레이블이 Bethel College인 게시물을 표시합니다. 모든 게시물 표시
레이블이 Bethel College인 게시물을 표시합니다. 모든 게시물 표시

2013년 11월 29일 금요일

About 'bethel bible college'|Bible School For Prophets







About 'bethel bible college'|Bible School For Prophets








Introduction               "The               Twilight               of               an               Actor"               existed               in               the               first               place               as               nothing               more               than               "Such               a               Short               Space               of               Time",               and               as               such               was               published               at               Blogster               on               the               19th               of               February               2006.

This               versified               piece               was               based               on               extracts               from               an               unfinished               autobiographical               story,               penned               I               think               in               early               summer               1999               as               the               decade,               century               and               millenium               were               all               three               coming               to               an               unquiet               close.

In               time,               the               title               piece,               "The               Twilight               of               an               Actor"               was               added               to               this               basic               structure               as               were,               more               recently,               "Fireworks               Frantically               Exploding"               and               "Dispersals               and               Endings",               both               originally               part               of               "A               Final               Distant               Clarion               Cry"               which               follows.

Final               editing               of               both               pieces               was               completed               in               November               2008.
               The               Twilight               of               an               Actor
               Following               on               from               Jim               Cartwright's               bitter-sweet               two-hander               "Two",               which               I               touched               on               in               some               detail               in               "The               Trials               of               a               Teetotaller",               I               performed               in               one               last               play               at               the               Rose               and               Crown               theatre,               the               character-driven               comedy               "Lovelives".

Written               by               the               cast,               this               ensemble               piece               consisted               of               a               series               of               sketches               centring               on               the               desperate               antics               of               a               group               of               singletons               attending               a               suburban               lonely               hearts               club.

Perhaps               then               it               chimed               perfectly               with               the               spirit               of               British               post-war               comedy               and               its               characteristic               celebration               of               banality               and               even               failure.

A               great               success               at               the               R&C,               it               could               in               my               opinion               have               been               developed               into               a               television               play               or               even               series,               but               sadly,               as               is               all               too               often               the               case,               a               brilliant               cast               dispersed               after               the               final               show.
               Then               later               in               the               year               at               the               Tristan               Bates               theatre               near               Leicester               Square,               I               played               two               small               roles               in               a               production               of               Euripides'               "Iphigeneia               in               Taurois",               directed               and               translated               by               my               longtime               friend               Adrian.

These               were               Pylades,               right               hand               man               of               one               of               the               main               characters,               Orestes,               and               the               Messenger,               a               maniacal               buffoon               of               a               character               which               I               interpreted               with               the               kind               of               refined               cockney               accent               once               supposedly               favoured               by               policemen               and               regimental               sergeant               majors.
               From               January               1996               until               the               following               summer,               I               served               variously               as               actor,               MC,               script               writer,               singer               and               musician               for               Street               Level,               a               Christian               theatre               company               based               at               the               Elim               Pentecostal               church               in               West               Croydon,               Surrey.

A               group               of               three               consisting               of               myself,               and               two               locals               girls,               19               year               old               Esther,               and               married               company               leader               Sally,               we               toured               several               shows               around               schools               in               various               tough               multicultural               south               London               areas               including               Croydon               itself,               as               well               as               Thornton               Heath,               Norwood,               Crystal               Palace               and               so               on.

One               of               these,               "Choices",               was               almost               entirely               written               by               me,               although               it'd               been               based               on               an               idea               by               Sally               who               also               heavily               edited               it               for               performance               purposes.

On               the               whole               the               kids,               most               from               relatively               deprived               backgrounds,               were               incredibly               receptive               to               our               productions,               and               we               were               greeted               by               them               with               almost               uniform               enthusiasm               and               affection,               which               was               a               surprise               and               a               delight               to               me               at               least,               although               Esther               had               told               me               before               our               very               first               show               that               they               tended               to               be               very               easy               to               relate               to.

Whether               she               meant               towards               visitors               I'm               not               sure,               but               I               imagine               she               did.
               Towards               the               end               of               the               summer,               Sally               asked               me               to               write               a               large               scale               project               for               the               group.

She               suggested               a               contemporary               version               of               John               Bunyan's               classic               Christian               allegory               "The               Pilgim's               Progress".

Once               I'd               completed               it               my               enthusiasm               for               Street               Level               had               begun               to               wane.

This               had               nothing               to               do               with               the               company               itself               which               for               a               few               brief               months               in               1996               was               marked               by               frantic               creativity               leading               to               shows               with               a               radical               Christian               message               performed               to               great               success               for               the               benefit               of               some               of               the               capital's               least               privileged               young               people.

The               fact               is               that               the               long               and               costly               early               morning               train               journeys               to               Croydon               via               Wimbledon               or               Clapham               Junction               were               starting               to               exhaust               me.

In               consequence               I               suddenly               quit,               which               wasn't               a               very               kind               thing               to               do               to               Sally               because               I               think               she'd               started               to               see               me               as               her               rock,               and               she'd               a               lot               of               responsibility               on               her               plate               with               regard               to               forthcoming               performances               and               the               training               of               a               fresh               crew               of               young               Christian               actors.

My               decision               was               especially               mean               given               that               Esther               had               herself               left               some               weeks               earlier,               but               I               had               to               consider               my               finances.

What's               more               my               spiritual               health               was               poor               at               the               time               after               weeks               of               labouring               over               what               turned               out               to               be               an               unwieldy               and               often               violent               epic               marked               by               scenes               of               the               blackest               humour.

As               things               turned               it               was               never               produced,               and               I'm               not               surprised,               because               although               artistically               it               had               its               merits,               spiritually               it               was               grossly               immature.

In               Christian               terms               I               was               still               only               a               little               over               three               years               old,               and               it               showed.

In               time               I               destroyed               all               but               a               few               pages               of               it.
               By               early               1997               I'd               vanished               into               the               sanctuary               of               office               life.

This               included               a               happy               and               socially               lively               period               as               a               panel               recruiter               for               Surrey's               Topflight               Research               which               came               to               a               close               when               I               started               rehearsing               for               a               production               of               Shakespeare's               infamous               Scottish               Play               at               Fulham's               Lost               Theatre               in               the               spring               of               1998.

Despite               my               cameos               as               Lennox,               the               Doctor,               and               an               Old               Man               being               praised               by               cast               and               audience               members               alike,               I've               not               acted               since               other               than               a               handful               of               auditions.

As               things               stand,               while               I'm               still               open               to               the               possibility               of               film               or               television               work,               the               likelihood               of               my               ever               appearing               onstage               in               a               play               again               is               virtually               nonexistent.

Quite               simply               put,               the               passion               to               perform               in               front               of               a               live               audience               that               raged               within               me               for               more               than               two               decades               has               long               been               quieted.
               Some               months               after               my               final               performance               at               the               Lost               Theatre               I               wrote               the               prose               piece               that               eventually               mutated               into               "Such               a               Short               Space               of               Time".

My               parents               were               on               vacation               for               a               few               weeks               during               the               period               of               its               creation,               a               glorious               summer               as               I               recall               that               was               the               last               of               the               millenium.

