Just a Simple Belfast Boy

2013 Brian Mawhinney

ISBN 978-1-84954-532-7

When driving along a UK motorway, have you ever encountered a 40 mile per hour speed restriction that continued mile after mile for no apparent reason, and wondered what was going on? Brian explains in this book how this came to pass. In fact if you would like a window into government within the UK written with humour and honesty, this is the book for you.

In 371 pages, including the index, Mr Mawhinney with kind humour, tells us how he first became the MP for Peterborough, was appointed to the Northern Ireland Office during the troubles, became Minister for Health, Minister of State for Transport, Conservative Party Chairman, worked with Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Michael Heseltine and many others, became Chairman of the Football League, and was involved in a bid to FIFA for the World Cup to be in the UK. He is kind to all but you can get a good idea who he regards as the goodies, and who the baddies.

This is an inside story, told with accuracy and honesty, because Brian Mawhinney is a committed Christian and he highly values integrity.

This book is exciting reading if you have an interest in government or football, and counters the accusations of 'sleaze everywhere' made daily in the newspapers and other media.

Link to book on Amazon.co.uk

Amazon states: This simple Belfast boy was to find himself at the centre of politics during some of the most tumultuous events of recent British history - the peace process in Ireland, Britain in Europe, Thatcher versus Major. This momentous autobiography is full of the acerbic wit and outspoken opinion that characterises Brian Mawhinney - the man and the politician. This long-awaited memoir is a major work of enduring historical significance, packed with untold stories.

Genesis and Creation, the facts!

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. 

Three Cups of Tea

2006 Greg Mortenson
ISBN 978-0-141-03426-3

From the jacket - 'In 1993, after a terrifying and disastrous attempt to climb K2, a mountaineer called Greg Mortenson drifted, cold and dehydrated, into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains. Moved by the inhabitants' kindness, he promised to return and build a school. Three Cups of Tea is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade Mortenson built not just one but fifty-five schools in remote villages across the forbidding and breathtaking landscape of Pakistan and Afghanistan, just as the Taliban rose to power. His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit'.

According to the book, in 1962, Mortenson's parents moved to Moshi in Tanzania to work as Lutheran missionaries. While his father Dempsey threw everything he had into raising money for and founding Tanzania's first teaching hospital Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), his mother established the Moshi International School for expatriates' children. When KCMC was up and partially running, against the wishes of others on the board, Dempsey focussed on offering medical scholarships to promising local students. When the 640-bed hospital was completed, Julius Nyereri spoke at the official opening and Dempsey predicted "In ten years time, the head of every department of KCMC will be a Tanzanian".

It was from this background that Mortensen came. The book shows that, in process of time, he came into a tremendous sense of calling and purpose that drove him on through trials and testings that you would normally read about only in Christian books about pioneer missionaries. In fact you may suppose as the story unfolds that Mortenson is being led by the Holy Spirit who is putting situations and people into his path at exactly the right time (divine appointments), and yet Mortenson becomes acceptable to tribal leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan precisely because he does not exhibit trappings of Christianity, is a circumspect man of integrity, does not drink alcohol, and is strongly moral and respectful.

Tribal leaders checked him out very carefully before they gave him their support and gave it once they were convinced that to their minds he was not a Christian and not a degenerate westerner. And when they gave him their support it was wholehearted, even though he was an American and found sometimes to have friends among the US military.

This is a very remarkable book showing as it does the remarkable wisdom of God in using a nothing - Greg Mortenson - to bring help to Pakistan and Afghanistan where western governments appeared to have little or no impact - completely out of proportion to their vast resources.

The sequel, Stones into Schools, is every bit as interesting to read. 'In this dramatic first-person narrative, Greg Mortenson picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan; his extensive work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders, and tribal leaders even as he was dodging shootouts with feuding Afghan warlords and surviving an eight-day armed abduction by the Taliban. He shares for the first time his broader vision to promote peace through education and literacy, as well as touching on military matters, Islam, and women – all woven together with the many rich personal stories of the people who have been involved in this remarkable two-decade humanitarian effort'.

About the Author: Greg Mortenson is a former mountaineer and ER nurse, and is cofounding Director of the Central Asia Institute, raising $2.8 million dollars each year through tireless campaigning for modest individual donations. His previous book Three Cups of Tea has sold over 3 million copies in the US. He is the recipient of Pakistan’s highest civil award (The Star of Pakistan) for his sixteen years work to promote education and peace in the region. He lives in Montana with his family.

Promised Land: the future of Israel revealed in prophecy

1982 Derek Prince
ISBN 0-8007-9389-7

Some years ago I realised that, although Israel is prominent in both Old and New Testament scriptures, my knowledge of it was sadly lacking, and the time had come to correct this.

