NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS LORD, LORD!

LISTENED AND WATCHED the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's speech on SKY yesterday. I knew little or nothing about him since he took over the role of his predecessor, the Founder of modern Iran, the Ayatollah Rulollah Khomeini. He seemed meek and mild at the onset of his meanderings. In fact I was initially astonished that he could suddenly silence and quell all the multitudinous demonstrators, and command immediate attention - nation wide - with a commensurate exhortation to 'Remember God!"

He went on to encourage the masses to pursue personal 'piety' (a holy life of service toward God) and to thus cultivate a 'calm and peaceful' attitude and spirit. It seems in truth a Call to the Nation at Large to turn to God and to seek His Presence .................He also said -

'Our youth are in a materialistic world in a time of turmoil.

They don't know what to do.

They need to understand spirituality.

They need to get back to spirituality, but they don't know how.

His words struck a chord in my heart for a moment. It is certainly true of the Western cultures that there has been an enormous shift away from our Religious roots and Faith, to a purely secular and irreligious attitude and outlook with little or no reference to solid foundations laid down by either God, our founding fathers, or our faith. All has been swallowed by greed,

arrogance, and the wisdom of Man. Our egotistical humanism made us wise in our own conceipts. So much ground has been lost, and truly it is very hard to somehow restore it; it is possible it cannot be restored. The up and coming generations do not know what their fathers knew or believed in. Many, if not all of those who gave their lives at Dunkirk or at any other point in the Great or 2nd World Wars, might wonder what they fought for....... The world has changed. And I believe it is because God has been consigned to the waste bin as 'old hat' and unenlightened nonsense. The Media pumps it into our homes and minds day and night, night and day. This is a generation that knows not God!

JUST FOR A MOMENT I felt the Ayatollah in Iran had caught sight of a truth, and that this was why he could say quite clearly that Iran had a BETTER democracy than any other democratic nation - because GOD was honoured in it; God was supreme in it. The Ayatollah is NOT the President of Iran. Yet, representing God, his voice is the guiding wisdom sought out and listened to and taken into account even by the elected government. I wondered! IS there any voice say in the United Kingdom, that speaks out in God's Name drawing attention to God's Will and to whom the Nation will give time to listen to?

BUT THEN he went on to talk of many things '....of cabbages and kings.' (and yes I am thinking of Alice in Wonderland). His voice did not change; his rather slow, deliberate, and uninspiring (to me) delivery did not alter, or falter...............But slowly and surely he manipulated the crowds until it they were stirred to hatred and bitter antagonism against the non Muslim world

at large. A man posing as God's Representative and Voice, initially exuding a holy and benign spirit, slowly and surely turned the air sour with careful, undisguised innuendo and bitter accusation, until he turned a quiet crowd into a murderous lynch mob. Tens if not hundreds of thousands all erupting into thunderous and frenzied shouts and screams of -

'DEATH to the British!

DESTROY the UK!

I suppose being distantly British, and even a 'Christian' I suddenly cringed with the force of

the blast roaring at me and my countrymen from the TV set. But it was MORE than that. I had begun to 'regard' the Ayatollah, and to credit it him with at least spiritual sincerity and integrity..... but how can sweet and sour water issue from the same fountain? I was thrust back to the BLIND HATRED that issues from Islam which at the same time speaks of God's Mercy and Love for all men. Of course it is not purely and simply a Muslim problem. I mean I have heard Christians damn whole nations to Hell just because they - or part of their society - spoke or did something unacceptable. But even the ' unacceptable' may be forgiven by a Loving and Caring God. What spirit are we of? In the Bible we hear of an incident where the disciples of Jesus were, together with him seeking shelter for the night in a village as darkness fell. When some went to enquire they were rebuffed and doors shut in their faces. - Luke 9v54

The disciples were annoyed and came to Jesus and said 'What shall we do - shall we call down fire upon them, to burn them up?' Perhaps a very human retaliatory re-action. Certainly a reaction that speaks of Man's selfish, self centred, bitter nature. Not admirable, surely not God like. JESUS said, rebuking them, -

'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.

The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.'

SO WHAT KIND OF SPIRIT DOES Mr. Khamenei have? What kind of spirit does Allah or His Prophet have? Is it a Spirit of LOVE? Is it a Spirit of ANGER and MALICE?