Therefore               I               was               often               at               the               house               in               which               I'd               spent               my               adolescence               and               young               manhood,               performing               a               variety               of               tasks               such               as               watering               my               mother's               flowers,               or               just               simply               soaking               up               the               atmosphere               of               a               place               I               loved.

Taking               sneaky               advantage               of               my               parents'               absence               I               transferred               some               of               my               old               vinyl               records               onto               cassette,               something               that               my               own               ancient               hi-fi               was               incapable               of               doing.

It               was               an               unsettling               experience...to               listen               to               songs               that,               perhaps               in               the               cases               of               some               of               them,               I'd               not               heard               for               ten               or               fiteen               years,               or               more,               and               which               evoked               with               a               heartrending               intensity               a               time               in               my               life               when               I               was               filled               to               the               brim               with               sheer               youthful               joy               of               life               and               undiluted               hope               for               the               future.

Yet               as               I               did               so,               it               seemed               to               me               that               it               was               only               very               recently               that               I'd               first               heard               them,               despite               the               colossal               changes               that'd               taken               place               since               then               not               just               in               my               own               life               but               those               of               my               entire               generation.

And               so               I               was               confonted               at               once               with               the               devastating               transience               of               human               life,               and               the               devastating               effect               the               passage               of               time               exerts               on               all               human               life.
               Such               a               Short               Space               of               Time
               I               love...not               just               those...
               I               knew               back               then,
               But               those...
               Who               were               young
               Back               then,
               But               who've               since
               Come               to               grief,               who...
               Having               soared               so               high,
               Found               the
               Consequent               descent
               Too               dreadful               to               bear,
               With               my               past               itself,
               Which               was               only
               Yesterday,
               No...even               less               time...
               A               moment               ago,
               And               when               I               play
               Records               from               1975,
               Soul               records,
               Glam               records,
               Progressive               records,
               Twenty               years               melt               away
               Into               nothingness...
               What               is               a               twenty-year               period?
               Little               more               than
               A               blink               of               an               eye...
               How               could
               Such               a               short               space
               Of               time
               Cause               such               devastation?
               Dispersals               and               Beginnings
               A               few               months               later               and               the               troubled,               turbulent               20th               Century               ceded               to               the               21st               to               the               sound               of               fireworks               frantically               exploding               all               throughout               my               neighbourhood.

Phoning               my               father               that               night               to               wish               him               a               happy               new               year               I               discovered               that               my               mother               was               desperately               ill               with               flu.

It's               crossed               my               mind               since               that               she               may               have               become               susceptible               to               the               flu               virus               partly               as               a               result               of               stress               caused               by               the               fact               that               I'd               latterly               quit               yet               another               course;               this               time               an               MA               in               French               and               Theory               of               Literature               from               University               College,               London,               which               was               one               of               the               most               prestigious               of               its               kind               in               the               world.

But               once               again               the               Lord               blessed               my               family,               and               she               made               a               full               recovery.

I               found               the               course               magnetically               compelling               on               an               intellectual               level,               although               I               knew               that               as               it               went               on,               there               was               a               strong               chance               that               writing               about               contemporary               Literary               Theory               would               come               increasingly               to               disturb               me,               and               perhaps               even               compromise               my               integrity               as               a               Christian.

As               things               turned               out,               I               did               leave               the               course               although               only               on               a               provisional               basis.
               This               was               a               time               in               my               life               marked               by               what               appear               to               me               now               as               an               extraordinary               succession               of               sudden               starts               and               endings,               and               subsequent               to               my               quitting               UCL               I               was               appointed               chief               musician               of               a               worship               group               for               the               church               I               was               attending               at               the               time,               Liberty               Christian               Centre.

Liberty               was               a               satellite               of               London's               famous               Kensington               Temple,               and               I'd               been               recommended               for               the               post               by               my               friend               Marina,               Russian               wife               of               Pastor               Louis,               late               of               New               York               City.

She               went               on               to               become               worship               leader,               alternating               as               such               with               Martha,               another               close               friend,               originally               from               Peru.

It               was               Louis               who'd               got               in               touch               with               me               the               previous               summer               through               KT               about               joining               a               cell               group               at               his               home               in               the               Surrey               suburbs.

This               eventually               mutated               into               Liberty,               with               which               I               forged               very               close               ties               from               the               outset.
               Soon               afterwards               I               also               quit               my               position               as               a               telecanvasser               for               an               e-commerce               company               based               in               Surbiton,               Surrey,               thereby               bringing               a               fairly               lengthy               period               as               an               office               worker               to               an               end.

Since               then               I've               worked               only               casually               in               various               fields               of               employment               including               telemarketing,               leafleting               and               as               a               television               extra.
               Another               beginning               came               towards               the               end               of               2000               when               I               was               made               lead               singer               for               a               Swing-flavoured               band               which               became               known               as               "Nuages"               after               the               famous               instrumental               by               French               Jazz               guitarist               Django               Reinhard,               but               soon               afterwards               this               was               counterbalanced               by               the               heartbreaking               dissolution               of               Liberty.

And               so,               in               early               2001               I               returned               to               my               first               spiritual               home               of               the               Cornerstone               Bible               Church,               a               large               fellowship               affiliated               to               the               Word               of               Faith               Movement               and               specifically               Rhema               Ministries               of               Johannesburg,               South               Africa,               pastored               by               Ray               McCauley.

Before               defecting               to               the               Riverside               Vineyard               Christian               Fellowship,               I'd               gone               to               Cornerstone               for               about               two               years               from               early               1993,               in               fact,               had               attended               my               very               first               service               there               even               before               becoming               a               Christian               in               '92.

Drunk               at               the               time               as               I               recall,               I'd               sat               next               to               a               beautiful               blonde               woman               of               about               55               whom               I               later               discovered               to               be               a               successful               actress               who               at               the               height               of               her               career               in               the               sixties               had               appeared               in               television               cult               classics               "The               Avengers"               and               "The               Prisoner".

Apart               from               an               elder               from               the               Jesus               Fellowship,               who'd               laid               hands               on               me               at               a               meeting               of               theirs               in               central               London,               she               was               my               very               first               Christian               encourager,               if               only               very               briefly.

However,               I               was               never               to               see               or               speak               to               her               again               as               I               didn't               return               to               the               church               for               several               months,               and               by               the               time               I               did               as               a               new               believer,               I               think               she'd               moved               to               another               church.

We               kept               on               missing               each               other,               and               she               died               in               June               2001.

I've               never               forgotten               her.
               I               left               Cornerstone               yet               again               in               late               summer               2002               in               consequence               of               a               desire               born               of               internet               research               to               seek               out               places               of               worship               existing               beyond               the               Pentecostal/Charismatic               family               of               churches.

Spiritually               speaking,               this'd               been               my               whole               world               for               nearly               a               decade,               to               the               degree               that               I               barely               acknowledged               any               other               church               as               worthy               of               the               name               Christian,               although               I               had               engaged               on               a               similar               search               of               short               duration               some               years               previously.

My               quest               led               me               to               churches               known               as               Cessationist               which               is               to               say               they               don't               believe               in               the               continuance               of               the               supernatural               Gifts               of               the               Holy               Spirit               such               as               Tongues               and               Prophecy.

