Hard times and heat for Hodgson at Liverpool FC

The once mighty and magnificent Liverpool FC were beaten by (bottom of the table before kick off) Wolves at Anfield on Wednesday.  Roy Hodgson is feeling the heat as Liverpool slip down the Premier League table to 12th and one place below Everton.  That is a painful place for the loyal red scouser. The current Liverpool team has been performing poorly.  There have been some dismal defending, mediocre midfield moves and  sub-standard strikers. Roy clearly needs to bring better players into his squad, which is the weakest for years.

England rejoice in retaining the Ashes after the 4th Test Match in Melbourne

The Poms beat the Aussies by an innings and 157 runs to retain the Ashes.  England are now 2-1 up with the fifth and final test match of the Ashes series to be played in Sydney.  According to Shane Warne, England thoroughly deserved to retain the Ashes and played by far the better cricket in the series. Very few would disagree.  Two England batsmen (Cook and Trott) averaged over 100. On three occasions they scored over 500 in an innings. England scored 620 for 5 declared in the second test match.

It has been hard for the Aussies after so many years of strength and quality.  Four years ago a swathe of top class players retired and now it is time to rebuild.

Location for "Whistle and I'll come to you" beach scenes, BBC 2010

For those who wish to know the exact location of the beach scenes in the BBC 2010 version of MR James' ghost story, I can reveal that they were filmed around Botany Bay and Kingsgate Bay in the Thanet area of Kent.

Please see the Kent Film Office website for further details:



http://www.kent.gov.uk/filmoffice/film-focus/whistle-and-i2019ll-come-to-youwhistle-and-i2019ll-come-to-youwwhistle-and-i2019ll-come-to-youwwhistle-and-ill-come-to-you/

Mysterious, Majestic and Marvellous - The Incarnation

Yes, beyond all question, great is the mystery of godliness as He appeared in a body.  1 Timothy 3:16.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.

Yes, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3. How majestic is the Lord Jesus Christ. We worship His majesty. Let all the angels worship Him. Hebrews 1:6.

Yes, great and marvellous are Thy works...Thou King of saints.  Remember His marvellous works that He has done.  We Christians have been brought out of darkness into His most marvellous light.  1 Peter 2:9.

Poms pummelled in Perth

The Aussies have levelled the Test series 1-1 in Perth by beating England by 267 runs.  The Aussies managed to bowl England out twice for less than 200 in both innings and have regained their confidence. Mitchell Johnson was the man of the match. He took 6 wickets for 38 runs in the first innings and 3 for 44 in the second innings. Ryan Harris also bowled well taking 3 for 59 runs in the first innings and 6 for 47 in the second innings.

Over £12 billion has been spent on the Afghan War.

The cost of the war in Afghanistan is well over £12 billion and we have little to show for it.  Propagandists try to tell us otherwise but show us precious little evidence of progress and gains. Troops are dying on a regular basis. Over 340 military personnel have died in this conflict. The enemy continues to plant bombs and maim soldiers.  Then there is the cost of lost lives, many innocent civilian deaths, destruction, casualties, corruption, profiteering and war crimes.  There have been many failures that we are not told about.  Can we calculate these costs? We are told that there is not enough money for student fees and university courses, yet we can find the money to continue this wicked war.  John Pilger's recent documentary The War You Don't See (broadcast on ITV, Tuesday 14/12/10 at 10.35 p.m.) reveals of litany of lies by politicians, world leaders and the media.

The military war in Afghanistan is a disgraceful waste of money, lives and effort.  It was badly conceived, being without a clear exit strategy and long term planning.  It looks like an act of aggression and therefore an unjustified intervention. It will create more hostility, greater danger and acts of terrorism. What a mess! What a quagmire! The Afghan problem will not be solved by military action.

The Nobel Peace Prize puts pressure on China to release the worthy winner Liu Xiaobo

Lui Xiaobo was sadly not able to receive his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.  He is not a criminal but a peace loving intellectual who stands up for human democratic rights and against a repressive regime.  Shame on the Chinese authorities for imprisoning an honourable man of peace and integrity.  They are persecuting  intellectuals, Christian leaders and political opponents.  Dissidents really suffer.  China is not a free country, despite its economic power, influence and strength.

Agony in Adelaide for the Australian Cricket Team

The Australians admitted that they were comprehensively beaten in Adelaide by a superior performance by the Poms in the Second Test Match for the Ashes.  Swann and Anderson bowled magnificently, Cook and Pietersen batted supremely, and the Aussies could not get their opponents all out once.  England in their first innings scored 620 for five wickets (declared). The Poms managed to bowl out the Aussies twice and won by an innings and 71 runs.  That doesn't often happen in Australia!   It was a brilliant victory for England, who had looked strong in the First Test in Brisbane, especially in the second innings, when they scored 517 for one wicket (declared). In the last Ashes series in Australia the Poms were defeated in every Test match.  There are calls for Shane Warne to make a comeback.

The Russian World Cup bid win makes sense, but Qatar stinks!

I can understand that there are good reasons for Russia hosting the World Cup in 2018, but I agree completely with Mark Lawrenson and Jonathan Pearce that the 2022 choice of Qatar is an absolute joke.  Qatar does not have the infrastructure, the tradition or the suitable weather conditions.  Please tell me the name of one quality side or player from Qatar. Can you name one?  Australia makes far more sense.  But it is not the best bid from a footballing point of view that wins; it is the one that suits the corrupt and untrustworthy FIFA officials.  The money and the wealth are doing the talking.  And you can bet that certain geriatric FIFA officials will do very nicely out of the Qatar deal. FIFA has still not yet full embraced 21st century technology for goal line decisions and that is a disgrace.

The Priesthood of All Believers

The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is precious to many Bapists and those who hold to certain Reformed doctrines against the tyranny of priests, pontiffs and prelates.  It is not an assertion of ecclesiastical anarchy but the recognition of an every member ministry. It does not mean that all are called to preach or lead, but it encourages every believer to exercise the ministry, the realm of service to which God has called them, be it administration, evangelism, pastoral care, teaching, prophesy, or hospitality.  We all have a role to play in Christ and by the Holy Spirity we can discover what God has given us to use in His service.

The key passage concerning the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers in 1 Peter 2: 1-12, particularly verses 5 and 9.

As priests of God all believers are to exercise their ministry and service for God with responsibility and with an understanding of accountability.  We are accountable to God and His people.

Ministry then brings responsibility and accountability.


We bring to God our worship, our sacrifices of praise and gifts.  We are all called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives to God. for we are not our own we have been bought with a price, and for some that means laying down our lives as martyrs.  A martyr is a witness in death. 


We are here on earth to serve as good and faithful servants.