[0:00] I can follow very, very much what Ronnie is saying about the word kept. I think it's the older that I get, the more I realize it's probably one of the most precious words that were kept by the power of God.
[0:16] Last night, I spoke on the words, he took courage. And I apply that very much to myself as well because it is one thing as I look back over my Christian life that I really lacked.
[0:31] And there came points where, by God's help, I took courage and did or went forward. I was born in Ardelve, a wee place near Kailhavlach.
[0:46] And then we moved to Portree and Skye and then moved to Kalanish. My dad, like Ronnie's and David's, was a minister. I'm going to tell you one very interesting thing about my dad. When he was, when my granny, his mother, was pregnant with him when she was carrying him.
[1:07] It was back, it was a black house. He was from Carloway in Lewis, my dad. And he had a sister, she was 10, Margaret. And her dress caught fire.
[1:19] It was a really windy day. And she ran out and she ended up being burnt to death as a result. Obviously, my dad never saw her. But there was a woman in the district, a very, very, very spiritually minded woman.
[1:34] And she came up to see my granny. And she said to her, she expressed her real sympathy. But she said, you know, I've heard from the Lord that the baby that you're carrying is going to be a servant of the Lord.
[1:49] So it was quite remarkable. It took a long time for that to be fulfilled. But it was something I had heard of. And it made me realize just the very things that you're saying of how God has his hand on people.
[2:05] And he watches over despite everything that's taking place. So either, and it's a privilege growing up in Amant. I didn't think that all the time.
[2:16] And sometimes I really rebelled against it. But to be in a home where there are gatherings of God's people. And I remember often when I was young listening to them, sharing experiences and such like.
[2:32] And I would say, I would love to be a Christian. But then these things would move on. When I was a wee boy, Ardell was very isolated where the manse used to be then.
[2:45] And I remember, it's funny, little children, and I talk of little children, they hear far more than we realize. And one of the pictures that stuck in my mind was my mother.
[2:58] I would probably only be about four. And she'd be pointing at her. I remember being at this beautiful starry night. And she was saying how God made all these stars.
[3:09] And lots more that you can't see. And that he counts every single one of them. And he names them one by one. We're told that in Psalm 147.
[3:20] And that stuck in my mind. And gave me this great sense of the greatness of God. And I often thank the Lord for that early teaching.
[3:31] Because despite the way that my life often went, that all was there. I would love to be able to say that I came to faith in young years.
[3:44] I didn't. I was back and forth and back and forth. I was very restless. I had a kind of a self-destruct button as well. I would come close. I would be convicted.
[3:55] And I would say I would have to get right with God. But there was always this that was holding me back. Always holding back. And to cut a long story short, years later, things were in a very self-destruct.
[4:13] And I realized that I really needed the Lord. And I remember going down on my knees and I said to the Lord, please, you've got to take over my life. Because I can't do this anymore.
[4:25] Very simple prayer. And the funny thing was that after that, a peace came into my heart. I still kept searching and I was asking, oh, Lord, you have to save me.
[4:39] And I look back and I believe that the Lord had. But I didn't understand at the time. And I was still trying to find my way. I didn't say a word, not a single soul, a word to a single soul about what was happening.
[4:54] And the funny thing, I was very friendly with Ian Morrison Walrus. And he wasn't interested in church. And you probably heard his testimony. But I remember so clearly how he was almost blackmailed by Sheena.
[5:10] It was on condition that she did certain things for him that he would go to these evangelistic services. And he went, if anybody was ever dragged to him, he was converted.
[5:22] And he was just blazing bright. I'd never seen a transformation. And I was saying, it's like tonight, excuse me, the complete difference in someone who's trying to figure out just what's happened and someone who wasn't, didn't seem to be looking and just took off.
[5:41] See, God works in such different ways with us. But it's still the same end result. So I came. It took me a wee while to come to what I would call assurance of faith, where I was persuaded that the Lord was my saviour.
