I live in a retirement complex and read my novels to about 35 residents twice a month. They had been very well received by most.​

KEPT is an allegory of the last times. This is how it starts. Jane opened her eyes and looked straight at the small boy. Not that she could see much of his face because half of it was covered by regulation anti-glare glasses, and his jaw-line, already angular had lost any semblance of individuality. 

THE ISLE OF BLISS is a story about two friends and their   search for bliss. This is how it starts. It was unbelievably expensive but that didn’t matter to those who lived there - they were unbelievably wealthy. Neither did it matter to those who lived there – they were unbelievably wealthy. Neither did it matter to those who had bought this lush island in the centre of the Pacific- developing it into a private and luxurious estate, and becoming multi-millionaires in the process. 

MRS HORACE HAMILTON- SMITH 
This is how it starts. Mrs Horace Hamilton-Smith lived with her three children in a large apartment in Kensington, London, with a communal garden stretching down to a small canal of the Thames. Horace had conveniently passed on – she knew not where- some years ago, leaving her enough money to enjoy her indulgent lifestyle. Mrs Horace Hamilton-Smith was a poet – a very modern poet. She had no time for those things – iambic pentameters – she had learnt at school. “My dear, I write as I speak,” she said - which was somewhat unfortunate. 

MR PICKWICK 
This is how it starts. Mr Pickwick was born in Kent, England, to wealthy parents. He was their only child, which was fortunate, because from the day of his birth he was a very picky character. He refused his mother Margaret’s breast, that of a wet nurse, all the formulas and even cow’s milk. When he was at death’s door, Dr Soames suggested trying his mother’s milk and a formula. It worked and baby James survived. Of course, there was the same problem when he was four months old and put on to solids. He turned his head away and yelled or spat it out. His parents were frantic until they found he preferred ice-cream, crispy bread rolls, tomato sauce, chicken, scones with butter, cream and strawberry jam, and a tiny sip of Papa’s finest champagne to all the good things babies were supposed to eat. 

NATALIE KNOWN 
This is how it starts. It was a warm and sunny day in Johannesburg. Church bells were pealing. It was Christmas day. Matron Maria opened the door of The Orphanage, and saw a beautiful baby girl dressed in pink and lying in a carrycot. “Welcome, my pretty baby,” she said. “I’ll call you Natalie because you were born on Christmas morning.” She picked up the carrycot and went inside. All the carers came and exclaimed “God bless her!” 

JEALOUSY 
This is how it starts. It was midnight in Petersville. A fierce wind was gushing over a young woman dressed only in a flimsy nightdress. Desperately she rang the doorbell of a large house. The door was opened immediately, and warm hands drew her inside. “You poor darling!” exclaimed a woman, “You are safe now.” She led Susan, for that was her name, into a room with a cheerful fire burning in the grate. Opening a large cupboard, she took out a towel, and dried and dressed Susan in warm pyjamas and dressing gown while the shocked Susan shivered and wept. 

THE MISSES PRIM 
This is how it starts. By early 1925, the three Prim sisters had been born in the Manor House in Cherrylane Village in England roughly two years apart. They had a governess called Miss Petticoat. The Coke family had occupied the Manor House for generations. Sir Walter Coke was the sister’s father, and Lady Amelia their mother. The Manor House had a large farm where pigs, sheep and horses were bred and sold. The Steward was responsible for everything about it. His name was Mr Brown.  

ISABELLA 
This is how it starts.  When Isabella arrived on the scene, her parents were quite poor. They had fallen madly in love while studying at Wits University. Toby was studying Art, its history and practical courses in sculpture and painting while Isabella had opted to major in History of Music and Piano Performance. After an idyllic wedding they flew to Durban for a short honeymoon. Parents on both sides chipped in to rent a modest flat in Braamfontein. For a time, things went well. They hung out with friends, played tennis, and visited their parents when they felt like their mothers’ cooking – which was most nights. 
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God bless you 
Merle  

If you are an avid reader of best sellers, but have never considered the Bible, you might like to consider a few facts. The Bible is the ultimate best seller of all time! Between 5 and 7 billion copies of the Bible have been sold, and in 2023, 35.5 million copies were sold!  6.45 copies of the Bible are sold every 10 seconds. The Bible has been translated into 736 languages, and the New Testament into 1,658 languages. Absolutely mind boggling! However, the Bible is not a single book. 66 individual books form it: 39 in the Old Testament (pre -Christian era), and 27 in the New Testament. The books in the Bible are divided into categories. In the Old Testament the first 5 books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy tell of creation of the world, the fall of man and the history of the Israelites from their conquest of Canaan until their defeat and exile in Babylon. In the New Testament, we find the 4 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John forming a category, and dealing with the life of Jesus Christ on earth from their own point of view. Two books in the Old Testament were written about women, Ruth and Esther, two beautiful, brave and amazing women.
 
