41) This is one of the songs that on Sunday Alex Knox and Joffy Girling recorded as guide vocals for our forthcoming musical based on the Acts of the Apostles.
Paul:
I know he is your cousin
And yes that means a lot
But there’s a certain something you may have forgot
He left us to return home and he could do the same
I’m sorry but I can’t trust John Mark again

Barnabas
Yes he is my cousin and yes that means a lot
And no that certain something I have not forgot
Yes I know he left us – but that’s all in the past
So surely we should give him one more chance?

Paul:
No, no, no,
Barnabas:
Yes, yes, yes
Paul:
No, no, no,
Barnabas:
Yes, yes, yes
Paul:
No, no, no I’ve said….. NO!
Quote of the week
The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.
Abraham Lincoln

Living it Up featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the album Heart and Soul recorded and produced by Ross Gill

So here is some more information about St Barnabas (taken from an editorial in the Barnabas Aid Magazine.) Barnabas features in the Book of The Acts of the Apostles on which our next musical is based.
Barnabas had the wonderful gift of always thinking the best of others and seeing the best in them. He had the kind of love described in I Corinthians 13:5-7 and no doubt this is how he earnt his nickname (Barnabas means Son of Encouragement) He was the first in Jerusalem to believe that Saul the persecutor was truly converted (Acts 9: 26-27) and he acted on that belief, taking Saul to the apostles and commended him to them as his sponsor or guarantor. Later Barnabas sought out Saul and brought him to Antioch to minister alongside him to the new Christians there. He saw the potential of John Mark and championed him, determined to give him another opportunity after he failed (Acts 15: 35-41)
His reputation as an encourager and bridge builder is also seen when the Jewish Church in Jerusalem chose him to go to Antioch to minister to the believers there who included, not only Jews but also Gentiles. This might have caused some Jewish Christians to hold back but not Barnabas. “When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. (Acts 11-19-23)
It was not just Antioch where the “Son of Encouragement” cared tenderly for new believers. We see his pastoral heart, his desire to protect and strengthen in many other places for example Derbe (Acts 14:20-23)
He was bold and brave, repeatedly enduring hardship and persecution for the sake of the Gospel (for example Acts 13-50-51) He went on when John Mark gave up (Acts 13: 13-14) He spoke up for what he believed was right. His determination to restore John Mark was so great that he even fell out with Paul about it. He also confronted fellow Christians on the issue of Gentile believers (Acts 15: 1-12)
Next week I’ll share with you a song from Acts – The Musical in which Barnabas confronts Paul for not wishing to take John Mark on his second missionary journey
Quote of the week
God is more interested in our character than our comfort, so when we pray for lighter burdens He gives us stronger backs.
The Word for Today

In The Beginning Was The Word- featuring the Lord is Truth Gospel Singers from the album His Story live (not released) recorded and produced by Ross Gill

I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day.
So I promised today that I would share with you some information about St Barnabas- who features in the Book of The Acts of the Apostles on which our next musical is based.
According to tradition in 61AD in the city of Salamis in Cyprus, Barnabas was dragged out of a synagogue where he was preaching the Gospel, by Jews who were infuriated by the success of his ministry, and was stoned to death. He had preached with St Paul in the same synagogue at the beginning of their first missionary journey together (Acts 13: 2-5) Barnabas’ death reflects what Jesus said would happen to His followers “They will put you out of the synagogue, in fact the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.” (John 16:2)
Barnabas was a nickname given to him by the apostles. It was a nickname that reflected his character and that essential goodness and integrity that shaped it. His real name was Joseph, in itself symbolic of the man he was. As Joseph in the Old Testament suffered much and became a leader of his people by virtue of his character, so too Joseph the Levite from Cyprus became Barnabas meaning “Son of Encouragement .“ We know few details of the personal life of Barnabas but know much of his character and his good works.
Barnabas served the Lord as prophet and teacher (Acts 13: 1) one through whom God worked miracles (Acts 15:12) and is even called an apostle in Acts 14:14 (chosen by Jesus to be one of the Seventy; according to early Church tradition)
A beautiful summary tells us that that Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith (Acts 11:24.)To this we can add many more specific details. The first that we hear of him is that he sold a field and brought the money to the apostles (Acts 4:36-37) There is no indication of a large and pressing financial need in the early Church at this point rather Barnabas’ action “sparkles with spontaneity and joy.” It shows generosity and at the same time humility as he acknowledges the apostles’ authority and submits to it, giving his gift without strings attached for them to use as they think best. It is little wonder that later when someone was needed to carry a financial gift from the Church in Antioch to the famine afflicted believers in Jerusalem, Barnabas was one of those considered trustworthy (Acts 11:27-30) We are also told he earnt his living so as not to be a financial burden to the congregations he was serving (I Corinthians 9:6)
Barnabas retained the humility he showed in those early days, even when years later he was acclaimed by adoring crowds, passionately urging them to worship God instead. (Acts 14:12-18)
I’ll share with you more of Barnabas next week.
Quote of the week
I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.
Norman Vincent Peale

