00:00In any case, there are 52 mini-sermons in that book, so why do I need a speech sermon?
00:09But what I want to do here first of all is to say a very big thank you to all
00:16the people who have been responsible for putting it all together.
00:22And that was a marital task. I didn't realise that to prepare something to put into a book took so
00:32long or needed so much labour.
00:36Checking everything. Checking the spelling. Checking where to put the dots in commerce. Checking if we needed to have copyright
00:45for anything.
00:47And if what I brought or quoted from somebody else was correct.
00:56And there are quite a few people that roomed off in that. And I thank you very much for their
01:06good work.
01:10In a way, I didn't want all this fuss about the book. It's not my book at all. It's the
01:22Lord's book.
01:25If I can explain a little bit. How it happened, you will read in the book if you have it.
01:35It all started in lockdown. Proven lockdown. And I was in the garden and a few thoughts came to me
01:44and I thought,
01:45well, I've got to write this down. And I phoned a friend that is responsible for our church notices.
01:53And I read it to him. He said, do you mind if I share this? And that's when it all
01:59started.
02:00And every week since, with our church notices, there has been one of my meditations.
02:10But how does it start with me? I see a phrase or a word or I hear something or I
02:22see something.
02:23Sometimes on television. And sometimes it grabs me. And I know instantly that somehow God has something to say about
02:38this.
02:40When I start to write, I perhaps only have the first sentence. And as I write, the thoughts come to
02:52me.
02:53And sometimes so fast, my pen can't keep pace with it. And when I leave it back to myself,
03:01I've missed my answer out or I've missed about all sorts of funny things. But that's how it is.
03:11So, that book is not mine. It's what the Lord has given to me. All I've done is write down
03:23what he was telling me.
03:25And I'd like to make that very clear. And I have great hope and desire is that everyone who reads
03:36that book will hear God speaking through it to them.
03:42Not me. Not me. There's nothing about me. I hope and pray that they will hear God speaking through them
03:53through that book.
03:56And that's what you're talking about. I give God's house for my long life.
04:04I never thought they'd live till this age. In fact, I can't believe I am this age, to be quite
04:10honest.
04:14And even now, when nothing can see my physical strength is lacking, he can still use me in small ways
04:25in his service.
04:30And I suppose, in a way, that's the story of my life. When I was 14, I sat in church
04:39on Sunday, and something came to me through the testimony of two teenagers that the preacher had brought with him
04:52that day.
04:54And I thought, this is for me. And I thought, this is for me. Not just for older people. It's
05:01for me. I want to follow Jesus.
05:06Well, I must admit, that over all those years, I haven't always been a perfectly good follower. I've made mistakes,
05:20made wrong decisions like we all do.
05:22But all the way through all those years, he has stood by my side. He's helped me through the bad
05:33times, and encouraged me through the good times.
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