Some speak of progress by stealth, but I don’t believe it ever works.
When presented with my first parish a well-wisher said: “You’ve done
extremely well for a first parish James. Play your cards right with the
bishop and you’ll end up one day in his palace!” A senior cleric had
earlier said: “keep in with the right folk here in ‘Firbeck & Letwell’
and you’ll be able to ‘sit back & purr well’! Well, I went out to view
that valley of the Sheffield stockbrokers belt and ‘old Nick’ whispered
in my ear: “all this is yours if you will but fall down and worship me!”
.But I replied to this tallyho community - who sought to eagerly lavish
me with cheese, wine and braces of pheasant: ‘Be gone Satan: Thou shalt
worship the Lord Thy God; and Him only shalt thou obey’ I was very
immature and vulnerable in those days. But I’m grateful to God that, at
least, I responded as I did, even though many would have called me a
blithering fool.
With the hindsight of the years, and the wisdom it brings, I know
that if I’d succumbed then preferment would have followed. Over the
years I’d have been programmed to conform further; and each time I did
the mould would have hardened more, and one would have ended up as the
leopard that cannot change its spots. But thankfully – regardless of
very many faults - I have sought to live one day at a time realizing
that in an hour we know not of the Son of man either returns for us or
we may well be ushered in to His presence via premature decease.
Consequently, to see evil today, and put off opposing it until a
‘possibly’ more influential tomorrow is, to my mind, a most despicable
form of procrastination. As Christians we are called to make our
footprints in the here and now!
It only seems as yesterday that Dr Rutt, then the Bishop of
Leicester, persistently asked me to consider taking on the chairmanship
of ASWA; while a most dear Valerie Elliott was eager to second me. After
regrettable procrastination I agreed; but by then my coming divorce
loomed up; and it was then made clear that – though the innocent party –
I was not wanted...But then – a decade later – it was requested that I
become an official adviser to them (I was then in the far north of
Scotland and could hardly attend regular meetings in London!). Well,
they most certainly meant well, and one appreciated their
thoughtfulness.
It was also about this time that, CIWF eagerly approached me, for
they wished to do a full page article about my efforts for the Cause.
But then, by pure coincidence - a fortnight later - I was given top
media coverage alongside of Robin Webb who’d given a brilliant oration
at a rally against live exports. Well, he happened to be the official
press representative for ALF. So you can guess the outcome: I never
heard from CIWF again!
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