REPOST: Soon I Will See the Lines on His Face

A re-post from April 2008. One of my favourite quotes.

I've been reading a really interesting book by Donald Miller called 'Blue Like Jazz'. It's his own journey towards faith. Here's a great quote:

'I am early in my story, but I believe I will stretch out into eternity, and in heaven I will reflect upon these early days, these days when it seemed God was down a dirt road, walking towards me. Years ago He was a swinging speck in the distance; now He is close enough I can hear His singing. Soon I will see the lines on His face.'

How wonderful. May I always hear Him singing. And one day, too, I will be so close as to see the lines on His face.

Farewell

 

The Power of Song

Songs can be powerful. And none more so than when on national television at unexpected moments. Stormzy taking Glastonbury ‘to church’ with his song ‘Blinded by Your Grace’. Even Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent. Her rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Misérables was all the more powerful because it was so unexpected.

I remember as a kid watching the Beatles sing ‘Hey Jude’ on Top of the Pops. It was like nothing I’d heard before. And the audacity to keep on singing at the end well beyond the usual three-minute pop song time limit.

I was taken aback again this week, watching (belatedly) The Voice on ITV. Part way through, the audience cajole Tom Jones, one of the judges, into singing. At 82 years old, he’s not lost his ability to sing. But it was his choice of song that got me.

He lost his wife to cancer a few years ago. It was a turbulent marriage on occasions, but one that lasted. A friendship that started as 12-year-olds, they were married for nearly 60 years. As he began to sing, the emotion in his voice was unusual. About someone being there for another, but not crumbling if they fall. He explained at the end that it was about being there for his wife, Linda, and promising her he would carry on after she had gone. These were his words:

“My wife, you know, she was dying of lung cancer, so I said, you know, I was always able to fix stuff, to do things if she needed me, I was always there. She said, 'Don't crumble with me, don't fall now, you've done everything you can, you must carry on and do what you do.’”

It’s hard to be there for someone close to you but see that for once you can’t ‘fix stuff’. His response in song was poignant.

At the end, another of the judges, Anne-Marie, said it was one of the best moments in her life. And it wasn’t TV hyperbole for a change.

Provocateur. Prophet. Pioneer. 5 lessons from the life of Gerald Coates

My thanks to Premier Christianity Magazine for the invitation to write this article. Below is the shorter version - you can find the full article here.

Provocateur. Prophet. Pioneer. Gerald Coates has gone home.

It’s hard to be neutral when it comes to Gerald. Unafraid and unapologetic, there is no doubt he could cause one listener to become apoplectic over his apparent criticisms, whilst another would be on their feet applauding.

As Gerald’s biographer I learned to appreciate a man who gave everything to the cause of Christ, uncompromising and generous hearted in equal measure.

What can we learn from his life? Here are five lessons from the life of Gerald Coates.

 

1.       IT’S ALL ABOUT KINGDOM

Gerald was spoilt for anything else. As a young man, leading what was one of the first of the modern-day house churches, he met with many fellow travellers. Their influence on his theology was considerable. There was a bride for a bridegroom. The Church was not to cower in the corner, waiting for some kind of secret rapture. They were called to be a radical people, influencing every area of society. To be God’s people, speaking and prophesying into a broken world.

It was this clear understanding of reaching every area of society that caused him unashamedly to pursue friendships with the rich and famous. He was criticised for this, but lives were changed because of his persistence. That same ‘never say no’ attitude brought him to worldwide influence, particularly with the March for Jesus.

He was extremely prophetic both as regarded national events and individual lives. He had an expectation that God would speak.

For Gerald, it was all about the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God had come with Christ’s death and resurrection. The Church was called to be Christ’s body, filled with the Holy Spirit and uncompromising in their message of salvation.

 

2.       AVOID RELIGION

If the Church was to be the Church, it had to clean up its act. There is a difference between Christianity and religion and Gerald was hot on this. Spotting religious pretence at a hundred paces, he dealt with it ruthlessly.

Noel Richards, his worship leader and travelling companion for many years, recalls a meeting in New Zealand. The Saturday night had been glorious. The Holy Spirit moved, lives were changed. But come Sunday morning and things got very religious. Smart dress, whispered greetings and a Lord’s Table ornate in its arrangement.