The books of the Bible are divided into chapters which in turn are divided into verses.  Searching is entered like this on Google: John 3:16,17, which reads “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” There are many translations of the Bible, I use the King James Version when writing as it is in the Public Domain, but read the New International Version (NIV). The most important verse in the Bible is the one quoted above. It shows the central position Jesus Christ holds in our world, and in our lives. 
 
We all know the Christmas story! It’s on our Christmas cards, it’s on paintings in our art galleries, it’s in our hearts as we listen to or sing Christmas carols. The Archangel Gabriel tells Mary, a devout and unmarried Jewess, that she would be the mother of the Son of God,  of shepherds on a hillside watching their flocks at night, being amazed at the appearance of angels singing Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth Peace and Goodwill, how they followed the Star to where baby Jesus lay in a manger, because there was no room for his parents in the inn, and how Three Wisemen from the East followed the Star to Bethlehem, worshipped the baby, and gave him costly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 
 
After Joseph, having been warned by an angel in a dream fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt, nothing about Jesus is heard until he was twelve. Mary and Joseph had been searching for him as they returned to Jerusalem for some days. They found him at last in the Temple discussing the Scriptures with leaders of the Jews who were astounded at his wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures. When Mary and Joseph scolded him, he replied, “Don’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”  The next record of Jesus’ life is when he was thirty, and came preaching “The Kingdom of God is nigh. Repent and believe!” Jesus did many signs and wonders. He changed water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana, he healed the sick, lame and blind, and raised Lazarus from the dead, He found faith in Samaria which amazed him, he miraculously fed the vast crowds that followed him by blessing a boy’s two small fishes and three pieces of bread, he told them parables, and afterwards explained their meanings to his disciples. 
 
Other people in the Old Testament told of the coming of Jesus Christ as Messiah, but the most telling one comes from the prophet Isaiah in Isa 9:2,6,7 “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, and upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth and even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” 
 
Jesus Christ’s life story is told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It recounts his birth, how the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary, a devout young Jewess, and told her she would be the mother of the Son of God. Mary was engaged to Joseph, and he was a kind and just man, and wanted to protect her. An angel told him of the virgin birth, and Joseph had no sex with her until after Jesus’ birth. 
 
From the beginning of the Bible to its end, the Triune God permeates its pages. God and the Holy Spirt are present from the dawn of Creation: “And the earth was without form and void… and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).  The Spirit is also present in the last book of the Bible. The Apostle John says, “I was in the Spirit.” (Revelation 1:1), and in the last chapter, we read, “And the Spirit and the bride say…” (Revelation 22:17).  The Triune God is formed by three totally different persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  However, they form a single unit, the “three in one.”  “For there are three which bare the record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7). In Christ’s Incarnation, the Father sends the Son, and the Holy Spirit “overshadows” Mary as she conceives. “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).  At Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan, the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove, and the Father speaks, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). Here are 3 quotes we are given from the Bible about the Holy Spirit. Firstly, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). This implies that God is the source of what is recorded in the Bible, and through the Holy Spirit used human authors for what he wanted them to write. Secondly, when Christians are persecuted, and arraigned in courts of law, the Holy Spirit will tell them what to say (2 Timothy 12: 11-12).  Thirdly, the Holy Spirit gives all Christians gifts in order to serve God. Some of these are found in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and include wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues (languages).

From the beginning of the Bible to its very end, we find the Devil trying to thwart God’s plan for humanity made in his image. The 2 greatest prayers in the Bible were prayed by our Lord. In the first instance, his disciples asked him how they should pray, and he answered with the wonderful words of what we call The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in Heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13). In the second, he prayed for God’s protection for his disciples and future followers, including us, from the Devil (John 17:6-26).

