In previous newsletters, I have allowed myself the luxury of recommending books I have enjoyed. May I have the luxury of doing the same here? Because I would like to tell you of what has been, for me, a voyage of real discovery.
Some years ago I encountered the book “In Six Days” (edited by John Ashton) in which 50 scientists explain why they each personally believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six days. One section, written by a biologist, showed through elementary probability theory, that even the chance of the 206 main bones of the skeleton being connected together in the correct general position is rather less than one in 10388 (or one in 10 followed by 387 zeros). I could see that this probability is so vanishingly small as to be essentially impossible, and if this simplest thing is so impossible, what about all the other things being correct? So I saw that evolution (from goo to you) could not happen.
From there I discovered that if you follow the chronology of Adam to Christ, as given in Genesis and other historical books of the Bible, the universe was created a little over 6,000 years ago. “A Concise Chronology of the Bible” (John D Brand, Edinburgh Bible College) sequences all the main Bible events and is a mine of useful information.
“The Authenticity of the Book of Genesis” (Bill Cooper) establishes the historical super-accuracy of Genesis in painstaking (academic) detail, while “After the Flood" (Bill Cooper again) connects the table of nations in Genesis 10 precisely and seamlessly with European history.
“Why do we not all believe the historicity and accuracy of Genesis?” I asked a friend. He replied “Because people choose not to believe what God has said”.
But the book I would especially commend is “Genesis for Today” (sixth edition, Andy McIntosh) which expands the thesis that “all Christian doctrine, directly or indirectly, has its basis in the literal events of the first eleven chapters of the Bible”.
This journey has thrown light on the Bible in an astonishing way. What a lesser understanding I tolerated for all these years, though I have always believed the Bible to be the “word of God”. Now I see that the Bible, written by God for our understanding and help, towers above all the thoughts of man, and that all else is defined by it, and not the other way around. Incidentally it also sweeps much that at present passes for science into the trash.
We know that all history is produced by the winners (kings do not write about the battles they lose) and is then reinterpreted regularly to reflect the current view. Egyptian priests inserted the names of non-existent rulers by the dozen into their records to show the antiquity of that dynasty, just as the Vatican established a department dedicated to the forging of documents to confirm its own authority.
We live in an age of unsurpassed access to information, much of which is grossly inaccurate or just plain lies. The ancients misrepresented their history just as we do today.
Monday 24 December 2018
Christmas 2018 News
December comes around again and challenges us to write a newsletter, not to tell you what wonderful people we are, but to keep in touch. In this astonishingly well-connected age, most people do relatively little keeping-in-touch, hence the reason for this. This is the first letter we have written for a number of years; perhaps it was too much effort before, or we aimed too high.
You probably know that in January 2016 builders began to integrate our ground floor and integral garage into one living space. The garage turned into a little study at the front, plus a utility room and shower room/toilet, and the kitchen and back lounge was renewed throughout. Now we can live wholly on the ground floor should eventual decrepitude render upstairs unattainable, and we are very happy with the results. The garden received a full width level patio and the planting of perennials to reduce work.
Of course, two days before the work started, Mike suffered a TIA from which he has gradually recovered apart from low level memory loss. Being human, we both feel the effects of getting a little older, but remain generally quite well.
It will be apparent to you that our intention is to remain in Reading where our friends are. Road traffic increases and we routinely use a sat-nav even for the weekly visit to ALDI to bypass jams.
In January we attended the Thanksgiving for Janet’s Aunt Lucy in Stourbridge. She was 96 and a much-loved Auntie. Janet had always felt close to her because they had followed a similar career in nursing.
In April we attended the Thanksgiving in Reading for Pam Jarvis who had been a particular friend to Janet in Reading.
In June, long haul flights having become too tiring especially for Janet, we enjoyed a couple of week’s holiday near St Mawes in Cornwall on a farm with entertainment provided by moo-cows scratching their heads on an adjacent stone wall, a boat trip across the water to Falmouth and excursions to National Trust gardens, a death experience for Mike because he will never be able to emulate them.
In July we travelled up to Liverpool to attend the Thanksgiving for Alan Turnbull who, with Marion his wife, had been very supportive to us in the mission work in which we were jointly involved in Malawi, Central Africa between 1993 and 1995.
It is quite impossible to express our gratefulness for their kindness for so many things, even lending us their house and car at different times, and their love especially when Malawi felt more like a war zone than the warm heart of Africa.
