Chalam

The first part I remember was being on a field with some casualties, no idea why we were there, but I walked into a tiled room, which could have been a public toilet facility, and a young man was lying on the floor injured. I tried to help him, but both ankles were broken, and I saw that on his left hand, his thumb and middle finger were cut off. The cut was clean and not ragged. I moved the bits that were cut off next to the stumps they came from, hoping to keep the blood flowing, although there was strangely no blood.
Anyway,  I went to get help and an two nurses carrying a stretcher rushed in to help him. I was very clear that the man’s name was Matthew West. Matthew West is a Christian contemporary artist.
Later on, I wanted to go to the hospital to visit him, and although I got to the hospital, I kept being led into different rooms or situations and never saw him again. I remember in one room there was great rejoicing because they had created a hybrid species.

John Knox 1505 – 1572
John Know was a key figure in the reformation, being one of the 6 men who dew up the 1560 Scot’s confessionhttp://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/ScotConf.htm and was, what would now be called, the first moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland. He ‘contracted a close intimacy’ with John Calvin, and enraged and exasperated and Queen and Court many times.

“The Popish faction now found, that it would be impossible to get their idolatry re-established, while the Reformation was making such progress, and while John Knox and his associates had such credit with the people. They therefore set other engines to work than those they had hitherto used, sparing no pains to blast his reputation by malicious calumnies, and even making attempts upon his life. One night as he was sitting at the head of a table in his own house, with his back to the window, as was his custom, he was shot at from the other side of the street, on purpose to kill him. The shot entered at the window, but he being near the other side of the table, the assassin missed his mark. The bullet struck the candlestick before him, and made a hole in the foot of it. Thus was He that was with him stronger than they that were against him.
John Knox was an eminent wrestler with God in prayer, and like a prince prevailed. The Queen Regent herself had given him this testimony, when upon a particular occasion she said she was more afraid of his prayers than of an army of ten thousand men.
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On the 24th of January 1570, John Knox being in the pulpit, a paper was put into his hands, among others containing the names of the sick people to be prayed for; the paper contained these words ‘Take up the man whom you accounted another God,’ alluding to the earl of Moray, who was slain the day before. Having read it, he put it into his pocket, without showing the least discomposure. After the sermon, he lamented the loss which both the Church and State had met with in the death of that worthy nobleman, showing that God takes away the good and wise rulers from a people in His wrath; and at last said, “There is one in the company who maketh that horrible murder, at which all good men have occasion to be sorrowful, the subject of his mirth. I tell him, he shall die in a strange land, where he shall not have a friend near him to hold up his head.” Thomas Maitland, the author of that insulting paper, hearing what Knox said, confessed the whole thing to his sister, the Lady Trabrown, but said, that John Knox was raving, to speak of he knew not whom; she replied with tears, that none of John Knox’s threatenings fell to the ground. This gentleman afterwards went abroad and died in Italy, on his way to Rome, having no man to comfort him.”

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Towards the end of his life, he was enfeebled and confined to bed for several months.

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“Upon the Lord’s day, November 23, after he had lain for some time very quiet, he said, “If any man be present, let him come and see the work of God,” for he thought (as was supposed) then h=to have expired. His servant having sent for Mr Johnston of Elphinstone, he burst forth into these words, “I have been in meditation these two last nights upon the troubled kirk of God, despised in the world, but precious in His sight. I have called to God for her, and commended her to Christ, her head; I have been fighting against Satan, who is ever ready for the assault; I have fought against spiritual wickedness, and have prevailed; I have been as it were in heaven, and have tasted of its joys.”After sermon several persons came to visit him; one asked him (upon perceiving his breathing shortened), if he had any pain? He answered ‘I have no more pain than he that is now in heaven, and am content, if it please God, to lie here seven years.” Many times, when he was lying, as if asleep, he was in meditation, and was heard to say, “Lord, grant true pastors to Thy church, that purity of doctrine may be retained. Restore peace again to this commonwealth, with godly rulers and magistrates. O serve the Lord in Fear, and death shall not be troublesome to you. Blessed is the death of those that have part in the death of Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus, sweet Jesus; into Thy hand I commend my spirit.”