It               also               took               me               to               the               Sermon               Audio               website,               and               I               downloaded               so               many               online               sermons               there               that               my               computer               may               have               crashed               as               a               result.

And               then               there               were               the               discernment               ministries,               some               cessationist,               others               not,               which               I               visited,               pouring               over               church               history               ancient               and               recent               for               hours               on               end.

I               learned               alot               from               them,               but               I've               not               returned               much               to               them               since.

When               all's               said               and               done,               there's               nothing               that               can               lure               me               from               the               pure               Word               of               God               which               has               ensured               the               survival               of               the               Church               of               Christ               for               over               two               millenia.
               Some               Fundamentals               and               Non-Essentials
               Among               the               churches               I               visited               during               the               wandering               year               of               2003               were               Bethel               Baptist               Church,               Wimbledon,               Christ               Church,               Teddington               and               Duke               Street               Church,               Richmond,               all               located               in               the               pleasant               and               affluent               outer               suburbs               of               south               west               London.
               Bethel               is               what               is               known               as               an               Independent               Fundamentalist               Baptist               church,               and               therefore               KJV               only,               which               is               to               say               using               the               King               James               Version               of               the               Bible               alone.

I               attended               three               services               at               Bethel               and               fully               intended               to               return               for               a               fourth               and               so               witness               the               preaching               there               of               David               Cloud               of               Way               of               Life               Ministries,               something               I               was               looking               forward               to               doing               given               that               I               was               familiar               with               his               sermons               from               the               Sermon               Audio               website,               but               never               did.

I               was               held               up               at               Wimbledon               British               Rail               station               for               over               an               hour               on               my               last               Sunday               at               Bethel,               and               this               experience               may               have               put               me               off               travelling               by               train               to               church.

But               the               truth               is               I'd               left               too               many               churches               in               my               time               and               was               tiring               of               the               position               of               new               boy               brought               about               by               perpetual               church-hopping.

I               now               believe               church-hopping               indeed               luke-warm               fellowshiping               in               general               to               have               the               potential               to               be               a               serious               danger               to               any               professing               Christian.
               Christ               Church               is               a               Free               Church               of               England               fellowship,               The               Free               Church               of               England               having               separated               from               the               established               C               of               E               in               1844               in               response               to               the               High               Church               Anglicanism               of               the               then               Bishop               of               Exeter,               Henry               Phillpotts.

It's               resolutely               Evangelical,               as               well               as               liturgical               and               Episcopal,               and               its               member               churches               adhere               to               the               Doctrines               of               Grace,               also               known               as               the               five               points               of               Calvinism,               these               being               Total               Depravity,               Unconditional               Election,               Limited               Atonement,               Irresistible               Grace,               and               the               Perseverance               of               the               Saints.

According               to               Calvinism,               those               who               form               part               of               the               Elect               have               been               predestined               to               final               salvation               by               God,               and               that               no               one               can               come               to               saving               faith               through               their               own               free               will               due               to               total               depravity.
               Duke               Street               is               also               a               Free               Grace,               or               rather,               Grace               Baptist               church,               while               Bethel               is               free-willist.

In               consequence,               many               Calvinists               would               describe               it               as               Arminian               after               the               Dutch               theologian               Jacobus               Arminius.

This               isn't               an               entirely               accurate               description               in               my               view               given               that               true               Arminians               maintain               that               salvation               can               be               lost,               while               most               Independent               Fundamentalist               Baptists               are               upholders               of               what               is               known               as               the               eternal               security               of               the               Saints.

In               short,               they               are               neither               Calvinist               nor               Arminian,               which               is               an               oxymoronic               statement               to               some               believers.
               For               me,               all               true               believers               are               united               by               a               clear               adherence               to               certain               key               doctrines               forming               the               basis               of               the               one               true               faith               without               which               there               can               be               no               salvation,               even               when               they               may               be               divided               by               non-saving               inessentials,               or               secondary               truths.
               For               example,               while               I'm               an               upholder               of               baptism               by               full               immersion,               I               certainly               don't               believe               adherents               of               infant               baptism               to               be               heretics,               at               least               not               automatically.

On               the               other               hand,               I               have               a               real               problem               with               those               who               maintain               that               a               person               must               be               baptised               in               order               to               be               saved,               because               the               Bible               makes               it               clear               that               we               are               saved               by               faith               alone.

That               said,               every               Christian               should               be               baptised               by               full               immersion               because               God               commands               it,               and               God               urges               us               to               keep               his               commandements.

Also,               while               I               believe               that               Christ               will               return               prior               to               establishing               his               reign               on               earth               for               a               literal               thousand               year               period,               which               makes               me               a               pre-millenialist,               a               person               can               maintain               that               Christ               won't               return               until               after               the               millenium,               or               that               the               millenium               lies               in               the               past,               and               still               be               a               saved               Christian.

These               are               justifiable               differences               in               scriptural               interpretation.
               Previous               to               my               year               of               nonstop               study,               2003,               I               knew               next               to               nothing               about               the               foundations               of               the               faith,               and               yet               still               possessed               a               degree               of               discernment.

What's               more               I               had               no               clue               as               to               the               differences               between               Calvinism               and               Arminianism,               Covenant               Theology               and               Dispensationalism,               Cessationism               and               Continuationism               and               so               on.

But               I               was               still               saved               by               the               Grace               of               God;               and               I               don't               believe               anyone               is               either               saved               or               damned               by               believing               one               or               the               other               of               these               distinctions.

That               said,               true               saving               faith               must               produce               fruits,               such               as               repentance,               and               adherence               to               sound               doctrine.

At               the               same               time,               I               was               fairly               well               versed               in               the               subject               of               the               prophetic               interpretation               of               the               Bible               thanks               to               having               been               introduced               to               this               early               in               my               Christian               life               by               Spencer               and               Grace               Nash,               through               various               magazines               and               books,               including               "Prophecy               Today".
               I               emerged               from               that               year               of               nonstop               study               at               peace               again               with               the               Pentecostal-Charismatic               movement,               and               yet               conscious               as               never               before               of               the               importance               of               adhering               to               the               fundamentals               of               the               faith               once               delivered               unto               the               saints.

But               this               didn't               last.

I               recently               had               to               make               yet               another               return               to               the               world               of               discernment               through               online               research.

No               Christian               has               a               perfect               knowledge               of               the               truth,               but               I               believe               there               is               unity               to               be               found               between               Evangelicals               adhering               to               the               fundamentals               of               the               faith               irrespective               of               what               church               they               choose               to               worship               in.

But               this               unity               can               never               be               at               the               expense               of               the               uncompromised               purity               of               the               Word               of               God.