In August, Janet’s father moved to the Isle of Wight and we visited him after some weeks. Richard, one of Janet’s three brothers and his wife Jeanette are caring for him in their beautiful home in Wootton Bridge, and he is settling in well to his new surroundings and enjoys being part of a family again.
In September, our dear Japanese friend Kik died after a long illness. She had lived with us all together for about seven years, had become a part of the family, been a bright and shining light, and we loved her dearly.
At intervals we travelled north-east to Norfolk to visit Mike’s brother Paul and wife Carol in Aylsham; they always look after us very well.
Both of us are wired into the 21st century with PCs, tablets and smartphones; Janet to keep in touch via WhatsApp, etc, and Mike to read the newspaper. Mike is known to occasionally use computers for useful things when they are not requiring updates or repairs.
We greatly value our church, Earley Christian Fellowship, are concerned about the immense moral, cultural and political changes occurring in the UK, and fully aware that the only way forward is dependence upon God. Our church friends, here and around the country, continue to be a great blessing to us, and we hope that we can be a blessing to them through hospitality, through input into the church, and having people to stay from time to time.
Sons Tim and Ben, in their thirties, are making their way professionally: Tim is working in Reading in systems management, and Ben is working in Bracknell and is engaged.
We want to assure you of our love; we increasingly value the love of family and friends.
You probably know that in January 2016 builders began to integrate our ground floor and integral garage into one living space. The garage turned into a little study at the front, plus a utility room and shower room/toilet, and the kitchen and back lounge was renewed throughout. Now we can live wholly on the ground floor should eventual decrepitude render upstairs unattainable, and we are very happy with the results. The garden received a full width level patio and the planting of perennials to reduce work.
Of course, two days before the work started, Mike suffered a TIA from which he has gradually recovered apart from low level memory loss. Being human, we both feel the effects of getting a little older, but remain generally quite well.
It will be apparent to you that our intention is to remain in Reading where our friends are. Road traffic increases and we routinely use a sat-nav even for the weekly visit to ALDI to bypass jams.
In January we attended the Thanksgiving for Janet’s Aunt Lucy in Stourbridge. She was 96 and a much-loved Auntie. Janet had always felt close to her because they had followed a similar career in nursing.
In April we attended the Thanksgiving in Reading for Pam Jarvis who had been a particular friend to Janet in Reading.
In June, long haul flights having become too tiring especially for Janet, we enjoyed a couple of week’s holiday near St Mawes in Cornwall on a farm with entertainment provided by moo-cows scratching their heads on an adjacent stone wall, a boat trip across the water to Falmouth and excursions to National Trust gardens, a death experience for Mike because he will never be able to emulate them.
In July we travelled up to Liverpool to attend the Thanksgiving for Alan Turnbull who, with Marion his wife, had been very supportive to us in the mission work in which we were jointly involved in Malawi, Central Africa between 1993 and 1995.
It is quite impossible to express our gratefulness for their kindness for so many things, even lending us their house and car at different times, and their love especially when Malawi felt more like a war zone than the warm heart of Africa.
In August, Janet’s father moved to the Isle of Wight and we visited him after some weeks. Richard, one of Janet’s three brothers and his wife Jeanette are caring for him in their beautiful home in Wootton Bridge, and he is settling in well to his new surroundings and enjoys being part of a family again.
In September, our dear Japanese friend Kik died after a long illness. She had lived with us all together for about seven years, had become a part of the family, been a bright and shining light, and we loved her dearly.
At intervals we travelled north-east to Norfolk to visit Mike’s brother Paul and wife Carol in Aylsham; they always look after us very well.
Both of us are wired into the 21st century with PCs, tablets and smartphones; Janet to keep in touch via WhatsApp, etc, and Mike to read the newspaper. Mike is known to occasionally use computers for useful things when they are not requiring updates or repairs.
We greatly value our church, Earley Christian Fellowship, are concerned about the immense moral, cultural and political changes occurring in the UK, and fully aware that the only way forward is dependence upon God. Our church friends, here and around the country, continue to be a great blessing to us, and we hope that we can be a blessing to them through hospitality, through input into the church, and having people to stay from time to time.
Sons Tim and Ben, in their thirties, are making their way professionally: Tim is working in Reading in systems management, and Ben is working in Bracknell and is engaged.
We want to assure you of our love; we increasingly value the love of family and friends.
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