You Are My Rock featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from the album HisStory recorded and produced by Ross Gill

No Mustard Seed video next week – that’s on hold as I wanted to share the Austin Applebee story. Yes I know its been all over the news but I am still sharing because not all the accounts have told the full story.

This account comes from an online post I read from “FirstFactCheck.”

Austin Appelbee is a 13 year old boy whose Mum and siblings became stranded four kilometres out to sea.

They began their swim after a lunchtime picnic at Quindalup beach, near Geographe Bay, and were paddling in the shallows¹. Two of the children, Grace and Austin, were on paddleboards and Beau was in the kayak and his mother Joanne was on another paddleboard — unfortunately, after the wind picked up, one of the kids lost one of the kayak’s oars, and then Joanne, trying to help, lost the other oar, and they found themselves floating out to sea on a rip.

There had been shark reports a few kilometres away the day before, and indeed, there was another shark report at Quindalup the day after Austin’s achievement.Bottom of Form Not having many options, Joanne sent the oldest, 13-year old Austin, to get help.

Before this, amazingly, Austin had been unable to progress to the next level of his swimming lessons because he had failed to swim for 350 metres without stopping. I think the swimming tutors should probably recognise that he is able to swim for 350 metres without stopping now.

Austin took the kayak towards shore, but it was leaky and filled with water quickly. Ultimately, after limping along for a couple of kilometres, he abandoned the kayak and the life jacket and swam for help.

Austin said, “The waves are massive, and I have no life jacket on… I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming’, and then finally I just made it to shore. I hit the bottom of the beach, and I just collapsed.”

It had taken him four hours to reach the shore.

Austin said, “And then I had to sprint two kilometres to get to the phone. There was a lot of foreign people on the beach and I couldn’t get much help, so I had to sprint to the phone. I rang triple zero and rang the police, and said I need helicopters I need planes I need boats, my family’s stuck out to sea.” he said.

The police sent out helicopters, and the rescuers reached his mother and siblings just in time — a huge wave had flipped the paddleboard they were clinging to, and his mother lost hold of the childrens’ hands. They were floating away, when the helicopter arrived and saved their lives — all because Austin had managed to reach the shore and then ran to find a phone and ring for help.

Austin ascribes his heroic deed to God: “I don’t think it was actually me [swimming]… It was God the whole time. I kept on praying, kept on praying. I said to God, ‘I’ll get baptized, I’ll get baptized’… I went to church on Sunday.”

In a Channel 7’s interview, Austin mentions that he only achieved this amazing feat because of God.

However ABC’s headline for the story was: Austin Appelbee’s incredible tale of survival has made international headlines. How did the 13 yr old do it? They mention briefly that Austin prayed, but fail completely to mention that Austin said the only way he was able to do this amazing feat was because of God.

The Guardian newspaper spent most of its article going on about heroic feats in the past that have been due to fight-or-flight situations enabling people – “to go beyond what their perceived limits are”.

Well I know what I, Austin and his family believe!

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During the reorganisation on the Mustard Seed Songs website I have been re locating our many videos. Today we have one  from 2005 at the Oasis Church, Arundel Street, Portsmouth featuring The Mustard Seed Soul Band with Jez Field as compere. The concert was produced to support the charity Faith and Football and features its Director, Mick Mellows and Portsmouth FC legend Linvoy Primus at approx. 25 mins.

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So as I said last week Mustard Seeds are in the process of reorganising their websites. We have had separate sites for Mustard Seed Songs, His Story, Risen- The Musical, Theophilus- The Musical and this Risen blog. It seems more sensible, however (and more economical) to place all our material into one site – Mustard Seed Songs – with “pages” giving access to all the various aspects of our work including His Story, Risen etc.

During this on- going reorganisation I have been  re locating our many videos and thought it a good idea, in the following weeks, to share them with you. Today we have one of our very early concerts (2002)  at  Holy Rood Church, Stubbington in support young Christian missionaries, Jez Field, Clare Townsend and Amelia Sweetland. The concert featured Lucy Stimpson- Maynard, the Mustard Seed Girls Choir and Mustard Seed Soul Band.

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Mustard Seeds are in the process of reorganising their websites. We have had separate sites for Mustard Seed Songs, His Story, Risen- The Musical, Theophilus- The Musical and this Risen blog. It seems more sensible, however (and more economical) to place all our material into one site – Mustard Seed Songs – with “pages” giving access to all the various aspects of our work including His Story, Risen etc.