St Barnabas Church, Gillingham Kent

St Francis Church, Hilsea, Portsmouth

If I Say I Love You Jesus featuring Lucy Stimpson_Maynard from the album “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

I have explained that we are, at present, working on the sequel to Risen! The Musical, which has a working title of Acts- The Musical. Phase One is completed and in early January Joffy Girling, our musical Director, and actor Alex Knox will be recording the guide vocals to Phase Two which will, in fact complete the whole show.
In the first phase of Acts- The Musical the main character is Peter – with other characters also featuring such as Simon the Sorcerer, Stephen the first martyr and Philip the Evangelist. In the second phase the main character is Paul (previously called Saul) Another important character is Barnabas which reminded me that it was St Barnabas Church in Gillingham, Kent where I grew up that gave me my first experience of “church.” What actually happened was that two of my school friends, Edward and Keith Glover persuaded me to have a “trial” at the church to become a choir boy – the incentive was that if you got selected you got paid! I remember my trial so well – I suppose I was about 8-9 years old and after walking the 20 mins to the church I met the church organist. My “trial” was that he played a note on the organ and then asked me to sing the appropriate note – I did not have a clue – I just hit a note out of my head which was probably so far out in pitch that it was embarrassing but in those days I looked quite cute so I somehow passed my “trial” and got fitted out with a blue choristers’ gown and white ruffle collar. I was supposed to go regularly to choir practices but did not – I was supposed to go regularly to the church services but did not – so when it got to the time when the “money” was handed out I think I got about six pence. I also did not really understand what the Vicar was on about when he said from his pulpit that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. I also did not understand, because I did not attend many choir practices, how to sing the Magnificat or Benedictus- I just made it up as I went along or quite often simply mimed. I remember the services lasting what seemed like eternity, however I did enjoy joining the Boy Scout Cubs which was attached to the church – it was there that I learnt the difference between a reef knot and a granny knot (most useful as one ties securely and the other doesn’t *) Fortunately I was saved from it all when my dad moved work to Portsmouth which is where I found a much less formal church in St Francis where I also became a Boy Scout Cub. It was also from St Francis that I eventually went to confirmation classes and was confirmed by the Bishop at St Marys Church, Fratton.
Anyway next week (Boxing Day) I will share with you some information about St Barnabas- but one thing I can tell you now is that Barnabas means Son of Encouragement and in Acts -The Musical there is a scene in which Barnabas encourages the disciples to not fear Saul who, although having persecuted them is now a changed man after meeting the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus.
Here is the song- I have used the melody from today’s featured song “If I Say I Love You Jesus.”
If Saul Comes To Meet Us

If Saul comes to meet us,
Will you still fear his name?
Will you ask how dare he show his face
How can he feel no shame?

And if he promises he loves Jesus,
Will you say how can this be?
He’s the one who threw our friends in jail,
We are his sworn enemy.

And if he insists he has seen Jesus,
Will you stare in disbelief?
Will you laugh – spit in his face.
Put it down as pure conceit?

And if he says he is now Christ’s servant.
He is now Christ’s very own.
Will you accuse him of blasphemy?
Who will throw the first stone?

I know his change,
Seems so very strange,
But I know it’s true,
The change is for the good,
No passing phase, but for good,
One foe lost – won by the cross

So please trust and accept him,
As your dear brother in Christ,
He is God’s chosen instrument,
And on this I stake my life

And if I may say one more thing
Jesus died for us all
My friends that means you and I
And that means … even Saul…

Quote of the week
In prosperity our friends know us- in adversity we know our friends
John Churton Collins

*
The reef knot is commonly taught as left over right, tuck under then right over left, tuck under. The granny knot is the first step repeated twice, left over right, tuck under then left over right again.