In the Bible, in both the Testaments, humanity is seen in the raw, for example, in the Old Testament the wicked man, Cain who murdered his brother, and King David, the great warrior who wrote most of the Psalms and is remembered for his adultery with Bathsheba, and his great Psalm of repentance, “Against thee, O Lord, only have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). Samson was the last judge of Israel and Delilah was his third wife (Judges 16). Samson possessed great physical strength, and leaders of the Philistines bribed her to find out the source of Samson’s strength. After 3 failed attempts, she discovered it was in his hair. While he was sleeping, she cut his hair and gave him into the Philistines hands. Deborah was the only Judge of Israel to be called a prophet and was also the only female judge. The prominent part she played in the defeat of the Canaanites is told in Judges 4, and in Judges 5 by a poem called “The Song of Deborah”. She was a wise, courageous, and humble person, always giving praise to God. The story of Rahab is found in the book of Joshua 2. It is an exciting story, the story of the prostitute Rahab who sheltered and protected 2 spies sent from Joshua to Jericho. She risked her life and the lives of her family because she said, “I know that the Lord hath given you the land” (V 9). Rahab lived on the town wall and let the 2 spies down over it on a red rope. The 2 men had promised her that no harm would come to her or her family, but she must “bind the thread (red rope) in the window which thou didst let us down by, and bring all thy family, and thy father’s household unto thee” (V 18). And so, a prostitute saved her family and enabled Joshua to get control of the country and defeat the King of Jericho.

In the New Testament we also find wicked and good people. Jesus Christ is not included in this category. He did many good deeds like healing people, casting out evil spirits and even raising the dead, he was the “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Priscilla and Aquila were 2 of the Apostle Paul’s associates.  Like him, they were tent makers, and he lived with them in Corinth. They also evangelized in other cities, and “who have for my life laid down their own necks” (Romans 16:4). They also taught Apollos, who knew the Scriptures, to teach more accurately (Acts 18: 24-26). Many good people are mentioned in the New Testament like the disciples Matthew, Mark and John.  The Apostle Paul wrote several letters to newly established churches e.g. the church in Corinth, as well as personal letters, e.g. to Timothy.  These form books of the New Testament.  In James 1:1, we read: “A servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  It is believed that the books of James and Jude were written by the half- brothers of Jesus, i.e. the sons of Mary and Joseph (Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19).  The Gospel of Luke is believed to have been written by Luke, a companion of Paul and a loved physician.

Now let’s consider women who followed our Lord and those who helped him or served him in the early church. John 20:14-17 tells of Mary Magdalene standing in the garden weeping in front of the empty tomb. She sees Jesus but does not recognize him. She thought he was a gardener and asked him where Jesus’ body had been taken.  Jesus said, “Mary” and she recognized him. “Jesus saith unto her: Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.”  Mary Magdalene was the woman who was demon-possessed, and from whom Jesus cast out “seven devils.” (Luke 8:2). Matthew 26:6,7, 10,12,13 and Mark 14:3-9 tell of Mary Magdalene pouring costly perfumed ointment over Jesus’ head. Despite the criticism of Judas, Jesus said she had done a “beautiful thing” and “she has anointed my body beforehand for burial… wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”  Luke 7:36-50 tells how she washed Jesus’ feet weeping and drying them with her hair. Mary Magdalene was the first person to whom the risen Lord appeared. In Luke 8:2-3, we read of the women who followed Jesus and his disciples and provided for them out of their own resources. These include Mary Magdalene, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, steward to Herod Antipas, Susanna, who is mentioned only once in the New Testament, and it is thought she was healed of something or of demon-possession, and “many others”. Other good women in the early church are Dorcas, and the mother and grandmother Timothy, the Apostle Paul’s protégé and fellow worker. The Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5) writes “when I call to remembrance the faith that dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind.” In Acts 9:36-43, we read of Dorcas, sometimes called Tabitha, who lived in Joppa, now Tel Aviv. She was known for her generosity to the poor, especially making clothes for them.  She died, and when the local church heard that Peter was nearby, they called for him. He knelt, and prayed privately for her, and “when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive” (V 41). There are 2 examples of bad or in the case of the second, very evil women in the New Testament. The first is Sapphira, wife of Ananias. The full story is found in Acts 5:1-10. Here is the essence of it. Ananias sold something of value and colluded with his wife to keep back some of it for themselves. (This was at a time in the early church when wealthy people were selling all they had and giving it to poor fellow Christians). Peter asked Ananias why he lied and kept back part of the profit. When Ananias heard this, he fell down, died, and was carried out to be buried. Three hours later, Sapphira returned, unaware that her husband had died. Peter asked her how much she had sold the “possession” for. She told him, and Peter said, “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” She collapsed, was carried out and buried with her husband. In the REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST (Revelation 17:1-18), we read of the “great whore,” the most evil woman in the Bible.