During this on- going reorganisation I have been re locating our many videos and thought it a good idea, in the following weeks, to share them with you. We start today with one of our first concerts that took place at Holy Rood Church, Stubbington in 2001 in support of missionary, Roberta Cousins. The concert featured Lucy Stimpson- Maynard, the Mustard Seed Songs Girls Choir, Nell Hall – Wycherley, Maggie Horton, Ross Gill, Ben Kennedy and Martin Whitehead.

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Allow His Loving Arms featuring Ross Gill from the album The Season of Singing recorded and produced by Ross Gill

I recently read this post by Doug Hannah and feel it worthy of sharing:

If you were like me as a kid at Awanas or VBS, as soon as the Bible verse memory challenge happened, you were skimming God’s word to find the shortest bible verse to be able to memorize quickly. Of course, many of you know the shortest verse is John 11:35 saying, ‘Jesus wept.’
In the context of this verse, Jesus was in the city of Bethany where Mary & Martha were weeping over the death of their brother, Lazarus. However, something really stood out of me about this verse. When Jesus returned to the news that Lazarus was dead and had been in the tomb for 4 days, He was told by both Mary & Martha at different times that if He were there, he wouldn’t have died. Of course, this isn’t theologically accurate because the reality is that just Jesus was around didn’t mean death, pain, or adversity didn’t exist. In fact, that’s where he spent a lot of his time were places filled with those circumstances.
Now He does have the ability to remove those things and heal people, but He moves in his own way with different people. The thing that stood out to me is that Jesus didn’t focus on correcting their theology, He sat in their pain with them and chose to weep. The reality of the situation was that Jesus knew that he would die and that He would raise Lazarus from the dead shortly after, but chose to empathize and feel Mary and Martha’s pain with them.
What is powerful about this story is that Jesus cried even though He knew Lazarus was dead before He got the news. He cried even though He knew that Lazarus would be alive in just a few moments. He cried even though He knew death would not be here forever and even though He knew eternity and the Kingdom better than anyone else ever could. Jesus wept because this world is full of pain, regret, loss, depression, and devastation. He wept because knowing the end of the story doesn’t mean you can’t cry at the sad parts.
Being compassionate and empathetic with people is not about being right or correcting emotions. It’s about entering in a burdensome place with people and choosing to bear it with them to help them through it.

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If You Call His Name featuring Lucy Jane Rutherford from the album Precious recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am not a fan of evolution, especially when it is taught in schools as almost a fact rather than a theory.

With this in mind I was interested to read about the water scavenger beetle and thought it worth sharing.

This is a water scavenger beetle, and it does something that should not work if life were built by chance. It walks upside down just beneath the surface of the water, pressed against it, calmly strolling as if gravity does not apply. It does not swim. It does not rush. It simply walks. Scientists observe that a trapped air layer keeps it from sinking, yet that air should collapse or break apart. Somehow it stays perfectly intact.
Even more astonishing, the beetle creates no surface ripples. No disturbance. No signal to predators above. It breathes underwater by holding a thin layer of air beneath its hardened wing covers called elytra. That air connects directly to its breathing pores, the spiracles, forming a built in life support system that works flawlessly from the start.
Now ask the question evolution refuses to answer. How did the first beetle survive without drowning while this system was supposedly incomplete. How long did it take to figure out ripple free movement. How many generations died before this precise balance worked. The honest answer is simple. It did not evolve its way into survival. It was designed for it. This beetle is not an accident of time. It is a deliberate work of God’s creation, engineered to function perfectly from the very beginning.