The Triumphal Entry featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the album His Story recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Chris Wickland is the Senior Pastor at The Living Word Church, Fareham. He is also a very good friend and highly talented musician who played guitar in the “Mustard Seed Soul Band” which performed in Mustard Seeds’ first musical- “His Story” at the Kings Theatre, Southsea and Central Hall, Westminster London. Chris wrote the tune to today’s featured song which was originally called “Winter Festival.” I so loved the catchy melody that I asked Chris if I could use it for a song to describe Jesus” entry into Jerusalem which is traditionally called “Palm Sunday” or “The Triumphal Entry”
Anyway the reason for mentioning Chris is because something special happened last week – I will let his wife Tracy take over….
On Friday 29th November it was Chris’ day off. I stayed at home to tidy after the kitchen building work havoc and Chris planned to take the kids to Paultons Park (a local theme park) as they had an annual pass.
When they arrived they found Paultons Park closed. Apparently there was some debate between the cinema and Flipout trampolining centre. Flipout won and they went to Flipout in Eastleigh.
Serenity (age 11) tells me whilst trampolining Chris felt a bit funny and sat on the side. He told her he felt sick and dizzy and was breathing heavily. She thought he fell asleep briefly and she woke him.
He then told her their session was nearly over and he was going to get their stuff from the locker room. She saw him walk through and lie down on his back on a bench in the locker room and be sick.
Chris had had a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
There was a member of the public standing next to him that was first aid trained and immediately realised something was wrong. She shouted for the staff who jumped the fence, got Chris on his side and started CPR. They also had a defibrillator on site which they used to give him four shocks before his heart began to beat again. An ambulance was on its way.
Paultons Park covers a big area with many pathways. If it had happened on a ride or between rides it’s more than likely no-one would have got to Chris quick enough. If they had decided on the cinema the children could have thought he was sleeping in the dark. By being at Flipout in Eastleigh that day he had instant access to CRP and the defibrillator.
Most SCA. (Sudden cardiac arrests) Over 90% result in death as no-one is around with CPR and a defibrillator. God put Chris in the right place at the right time that day. Somewhere he should not really have been or had planned to be. Worse still it could have happened a little later with Chris in the car with the children on the motorway.
The ambulance arrived quickly and took him to Southampton General Hospital. The heart hospital of the South. Again God speedily delivered Chris to exactly the right place. There was no delay, as there often can be I’m told, transferring him to Intensive Care.
Chris was put into an induced coma for several days. His heart was beating on its own. He had assisted breathing and many IVs, monitors and assistance to keep him stable and cool. The staff of the NHS are absolutely amazing.
Christians from many different churches and parts of the world began to pray, they held prayer meetings, they prayed in their small groups, they prayed in their churches and they prayed throughout the day and night. I prayed as I sat with him and read scripture over Chris right from when I first got to him in A&E. Friends sat and prayed over him in the night when I needed sleep. Even people Chris had offended over the years put aside differences and prayed feverently for him. I don’t think the Devil quite knew what he was starting as the church rallied and rose up.
On the Saturday we had a family meeting with the doctor. It was very bleak. We were told Chris has had 14 minutes down time but that he was fit and young. He was most likely to not die. However he had had some negative neurological responses and there was likely to be some brain damage and the next days would be an assessment of how much. As they began to remove sedation Chris might not wake at all or he might wake with varying degrees of brain damage. I was told the encephalitis Chris had had years before would be a walk in the park in comparison to the options before us. Worst case scenario if he did wake would see him in a nursing home. I was told I couldn’t be there as they reduced the sedation in case they needed to give him emergency treatment.
As I sat beside him on Saturday night his body was yellow and black and blue and swollen. Nothing looked good. I picked up the NIV Gideon’s bible and it opened at Hebrews 11:1 ‘To have faith is to be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.’ I needed to take my eyes off of what was right in front of me.
On Sunday morning as churches across the country were praying for Chris they began to lift the sedation. I was with him despite being told earlier I couldn’t be. I read psalm 91, Romans 8:11 and the Hymn ‘ Rise up O Man of God’ over him as he began to move. It was a slow process over several hours and he looked truly awful as he opened his eyes and they rolled as he writhed on the bed. As the doctors gathered to test him I felt a bit embarrassed about praying and reading over him but one of the doctors was a lapsed Christian and told me to keep reading!
Over the course of the day Chris began to respond to the tests, He opened his eyes, he wriggled his toes, he poked his tongue out. Several hours later they removed the breathing tube and later he spoke. I stayed with him that night as he asked questions.
Over the next few days he asked the same questions over and over and I began to worry for his short term memory. I asked the Christians to pray again. Less than 10% of SCA’s return to normal. I’m absolutely convinced Chris is alive and well because the church got on her knees, God heard her and moved the mountain.
Today is day 11 following his SCA. You wouldn’t know. He has a clear and sound mind. As yet they can find nothing wrong with his body. They will most likely fit him with an ICD (a super clever on-board little defibrillator).
God is good and faithful, If Chris had died then God would still be good and faithful but He chose to return him to us and I’m beyond thankful.
Not a lot I can add to that apart from Praise God!

