Peace

 

PEACE

Love One Another

 

 UBI CARITAS ET AMOR. 

UBI CARITAS DEUS IBI EST.

 

Where charity and love are

God is there.

BIND US TOGETHER WITH LOVE

Do you stand up for Jesus?

 

Why did God create us? I believe it is because He wants us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. It is as simple as that.

Our life on this earth is only a temporary journey in preparation for an eternity with our Maker and Creator in Heaven; together with His Son Jesus and the Saints and Holy Spirit. By Saints I mean all those loved ones who have gone before us in a state of grace and love for God.

God wants us all in Heaven for ever. The invitation is sent to everyone. But not everyone responds. Some indeed turn down the invitation and decide to go their own way believing what they want. Denying the very existence of God even. 

And God allows them to go their own way. No one goes to Heaven against their will. No one is forced there.

Just like any loving parent hurts when their child goes astray; so does God grieve when we choose our way as opposed to His. He grieves bitterly but allows it to happen.

It is fashionable these days to proclaim that God does not exist. It is all folklore and antiquated thinking and belief. 

Years ago I worked in London, close to Saint Paul's Cathedral. No one at work knew I was a Christian. Talking about religion and politics was not encouraged at work. One day I visited St Paul's Cathedral with a  colleague. As we entered the vast building he waved his hand in the air in grandiose fashion and said, "Tell me Vic, do you believe in all that?" Meaning God and Christianity.

I replied, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do!" He said nothing. But from that day he acted differently towards me. More polite and respectful. So did other colleagues. In time, other senior managers also acted differently towards me a junior. Word had got round about me. Maybe they thought I was odd, weird, whatever ... but at least they saw me as different.

As Christians, we all have a Mission given to us by Christ Himself. To go out and witness for Him and to spread His Word as best we can.

We don't need to be priests, deacons, nuns and monks, preachers, pastors or whatever else to do so. We can quite simply stand up for Jesus by the way we live our example for others to follow.

 

Recently, a nurse lost her job because she said to a patient, "I am praying for you!" The patient objected because he did not believe in God and took offence at the suggestion of prayers for him. The nurse lost her job - but what a way to stand up for Jesus. The case hit the headlines and eventually made news.

 

We can stand up for Jesus by the way we Blog. Someone might meet Christ for the first time in their lives by what we write. 

Whether we write about our families, or about food and recipes, photos we've taken or art we enjoy, music or humour, as long as every now and then a Christian message seeps through our writings it will do some good somewhere.

 

You do the writing and God will ensure the right person will read it.

Snakes Alive

 

I read in the papers that there is a real possibility that we might have snakes in our homes. Apparently with colder weathers in some countries snakes are entering houses and hiding in the loft or attic by climbing up drain pipes or even hiding in wall partitions or in cellars. They could be hiding behind furniture or anywhere warm; like behind the fridge.

So beware around the house and be on the look-put for anything out of the ordinary. Be careful when picking up clothes left lying on the bed, or a chair or on the floor; as a snake could be curled up amongst the clothes to keep warm. Snakes also like humid conditions for their skin; so be in the look-out in the bathroom, in the laundry basket, or hanging clothes like dressing gowns; you might put one on and find you're sharing it with a python.

A man found a snake in his car engine. It seems the snake crawled into the car from underneath when the car was parked and the engine still warm. When the owner switched on the engine the next morning there was an odd sound. When he opened the bonnet he found the snake had been caught in the cooling fan and had been killed.

With colder weather in some countries, many creatures are finding new living habitat in homes and offices. Especially various spiders, scorpions, snakes and insects.

As for bats ... they may be out and about at night, but where are they the rest of the time? In the wild they live mainly in caves, but if there isn't one near your house where do you think they hide? Try your loft, or your cellar, or the garage, or any other out-building. They can enter your house from any small gap under the roof tiles between the roof and the wall. They are as small as a mouse or rat and can squeeze themselves in. If you go up in the loft or attic to search for something you may well disturb a whole flock of them. If they can't all get out at once, like a crowd from a supermarket, they'll just fly around "blindly" and most likely get entangled in your hair. That's one advantage of being bald.

