The Invisible Spiritual World

 

I lost my shoe

 

 

I LOST MY SHOE

 

translated into English from

 

 Bizet's "Carmen" Act 1 

 

"L'amour est un oiseau rebelle." 

 

Habanera

 

The Holy Trinity - Explained

 

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THE HOLY TRINITY - EXPLAINED

(Six minutes)

Excerpt from the book

REFLECTIONS FOR THE SOUL

CLICK HERE

Love

 

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (Corinthians 13:4 onwards)

This passage from the Bible is read in a lot of wedding ceremonies.

But sadly, when things start to go wrong and difficulties lead to separations and divorce, it is soon forgotten.

It reminds me of the story of the man who said,"my wife introduced me to religion; I never knew what hell was until I married her!"

Mind you, the comment also applies to husbands, not just wives.

Love is a commitment. It is a decision we make, not just a feeling when we first meet someone and get to "like" them and want to be with them. 

I guess it is easier to love someone we don't know than someone we have lived with for sometime and got to know their failings.

Love is a vocation. Whether we are married, single, widowed, divorced or separated; love is a decision that we make.

Love is another word for caring. Caring for our partners, our family, our community or whoever. If we are single we can still care for others by the way we behave. 

Caring means doing something about it; not just sympathising from a distance and feeling sorry.

The greatest example of love is: 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

I think perhaps we should replace the word "whosoever" with our name. Try it. See how it feels.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if Victor believes in Him he should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

We are each loved by God individually. Can we love others as He has loved us?

As for me ... I think love is eating the last piece of pizza to help my wife lose weight.

Do you remember then ...?

 

Facing Anxiety

 

A prayer

 

A prayer for all who have left the Faith 

Bread - Everything I own 

Easter Wishes

 

WISHING YOU ALL

A BLESSED EASTER 

 

 

One Bread One Body

 

One Bread One Body

 

You may wish to read about

the lies and conspiracies about

Easter

CLICK HERE 

Reflections for Easter

 

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SUBTITLES/CLOSED CAPTIONS AVAILABLE

Click icon on video

The Shoebox

 

The Shoebox

Chris Young

Don't leave it too late

 

 

 Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door
 

I know that I’m a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I’m a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him
in the living years
 

Crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got
 

You say you just don’t see it
He says its perfect sense
You just can’t get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence
 

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you
hear
It’s too late when we die
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
 

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the
past
We only sacrifice the future
It’s the bitterness that lasts
 

So don’t yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don’t give up, and
don’t give in
You may just be OK.
 

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you
hear
It’s too late when we die
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
 

I wasn’t there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn’t get to tell him
All the things I had to say
 

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I’m sure I heard his echo
In my baby’s new born tears
I just wish I could have told him
in the living years
 

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you
hear
It’s too late when we die
To admit we don’t see eye to eye

Mike and the Mechanics
The Living Years

 

 

Praise

 

 

PRAISE THE LORD

 

Here's another recording from my old radio shows

Time for Reflections

 

Subtitles/Closed Captions available

Click on screen 

 

 

Joy in the Lord

 

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

LINK TO HIS WEBSITE HERE 

 

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If there’s joy in the Lord let it show my friends

Don’t keep it all to yourself

Don’t ever worry what the crowd might say

Don’t put the Lord on a shelf

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

It’s a sad old world and we’ve got a lot of cares

In debt out of work and we’re scared

But we should be brave for He comes to save

So let’s all spread the happy Word

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Now the roof sprung a leak and the rains come through

The outlook is as bad as you have known

Well it could be worse and remember this

You don’t bear the burden all alone

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

You’re getting older now and the wrinkles show

Does it matter if you’re beautiful within?

Learn to smile and pray

As you grow old and grey

And lean a little more on Him

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Role Model

 

Whether you like it or not we are all role models.

There is always someone watching us and ready to copy what we do. It could be our children, grand-children, relatives, friends, colleagues or even neighbours or people we do not know. 

We really cannot help being a role model. It is not up to us.

What is up to us is whether we are a good or a bad role model.

Do we set a good example by the way we live, what we say, how we behave and how others see us?

Are we the life and soul of the party, or do we brighten up the place by just leaving it?

When we are dead and gone will people talk about who we were or what we have done? 

Consider this: Years ago, if you were a Christian people would respect you perhaps, or be polite to you; even if they did not agree with your beliefs. Today, they would most probably ridicule you behind your back and think you're a bit weird in believing in an old man with a beard sitting on a cloud trying to oversee the world.  

Being a role model carries a lot of responsibility. Have we by our example led other people to an eternity in Paradise ... or to the other place?

And here is the real test: If you were another person watching you, would you want to copy what you are doing in life and the way you live?

Peace

 

It's gone bananas

 

The world has gone bananas. Has it happened where you are?

I went to the shops today and all the bananas they are selling are straight - not a little bent as is traditional. It was the same at the greengrocers and the supermarket. Apparently, they are growing bananas straight these days so they can fit more in the boxes for transport. 

It's a little disconcerting. I'm not sure about eating straight bananas; I'm used to the bent shape as I eat it. 

This has given a whole new meaning to the saying "Going straight". It used to mean "live an honest life after being a criminal", now it means eating a straight banana.

What do you think? Have you seen a straight banana? Would you eat one or would you feel cautious in any way?

Nothing is as it used to be. Everything is changing. 

  

Frère Jacques Frère Jacques

 

It was a very hot summer and we were travelling in France on holiday in one of those big motor homes type vehicle. You know the one I mean? A large vehicle that includes a small bedroom, kitchenette and toilet facility. We had hired it as soon as we got to France and we intended to tour the countryside for a week or so in La Belle France!!! Olé.... sorry, we may have taken a wrong turning into Spain.

