WISE MEN'S SONG

WE CAME FROM OUR HOMELAND IN THE EAST

STARGAZERS AND PRIESTS AS WE WERE KNOWN BACK THERE

TO SEEK OUT THE CHILD BORN TO BE KING OF THE JEWS

FOR WE HAD OBSERVED HIS STAR RISING IN THE SKY.

HAD TRAVELLED MANY WEARY MILES TO WORSHIP HIM

FOR WE WERE WELL VERSED IN PROPHECIES AND SIGNS

WELL STUDIED, RESEARCHERS, INTERPRETERS’ OF DREAMS

WE ENTERED JERUSALEM IN OUR CAMEL CARAVAN

CREATING A RIGHT STIR AND COMMOTION

PEOPLE PUSHING AND GAWKING TO SEE US PERSIANS

WITH OUR LINES OF SERVANTS AND ARMED GUARDS.

WHEN KING HEROD HEARD OUR WORDS, HE WAS SHAKEN TO THE CORE.

WHAT SHOOTING STAR? WHAT NEW KING?

HE ENQUIRED WITH DEADLY CALM

WANTING TO KNOW THE EXACT TIME THE STAR HAD APPEARED.

HIS OWN JEWISH PRIESTS CAME UP TRUMPS

WITH A PROPHECY ABOUT THE MESSIAH

POINTING THE WAY TO BETHLEHEM

WHERE THIS SHEPHERD-KING WOULD EMERGE.

WE WERE QUICK TO LEAVE HEROD’S COMPANY

TO JOURNEY OUT AFRESH, WHEN SUDDENLY THE STAR

WE’D SEEN IN THE EAST REAPPEARED

LEADING US DIRECTLY TO THE EXACT PLACE

WHERE THE CHILD WOULD BE.

WE WERE SHOUTING AND HALLOOING

TEARS FLOWING, PUNCHING THE AIR WITH JOY.

WHEN WE GLIMPSED THE YOUNG CHILD

WITH HIS MOTHER, MARY, WE FELL TO OUR KNEES

OVERCOME WITH AWE AT THIS DIVINE  KING

WORSHIP SPILLING FROM OUR LIPS.

OUR DESTINY DAY, OUR MISSION ACHIEVED

WE WERE CHANGED FOREVER.

OPENING OUR TREASURE BOXES, WE GAVE HIM GOLD IN ABUNDANCE

MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE, FITTING GIFTS FOR THIS PRINCE OF PEACE.

Words by Christine Pearson

SHEPHERD'S SONG

THE NIGHT IT HAPPENED.

WE WERE SITTING IN THE STILLNESS

WATCHING OUR SHEEP NEAR BETHLEHEM VILLAGE.

NO IDEA OF THE MOMENTOUS MOMENT ABOUT TO HAPPEN

THE REVEALING SPLIT SECOND OF AN ANGEL’S RADIANCE

OF THE FIELD LIT UP WITH HOLY GLORY

OUR EYES DAZZLED, OUR BODIES FROZEN.

I’VE GOT GOOD NEWS FOR YOU GUYS.

SAID THE AWESOME MESSENGER,

THE BEST NEWS THE WORLD HAS EVER HAD.

IT’S FOR YOU, NOT JUST THE PRIESTS, THE RICH

BUT FOR EVERYONE, BOTH HIGH AND LOW.

FOR TODAY IN BETHLEHEM A RESCUER WAS BORN

HE IS THE LORD YAHWEH, THE MESSIAH.

YOU’LL KNOW IT’S HIM BY THIS SIGN

OF BEING WRAPPED IN STRIPS OF CLOTH

AND LYING IN A FEEDING TROUGH.

JOY JUMPED IN OUR CHESTS

WE WERE ALL QUIVER AND TINGLE

AS THE ANGEL CHOIR APPEARED

ABLAZE WITH SWEETEST SINGING:

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN

ON EARTH PEACE AND GOODWILL

TOWARDS EVERY MAN AND WOMAN.

WE WERE OFF AS SOON AS THE ANGEL SHOW

DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW, TO SEE THIS GOD-CHILD

THAT HAD BEEN REVEALED TO US FEW.

THE MUSIC STILL PLAYING IN OUR HEADS.