Part way through his preach, continuing as if nothing untoward was happening, Gerald threw off the white sheet from the bread and wine, and began to eat the bread as he spoke. People were offended of course. But that was the point. Traditionalists hated it. A whole new generation of young Christians loved it.

 

3.       IT’S ONLY NOISE

How did Gerald deal with the inevitable criticism? He pretty much ignored it! In all my interviews for the book, I never came across a single time when he expresses a dislike for someone. A dislike for their religious practices, sure, but Gerald’s spirit was always pure as regarded the person themselves.

Remembering that criticism is only noise is a great way to deal with it. A great way to keep the main thing the main thing. To avoid hurt and bitterness. To maintain a clean heart.

There is a bit of a downside though – and maybe another learning here. Gerald was largely unaware as to how upset others were with his seeming criticism of their traditions and practices. But this certainly affected others around him. Friends and fellow leaders were left to deal with denominational executives accusing them of error or exaggeration.

 

4.       TELL THE STORIES

Gerald was a storyteller. Never a theologian, though widely read, it’s important to record that his seemingly off-the-cuff preaches were laboured over, well prepared and prayed through. There is no doubt though, that he is at his best telling stories and applying them to the Word. Often hilarious and many times at his own expense, he captured the listener. Too late for the hearer, they would inevitably realise that the story spoke to their own lives, their own attitudes, their own sins.

Later in life, Gerald would forget in conversation, the stories he had previously told. And if you dared to interrupt, he’d start again!

 

5.       LOVE WELL

Gerald leaves behind the love of his life, Anona, along with three sons and their families. He loved well. In an age when leaders fall, Gerald stayed faithful.

He loved his friends well too. The door was always open. The bottle of red wine was always available. Until his final illness, he would always reply to emails, always answer the phone: ‘Gerald here.’

Not everything Gerald did should be copied. That canary yellow suit. Really?

But we would do well to remember it is God’s Kingdom, and as His children we have the authority to bring change to the world we live in. Gerald did just that.

Gerald Coates, Pioneer, 1944 - 2022

‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen.’

Well, that was different.

Gerald Coates was the guest speaker at this particular Bible week. A provocateur, a prophet, a pioneer, even his opening line causes a reaction.

Not a ‘brothers and sisters’ in sight!

And that was Gerald of course. A strong dislike for anything religious, he was not afraid to provoke a response. Eating the bread from an overly ornate Lord’s table whilst preaching comes to mind.

Born in Cobham, Gerald finds a faith in Christ at a Christian boys camp at the age of 12. As the youngest display manager in the country, working for a department store, he meets and later marries the love of his life, Anona.

Receiving the right boot of fellowship form their local church, the young Gerald and Anona find themselves leading a church in their front room, populated by the youth group they have been leading. One of the first – if not the first house church in the country – Gerald and Anona are at the start of an extraordinary journey.

They are encouraged by others on that same journey, most notably John and Christine Noble who eventually join them in Cobham as the church grows. (Christine also stepped over the finish line the same weekend that Gerald died).

A church becomes a movement. The Pioneer group of churches is born. Hundreds – thousands – leave their denominational churches to join. Along with other pioneers, this new church movement changes the face of evangelical Christianity through the 1970s and 1980s.

The main stage of Christianity across the nations becomes one Gerald stands on. Most noteably, the March for Jesus - hundreds of thousands around the world marching through the streets of towns and cities in a worldwide declaration of faith.

Gerald pioneered a movement, and along the way became a mentor to many who in later years would find their own national ministries. Men such as Stuart Bell, Pete Grieg, Billy Kennedy and Steve Clifford come to mind. He also had close friendships with many notable Christians in society such as Cliff Richard and Queen Anne of Romania.

His sharp prophetic voice was heard on many occasions, accurately identifying what God was doing and was about to do. His prophetic words spoken personally over individuals were equally life changing. In later life, he would see a photo of someone and immediately have a word for them, always accurate, often life changing, including on one occasion reaching out to a young man on Facebook with a word that halted a suicide attempt.

In the last year or so of his life, Gerald withdrew to his family and close friends as he and Anona struggled with health issues. A husband, father to three boys, a pastor, friend and mentor. A provocateur, a prophet, a pioneer. We can be grateful that a 12-year-old boy on a boy’s camp responded to a call to follow Jesus Christ.