Anyway ... after our short diversion due to my wife reading the map upside down, and the GPS satellite lady telling me to go a different way, we were back into France and we stopped by the roadside in the middle of nowhere to consult the map properly. Isn't it awful driving with one woman telling you to go one way and the other the exact opposite?

I massaged my side due to a sharp elbow in my ribs from you know who whilst I was driving. 

We'd been stopped for a few minutes when there was a knock at the door of the motor home. I opened the door and standing there was a monk eating potato chips.

Not a chipmunk ... you've miss heard me ... I said a monk. One of those religious people who live in a monastery and grow their own vegetables and make wine and things for tourists to buy. You could tell he was a monk because he was wearing one of those dark brown Saint Francis of Assisi habits or uniform.

He must have been taken aback to hear me speak English. He stammered and said, "Excusez-moi ... eh ... veree soree ... Moi no speakee ze English good ... ere in ze car, (pointing to the car behind him, an old dusty Citroen), zere iz Père Martin ... e iz veree old and e wantz to do ze wee wee veree quicklee ... OK if e go in your toilette s'il vous plaît?"

Being a very charitable person I quickly replied, "Sorry mate ... the toilet is broken ... la toilette ... eet iz ze broken ..." 

I thought if I talked to him in a French accent he will understand and go away. 

It was then that I received yet another sharp elbow in the ribs. My wife, being more charitable said from behind me, "Oui ... oui ... monsieur ..." and opened the door widely to invite Père Martin to wee wee in our toilet.

Out of the car came Père Martin, followed by a nun called Sœur Celeste, (Sister Celeste), and Mère Supérieure Anna, (Mother Superior Anna). The original monk introduced himself as Frère Joseph. 

Would you believe it? They all wanted to use the toilet!!!

I have read about being charitable in the Bible, but there is nothing there about sharing your motor home toilet with complete strangers. 

What if they were not monks and nuns at all? What if they were gangsters running away from a crime they just committed and dressed like religious people? What if they wanted to steal our motor home? 

I found my old school Catechism in our luggage and I wanted to test their religiousness by asking them some questions. But yet another sharp elbow to the ribs put paid to that strategy.

"Oh ... c'est merveilleux," said Joseph the monk, "vous avez un ... eh ... ah au vin!"

I had heard of coq au vin, a French delicacy of cooking chicken with wine, so I thought he was asking me for some wine.

"No ... no ... I have no wine," I said, "no vin ... oui beer ... beer ... glug glug ... good English beer, not like the watery French stuff you have over here ... beer?"

"Au vin ... au vin ..." he repeated pointing to our kitchenette. 

"Ah ... oven? Yes this is an oven," I said having understood what he was on about.

"Voulez-vous des saucisses?" asked Mother Superior, "saucisses de venaison?"

"Venaison?" I repeated, "yes ... France is a great Nation ... so is Britain mind you. Have you ever been to Britain? You know ... God save our gracious Queen ..."

Mother Superior ignored me and opened the boot of the Citroen and brought out a large packet of dry sausages like salami or chorizos 

"Saucisses de venaison ..." she said, "c'est vraiment délicieux ..."

As she offered me her venison sausages the other nun brought out a huge panier type basket full of food ... French baguette bread, a variety of French cheeses, a couple of bottles of wine, and a lot of other goodies fit for a party. The two monks brought out a foldable table and chairs and they sat down ready for a picnic to which we were invited.

They stayed there for about an hour or so, speaking with us in broken English and French and enjoying their food and wine and our beer ... although they were not that keen on our black pudding, haggis and faggots which we had in the fridge.

As we were enjoying this lovely French picnic a police car drew up and two gendarmes came out. At first I thought perhaps we were parked in the wrong place, and no picnics were allowed where we were.

The two policemen conversed with the nuns and monks in their local language. They spoke quickly and I could not understand a word they said.

"They probably are criminals after all," I whispered to my wife, "we'd better move away!"

Then, without asking for permission or anything, the two policemen entered our motor home. I tried, as best I could, to speak to the monks about it. It transpired that the policemen thought the motor home belonged to the monks and they needed to use the toilet too!

After the policemen left, and we finished the picnic, the monks and nuns thanked us and left on their way.

Moments later I saw a big bull from a nearby field approach us slowly. We got in the motor home quickly and left, just in case he too wanted to use the toilet. 

The following day we took a deliberate detour and visited the monks' monastery some twenty miles away and spent the day there visiting.

Oh ... and to return the favour, we used their toilets. I went more than once to make up for the four of them using ours!

 

Two Stories Wide

 

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Come out of the darkness
Don't hide in the night
Come out in the sunshine
And we'll be alright

 

Life's too long to worry
And it's too short to cry
And it's too deep to measure
And it's two stories wide

 

There's your side and my side
Which side do you need?
Both sides make you lonely
And make your heart bleed

 

Life's too long to worry
And it's too short to cry
And it's too deep to measure
And it's two stories wide

 

Life's too long to worry
And its too short to cry
And its too deep to measure
And its two stories wide

 

Life's too long to worry
And its too short to cry
And its too deep to measure
And its two stories wide

 

Willie Nelson

Waylon Jennings

Johnny Cash

Kris Kristofferson

 

The Highwaymen

Drum

 

I really like to beat the drum. The very big drum you carry with you when marching in a band. Great banging sound!

I sang Christmas Carols with the church choir last year. They didn’t like my rendition of “Silent Night” on the big drum.

I also find the big drum helps me tell the time.

When I wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t find my watch I just open the window and bang on my big drum.

Someone is sure to shout “Who’s the idiot banging a drum at three in the morning?” 

Here's a recording of me practicing playing the drum.