Have a Happy Halloween ... statistically speaking you are always nearer to a snake, scorpion, bat or rat than you think. "It's behind you!!!!"  

Family Tree Surprises

 

I have discovered another relative from my family tree search. This is Quentin Smythe-Humphrey the Third. Originally born in Melbourne in Australia. He is a distant cousin twice removed. And you can't get more distant than Australia. Every time we removed him he came back to the UK.  

He fancied himself as somewhat of an explorer always searching for something new to put his name to it. He claimed that he invented the spoon rest. You know, that contraption some people have in the kitchen for putting your spoon when cooking. There is no evidence to substantiate his claim though. 

He also discovered that when you cut down a tree and count the rings in the trunk you can tell the tree's profession - table, wardrobe, desk, bed and so on. He claimed that if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to see it; it remains upright. 

He is also reputed to have discovered the West Pole; as opposed to the North and South Pole. One day whilst sitting on a beach in England near Liverpool he looked at the sun over the sea. Instead of the sun rising as he expected, the sun actually set slowly down on the horizon and disappeared. Obvious really, seeing he was facing West at the time. He suddenly deduced (wrongly) that the West Pole is in America, which is why people said "Go West young man!" So he took the first plane available and flew to the States in search of the West Pole.

As soon as he landed he hired a car and drove and drove in search of the illusive West Pole. Or is it elusive? What's the difference? Look both of them up in the dictionary and decide for yourself. (You learn something new every day on this Blog).

Anyway, he drove everywhere. On one occasion he drove non-stop for a whole day. Tired, he stopped and asked for directions, (which is a miracle for any man to do). He asked, "Am I 24 hours from Tulsa?" The reply was, "No; you're 48 hours from Tulsa; you've been driving in the wrong direction!"

Quentin Smythe-Humphrey the Third never found the West Pole; but he is revered in the UK for something totally different. Whilst Sir Walter Raleigh is often credited with introducing the potato to Ireland in 1589 and England it was Quentin Smythe-Humphrey the Third who introduced us to French fries and potato chips. Until then, the British cuisine consisted of "boiled meat and two veg" - potato and carrots, potato and peas, potato and parsnips, potato and potato. Sometimes it was three veg, potato, carrots and peas. But Quentin brought us fried fish and chips. A staple diet to this day. Without fried potatoes we would not have French fries, and potato chips. Thank you Quentin.

And another thing. Whilst in America Quentin discovered pizza. We did not have pizza in the UK until then. He tried pizza in the States and liked it. He tried every kind; cheese and tomatoes, with pepperoni salami, with vegetables, with ham, with tuna. He tried every kind of pizza and liked it. It is what is known as the Domino effect!

The priest and prostitute

 

ISBN-10: 150106570X 

ISBN-13: 978-1501065705

 

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AMAZON REVIEWS

 

 This is a very well written 'Who Done It'. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, and many original lines. The one I remember most was concerning a conversation in which the old saying "If someone yells in a vacuum can it be heard?" You have to appreciate the wit of the author and also the surprise ending. It is a very enjoyable read and I definitely would recommend the author. Yep, tis a fun read. Jack Darnell

 

 A man of many talents, Victor, entertains us with a "Who Don It" in this offering! What I liked MOST about the story---the reminder to not jump to judgement based upon circumstances! Victor tells a story with a touch of tongue in cheek--always--and adds a lesson in morality and faith while weaving an intriguing tale of murder and mystery. The faithful stand by Father Ignatius, but most fall away and even call for heads to roll--reminiscent of the last days of Christ. A talented writer, Victor, has once again used the infamous Father Ignatius to keep us on the edge of our seats--while at the same time gently reminding us of important life lessons. A Great Read! LJC

An intriguing and riveting story that will keep readers interested and engaged through the entire story. Highly recommended! Martha J Orlando 

This is a great fictional book, Moubarak has a talent for writing. Catherine

 

I so much love this book! I am still reading it, have not finished, but love how the story combines adventure, faith, and suspense. The author is very talented and has crafted a wonderful story. My highest recommendation! Deacon Patrick Kearns 

AMAZON LINK HERE

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble

 

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
when I'm perfect in every way.
I can't wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day.