Gerald’s final word in the Endpiece to my biography of him talks of listening to the music of heaven. As Gerald says ‘keep listening and keep dancing.’

Today he’s part of the music and the dance.

Don't Ask me For The Answer, I've Only Got One

I was singing an old Larry Norman song this morning. One phrase has stuck with me through the day:

Don't ask me for the answer, I've only got one: 

That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son. 

Yep. That’s pretty much sums it up as I look around me. A world pandemic. The killing of George Floyd. Climate change. And now the Taliban. 

Add to that earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and forest fires. Myanmar, Hindu fundamentalists, terror attacks, random shootings.

To claim to have answers to the politics, the science or the religious hatred is to claim to be foolish.

I have no answers. But one.

Yet that answer overcomes every political motive, every advance of violence, every voice of hatred.

That answer is Jesus.

He had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

He had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

 

His name is Jesus.

He came as God’s Son. He died for you and me. And He’s still changing lives today. Ask Him to change yours.

One Year On

It was a year today. One year since two young girls had the courage to film his death. Kaylynn Gilbert, aged 17 and Alyssa Funari, aged 18 saw what was happening. Despite the threat of mace spray from the murderer, they kept filming as George Floyd died in front of their phone camera.

Their bravery meant that the world is changing. Black lives matter. They always have. But that day showed that they didn’t seem to matter that much and that something needed to be done.

The response around the world was immediate.  We’ve seen black men dying before at the hands of the police, but usually it’s a far-off grainy image. The fact that this was a few feet away changed everything. This couldn’t be hidden. In 21^st century America, racial prejudice was rife. And lest we pat ourselves on the back, it’s rife around the rest of the world too.

In the UK, the Government’s recent report was a bit of a white wash. Literally. A chair that was sensitive to the Government’s rosy blushes on white cheeks presented something that meant they didn’t have to do much. Shame.

There is so much more to be done. I applaud the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement. It needs to continue. It still needs to be heard still.

Some responded in a disappointing way when George Floyd died. Some used the platitude ‘all lives matter.’ A thin veneer of respectability over a statement that was blatantly racist. Others pointed to the Black Lives Matter movement and some aspects of it that they didn’t like. Sure, there will always be points of disagreement with any movement. But just as we vote for a political party that is as close to our views as possible, whilst accepting there will be points of disagreement, so with Black Lives Matter. Points of disagreement on other matters don’t neutralise the central message.

The anger and grief I witnessed from my black brothers and sisters was and is real. The racial prejudice remains just as real. One year on, let’s keep raising the fist in defiance of hatred. And as Christian’s, let’s keep praying.

My Lectio365 bible study this morning captures it well:

‘This season calls out for clenched fists raised in peaceful protest. But the solutions call out for raised hands clasped in persistent prayer.’

#BlackLivesMatter

REPOST: When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say....

 On Armistice Day, this is a repost of a 2011 blog when I visited Kohima in Nagaland, the home of the famous Kohma Epitaph:

Over the last three weeks, I have had the immense privilege of working with some of the most wonderful people in the world. I'm sure there will be more stories to follow, but this seems appropriate with Remembrance Day around the corner.  

During my time in Nagaland, an extreme North-East State in India, I was able to drive to Kohima. Here there is one of the best kept war cemeteries I have seen, a memorial to all those who gave their lives in what was the turning point in the Indian war against the Japanese in 1944. Amongst the thousands of graves, each one recording a British or Indian soldier, usually in their early twenties, there is a poem, called the Kohima Epitaph, and copied by many other war memorials. This is what it says:

When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.


Simple and poignant. Still as true today. Let's not forget.

A Tribute to Julie and Jonathan

For a few years near the end of the 70s I headed up a Christian rock band and did some solo work on the London gospel circuit. Not a lot of gigs, but a lot of fun.

About half the material consisted of covers of the Christian artist of the day (think Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Nutshell, Barry McGuire…) and about half was self-penned.

Aside from the obvious Christian influences, I took some song writing inspiration from folk-rock troubadours of the day, two of whom died recently – Julie Felix and Jonathan Kelly.

