David Napier

As I started this book, Easter has just passed, the usual sermons offered, the resurrection of Jesus suddenly took on a new life (no pun intended): I wrote a small book on the crucifixion last year, and felt the need to write this one too, not so much as a follow up, for they are naturally very much interlinked - but if Jesus never died there would be no resurrection; no resurrection, Jesus' living or dying would be irrelevant. As with all my books I offer much of the 'usual/expected' material for the subject in hand, alongside which I delve into some of the questions that others may have wanted to ask, but felt they couldn't, or even shouldn't. The whole of our Christian life, and the whole of the scriptures must be relevant to us, otherwise what's the point of paying any attention to them? It needs to be as real as when the disciples first heard the message, and should excite us just as much. No, we were not 'there', no we did not hear or see what the disciples did, but the Bible should come alive to us every time we read or hear it. Something, somewhere should create a spark in our thinking and thus change our living: how this spark manifests itself will be different for every individual - when I get that spark it usually makes me want to write, which usually means a book rather than a few notes. I find it amazing that the Bible is the same Bible as I have read many times before, but every time I delve into it, I see something different - a different thought, a different angle. I rarely ever read a book twice, but not so with the Bible. I have never been woken at 5am or some other silly-o-clock time because of a fresh thought about a book I had read; but I do so on a regular basis after a sermon I have heard, or a Bible passage I read during the day. My wife gets concerned that I spend too much time on my writing; I will get concerned when my drive to do so wanes.

Whenever I read the bible, I automatically try to think of the verse or passage being read in today's speak, attempting to see any parallels between then and now. Thus, if John was writing these letters today would he be self-publishing, using YouTube, TikTok or whatever was the social media flavour of the month? It is too 'easy' to forget to think like this, yet, if there are no parallels, no up-to-date meaning for us, why would we read the bible? The bible has to be relevant for everyone regardless of which era we live in, otherwise, it would be no better than an historic novel, or a 'guide to good living' - if we take out the incest, murder, mass slaying of entire camps, lying, deceit, theft, multiple marriages and much more

DJ, as he is known to friends and family, or The Don by work colleagues (due to his knowledge and zeal in presentations and teaching) doesn't particularly like the titles bestowed on him, but he does use them, as he has found them useful for setting up meetings and getting the attention of the press. His wife, Lady Arlene, would say he loves the titles, even though she doesn't like her own He received his knighthood in the New Year's Honours list in 2024 for his contribution to disaster management, presented to him by HRH King Charles III. Prior to this he was awarded an honorary doctorate for his research work, essays, and reports on disaster management at Manchester University in 2010...He would like to look forward to retirement, but, as he would say himself, 'change is one of the only constants', and his life was certainly about to change, so too the lives of everyone around the globe Whilst on holiday in Scotland with Arlene and their dog Freya, DJ observes something 'odd' in the clear dark skies above Orkney, Scotland. He reports his findings to the nearest space observatory and quickly becomes caught up in what was to become an international disaster. Not quite the retirement he was hoping for

In discussion with some family members, there was no option apart from burial; when I started to discuss the issue further, the conversation was cut short - they had made up their minds and that was that. This is quite a common experience, whether believers or not. As will be discussed, I care not how I am disposed of, but as of writing this, my main 'preference' would be cremation - no funeral procession (cortege) or costly entourage with all the trimmings. No flowers, no wearing black and no glum faces. Not much to ask Perhaps a service of remembrance - but only after my remains have been disposed of. (This would not then be classed as a 'funeral', for I would not be present) I know for many our final send-off is a matter of choice. Some choose long before their passing, some just prior to passing, some do not get the chance, or cultural traditions take over proceedings. Whilst there are a few other options I mainly consider burial and cremation. This book may not be an easy read for some: some may have recently lost someone, or they may have been considering this issue for some time. I find this subject a little like the 'big C' used to be - 'shh, don't mention the 'c' word'; now we talk about cancer quite openly, and considering that most of us will die of either cancer or heart disease it is good to discuss it with the aim of doing something about it. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot we can do about death - we either die or we don't, don't we?