Alex Knox with Joffy Girling recording guide vocals for Acts- The Musical

Walking with the King of Kings featuring Lucy Stimpson – Maynard from the album “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

So last week I mentioned how Joffy Girling, our brilliant Musical Director was recording Alex Knox laying down guide vocals for Acts-The Musical. Last blog I also told how I had met Alex.
To explain Acts more fully – for the past four years Joffy and I have been working on the sequel to Risen! The Musical. It started with me singing the basic idea to Joffy and then Alex laid down the guide vocals for all the parts. The next stage was Oscar Batterham, who was at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Alex, singing the part of Theophilus. Theophilus was probably Luke’s patron and likely a Roman Official of some standing. Luke addressed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles to Theophilus. In our musical we have taken poetic licence with Theophilus being on a journey of faith during which Luke encourages him by describing how the Gospel has spread far and wide by apostles such as Peter and Paul.
Max Panks (Jesus in Risen! The Musical DVD ) was next to be recorded, playing the part of Saul/Paul. Then Katie Forge (Mary wife of Cleopas in Risen! DVD ) sang the part of Mary Magdalene, Nicola Poustie (Mary Magdalene in the Risen! CD) the role of Tabitha, James Townend (Thomas in the Risen! CD) the role of John. Gemma Terry, Chloe Brockenshire and Tim Prestige from Holy Rood church all added more parts before Joffy and I rented an airbnB apartment in Ealing for a weekend to record more members of the London Touring Cast- David Murray (Thomas in the Risen! DVD) sang Stephen the first martyr, Johnny Fitzharris (James in the Risen! DVD) sang Simon the Sorcerer, Andrew Dovaston (John in the Risen! DVD) sang Philip the Evangelist, Casey Lloyd (Cleopas’ friend in the Risen! DVD) sang the crippled man healed by Peter, Jamie Leeke (Simon the Zealot in the Risen! DVD) sang the Ethiopian and Benny Bright (Peter in the Risen! DVD) also added his talents.
The storyline of Part One ended before Paul’s began his missionary journeys. The reason for this was that I was concerned that Part Two would sound like a Paul “travel log.” However I hopefully solved the problem and last week Alex began recording the guide vocals to Part Two – Joffy and Alex are returning early in the New Year to complete the Show. The recording of Part One has been shared with the participating artists and we are hoping for an encouraging response.
The ultimate plan is to film Acts – The Musical as we did Risen! In the meantime it is exciting that Alex and Joffy were so impressed with what we have achieved so far that they suggested we put on a pilot stage production asap – so watch this space!!
Quote of the week
If God is your partner, make your plans BIG!
D.L. Moody

Alex Knox starring in the West End play “It’s Easy To Be Dead”

“So Now We Wait In Jerusalem” – “For God So Loved The World” – featuring Alex Knox and Lindsey Gardiner from the album “Risen! The Musical – recorded and produced by Joffy Girling

