Paul Long's Ramblings

For the 23 Dec 2012 bulletin This carol is the closing hymn for this Sunday’s sermon.  I hope having the lyrics on paper will be an encouragement.  I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), 1867 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along the unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men. And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace on earth," I said, "For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men." Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men." Till, ringing singing, on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, a ...

Pastor's notes for the 9th Dec 2012 bulletin To read click HERE

pastor's notes for the 2 Dec 2012 bulletin To read, click  HERE

Pastor's notes for the 25 Nov 2012 bulletin To read click HERE

another excellent piece by Tawfik Hamid Analysis of the Gaza Clash By Tawfik Hamid www.tawfikhamid.com The recent military confrontation between Israel and Hamas organization in Gaza raises several concerns. One of these concerns is:  Who is behind this escalation & why have they occurred at this particular time? Some Palestinian leaders such as Saeb Erekat have accused [i] Prime Minister Netanyahu of plotting the conflict for political gain, suggesting that the conflict will help Netanyahu's party in the coming Israeli elections. These accusations are somewhat illogical as the conflict is more likely to put the Israeli government in a serious Catch-22: accepting a cease fire will not satisfy those Israelis who support an invasion of Gaza , whereas invading Gaza may displease  a significant percentage  of the Israeli population. Hamas is indisputably part of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB ) [ii] (according both to the second item of the  Hamas ...

Pastor's notes for the 18 November 2-12 bulletin. To read click HERE

ASSIST News Service (ANS) -  PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA Visit our web site at:  www.assistnews.net  -- E-mail:  assistnews@aol.com Wednesday, November 14, 2012 UK Charity Commission Says Christianity Is Not Necessarily for Public Good By Peter Wooding Europe Bureau Chief for ASSIST News Service LONDON, ENGLAND   (ANS)  --  Britain's charity watchdog has put the charitable status of the nation's churches in question after it ruled that a congregation in Devon in the South West of England did not exist for public benefit. Charity Commission Logo According to a Christian Concern article under charity law, churches and other organisations must show that their existence has some form of "public benefit." But in a letter to the Plymouth Brethren, the Charity Commission explained its refusal to grant charitable status to one of the denomination's churches in Devon. Head of legal services for the commission, Kenneth Dibble, sta...