I started writing this offering as that strange yellow globe shone in the sky above Wales, a sight which is as rare as spotting a Dodo shopping in a local store Ok, not quite that bad, but it did make me wonder how many of us worship the Son (Jesus) as much as we worship the sun. Logically or spiritually, there is no comparison to be made, but it helped me consolidate some thoughts I have had on the issue of worship. What is it? How and when do we 'do' it? Is the worship that we have experienced true worship or is it making a mockery of what it should be? Harsh words maybe, but as I get older, I am less likely to remain silent on such matters - whether through my writing and/or through discussions with fellow believers, whether as part of, or separate to, formal Church meetings. As with any subject, more could have been written, but suffice to cover the main aspects of worship, including the pros and cons of what passes as worship in many churches today. Why the subtitle: how many Christians spend more time in the sun, than they do with the Son? A Life in the Sun is a UK TV programme where people leave the UK to set up home and businesses in sunny climes - not all plain sailing, as many fail to realise some of the difficulties they may face. This book highlights quite similar: Christians often (though not always) leave their old lives behind to embark on a new life under the watchful eye of the Son - Jesus; not all plain sailing, as many fail to realise some of the difficulties they may face.

Apart from the fact that there are myriad books on 'how to preach', including the famous Preachers and Preaching by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, this offering is more along the lines of what not to say or do, and what to look out for, to be aware of - from a preacher's point of view as well as the listeners point of view. This offering is based on over six decades of listening, well ok, hearing sermons from many preachers. Whilst I did a stretch of 13 years on the 'preacher's circuit' I The title derived from what I believe should be central to any preaching, that is, the message should come from the heart (plus lots of study and prayer of course), and not seen as a theological college-based exercise put into practice. In modern speak I believe many preachers didn't get the email (or whatever social media they may use)

As is often the case, the ideas for writing a book comes from discussions with fellow believers. This book is no exception, except to say that the logical conclusion to the debate we had would mean that either party isn't a believer That is, if I believe strongly in the concept of 'Once saved, always saved' (OSAS), and others do not, how could it be considered a secondary matter, rather than a primary one. It is either true or it isn't. If I live my life as a believer of this concept and promote it as being true, and never question it, how would I know if I am one of the ones that my fellow believers say won't make it to a blissful afterlife? The idea of 'wilfully sinning' keeps raising its head as being the main rationale why some Christians will be heading for Hell, yet as this offering hopefully shows, that is a statement which itself needs to be debated. The 'discussion' could have become rather heated, for neither side would 'back down', which is rather an odd situation, for I believe that this is not a secondary issue, for if those who believe in the statement are wrong, there could be additional billions going to Hell - Christians that is, who will join the many other billions who genuinely want nothing to do with God. 'The bible says so' was another phrase being used to defend the opposing argument, but as we shall see this is not a solid argument, for there are verses that each camp could use to defend their stance. As with any scriptural issue there must surely be one answer; 'agreeing to differ' is not an option in this case, for if we firmly believe that Christians can lose their salvation, there must be millions if not billions of believers who are either ignorant of this debate, but if true, will go to Hell, or they are not ignorant but feel unstable, unsafe, and afraid that their lack of perseverance will send them to Hell. Either way, the discussion led to me writing this small book.

This issue has been floating around in my head for years (no pun intended) and have been all at sea with it (pun intended). I have briefly raised it in a paragraph or two in some of my other books, but once again, awoken at 5 am with the idea in my mind I started to write some notes. The Religianity isn't a very good name for a ship I know - but ah well, it matters not - for who cares, it's going to float merrily away as it has done for millennia? I was trying to think of some clever wording for the ship's name but all I could think of is what I mean - the abhorrent merging of Religion and Christianity, as if the two were synonymous, co-working alongside God. The ship should never have been launched I think the ship was in the dockyard awaiting the chance to show the world how gleaming and enchanting it could be for quite a while, but even though the deck plan may have been organised, the criteria for who may board was certainly not. It soon became a free for all as the ship set sail, but who was responsible for any of this, how did it all start?

Oxford Languages says crucifixion is 'an ancient form of execution in which a person was nailed or bound to a cross. There is little evidence that the Romans used to flog their victims before crucifixion.' (See notes on scourging) 'Crucifixion' comes from the Latin word crucifxio or crucifixus which means 'fixed to a cross'. An article in learnreligions.com says, 'The Jewish historian Josephus, who witnessed live crucifixions during Titus' siege on Jerusalem, called it "the most wretched of deaths." Victims were usually beaten and tortured by various means and then forced to carry their own cross to the crucifixion site. Because of the long, drawn-out suffering and horrible manner of execution, it was viewed as the supreme penalty by the Romans.' Simple explanation? If, as mentioned earlier, we don't delve any further, yes. Yet, even in these opening paragraphs questions can be raised (and will be raised later) about: - Nailed or bound - Cross or a simple stake - Flogging or not - Carrying their cross Each of these will be discussed, because there are many sources that debate not only these aspects of crucifixion, but many more. We later see how at one time, so many were crucified at the same time Jerusalem was devoid of trees, yet there is one basic, but important question - was anyone crucified and how can we prove it?