Why do we have the Bible? It is really quite simple. It’s Almighty God’s way of communicating with humanity, made in his image. He also communicates with us through his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. In John 3:16,17 we read: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”  The Apostle John calls Jesus Christ the WORD (John 1:1). This is God’s amazing plan to reverse humanity’s fall when Adam and Eve disobeyed him in the Garden of Eden, and to have a countless number of people in the new Heaven he will create for people of faith, like Abraham and Moses, in the Old Testament, and the redeemed who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord, Master and Saviour in the New Testament and those who have chosen to follow him since.
​
May God use this blog for his glory.
Merle

I went into the choir vestry to put out the music scores for the choir as I did every Sunday and was surprised to find a young theological student reading his sermon notes. He was as surprised to see me, and I explained he was in the wrong vestry. The minister’s vestry was on the opposite side of the church. He left in a hurry as the church bells were ringing to announce the start of morning worship, and the choir climbed up the steps into the choir stalls under the huge stained-glass window of the cross with Christ’s head at the top. There were 4 rows of choir seats, the trebles and basses on one side, and the altos and tenors on the other, separated by an aisle. The minister’s pulpit was on a level with the choir, high above the congregation. Once while the theological student was preaching that day, he turned to speak to the choir, and looked directly at me. Walking home with my mother, I said: “I am going to marry him.”  And I did when, I turned 19. We were married for 66 happy years, through which God helped us and gave us a Christian family of a son and 2 daughters, 7 grandchildren children and 6 great grandchildren.  And that is the first form of love.

And this is the second form of love. Corey Comperatore, a 50 year- old volunteer fire chief died from a young sniper’s bullet as he attempted to assassinate former President Trump at a rally. A supporter of the former president, Corey drove his wife and 2 daughters to the rally. They were happy and excited. They found good seats behind the former president. Corey spotted the sniper on an adjacent building’s rooftop. He pushed his wife and daughters down, and lay on top of them, saving their lives but sacrificing his own. The Governor of Pennsylvania said, “Corey was a devout Christian who loved his community, and especially his family.”

The third form of Love takes us out of this world, and into the New Earth which our Almighty God, through Jesus Christ his Son, and in conjunction with the Holy Spirit is preparing for people of faith before Jesus Christ’s birth, and all believers after his defeat of death and the Devil.  It is impossible to plumb the depth of Almighty God’s agony as, for the only time in Eternity, he had to break the Trinity in order to achieve his desire, and have a vast host of the redeemed in the New Earth, able to enjoy his company and do his will and reverse the fall of Adam and Eve.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16,17).

​God bless,
Merle.

lI learnt to read at nursery school when I was five, clasping Beatrix Potters little books, loving  her delicate paintings of tiny animals dressed in clothes. My favourite tiny book was PETER RABBIT. It was not long before I was fascinated by Enid Blyton and read everything I could borrow from the travelling library that stopped near our house. The BOY NEXT DOOR was my favourite. When I was 12 and at high school, the English teacher read the WIND IN THE WILLOWS to us. After that I found all the romances  - authors Georgette Heyer and  Jeffry Farnol. I enjoyed all the Scarlett Pimpernel’s escapades and, later on, GONE WITH THE WIND. Thereafter it was mainly reading for my BA degree…
Here are 3 books I can recommend. The first is really a booklet called WHY JESUS. The illustrations are fun, and it is an ideal book for friends searching for meaning in life. Written by Nicky Gumbel, a converted Jew and well-known barrister in London, who served as Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton from 2005-2022, and where John and I often worshipped when on holiday in London. You can download and read WHY JESUS here.
 
