Lessons for Living

God has set the stage for our life story to be acted out on and with the gift of a free will, it’s up to each of us to decide what role we want to play; wilderness wanderers as the Israelites of ancient times, so close to the Promised Land yet not permitted to enter; or a believer in God’s eternal promises fulfilled in Christ. There are only two options.

God does have a plan for humanity; he has set forth a calendar, established a timetable; and we all live along that timetable, somewhere from its beginning, to the end of all human rule on Earth. He needs each of us to start again spiritually, to become willing participants in the inward transformation of our disposition, ready for the day to come.

Becoming a Christian is easy. Maintaining the claim that Christ lives in you will be the most challenging, life-changing experience. How do we change our inner self to take on Christlikeness? How do we react in times when our faith is put to the test; - times of unknowables, those things sometimes beyond the limits of human experience or understanding?

The primary purpose of this book is to introduce the real God, because if we seek a relationship with him, we must think of it in terms of a valuable human relationship. There needs to be a degree of attractiveness; we need to share similar values as God possesses to even begin to flourish and grow.

Unforgotten

This book is an attempt to bring comfort to anyone who may feel lonely, abandoned, or simply living on the margins of life. People who may be suffering from a feeling of having been forgotten by society and even by God. I have written it in the form of a series of reflections that engage with such feelings and try to offer a healing response. The book began life as a series I wrote, and still write, for residents of local care homes, where people have been locked down and felt locked away from those they love and who love them.

More broadly this book also deals with issues that anyone may be forced to confront in their daily lives and links them to key moments in the Bible where we need to get support from each other and to experience the loving wisdom and commitment of God to every one of us. Each reflection focuses on a single issue and is composed of a Biblical passage (usually), a personal reflection, and finally a brief prayer of encouragement.

I have avoided complex Biblical analysis and obscure theology. Each chapter is complete in itself, so this is a book that can be dipped into as well as read in sequence. My hope is that what I have written may in some small way be of help and sustenance to people who need to know deep down that, whatever life may throw at them, they are always Unforgotten by the God who created and loves them. Because, as Isaiah reassures us, God ‘has written your name on the palm of his hands, from all eternity.’

Shakib Arsalan’s Why Muslims Lagged Behind and Others Progressed

In the fall of 1928, the Imam of Java, a certain Mohammad Basyuni Imran, had a letter delivered to the Lebanese author and scholar, Shakib Arsalan. In his letter, Basyuni Imran requested Arsalan to explain the reasons for the backwardness of Muslims of the time compared to other nations. Furthermore, Basyuni asked Arsalan to suggest what they need to do to join the ranks of nations that have overtaken them and, in many cases, rule over them.

Arsalan published his response in a series of articles written for the Cairo-based Islamic journal, Al-Manar. Subsequently, these articles were combined and published in a book in 1930 with the title: Why did Muslims lag behind? And why did others progress?

In his response, Arsalan begins with an analysis of what has gone wrong. He addresses the belief of some that Islam is to blame for the backwardness of Muslims. He goes on to give examples of how advanced nations progressed while holding firmly onto their religious beliefs.

In simple, elegant prose, Arsalan takes the reader on a fascinating walk through history. There are references to pre-Islamic times and the early Islamic period, French colonialists in North Africa and their efforts to convert Muslim populations to Christianity, goings on in the British Houses of Parliament on the issue of transubstantiation, and much more.

The latter part of the book has examples of recent (1930s and earlier) achievements of Muslims when they set their minds on doing something.

It is a measure of the merit and excellence of Arsalan’s words that his book has never been out of publication. It remains among Arabic speakers as popular and relevant today as at the time it was first published almost a century ago.

Sam and the Open Road

Life’s journey is challenging with many pathways and obstacles. One hurdle is overcome only for another to appear with further burdens already flourishing on the horizon. Thoughts, experiences, and reflections are shared in depth by Michael on his unusual 7000km odyssey as he spends time with Jesus and his earthly four-footed companion Sam.

The journey in the book is intentional, deliberate in thought, and conclusive. From the heart of scriptures and history come parables, to provoke and challenge, unpacking the what, why and how of Jesus alongside the many facets of life. As the frailty of past heroes and mankind are explored, failure in your circumstances is elevated to a place of your subsequent success through the power and presence of Christ. 

As a book, it has genuine relevance in today’s current economic and worldview circumstances being rooted in the foundations of nation and alter and the alter upon which our lives should be founded.