I first got hold of a Julie Felix album in 1973. Those of us at Walsall Technical College were well aware of the fact that the manager of the Record Department at Boots the Chemist didn’t know his Abba’s from his Zappa’s and would often sell stuff off at ridiculously low prices. The first Parchment album on Pye (a collector’s piece today) for 10p with a small scratch on the first track. A first issue single of Free’s ‘All Right Now’ for 5p.

And there was Julie Felix. At 20p I took a risk, having never heard her. I loved her stuff. I loved her obvious left-wing politics, and the choice of the cover songs she selected. In fact she was already well known in the UK having been championed by David Frost and had two long running shows of her own on TV. But that had passed me by somehow.

My favourite album is the 1972 ‘Clotho’s Web’ which includes the single ‘Fire, Water, Earth and Air’. It’s worth a listen.

I must have first heard Jonathan Kelly at around the same time. A few of us would gather in each other’s houses to listen to records at the weekend. (Does that still happen or is it all social media nowadays?) And it was then that my friend Godfrey played ‘Twice Around the Houses’, Kelly’s second album. I loved it. The upbeat love song ‘Madelaine’ the protest song ‘We are the People’ and the haunting ‘Ballad of Cursed Anna’. But the one I loved the most – and the one my family had to put up with me singing – was ‘Rock You to Sleep’, the final track. I sang it to all our children at bedtime throughout their early years.

Well there you are. Two folk-rock legends have passed. RIP Julie and Jonathan. And thank you.

The Rainbow Redeemed

The rainbow has been borrowed by a lot of different organisations over the years. From businesses, (Apple, Google, various healthcare companies) through to the Freemasons and on to LGBT. And they’re welcome.

But it’s been a delight to see the rainbow redeemed for its original use during the recent pandemic.

For children, painting the new additions to many a window, it may simply be a colourful moment in their day.

But it is also a declaration of hope.

The rainbow appears in the very first book of the Bible when God puts a rainbow in the sky as a promise. A promise that there would not be another flood that would wipe out humanity. It’s a picture of hope, a declaration that God will have the final say.

The rainbow declares there may be a pandemic, but it is going to pass.

The Metro Newspaper reports that this current spate of rainbow pictures started in Italy, which was hit hard and relatively early with the virus. It’s been copied from there to most countries undergoing ‘lockdown’.

I love it. Each nation declaring through a rainbow, hope, solidarity, promise.

The rainbow declares God’s covenant; His promise. Ultimately, it points to God’s promise of redemption offered through Jesus.

Even if most of the kids putting their pictures in their windows don’t know it, right now the rainbow shouts out good news. God will have the final say.

Words of Truth in a Time of Fear

He’s got you. And He’s not letting go.

He knows when you sit down and when you get up. He knows what you’re thinking and wants you to know He is protecting you. In fact He’s got you hemmed in with his love and kindness. He is your refuge – you are sheltered under His wings.

There’s a path set out for you and nothing is going to push you off track. No sickness or virus can be greater than His purposes for you. He restores health and heals wounds. He delivers you from the deadly pandemic. He has already rescued you from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons.

He knew you before you were born; chosen before the foundation of the world. He formed you – you are wonderfully made. You were chosen by Him before your first breath. He made you, loved you and wanted you as His child. You are wanted and loved; you are not a mistake or a surprise.

He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing. You are chosen, predestined, adopted, redeemed, forgiven. He took all the broken and dislocated pieces of your life and fixed them together in vibrant harmonies. Grace has been lavished on you. He has sealed you with his Holy Spirit within you. His Spirit in you confirms who you really are.

Don’t be anxious about your life. He cares for the sparrow – how much greater is His care for you! He clothes the fields with beauty – how much more will he care for you and clothe you! You are not forgotten. On the contrary, he knows all about you, even to the number of hairs on your head.

His plans for you are good – you have a hope and a future with Him. He has abundant life for you. This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant. His thoughts are for you and are more than the sands of the sea.

Where could you go? He’s there – wherever you go.

He’s got you. And He’s not letting go.

If you have a Christian faith, every word above applies to you. If you are on a spiritual journey, every word written can also be true for you.

The words are from the Bible: Psalm 139, Ephesians 1, Psalm 91, Deuteronomy 7:15, Jeremiah 29:11, 30:17, John 10:10, Colossians 1:13, 18-20, Romans 8:15-17, Luke 12:6, Matthew 6: 25-31.

