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Minister: Reverend Pauline Crispin (Tel: 01202 883461)

Pastoral Support:

Joyce Wild: (Tel: 01258 454091)

Week beginning Sunday 26th July

BLANDFORD METHODIST CHURCH

THE LINK Linking us all together by keeping us in touch

We'll Get Through This

Lord, our troubles

Are so great, We don't know what to do;

The price for our Iniquity

Is finally coming due.

The world is crumbling All about;

No safe place can be found. Right is wrong, Wrong is right;

The change is quite profound.

Lord, we need Your guiding light

To lead us out of here; We'll focus on

Your Word, and prayer, To take away our fear.

Temptations of

This dying world We'll rule out and let go;

Give our burdens All to you,

Shed all worldly woe.

That's how we'll Get through this, Lord, Fixed on heaven above,

Assured of your protection, help,

And everlasting love. By Joanna Fuchs

This Christian poem tells of Jesus' never-failing support for us. Joyce Wild

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For the next few weeks I thought you might be interested to read about different high profile Christians. Some will be more modern than others. This week my profile is about Billy Graham. Joyce Wild

CHURCH REOPENING: By now you should have received an invitation to be part of the

duty rota for the Sunday services for the three months September to November. If you feel,

in principle, you might be able to help out on the rota, please let me know

(mags@woodview.me.uk). Details of the duties and a Plan of Action for returning to church

will be available in the near future. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the stewards if

you have any questions.

Please remember that if you have any symptoms of Covid-19 (fever, new continuing cough, loss of

taste or smell), please consider the safety of others and stay at home, seek advice and a Coronavirus

test.

Billy Graham was born in 1918 in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 7, 1918, William Franklin Graham, Jr. to William and Morrow Graham. He was the oldest child of four and grew up in a strict Calvinist household. As a young boy Billy wanted to be a professional baseball player but at 15 his life took an unexpected turn. In 1934, at 15, Billy attended an evangelical crusade. This crusade was a meeting in which people would come to hear Jesus Christ's story and what He had done for them. It was here that Billy decided he believed that Jesus's life, death, and resurrec-tion were real, and he committed his life to following Christ. It wasn't until 1949, right after the end of WWII, that Billy would become known worldwide. Billy Graham started off at the conservative Bob Jones College in Tennessee but didn’t feel like the college was a good fit for him. He transferred to Florida Bible Col-lege and got his bachelor’s degree in theology. Always hungry to learn more and grow spiritually, Billy decided to move to Illinois and attend Wheaton College. There he

earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology and met his wife, Ruth McCue Bell. Billy and Ruth Graham’s children all went into the ministry in some form or another. Virginia, Anne Morrow, Ruth Bell, William Franklin III, and Nelson Edman were all inspired by their parents’ ministry efforts and took up the call-ing of sharing God’s love with the world. In 1949, Billy was invited to preach at an evangelical crusade in Los Angeles, California. The LA tent crusade was only supposed to last three weeks, but because of the overflowing crowds, it was extended to eight weeks. Over 350,000 people came to hear what Billy had to say. From this moment, his life would never be the same. Instead of the bat in his hands he dreamed of as a boy, he would spend the rest of his life in packed stadiums around the world holding a Bible. Although he tried to avoid talking about his fame, there was no doubt that Billy Graham was a Christian super-star. People identified with his preaching and his popularity grew. It’s said that Billy Graham helped to unify the America after World War II through his positive, non-threatening messages of hope, love, and peace. He eventually had television shows and radio broadcasts that were listened to by millions of people around the world. In 1989, at the age of 71 Billy Graham became the 1,900th person to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the first clergyman to ever be recognized for his ministry with a star. He also earned a president medal of Honour and was made an Honorary Knight by the Queen. Over the years, Billy Graham has preached about Jesus Christ to more than 200 million people in live audiences in more than 185 countries. That's more than anyone in history!

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Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” and several other “I am” statements.