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    1. gymnasia.wordpress.com/   02/24/2009
      ...country that the yoyo was invented in? Last Thursday, we visited Bethel Bible College in Malinta, Valenzuela and I had the opportunity to ask around 60 students...
    2. simplefreechurch.wordpress.com/   10/25/2013
      ...Gehrz writes of the Bethel situation, and draws...in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities...that a lot of evangelical and bible colleges are...
    3. reverendknow-it-all.blogspot.com/   08/29/2013
      ...anyone from trying to take theological charge of the movement. Stone's Folly, home of Bethel Bible College A bit of review: 1901 Stone’s Folly and Charles Parham was where it all ...
    4. davemosher.wordpress.com/   04/20/2011
      ... and contemplative Bible study. Anderson University [I'm...Theological Seminary Valley Forge Christian College Branch Campus Phoenixville, PA...Belmont University Nashville, Tennessee Bethel Seminary San Diego, St. Paul, East...
    5. mrclm.blogspot.com/   03/03/2006
      ...Bible. Related Tags: Bible , Christianity , Christian , Jesus , God , Christ...Homosexuality , Gay Christian , Gay , Freedom Ride , Bethel University , Bethel College , Bethel Seminary , Star Tribune , High view...
    6. kentbrandenburg.blogspot.com/   04/23/2012
      ...with the actual history of one Bible onlyism, also known as...and secondary education so far at Bethel Christian Academy , a ministry of... to some Christian college. Ultimately, it could only be a...
    7. theorangemailmanmyblog.wordpress.com/   06/07/2008
      ...the Truth . Glen can have an odd sense of humor sometimes and this post of his about Bible College betrayed this side of him. As I read the post, my odd (and orange) sense...
    8. fanaticforjesus.blogspot.com/   11/19/2012
      ...early part of the 20th century. In 1901, Agnes Ozman, a young woman attending Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas, claimed to have received a special "baptism of the spirit...
    9. tbjfansuk.wordpress.com/   06/25/2012
      ... freely distributed. The Rev. Dr P.N.S. Chandra Bose (President of Bethel Bible College; National Vice President, Bible Society of India) spoke in appreciation of the team...
    10. ernestanderson.wordpress.com/   03/24/2012
      ... over and, rather than fighting for control, Parham started Bethel Bible College at Topeka in October 1900. The school was modeled on Sandford’s “Holy...



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    About 'bethel bible college'|College for Church Kids, pt. 2







    About 'bethel bible college'|College for Church Kids, pt. 2








    The               Twilight               of               an               Actor               A               few               months               after               appearing               in               Jim               Cartwright's               bitter-sweet               two-hander               "Two",               I               performed               in               one               final               play               at               the               Rose               and               Crown               theatre,               the               character-driven               comedy,               "Lovelives".
                   Written               entirely               by               the               cast,               it               consisted               of               a               series               of               sketches               centring               on               the               disastrous               antics               of               a               group               of               singletons               who               had               come               together               at               a               lonely               hearts               club               in               the               London               suburbs.

    Perhaps               then               it               chimed               perfectly               with               the               spirit               of               British               post-war               comedy               and               its               characteristic               celebration               of               failure               and               banality.

    A               great               success               at               the               R&C,               it               could               in               my               view               have               been               developed               into               a               television               play               or               even               series,               but               sadly,               a               brilliant               cast               dispersed               after               the               final               show.


                   Later               in               '95,               my               close               friend               Adam               offered               me               two               small               roles               in               a               modest               London               production               of               the               Greek               tragedy,               "Iphigeneia               in               Taurois",               which               had               been               written               by               Euripides               somewhere               between               414               and               412               BC.

    Directed               by               Adam,               the               houses               were               sparse               at               first,               picking               up               towards               the               end               of               the               run.


                   Then,               the               following               January,               I               joined               a               Christian               theatre               company,               Street               Level,               based               at               a               large               Pentecostal               church               in               the               vast               multicultural               suburb               of               Croydon               in               Surrey.
                   While               forming               part               of               the               Greater               London               Urban               Area,               it's               yet               in               effect               a               city               within               a               city               which               runs               the               gamut               demographically               from               tough               inner               city               areas               such               as               Thornton               Heath               to               leafy               middle               class               enclaves               such               as               Sanderstead;               yet               it               still               manages               to               contain               the               largest               council               estate               in               Europe               in               the               shape               of               New               Addington
                   With               two               other               Christian               actors...viz.,               company               leader               Serena               from               the               aforesaid               Thornton               Heath...and               19               year               old               Rebecca               from               nearby               Sanderstead,               I               went               on               to               serve               variously               as               MC,               script               writer,               actor,               singer               and               musician,               and               together,               we               toured               a               series               of               shows               around               schools               in               the               bleak               outer               suburbs               of               South               East               London.
                   One               of               these,               "Choices",               was               almost               entirely               written               by               me,               although               it               had               been               based               on               an               idea               by               Serena,               who               also               heavily               edited               it               for               performance               purposes.

    On               the               whole,               the               kids               were               incredibly               receptive               to               our               productions,               and               we               were               greeted               by               them               with               an               almost               uniform               affection,               and               there               was               an               incredible               chemistry               between               Serena,               Rebecca               and               myself...until               things               started               to               go               wrong.


                   Towards               the               end               of               the               summer,               Serena               asked               me               to               write               a               large               scale               project               for               the               group,               suggesting               a               contemporary               version               of               John               Bunyan's               classic               Christian               allegory               "The               Pilgrim's               Progress".
                   This               I               set               about               doing,               and               after               some               weeks               of               labouring               over               what               turned               out               to               be               an               unwieldy               and               often               violent               epic               punctuated               by               scenes               of               the               blackest               humour               that               occasionally               verged               on               the               off-colour,               I               began               to               have               second               thoughts               about               continuing               with               Street               Level.
                   The               play,               "Paul               Grim's               Progress",               had               left               me               poor               shape               spiritually,               and               I               didn't               fancy               too               many               more               of               the               long               and               costly               train               journeys               that               were               necessary               to               get               me               to               Croydon               and               back.

    So,               I               began               to               withdraw;               which               wasn't               very               honourable               of               me,               because               Serena               had               become               more               dependent               on               me               than               ever               following               Rebecca's               departure               at               the               end               of               the               "Choices"               tour.

    As               things               turned               out,               my               dark               masterpiece               was               never               produced,               and               in               time,               I               destroyed               all               but               a               few               pages               of               it.


                   By               the               time               of               my               final               exit               from               Street               Level,               I'd               long               defected               from               Cornerstone               to               the               Thames               Vineyard               Christian               Fellowship,               part               of               the               Association               of               Vineyard               Churches               founded               by               John               Wimber               in               the               1970s.

    This               was               as               a               result               of               being               told               by               a               phone               friend               that               the               Vineyard               movement               contained               members               whose               spiritual               gifts               were               in               the               realm               of               the               truly               exceptional.

    My               curiosity               aroused,               I               went               along               one               Sunday               evening               and               had               a               powerful               experience               which               made               me               want               to               stay;               and               so               I               did.


                   As               with               Cornerstone,               I               joined               a               Home               Fellowship               group,               where               I               completed               part               of               the               Alpha               course,               which               had               been               pioneered               by               Nicky               Gumbel               of               West               London's               famous               Holy               Trinity               Brompton.
                   I'd               visited               HTB               at               some               point               in               the               mid               '90s,               when               it               was               at               the               height               of               the               revival               movement               known               as               the               Toronto               Blessing.

    This               was               so               called               because               it               had               been               ignited               in               January               1994               at               the               Toronto               Airport               Vineyard               Church               by               St.

    Louis               pastor               Randy               Clark.

    Clark               received               it               himself               from               South               African               evangelist               Rodney               Howard               Brown               during               a               service               at               Rhema               Bible               Church               in               Tulsa,               Oklahoma,               then               pastored               by               Kenneth               Hagin               Jr,               founder               of               the               controversial               Word               of               Faith               movement..

