It's that time again

Yes, it's nearly Christmas, season of cheer, high spending, and hard work. It's sometimes difficult to stay focussed on what Christmas really means, so the nativity plays and carol services are essential.

The book's finished, and looks quite good. One or two parts of the overall design are a bit wonky, but I'll get it right next time. For all aspiring authors who, like me, haven't a hope of getting professionally published, Blurb is wonderful. Check out their website.

And, yes, there will be a next time. I've started the novel. That's all I'm prepared to say at the moment.

At church we recently had a fantastic evening, which we, the ministry, organised and hosted. We looked at the biblical dimension of God's covenant with Israel, and the Land, and we were privileged to have a guest speaker from the local Jewish community. The next such evening will, hopefully, be next Spring.

I'm currently preparing to make my third trip to Rwanda (in January) to teach at a church in Kigali. The pastor has planted several small churches this year, and is an inspirational man. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing him, his family, and his congregation again. It'll be nice to have a week in warmer climes, too.

May you have a blessed Christmas.

Time's short

Having just realised I haven't "blogged" since August, I'd better get on and say something.

The last few weeks have been pressured, as I juggle various projects, including the teaching material for Rwanda in January, the book, which is nearing completion, and preparation for various prayer meetings. Then there's the website to keep up to date - I could really do with a PA (unpaid, of course!). This sounds like a moan, but it's not. Better than vegetating and being bored.

Had a good few days in Dudley, the main reason for this being an Equipping Weekend at Revival Fires, but we also got some sight-seeing in. On the way back from Gloucestershire on the Thursday, in an otherwise clear blue sky, we saw an anvil cloud ahead, with lightning flickering inside it. Never seen anything like that before - no rain, couldn't hear thunder because of traffic noise, but when we got back to Dudley they said there'd been a thunder storm for several hours. We then heard one clap of thunder, then nothing more. Awesome sight, that cloud!

Off to London next weekend for a conference on Israel and the Church. Heard it advertised on Premier Christian Radio this morning, so I hope that draws extra people.

Today I read in the local newspaper the horrifying news that synagogues are to be provided with police posts during the High Holy Days. I know that the local rabbi lives in constant fear of attack, and it is not that long ago that mounted police accompanied worshippers on their way to another synagogue a few miles down the road.

Who are these people who threaten the safety of law-abiding Jewish people? The problem is that the identity of these figures is blurred in the general miasma of resurfacing antisemitism. This anti-biblical attitude towards the Jews has never gone away; certainly it was blunted by sympathy in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, but the Devil's resistance to God through His Chosen People, Israel, is still all too real. Satan has put into the mouths of men various reasons why the Jews should be destroyed, but he is apparently too stupid to realise that God will forever protect them. From a biblical perspective those who oppose Israel and the Jewish people should begin to realise this. I am not concerned with politics - that's a man-made thing. Israel as a political entity may arguably make mistakes, just like other nations fighting for their survival, but according to God's promises in the Bible, she will never be destroyed. How I wish other nations would latch on to this!

New Website

Yes, it's up and running! 'Tis a poor thing, but 'tis mine own.
Check it out on http://olivetreelifeorg.moonfruit.com, and please feel free to leave a message or an entry in the guest-book.

The photos have no captions yet, but will do eventually.

Thanks very much to everyone who contributed art-work and editorial skills.

Jewish Jokes

I've always loved Jewish jokes, principally because they ably demonstrate the Jewish tendency to poke gentle fun at oneself. It is not, of course, true that Jewish people are mean (any more than that Scottish or Yorkshire people are mean), but Jewish jokes often reinforce this erroneous view.
Example: Father: "Ikey, are you reading?"
Son : "No, father."
Father: "Ikey, are you drawing?"
Son: "No, father."
Father: "Well take off your glasses, you wasteful boy."

Another tendency displayed in Jewish jokes is the element of self-pity, such as that displayed by Mr. Cohen in hospital. One morning, during the consultant's ward rounds, Mr. Cohen is hurt to note that the doctor misses him out completely. Cohen calls a nurse, and complains, whereupon the consultant apologetically returns to him, and asks how he is.
"Don't ask!" replies Mr. Cohen.

I suspect this last joke was not Jewish in origin, but it's funny nevertheless. Who is the most famous Scottish Jewish poet? Answer: Rabbi Burns.

The Thursday night meetings are gaining momentum, with more attendees and good discussions.
Last Thursday we looked at the Book of Nehemiah, and compared the opposition he faced with that facing modern-day Israel. He tells his enemies that they have no part in Jerusalem or anything he is doing, because the city never belonged to them. The weapons used against him - harrying, propaganda, and attempts to make him lose his sense of rectitude and thus to sin ( so that this can be used to incriminate him) are so reminiscent of today.
The new website is still under construction, with a fresh new logo. Hopefully it will be launched in the not-too-distant future.

Looking forward to Thursday's meeting, when we'll be examining the book of Nehemiah. I've always loved this book - it has a real feel-good factor to it, but at the meeting we'll be looking at the parallels with the setting up of the State of Israel and the continued opposition to Israel as a nation - complete with adverse propaganda! A story for our time indeed.

Exodus

Back from Egypt, adopted land of my forefathers, and a very interesting place, too. What I didn't know was that so little of the land is cultivated - not much more than in biblical times, with the desert taking up the vast proportion on both sides of the Nile. The narrow cultivated strips support all manner of fruit and vegetables, and everywhere there are these lovely wading birds called egrets.

The ship was wonderful, food fantastic, but the sight-seeing was intensive, and undertaken in the morning because of the heat.

Another thing I learned on the trip was to love Nasser. Apparently, our and France's dislike of him was founded solely on the fact that he wanted to do what was best for Egypt, not for himself, and his nationalisation of the Suez Canal was only done when he was unable to extract UN funding for the High Dam. The revenue he received from the tariffs from the Canal he used for the dam, which has freed Egypt from its dependency on the annual inundation of the Nile. He was the first Egyptian-born leader since the Pharoahs, so it's not surprising that the people loved him. He also brought in free education to a high standard.

Enough waffle. It was interesting, finally, to have confirmed that there was no slavery in Egypt. I had sort of known about this before. The people helped with building work for the Pharoahs after the harvest, but they were well treated and well-paid. The Hebrews were fed up because they had previously been exempted from this work, but their complaints brought great hardship on them at the hands of a (probably) foreign Pharoah, who knew nothing about their history.

Two days to go!

Two days to the long-awaited Nile cruise. Will I feel pharaonic (not, I hope, moronic) sailing down the river to Upper Egypt? It'll be fantastic to see the antiquities, and to get a taste of where Moses grew up.

Olive Tree monthly meeting

We had a brilliant meeting last night, the first with a substantial attendance from outside the church group. 6 attendees at the day conference came, and Heather gave an amazing presentation about Shavuot (Pentecost) and how the NT activities tied up with the OT ones.

Some of the group expressed joy in finding a place to learn more about God's plans for Israel, and to learn howo to pray effectively.

God spoke to me recently about taking the ministry up a notch, including making a new website (currently under contruction). From time to time in the past, it's felt like nothing much was happening, and the ministry was moribund. However, I waited (not always patiently!) for God to move me on, and now I feel that He's doing just that.