Take time to think on them. In this time of fear and pandemics, allow the truth to bring assurance.

Turn off the phone and tv. Find a comfy chair in a quiet corner. Read aloud the Bible words set out above. And let God’s blessing rest on you.

And remember. He’s got you. And he’s not letting go.

Flowers on the Grave

Her name is Olive. And she’s in Jesus’ arms. The church prayed for her resurrection. I love that. I love the raw faith. But she wasn’t resurrected and a few weeks back a small baby was laid to rest.

I don’t know the name of this baby, but this is a report from evangelist Daniel Kolenda, just this week:

Tonight was very special. It started when I arrived on the field and heard from the crusade chairman about a report circulating around town. Last night, while I was praying for the sick, I saw a crippled man being powerfully touched by God in his seat. I went down to pray for him. While I was down there, a mother put a dead baby in my arms. She had been brought by the doctor for prayer. The baby’s little eyes were rolled back in its head, its body was limp and smelled very bad. I held the baby for a short time and then gave the body, still limp, back to the mother. The chairman told me that later that night, the baby resurrected! The word has spread all around.

Two babies prayed for. One resurrected, one in the arms of Jesus. We don’t know the why’s and wherefores’ of moments like these. But we celebrate with one family and support the other.

And that’s what Olive’s church did. If you were to walk through the cemetery near to Bethel Church in Redding, California a week after the burial, you will see flowers on the grave.

In fact you will see flowers on the graves around as well. And take a step back – there are flowers on every grave in the cemetery! What a beautiful response from a church in mourning for a baby’s death, to declare their love and prayers for every family going through the grief of a lost loved one.

Well done church.

REPOST: Soon I Will See the Lines on His face

I recalled the words from this book today. A re-post from April 2008

I've been reading a really interesting book by Donald Miller called 'Blue Like Jazz'. It's his own journey towards faith. Here's a great quote:

'I am early in my story, but I believe I will stretch out into eternity, and in heaven I will reflect upon these early days, these days when it seemed God was down a dirt road, walking towards me. Years ago He was a swinging speck in the distance; now He is close enough I can hear His singing. Soon I will see the lines on His face.'

How wonderful. May I always hear Him singing. And one day, too, I will be so close as to see the lines on His face.

Wednesday 22nd March 2017

On Wednesday 22^nd March, a terrorist drove down the pavement of Westminster Bridge, crashed his car and then ran into the Palace of Westminster. He killed four people, including a policeman.

The media was full of the story. 24 hour news coverage meant it was never off our screens. Many of the comments after the attack were angry. Some were more measured. Some sounded statesmanlike, especially from Andrew Neil.

One of the things Andrew Neil said was that terrorism would never prevail, because there were thousands upon thousands of Keith Palmer’s (the policeman killed) in our country.

I did a bit of research, and within minutes, I had found them. I could fill this page with them. People who, on March 22^nd 2017 were serving our nation, helping our children, promoting good, and in the over-used phrase of mugs and t-shirts, ‘carrying on’.

There’s the fun day at Ashton for the Community Family Support Programme. On the same day, the ‘Eggstravaganza’ day at Honiton for early years children. The Hospice of St Francis was given £5,500 by a firm of lawyers, the proceeds of a quiz night, on that day.

On that day, 22^nd March, The Luton and Dunstable District Netball League were in action. On the same day, there was a lecture at Bangor University on the use of technology to help with less resourced languages.

There was even a decision to change our text books in terms of what it says about dinosaurs because of new finds, announced in the science journal ‘Nature’ on that day.

None of these made the headlines. But each underlines goodness, a willingness to give, a willingness to explore, investigate, develop and promote good in the world we live in. Above all, it shows would be terrorists that we live in a society that works well and that will continue to ‘carry on’. There are indeed thousands upon thousands of Keith Palmer’s in our nation. And to every one of them – thank you.

REPOST: Between the Times

Feeling reflective and fallible today. This is a repost that says it well.

I live Between the Times.
Between my birth and my death.
Between my salvation and a final day.
Between the morning and the evening.

I live Between Each Breath.
Between the gulp of air
inhaled before the start of a new journey.
And the sigh of fatigue
at the end of a long day.

I live Between the Arms.
The loving mother
at the day of my birth.
The caring child
as I slip into eternity.