    It               spread               to               the               UK               in               the               summer               of               1994,               where               it               was               dubbed               The               Toronto               Blessing               by               the               Daily               Telegraph               newspaper.
                   Its               main               British               centres               went               on               to               include-               as               well               as               HTB               -               Terry               Virgo's               New               Frontiers               family               of               churches               and               Gerald               Coates'               Pioneer               People,
                   whose               main               venue               at               the               time               was               a               cinema               in               the               Surrey               suburb               of               Esher,               which               I               visited               once               or               twice,               and               which               was               so               packed               I               was               forced               to               stand               all               throughout               the               service.


                   But               returning               to               my               acting               career:               its               last               hurrah               came               in               the               spring               of               '98,               when               I               started               rehearsing               for               a               production               of               Shakespeare's               Scottish               Play,               to               be               staged               at               Fulham's               Lost               Theatre               in               the               summer;               and               despite               the               fact               that               my               three               cameos               were               praised               by               cast               and               audience               alike,               I've               not               acted               since               beyond               a               handful               of               ill-fated               auditions.

    Quite               simply,               the               passion               to               perform               in               front               of               a               live               audience               that               raged               within               me               like               a               forest               fire               for               more               than               two               decades               has               long               been               extinguished,               or               rather               turned               to               dread.


                   Some               months               after               my               final               performance               at               the               Lost               Theatre,               I               wrote               the               prose               piece               that               eventually               turned               into               "Such               a               Short               Space               of               Time".

    Its               creation               took               place               in               what               I'm               sure               was               the               glorious               last               summer               of               the               millennium,               and               my               parents               were               on               vacation               at               the               time.

    Thence,               I               was               often               at               the               house               where               I'd               spent               my               adolescence               and               young               manhood,               performing               a               variety               of               tasks               such               as               watering               my               mother's               flowers,               or               just               simply               soaking               up               the               atmosphere               of               a               place               I               loved.


                   Taking               cunning               advantage               of               my               parents'               absence,               I               transferred               some               of               my               old               vinyl               records               onto               cassette,               something               that               my               own               ancient               hi-fi               was               incapable               of               doing.

    It               was               an               unsettling               experience...to               listen               to               songs               that,               perhaps               in               the               cases               of               some               of               them,               I'd               not               heard               for               ten               or               fifteen               years,               or               more.

    With               a               heartrending               intensity,               they               evoked               a               time               in               my               life               when               I               was               filled               to               the               brim               with               sheer               youthful               joy               of               life               and               undiluted               hope               for               the               future.


                   Yet,               as               I               did               so,               it               seemed               to               me               that               it               was               only               very               recently               that               I'd               first               heard               them,               despite               the               colossal               changes               that'd               taken               place               since,               not               just               in               my               own               life               but               those               of               my               entire               generation.

    And               so               I               was               confronted               at               once               with               the               devastating               transience               of               human               life,               and               the               effect               the               passage               of               time               exerts               on               us               all.
                   Such               a               Short               Space               of               Time
                   I               love...not               just               those...


                   I               knew               back               then,               
                   But               those...


                   Who               were               young               
                   Back               then,               
                   But               who've               since               
                   Come               to               grief,               who...


                   Having               soared               so               high,               
                   Found               the               
                   Consequent               descent               
                   Too               dreadful               to               bear,               
                   With               my               past               itself,               
                   Which               was               only               
                   Yesterday,               
                   No...even               less               time...


                   A               moment               ago,               
                   And               when               I               play               
                   Records               from               1975,               
                   Soul               records,               
                   Glam               records,               
                   Progressive               records,               
                   Twenty               years               melt               away               
                   Into               nothingness...


                   What               is               a               twenty-year               period?


                   Little               more               than               
                   A               blink               of               an               eye...


                   How               could               
                   Such               a               short               space               
                   Of               time               
                   Cause               such               devastation?
                   Dispersals               and               Beginnings
                   A               few               months               later               and               the               troubled,               turbulent               20th               Century               gave               way               to               the               21st               to               the               sound               of               fireworks               frantically               exploding               all               throughout               my               neighbourhood.


                   Phoning               my               father               that               night               to               wish               him               a               happy               new               year,               I               discovered               that               my               mother               was               desperately               ill               with               flu.

    It's               crossed               my               mind               since               that               she               may               have               become               susceptible               to               the               flu               virus               partly               as               a               result               of               stress               caused               by               the               fact               that               I'd               latterly               quit               yet               another               course;               this               time               an               MA               in               French               and               Theory               of               Literature               from               University               College,               London.

    In               time               though,               her               incredible               Scots-Irish               constitution               saw               her               through               to               a               complete               recovery.
                   I'd               found               the               course               magnetically               compelling               on               an               intellectual               level,               despite               an               awareness               that               writing               extensively               about               Literary               Theory               might               come               to               disturb               me,               and               even               challenge               to               my               faith,               and               I               eventually               withdrew               on               a               provisional               basis.

    It's               a               decision               that's               haunted               me               ever               since.
                   At               the               time               I               was               attending               a               satellite               church               of               Kensington               Temple,               part               of               the               British-based               Elim               Pentecostal               movement,               founded               by               Welsh               evangelist               George               Jeffries               in               1915.

    I               was               playing               guitar               for               them               at               the               urging               of               my               friend               Martina,               Russian               wife               of               Pastor               Phil               of               New               York               City.

    It               was               Phil               who'd               got               in               touch               with               me               the               previous               summer               through               KT               about               joining               a               cell               group               at               his               home               in               the               Surrey               suburbs.

    This               eventually               mutated               into               Liberty,               with               which               I               forged               very               close               ties               from               the               outset,               especially               with               Phil               and               Martina,               and               first               worship               leader,               Maria,               from               Peru.
                   Then,               shortly               after               agreeing               to               be               Liberty's               lone               musician,               I               quit               my               position               as               a               telephone               canvasser               for               an               e-commerce               company               based               in               Surbiton,               Surrey,               thus               bringing               a               fairly               lengthy               period               spent               as               an               office               worker               to               an               end.


                   A               change               in               my               professional               fortunes               came               around               Christmas,               when               I               was               made               lead               singer               for               Nuages,               a               Swing               band               named               after               the               instrumental               by               the               great               French               Jazz               guitarist               Django               Reinhard.

    We               went               on               to               cut               several               very               fine               demos               arranged               by               band               leader               Bruce,               but               they               didn't               result               in               the               interest               they               deserved...given               the               wealth               of               talent               involved.


                   In               early               '01,               Pastor               Phil               decided               to               dissolve               Liberty,               which               was               a               sad               event               for               all               of               us,               so               I               made               yet               another               return               to               Cornerstone,               to               be               joined               there               by               Maria               and               a               couple               of               other               friends               from               the               LCC.

    Around               about               the               same               time,               I               took               a               short               computer               course               at               my               local               adult               education               centre,               but               nothing               came               of               it               in               terms               of               employment.