[6:00] But I still hadn't told anybody. And I thought, I'll, but then I thought, you know, I need to go to the prayer meeting. And I remember getting dressed on four different occasions to go and I couldn't go.
[6:12] Because I felt if I took that step, that was, that's a big step. And I remember there was a communion. We were in Callanash at the time. And two relatively young girls, who would be teenagers, and it was the Lord's Supper on the Sunday.
[6:29] And I was sitting at the back. And they walked down. And at that particular time, going back, there went an awful lot of young Christians. And I couldn't get over their courage.
[6:41] And I said, wow, they're going down to the table. And I was saying to myself, what courage they have. Because I was saying, I could never, ever do that.
[6:52] Because you're always, you always had in your mind, as I've been saying, what will people say? What will people think? And also this, again, mentioned it last night.
[7:03] I can never keep going. Well, we can't ourselves. It's only the Lord. So to take the next step, it took great courage.
[7:15] And of course, it's the Lord who gives you the help. When going to the first round to the prayer meeting. And I remember that night, when I went to the prayer meeting, I slipped in late at the back there.
[7:26] And I don't think the amen or the benediction, but I was home. I don't think bolt ever ran faster. I didn't want anybody to say, at least I was there.
[7:37] I made it. So that is the kind of passion I was. I was very, very hesitant. Very lacking in courage. Because I found it, I was saying, how can I make this commitment?
[7:52] Because I was, although I always had this strong religious side, I was very involved in everything in the world as well. And I was saying, oh man, what will people say?
[8:03] What will people think? And I wasn't prepared for the sort of all that would come with it. But you know, what happened was, I remember somebody saying to me, excuse me, my voice is starting to go.
[8:23] What do you have now that you didn't have before? And the one thing I had to say was peace. Because when I came to an assurance of faith, this sense of peace began to flood into my heart.
[8:40] And that peace comes about because you're right with God. All the time I was running away from God. And you can't do that. Running, running. And then I would try and run to God, but then run away.
[8:51] I was scared. There was fear. But that fear went. And it's the most wonderful. I wish people who are still on the outside are halting. That you just take that step and discover the life-changing peace that takes over.
[9:09] The peace of God that passes knowledge. And that's so true. That's what takes over in your heart and in your life. And so all the way along in the different steps, it was the same going forward.
[9:22] Communion came, communion went. I said, I can't do it. But then again, there came the point. Where by God's help, I took the courage. I took like Joseph.
[9:35] Eventually. And for some people, it might not seem such a big deal. I always understand people who struggle with these things. Because I've been there. And it was the same also with regard to going into the ministry.
[9:49] And I would say, oh, I can't. And like Ronnie had said, I'd seen ministry at home. I knew some of the pressure from the looking in. And I would say, oh, man.
[10:00] I would say, oh, I've not. That's the last thing that I would ever contemplate doing. And yet, you know, when God takes hold of you and begins to show. But then I would say, here's this guy who was so hesitant in coming a Christian.
[10:15] So hesitant in stepping out at the beginning. So hesitant in going forward. How on earth can I ever go and tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ?
[10:27] So there was this inbuilt hesitancy all the way. And yet God takes you over it. That's the one thing I'll say. God is faithful. And he helps you.
[10:38] And in our weakness, we discover his strength, his enabling, and his keeping. I'm going to tell two very short stories, which I, to a certain extent, one is quite humorous.
[10:54] And the other, I find amazing. After I became a member, we were in Calanish congregation. And everybody there, if you could sing at all, got a shot of singing. Whether you were a crow or a nightingale, everybody got a turn.
[11:09] First couple of times I was asked, I thought, oh, not a chance. Then I thought, I think I better. I can't just not. So anyway, I was doing this thing and my dad was preaching.
[11:21] And I remember sitting there and I was saying to the Lord, Lord, you are so good. This is incredible. Who would have thought some years back that I would be here, that here's my dad preaching.