Psalms Together: A Journey of Faith

This book is based on the Psalms which is one of the most well-known parts of the Bible.

It is formed of a number of weekly studies from March 2020 at the beginning of lockdown, to strengthen, encourage and bless those receiving the studies in their Christian faith during that time. The studies continue and there is more to come!

Each chapter title begins with an active verb for everyone to make a response as they consider their individual journeys of faith.

The book is written in an easy conversational style to encourage each reader to be able to respond to the Lord in what they are learning from each section. There are additional Bible references for further study.

It is hoped that the different human emotions, struggles, mind tangles, difficulties and circumstances found in these Psalms will encourage readers to find faith, hope, peace and joy in the Lord as they read and study. May the different emphases reflected in this book bless each reader with a unique experience on their individual journeys of faith.

Opening to the Realness of God

Humanness was created and brought to life 75,000 years ago. Every 25,000 years there is a harvesting of souls according to both positive and negative service polarization. At the end of the third cycle, those harvested as the positively polarized begin the process of working towards collective ascension. This is how humanity evolves from third density negative into fourth density positive that then ascends into fifth density, because that density is not physical.

What ascends collectively is the humanness of will, love, light, and consciousness as they pertain to and involve God—Creator or what brought us to life—and the universe. They are our mind, body, spirit, and soul. What they correspond to is the sun, earth, moon, and universe as a human ideal.

God’s will to be and know extends and expands by inversely reversing into a focus. It begins with a consciousness that is then shared with all else. This is true service polarity. There is only the oneness of God, the healing of life, the wholeness of the Christ as the human, and the ascension of that which ascends after service is performed.

We are only here to be kind and get along.

On the Bible's Back Roads

The Bible contains many stories of what might be called ‘bit players’; those who appear briefly, sometimes only for a few verses, and are not central to the narrative, but who still play a significant role. These old stories feature and were written by people with whom we share a common humanity and whose encounters with God have much to teach us. In their stories we see something of our own stories and, if we listen aright, we can hear the divine voice speaking through their strength and weaknesses, their triumphs and tragedies and their joys and sorrows.

Their stories also throw light on the heart of the narrative, the story of Jesus, and demonstrate the rich inclusiveness of the Bible. They also offer us a fascinating reflection of who we are as Christian believers and the nature of the world in which we try to live out our faith. Their journeys, however marginal they may seem, make significant contributions to the story Scripture tells.

This book can be used generally by individuals or groups but is also suitable for use as a series of Lenten reflections. As we listen to some of the lesser-known voices and stories we encounter in Scripture we will find that they are not there by accident and have the power to profoundly enrich our Christian understanding.

Love's Caravan

Everyone has an imagination, but how many of us can say we use it to its full potential? Not only Ibn Arabi, the “greatest Shaykh” of Sufism, but poets and mystics in every age have developed their imagination to the point where they can apprehend a silence that speaks in symbol and a dynamic stillness that can transform the world.

This journey starts from where we are as novice meditators in a bustling, distracted world and guides us into the mystical imagination with twelve short discussions, each illustrated by accessible, memorable poems. With creative challenges in each chapter, you can chart your own exploration by writing a poem, painting a picture, or making a piece of music using the suggestions as a starting point.

Stops along the route of this armchair pilgrimage include dreams, alchemists, Sufi stories, bardo states, angels, synchronicities, prophecies, a mermaid, and a well-known crucifixion. This book is for seekers, yogis, and believers of all traditions and at all stages, as well as those who simply want to better connect with their creative imagination.

In My Father’s Arms

There is something peculiar about holding on to someone’s hands. Likewise, a hug or to be found in the arms of someone that means a lot to you is a feeling which is hard to express or utter into words. The feelings and emotions linger even when that hug or touch is over. The past is the past, so is the present or what might unfold in the future. That’s what we have been taught and may also teach others. In My Father’s Arms unfolds and looks at individuals’ perspectives of a father. It also unlocks the door of their past on those memories which they dearly cherished. Those memories are some of the building blocks for their current present, which might be unfolding while trying to navigate and adjust the foundation laid to present a lasting future. Remember that you are not alone, whatever your current circumstance may be, and whichever story may resonate with you when reading or listening to this book. May you be surrounded in this life’s journey by others who cherish not only your present story or your prospect future but also value your precious past.