    Then,               the               following               summer,               in               the               wake               of               the               2002               Shelton               Arts               Festival,               Nuages               disbanded,               which               was               a               real               shame               because               we'd               finally               found               the               audience               we'd               been               searching               for               all               along               at               the               festival,               evidenced               by               the               passion               with               which               our               first               performance               there               was               greeted.
                   The               day               after               our               final               show,               I               started               working               from               home               making               appointments               for               a               travelling               salesman,               and               was               briefly               very               successful               at               it,               until               things               started               tailing               off               in               the               autumn               and               I               was               let               go.

    By               this               time               I'd               left               Cornerstone,               although               I've               made               a               good               many               subsequent               returns.
                   This               sudden               exit               came               in               consequence               of               a               desire               born               of               intensive               internet               research               to               seek               out               churches               existing               beyond               the               Pentecostal/Charismatic               fold,               these               being               Cessationist,               which               is               to               say               they               don't               accept               that               the               more               spectacular               Gifts               of               the               Holy               Spirit               such               as               Tongues               and               Prophecy               are               still               in               operation.

    Up               until               then,               any               church               that               didn't               encourage               the               speaking               in               other               tongues               I'd               not               recognised               as               being               truly               Christian.

    That               is               not               the               case               today.


                   One               of               my               main               inspirations               during               this               period               of               wandering               was               the               Cessationist               Sermon               Audio               website,               and               I               downloaded               so               many               of               their               sermons               that               my               computer               may               have               crashed               as               a               result.

    I               was               also               inspired               by               the               many               online               Discernment               Ministries,               although               not               all               of               these               were               -               or               are               -               Cessationist,               and               among               the               churches               I               visited               were               Bethel               Baptist               (Wimbledon),               Christ               Church               (Teddington),               and               Duke               Street               Church,               (Richmond),               all               located               in               the               pleasant               and               affluent               outer               suburbs               of               South               West               London.


                   Bethel               is               an               Independent               Fundamentalist               Baptist               church               based               on               the               US               model               and               therefore               using               the               King               James               Version               of               the               Bible               only.

    I               went               to               three               -               possibly               successive               -               services               at               Bethel,               and               fully               intended               to               return               for               a               fourth,               and               so               witness               the               preaching               of               Sermon               Audio               favourite               David               Cloud               of               Way               of               Life               Ministries,               but               never               did.

    What               happened               was               that               I               was               held               up               at               Wimbledon               British               Rail               station               for               over               an               hour               on               my               final               Sunday               at               Bethel,               and               this               may               have               put               me               off               travelling               by               train               to               church,               although               I               was               also               tiring               of               the               constant               new               boy               status               of               the               inveterate               church-hopper.


                   Christ               Church               is               part               of               the               Free               Church               of               England,               which               separated               from               the               established               C               of               E               in               1844               in               response               to               the               High               Church               theology               of               the               then               Bishop               of               Exeter,               Henry               Phillpotts.

    The               Free               Church               is               Evangelical,               as               well               as               liturgical               and               Episcopal,               and               its               member               churches               adhere               to               the               Doctrines               of               Grace,               also               known               as               the               five               points               of               Calvinism.

    These               are               Total               Depravity,               Unconditional               Election,               Limited               Atonement,               Irresistible               Grace,               and               the               Perseverance               of               the               Saints.
                   According               to               Calvinism,               those               who               form               part               of               the               Elect               have               been               predestined               to               final               salvation               by               God,               and               that               no               one               can               come               to               saving               faith               through               their               own               free               will               due               to               total               depravity.


                   Duke               Street               is               also               a               Grace               fellowship;               while               Bethel               is               Free               Will.

    As               a               result,               many               Calvinists               would               describe               it               as               Arminian,               after               the               Dutch               theologian               Jacobus               Arminius               who               emphasized               free               will               when               it               comes               to               responding               to               the               Gospel.

    They               would               not,               however,               be               entirely               accurate               in               doing               so               because               true               Arminians               maintain               that               salvation               can               be               lost,               while               most               IFB               fellowships               believe               in               the               doctrine               of               Once               Saved               Always               Saved.

    In               short,               they               are               neither               Calvinist               nor               Arminian,               which               is               an               oxymoronic               statement               to               some.


                   For               me,               all               true               believers               are               united               by               a               clear               adherence               to               certain               key               doctrines               forming               the               basis               of               the               one               true               faith               without               which               there               can               be               no               salvation,               even               when               they               may               be               divided               by               non-saving               inessentials,               or               secondary               truths.

    For               example,               while               I'm               an               upholder               of               baptism               by               full               immersion,               I               certainly               don't               believe               adherents               of               infant               baptism               to               be               heretics,               at               least               not               automatically.

    On               the               other               hand,               I               have               a               real               problem               with               those               who               maintain               that               a               person               must               be               baptised               in               order               to               be               saved,               because               the               Bible               makes               it               clear               that               we               are               saved               by               faith               alone.

    That               said,               every               Christian               should               be               baptised               by               full               immersion               because               God               commands               it,               and               God               urges               us               to               keep               his               commandments.
                   Also,               while               I               believe               that               Christ's               return               will               be               followed               by               a               literal               thousand               year               reign               on               earth,               which               makes               me               a               premillennialist,               a               person               can               insist               that               Christ               won't               return               until               after               the               millennium,               or               that               the               millennium               lies               in               the               past,               and               still               be               a               saved               Christian.

    What               are               at               issue               here               are               justifiable               differences               in               scriptural               interpretation.


                   Before               2003,               which               was               my               year               of               relentless               internet               research,               I'd               known               next               to               nothing               about               the               finer               points               of               my               faith,               although               I               was               fairly               well               versed               in               the               subject               of               prophecy               thanks               to               having               been               introduced               to               this               early               in               my               Christian               life               by               Spencer               and               Grace,               through               various               magazines               and               books               such               as               "Prophecy               Today"               and               the               works               of               Barry               R               Smith.
                   At               the               same               time,               I               had               no               clue               whatsoever               as               to               the               meaning               of               Calvinism               or               Arminianism,               Predestination               or               Foreknowledge,               Cessationism               or               Continuationism               and               so               on,               but               that               didn't               affect               the               state               of               my               soul,               in               fact,               no               one               is               either               saved               or               damned               by               believing               one               or               the               other               of               these               distinctions,               but               by               faith               alone,               with               true               saving               faith               producing               the               fruits               of               repentance.
                   No               Christian               has               a               perfect               knowledge               of               the               truth,               but               I               believe               there               is               unity               to               be               found               between               Evangelicals               adhering               to               the               fundamentals               of               the               faith,               irrespective               of               what               church               they               choose               to               worship               in,               but               this               can               never               be               achieved               at               the               expense               of               compromising               the               pure               Word               of               God.


                   For               all               this               talk               of               churches...if               the               truth               be               known,               I've               not               been               settled               within               a               church               since               2001,               which               points               to               a               deep               inner               turbulence               that               I               still               haven't               managed               to               understand,               although               it               may               be               at               least               partly               attributable               to               the               fact               that               I               accepted               Christ               relatively               late.

    After               all,               the               Bible               makes               it               clear               that               each               person               who               rejects               the               sovereignty               of               the               fleshly               realm               for               Christ's               sake               will               know               incessant               tribulation               and               persecution.