In 1948, the state of Israel came back into existence after a gap of almost 1900 years. This in itself is very remarkable, but it is predicted by scripture that this would happen. Indeed, it may come as a surprise to learn that the Earl of Shaftesbury, Benjamin Disraeli, Robert Browning, George Eliot, John Adams and other Victorians supported the concept of a restored Jewish state and that the Britain government of the time, through the Balfour Declaration of 1917, also expressed strong support.

On 14 May 1948, Israel declared Independence, and armies from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria began a war to destroy it which eventually ended with Israel increasing it's territory. Attacks upon Israel continued over the years, the Six-Day War in 1967 being marked by the same kind of miraculous elements as the War of Independence.

Derek Prince always writes carefully, accurately and honestly, and this book is particularly interesting because he was an eye-witness of events leading up to the founding of Israel in 1948, being a resident of Palestine at that time.

The book contains:

• Part 1: Historical Perspective
• Part 2: Prophetic Fulfilment
• Part 3: Chronology of events in Israel from 1947 to 2004

He treats his material with care, though I do not agree - as he states - that I should repent of the attitude of institutional Christianity to the Jews up to the time of Hitler (page 110) - seeing I have not concurred with institutional Christianity for as long as I can remember. I think that this was the only part of the book I disagreed with. Derek Prince is factual and certainly not rabid.

However, I like the scripturally developed arguments for the establishment of the State of Israel, and am personally persuaded by what I read in the Bible that the Lord will return to Israel on the Mount of Olives at a future date, and that the history of the world will therefore continue to revolve around Israel.

For a simple introduction to Israel, I recommend this book as a useful, and considered approach.

How to read a non-fiction book

When I read a non-fiction book, I typically practice these ten disciplines. They help me get more out of the books I read and insure that I retain the information longer [borrowed from Ron Bailey's FaceBook page].

God's Golden Acre

2005 Heather Reynolds and Dale le Vack
ISBN 1 85424 706 9 (UK)

A biography of Heather Reynolds – the inspirational story on one woman's fight for some of the world's most vulnerable AIDS orphans.

At first sight, this is not a book that would have appealed to me. It is about a white lady who cared for orphans in the Valley of a Thousand Hills region of South Africa in KwaZulu Natal.

But from the start I found it intensely gripping, real, and personally very helpful. Heather was brought up in South Africa, the daughter of white people who ran a trading post. Her father was a drunk though she speaks very warmly of him, and she made a very bad marriage which her mother could have prevented but didn't. Her elder brother was handicapped and her life was a shambles until God got hold of her in her twenties. This book pulls no punches.

She met a man who really cared for her, and when her divorce came through, she married him and did not look back. This man, under God, enabled her to make a comeback as a person. Fluent in Zulu as well as English and Afrikaans, under God, she committed her life to the care of poor Zulu families. In human terms she had little going for her and few resources, and for years lived close to the breadline, fighting to help the poor people around her in the midst of opposition from her white neighbours who saw no reason to help 'black people'.

The hand of God is very clearly seen in the way that Heather was led, the people that God led to associate with her, and the amazing timing of supply that only God could provide.

This book has been of particular interest to me because of visits I made to All Africa Bible College when it was situated at Hillcrest overlooking the Valley of a Thousand Hills on the N3 motorway between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. The college has now closed and the premises bought by 'Focus on the Family, South Africa'.

I particularly remember a couple of incidents that occurred while Janet and I were staying at AABC with the boys, when intruders came up the very steep hill from the Valley of a Thousand Hills to the college at the top and attempted to break into staff houses. It was very frightening for all involved, and the electric fence and other defences did nothing to keep intruders out of the college premises.

Amazon.co.uk reviews of this book

God's Undertaker: has science buried God?

2007 John C Lennox – Reader in Maths at Oxford University
ISBN 978 0 7459 5303 8

A Christmas present from my wife, probably the most convincing book I have read about the Creation – Evolution debate. But not for the fainthearted. On the way the book answers various comments made by Richard Dawkins among a host of others. The cover says:

If we believe many modern commentators, science has squeezed God into a corner, killed and then buried him with its all-embracing explanations. Atheism, we are told, is the only intellectually tenable position, and any attempt to reintroduce God is likely to impede the progress of science.

In this stimulating and thought-provoking book, John Lennox invites us to consider such claims very carefully. Is it really true, he asks, that everything in science points towards atheism? Could it be possible that theism sits more comfortably with science than atheism? Has science buried God or not?

