Prince: dead and gone!

Word is out that Prince, the singer, died of a drug over-dose.
This being so he joins the ever-growing list of celebrities who, having lived their lives in the glow of their adoring followers, died in the hideous darkness of their own personal despair.
Which list am I speaking about? It is too long to enumerate but here are a few: Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Robin Williams, Seymour Hoffman, Whitney Houston and one from my own era, Marylyn Monroe. They were all models, icons and media marvels, idolized by their fans as living commercials as to how life should be REALLY lived: mega-stars with millions of followers and mountains of money, hedonists in their  personal, perfect paradise.
Their's was the way to live, the way to be, the way to succeed but, what a way to die.
 Prince was found dead in an elevator, which raises the question as to whether he was going up or going down.
It is a question that all us must sooner or later ask of ourselves.
Are we on our way up or on our way down?
If the lyrics of Prince's songs are any any proof of his direction, the matter is not in doubt.
"PRINCE" What a name for a celebrity!  But consider another Superstar, Jesus Christ:
"KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS" for time and for Eternity.
Yours to choose.

Jubilate

Ian

England's Last Eagle

Sad but true. England, long the home of the majestic golden Eagle, has now seen the demise of its last bird.

Ornithologists, who had been watching this remaining predator in the Lake District hills near Haweswater, have reported it missing for more than a month. It is presumed dead.

Let us observe a moment for silent reflection.

Surely there is a lesson.

I have been a student of British history for many years. Listed among the world's giants have been its statesmen, warrior kings, preachers, explorers, inventors, admirals, generals and ambassadors. 

They lie at rest in the national shrine of West Minster Abbey  or in unknown graves in the far flung regions of the British Empire.

I have been wondering why they have not been replaced by others of like stature who soared higher, saw further and swooped faster than their contemporaries.

I now understand.

The last English Golden Eagle is dead and, as far as the nation is concerned, they have become an extinct species.

There are other species still alive. They chirp and twitter and squawk daily in their aviary called the House of Commons. They sing weekly on Britain's got talent. They still migrate to the Mediterranean when the colder winter winds blow. Some are served up regularly for English Christmas dinner.

But the eagles have gone, never to return.

Yes, a cause for reflection, for these are the birds that put the "GREAT" in Great Britain, and my dear friends, in passing they have taken the "GREAT " along with their "GOLDEN". 
Jubilate.

Ian

Boko Haran or Oko Harem

Time passes quickly, unless you are one of the mothers of the 300 Nigerian school girls who were abducted by Boko Haran two years ago this week. 

For the mothers of these unfortunate girls it has been a protracted nightmare. What has happened to their daughters? Where are they? What atrocities and what indignities have been inflicted upon them? And what exactly have the Nigerian government done to rescue their unhappy subjects?

Inaction and ineptitude aside, think about the title that their kidnappers have given themselves. "BOKO HARAN". Which means "Down with Western education"

While we may have our own doubts about the shortcomings of our school system think about the alternative of this Nigerian Islamic sect.  "OKO HAREM"   Which means "These are our women"

Our women to sell as sex slaves, our women to coerce into forced marriage, our women to enslave, degrade, molest and debase at will.

In other words, our women to do what Islam has been doing to women for centuries.

And yet this is the religion that our benighted leaders would have us believe is as good and enlightened as Christianity. 

Islam, a peaceful and loving alternative to the true Gospel of God that has brought such blessings and benefits to our western culture for the last millennia.

Give me a break!

Ladies, think long and hard when you next see some of your own gender shuffling down the street dressed head to toe in a black bag. Had it not been for the liberty and love of Christianity, that could have been you.

Jubilate.

Ian