I just caught the end of  ‘On this Day - Correspondents’ on Radio 4. It appeared to be based around the horrible Ethiopian famine that took place in 1984 and the experiences of various people who had been involved in the relief effort, including Bob Geldof who was fundamental in the birthed of ‘Live Aid’.

Michael Buerk and his camera Man, ‘Mohammed Amin’ were then on the scene to record and relay to a shocked World, this awful event. Regarding my faith, what caught my attention at the end of the program was how this had changed Michael, he said something along the lines of... ...that was not his exact phrase I'm sure, but is was something along those lines, what I took from that was that the horror of what he had witnessed had convinced him that there could not possibly be a ‘all powerful - all loving God’ looking over us, seeing those innocent children dying before his eyes must have brought to the surface powerful emotions that just had to be acknowledged and dealt with - what other conclusion could he have come to without a knowledge of the truth?

I remember far too clearly an awful event in my childhood. At ten years of age, totally unprepared and without any warning, witnessing my five year old Sister and seven year old brother hit by a car that gave no consideration for a bus with tiny children disembarking from it. She being hit so hard that she reached the height of the double-decker bus before falling to the tarmac. I can recall running to my bedroom that over-looked this gruesome scene and praying on my knees to a God that I did not know, pleading with Him to take my life in exchange for theirs (my Sister died and my brother lived) I recall the sight of seeing my Mother trying to help my crumpled dying Sister, something even skilled doctors could not do. And also experiencing the aftermath of a broken and dysfunctional family with all the suffering which that entails, only to be approached some years later by a bunch of Christians who gladly informed me that “Jesus, the all powerful and all loving God, deeply loves and cares for you”!
Struggling to restrain myself it was all I could do to ask “What ‘all powerful and all loving God’ were they referring too? ” so I can understand Michael Buerk's statement.
At the time I met those Christians I reasoned within myself, if He is ‘all loving and all powerful’ his Love would have moved Him to use His Power and step in to prevent such an event ever taking place, so I concluded that either:

1. He is ‘All loving’ but doesn't have the power do help.
2. He is ‘All powerful’ but dosn't really care.
3. There is no God

These are ‘logical’ arguments that the ‘logical’ mind often comes too, one of which Michael Buerk came to when witnessing the horrific scene that stretched out before him.

However, if the ‘logical’ mind is to be consistent regarding what we witness around us other questions ought to be thought upon. Why does a happily married man with a beautiful wife and loverly children, risk all and break his own heart when he keeps paying £10 for oral sex down some back alley? What possible evolutionary benefit can be understood in adult attraction to animals, minors, same sex or strange perversions. Why is it so extremely common in war for seemingly respectable people to rape, murder and abuse those who fall under their power? Why do many of us find delight in the fall or disgrace of our fellow man? How can a person stand by when he sees friends or family go without, lose their home, car or suffer hunger whilst they live in abundance?
Underneath this thin veneer of our society is the raging potential for greed, violence, murder and every type of abominable perversion imaginable, ask those in Iraq or Los Angeles and other disaster areas what happens when law and order breaks down. We may consider, whilst sitting in the safety of our homes or going about our daily business in our ‘safe’ environments, that we are excluded from such behavior, but throw us into a different environment or give us unquestionable power and authority over others with no accountabilty for our actions, then, in time those fleeting moments of hatred towards others, those lustful temptations of the flesh, then even those fantasies could very well be acted upon. The Bible shouts from cover to cover that mankind is desperately sick, but more, that this sickness springs from our obedience and even enslavement to an evil being who has blinded the whole World from this truth and mocks their only way of escape. For the truth is, the only way of escape from this extraordinary entity is to come to the only one who, 2000 years ago defeated him, Jesus the Christ who Himself suffers delaying His return that He may save all who will come to Him before the door of salvation is finally and eternally slammed shut (2 Peter 3:9). As when God Himself closed the door on them in the Ark and immediately judgment fell on an ungodly World and as when Lot was removed from Sodom, and the very same day judgment fell on that city, so when Jesus removes His own from planet Earth, will horrible judgment fall on an ungodly Earth that now practice the will of their current master because they refuse to come to a knowledge of the truth but mocking it have thrown it to the ground.

Considering these things it starts to make sense when we read that Satan offered Jesus the Kingdoms of this World! How can Satan offer Jesus the World? Unless...... he is it's present ruler....
The most horrific phase of Earth's history is yet to be fulfilled when this entity and those that are with him are cast-out of their current position of authority down to the Earth itself before his final doom takes place. Praise God that He has delivered us from the wicked one's power and is soon to return to collect us before He brings punishment to Satan, his minions and those who willingly follow him and are seen to be his by their nature and deeds, refusing to believe the truth.

I was blessed to hear Nigel Benn (The Dark Destroyer) and his wife give their testimony at Lakenheath C of E on Sunday the 30th of August. The Methodist, C of E and the AOG had all joined together to host the event.

It was a real 'eye-opener' in many ways, the whole World (including many Christians, alright, and me  ) break-their-backs to try to attain just a fraction of what he has, fame, wealth, respect, popularity and all that goes with a celebrity lifestyle, but it obviously doesn't deliver the goods but left Nigel empty. This lifestyle that he worked so hard for almost destroyed 'The Dark Destroyer' and it was only when he put all those things aside and sought-after the truth that he found the true source of life.

In my arrogance I decided to attend, in all honesty I half expected to hear a rich, popular man tell a story of how he, through trials and tribulation mixed with faith in God managed to become the WBC and the WBO World champion.   You know, the old 'health and wealth - if you have faith' gospel, wrong again!  He barely mentioned his boxing career let-alone boast of it but rather, if not the first, almost the first words out of Nigel's mouth were the following two verses: If these didn't satisfy Nigel why would they satisfy us? If he who attained his earthly goal now counts it as 'dung' why should we even make the attempt? Few I think who step into that trap escape from it again. I should imagine many who gain money, respect and fame only have a fear of losing it. Suspicious of the intent of all their new 'friends' I guess it must be hard to trust anyone let-alone find peace, "The eye is never satisfied with the seeing" and only gives us a hunger for more.

When I was a child of about five years old I somehow managed to acquire a sharp penknife  , as soon as my father saw it he blunted it by cutting it into a brick wall, I was furious!!   Basically my father knew that eventhough the knife was a tool that could do good, I wasn't capable of 'handling' it and that it would do me or someone else harm. How many of us Christians are angry with our Heavenly Father because of the circumstances we find ourselves in? Our heavenly Father wants to bless us but as my 'earthly father couldn't trust me with a knife, can our Heavenly Father trust us with that which He longs to bless us with? Could we really handle fame, money and power without harming ourselves or those we love? Looking to extremes, give a drug addict a million to sort-out his life and he'll be dead in a week and God alone knows how many people he would injure and take with him.

If you and me want to enjoy a blessed life let us prove ourselves trust-worthy before God, able to hold these things without injuring ourselves or others. Nigel concluded his testimony with: It made me think, even if we did gain something of what Nigel attained, like my childhood knife they will either be a blessing or a curse to the one who gains them. A blessing to those prepared for them but a curse to the fool. I'm sure Nigel would be the first to say that at one time he was ill prepared for such gifts but now he counts them (his celebrity status) as mere tools to be used for the coming Kingdom.
I asked Nigel to pray for my health (M.E.) but he prayed a prayer that God has been telling me for a long time. To know, believe and stand on his Word in a way that I have not yet done. May I at last learn this lesson.

So we believe in God and in that statement we have our confidence... And their going to be cast into Hell... I think I need a bit more than believing that there is a God, don't you?