So tomorrow Joffy Girling, Mustard Seed Songs’ Musical Director and actor Alex Knox are at my house for two days recording the guide vocals to ACTS – The Musical.
So just to explain ACTS- The Musical is the sequel to Risen! The Musical. We have already recorded ACTS -Part One with Alex playing the part of Luke, Oscar Batterham, the part of Theophilus, with members of the London Touring Cast (who filmed Risen!The Musical) playing other parts together with long standing Mustard Seed artists such as Nicola Poustie and James Townend.
We are hoping to let people hear ACTS- Part One very soon but tomorrow and Saturday Alex and Joffy will be laying down the guide vocals for ACTS- Part Two which will then complete the whole musical. Our dream is to raise enough money to film ACTS- The Musical and make it available on YouTube as is, of course, Risen! The Musical.
Mustard Seed Songs are so fortunate to have the brilliant Joffy as our MD and to have Alex singing the guides is also wonderful. Both Alex and Joffy pick up the songs I sing to them (sooooo badly) really, really quickly – they are both so very talented (and also great people – Caroline, Genna and I have such fun when they come to stay)
Among many other acting credits Alex played lead in the West End production “It’s Easy to be Dead.” For those of you that have not yet heard me talk of Alex and how we met- here is some information taken from previous blogs.
When, at the age of nine I moved from Gillingham in Kent to Portsmouth I went to the Northern Parade Junior Boys School. I have to say I did not like it at all – the teachers used the cane- something that I had not come across at all in the delightful Forge Lane Mixed School I attended in Gillingham.
Anyway one classroom teacher, Mr Thorpe was keen on amateur dramatics and each year would produce a show, usually one which he had written himself based on a Gilbert and Sullivan classic. I particularly remember “The Pirates of Portsmouth” in which I played a pirate “Mizzen Mast Martin.” The star was a guy called Martin Connor who was in my class and who had been one of the few people who had been nice to me when I first went to Northern Parade.
In those ancient times we had to sit the 11 + exam to determine whether you went on to Grammar School or Secondary Modern. In Portsmouth there was also a “half -way house” – the Portsmouth Technical High School. Well to cut a long story short Martin and I found ourselves both at “The “halfway house”. We were also in the same form, the infamous 1B. Martin went on to become Head Boy – I did not.
I knew Martin had gone on from school to pursue a career in acting, but on leaving school I had lost contact with him. When I was looking to cast for the role of John I needed someone who could both act and sing. All of Risen! is sung and I particularly needed someone who was expert in recitative as this holds the storyline together. I decided to try to locate Martin to see if he was still in the world of acting so I googled his name and there he was Head of Acting at the Prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. I knew it was the same Martin as there was a pic of him on the Guildhall’s website and he had not changed a bit (spit!)
I emailed him and we met up at the “Coach and Horses” pub which is right opposite our old school. We talked and laughed non -stop for hours, picking up on all the old Tech School life as if it were yesterday. Anyway yes Martin did have someone in mind to play the part of John – Alex Knox. Alex has a degree in Music from Manchester University – he also has a Masters in Singing from Guildhall and was now taking the Guildhall’s Masters Acting Degree- he would be perfect. So I took the train up to London to meet him at the Guildhall. I sang Alex the John parts in one of the Guildhall’s studios, so I suppose it could be said that I have sung at the Guildhall School of Music and Theatre! For a classical trained singer it would not have been normal to learn a part warbled by some PE teacher, but that is what happened and Alex has now played John brilliantly in three consecutive Risen! productions and has also sung that part in the Risen! The Musical CD.
Next week I’ll tell you how the recording went.
Quote of the week
Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

