Paul Long's Ramblings

Pastor's Notes for 3 July 2011. To read click HERE

Funny :-)

Pastor's notes for Sunday 26 June 2011 To read click HERE

My copy of "The Berglass effects" arrived this morning. That's my own very early Christmas present :-) It is taking a lot of discipline not to read it now as I have a lot on my plate that is of a much higher priority ... so my compromise is to blog that it has arrived and get the excitement out of my system :-)

Good to get this in the mail to bring a smile to my face (a number of times!) :-) These are classified ads, which were actually placed in a U.K. newspaper: FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER. 8 years old. Hateful little dog. Bites! FREE PUPPIES. 1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbour's dog. FREE PUPPIES. Mother is a Kennel Club registered German Shepherd. Father is a Super Dog, able to leap tall fences in a single bound. JOINING NUDIST COLONY! Must sell washer and dryer £100. WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE. Worn once by mistake. Call Stephanie. **** And the WINNER is **** FOR SALE BY OWNER. Complete set of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 45 volumes. Excellent condition, £200 or best offer. No longer needed, got married, wife knows everything.. [forwarded by Deron Higgins]

So much is happening and in some aspects I feel really helpless ... so it is a timely reminder for me this morning that I am on the right track and should not "feel guilty" (yet again!) because by praying I am doing the right and necessary practical thing.  Wednesday June 15, 2011    When you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6)   Prayer is in many ways the criterion of Christian life. Prayer requires that we stand in God's presence with open hands, naked and vulnerable, proclaiming to ourselves and to others that without God we can do nothing. 

Pastor's notes for 19 June 2011 To read, click HERE

" The study, part of the doctoral research of Waikato student Brett McEwan, investigated "controlled intoxication" - the ways in which some heavy drinkers monitor and manage their excessive alcohol intake. What? If the alcohol intake is known to be excessive, you still want to take more and manage it?  I guess I am out of touch but I think this is stupid thinking.  Shocking world of our student drunks By  Martin Johnston  and  Isaac Davison 5:30 AM Friday Jun 10, 2011 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10731303 Nearly a third of university drinkers have passed out while boozing in the past six months - and many say vomiting does not stop them continuing a binge. More than half said they had physically hurt themselves while intoxicated to that point, according to a shocking paper published today by the  New Zealand Medical Journal . It reveals that 27 per cent of men and 9 per cent of women say throwing up will not stop ...

Before I get to Tawfik Hamid's article, just some thoughts ... on this morning's TV news, it was reported that Al-Zawahiri condemned the US on the way they buried Osama, Made me wonder the following: 1. Why is he not pleased that Osama died a martyr's death? Is it because he did not actually die a martyr's death? He was killed in a raid while hiding from the US military ... was this more of a coward's death than that of a martyr? 2. If he did die a martyr's death, should there not be great rejoicing as his place in paradise is secure with all the pleasures he so often highlights to others, to get them to die as martyrs? Or is there a subconscious concern that even Osama's place in paradise is uncertain? 3. And like Tawfik mentions (in his point 8 below) I found it ironic (actually hypocritical!) that he places such an emphasis on proper burial of a Muslim yet glorifies the killing of thousands in a manner that does not allow them a decent burial - no...

Pastor's notes for 12 June 2011. To read click HERE

Link below to an interview with a magician that I like very much Whit "pop" Haydn! http://weirdreview.com/2011/06/07/wse6/ I had the privilege of having a personal conversation / interview with him a couple of years ago in Auckland. He's style of magic is clearly different from most, and not something I would be comfortable doing BUT he is a pretty amazing magician that I admire. The 2nd part of the interview (video) will make it clear why I like him so much (and why I enjoyed my meeting with him so much as we have something else in common) BTW, I obviously did not do this interview but it is so much better than what I could do :-) I did not try to publish the interview I had with him (unlike the ones I did with Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee, and John Carney) simply because it went off tangent in so many ways and was not sutiable as an intrerfview article. But it was a great interview / conversation, mini lecture for me of mostly Pop talking and me just taking thin...

Will Malaysia be next? Is this too far fetched a situation? God have mercy! Call to Ban Bible Bothers Pakistan’s Christians Monday, June 6, 2011 (3:47 am) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/uknews/terrorism-in-the- uk/8558499/Universities- complacent-over-Islamic- radicals-Theresa-May-warns. html By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News International Correspondent Islamabad, Pakistan ( Worthy News )-- Pakistani Christians are troubled by a Bible ban from radical Muslim clerics whose own prophet had never outlawed it. Nevertheless, Muslim clerics recently asked the Supreme Court of Pakistan to rule that some scriptures have been added to the Bible and that they violate the Islamic nation's blasphemy laws by depicting biblical figures revered by Muslims as flawed; they allege that these additions were inserted to show the prophets guilty of "a variety of moral crimes, which undermine the sanctity of the holy figures." Although Muslims accept the Pentateuch, the Psalms and the ...

Perak Mufti supports the "obedient wives club" The Star) - Perak mufti  Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria  has given his backing to the Obedient Wives Club, which offers “sex lessons” to help women keep their husbands. Harussani, who recently banned the poco poco dance in Perak, said women needed to be reminded of their roles and responsibilities to their husbands. “The younger generation is too absorbed in cultures that are not their own. Wives must be very obedient to their husbands. “However, in Islam, the wife can go against her husband if what he does is not according to the religion,” he said, calling for more such clubs to be set up throughout the country as a way to counter social ills. He was responding to a statement by club vice- president Dr Rohaya Mohamad that a husband who was kept happy in the bedroom would have no reason to stray, seek out prostitutes or indulge in other social vices. The club had also offered sex lessons to help wives “serve their husbands better...

Back after a 2 week break :-) For my Pastor's notes for 5 June 2011 click HERE