I live Between the Times.
And every precious second given to me.
Tells a story.
Of Life.
Love.
Pain.
Passion.
And finally.
Of Glory.
©Ralph Turner 2014

Leaning into Relationships

A 75 year study (yes, 75 years!) by Harvard University shows that long life and happiness is reflected by strong relationships.

This remarkable study is still going after all these years. Over 700 men started out being interviewed. Over 60 are still alive and in their nineties, and still being studied.

It’s not money or fame that gets you a long and satisfying life, its good relationships. Loneliness is a killer. Family feuds take a terrible toll on the person that holds the grudges. A happy marriage adds years to your life.

This is not rocket science- but it is social science. A real study over 75 years is hard to argue against.

It’s not the first time I have heard this either. Dr JohnTrickell did a study of various societies around the world that lived the longest. His conclusion as to what brought long life? Fun, friends, family and faith.

To have good friends throughout life is a blessing. To have a faith that brings about a friendship with Christ is even more precious.

So, lean in to relationships that give you satisfaction, friendship and fulfilment. You’ll be happier for it, and live longer.

Want to find out more about the study? This is a 12 minute history:

Times Paces

When I was a babe and wept and slept,
Time crept;

When I was a boy and laughed and talked,
Time walked.

Then when the years saw me a man,
Time ran.

But as I older grew,
Time flew.

Soon, as I journey on,
I'll find time gone.

May Christ have saved my soul, by then,
Amen.

'Times Paces' by Henry Twells, adapted by Guy Pentreath

Résumé Virtues or Eulogy Virtues?

David Brooks wrote a beautiful article in the New York Times. His proposition is a simple one. Do we want to build our virtues as reflected in a career résumé, or do we want to build virtues in our life that might be remembered after we are gone - what Brooks calls a Eulogy Virtue.

Here's a quote from the article:

"Many of us are clearer on how to build an external career than on how to build inner character."

And again:

"You (can) live with an unconscious boredom, separated from the deepest meaning of life and the highest moral joys. Gradually, a humiliating gap opens between your actual self and your desired self, between you and those incandescent souls you sometimes meet."

I appreciate my résumé. My success in the world of work has taken me a long way. But if I want to go further - beyond this life - I need to add the kind of virtues that may be talked of at a funeral.

I don't expect for a moment that anything I do to build my inner life will be of the least use when one day I stand before God's throne. The only passport to eternal life is one stamped with the words 'Paid in full by Jesus Christ'. Nevertheless, to live well in this life requires me to build a set of Eulogy Virtues. Anything less will be less than satisfying. Anything less will be less than worthwhile.

Property of J S Hepple

It was printed sometime after what it calls ‘The Great War’. Maybe the 1920s. Not much of the stamp album is left now. Over the years, since my Dad got it me second hand as a kid, I’ve moved most of the stamps out. Once the pages were full. Many stamps glued in. Some with massive stamp hinges.

Here’s a page though. Look at the names of the countries. Lost and gone now: Danish West Indies, Danzig, Slesvig.  Danzig was a semi-autonomous state from 1920 onwards, so that helps date the album. Some of the stamps are later. One on this page is dated 1944.

At the back it says ‘Property of J S Hepple’. I wonder who he was? When he lived? Pretty obviously collecting through the Second World War. I guess he’s maybe no longer alive? And possibly this is all that’s left of his life?

Just for a while I share that life. And so do you as you read this. J S Hepple never knew us. I trust he lived well.

What will we leave for future generations? More than a stamp album?

We build on others foundations. And lay the foundations for others. Build well.

Splendid Grief

Splendid grief. Two words that don’t go together? I heard them used by Sir Nicholas Soames MP in relation to his grandfather Sir Winston Churchill, and specifically to the full State Funeral given him in 1965. Fifty years on, there’s been a lot of reflection this week as to what Churchill achieved.

It was unusual for a ‘commoner’ to be given such recognition with a State Funeral, and the occasion was both solemn and a celebration of a man who led a nation to victory against the Nazi’s. Grief. But splendid too. It would have be a very different world without him.

As I reflect on the loss of two dear friends from cancer, one at quite a young age, the words come back to me. As we celebrated their lives, there was genuineness about the celebration. But grief too. Lives taken too soon.

It would have been a very different world without them. Splendid grief.