[11:32] And I'm presenting. And I don't often get, but the words came so clearly, you shall see greater things than these.
[11:43] It's like, I think, was it the words of Jesus to Nathaniel. They came very powerfully. But I never really thought, but they lingered.
[11:54] And anyway, years later, after I became a minister, my dad's first charge was Ardell. That's when he became a minister.
[12:04] He was ordained and inducted to Ardell. And he had just retired and I had just been licensed as a minister. And we were both asked to the Ardell of communion.
[12:15] And I found it quite extraordinary that we were sharing together, doing the communion. In the place where I was born, the place where he started out in the ministry.
[12:27] And he had now just finished and I was starting. And here it was like everything had come together. And the Lord, it's so often in life you find these things. The way that God works and brings things together.
[12:38] The other thing that came to my mind tonight with Ronnie presenting and Ronnie speaking. Ronnie sang, presented. I was going to better say, not sang at our wedding in case you said, do you know what?
[12:51] Anyway, Ronnie was one of the presenters at the wedding. And the late Murdo Alec MacLeod had a huge impact upon Dolly's life and my life.
[13:09] Because Dolly was converted under his preaching at a communion in Liverpool. And very shortly after that was Murdo Alec who introduced us together.
[13:21] And he said to me, come, do you meet a cook? And I remember, he said, it's not a cook, I need a dietician. I remember that one. But anyway, he then had asked, I was just finishing in college.
[13:33] And he asked me to come with him as assistant in Stornoway. So before I was actually licensed into the ministry, I got married. And Murdo Alec was primarily doing the wedding.
[13:46] My dad was helping. Now, Dolly did all the arranging. And Dolly's been such a real help, I can't imagine. And I'm sure you say the same of Mary and you say the same of Joan.
[14:00] I can't imagine the ministry without it. But that day, I thought there wasn't going to be. Because all I had to do in the day was to pick up the marriage license.
[14:15] That was my role from the registrar. And I didn't know that you can't get married without the marriage license. I've done loads and loads of weddings.
[14:25] I discovered that day you can't. So anyway, I forgot. And the registrar phoned Murdo Alec up and said, I think the wedding was at 2 or something. Phoned up at 1 o'clock and said, Kenny hasn't called for the license.
[14:41] And I said, so are you going home for lunch? She said, drop it off on the way home. So he had it. So anyway, I was in the vestry and Ronnie was there and best man.
[14:55] Murdo Alec comes in about 20 past. I don't know, maybe the wedding was half past 2 or not. But there was 10 minutes to go. So he just said, can we look at the schedule and see that everything, the license, everything's in order.
[15:08] Oh, I forgot. So I went running out the door. And he says, where are you going? I said, I went down to the registrar. Well, he said, it's closed now Friday afternoon. Oh, I said, and then I said, I know where she stays.
[15:21] I said, she stays up on Anderson Road. I'll get someone to run me up. Oh, he said, I don't believe this. He said, there's a registrar's conference in Inverness this weekend. And I think they're going off the lunchtime ferry.
[15:35] So I said, what are we going to do? Well, he said, we'll probably have their wedding on Monday. Well, I honestly, I have to say, there were probably the 10 worst minutes of my life.
[15:47] I went to the toilet to be sick. And I thought, and I remember him saying, which one of us is going to go in to tell people the wedding is off? And he milked it to the very last.
[15:58] I remember the church officer coming in. Oh, well, here's Dolly. And I was saying, no. Because I was picturing, how do I go out and tell her this? And he just pulled it out from under his jacket.
[16:11] So that came back to my mind. Do you remember that? Yeah, that was an absolutely awful moment. But again, it's funny how lives all the time interlink, intertwine.
[16:26] You'll find that yourselves. And particularly in the faith, there is such a link up, such family. So much more I could say, but I'll leave it there. Okay.
[16:36] Thank you.