In other writings I have expressed my concern that Christian 'growth' should be considered very carefully, as I do not believe it is what it seems. So often, Christians are willing to dismiss the scientific world in favour of scripture, yet it is in the world of science, that everything is checked, doubled checked, and checked again - so why not scripture and Christianity? Is it because some people think they haven't the time, or the effort, or the intellect to do so? If so - think again Too many are floating off into the religious sunset without considering where they are going, who they are travelling with, what fellow travellers really believe, and, above all, what they are willing to 'do' about wrong thinking and wrong practices. If this upsets their journey plans, sobeit The journey and its concomitant issues I raise in this book - being a Christian, Judgement Day and all that incurs, and our final destination - are vitally important to consider, or reconsider - if you dare

As is often the case, more so over the past year or so, book ideas 'pop up' in my mind when conversing with friends. This one is no exception. I was asked what I thought about doubt, so I said my piece, and the book title immediately sprung to mind. Why are some seemingly afraid to voice their doubts? Why do some keep them under wraps? Both questions highlight a major weakness in society, especially so in a church fellowship setting. We should never feel as if we cannot say what we need to say ('want' is too weak a word here), nor feel that we need to constantly hide our feelings and emotions. The proverbial time-bomb is already primed and many need to diffuse it, for their health and the health of others. It isn't always easy to share with others; indeed, some make matters worse, so we need to choose wisely to weed out the Job's Comforters amongst them

Why the title? Simply because when I was 60, I wanted to spend a few weeks travelling route 66, which, for various reasons did not materialise, then recently I watched a TV cookery programme where the presenters/cooks were travelling route 66 as I was typing some notes for this book - and I thought about adding an additional 6 to the famous route. Hopefully no one will think this is a travel book wondering where route 666 is, as it is not a route that we should desire. This book follows the route that Lucifer took, from his creation onwards - travelling the road to Hell. (NB There have been many debates as to what this number means and whether it is in fact 666, but such a debate is not covered by this book. Neither will I be referring to whether 666 is a real, physical mark of the beast, which some believe will be tattooed on people's foreheads. Keep such images for Hollywood ) This is but a small offering on a vast topic. As with any of my books, there are eloquent, academic alternative tomes available on Satan/the devil, but I aim to narrow down the questions, theories, and debates to a basic, hopefully understandable, though not necessarily agreeable, version. I have attempted to capture the main points under three main headings: his beginnings, his mission, and his demise.

As has often been the case, the beginning of one of my books comes to mind when talking with others - this small offering is no different. Having just finished writing Revival Revisited, I was talking to a fellow believer about how many religions have different views on revival, which made me think of how many religions there were, which led on to how many denominations there must be, and how the world in general must be confused as to which is which. Some of what is offered here is from my Home from Home series of books, with additional emphasis on what scripture says. After all, everything we believe in should have its base in scripture - shouldn't it? Religion has become the thinker's version of Russian Dolls - each time we think we have found what we are looking for, there is something else, then something else, and then something else. This is not a comprehensive guide to religions (I leave that to Wilkinson quoted elsewhere), nor does it fully portray the vast number of denominations - Christian or otherwise, but it does attempt to show how dangerous it has been and will be to continue dividing up Christianity as if it was a never- ending cake. Christianity is Christianity: it is not a religion, it should not have denominations, or divisions, or multi- faith approaches, or freedom to choose whichever path is flavour of the month

Spurgeon said, "If revival is to come 'we must go directly to the Holy Ghost for it, and not resort to the machinery of the professional revival-maker.' Ministers that are careless about the truths that cross their lips, church officers that are dead weight upon the Christian community, and members that do not relish the spiritual exhilaration of divine truth are all like smoke in the eyes and as agreeable to the lively saint as being bound to a dead body. They are sickening and make 'the inmost spirit feel the horrors of mental nausea.' (Nettles 2013 p257) I possibly use the term revival a little different to what some may expect, but whilst this book does consider the Welsh Revival type revival, and what seems like a moving of the spirit in large churches on a global scale, my main issue throughout is what I call true revival within the individual. This may indeed come about from other types of revival, but I argue that if each and every Christian was true to their calling, large scale revival would not be necessary.