Some of the Crofton Basketball team at the Tube disco after winning the Cup

One in Million – featuring Lucy Stimpson Maynard – not published

My wife Caroline shared this great story which also reminded me of basketball at Crofton School. I wrote the following in my blog back in 2014:
I loved teaching PE at Crofton School. For most of my career OFSTED Inspections did not exist and there was no GCSE PE. So my performance as a teacher was assessed pretty much by the results of our school teams. Although for the first two years at Crofton we had no field (as it was full of flints – see blog Feb 20th) we still trained at Stubbington Recreation Ground, focusing on playing two- touch football, and eventually won the Gosport and Fareham Cup. About 15 years later we won the Hampshire Cup (not with the same team!) We also won the Hampshire Cricket Cup, which was a particularly amazing achievement as it is normally the province of private schools.
But it was in Basketball that we had our most successes. When I arrived at Crofton in 1975 the school had just opened on the Marks Road site. The staff consisted of Mr Boulton as Head with Mr Bradley and Mrs Hartley as Deputy Heads. Mr White was Head of Department for Maths, Mr Taylor, English, Miss Simmonds, RE (not Mr Mill believe it or not- he joined Crofton a few years later ) Mr Mitchell for Science, Mr Wickett for Technology and me for PE The First Year entry had been temporarily accommodated in 1974 at Crofton Hammond Junior School so when I joined, the school had only Year 7 and 8s (then called Year 1 and 2) Mrs Jan Davies had been in charge of PE while the school was at Hammond so it was, in fact her and not me who was the first PE teacher of Crofton School.
So to get myself established I felt I had to produce winning teams, but there was no field and only the indoor facility of a gymnasium. So what sport could we get good at with just a gym? Gymnastics was out of the question as my own personal performance was limited to a headstand, headstand, forward and backward roll and on a good day a neck spring- and once or twice in my life a hand spring – off the floor I hasten to add!
I was a wimp in Volleyball as it hurt my hands when “digging” so that was out -Badminton did not cater for enough pupils so it had to be Basketball. The problem was I had hardly played the game- I had always been told at school that I was not tall enough (see blog Feb 13th) However I was fortunate enough to know some American Basketball players (friends of friends) such as Jimmie Guymon, Paul Stimpson and Mark Saiers. From them I learnt how to coach the “USA way “and was able to teach our students techniques that only the Americans knew, such as the spin dribble.
The School Caretaker, Mr Ron Stevens would open the gym when he arrived at school at 6.30 am and players would arrive that early and practice most mornings for a couple of hours. I later discovered that at the weekends “break ins” would occur with some boys practicing all day and then even staying the night! As you can imagine they got really good but Hayling Island School always beat us. That is until the last game of the team’s final year at school when we met them in the S.E Hants Finals held on neutral ground at Warblington School. We took a coach load of supporters and the atmosphere was electric and yes we won, beating Hayling in our very last game. I brought the Cup home and later that night presented it to the team at the “Tube” Disco as in featured pic. That was a night I will never forget – after four years eventually beating our great rivals in our final game – brilliant. By the way to Hayling’s great credit they lost with good grace.
Martin Fuge who played in that game was on the edge of the England team and Paul Cummings played National League for Solent Stars but our first international player was Peter Wort who represented the England Basketball U15 team. So Basketball became a tradition at Crofton and we had many boys and girls playing for SE Hants and SE England. We won the prestigious Hampshire Cup twice and were usually around the top in the local leagues. We also travelled to places like Durham in the National Cup. Great times!
I have chosen a song recorded by Lucy Stimpson Maynard but one that is not on any Mustard Seed CD. It was written specifically for Jimmie Guymon – Jimmie was destined to play in the NBA, the greatest league in the world, but got struck down really ill with Jaundice (the yellow poison in the song) When he recovered he came to England and became what most believe to be the best player ever to play in this country. This song “One in a Million” is, I think, the only song that has been recorded that is not overtly Christian. It tells of Jimmie’s dream to play in the NBA and to be the one in a million who makes it. I adapted the lyrics from the words of a poem Jimmie wrote about his dream. Incidentally I enjoyed a Five Guys burger with Jimmie only last week.
Quote of the week
God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.”
Tony Evans
11

We Can Do Anything from the album Precious performed by Lucy Stimpson-Maynard, recorded and produced by Ross Gill

First, just to let you know that due to popular demand “The Pilgrims Progress” is being shown again at the Vue Cinema, Gun Wharf, Portsmouth at 12.00 noon on Saturday, November 16th.
Following on from my comments last week re the Rugby Union World Cup Final in which South Africa were victorious over England, here is an extract from an article written by England’s Matt Dawson, himself a World Cup winner in 2003. His sentiments reflect mine entirely.
There are millions of dejected England fans all over the world. Ordinarily, there would be no reason to reflect positively on that type of result.
But, looking at the larger picture that South Africa winning that game paints, I do not think any other final has a bigger political story to tell than this one.
You would have to not have any emotion in your body to look at the picture of Siya Kolisi – South Africa’s first black captain – lifting the trophy and not understand the power of what he and his team have done; what he has done as an individual to effectively change the view of millions of people within sport.
Very few leaders in the world get that opportunity and he has just done it by being him and playing rugby. So there are huge positives to the outcome.
The game of rugby means so much to a lot of people, but on reflection the game has much more of a profound effect on a nation like South Africa than it does anywhere else in the world.
Rugby has done an amazing job and that South Africa team will be quite rightly heralded as heroes for more reasons than just winning a rugby game.
It started when the Springboks won in 1995, shortly after apartheid ended, when Nelson Mandela presented Francois Pienaar with the trophy.
But now, 24 years after that breakthrough, we are still talking about the inequalities that South Africans are trying to fix.
Back in 1995 you might have thought maybe within eight or 12 years, could there be a black captain of South Africa challenging for the trophy? It has taken 24 years!
Quote of the week
If you can’t fly, then run, If you can’t run, then walk, If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.
Martin Luther King Jr