    Perhaps               this               is               especially               true               of               repentant               Christians               who               come               to               faith               following               a               relatively               long               period               of               time               within               the               decadent               heart               of               the               world               as               avid               flunkies               of               the               Flesh.
                   However,               as               comfort               these               late               converts               have               a               true               and               infinitely               worthwhile               purpose               in               life.

    This               was               something               that               constantly               escaped               me               in               my               youth,               for               all               the               fierce,               flaming               fanaticism               of               my               beliefs               and               ideals.


                   In               many               ways,               though,               I've               been               my               own               worst               enemy.

    One               by               one               I've               had               to               slay               evil               habits               left               over               from               my               pre-Christian               existence.

    In               my               early               days               as               a               Christian,               for               instance,               I               still               entertained               a               fixation               on               the               occult,               albeit               from               a               Christian               perspective.

    Now               I               can               barely               stand               to               look               at               pages               filled               with               occult               information               and               symbols.

    Most               recently,               I've               had               to               address               the               matter               of               my               dress,               which               may               not               seem               very               important               to               some               -               God               looks               at               the               heart               after               all               -               but               I               disagree.
                   For               close               on               a               decade               I               was               more               or               less               addicted               to               designer               sportswear,               and               among               the               objects               of               my               love               affair               were               shady               baseball               caps,               sweat               tops               with               massive               logos,               flashy               striped               trakkie               Bs,               and               chunky               branded               trainers...and               I               wore               an               earring               too,               having               had               my               ear               pierced               in               1979.

    Some               Christians               associate               earrings               on               men               with               ancient               pagan               idolatry,               and               specifically               the               notion               of               being               enslaved,               and               that               makes               good               sense               to               me.

    I've               recently               come               to               realise               that               if               a               Christian's               outer               appearance               fails               to               reflect               a               changed               life,               he               may               be               cheating               others               of               the               chance               of               coming               to               Christ               through               him.

    He               will               also               be               cheating               himself               of               respect,               and               God               of               potential               converts.

    In               short,               I               think               it's               time               I               started               looking               like               the               Christian               I               profess               to               be.

    Perhaps               then               I               might               actually               start               acting               like               a               person               worthy               of               the               name.
                   A               Final               Distant               Clarion               Cry
                   In               a               general               sense               the               year               2000               turned               out               to               be               something               of               a               turning               point               for               me,               not               just               spiritually,               but               in               terms               of               my               entire               personality,               which               has               become               more               inward               looking,               even               by               the               standards               of               the               previous               seven               years.

    Significantly               perhaps,               the               previous               year               had               been               the               first               since               I               was               about               17               that               I               faced               the               world               with               my               hair               its               natural               medium               brown               after               having               dyed               it               for               nearly               three               decades.
                   What               prompted               this               was               not               a               sudden               loathing               for               the               vanity               of               the               bottle               blond,               but               the               fact               that               the               peroxide-based               streaking               kits               I               favoured               were               causing               me               to               have               breathing               difficulties.

    At               first               I               missed               being               blond,               but               in               time               I               came               to               prefer               my               natural               colour               after               years               of               youthful               blond               androgyny.

    The               fact               is               that               throughout               my               twenties               and               for               much               of               my               thirties,               I               remained               in               a               state               of               extended               adolescence,               blond               being               after               all               the               natural               colour               of               eternal               youth.


                   I've               elicited               a               lot               of               admiration               in               my               time               for               attempting               to               take               the               romantic               bohemian               rebel               existence               to               its               logical               conclusion               when               all               around               me               were               conforming               at               a               furious               rate,               and               perhaps               still               do.

    But               the               price               for               doing               so               has               been               high,               in               terms               of               social               and               financial               mortification,               for               which               I've               no               one               to               blame               but               myself.

    If               I               thought               they'd               listen,               I'd               tell               the               young:               listen               to               your               parents,               and               not               to               the               voices               of               trendy               rebellion,               because               they're               trying               to               protect               you               from               social               failure,               out               of               knowledge               of               how               painful               this               can               be               beyond               a               certain               age.


                   Young               people               still               worship               at               the               altar               of               romantic               rebellion               as               they've               done               since               time               immemorial,               but               perhaps               to               not               quite               the               same               extent               as               my               own               poor               generation.

    We               were               the               ones               who               came               to               maturity               to               a               frenetic               Rock               soundtrack               in               the               tail-spinning               nineteen               sixties,               and               who               can               say               what               effect               it               had               on               us,               this               music...tailor-made               to               inspire               a               generation               scornful               of               deferred               gratification,               a               generation               of               hipsters.
                   However,               Rock               was               far               more               than               another               mere               music               form...being               a               total               art               involving               poetry,               theatre,               fashion,               but               even               more               than               that...a               way               of               life               with               a               strong               spiritual               foundation.

    It               could               be               said               that               its               first               true               ancestor               was               the               great               19th               Century               artistic               and               cultural               movement               known               as               Romanticism,               which               reached               a               climax               with               Nietzsche,               who               by               declaring               God's               death,               cleared               the               way               for               the               eventual               rule               of               a               Do               Your               Own               Thing               philosophy               so               dear               to               the               heart               of               Rock               and               Roll               culture.
                   Convinced               by               2003               that               no               person               can               call               themselves               a               Christian               and               yet               listen               to               such               a               libertine               music               as               Rock,               I               made               an               attempt               to               destroy               all               traces               of               it               in               my               possession,               even               though               I'd               long               lost               any               real               taste               for               Hard               Rock.

    However,               by               the               summer,               my               attitude               had               mellowed               to               the               extent               that               I               felt               able               to               write               about               an               hour's               worth               of               Rock               songs               in               response               to               a               request               from               my               dad,               Pat               Halling,               for               songs               for               a               possible               collaboration               with               the               son               of               a               close               friend.

    Yet,               these               were               as               far               from               Hard               Rock               as               it's               possible               to               be,               being               influenced               by               such               relatively               benign               and               melodic               genres               as               Folk,               Pop               and               Soul.


                   The               songs,               some               new,               some               re-workings               of               old               tunes,               were               recorded               on               a               Sony               CFS-B21L               cassette-corder,               which               I               think               has               been               discontinued,               and               were               generally               well-received,               despite               having               been               crudely               recorded.

    Pat               even               went               so               far               as               to               suggest               that               I               record               them               properly               in               a               studio,               which               was               a               high               compliment               indeed,               given               that               unlike               me,               he's               a               trained               musician               who's               been               a               professional               since               the               age               of               9,               where               I'm               just               a               primitive               with               an               ear               for               a               catchy               tune.


                   A               year               or               so               later,               a               project               was               mooted               by               Pat               which               involved               the               recording               of               an               album               of               Pop               standards               featuring               myself               and               harmonica               genius               James               Hughes,               as               well               as               Pat's               own               London               Swingtette.

    In               spring               2008,               the               CD               was               finally               released               with               the               title               "A               Taste               of               Summer               Wine",               due               to               the               fact               that               Jim's               playing               had               long               been               featured               on               a               British               situation               comedy               called               "Last               of               the               Summer               Wine".

    Two               year               on,               and               the               roman               à               clef,               "Rescue               of               a               Rock               and               Roll               Child",               looks               set               to               follow               suit               after               more               than               four               years               of               labour               and               endless               rewrites.