WE RAN INTO THE VILLAGE ASKING AND KNOCKING

UNTIL WE FOUND THE VERY PLACE

WHERE THE SAVIOUR WAS LYING.

WE WORSHIPPED AND BOWED TO THIS TINY CHILD

KNOWING THAT HE WAS EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US.

YOU COULDN’T KEEP US QUIET FROM THEN ON

HIGH-FIVING, PRAISING, TELLING OUR AMAZING

ENCOUNTER TO EVERYONE.

Words by Christine Pearson

MARY'S SONG

IT WAS A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER

WHEN THE MESSAGE CAME

EXPLODING LIKE SPARKS IN A FIRE

CHANGING MY LIFE FOREVER.

I WASN’T EVEN PRAYING

JUST QUIETLY DUSTING, REARRANGING

WHEN AN ANGEL APPEARED

HIS PRESENCE OVERWHELMING.

SAYING, THE LORD WAS WITH ME

I WAS HIGHLY FAVOURED

AND SINGLED OUT FOR GOD’S BLESSING.

MY HEART BEATING LIKE A FRENZIED HAMMER

MY THOUGHTS RACING, MY BODY REELING

GABRIEL’S WORDS WASHED THROUGH ME.

SAYING I WAS THE LORD’S DELIGHT

HAD BEEN SPECIALLY CHOSEN FOR A WONDERFUL GIFT.

THIS IS WHERE IT SPIRALLED INTO THE STRATOSPHERE,

HIS MESSAGE IMPRINTING VERY CLEAR

THAT I’D BE PREGNANT WITH A BABY BOY

WAS TO CALL HIS NAME JESUS.

THAT HE’D BE THE GREATEST, THE SON OF THE HIGHEST,

AND REIGN FOREVER AS ISRAEL’S KING

HIS KINGDOM HAVING NO LIMIT.

I WAS UNMARRIED, YOUNG, STILL A VIRGIN

THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION ON MY LIPS…. HOW?

THE ANSWER MELTING ALL RESISTANCE

THAT I WOULD EXPERIENCE THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

KNOW ALMIGHTY GOD’S SHADOW OF POWER IN A GLORY CLOUD

SO THE CHILD BORN TO ME WOULD BE HOLY, THE SON OF GOD.

I WAS UNDONE, THE YES RESOUNDING LOUD

THROUGH EVERY FIBRE OF ME.

I’M GOD’S SERVANT, I REPLIED

MY HEART EMBRACING EVERY WORD

FROM THE ANGEL’S MOUTH.


Words by Christine Pearson

Living Globally

This is not meant as a political comment, but Brexit will not keep us out of Europe. Nor will building walls stop Central America from being next to the United States.

More importantly, nothing can stop clear and easy communication from taking place between these nations. We live in a Global World. That world is facilitated by the Internet and social media. If it’s blocked, it going to get through anyway.

Much of the recent popular protests in countries as diverse as Hong Kong and Lebanon started life on WhatsApp, Facebook and other forms of social media.

We trade globally too. If my wife (who is of Indian heritage) wanted to buy a new sari a few years back, she would go to the Melton Road (‘Little India’) in Leicester. She’d pay a premium for it. The shopkeeper had had to pay a wholesaler. He’s had to pay transport costs as well as dealing with wholesalers in India. Today she can go online and buy directly from the factory in India.

Sure, there may be tax and tariffs -the financial equivalent to a wall- but it doesn’t stop the trade.

And all that brings me to another thought. As a Christian, I hold in my hands the Book of Life. When people read the Bible, lives change. There’s power in the words. It’s God speaking with lives changed as a result.

I love that we no longer have to smuggle Bible’s into China. Even if Bible’s were banned, they’d still get through – thanks to the Internet. Electronic versions -legally and illegally- get through any barriers that nations and ideologies may care to put in its way.

I love that in Iran, a nation that outwardly prohibits Christian conversion, there’s one of the biggest Christian revivals taking place right now. 

I love that one of the major celebrities of our age has found a faith in Christ and is reading his Bible every night before he sleeps. There’s power in God’s Word.

I love that in our own family we are spread around the world. Our oldest son and daughter in law are in China. Our youngest daughter and son in law are in Africa. Our ‘adopted daughter’ and husband are in New Zealand. Our sponsored child is in Ghana. I can -and do- travel globally and find Christian friends and family wherever I go.