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Walking With The King Of Kings featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Precious recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Last week I said that I have been writing this blog since 2014 and that this is the first time Christmas Day has fallen on a Thursday – the next time will be 2036. And guess what – this New Year’s Day has also fallen on a Thursday! The next time will be in 2037 – cant wait! But until then from the webmaster, myself and all at Mustard Seed Songs –
Wishing you every happiness in 2026
Actually I have a bit more to say – first that my son, Chris married the lovely Allison on Sunday December 28th in Winchester (more of that next week) And second, although since writing this blog Christmas 2025 was the first time it had fallen on a Thursday, through some strange quirk of our Gregorian calendar New Year had fallen on a Thursday before on January 1st 2015. Here are some extracts from the blog of that day which shows just how much changes in 10 years ( actually 11 years)
I spent Christmas Day going to Holy Rood in the morning and then giving lifts to two delightful ladies to the Church Christmas dinner. Then had a fab meal with Caroline, before my sons, James and Chris came over with James’ lovely new fiancée Rosy.
During the holidays quite a lot of exciting things happened relating to Mustard Seed Songs. I have heard that there may well be a production of Risen!- The Musical in Coventry on May 23rd. Joffy started to write the Risen! musical score; next week we are in London to mix the Risen! double CD and hopefully
Last night I met up with some young Christian friends, Aaron and Natalie Beale, Stephen and April Ballard, Lois Styles and Aaron Lewis. We all went to the Cuckoo Pint pub where it was great to chat to some ex Crofton students – I have to say they made me feel more like “family” than teacher so thanks so much to Matt Ancell, Jake Taylor, George Sanford, Joe Broadway, Dean Bast, Lee Farr, Rob Hay, Hannah Wise, Vicky Atkinson and Kerry McDermott.
There is also Coffee Cake and Chat at Donny’s Bistro in Stubbington which I am helping to organise (It starts on January 13th and runs every two weeks until March 24th. It is aimed at giving people the opportunity to discuss, from a faith perspective, some of life’s big questions such as why is there suffering in the world
I am sure that one of the questions that will come up at the Coffee Cake and Chat evenings will be “Can we really believe what is written in the Bible?” This week’s featured song attempts to address this question.

You say you can’t trust every story that’s been written,
But this Gospel is different and I’ll tell you why,
Its writers faced death, persecution and torture,
So why did they tell it – why would they lie?

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In The Beginning Was The Word featuring the Lord Is Truth Gospel Choir from the unreleased album His Story – live.

First a word of explanation. The song “In The Beginning Was The Word” was featured in last week’s blog, but that version was a studio recording by the Mustard Seed Girls Choir. Today’s version features “The Lord is Truth Gospel Choir” and is a live recording from a His Story production at the Ferneham Hall, Fareham.
I have been writing this blog since 2014 and this is the first time that Christmas Day has fallen on a Thursday – the next time will be 2036 – so this is the first time ever and the last time for eleven years that the Webmaster and I will be able to wish you, on behalf of all at Mustard Seed Songs:
A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A WONDERFUL 2026

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In The Beginning Was The Word featuring the Mustard Seed Girls Choir from the album His Story recorded and produced by Ross Gill

I discovered this article on social media – it is written by “Bible Creation” and was posted by my very good friend Dr Richard Kent. I found it really interesting and with Christmas only a week away totally appropriate to share.

Most people picture a soft, wooden crib in a quiet stable. But in first century Israel, mangers were often carved from stone. Hard. Cold. Durable. Designed to hold something precious and to keep it from harm. That detail alone changes the scene. This was not about comfort. It was about purpose.
Bethlehem was not an accidental location. It was known for raising lambs used in Temple sacrifice. Shepherds in that region were familiar with what made a lamb acceptable before God. An unblemished lamb had to be protected, kept clean, and preserved without injury. Anything damaged was disqualified. Perfection mattered.

Now read Luke 2 with fresh eyes. When the angel announces the birth of the Messiah, the sign is given specifically to shepherds. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” That detail was not for poetry. It was for recognition. Shepherds understood what it meant when something precious was laid in a manger for protection. They knew this was no ordinary child.
Jesus did not enter the world surrounded by gold, guards, or royalty. He entered the world the same way sacrificial lambs entered the story of Israel. Set apart. Watched over. Prepared for a purpose far greater than the moment itself.
This baby was not merely born in humility. He was born on mission.

John the Baptist would later declare it plainly. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” That truth did not begin at the Jordan River. It was written into the very circumstances of His birth.

The manger was not random.
The shepherds were not random.
Bethlehem was not random.

God was preaching the gospel before Jesus ever spoke a word.
Christmas is not about sentiment. It is about incarnation. God stepping into flesh. The Holy One entering history. The perfect Lamb arriving exactly where He belonged so that one day He could lay down His life and reconcile sinners back to God.

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For God So Loved The World featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Precious – recorded and produce by Ross Gill

Still delaying letting you know what is happening with Theophilus -The Musical as we have still have some decisions to make. In the meantime, however how about this for a “blast from the past?”
Even though it was over 30 years ago I remember it so well and everyone talking about it the next day. Not long after, I went with Caroline, then my girlfriend to see it and last week, Caroline, now of course my lovely wife, took me to see its 30 year celebration at the Portsmouth Guildhall.
I am, of course talking about “Riverdance” and today’s featured video is that remarkable first performance broadcast to over 300 million people worldwide during the interval of the Eurovision song contest held in Dublin on April 30th 1994
BTW its fine if you want to skip to 2.54 which is just before Michael Flatley makes his amazing first appearance.

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