a blog about a blog...

I thought you might like to know that I have started a new blog... This blog that you are reading was designed to keep people informed about the happenings on the Biblebase websites but the new blog is more general in its scope. I have been encouraged by some to begin a kind of morning by morning devotional blog but I have been reluctant to take that route; it seemed a bit presumptious to think that I would have something relevant to add each day. Nevertheless, I do often have thoughts that I feel I would like to share with others. They are not ordered in any way but simply where I have 'gleaned today'. I have called it the Biblebase Second Thoughts blog and you can visit it by simply clicking that phrase. I suppose I could have called it 'Ron's Rambles' which was the unofficial title of a radio programme that I used to have.

If you visit Biblebase Second Thoughts and like what you see please make sure to 'subscribe' to that blog. That doesn't mean you have to pay anything but simply that whenever I do write a blog you will get an automatic message inviting you to come and read it. That way you don't have to come looking for the blog the blog will come looking for you. You can subscribe by clicking the 'follow this blog' option at the upper right hand part of the page.

The Biblebase Second Thoughts blog will also have a place where you can comment AND if you want to think more about that topic a link to the New Covenant Discussion Forum where you can 'think through' in the company of others, hopefully of like mind. See you soon?

Meanwhile back at the Base...

This catch-up is long overdue and as there has been quite a bit of activity on the website I thought it was time to put you in the picture again.

In the fellowship in Reading I conducted a series of Bible studies in 1st Corinthians on the theme of expressing the life of Christ in the local church. Corinth had wonderful beginnings with apostles, prophets, pastors and teachers. The believers had received spiritual gifts and were equipped to be 'God's People' in that city but things had gone badly wrong.  These studies trace the nature and purpose of a local church and the obstacles that stand in the way of its achieving of God's purpose. Matt Steed videoed the series and it is now available online in various forms.  You can also use the 'dynamic notes' which will give links to other sites and information.  We called the series...

Church Life Revisited 

Bob Oakley, one of the brothers in the church here, and myself have long been burdened about the number and quality of Bible versions which now circulate.  We did a series of studies to examine the nature of the Scriptures and their translation.  We concluded by looking at a selection of different versions in comparison. I would recommend this as a really useful starting point for consideration of this vital issue.  Currently you will find downloadable mp3s for the series at...

Which Bible?

...the videos and notes will be online very shortly.

We have also added numbers of M-other Tongue mp3s in Polish, Russian, Spanish, German and Romanian.  Please pass these URLs on to anyone you know who might benefit from them.  You will find a mini-menu at...

M-other Tongues.

and lastly, for this blog, I have begun a series of compilations on different themes. These are based on Dot Twivey's boxed sets of messages.  So far I have done two compilations... tell me what you think.

1. Choose Fire
   
2. Prayer

Do take a look at the Discussion Forums and mp3 downloads.

His/yours

Ron

Normal Service Resumed

Hi Everyone
Gary has managed to pacify the 'kernal' and all is sweetness and light again. Thanks Gary!!

So if you have wondered what all this is about, why not join us on the Biblebase Forums?

Meanwhile, back on earth...

HI There,

I'm afraid my blog is a very occasional event. I tend to use it as a noticeboard rather than a regular update of Biblebase. This posting is a case in point. If you have tried to access the forum recently you will have got a message something like...

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_CLONE, expecting T_STRING in /home/biblebas/public_html/ncw/kernel/object.php on line 528

I am not quite sure what the 'kernal' is 'objecting' to but I gather he doesn't expect 'cloning' and his preferences are more for Bach's Air on a T_String. I am not sure why he has chosen my Biblebase Forum to share his disappointments but until we find out what is really bugging him the Forums will not be functioning.

I will get back to you as soon as we have located the 'kernal' and resolved his problems. Thanks for listening.

His/yours
Ron Bailey

Tranquility Base here; the Eagle has landed...

...but not without a few ruffled feathers!!

We are now settled with our new host and this really gives us oodles of space to work in. The new style website is up and running and most (hopefully all...) the kinks have been ironed out. The next exercise is to think through how we can make the site 'higher profile'. I am not into competitive things but I wouldn't have spent the labours (or other people's labours) on the site if I didn't think we had something that ought to be made available. My 'guru' tells me that one of the most efficient ways of making the site more conspicuous is if folk 'link' to it. So if you have a site of your own or some influence over a site please consider putting in a link to www.biblebase.com

I have oodles (please note this technical term for future reference) of tapes which need to be digitised and lots of ideas for new projects. A close friend tells me I am good a 'starting' projects! In particular I want to get some of the materials from the Church Life School online; this is really unique content and I think could be particularly useful for folks in other cultures as one of the themes of the CLS was to distinguish between culture and Christianity.

Another growth area is likely to be M-other Tongues. This is a section given over to providing materials in other languages which have been created in the course of visits to other places. If you have friends who are German, Spanish, Polish, Romanian, Russian, or Greek speaking please point them in this direction. In the UK at present we have oodles of Polish migrant workers and I would love to see some of these materials in theirs hands.

It would also be a help to know which parts of the site you visit most frequently. Can you let us know which parts you think are helpful? More later... as always His/yours Ron.

Rare Vintage Recording discovered

In the mid 1960s I was able to meet and listen to W F P Burton, aka Willie Burton. He was already a legend in his own lifetime. Born in 1886 he went as an independent missionary to the Congo (now Zaire) in 1915 in the company of Jimmy Salter (who later married the daughter of Smith Wigglesworth). When he relinquished his responsibilities in the work 50 years later it had grown to hundreds of churches. His missionary work saw notable miracles and thousands of first time responses to the gospel.

The churches he founded were simple and indigenous. He refused to allow any titles other than 'elders' and 'deacons'. If you want an insight into apostolic missionary work get a copy of "God Working with Them"; the story of the first 18 years of pioneer mission in the Congo.

He was a man with a delightful sense of fun with children but with a steel backbone. My first experience was to hear him preaching in our Anglican church pulpit against the errors of infant sprinkling! He was a man of exceptional natural talents; an engineer, scientist, artist, linguist, musician, bible scholar. He was also a man of powerful spiritual gift. He conscioulsy dedicated it all to God and when he passed into glory, in 1971, he was travelling with all his wordly possessions in two suitcases; one for clothes and the other for his books.

I will see if I can 'dust down' this old recording and make it a little easier on the ear, but this is a must-hear opportunity to hear him telling his own story in 1968 in Staffordshire, UK. If you want to catch the flavour of those old time Pentecostals be sure to listen to Willie Burton's Testimony

We have a problem, Houston...

This famous laid-back communication of the Apollo 13 mission has been much in use over the last few days.

We have switched host-providers... twice... in that time and even now there a few kinks to be ironed out. Our current provider is based in 'Houston' hence our echo of the phrase.

Gary has been looking over their shoulder at every twist and turn of this saga but we are 'getting there'! The discussions forums are now up and running again. The Audio and pdf files should be there soon and the menues to follow. The front page isn't looking quite as swish as it should but the great news is that we have oodles of space and download capacity.

Please do remember us as you pray. We have stacks of materials that we want to make available and now we have the space to do it... now all we need is the time.

Did you know that we have all the time to do all that God wants us to do? We rest on thee and in thy name we go...