                   As               I've               stated               elsewhere,               soon               after               coming               to               Christ,               I               destroyed               most               of               what               I'd               written               up               until               that               point,               and               then               wrote               quite               happily               for               a               time               as               a               Christian,               until               it               seems               that               God               called               a               halt               to               my               literary               activities.

    It               was               as               if               I               was               being               saturated               with               an               almost               tangible               leaden               darkness               which               took               me               over               to               the               extent               of               altering               the               expression               in               my               eyes.


                   Once               again,               I               started               destroying               any               writings               I               managed               to               finish,               sometimes               dumping               whole               manuscripts               in               handy               dustbins,               or               one               sheet               after               the               other               down               murky               London               drains.

    This               went               on               until               about               1998,               when               I               more               or               less               gave               up               creative               writing               altogether,               which               was               a               good               move,               given               that               these               early               Christian               writings               reflected               a               continuing               preoccupation               with               subjects               that               had               held               me               spellbound               prior               to               my               conversion.

    What's               more,               some               of               my               writings               mixed               truth               and               fiction               to               produce               a               pointless               and               deceptive               hybrid.


                   Finally,               in               January               2006,               I               believe               God               made               it               clear               that               I               was               mature               enough               to               be               able               to               write               again,               and               so               I               started               tentatively               publishing               pieces               at               the               Blogster               website,               with               the               first               autobiographical               one               being               written               sometime               around               the               spring               of               2006.

    As               things               stand,               I'm               desperately               trying               to               put               the               finishing               touches               to               the               memoir               that               evolved               out               of               them,               in               fact,               since               2006,               I've               done               very               little               except               write,               so               there's               really               not               much               to               say               by               way               of               wrapping               things               up.


                   What               I               will               say               is               that               shortly               before               Christmas               2008,               I               was               informed               that               Elizabeth               ,               my               one-time               mentor               at               Westfield               College               had               died               aged               84               in               her               adopted               village               of               Woodstock,               Oxfordshire.
                   The               executor               of               her               will               asked               me               to               read               one               of               the               lessons               at               her               funeral               and               deliver               a               eulogy               in               the               capacity               of               a               former               student.

    This               took               place               in               the               parish               church               of               St               Martin's               in               the               beautiful               village               of               Bladon,               where               Winston               Churchill               is               buried,               which               is               significant               given               that               Elizabeth               was               one               of               the               founding               members               of               the               Churchill               Centre,               and               had               written               on               the               great               man's               relationship               with               the               Christian               faith.


                   On               that               day,               I               discovered               that               Elizabeth               had               been               born               in               1924               as               an               only               child               of               working               class               parents               in               Lancashire,               but               had               gone               on               to               gain               a               place               at               Oxford               University,               before               becoming               a               lecturer               there               and               then               at               Westfield.

    What               an               ascent...from               humble               northern               roots               to               a               lectureship               at               the               most               hallowed               place               of               learning               in               history...little               wonder               she               was               so               fragile,               almost               febrile               as               a               person,               but               so               kind,               so               single-minded               in               her               devotion               to               those               who               shared               her               passionate               view               of               art               and               life.


                   It               was               such               a               sad               experience               for               me               to               be               reunited               with               Elizabeth               after               nearly               a               quarter               of               a               century               while               being               unable               to               communicate.

    It               made               me               realise               how               important               it               is               to               stay               close               to               friends               and               family,               because               there               comes               a               time               when               it               is               no               longer               possible               to               reconcile               with               them.

    It's               too               late;               they've               gone;               and               the               world               is               always               so               much               the               poorer               for               their               sudden               absence               and               silence.


                   What               else               have               I               done               since               2006?

    How               have               I               spent               my               time?

    In               terms               of               my               online               life,               every               so               often               I               find               myself               immersed               in               a               labyrinthine               search               for               information               related               to               a               subject               that               has               me               briefly               in               its               thrall.
                   As               a               result               it               requires               mental               processing               through               a               punishing               bout               of               research               and               the               fervid               taking               of               notes.

    The               most               recent               topics               to               beset               me               were               the               nature               of               the               giants               of               Genesis               6:4,               and               the               spread               of               pagan               religion               following               the               destruction               of               the               Tower               of               Babel               when               God               confused               the               languages,               and               I               couldn't               wait               to               be               free               of               them.
                   As               a               general               rule               I'm               most               content               when               at               peace               with               my               faith,               and               least               while               lost               in               an               endless               quest               for               cyber-knowledge               with               one               page               linking               incessantly               to               the               other               until               information               overload               becomes               a               serious               threat.

    From               time               to               time,               however,               I'm               tempted               to               venture               beyond               my               comfort               zone               into               the               mysteries               of               the               Bible               and               history.

    It's               hard               for               the               intellectually               curious               to               resist               doing               this,               and               according               to               the               Bible,               knowledge               shall               increase               (Daniel               12:4)               in               the               time               before               the               Second               Coming               of               Christ,               and               this               may               well               be               via               the               miraculous               medium               of               the               World               Wide               Web.


                   There's               really               not               a               whole               lot               left               to               add               to               "Rescue               of               a               Rock               and               Roll               Child",               which               while               woefully               inadequate               as               a               full               account               of               my               existence,               passes               muster               as               an               undercoat,               and               I               do               hope               there's               someone               who's               persevered               this               far.

    After               all,               it's               not               just               about               me;               this               is               a               testimony               more               than               anything               else.

    And               one               that's               now               at               an               end.
                   This               is               the               alternative               roman               à               clef               version,               so               some               names               have               been               changed.






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      ...country that the yoyo was invented in? Last Thursday, we visited Bethel Bible College in Malinta, Valenzuela and I had the opportunity to ask around 60 students...
    2. simplefreechurch.wordpress.com/   10/25/2013
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    3. reverendknow-it-all.blogspot.com/   08/29/2013
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    4. davemosher.wordpress.com/   04/20/2011
      ... and contemplative Bible study. Anderson University [I'm...Theological Seminary Valley Forge Christian College Branch Campus Phoenixville, PA...Belmont University Nashville, Tennessee Bethel Seminary San Diego, St. Paul, East...
    5. mrclm.blogspot.com/   03/03/2006
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    6. kentbrandenburg.blogspot.com/   04/23/2012
      ...with the actual history of one Bible onlyism, also known as...and secondary education so far at Bethel Christian Academy , a ministry of... to some Christian college. Ultimately, it could only be a...
    7. theorangemailmanmyblog.wordpress.com/   06/07/2008
      ...the Truth . Glen can have an odd sense of humor sometimes and this post of his about Bible College betrayed this side of him. As I read the post, my odd (and orange) sense...
    8. fanaticforjesus.blogspot.com/   11/19/2012
      ...early part of the 20th century. In 1901, Agnes Ozman, a young woman attending Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas, claimed to have received a special "baptism of the spirit...
    9. tbjfansuk.wordpress.com/   06/25/2012
      ... freely distributed. The Rev. Dr P.N.S. Chandra Bose (President of Bethel Bible College; National Vice President, Bible Society of India) spoke in appreciation of the team...
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      ... over and, rather than fighting for control, Parham started Bethel Bible College at Topeka in October 1900. The school was modeled on Sandford’s “Holy...



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