Qatar 2022 is a blatant Blatter mistake

It is clearly a mistake to hold a World Cup final in Qatar during the summer months. This has now been admitted by the FIFA bureaucracy.  There are many reasons why Qatar is a bad location for the World Cup.  The infrastructure is evidently not in place. Even if, or rather when, the finals go ahead during the winter, and this now seems to be the most likely decision, then the disruption to many domestic leagues, like the Premiership, will be enormously inconvenient. The situation has been called "a farce" and" football's omnishambles". It stinks, like rotting meat in the summer heat! Sepp Blatter should have retired years ago. It's a pity he ever became involved in football. He should have stayed working for the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation and promoting suspenders for women. Has Blatter ever played for a good football team or to a consistently good standard? I doubt it, but you may be able to comment.

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington, USA

I wish to share some photographs of the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.  The north side is in Washington, and the south side is in Oregon, USA.  I went on a cruise from the Oregon side and enjoyed a very tasty breakfast while looking at the stunning scenery.  I also visited Vista House, Oregon, which is a place to see the magnificent panoramic views. The photographs, however, do not do justice to the sheer scale and grandeur.

David Luiz's sensational goal line clearance in Rio. Best ever?

David Luiz had a tremendous game in the final of the Confederations Cup in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday evening.  (I watched the match on BBC iPlayer yesterday evening.) Brazil beat Spain 3-0, and David Luiz ensured that Brazil kept a clean sheet with a wonderful goal line clearance that must rank among the best.  I have not seen a more spectacular and sensational clearance. I have looked at it several times on the BBC website. For me, it is the best ever goal line clearance. Such amazing anticipation and commitment! 

Time for God in prayer

What is this life if full of care we have no time for God in prayer?

Today I watched some videos on YouTube by RT Kendall and listened to his thoughts on prayer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9Qz_yhuhWY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IaPfMCTgTE

  I have now ordered his book, Did You Think To Pray?  He is very challenging on the subject of prayer, and mentions how little contemporary church leaders pray ( just a few minutes each day according to a poll that he refers to).  He points out that great men of God were men of prayer, and asks, where are the Luthers and the Wesleys of today?  Luther spent more time in prayer when he was busy. It is a very interesting observation.

He makes the point that God loves our company, and that we spend time with those we love.  Time with God is always   rewarding. Wesley believed that God works in answer to pray.

None of us can pray perfectly, but the Spirit of God helps us in our weakness.  May He help us to pray and teach us to pray.

The challenge is: how much time should you really be spending in prayer each day?  May we get beyond the guilt and really start praying and spending time with God in prayer. Love and time are linked.

Pastor Leroy Thompson, preacher of the false prosperity gospel

When it comes to bad teaching about prosperity Leroy Thompson is one of the best examples.  When I looked at some of the videos on YouTube I could not believe how stupid people are to follow him and to believe in his false teaching and pure heresy. It is amazing to see folk throwing money at him and supporting his "work". It appeals to people's greed; it fleeces the flock rather than feeds them!

His message is not about Christianity at all. It is a disgrace. Where is the message of true discipleship, genuine repentance and sanctification?  Leroy Thompson is concerned about serving mammon and the love of money.

Jesus, however, talked about the deceitfulness of riches. Paul mentions the love of money being the root of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 needs to be heeded.

Godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of it. We should be content with food and clothing. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and into many foolish and harmful lusts that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Alfred TB Williams, revival and Nigerian pastors

I note that Christ Faith Tabernacle website still refers to Alfred Williams' prophecy about a coming revival in the UK and his revelations.

We did not see a revival in 2011, as Alfred Williams predicted, and the situation in Nigeria is very bad at the moment (particularly in the north of the country).  According to one of my friends who is a Nigerian doctor, there are many difficulties when working throughout Nigeria.  And he has been working recently in the northern areas. Corruption, lawlessness and Boko Haram terrorism are evident.

Does charity begin at home?  I have noticed that some Nigerian pastors in England do very little to help the desperately needy Nigerian people who live in abject poverty. Some prosperity preachers in Nigeria have personal jet planes while their home town folk and tribes are living in terrible conditions.   According to my friend there are plans to tax these prosperity parasites very heavily.

I understand that Alfred Williams does minister from time to time in Nigeria.  I hope he sees the revival there that he has preached about. Nigeria clearly needs a revival, as does the UK.


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ivUMoCv9U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoEwPACFyiw

Endeavour Locations

Those who know Oxford well may have noticed that the outdoor scenes for the Moonlight nightclub in yesterday's episode of Endeavour were filmed in Pusey Street and featured a rarely used entrance at Regent's Park College.

Further details are available at

 http://oxford.tab.co.uk/2013/01/24/scoop-oxford-detective-series-filmed-in-oxford/