The Gospel of John The Gospel of John is the only Gospel that contains all seven of Jesus’ “I am” statements, and each one is significant and had special meaning which only the Jews could understand. There is another “I am” statement in the Book of Revelation, but these “I am” statements in the Gospel of John point back to the Old Testament and into the kingdom. They prove that Jesus is God and was the God of the Old Testament. That’s what the Apostle Paul seemed to understand as well. When God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, He told Moses His name was “I AM,” and “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Ex 3:14b). I AM means the self-existent one and always “being,” unlike we who at one time didn’t exist. Only after birth did we come into being, and we are human, finite beings, but God is and always was since He inhabits eternity. Paul acknowledged that ancient Israel “all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1st Cor 10:4), which explains why Jesus could authoritatively say, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). The Jews knew what Jesus meant and that’s why they tried to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself from them because it wasn’t His time (John 8:59), so Jesus was before Abraham. Like us, there was a time when Abraham did not exist, so Jesus directly tells them (and us) He existed before Abraham, therefore by application, He must be God (and He is). I Am the Bread of Life Just after Jesus fed the 5,000, which, if you counted the wives and children, could have been 15,000 or more, they followed Him, but not for the right reason, so He told them “you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26). They only wanted more bread for their stomach, so Jesus said, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:27), and “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35), so “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). As Christians and true believers of Christ we should simply follow Jesus because we know he has the truth and his way is the way to life. Let us grasp that spiritual hunger and not follow our Lord for physical and temporal benefits: instead, let’s eat the bread of eternal life. Joyce Wild

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From the Methodist website:

Dial-a-Prayer

FREE phone lines for prayers and news from the Method-ist Church

Listen to a prayer: 0808 281 2514

Listen to news: 0808 281 2478

Content is updated weekly on Thursday

afternoon

Something to sing about

O love that wilt not let me go: (Author: George Matheson) George Matheson was born in Glasgow in 1842 and endured poor eyesight as a boy. He gained a first-class honours degree from Glasgow university at the age of 19, after which he started his theological studies. Unfortunately, during that time, his eyesight deteriorated and he became totally blind. Despite this handicap, he finished his studies with high honours and in 1886 he became pastor to a 2,000 strong church in Edinburgh. Matheson never married, but at University he had met a fellow student and they planned to marry. However, he told her of his failing eyesight and impending blindness and asked if she would still marry him. He was heartbroken when she replied, “I don’t want to be the wife of a blind man.” And, with that, they parted. Years later, on the day of his sister’s wedding, the recollection of this sad episode in his life came flooding back to him. The mental anguish and pain of that bitter memory caused him to write his most famous hymn. George Matheson left the following account in his journal: “My hymn was composed in the manse on the evening of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone at that time. It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high”. His suffering inspired him to write this hymn, “O love that wilt not let me go”, a hymn which celebrates the constancy of God’s love, light and joy. Matheson suffered two severe blows during his life: the loss of his eyesight and the loss of his beloved. In both cases, he made the best of a bad situation, and we are all the richer for it. As this hymn reveals, it was his faith in God that kept him going through the hardships that he suffered. He believed that God’s love would not let him go; and that God’s light would follow him all his way; and that God’s joy would seek him through his pain; and that faith made all the difference. George Matheson died suddenly of a stroke on the 28th of August 1906 in Edinburgh and is buried in the Glasgow Necropolis.

O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee: I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.

David Wild

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Continued on next page

“Restore us to yourself, O Lord ……..”

One evening, some years ago, at a Kingdom Faith Camp, Colin Urquhart was reading from 1 Peter. He suddenly stopped and said “That’s good isn’t it – I’ve never read that before!”

Colin Urquhart had never read that verse in 1 Peter? – Those of us who heard him were thinking - Surely not!! He then went on to say that he had, of course, read the verse hundreds of times before, but that night an unrecognised, till then, meaning stood out and ‘hit him’.

I had that sort of moment last Sunday morning. Nigel was introducing his theme for the streamed service from Holtwood and in it he mentioned Biblical lamentations – in the Psalms and of course in the Book of Lamentations itself. He read the concluding verses of this book:

20 Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? 21 Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old 22 unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.

One phrase produced that ‘Eureka’ moment – “Restore us to yourself, Lord”. It started me thinking about a number of the Psalms, about the attitude of God’s Old Testament people. When things went wrong they associated their problems with the Lord forgetting, even forsaking them. Their plea to the Lord was that He should restore them to Himself, that He should make things as they were before. It was clearly something for the Lord to do, the people had no part in it!