We live in an age where humility is seen as a weakness. Life has become ever more competitive and to succeed you must push yourself forward, take control, and beat the opposition to end on top of the world - the winner - the Victor!

History is littered with people who made it to the top - kings, rulers, emperors, dictators, military leaders, politicians and so on. They all succeeded by being strong and decisive; or so they'll have you believe. Most of them are now just milestones along the way of history and often forgotten.

The only ever lasting King and Leader of generations, the One Who changed time itself as well as humanity, is Jesus Christ. And He did it with humility and sacrifice. A rare quality these days.

People today believe that they are in control of their lives and events. But in reality they are not.

Only God controls everything everywhere. 

People just go with the flow. Whether we are world leaders, business executives or whatever ... we all go with the flow. We are like tiny ants on a leaf being carried away down the river. We think we're controlling where the leaf is sailing, but in reality we are controlling nothing and we're going with the flow. Carried away with time and events. 

Humility is not a weakness, a compromise, and cowering in fear.

The opposite is true. Humility is a strength of character. It is standing up for what we believe done the Jesus way. He did not hide in fear. He stood up for the truth but did so with gentleness and loving. Humility is caring for others more than we care for ourselves.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.

Humility is not denigrating or devaluing our self-worth. We are priceless in the eyes of God. Humility is standing up for what we believe and focussing less on ourselves and more on others.

I repeat: Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.

In everything we do we should think of how it will impact on others. How can we moderate our thinking, planning, and actions for the benefit of others rather than ourselves? 

In every day life, when we meet others our focus should be more on them rather than on us. How they're doing, their families, their health, their hopes and worries. We should be genuinely interested in other people rather than thinking and talking about ourselves and our achievements.

Only then can we be Christ to someone every day on our way to Paradise.

Whale of a time

 

There was a crashing noise in the kitchen whilst I was in the lounge watching Baywatch on TV. I ran to investigate and found a whale in my kitchen. It got straight through the roof and caused a real mess everywhere with broken debris, pots and pans everywhere and smashed furniture. Worst of all, it had ruined my Lancashire hotpot with potatoes, carrots, parsnips and swedes and plenty of mutton. The recipe did not call for fish and there I had a huge whale in the middle of it all.

We are over 60 miles from the sea. How did it get in my kitchen? I phoned the fire brigade but they would not come out because it was not on fire. The police said it was not on their wanted list and strictly speaking, although it was breaking and entering, it had not stolen anything. 

The Animal Rescue people turned up and said it had probably been picked up by a seagull and it proved too heavy for it after 60 miles. They could not help either because the whale was already dead.

I tried to flush it down the toilet but it was too heavy for me to carry upstairs. 

I planned to sell it to a cat food manufacturers. They declined the offer.

Does anyone out there want to buy a whale going cheap? It does bird impersonations too ... cheap ... cheep ... cheep!

English as it is spoke

 

Believe it or not, the two people above are speaking English ... or is it Scottish ... or Australian?

The English language seems to have developed and changed through time as well as geography. In the UK we say chips to mean fried sticks of potatoes, (French fries), and in the USA it means those crispy slices of potatoes which we call crisps. We say lift, you say elevator. We say petrol you say gas ... and so on.

Even in the UK, a small island just North of Europe the size of a postage stamp, we have different meanings for the same words. And different accents too. 

Up in Scotland we have different accents in Edinburgh and in Glasgow, a distance of just a few miles, (or inches if viewed on the map). 

Then we also have Welsh and Irish accents as well as the many accents in England itself. Someone from Liverpool would sound totally different than from Manchester, or from Birmingham, Norfolk, Cornwall or London. In fact in London you'd find different accents depending from which part of London you come from.

Here are some Scottish words and their meaning:

You ken - you know.

Braw - excellent or pleasant.

Dreich - dreary, dull or gloomy.

Eejit – Idiot (this word is also used in Ireland).

Canny – Careful, or sometimes Clever

Dinnae – Don’t

I’ll gie ye a skelpit lug – I’ll give you a slap on the ear!

Yer bum’s oot the windae - actual translation: ‘your bottom is out of the window’; meaning You are talking rubbish, or even You’re not making any sense.

And now some Cockney London Rhyming Slang.

Adam and Eve - meaning "believe" - Would you Adam and Eve it? (Would you believe it?)

Apples and Pears - meaning "stairs" - He went up the apples and pears.

Barney Rubble - meaning "trouble" - He is real Barney Rubble he is!

Brahms and Liszt - meaning "pissed" (drunk) - He came out of the pub totally Brahms and Liszt.

Bristol - short for a football team called Bristol City - which rhymes with titty meaning breast. So you would say - She had some large Bristols on her. Or, look at those Bristols.

Butcher's - short for butcher's hook - rhyming with and meaning "look" - Let me have a butchers at it. (Let me look at it).

Dog and bone - phone. I spoke to her on the dog and bone. She said her dog's meat (feet) hurt her and she had an itch on her fireman's hose (nose) and a pain in her Gregory Peck (neck). She went out and crossed the frog and toad (road) to fetch her dustbin lid (kid). When he got home, her dustbin lid (kid) was Hank Marvin (starving) and wanted feeding; but he said he wanted a Jimmy Riddle (piddle = urinate) first. So he went up the apples and pears - or tables and chairs (stairs) and pointed Percy to the porcelain (pointed his man bits to the porcelain urinal or toilet). She called him down but he must have been Mutt and Jeff (deaf) at the time because he didn't answer her.

She heard him wash his hands with a bit of Bob Hope (soap) and then he had a bread and cheese (sneeze) because he was coming down with a cold. He sat in front of the custard and jelly (telly = TV) and watched the baked bean (queen) give her Christmas address to the nation.

Enough Cockney Rhyming Slang for now. I'll say goodbye and go to the trouble and strife (wife) in the hope that she's got a Vera Lynn (gin) ready for me.

Tara now!

Status Quo Ad Infinitum Cave Canem

 

Amazing how we put up with things and let them continue rather than taking action to remedy the situation. Like the tiny spider we allow to escape up the wall and let him create cobwebs everywhere which we shall have to clean afterwards. Or the squeaky door hinge that we tolerate rather than apply a tiny spot of oil to smooth over our lives. Or worse still, the use of bad grammar when speaking or writing.

I went up to the bedroom and threw out the bed; it was high time it became my room I reasoned in a fit of pique. It is MY room not the bed's room! The same applied to the bathroom and dining room. Why have we allowed our language to let furniture appropriate room space in what is in effect my house, my rooms and my space?

"With this I shall put up no longer!" I cried out of the window ensuring that I do not end a phrase with a preposition.

"To what are you referring, kind Sir?" asked a passer-by in proper grammatical English.

"To whatever the particular situation happens to apply at the time in question," I said emphatically.

At this point a flying crow off-loaded the rejects of its digestive system upon my head. 

"Get in and stop acting the fool," said my wife from the kitchen. 

I shut the window and went to the bathroom to clean myself, but alas it was there no more. It was an empty room devoid of the furnishing accoutrements which make up a bathroom. It was just a vacant empty shell where once it was a central functioning facility.

Tired and exhausted I went to the bedroom and lay on the floor.

À la recherche du temps perdu.

 

 

À la recherche du temps perdu. In Search of Lost Time 

by Marcel Proust

In his book, À la recherche du temps perdu, the writer invokes memories from the past by eating a Madeleine cake. Oddly enough, this happened to me the other day when I suddenly remembered Black Bun. It suddenly came to mind and took me back to my many visits to Scotland.

For those refined readers of mine who do not know what Black Bun is, let me explain. It is a rich Scottish fruitcake which is encased in pastry and then cooked. It is a particular delicacy up North on Hogmanay; and other celebratory occasions. You prepare the pastry first then fill it with the fruitcake ingredients and bake.

Normally the final product looks like a brick. I remember a nameless mother-in-law relative who made it so hard that I took my cake out and threw it at the ducks in the pond to eat. They threw it back at me. I threw it back in the water and eventually it broke up for them to eat. You should have heard them breaking wind all the way home. Have you ever seen a flying duck breaking wind? It leaves a trail of smoke behind it.

Anyway, such memories for some unconnected reason, took me to the day when my auntie's goldfish died. She was proud of that goldfish and always pointed it out to me when I visited her. She called him Rover. One day she went out to the shop nearby and left me at home alone. I accidentally dropped the side light into the fish tank and electrocuted Rover. I fixed the light OK and it worked properly; but Rover was never the same again. I quickly went to the kitchen where I knew she had some carrots. I sliced one all along its length and shaped it like a fish the size of Rover and put it in the tank leaning beside some water plant she had there. Then I flushed Rover down the toilet.

When she returned, I finished my tea and cake quickly and bid her goodbye. She never mentioned it to me. She probably thought he died a natural death. Drowned most probably!

Amazing how thinking of Proust led me to all these memories. I was quite well-read at school you know. The other children wrote all over me with their Biros. One day in Science lesson I meant to write on the blackboard that an octopus has eight tentacles. But I miss-spelt tentacles and the teacher was very upset and she sent me to the headmaster. He did not know how to write it either.

I remember when one day my English teacher said to me "Your grammar stinks!"

I was upset since my grandma always smelled of lavender.

I told my father what the teacher had said and he asked "Which grand-mother?"

He wrote a letter of complaint.

My teacher replied that she had never commented on, nor would she ever presume to comment on, my family's body odour!

On reading her letter my father gave me a clip round the ears and then wrote again to the teacher apologising for the misunderstanding.

On reading my father's letter the teacher gave me detention after school.

On the Saturday I went to Confession. Our church had an old fashioned confessional which was a wooden booth where the priest sat and the penitents would kneel on either side and confess through a small window.

I told the priest all that had happened. He said "Don't speak so loud I can smell your grandmother kneeling on my other side!" Although he did not specify which grandma he could smell.

Then he gave me an extra penance for speaking loudly and for drawing attention to old peoples' body odour. Which technically I had not done because it was not me who started all this; it was my English teacher who said "Your grammar stinks!"

I think the church got this whole question of confession and absolution wrong somehow. I got a penance for my teacher's sin!

Moral: So did Jesus.

Are you one of those people who click on blue links?

DISCLAIMER - No ducks or goldfish have been harmed in the writing of this Post. This article has been written to test whether you will click on the blue link above. Go on ... you know you want to.

Percentage Belief

 

 A man named Jarius pleaded with Jesus for help because his daughter was dying. (Luke 8:40-56).

On His way to Jarius’ house, with a crowd following, there was a woman who had been ill for some time and doctors could do nothing for her. She thought: “if only I could get close enough to Jesus and touch His cloak, I’ll be healed.”

And so she did, and she was healed. Jesus felt her touching Him and said to her: “Your Faith has healed you.”

As He continued His journey a messenger came and told Jarius that his daughter was dead. “Don’t disturb Jesus any further.”

Jesus said to Jarius: “Don’t be afraid; only believe and she will be well.”

He then went to the house and raised the child from the dead.

As He was leaving that place, two blind men followed Jesus. (Matthew 9:27-31).

They begged Him to be healed.

So Jesus asked them: “Do you believe that I can heal you?”

“Yes” they answered.

Jesus touched their eyes and said: “Let it happen, then, just as you believe!”

And their sight was restored.

The common theme in these three incidents is that the individuals concerned believed in Jesus and in His power of healing.

The woman did not even have to ask Him. She believed that touching Him alone would heal her.

Jarius must have been devastated to hear of his daughter’s death; but Jesus told him to believe. He had a quick choice to make: carry on towards the house with Jesus, or send Him away. He believed in Jesus.

The two blind men were asked directly: “Do you believe that I can heal you?”

What a challenge from Jesus Himself. Do you really believe? Or are you here because you may have heard so much about me, or as a gamble that it might work, or for some other reason?

When we earnestly pray to God and ask for something; what percentage in us really believes that He can help us? Or is there that minute 1% of a doubt lurking there, at the back of our mind, making us doubt His willingness, or ability, to help?