It is along this line that there is a divergence in understanding between the Christian and the Muslim in particular. GOD SO LOVED everyone, that He sent JESUS to heal, deliver and save them from their sin, purchasing through his own vicarious suffering and death, their forgiveness. Is there MORE than one God. Surely NOT! So then which God is GOD? Which God should we choose to worship, adore and serve? Surely the one that desires our good, the One who would DIE for us, rather than see us condemned to death and consigned to Hell. So IS Allah such a God? And if so what of all this determination to KILL, and DESTROY? Where is the justification for it? Where, in such a faith, is their need for Peace, and Calmness, and Patience to bear

our enemies. Here then is an anomoly. It needs to be noticed and discussed. There needs to be opportunity for dialogue and open exchange. There needs to be a change of mind and heart that will do away with Threats, Innuendo, and Revenge. Come let us sit down together and find a way to God's heart......

MY CHOICE OF PHOTOGRAPH above does not depict the Ayatollah well. Not a benign face, not a kindly eye. Instead a beetling brow and bristling eyebrow. Remembering his

predecessor, opposite, there is reason to believe they may have been edowed of the samespirit and driving force of mind and heart . A man of desperate, fierce, and angry countenance, unforgiving, vengeful, in his intentions. MY mother used to say that our 'eyes are the window of our soul' through which we view the world, and sometimes as we look into each others eyes we may catch a glimpse of what kind of soul the other one has! Quite scary - but often a useful exercise. We should constantly take a rain check on the spirit that inhabits and controls us - what it is, and what is is making us to be. What will be seen in OUR eyes?

Please forgive me should I have in any way offended any ones religious sensitivities - I am not racist, nor am I seeking to devalue or destroy the faith or religion of any. I just want to share the impression and resultant thoughts that came to me as I - by accident - caught the telecast from Iran yesterday.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

AND WHAT OF ELDORET? What is happening here? Well nothing especially sensational.

But the Government has notified in the press that TEACHERS salaries are to be raised, and this means that we ourselves have to consider our own rates of pay to our own teachers. If we are found to be too far behind we will not be able to attract teachers to stay with us for a reasonable term of service. So far our Primary School Scales are not far off the mark, but the Secondary School Teachers (all with Degrees) are now almost 60% behind the government advertised Scales. This means that we may have to close the Secondary section of the School, and this will mean that we shall have to start paying for our own Homes' children to attend outside Government Schools in our locality. A decision must be taken before our AGM scheduled for next Friday. Of course we could raise Fees, but the % rise might not be found viable to our parents, and so we would just not be able to pay our way. If we close Secondary we can then use the premises to expand Primary, and this will definitely assist the School to improve itself at that level and even help more students. Please pray for us during the coming week to come to the right decision.

RELATIVE TO CHILD CARE, Kenya has been rocked by accusations against Catholic priests that they are sexually abusing children. The media is always quick off the mark, and this time they may be found to be partly miss-representing the real picture - although there is little doubt the incidence of such abuse - generally - is increasing. HOWEVER, I personally feel that media usually overstate the situation world wide, and in doing so wind everyone up, and encourage all kinds of new legislation that in stead of improving society is slowly eroding it, and especially family life. I am sure that you will all have your own opinion about this relative to where you happen to live. Statistics printed into today's Daily Nation state that -

11% of natural fathers abuse their offspring more than any other relative

31% of ones neighbours are also found to sexually abuse our children.

None of this encourages us to feel safe, and in fact slowly destroys what 50 years ago would have been normal human relationships between adults and juveniles. Inevitably society is in fact changing - and not for the better. The future looks unhealthy and abnormal. But who is saying so. We are, as a world society, being slowly manipulated, and persuaded dishonestly, into a new way of life that will alter forever the trust we may have in each other. Not a pretty picture. Is anyone likely to take up the challenge of turning the tide?

All for now - except to say that yesterday we received the son of Colin and Jane Foster to spend about six weeks with us as a visitor. Simon has completed his 2nd University year and wanted to get a view of what is happening here - encouraged I think by his Mum, who when she was in her early life helped set up our Nursery School in 1981. Out of that initial labour has grown Testimony School as it is today. She has never seen it, but it is a real delight to have her son with us well over 20 years later to see the development. We shall try to keep him entertained and busy whilst here.

Much Love to you all in the Love of God

John and Esther