THE BIBLE IN MODERN ENGLISH
J.B.Phillips, 1906-1982, was an Anglican clergyman. During World War 11 in the underground bomb shelters in London with young members of his church, he realized they had difficulty in understanding the King James Version. Phillips had an honours degree in classics, so he began translating it into up-to-date English. Because it was so popular, it began being quoted, and Phillips realized he would have to retranslate it for accuracy. This long and arduous work took many years and involved him leaving his parish and buying a house in a quiet location where he could work undisturbed. THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH is a very thick volume. It is remarkably vivid. When Christ speaks, one feels the passion of what he is saying. When Paul writes, it sounds as up-to-date as a preacher in 2024. Added to this, there was the English to check. It had not changed as much as Phillips thought it could have. The “little tin gods” in 1 PETER became “the dictators” and the “plutocats” in JAMES became “men of influence”.
 
BASIC CHRISTIANITY
Basic Christianity was written by John Stott ,1921-2011.  I first heard him preach when he was Rector of All Souls Langham Place in 1969. He was a renowned preacher, author, theologian, evangelist and evangelical Anglican. In 1945 he became Assistant Curate at All Souls, and in 1950 Rector. Later he was elected as Rector Emeritus. He also served as chaplain to Queen Elizabeth 11 who conferred the CBE  (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) on him. He was a bachelor and devoted his life to serving his Lord – had he been married he could never have achieved all he did.

His influence extended around the world where he travelled extensively, speaking at conferences and academic institutions. The famous Lausanne Covenant of 1974 was largely his work. In 1983 he was awarded a Lambeth doctorate. This is conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury from his headquarters in Lambeth Palace. It is not a university degree, but an honour conferred by the archbishop. Five universities conferred honourary doctorates on him. In 2005, Time Magazine ranked him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He wrote over 50 books including commentaries on books of the Bible, and his most famous book is BASIC CHRISTIANITY published in 1958. It is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to find out what Christianity is all about and an ideal gift book for family and friends who are seeking meaning in life.

God bless
Merle

One of my happiest Christmas memories was of the few days we spent in Altdorf in Germany. John and I were in a charming ancient hotel with windows opening on to the main street strung with coloured lights and the nearby church. It was mid-winter, snowing and bitterly cold. We were woken by the sound of pealing bells. Dressing hurriedly, we went across to the church, went inside and listened to a glorious organ recital.

But Christmas is not a joyous occasion for everyone. After 66 years of happy Christmases spent with John, he will not be here this Christmas. May the God of all comfort, comfort those who mourn this festive season.

I love the sound of church bells! Here are two you may listen to on YouTube: Cape Town Cathedral Bells, and St Paul’s Cathedral London.

Here are some other cathedral bells you may care to listen to on YouTube: Zagreb Cathedral Croatia, Coventry Cathedral, England, St Martin’s-in-the-fields, London, Regensburg Cathedral, Germany and Speyer Cathedral, Germany.

And then, of course, there are all the advent activities that are an integral part of Christmas. I love the carol services, held in the parks or inside churches depending on whether you live in the southern or northern hemispheres. Listen online to the Choir Carol Concert from All Souls Langham Place, London , and listen to their upcoming Carol Service on 16 December.

I am hoping and praying that my Christmas play PRAISE HIM! on www.christian-life-poetry.com will be downloaded and used this year. Even if your Sunday school is very small. It may be performed if the children only sing Welcome Little Lord Jesus and adults perform the other scores.   At the top of the page on the website you will find the  Menu. Go to CHRISTMAS for items you might find useful.

May the joy or Christmas be yours this year.
Merle
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It is only November but shopping malls ring with Christmas Carols. “Joy to the world the Lord has come!” But what exactly is joy?  Is it happiness?

Let’s google some dictionaries to see how they define joy. The Oxford Learners Dictionaries says, “a feeling of great happiness”. Cambridge Dictionary says, “great happiness”, and the Oxford English Dictionary says, “a feeling of great happiness or pleasure.” Let’s see how the same dictionaries define happiness. Oxford Learners Dictionaries says happiness is “the state of feeling or showing pleasure”. The Cambridge Dictionary says, “the feeling of being pleased or happy”. And the Oxford English Dictionary says, “the quality or condition of being happy, deep pleasure”. The difference between the two states is that joy is “great happiness” whereas happiness is “showing pleasure”, “being pleased or happy”, and “deep pleasure”.

In Luke 2:10-11 we read: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord”. And this is not only joy but great joy and it is to the world.

May your Christmas be blessed with this great joy.
Merle

​Pls see Menu at top of page for CHRISTMAS with info about how we can celebrate Christmas with music, a childrens’ play (PRAISE HIM!), poems and Cantata.