We live globally. We trade globally. And we share our faith globally. God does not recognise geography, politics or ideologies. I’m part of the biggest family in the world – one that transcends every barrier.

Dear BT, Goodbye.... Kind Of

For those kind people who have followed my blog over the years, they will know of the battles I’ve had with British Telecom (BT). It took them 91 days and 4 hours to provide me with Broadband when we moved house. At the time, I was probably counting the seconds too!

And once installed, I tried to move to my preferred provider, Sky (better people on the phone and they don’t read from a script for starters). It failed of course. I was advised that the servicing company, Openreach (owned by BT), were not able to find me a Broadband line in my village. The only ones available were - surprise, surprise - for BT.

So there I was, paying through the nose for a BT phone line and Broadband. Until I called in to an EE shop.

I went to EE to sort something out on my mobile, but like all good sales people, the guy used the opportunity to offer Broadband and phone. At a price that was £53 cheaper per month than BT. Per month! I thought I’d misheard.

The same deal as BT - just without BT Sport. Now, I know what some of you will be saying…. nowadays, EE is a subsidiary of BT. Yes, exactly. That’s the reason I can do it. Otherwise, it’s back to Openreach telling me the lines are reserved for BT. But - ha! - with EE being a subsidiary of BT, they can’t play that game. And I get to save £53 a month.

How come BT charges so much? It wasn’t long before they called. Here is a transcript of the call, as accurately as I can remember….

BT: Hello Mr Turner, we understand you want to leave BT?

Me: Yes.

BT: Sorry to hear that. You are a valued and long term customer. Is there a particular reason?

Me: Yes. I’m saving £53 a month.

BT: We’d be pleased to match that saving.

Me: Pardon?

BT: Rather than lose you, we’ll match our competitor.

Me: Not really a competitor - you own them. But how come you can match it?

BT: It’s what we do.

Me: So why didn’t you offer this before?

BT: We only offer at this stage.

Me: I thought I was a valued and long term customer. But you were willing to charge me an extra £53 a month so long as I didn’t complain?

BT: I wouldn’t put it like that. But the offer is what all companies do. If you go to Sky or Vodaphone, you’d find they only offer this sort of deal if you are threatening to leave.

Me: That’s not true. Sky call me regularly to check I’ve got the right TV deal. That includes reducing costs.

BT: Oh. Maybe it’s different for TV deals.

Me: Is that all?

BT: So you won’t come back to us?

Me: No.

BT: What if I told you that it will cost you £27 a month if you want BT Sport outside of your current deal?

Me: I’d say that was a threat and it’s not worth that much.

So there we go. At long last, I’m away from the dreaded BT. The new Broadband went ahead without a problem. And EE have promised to be active in keeping the costs down.

Now all I need is a future government to decide that this whale of a company is too big and powerful, and hive off EE into a separate entity.

I continue to dream….

Give Me 20 Minutes of Your Time

11-08-2019 | Leading People to Jesus | Ralph Turner from Chroma Church on Vimeo.

You're a Christian. You're keen to share your faith, but not sure how.

Here's five points and some encouragement to do just that. Give me 20 minutes of your time. It could bring eternal rewards.

The Best Prime Ministers We (N)ever Had

There they are. In an alternative universe, the best Prime Ministers we (n)ever had.

We could be waking up today to a second Labour term for David Miliband, off the back of successful middle ground governments under Owen and Jenkins, as we enjoy a close and financially successful relationship with France and Germany. Instead, we’re waking up to Boris.

We could have had a very early contender for first woman Prime Minister with Barbara Castle. Instead we got Thatcher.

We could have enjoyed stability, peace and prosperity with sensible Tory governments under Heseltine and Patten. Instead we got Thatcher (again) and Cameron; so worried about his internal politics that he sold the nation.

I posted the photo on Facebook yesterday to see what response I got. It was a pretty good response. A couple of friends suggested I missed John Smith and Shirley Williams. I agree.

We’ve lost the centre. Politics has become extreme. My choice today is a right wing/Brexit Tory government or a left wing/can’t govern Labour one. I can vote for the smaller parties, but our voting system doesn’t help – look at what happened to the extremely well thought out policies of the Change party.

One of my Christian friends on Facebook said I shouldn’t worry and that God was in control. That’s a cop-out. As a Christian, I am called to pray for my leaders – and I do – but that doesn’t mean I agree with them or should just assume it’s what God wants. That’s the road to not voting, a loss of democracy and the rise of extremism. At least three European countries have what appear to be racist policies and propaganda…. And what to make of our cousins over the Atlantic?

So, I’ll continue to wonder what could have been. And to vote for what could still be.

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.

Stories

Stories are powerful.

Yesterday I interviewed a lady for a new book. Incredible stories of lives changed in Kenya and Pakistan, all because she stepped out in faith that God would meet her needs as she met the needs of others.

Today I read stories from the Mission24 team that has just come back from Uganda and Rwanda. Stories of healing and of lives transformed.

I serve as a trustee, helping an organisation to change lives in Eswatini. In one location, over 400 children have been rescued and given a hope and a future. My youngest daughter worked there and tells stories of horror changed to stories of hope.

I work with friends in India, helping rescue girls from prostitution and human trafficking. Every smile tells a story of a life changed.

I'm in awe of the wonderful people at The Wall, compiling a million stories of answered prayer.

And as Chair of the Leprosy Mission, I see incredible stories of people who overcome the most severe discrimination, with love and forgiveness for those who shunned them.

Jesus told stories all the time. The ultimate storyteller, He wove them into his teaching – and lives were changed as a result.

How about your story? If you’re reading this as someone with a Christian faith, do you tell your own story to your friends and family? It’s the most effective way of sharing your faith. People can argue over theology but they can’t contradict your personal narrative.

Why not prepare your own story? Put it on paper. Read it back to yourself; see how it sounds. Rehearse it so that it’s there when you need it, and you can share it at a moment’s notice. Have a long version and a short version. Be ready to tell someone how Jesus has changed your life and what He has done. Put in illustrations from your own life – whatever your story, whether it is dramatic or seemingly ordinary, it will tell others in a compelling way that Jesus is alive today.

Singing in the Rain - Living in Revival

As a church historian, it’s hard to see the age we live in, in any other way than as an age of revival. These things don’t reach our secular news programmes, but large parts of the globe are celebrating a revival in the truth of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the world.

There are pockets of revival right now in churches, towns and villages in nearly every nation. In parts of South America and central and southern Africa, the revival is more clearly seen on a nationwide scale.  In nations where Christianity is restricted, there too, God is on the move. In places where it is hard to preach the gospel of Christ, there are many stories of people having dreams and Jesus meeting them. There was a recent report from Iran, not the easiest of countries to hold to a Christian faith, where in the last 40 years, there has been a numerical growth in Christian numbers from around 500 to over one million. Despite persecution in Islamic nations and in countries such as China and India, the church continues to grow - much of it underground and out of plain sight.

In our nation, the UK, best described as post-modern and sceptical of religion, faith in Christ is on the rise. People are open to the supernatural, so when the Holy Spirit moves through miracles and healing, lives are changed. One report from friends in Derby last week speaks of over 150 people asking Jesus Christ to change their lives - most of them out on the streets rather than in organised meetings.

In church meetings there is an increased awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. In my own church in Leicester, you can almost touch the sense of God’s presence as we worship.

The church observers at Operation World note that in nearly every nation of the world, the Evangelical/Charismatic/Pentecostal wing of the church is growing at a more rapid rate than the birth rate. Many leading pastors and theologians are beginning to write of coming revival.

Today, there are estimated to be around 2.3 billion Christians in the world. It’s by far the biggest faith group, and it continues to grow.

A good friend of mine put it this way:

“We are truly in a now season! No longer are we standing in the desert longing for the rain; the first drops have begun to fall and the season has shifted. It’s time to pray for rain in the time of rain…. it’s time to start singing in the rain!”

If the 1500s were a time of renewal in the revelation of faith through God’s Word; if the 1700s were a time of renewal in the revelation of Christ as Saviour through evangelism, and if the 1800s were a time of renewal in the lost art of compassion and care, then the century we live in is best described as a time of Holy Spirit revival. From the small church to the changed nation, the words of Jesus Christ are sounding out. He is the way, the life and the truth. And millions are finding that to be true every day.

The Moment

That’s the picture. That’s the moment. I’m walking my younger daughter down the aisle in the idyllic setting of a Stellenbosch vineyard. And suddenly it’s very real.

Lois is trying to hold back the tears. We can see Dewaal awaiting her arrival. The biggest grin.

The picture shows me more stooped shouldered than I would like. Maybe that’s the price of bringing up four children. And is that grey hair behind my ears? I had no idea. Well, I don’t look there do I?

But mostly it’s a moment of intense happiness. All the tension of the days before the wedding dissipates. Friends smile and cheer. Roh and I say a resounding ‘We do!’ as Greg, the Pastor, asks who gives the bride away.

But even that’s not strictly true. We don’t lose. We gain.

On the way in to the country, I explained to the South African immigration officer that I was here for the wedding of my daughter.

‘Congratulations on your new son’ she said.

I didn’t understand.

‘Pardon?’

‘Congratulations. You’re not losing a daughter. You’re gaining a son!’

Such wisdom from unexpected places.

We have a son. And a wider family. We have smiles and memories. And we have that picture. That moment.

Trust

We’re in a crisis as a nation. At least that’s what all today’s newspapers tell us!

The issue is trust. Not Brexit. Trust.

We all have different ideas as to our utopian nation. But we’re jaded. No longer trusting those we voted for.

Someone once said that when trust is broken it’s incredibly hard to repair. And that’s what has happened.

We had two sets of ideas at the Referendum. Each side exaggerated. But the winning vote is the one under the microscope. And some of the ‘facts’ turned out to be lies.

We have a Tory party in disarray. No longer governing; a lack of trust between factions within it has created crisis.

We have an opposition party with a weak leader who has allowed the extremists within to override common sense, resulting in some of the best MPs leaving.

We have a lack of trust in Europe. We’ve been so unclear in our dealings, even if we turned around and said we wanted to stay in Europe, it would take a long time for trust to be restored.

We all know this feeling. We’ve all experience it at one time or another in our lives. People we trusted let us down, betrayed us, spoke against us. It happens in the workplace. It happens with friends and family.

For us personally, last year was one of broken trust. Lies were gossiped and as a result of others believing it, we had to leave friends we had worked with for nearly 20 years. It’s hard to come back to a place of trust. But we are grateful for one overriding answer: Others may not be faithful, but God always is.

We’ve found that to be true for us personally. And that’s my prayer for our nation.

In the darkest of times, our nation has turned to God. When there is a lack of leadership. When there is a surfeit of false political answers. When there are too many false escapes from the world around us, whether that be drink, drugs, entertainment or other distractions.

It’s not taught in our schools, but we live in a land of revivals. A land that has regularly put its trust in God. A land that in the past, has declared Jesus to be the way, the truth and the life. We can trust.

My prayer for the Prime Minister (and I’m not sure who that will be over the next few days) is that he or she will trust. Trust in God.

‘But as for me, I have trusted in your gracious love.’ Psalm 13:5

Lessons in Management

I love Manchester United. I come from Manchester and have supported them since I was first able to speak. (I’m also a proud supporter of Leicester City, my adopted home ☺). So it has been hard to support United through the flawed management years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. But maybe there’s hope.

Have a look at the management style of the new caretaker manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. There are lessons here for all of us.

1. On the first day in the job, bringing Norwegian chocolate bars for all the backroom staff

2. Going unannounced to a staff party that same day and meeting as many of the backroom staff as possible

3.  Calling Mike Phelan, once Ferguson’s right hand man, and asking for his help

4.  Retaining the services of Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna as his support staff, ensuring the best from the previous era is maintained

5. Developing a good relationship with the press from the beginning, being available as much as possible, arranging a regular date and time for press conferences

6. Visiting the Women’s team, talking to as many as possible

7. Stopping for photo’s with the parents of the youth team boys 

8. Donating his watch to a charity auction, raising £32,000

9. Attending a Manchester function being run by rivals Manchester City, supporting the charities they were supporting

10. Attending the annual Munich air crash memorial service in smart attire

11. Keeping in regular contact with Sir Alex, asking advice as and when needed

12. Not being afraid to challenge the players but keeping all criticism behind closed doors

13. Talking to Nicky Butt, the Academy manager, as soon as possible, ensuring young players get promotion to the first team (two so far)

14. Positively motivating the players, encouraging attacking football

15. Playing to the players strengths

16. Recognising the Club’s history

17. Showing enthusiasm at all times

18. Smiling

His record at the time of this blog is 10 wins and 1 draw. If he gets the job permanently,this will be why.

Just Another Brick in the Wall?

The song from Pink Floyd was anti-establishment; a protest song. There was a bitterness to it. A cry from a generation of kids brought up in a system that meant they would be nothing, do nothing – just another brick in the wall:

We don't need no education

We don't need no thought control

No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Teacher leave the kids alone.

 ‘Just Another Brick in the Wall’ was number one in the UK charts for five weeks late in 1979. It followed a tradition of similar songs, attracting the attention of teenagers with angst. ‘Schools Out’ by Alice Cooper was the one I remember from my schooldays. Banned at school, we were put in detention if we were heard singing it.

The thing is, we’re not just bricks in a wall. Every one of us has a story. Every one of us can affect history, write history, change this world.

The Bible tells us we each have a destiny – if we find it, it changes us and those around us. In a world with the perception that we are ‘just bricks’, this is good news!

“For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I’ve just put a brick in the wall. And it’s not ‘just another brick’. It’s a brick of declaration.

Let me explain.

The Wall is a project to build a sculpture of a million bricks honouring Jesus – it’s a declaration of the Christian faith; a National Landmark of Hope to remind generations of God's goodness. Every brick is sponsored. Every brick tells a story of answered prayer. Once built, next to a busy motorway, over 140,000 people will pass it every day. (Picture shown is one of 5 possible designs).

If you were to line your phone up on brick number 12335 and press the App, this is what it would say:

UNCLE BEN'S PRAYER

In the early 1960's letters started arriving for me, from India. They were from my Uncle, Ben White, a missionary in south India. He was telling me about Jesus - and my parents (not believers at the time) were most concerned! I don't remember any of the contents of the letters- as a child, the stamps on the envelope were more interesting! But God was doing his work and my Uncle's prayers were answered. Both my sister and I became Christians as teenagers, and my Mum became a Christian on her deathbed. Later on, God called me to India- speaking to me in an audible voice. I married an Indian girl, Rohini. My wife and I have been working into India for nearly 30 years now, taking teams most years, rescuing children, supporting churches and declaring the message my Uncle Ben so wanted me to know.

Not just another brick in the wall after all.

In Tribute to the Sailing Ship

For as long as I can remember, I have loved sailing ships. I know where it came from – my Dad.

I remember as a kid being fascinated by the intricacies of a model of HMS Victory my Dad had made – the sails, the netting, the ropes. All in the right place. And the miniature cannons – an obvious attraction to a youngster!

Dad had always loved sailing ships despite neither of us having any nautical background. He read to me and my sister as a kid. One of the books, Two Years Before the Mast, made an impression on me. It introduced me to the genre and it wasn’t long before I had discovered Hornblower.

The great delight of being a young teenager and reading the Hornblower novels by C S Forester, was that they start with Hornblower at about that age in his Midshipman days. I was hooked, reading right through the stories within a couple of years.

Other naval books followed, such as Alexander Kent’s Bolitho stories. And along the way I got to collect thematic stamps from around the world with pictures of ships on.

Then came Patrick O’Brian. This is a totally different class of seafaring novel. It’s C S Forester meets Jane Austen. The books are incredibly well researched and brilliantly written. They are as much to do with the main characters as to do with ships and battles – and they really do read like Jane Austen at sea. With 20 or so books in the series, there’s plenty to go at.

I’ve never been on a real seafaring sail ship. But thanks to my Dad, I have been around the world and back. I’ve discovered countries, fought battles, dealt with scurvy, shinned down the mainmast and lived with the wide horizons of the seas.

Maybe that is why I’m so attracted to the poem attributed to Sir Francis Drake. Here it is – and I pray you too will set sail, and losing sight of the land, will see the stars.

Disturb us, Lord, when

We are too pleased with ourselves,

When our dreams have come true

Because we dreamed too little,

When we arrived safely

Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when

With the abundance of things we possess

We have lost our thirst

For the waters of life;

Having fallen in love with life,

We have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

We have allowed our vision

Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,

To venture on wilder seas

Where storms will show Your mastery;

Where losing sight of land,

We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back

The horizons of our hopes;

And to push back the future

In strength, courage, hope, and love.