Contrast that with our Methodist standpoint. We have a loving and caring Heavenly Father who desires each one of us to have a relationship with Him. Not all will; but the offer of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus is available to all.

“All need to be saved. All may be saved. All may know themselves saved. All may be saved to the uttermost.”

I spent a teaching exchange year in Australia in 1994/95. During that year Jackie worked part time as a Lay Pastoral Worker in a ‘local’ Anglican Church. (At the time she was doing a part time course at Oak Hill Theological College in North London). We discovered something interesting about Sydney Diocese Anglican Churches – they nearly all have the same ‘flavour’. Go round any large town in the UK and you will find a wide range of Anglican styles – from the ‘high’ (incense coming out of every available orifice) to the ‘low’ (labelled by some as happy-clappy) Evangelical wing.

Sydney Diocese is ‘Low’, Evangelical and is very strongly influenced by Calvin. The Rector of St Paul’s Church, still a very dear friend, firmly believed that he, himself, had played no part in his own salvation. He had not accepted the offer of Grace – God had planted that saving Grace in his life. He had been predestined for salvation. It would have worried him greatly to think that he had in any way made a contribution, even in responding to the Gospel message.

In 1733 Charles Wesley, 26 years old and a junior tutor at Christ Church, Oxford was introduced to a 19 year old Pembroke College servitor (an undergraduate, working as a servant, to pay for his university education) – by the name of George Whitefield. The latter became a member of the ‘Holy Club’ and was ‘converted’ in 1735 – three years before the Wesleys. Ordained at the age of 21, George became a popular and successful preacher. Like the Wesleys before him, he sailed to America where he was well received, but four months later set sail back to a post in Aldersgate Street, England.

It was George Whitefield who started preaching to large crowds in the open air – he could rightly be called the ‘father of the evangelical revival’. On Saturday March 31st 1739, John Wesley linked up with George Whitefield in Bristol and the following day was ‘challenged’ as Whitefield preached again in the open air. We read in JW’s journal that George Whitefield had departed by Sunday evening and on Monday April 1st:

“At four in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city, to about three thousand people.”

George Whitefield desired to return to America and left his work, especially among the miners of Kingswood, in the hands of John Wesley. Unfortunately relations between the two men deteriorated seriously over the question of predestination or free grace. Whitefield adopted Calvinist theology while Wesley remained Armenian, the two emphases having already been outlined.

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A service for Sunday at home (from the Methodist Church): Live-streamed services Worship services: We hope the four options below will offer some breadth from our tradition. We are working in collaboration with:

Methodist Central Hall Westminster: Sundays 11.00 www.youtube.com/mchwevents

Wesley's Chapel London who will live-stream from the chapel (the Minister lives on the premises): Sundays 11am www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAUqhmhevz5sqhh72LIMxA

Swan Bank Methodist Church in Burslem, this worship will be studio based – with strict distancing rules being fol-lowed: Sundays 10:30 www.youtube.com/user/SwanBank and www.facebook.com/swanbank/

Sthie ('At home'): To join in a very different worship experience, try Sthie ('At home') from the Isle of Man. Join in live on Sundays by joining a Facebook group. For details see www.andyfishburne.com/2020/03/15/sthie-at-home-online-worship/ You can watch previous live-streamed videos at www.youtube.com/andyfishburne

Worship at home service sheet: https://www.methodist.org.uk/media/17739/26th-july-heather-wilson.pdf

Morning Prayers 08:30 Monday-Friday - from Wesley House Cambridge: www.facebook.com/wesleycambridge. Resources for following the prayers and readings are available at: www.wesley.cam.ac.uk/prayer-space/

I remember reading (but cannot find any reference now!) of a letter George Whitefield wrote to John Wesley from America – having been informed that Wesley was preaching “all would be saved”. Wesley replied that he did not preach “all would be saved”, but rather “all could be saved”. The two men agreed that both had to continue preaching – Whitefield to inform the ‘elect’; Wesley to offer grace and salvation to those who responded to his message.