Put Your Hand In The Hand Of God featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

First just to say that I went to see The Pilgrim’s Progress animated film last week and it was brilliant. It is on this coming Saturday, November 9th at The Vue Cinema, Gun Wharf Quay, Portsmouth- there is only one viewing at 1.00 pm. See if you can make it – you will not be disappointed.
I was so very, very, very disappointed that England did not win the Rugby Union World Cup on Saturday but my disappointment was greatly reduced when I read this article by the South African captain -Siya Kolisi,
I grew up in the impoverished township of Zwide in South Africa, where I was raised by my grandmother because my mother and father were too young to look after me. Ever since I can remember, rugby has been a big part of my life. My dad and uncles played this sport, and as soon as I could, at the age of 8, I started playing too.
Living in the ghetto, we struggled to get by. We couldn’t afford to pay for my school and all the fees that went along with it, but I went to school every day because it was where I received my one meal for the day. In the evening, I would return to our two-bedroom home where seven of us lived, take the cushions off the couch and sleep on the floor for the night.
I always enjoyed rugby; I trained every single day for it. Rugby seemed to keep me away from a lot of the bad things going on around me. I lost a lot of friends because while I was focusing on being the best I could be in my sport, they were falling prey to the struggles and temptations of life in the hood. I was set on preparing myself for any opportunity I could, though I didn’t know what that may be.
When I was 12 years old, I went out on the field to play with my school team in our first game of the season. Facing a nearby school which had a great coach, we were defeated by 50 points. After the game, that opposing coach approached me and said he thought I had talent. He invited me to play for his school. From there, this coach took me under his wing, becoming more of a father figure to me than I had ever had. He knew how much this opportunity meant to me and I worked hard to take full use of it. He took me to my first provincial trial, where I played in boxers because I couldn’t afford rugby shorts. Soon, I found myself on the provincial team, heading to tournaments to play the game I loved more than anything.
When I was 19, I became a professional. In 2012, on the same weekend of my 21st birthday, I played my first game with the South African national team. Having the chance to play in the 2015 Rugby World Cup was a huge privilege, but I only played 30 minutes of it. Now, as a captain of the Springboks, I couldn’t be more honoured and excited to represent my country in the World Cup. I know I was chosen to be a captain of this team — the highest position one can achieve in this sport — for the person I am. Therefore, I try to remain true to who I am, not letting little things get into my head. I try to be a good example to others when I play.
God has been preparing me for such a time as this. While I grew up going to church with my grandmother, and went off and on the past few years, it wasn’t until a few months ago that I truly gave my life to Christ. While struggling with a lot of things personally — temptations, sins and lifestyle choices — I realized I wasn’t living according to what I was calling myself: a follower of Christ. I was getting by, but I hadn’t decided to fully commit myself to Jesus Christ and start living according to His way.
That is, until something I was struggling with in my personal life was exposed to the public. Up to that point, everything I was fighting against was hidden, but when my sin was exposed, I knew I either had to change my life, or lose everything. I decided to lose my life and find it in Christ.
Walking alongside a spiritual mentor, I’ve been able to discover the truth and saving power of Christ in a whole new way. This new life has given me a peace in my heart I’d never experienced before. Now that I have given everything to God, nothing else affects me. I now live and play with the freedom of knowing His plan will always happen, and at the end of the day, that’s all I care about!
I don’t have to understand everything in life, and there are so many things I don’t, but I know God is in control of it all. My job is to do the best I can and leave the rest in His hands. While I was really struggling in the midst of my sin, I read a verse in the book of Isaiah in the Bible that really stood out to me. Isaiah 43:2-3 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.” I read it over and over, for days.
If God can come through for countless people throughout history who had their backs against the world, He can do the same for me.
Siya Kolisi,
Quote of the week
We represent something much bigger than we can imagine
Siya Lolisi