That night, Dr Preston having come to him, and being told by some of his constant attendants that he was often very uneasy in his sleep, the doctor asked him after he awoke, how he did, and what made him mourn so heavily in his sleep. He answered, “In my life-time I have often been assaulted by Satan, and many times he hath cast my sins in my teeth, to bring me to despair; yet God gave me strength to overcome his temptations; and now that subtle serpent, who never ceases to tempt, hath taken another course, and seeks to persuade me that all my labours in the ministry, and the fidelity I have shown in that service, hath merited heaven and immortality. But blessed be God that He hath brought to my mind that Scripture, ‘What hast thou that thou has not received?’ and, ‘Not I, but the grace of God, which is in me,’ with which he hath gone away ashamed, and shall no more return. And now, I am sure my battle is at an end, and that I shall shortly, without pain of body or trouble of spirit, change this mortal and miserable life for that happy and immortal life that shell never have an end.”

Having soe time before given orders for making his coffin, he rose out of bed (November 24) about ten o’clock, put on his hose and doublet, sat up about the space of half-an-hour, and then returned to bed again. Being asked by Campbell of Kinzeancleugh if he had any pain, he answered “No pain but such as I trust will soon put an a=end to this battle– yea, I do not esteem that pain to me, which is the beginning of eternal joy.” In the afternoon, he caused his wife to read the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians. When it was ended, he said, “Is not that a comfortable chapter?” A little after, “I comend my soul, spirit, and body, into Thy hands, O Lord.” About 5 o’clock in the evening, he said to his wife, “Go, read where I cast my first anchor.” This was the 17th chapter of John, which she read, together with part of Calvin’s sermons on the Ephesians, Then they went to prayer, after which Dr Preston asked him if he heard the prayer. He answered, “Would to God that you and all men heard it as I have done; I praise God for that heavenly sound;” adding, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” His servant, Richard Bannatyne, hearing him give a long sigh, said, “Now sir, the time you have long called to God for doth instantly come; and, seeing all natural power fail, give us some sign that you live upon the comfortable promises which you have so often showed to us.” At this speech, he lifted up one of his hands; and immediately after, without any struggle, as one falling asleep, he departed this life, about eleven o’clock at night. Finishing his Christian warfare, he entered into the joy of his Lord, to receive a crown of righteousness, prepared for him and such as him, from the foundation of the world.

Excerpt from the book written by John Howie in the late 1700’s.

Regarding Alexander Peden who died in the 1680’s

One time, travelling alone in Ireland, it being a dark mist, and night approaching, he was obliged to go to a house belonging to a Quaker, where he begged the shelter of his roof all night. The Quaker said, “Thou art a stranger; thou art very welcome, and shalt be kindly entertained; but I cannot wait upon thee, for I am going to the meeting.” Peden said, “I will go along with you.” The Quaker said “Thou mayest if thou pleasest, but thou must not trouble us.” He said, “I shall be civil.” When they came to the meeting, as their custom was, they sat for some time silent, some with their faces to the wall, and some covered; and, there being a void in the loft above, there came down the appearance of a raven, and sat on one man’s head, who rose and spoke with such vehemence, that the foam flew from his mouth. It went to a second, and he did so likewise. Peden, sitting next to the landlord, said,”Do you not see? You will not deny yon afterwards.” He answered, “Thou promised to be silent.” From a second, it went to a third man’s head, who did as the former two. When they dismissed, on the way home, Peden said to his landlord, “I always thought that there was devilry amongst you, but I never thought that he had appeared visibly, till now I have seen it. Oh! for the Lord’s sake, quit this way, and flee to the Lord Jesus, in whome there is redemption through His blood, even forgiveness of all your iniquities.” The poor man fell a-weeping, and said, “I percieve that God hath sent thee to my house, and put it in thy heart to go along with me, and permitted the devil to appear visibly amongst us this night. I never saw the like before; let me have the help of thy prayers, for i resolve, through the Lord’s grace, to follow this way no longer.” After this, he became a singular Christian; and when dying blessed the Lord that in mercy He sent the man of God to his house.