This division was fundamental and extreme, yet Whitefield always showed great respect towards John Wesley and actually requested Wesley to preach at his funeral. George Whitefield died and is buried in America but John Wesley did preach at three memorial services in this country.

A quotation from John Pollock’s book “George Whitefield and the great awakening” illustrates the difficult theological division existing between the two men but the respect and affection that remained from their past:

John Wesley never encouraged criticism of George. ‘Do you think we shall see Mr. Whitefield in heaven?’ asked one small-minded disciple. ‘No’ replied Wesley, and the man looked pleased that he had aimed his flattery well. ‘No, sir,’ said Wesley, ‘I fear not. Mr Whitefield will be so near the Throne and we at such a distance we shall hardly get a sight of him.’

In private, however, John Wesley and Whitefield retained their mutual doubts of each other without lessening their mutual affection. ‘I cannot help thinking,’ George wrote to Charles Wesley in December 1752, ‘he is still jealous of me and my proceedings.’ Charles always remained the closer friend despite their temporary breach.

The division between these two ‘giants’ of the Eighteenth Century revival, a division still existing in present day denominations, seems to echo that Old Testament approach to the relationship between God and His people:

“Restore us to yourself, Lord”.

The Old Testament appeal seems to equate with the theology of John Calvin, that of an ‘Elect’

It is poles apart from our view that:

‘All need to be saved, All can be saved’ - through the “Love of God, the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”

Eric Brown

“Restore us to yourself, O Lord ……..” continued

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Our Coffee Morning Quiz from 23rd July which was set by Alan Dymond.

Have a go and see if you can score 24 out of 24!

Who said the following comments:

Any color as long as it is black

History is bunk

I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right!".

Capital punishment is as fundamentally wrong as a cure for crime as charity is wrong as a cure for poverty

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking

Never complain, never explain

You can't learn in school what the world is going to do next year

Who were the following formerly known as:

Elton John

Cilla Black

Ringo Star

Englebert Humperdink

Tom Jones

Michael Caine

Cliff Richard

John Wayne

What were the following countries formerly known as:

Iran

Zambia

Malawi

Bangladesh

Ghana

Myanmar

Belize

Namibia

Answers on next page

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David Wild

Just for Fun: Church Humour A few jokes that will hopefully keep you amused for a while. They are not meant to represent any of the ministers or preachers in our circuit – past or present. A minister dies and is waiting to enter the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy who’s dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket and jeans. Saint Peter addresses this guy, “Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?” The guy replies, “I’m Joe Cohen, a taxi driver from New York City.” Saint Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the taxi driver, “Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” The taxi driver goes into Heaven with his robe and staff; next it’s the minister’s turn. He stands erect and booms out, “I am Joseph White, pastor of Calvary Church for the last 43 years.” Saint Peter consults the list. He says to the minister, “Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” “Just a minute,” says the minister. “That man was a taxi driver and he gets a silken robe and golden staff. How can that be?” “Up here we work by results,” says Saint Peter. “While you preached, people slept, while he drove, people prayed.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After the church service a little boy told the pastor, “When I grow up, I’m going to give you some money.” “Well thank you,” the pastor replied, “but why?” “Because my daddy says you’re one of the poorest preachers we’ve ever had.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On a sunny morning, William’s mother came into her son’s room and said, “William, it’s Sunday. Time to get up! Time to get up and go to church! Get up!” From under the covers came the mumble, “I don’t want to go!” “What do you mean?” she said. “That’s silly! Now get up and get dressed and go to church!” “No!” he shot back. “I’ll give you 2 reasons. I don’t like them and they don’t like me!” “Nonsense,” she told him. “I’ll give YOU 2 reasons to go. First, you are 42 years old, and second, you are the PASTOR!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ David Wild

Answers to all the ‘Who said this’ questions: Henry Ford!

Show Biz answers: Reg Dwight

Priscilla White

Richard Starkey

Arnold Dorsey (Gerry)

Thomas Woodward

Maurice Micklewhite

Harry Webb

Marion Morrison

Countries answers: Persia

Northern Rhodesia

Nyasaland

East Pakistan

Gold Coast

Burma

British Honduras

German South West Africa

Answers to the coffee morning quiz