It came upon a midnight clear

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Sunset in Devon by George Dowdell

When I was in my teens, several things influenced and shaped my life. This carol was one of them. The angels were announcing the beginning of a new era which would affect every man, woman and child. The world would never be the same again!

It came upon a midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men
From heaven’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

The language is somewhat poetic but speaks of an event so significant that the angels just had to announce the birth of Jesus, the son of God. But the priests in the temple didn’t hear the angels. Herod in his palace didn’t hear them.  Only some simple shepherds heard the news, and heard the angels praising God that this event would…

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Jesus and judging a song by its cover

JusticeFacebook can be a blessing keeping you in touch with old friends and contacts. But sometimes the views expressed are judgemental and not a blessing at all! This morning I noticed a report by some American preacher in which he lashed out at christians for sharing a christian song which has done the rounds on Facebook.

  • Did he simply not like the style of the music? No!
  • Did he disagree with the theology of the lyrics? No!
  • Did he object to people making money selling christian music? No!
  • Did he criticise the life-style of the performers? Yes!

Continue reading “Jesus and judging a song by its cover”

Feed my Sheep

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I want to talk about the relationship between how I love God, and how I love people. Jesus says quite plainly that if I claim to love God, then I must also love other people. Indeed, John says that if I claim to love God, but fail to love people, I am a liar! [1]

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Roots of Poverty

George Dowdell's avatarCompassion and Justice

Mumbai slum street scene Mumbai slum street scene

War, disease, famine, debt, unsafe water and many other things contribute to poverty in the world, But are these the root causes of poverty? We need to drill a bit deeper, and as we do, we come face to face with human nature and attitudes.  In this article I argue that things like greed, fear, power and prejudice are the real root causes of a state of affairs where a quarter of the world lives in absolute poverty and many more live without the “necessities” that we take for granted.

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Sold to a brothel owner

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Marikit’s story

Hello, my name is Marikit[1] and I used live on an Island in South East Asia. I am now 18 years old but my story started when I was just 14. My mum and my dad were always shouting at each other. This was because my father owed a lot of money to the local loan shark and this man was threatening them. I didn’t know that I was to be the solution to their money problems!
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How can I keep from singing?

SingersWhat is an article about singing doing on a blog dedicated to compassion and justice? I am very aware of the problems in the world created by poverty and injustice. But hey! Life isn’t all doom and gloom. Yes, I feel passionate about justice, but singing is a part of me. Singing helps keep me sane in a mad world.

The ills we see in the world around us are caused by the free wills that God has given to us humans. But he has given us so much more to enjoy. Beauty, colour and music are three gifts which, although we could function without them, add so much richness to our lives. Continue reading “How can I keep from singing?”

Slavery in Britain today

Slavery in BritainThere are an estimated 30 Million slaves throughout the world. But we, in Britain, cannot point the finger. We must ask why we tolerate 10,000 or more slaves in the United Kingdom today. We need a stronger law which will rank human trafficking alongside kidnapping and murder. We also need more vigilance on the part of the police, officials, social workers and the public as a whole to spot the signs of workers in conditions with restricted liberty.

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Dream again, Believe again

Vision refreshedYesterday we sang a song, and 4 words seemed to stand out from the rest. “Dream again, Believe again”. Ten years ago, I wrote about “My Dream” and recently included it in my blog. But I am aware that I need to keep dreaming. Yesterdays’s dream is not adequate for today. As we sang that song, I felt that God was saying to me that it was time to dream again.
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