Operation Mincemeat

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

In a cemetery in Aberbargoed stands a memorial stone. On it is the inscription, “In recognition to the allied war effort by Glyndwr Michael of Aberbargoed”. But who was Glyndwr Michael and what did he do?

Glyndwr Michael was a homeless tramp who had died from eating rat poison.  The poison had caused pneumonia and he had died without any known relatives to mourn him.

So the question remains, “What did this penniless, insignificant man do to contribute to the war effort in 1943?”

The answer is found in an enigmatic inscription on the top of the memorial stone.

“Y dyn na fu erioed”.

Below is the English translation.

“The man who never was”.

Glyndwr Michael was, unknowingly, instrumental as one of the greatest deceptions named Operation Mincemeat which was carried out by British Intelligence to fool the enemy.  His body was acquired by the Intelligence service who then created a wholly fictitious person by the name of Major William Martin (Royal Marines).

Did you miss National Happiness Day?

 

Photos courtesy of Unsplash

Happiness is contagious, so if you are happy, tell someone! If someone else is happy, listen to them! National Happiness Happens Day is an annual event and is all about unlimited happiness. What more could you possibly want from a day? A day about sharing one’s happiness and bringing a lot of joy to other people’s lives.

National Happiness Happens Day encourages happiness throughout the whole day. It is about recognizing every moment of pleasure, delight, and sheer joy. Don’t let these moments pass. After all, they are extra special! 

Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American 19th-century philosopher, once said: “For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” We certainly agree with him!

Does the weather affect your mood?

When it is cold - we complain that the weather is terrible and wonder why we do not live in a hotter climate.

When it is hot - we wonder why we ever moaned and often find that the heat is more than we can cope with.

Are we ever happy we all ask each other!

The problem is one of contentment. It is great when you meet someone who is truly content and happy. Funnily enough contented people are often the ones who do not have a lot of this world's goods. They have found peace in spite of what they have, not because of what they have.

How about you and me; are we content? When the Lord Jesus Christ was on this planet he was content. He knew that he was facing certain death (in fact, he knew before he left heaven for earth, that he would be crucified) but he talked about his 'joy' being in his disciples (John 15:11) and his wish was for his disciples 'joy' to be full.

The Lord Jesus came into the world 'that we might have life' and the Bible expressly states that Jesus did not come to 'condemn the world' but 'that the world through him might be saved'.

Can I ask you a question? Do you know this type of contentment and joy? If not; you can do. For the Bible states that 'whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved'.

Why not bow your head and speak to God about it now!

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

If all else fails read the instructions!

I really don’t know about you, but one of the most maddening things that I find about people is that they don’t listen and don’t follow instructions. We all know that happens so often in everyday life. We know that people are told things and they don’t even listen. It could be to do with our health or our money but we often ignore the advice that we are given. Or sometimes people are given guidelines but they ignore them and just do it their own way.

I am writing to point people to what God says in the Bible. But God wants them to listen and to follow His instructions for life. For instance Jesus said one day, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14.6 – the Bible). If you follow that instruction you will become a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.

If you come to understand that Jesus is the Son of God you’ll believe what he said. He said I am the way to God, you can’t come to God any other way. Why then do people go to religion? Why do people try all sorts of different things?

Peter (one of the early preachers) he said, “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men where by we must be saved” (Acts 4.12 – the Bible). Peter doesn’t give you a choice or alternatives. He says on the authority of what God has said in the Bible there is no salvation any other way.

We need to be rescued, we need forgiveness, we need to be brought to God and there’s only one route because God decided it and it’s through faith in Jesus Christ.

Would you rest on the work Jesus did when He died on the cross. I wonder if today you would simply hear the voice of God and refuse to harden your heart and do what He says:

·      Turn from your sin

·      Obey the gospel

·      Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

    God says if you follow my instructions you’ll be saved. I trust that God will richly bless you today.

    For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

UAE creates a minister for happiness!

The prime minister of the United Arab Emirates has announced the creation of a minister of state for happiness, as part of a major government shake-up.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, said the minister would drive policy "to create social good and satisfaction". A new post of minister of state for tolerance was also created.

When I was young I heard a man explaining the difference between happiness and joy; not that I was aware that there was a difference. Happiness he said was a response to the good 'happenings' in your life whereas joy was a deeper thing that did not depend on your circumstances being good. 

What about you? Is it only when the 'happenings' in your life are good that you are happy or do you have joy no matter the circumstances. Now do not get me wrong we are not saying that we should be on a high all the time, or running about constantly laughing but I have met folks who had an inner peace, a contentment, a joy even when times were tough. The Bible says 'godliness with contentment is great gain', 1 Timothy 6.6.

There is an old prophet in the Bible, Habakuk, and as he faced the downfall and distress of his people, Israel, he said these words 'athough the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; and the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD is my strength'. What a viewpoint! Everything goes bust, your world falls apart - yet you have something that outlasts it all - salvation. Have you got it? The word of God says you can - 'through faith in Christ Jesus'.

Can we really ever experience happines?

When it is cold - we complain that the weather is terrible and wonder why we do not live in a hotter climate.

When it is hot - we wonder why we ever moaned and often find that the heat is more than we can cope with.

The problem is one of contentment. It is great when you meet someone who is truly content and happy. Funnily enough contented people are often the ones who do not have a lot of this world's goods. They have found peace in spite of what they have, not because of what they have.

How about you and me; are we content? When the Lord Jesus Christ was on this planet he was content. He knew that he was facing certain death, in fact, he knew before he left heaven for earth, that he would be crucified, but he talked about his 'joy' being in his disciples (John 15:11) and his wish was for his disciples 'joy' to be full.

The Lord Jesus came into the world 'that we might have life' and the Bible expressly states that Jesus did not come to 'condemn the world' but 'that the world through him might be saved'.

Can I ask you a question? Do you know this type of contentment and joy? If not; you can do. For the Bible states that 'whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved'.

Why not bow you head and speak to God about it now!

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk