Mushrooms of Martin Top

I found these little fellows growing in the grounds of Salem Chapel. Would you believe me if I said I popped them into a bag, took them home, chopped them up, and ate them for my tea? Those of you who know me would think that the culinary effort involved would be too much trouble, and you would be correct.

Those who do not know me might estimate my wisdom too great to know that some fungi are poisonous; simply eating whatever one finds is a foolish nutritional policy. My wisdom is not terribly great, but even I know that some things are best not eaten. Readers with better knowledge of fungal lore may know whether these examples are good or bad for us. My policy is this: if in doubt, go without.

Once I was a leader in a Pentecostal church, and would sometimes be offered ‘words from the Lord’ which people would kindly share. Some were specific, others rather general. It was hard to tell if they were words from the Lord or just words from the heart; adding the weight of God’s approval to our own opinions and convictions is a surer way of swinging people round to our point of view, which is, of course, the correct one.

Although I do not doubt that the Lord moves us, impresses us, prompts us and reminds us, the only words from the Lord which I dare trust are those found in scripture. Although even they can be twisted and contorted, it is easier to seek the plain meaning of the Bible than to weigh the motives of a complicated human heart, which is desperately wicked above all things.