The titles of the chapters are:

• War of the worldviews
• The scope and limits of science
• Reduction, reduction, reduction...
• Designer universe
• Designer biospere
• The nature and scope of evolution
• The origin of life
• The genetic code and its origin
• Matters of information
• The monkey machine
• The origin of information

I enjoyed reading this book and will read it again in a little while to let it sink in further. As a seeker after truth, I have the responsibility to educate myself against the false doctrines that are in the world. If God has said that He made everything, which He does, I have a responsibility to deal with any remnants of doubt that may linger, and to align myself totally with everything He tells me. That's precisely why books like this are written.

The day that I realised, through attending a Creationist presentation, that God has done what He says He has done, it was as though something dirty fell away from me; I suddenly felt clean. That speaks volumes.

Amazon.co.uk reviews of this book

It’s Our Turn to Eat: the story of a Kenyan whistleblower

2009, Michela Wong
ISBN-10: 0061346586
ISBN-13: 978-0061346583

If you have an interest in Africa and why most of the people of African continue in utmost destitution and poverty while their rulers drive around in luxury cars, you need to read this book.

It is the story of Kenya, and how since independence successive governments have succeeded in milking the system. Michela Wong writes brilliantly and with insight about the situation in Kenya, and about John Githongo who was appointed by the new Kenyan president in 2002 to expose corruption, and the process by which he realised that the president was running the corruption, and using John as a ‘clean’ front-man. The UN and the British government, as usual, come out of book as parts of the problem. Africans are rarely able to be really corrupt without the help of their foreign friends.

A review in the Economist (Feb 28, 2009) says 'This gripping saga is a down-to-earth yet sophisticated exposé of how an entire country can be munched in the clammy claws of corruption. It is also a devastating account of how corruption and tribalism reinforce each other, as clannish elites exploit collective feelings of jealousy or superiority in an effort to ensure that their lot wins a fat, or the fattest, share of the cake. Hence the book’s title: “It’s our turn to eat”'.

Amazon.co.uk reviews of this book

Funding the Family Business

Myles Wilson and Stewardship

Funding the Family Business, published by Stewardship for Christian workers, is packed with 25 chapters covering almost everything you need to know to establish a support base.

Early chapters look at the principles of giving: "If you are going to receive financial support, someone needs to give it, and because you can’t receive until they give, it is important to understand what the Bible says about being a giver before exploring what it means to be a receiver". The clear message is that because "it is more blessed to give than receive", support raisers are helping others to experience God’s blessing and reticence to approach potential supporters can deny them this privilege.

Later chapters deal more with the practicalities of finding supporters and asking for their commitment: "You want to make sure that those on your support team know why you want them to be your supporters, what being a supporter will involve and how they can be the best help to you in following Gods' call on your life".

As a workbook it is packed with stories, insight and exercises that will inspire, inform and guide in the ministry journey.

Testimonies
"Our support was declining and we were considering quitting. Myles' intervention and teaching completely transformed our view of support raising and set us on a fresh course with faith and vision"

"When we started looking into serving overseas, we vowed we would never raise our own support. But God had other ideas and soon we found ourselves reluctantly doing so. We then attended a Myles Wilson seminar and our reluctance was transformed into enthusiasm. We haven't looked back since and wouldn't change from it now - even if we were given the option."

"Several years ago, my wife and I  were receiving 70% of our target annual budget. We were in a financial hole, and could see no way up and out. I'm delighted to say that, with Myles as our coach, we were able to get to 95% of our budget within 6-9 months. Myles was a wonderful "coach" with a wealth of experience in this field. He not only has a firm grasp of biblical principles that lie behind the whole area of support raising, but has the personal qualities that a coach needs - encouraging all the time, but also prepared to confront and call for change when needed. He nurtured our faith in the Lord's ability to provide, and is a great teacher. He was for us a messenger from God, and we thank God for Him.

"Our mission has benefited enormously from Myles' training of both staff and mission Partners.  We have learnt not only how to go about raising support but why we want to do it.  Our aim is to develop partnerships between ourselves and churches, mission partners and the projects and ministries in which we serve, both here and abroad, and Myles has helped us to achieve that much more effectively."

"We have published a number of Myles' articles on giving and receiving in our magazine and have received more requests to re-use these in other church and charity publications than any other resource.

"For well over a decade we have used Myles Wilson to train our candidates in support raising.  His biblical, practical and enthusiastic approach has been a great help to many new candidates who can often feel unsure if they will ever be able to raise the amounts they need to follow God's call into mission.  However, despite some members coming from small churches with very limited finances, in the years Myles has trained our staff we have never had anyone not go to the field because they couldn't raise their support.   The foundation that Myles has helped us lay is to see support raising as a genuine way of getting churches, friends and family of our members involved in mission and as a blessing to the supporters where it is more blessed to give than receive."

More information