More to come.

In a snapshot dream, I saw a row of wooden beads strung together, but there were gaps where some were missing. In the dream I heard the Lord say, ‘Don’t try to fill in the gaps yourself, the pieces that will fit are already on the way.’

We are in a place of waiting, and I’m not exceptionally good at patience, so the temptation to rush ahead and do things by myself is very real. I am getting better at it though!

I have taken a real interest in Martin Luther and the reformation. Perhaps its time for a new reformation to begin, to put aside all the froth and bubble on the fringes of Christianity and get back to something real.

It’s so sad to see deception take a hold of the church this near to the return of Jesus, although there are plenty warnings in the NT, I just never thought I’d live to see it.

Will be updated as and when..

http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/ – Radio show with Chris Rosebrough.

http://tentsofissachar.wordpress.com/ -  blog by Swarna Jha

http://trunews.com/ Christian radio/world headlines with Rick Wiles

I dreamed I had made fish soup. I think the fish had been left out of the fridge before I had cooked it but I thought it should still be OK.

A friend was visiting and I asked her if she would like some soup, but she wasn’t hungry. It was just as well, because when I dished it out, there was only enough for 2 portions.

I noticed a worm slithering about in one bowl of soup, then another. They were like thread worms, not garden worms. I got a spoon and started to scoop them out, but suddenly there were hundreds and I got a sieve to gather them up.

Then a crab crawled out of the soup mixture (!) I wanted to put it in the fish tank as it had survived being boiled, but I’m not sure what we actually did with it.

I put a spoon-full of the soup in my mouth, feeling sure I had got all the worms out, but I remembered the crab and realised that I did not know what else could be in the bowl and ate no more.

After falling asleep a second time, I dreamed that I was grilling pork chops. I had cooked them a bit too well because I was distracted,  telling my son and his friends to take my washing off the line as a storm was brewing, but they were wearing the clothes. Again, I was looking for worms in the pork chops.

In the first dream, I was very pregnant and in hospital. The mucus plug had already come away and the first labour pain was imminent. The nurses put me in a bed and drew curtains around me and I prepared to experience the first labour pain, but thankfully woke up.

After falling asleep again, I dreamed we were living in a little house, we’d been there a few weeks I think and it was just a little, 2-bedroom house. I was in the little toilet, which just had a toilet, sink and shower in it, when I looked at the door across from me. I’d seen it before, and had thought it was a cupboard, but my curiosity was aroused and I opened it.

On the other side of the door was a bedroom, with a fully made bed, wardrobes and cupboards laden with clothes and shoes, not just things that would fit me, but things that would fit other members of the family too, with some to spare. I remember in particular a fair isle hat with silver thread shining through it!

Then I found another door – where would it lead? I opened it to find a large, white tiled bathroom with a big bath and more shelves packed with things.

Third dream – I was at my daughter’s house. She was coming home from work with a large bundle of papers. I noticed a pink bottle of perfume fall behind her, it was called ‘Joy’ but I didn’t pick it up immediately. When I did go to pick it up a few minutes later, it was gone. A girl had picked something up from the same place, but when I asked her what it was, she showed me a yogurt drink.

We went to the shop, there were bees buzzing around in it. I didn’t like them and wanted out. i opened the door and bats flew in! They were flapping around everywhere. Then I noticed spiders and scorpions on the walls. I started to sing a song about all these creatures, while running around in circles at great speed. Although I was running very fast, I didn’t stand on any spiders or scorpions but took care to avoid them.