Status update as we close off 2025

In brief, here's the news we're sending with (a very few) Christmas cards this year... We are grateful to all be in good health and have 'been kept' by God's grace another year.We still pray for the genuine revival, the kind spoken of powerfully at the Summer Conference this year. 

Moli and Boaz are visiting Asher in New Zealand for Christmas. We are delighted for Asher to be realising a dream of succeeding vocationally while enjoying the rich New Zealand outdoors, mountaineering, surfing, skiing, etc. He's also been impressing for the local hockey team and male voice choir.

The appalling treatment of physician's associates by many doctors and their union, the BMA, led to Moli getting a caring job and training as a cardiographer with Plymouth University. But she is very happy in Plymouth, and we enjoy seeing more of her given that she is much nearer than Inverness.

In the New Year we are planning to celebrate Boaz's graduation from Goldsmith's. Bo gained a 2:1 in Music, overcoming severe challenges, supported at the last hurdle by Ally. We are grateful that Bo is starting to find his feet in the field he loves, teaching, accompanying and performing.

Ally has kept very busy with work. There has been hopeful developments for the Huntingdon's Disease community. Llandaff Cathedral Choral Society provided many highlights in the year, not least the recent performance of Bach's Mass in B minor. Highlights for her included road trips to Krakow with Moli and ferry/drive back from Bilbao with Mike. In September, Ally and Mike shared an evocative visit to the RNLI legacy lifeboat in Poole, which is inscribed with her dad's name, Peter Poole. 

Last year's update mentioned the job cuts at Cardiff University. Mike took voluntary redundancy 31 July. It was not an easy decision and folk in his School were very kind. The settlement money has allowed Mike to use time differently, including helping out in various ways, and looking for work, of course. But some academic work has continued, although higher education funding is in a dire state with threats of job cuts and strikes about them ongoing. Meanwhile, there is always plenty to do! At fairly short notice, he led the Christian Worship camp for 11-17's in the summer.

Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year!

Mike, Ally, Moli, Asher and Boaz Johnson

Jehovah-Rapha

While Pads was recovering from waking at 2 for two ours (he was reading the book by Roger Carswell, 'Why Me?'), we were having family worship in Exodus 15. I dont think I really dealt all that well with the passage, so, missing church to sit with Pads, went looking for a good exposition, in particular, about the name of God that is used in that passage, Jehovah-Rapha - 'The LORD that heals you'. I checked Calvin and Matthew Henry, but they dont pick up on it in my sources. Something like 'got questions' shows more detail... www.gotquestions.org/Jehovah-Rapha.html

Blessed are the dead

This post was prompted by the news of a dear friend's dear mother passing away to be with her Lord. But death is in the news quite a lot, with COVID counts and Remembrance Day recently. It is held before our eyes as the ultimate disaster for a person, without a very clear understanding of why. The phrase 'blessed are the dead' seems absurd if not harsh and morbid. The opposite is true. Let M'Cheyne explain...

The world say, Blessed are the living; but God says, Blessed are the dead. The world judge of things by sense—as they outwardly appear to men; God judges of things by what they really are in themselves—He looks at things in their real colour and magnitude. The world says, “Better is a living dog than a dead lion.” The world look upon some of their families, coming out like a fresh blooming flower in the morning,—their cheeks covered with the bloom of health, their step bounding with the elasticity of youth,—riches and luxuries at their command,—long, bright summer days before them. The world says, “There is a happy soul.” God takes us into the darkened room, where some child of God lately dwelt. He points to the pale face where death sits enthroned, the cheek wasted by long disease, the eye glazed in death, the stiff hands clasped over the bosom, the friends standing weeping around, and He whispers in our ears, “Blessed are the dead.” Ah, dear friends, think a moment!—whether does God or you know best? Who will be found to be in the right at last? Alas, what a vain show you are walking in! Disquieted in vain. “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” Even God’s children sometimes say, “Blessed are the living.” It is a happy thing to live in the favour of God,—to have peace with God,—to frequent the throne of grace,—to burn the perpetual incense of praise,—to meditate on his word,—to hear the preached gospel,—to serve God; even to wrestle, and run, and fight in his service, is sweet. Still God says, “Blessed are the dead.” If it be happy to have his smile here, how much happier to have it without a cloud yonder! If it be sweet to be the growing corn of the Lord here, how much better to be gathered into his barn! If it be sweet to have an anchor within the veil, how much better ourselves to be there, where no gloom can come! In “thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.” Even Jesus felt this,—God attests it. “Blessed are the dead.”

Watch this video for a recent message about getting this blessedness... 

What M'Cheyne had to say is worth reading in full. It can be located in page 455 of a book you can get for free following this link or see pages below...  

Our good hope

With the COVID-19 lockdown, the church has produced weekly Sunday School video lessons on YouTube. This week's was a technical tussle for Mark and Hannah but the result was worth it. Ally features this week drawing upon the account of Joseph to show how the best things can come from the worst. She took the opportunity to refer to our own situation with Padi's illness. Do take a look!

From the archive 20130516

This photo was taken by me 6 years ago and automatically saved in the cloud-based google photos. Today it was resurrected in a mobile phone notification. If you use social media for a while, it will occasionally throw up a picture from your past as a marketing tactic. I suppose they're thinking that most of the time people take photos of happy things and like to be reminded of them. However, even though I take a lot of photos, I'm sure I'm not alone finding these reminders can have varied impacts. Pads is on the way to a hot-tub rubbing his neck, the all too familiar pain site. He was pretty wrecked by this time and the palliative pain meds, while massive, were not quite as effective as we had hoped.