A new resident

New resident, Professor Peter Haycock, introduces himself and explains why he moved to Lincolnshire

I moved to this area with my wife, Irene, in December last year. We came from Staffordshire and are now enjoying the beautiful but very different landscape over here. I was originally brought up in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, not really that far from here, but moved when I was seven to the hills of the South Downs and the seaside at Hove. When I was 18, I went to Bristol University to study physics and that was followed by a doctorate in optical communications at Sussex University. My first proper job was at the University of Oxford, researching into high-temperature superconductors and superionics (a super time!), from which I moved to Keele University to a post which soon turned into a lectureship in Electronic Engineering. While at Keele I taught on several courses, mainly physics and electronics, but also chemistry, computing and medicine. I eventually ended up as Professor of Environmental Engineering and Head of the University’s Foundation Year Centre for 12 years. My research during the latter years was primarily associated with development of novel survey techniques and instrumentation for the civil and structural engineering sectors, for example to anticipate and prevent collapse of bridges – an interest which I still pursue.

So that’s my backstory, but why am I here now? Irene and I have been Christians for many years and we felt that God was calling us over this way. I left my job, we met a vicar over here and have started to do some voluntary activities with him. Now I hear some of you say, “But how can you believe in God with a history like yours?” That is indeed an interesting question and there are three main reasons.

Firstly, the more fundamental physics you get to know, the more incredible it becomes. By incredible, I literally mean unbelievable. The truth about the nature of the universe is so bizarre that it could not possibly have invented itself. I know this from my own scientific discipline, but also understand that when you delve properly into relevant areas of research in biology, as well as some aspects of mathematics, the conclusion is the same. When people tell me that they don’t believe in God because science gives us all the answers, I explain that one thing scientists understand for certain is that we currently know only about 5% of what the universe is. How can anyone discount the existence of God when 95% of the information required to make that decision is missing? The knowledge that we do have of that 5%, though, actually does indicate the existence of a creator.

Secondly, the story of the Bible makes complete sense if there is a creator God. He made us to be with him, but we all live lives in which we fail to reach the perfection that we and he would like. In fact, God cannot have us in heaven when we die if we are not perfect, but since we are imperfect we are unable to do anything about it. Other religions vainly try to put in place human measures to overcome our failings, but the real creator God sent his perfect son to take responsibility for our imperfections through his death on the cross. This set us free to live for him and to enter heaven, if we believe in Jesus as the Son of God and give our lives to him.

Now that is a good and sensible story which was written a very long time ago, so how do we know that it is true? That brings me to my third point: if we do give our lives to Jesus, He sends His Holy Spirit to work in and around us. Over the years I have seen many people’s lives completely changed for the better once they become Christians. I have also seen God do many things in answers to prayer, i.e. miracles. I have personally been healed by God on several occasions and have witnessed Him heal others many times when I have prayed for them.

All this put together convinces me that God exists, Jesus is indeed his son, and he is good.

The original article was first published in the Gosberton, Quadring, Gosberton Clough and Gosberton Risegate Community Magazine, May to July 2020

The God of miracles 1: Does God break his own laws?

I was sent an article about miracles the other day. It was focused on one particular Biblical event which is not normally classed as a miracle. That got me thinking - what actually is a miracle? The word for miracle in the Bible is normally a translation of the Hebrew or Greek word for a sign, a wonder, a power, or a work. Whatever the word in the original language, the concept of miracle as defined in English dictionaries is concerned with an event that could not have taken place through the laws of nature, and so needed divine intervention. With that in mind, we can foray into life and see where we can find miraculous events. Today's question - Does God break his own natural laws?

The answer to that is simple: Yes! There are major signs and wonders where God definitely intervenes and breaks the natural laws of his own creation. Turning water into wine (John chapter 2, verses 1-11) is not a Universe-natural process and probably not even a Heaven-natural process either: it was Jesus directly intervening in chemistry. This was not a wonder, because very few people knew about it, at least at first, but was a sign (as John calls it) to the disciples early on in Jesus' ministry. Multiplying the bread and fish for feeding 5,000 men (Mark chapter 6, verses 30-44) or 4,000 men (Mark chapter 8, versus 1-10), in each case plus an unknown number of women and children, was not a Universe-natural process; nor was parting the sea to allow the Israelites to escape from Egypt (Exodus chapter 14). Jesus' instantaneous healing of lepers and the lame and the blind and raising the dead were not Universe-natural processes either. These were all miracles.

God made all the rules of the Universe, so he of all people knows how to break them.

Now remarkable healings do sometimes occur naturally, when there doesn’t seem to be a prayer or faith element, and astound doctors. However, I have seen, experienced or know of several healing miracles which are beyond that and were a direct response to prayer and/or faith in Jesus. I give three examples in the post Healing miracles today. They are just a three of the many instances I could cite where I have seen God broke his own laws of nature out of love for us. These are signs that he is with us and that he loves us. For those who are healed they are quite a wonder as well!

Healing miracles today

Jesus healed thousands of people during his three-year ministry on Earth. His followers healed many thousands of people as well. This is recorded in The Acts of the Apostles, the book in the Bible after the four Gospels which tells some of the story of the early Church. But does God heal through his Church today? Absolutely!

One day someone whom I did not know bounded up to me at church after the meeting had finished and said, "I'm healed! I came to your recent church conference and you prayed for me because I had cancer, but the doctors now say that it has completely gone." She then bounded off to tell our pastor. At home another evening, my wife and I prayed for someone who had had calcium stones in his tear duct for quite a long time. They needed to come out and the only way that could be done was through a somewhat dangerous operation. The next morning, he came to us with something in his hand. He said that when he was cleaning his teeth the stones had come out into his mouth, and he showed us them. He didn't have to have the operation.

Jesus healed thousands while he lived on Earth and he told his followers that they would do even more.

On a personal note, I was at a church meeting and after the singing finished, the preacher said that God had healed someone's finger during the last song. Now I had damaged a little finger quite a while ago and it was giving me trouble with playing the piano, amongst other things. So I looked down and felt my finger: it was completely normal again.

These are just a few of many instances I could quote when God has supernaturally healed me, someone else when I have prayed, or when I have witnessed someone being healed at a church meeting. There are also many, many verified accounts of God healing people which can be found in books or on the internet. God is good and compassionate and willing to get involved in the details of our lives when we ask.